We’ve spoken in the past about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how using proper SEO techniques can really boost your web presence. Today I want to leave you with a few more tips to incorporate into your online marketing plan.

• When creating your sales website, try to avoid using Java script to create drop down menus or image links. If you do decide to use Java, make sure you put text links on the page in another area so that the search engines can find and follow them.
• There is a saying in the SEO industry – “Content is King.” The better the content on your website, the better your traffic will get. People are looking for good, quality content on a regular basis. Make sure what you’re dishing out is informative and helpful. People will begin to trust you, refer others to you, and revisit your site.
• When searching for keywords to use on your site, don’t forget to use not only single words but entire phrases as well.
• When building backlinks, remember that quality is always better than quantity. If a site with bad rankings or bad content links back to you, the search engines will not hold that link in high regard. A link from a site with lots of traffic, in a similar niche, on the other hand, will do you more good.
• Avoid keyword stuffing. Yes, keywords are what will get your site found, but if you use a keyword a zillion times within your content it will look unnatural and trashy – and, of course, people will notice and stop reading.

Keep the above in mind as you work to build your next sales page or website. SEO is huge – and if you follow the rules you’ll find your site flowing with free traffic on a regular basis.

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

Studies have shown where people look when they are searching for things.

I mean, where they look and where their eyes are drawn to.

The heat map above shows the importance of being in the natural search engine rankings and the importance of  SEO.

And take a look at the adwords down the right hand side. If you’re not in the top 2 or 3 then you’re not in the game.

If ever there was a case for you to take SEO very seriously then this is it!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant

Should You Play the SEO Game?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a vital role in the success of any website. The more SEO tactics you use when creating your site, the better your chances of experiencing higher levels of traffic generated from the search engines themselves. Devising a good SEO strategy can take quite a bit of work, but is it really necessary?

I’ve found that while SEO is important for some projects, it may not be as important or effective for everything you work on. Before you embark on your SEO journey, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is my project short-term or long-term?

2. Am I creating a simple one-page website with sales copy or am I creating a multi-page website that I am     going to update on a regular basis.  

3. How much time do I have to put into this project daily?

These are questions you should ask yourself before beginning any project. The reason is simple. If you don’t have enough time to put into devising an SEO strategy and marketing your website, you really need to reconsider whether or not you want to put up a website at all. Consider whether or not you honestly believe your venture will be successful.

There are hundreds of Internet marketers who love throwing up one-page sales sites and then promoting them until they can’t promote them anymore. They’ve found a popular niche that may not be hot for a very long time, so they want to get as much out of the product they’re trying to sell as they can. If you’re in this type of situation, SEO may not be top priority. You should certainly consider SEO techniques as you create your sales copy, but issues such as backlinks and search engine traffic may not be as important to you. In your case, a pay per click advertising campaign is going to drive traffic to your website quickly and help you to make sales.

On the other hand, you may be launching a long-term project. Perhaps you’re starting an informational website or blog into which you will later weave some money-making campaigns or products. Long term traffic goals are important, so SEO tactics should be carefully considered every step of the way so that you are constantly building up your traffic volume with both repeat and new visitors daily.

While it’s not always necessary to play the SEO game, it’s always important to keep SEO techniques in mind. You may not have a long-term vision for your website, but even a little bit of search engine traffic will help boost your popularity.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

SEO SOS – Top Tips for High Rankings

SEO, otherwise known as Search Engine Optimisation, has recently become an incredibly hot topic amongst internet entrepreneurs. Effective search engine optimisation means higher ranking amongst websites in similar niches, making your page more visible during everyday web searches. The higher your page ranking, the more likely it is you’ll experience an increase in search engine traffic to your website or page.

There are a number of things you can do to optimise your pages for the search engines. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

Start with an effective domain name and heading. Including niche keywords within your actual domain name will increase your likelihood of being indexed within the search engines for that particular keyword. If you like bird watching, for example, you might want to purchase a domain name such as www.birdwatching.com or a variation, such as www.birdwatching-experts.com. The keyword “bird watching” is in both names and increases your chances of being seen.

Use headings and subheadings within the text of your web page. The headings and subheadings should include keywords and phrases relating to your niche. You should also use a H1 or H2 heading tag (or any H# tag up to 6) to make your headlines stand out. Search engines look for headline tags with strong keywords, so finding a way to include a headline tag within your content is essential.

Add descriptions to the images you use on your website. It’s one thing to place a breathtaking image on your website or sales page, but you have to make sure they are SEO compatible as well. When you add an image you’ll have the opportunity to add what is known as an ALT tag. The ALT tag is simply a description of the image, but when you write this description you’ll want to be descriptive and use at least one variation on your niche keyword.

Every website needs a sitemap page. A sitemap page is a website page that lists links to all of the different pages contained within your website. Sitemap pages make it easy for Google and other search engines to find and index all of your pages because you’ve linked them in one convenient place.

Create internal links. Each page on your website should have links to some of the other pages contained within your site. One or two should do the trick, but will help increase clicks to other pages, which will in turn increase your search engine popularity.

Search Engine Optimisation can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of writing content that is SEO optimised, you’ll have a difficult time reverting back to your old style of content creation. I find that SEO optimisation is absolutely paramount if you’re hoping to use the search engines to gain traffic for your website. The above list is not complete, but provides a great starting foundation.

What are some of your favourite SEO optimisation tips?

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert