Strong websites grow from optimized Roots

The difference between social media marketing and search optimization comes down to viewing your website like a tree. If you understand the importance of continually optimizing your website then you will realize that the slow growth of your campaigns are like the roots of a tree that provide a solid foundation in the search engines. Taking time to deliver the page rank that will lead your website to the top of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) requires a long time commitment. For some people the rush to be recognized takes them to the social media sites where they can list their services or products and drive the attention of consumers to move from cleverly produced videos and ads on a social networking page to the landing page of their website.

I see social media as the next generation of online marketing that will be even more powerful than it is today. I see the importance of social networking and establishing a business connection with clients and customers that are engaged in following your posts and comments. I also recognize the importance of developing a strong root system for websites that are building a reputation as an expert within the various search engine directories. The way that I view a website is like a tree that has a solid trunk, strong roots and branches that reach toward the sky. 

The website represents the tree trunk and the ongoing optimization efforts that require constant nourishment are the roots that spread out behind the scenes (or in the case of a tree reach below the visible surface). Establishing the strong foundation for the website optimization takes on different forms that are each equally important to the branding and reputation of the site. Social media marketing (which is openly visible and requires just as much effort as SEO) is like the branches and leaves of a tree. Reaching into the visible world of reputation management the spreading branches of a social media campaign are strengthened by the roots of optimization.

Trees thrive on sunlight and water receiving nutrients from the soil that feed the tree's growth, a tree or a website depend on the work of optimization that is essential to the health of a tree. But without sunlight the tree is unable to grow and will perish. This is why it is important to cultivate equal amounts of social content that can be used in optimizing a website and building the reputation of a brand through social networking. With a solid marketing media strategy that supports both the ongoing work of SEO and the more fluid promotions that connect social media to your site, you can build a strong web presence that can stand tall in the SERPs and be recognized by customers and clients that are following your messages in the social networks.

Optimize Page links for better SEO Placement

In writing content for different clients I have noticed that certain website have very long and complex links that take the website visitor from one page of the site to the next. Instead of using the common link for the pages home.html; about us.html; and contact.html, the links provide some important information to the search engines and aid in the overall creation of an optimized website.

To the casual visitor that is viewing the page the button that is clicked is a normal looking icon that can be found on every website. Simply noting the different page names that are of interest to someone browsing the site the navigation buttons provide the link to another page appear to be colorful additions to the design of a layout.

Like this one is...

However, when clicked on the navigation bar at the top of the screen reports back an elaborate string of words that are related to the company, the page or a particular service or product being promoted.

When building a web page it is now common practice to identify the page title that appears in the browser above the site content. Adding a small logo and name to the page tab makes it possible for the search directories to store more information related to the website, but what is remarkable is that the same "robot" programs that are gathering and indexing a website's written content are also looking at the links and names that are being used by some designers to aid in the optimization of the entire site. 

Allow me illustrate what I mean. For one company a link from their index or home page might look like this http://www.MarketingMediaStrategy.com/services.html, which is perfectly acceptable and will do the job of site navigation, but with some tweaking the same link is optimized when it is written like this: http://www.MarketingMediaStrategy.com/services-writing-graphics-strategic-planning.html

The difference is that while the same page appears on the screen the indexing of that page is unlike any other website. That means that when someone is searching the Internet and types in writing, graphics or planning there is a greater connection to the site that is offering those services. In addition to adding page descriptions that are unique for each page on the website the descriptive navigation link name may boost the ranking of the website within the individual search parameters of an online inquiry.

Whether you are designing you site yourself or having a professional company develop you domain for you it is a beneficial to have them make the page links more usable for the search engines by choosing the words that describe the page and enhance the relevant terms that are being incorporated to optimize your website. Used as covert yet appropriate marketing media strategy when building the pages of a website the lengthy navigation links allow additional optimization work to be done on the website as it is launched and is first scanned and indexed by the "search robots" and "spider programs" that crawl through a website and index the information for the search engines.

