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Archive for the ‘Search Engine Marketing’ Category

This post is for small business owners that are starting their first website or those that have an older site but have never done any SEO or link building for it. In other words, you have zero traffic.

DO NOT waste your money on a high-dollar, flashy design or re-design unless you have money to burn and plenty left over for search optimization and marketing. If you have a $2500 budget then you can not afford more than $800 on the design. That’s right, $800. You will need at least the other $1700 to get your site found on the net. If you let a web designer take you for $2500 and you have nothing left then you fail! The more competitive your field the more you will need for marketing and search optimization. REAL SEO is not cheap. I’m not saying a crappy site is OK just that you can skip the fancy bells and whistles at first. Build a site that is easy on the eyes but most important, easy to use and has the content your visitors are looking for.

After that it’s time to start optimizing the content and acquiring some quality links. Once you have been doing that for a while and see your traffic numbers rise and conversions happening then and only then can you afford to waste your money on a spiffy design. Personally I would spend my time and money on more content and more optimization, including conversion optimization but that’s just me.

The moral to this story? Buy a Ferrari if you can afford it, that’s called link bait. If you are reading this blog then your ass can’t afford it. If you need a car to find a job and get to work then buy a car that runs good and gets good gas mileage. If you can’t afford the insurance, gas, and tuneups for the Ferrari then it isn’t going to help you much is it? Stop dreaming you wankers, keep the design tight and low budget and then market the hell out of it.

SEO or search engine optimization is the art/science of modifying or creating content for pages in a web site so they can be found when someone searches for key words and phrases using an Internet search engine. Some common techniques and known requirements are to create custom page titles and URLs that include the target keywords. You should then create relevant content and sparingly include the keywords and key phrases. It isn’t necessary but it doesn’t hurt to use keywords in the heading tags and you can even highlight them using bold text or strong tags.

Text links for navigation are very useful too. You should include your keywords in the text navigation links on your website. It is very important to add new content to your website on a regular basis. These are the main things you can do to improve your search engine position by editing your web pages.

The real power in search optimization comes from growing or building links to your web pages. Growing links is the preferred option but if nobody sees your content then it is difficult to grow links. That’s why it’s often necessary to build links. There are a few ways you can do this.

• Submit your site to directories like www.dmoz.org
• Become a member of organizations like the local Chamber of Commerce
• Write articles for other blogs and online magazines that let you link to your web site.
• Engage in conversations on social media sites like www.facebook.com and twitter.com
• Create a useful application and give it away for free

Let’s look at these one at a time.

Directory Submission

You can submit your site to a number of free directories. You can also have your site included in some paid directories like Best of the Web
Search for niche directories related to your industry, you will be surprised what you find.

Memberships

Join the chamber of commerce and be sure they add you to their online directory. Look for other local groups or clubs related to your industry and see if you can get listed as a member.

Blogs and Articles

If you have a blog then make sure your posts are submitted automatically to sites like technorati. Tweet your posts and link to them on facebook. Ask your friends with blogs to write about your company and link to it. Find some blogs in your industry that allow guest blogging. Submit articles to some of the popular article sites. Make sure you write good content because you will be associated with the posts and articles. It’s also important because if the content is good then more people will link to it.

Social Networking

Use the social networking sites just like you would in a personal gathering. You need to endear the people that are listening. Don’t try to sell them. You can link to your posts and articles in between your normal conversations but don’t be spammy. You need to build an online personality or persona for this to work.

Web Application or Free Download

If you can create a useful online application or tool or offer something free to download then you can expect a lot of inbound links to come your way. People love free programs, downloads and tools. It can be as simple as a free blog theme or an IP address tool, even an amusing real time counter of something weird will encourage natural links.

When building links try to use inbound link text with your keywords in it. That should get you started, get creative and understand that you don’t stand a chance without some links to your web site.