SEO is the Tortoise that beats the Hare in a race of Endurance

In Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare the fast paced rabbit is in a hurry to reach the finish line and prove to the world that he is the best athlete. Meanwhile the tortoise slowly moves along and eventually overtakes the cocky hare that stops to rest and falls asleep from exhaustion. Optimization is similar to the tortoise in that it takes a long time to see the results of building links, adding articles to online publications and requires a great deal of patience before a website begins to show the result of making it to the front of the pack at the top of a results page.

Through concerted efforts that demand the attention of a website owner and their SEO specialist the goal of landing on the first page of the directory results can be accomplished. Typically taking anywhere from six months to a year to achieve the slow process of gaining a natural ranking in the search engines can be accomplished by those that are consistent in their efforts and who do not stop to rest when things start to appear to be working.

This week I met with a client who was so concerned about reaching the top spot in his profession that he did not want to take a methodical and somewhat slow approach to his online marketing. Frustrated by the competition he wanted to produce a large quantity of articles in a short three month time period and measure the success of his Internet marketing campaign based on what the search engines would perceive after cranking out as much work as possible before stopping to rest and examining the distance that the massive amount of work would be covering.

Not realizing his mistake that the search engines do see links, but take their time to index the information that is submitted to the various online publishing sites this client (whom I refer to as the hare in our story) became agitated by the fact that I was unwilling to deliver what he wanted knowing full well that his effort would have very little impact on his goal. Requesting that I deliver the hare's pace for a meager fraction of what the work would normally take to be affective [in the long term connections and relevancy that makes up his page ranking (PR) and affects the overall quality score] I had to refuse to work with the man because of his improbable request.

Although I had planned on performing some PPC work to augment the SEO content and directory submissions to help expedite the success of a well planned marketing media strategy I was fully aware that in a three month period of time there would no significant changes to his current page ranking and I would be exhausted by the effort that would have ended in the termination of my services out of sheer frustration on the part of the client.

The expectations of many people is to gain a fast result when it comes to their online marketing work, but the reality is that the search engines are designed to move slowly and increase a website ranking over the long haul. If it were simple to gain a coveted position in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) there would be a constant turnover of businesses that are holding onto the top spots of the search engine results. But in order to be fair and avoid the unlawful "Black Hat" practices that speed results, the major search directories are designed to follow the methodology of the tortoise in slowing the pace and bringing a website into the winning position on a page after many months of steady work. That is not to say that a concentrated effort of producing a large volume of articles and blogs as well as adding links to other directories cannot be sustained for a full year, but the efforts require a solid commitment on the part of the SEO provider and the client to manage the workload and stick with the marketing media strategy that has been developed to reach the goal of any Internet marketing campaign.

As I realized before signing up the business as a client and committing myself to an impossible agreement, the prospect of adding a client is often more exciting than working for someone that does not appreciate your contribution. Like the tortoise that maintained the same pace and speed throughout the race, SEO delivers the intended result when it is carefully initiated and kept moving forward at a steady rate over a minimum of six months and is best when planned for over an entire year of continuing work.

Optimize search results with Geo Targeting

I was speaking to friend about his website marketing and in particular what he is doing to attract new business when I was surprised to hear that he is not doing anything to develop an ongoing SEO platform. When I asked why he had not been using search engine optimization to gain a natural foothold in the searchable web directories I was told that he had looked into it, but in the past no one had been able to help him narrow the field of competition from a national search inquiry to a local one. Naturally, I was concerned that this man's law practice is suffering because he has no idea how to generate business from the web. So I introduced him to the very specific keyword searches that narrow down the region, the city(s) and even the neighborhoods that he wants to reach through the most effective and inexpensive marketing media strategy available.

Referred to as Geo Targeting the search engines can be allocated to return results to a browser that are intended for a specific audience. Through keyword selection that identifies the city and even the zip code that a business is located in it is possible to build organic results that will lead local consumers to the door of a very specialized individual and their business. Because my friend practices law he is only interested in meeting with clients that he can represent within the same state, county and cities that are close to his office. Concerned about his license to practice this individual has put off establishing any real Internet marketing plan because he was unaware that the search parameters can be set to target the neighborhoods and zip codes that he is interested in serving.

Going beyond the natural results of the search engines that are determined by optimization efforts, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising in the search engines or the ads that appear on social media sites can be highly effective in geo targeting the ideal customer or client. Because unique IP addresses contain a set of numbers that are used to identify a city or even a neighborhood it is possible to set up paid advertising that responds only to the homes and businesses whose Internet connected IP address corresponds to the results of a web search that is targeted by the keywords a person browsing the web is looking for.

The combination of very specific keywords and the selected geo target of an exact location have made online marketing much easier for business owners to use. On a modest budget PPC advertising can produce results for a business that is only paying for the clicks that move a person from the search engine to their website. If the keywords target the business products and services within an identified community only the people with corresponding demographic data will see the PPC ads in the returned search results, thereby eliminating anyone browsing outside of the target audience.

Organic searches can also provide the information that delivers local customers to businesses that are using geographic terms to set up their keyword phrases and meta tag descriptions on their website. By coding a URL with the <meta name="keywords" content="sample city keyword"> and <meta name="description" content="sample city or state content description"> companies that are using a local marketing media strategy can attract people that are in the same location as their business' physical presence without generalizing their online marketing for the entire Internet.

Working with geo targeted keywords, IP addresses and zip codes for paid ad placement or organic search results is an ideal way to reach a specific audience and attract consumers living or working in a small area that is limited to city, county or state boundaries.

For help setting up keyword specific geo targeted marketing email me: info@MarketingMediaStrategy.com

SEO takes Time, be patient

With over 50 distinct factors all contributing to a successful SEO campaign it is no wonder so many people have questions about why their website is not moving up in the search rankings of Google and other engines. Even with a very specific set of keywords that identify a target audience there is a lot of work that needs to be done on an ongoing basis before a website will achieve the ranking that everyone wants.

Truthfully, it can take up to a year or longer for a website to reach the first page of results in a search engine. Depending upon the competition and the amount of users that are searching for a specific site SEO can take a lot of time to deliver the organic results that every site owner is looking for. But don't despair, with some patience and the daily addition of articles, blogs and other online media posts a website can reach the top. Because it is a full time job to produce articles and generate viable links to a site many people turn to online marketing firms for help. Receiving a return on their investment that is far greater for such a modest amount than any other form of advertising or marketing internet marketing companies are able to develop strategies that have been proven effective by years of research and contribution to the search engines. Posting articles in online publishing forums and back linking those keyword enriched, informative and unbiased articles to a client's website, the pros understand that their work is never ending.

Even when your site is ranked in the top fold of the search results you are not finished with you SEO work. Because there are more than 200 million websites out there it is critical to sustain your success by swapping out the keywords and continuing to add to the success of your online venture. To help make things move along, the search engines are scanning articles and sites for the bold keywords that are being indexed by the search robots or spiders. Emphasizing the viable keywords of the blogs and articles and cross referencing them with the websites where the same word in the same order are appearing in the written content of a site the search engines remember what they have read and add the links to their stored pages of information. Even if no one ever reads the articles that are being added to build up the keywords, the links themselves become invaluable.

As someone that sends all day writing freelance articles for an SEO company, I have seen a number of tricks that the insiders use to manage the different clients that are selling identical products. With the name of a city or the use of a reordered series of keywords many different websites can each develop their own string of links that are moving them up in the results of a web search. If you are doing your own organic SEO work, just remember to be patient and always contribute something new for the spiders and robots to look for. Just keep in mind that your keywords are important and you should link your website to whatever you are submitting to an online publisher. If you keep working at it you will begin to see your site moving forward over the course of a few months.

Until next time,