Search Engine Marketing Tools & Tips

Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Success

Web traffic can become an obsession. Some sites need more. Some sites need to monetize their existing traffic. All sites however must know what they are up against when they are optimizing and updating their content.

Effective Search Engine Optimization requires a healthy combination of Keyword Analysis, Backlink Acquisition & On-site Optimization.

Keyword Analysis
The first step in optimizing your website is conducting research and analysis of relevant keywords. Google provides an excellent tool to estimate traffic and competitiveness surrounding certain keywords.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Wordtracker provides another excellent tool for determining specific keywords in a specific industry.
http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

Increasing Backlinks can increase traffic.

The more links you have coming into your site, the more power, relevance and trust your site will have in the eyes of a search engine. For an in depth look at your domain’s backlinks, there is a suite of free tools available here;
http://www.webseoanalytics.com/free/

These tools will give you an understanding of your pages keyword density, backlinks & overall code structure, to help ensure you are optimizing your content properly.

What Search Engine Optimization Tools do you use?

Related Search Engine Marketing Links:

Santa Rosa SEO Company
Santa Rosa SEO Services

Local Search Continues To Thrive

Local searchers are the ones that buy. Or at the very least call.

Geo-targetting your campaigns continues to prove itself as a great idea! Dare I say an absolutely imperative idea that is key to the success of your campaigns!

What does a customer do after they search and find you? The number 1 post-search activity is a phone call.

An astonishing 37% of people who conducted an online local business search in 2009 visited the businesses retail location, according to TMP Directional Marketing and comScore.

Barnes and Noble’s Nook

Book retailer Barnes & Noble launches the Nook.

With a sleek design, and an additional color screen, the Nook steps up to the plate to compete with Amazon’s Kindle this holiday season.

After a successful launch of a Barnes & Noble e-bookstore last summer, the stage was poised to launch their first e-reader. The Nook is scheduled to ship to customers late November.

Learn more about the Barnes & Noble Nook.

Barnes and Noble E-reader “Nook” has significantly increased their web traffic this month! There could be a colorful future ahead for the Nook!

barnes and noble nook barnes and noble nook

Google Goes Social

Google eyes a piece of the social network pie with iGoogle.

Amidst a search engine overhaul and talks of Facebook’s aim at Twitter, Google (GOOG) is attempting to expand their already gigantic family of web experiences. By adding social gadgets to iGoogle, you can have the social features and functions of some of your favorite networks right on your homepage.

Will Google’s new social initiative get any traction?

Hear about it straight from Google.
“First, we’re excited to introduce social gadgets for iGoogle. Social gadgets let you share, collaborate and play games with your friends on top of all the things you can already do on your homepage. The 19 social gadgets we’re debuting today offer many new ways to make your homepage more useful and fun. If you’re a gaming fanatic, compete with others in Who has the biggest brain? or challenge your fellow Chess or Scrabble enthusiasts to a quick match. Stay tuned in to the latest buzz with media-sharing gadgets from NPR, The Huffington Post, and YouTube. To manage your day-to-day more efficiently, check things off alongside your friends with the social To-Do list gadget.”

New Google Search Coming Soon

Google Is Changing Their Search Engine.

The household search giant Google (GOOG)  is changing their search engine. Lucky for us all it is for the better. With faster results, more results, and better results, analysts are speculating this new innovation is in direct response to Microsoft’s Bing.

Mashable did an in depth test comparing Google’s current search, versus their up coming search.

“While this test was nowhere near scientific, we do have some solid takeaways:

New Google is FAST: It often doubled the speed of Google classic.

New Google relies more on keywords: SEO professionals, your job just got a lot harder. The algorithm’s definitely different. It has more reliance on keyword strings to produce better results.

Search is moving into real-time: Being able to get info on breaking events is clearly a priority for Google and Bing. With both Twitter (Twitter) and Facebook (Facebook) launching real-time search engines, they needed to respond.

It’s partially a response to Bing: At least, that’s how we feel. This new search has a focus on increasing speed, relevancy, accuracy, and the index volume, things that Microsoft really hit on when it released Bing. It feels as if Google “Caffeine” is meant to shore up any deficiencies it may have when compared to Microsoft’s offering, though it’s been in the works long before Bing launched.

The new Google will only get better as features are implemented and developed. The end result is a better search experience for the user. Competition really does breed innovation.”

Microsoft Moving Office Suite Online

Microsoft is bringing their Office Suite to a web browser near you in 2010.

In an effort to remain the productivity suite of choice amidst increasing operating system competition, Microsoft is moving their famed suite of applications online.  A recent purchase of the domain Office.com is spurring talk of Microsoft’s plan to use the domain for their products in place of their current office.microsoft.com.

Cisco is also planning to release a competing suite of products in the near future. While some are excited about the possibilities with these new products, security remains a concern.

What are your thoughts on the push to move these apps online?

New Look for Twitter

Twitter has a new homepage.

It’s true. Twitter is starting what looks like a brand overhaul with a new look to Twitter.com

Twitter users may see a new interface soon.

Once logged in to Twitter, everything looks the same as it has in recent history. How would you change the current Twitter interface if you could? More functionality? A different look?

Using Twitter Effectively- There is a Right & Wrong Way To Market on Twitter
3 Twitter Marketing Tips- Start Using Twitter Better Than the Rest
Build Your Twitter Audience- Some Proven Methods to Increase Your Twitter Following
Social Media Marketing + Twitter = <3 – Twitter Works Even When You Don’t

Search Engine Ad Click Through Rates

Click Through Rates can vary from medium to medium, ad to ad.

A recent study conducted in June of 2009 suggests your ad Click Through Rate (CTR) is also indicative of the search engine the ad is placed on.

Bing’s average Click Through Rate is well ahead of Google, and Yahoo holds strong in the middle of the pack.

Get Results With Email Marketing

Collecting your customer’s email address is a great way to grow your business.

Having the ability to re-market to your customers is invaluable in today’s climate. Your customer acquisition costs can be significantly decreased if you are able to stay in touch and collect more revenue from each customer.

Building an Email list takes creativity, and patience.

There are many ways to add a jolt to your list building. Have your customer service or sales reps ask for the email address of every person that they come in contact with. If you do not have a physical location, you can always ask for that information on your website. Make sure the email capture is above the fold and prominent.

Email marketing solidifies your company in the mind of the recipient.

It takes an average of 7 exposures to your brand before you are remembered and viewed as credible. By sending quality, relevant information on a regular basis you can kickstart that process.

Geotargeting Your Campaigns

Dialing your advertising spend down can improve your campaigns immensely.

With the ability to Geotarget ads across the major platforms (Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc.) marketers have the ability to take a microscope to every region of their campaign. Instead of blanketing the entire country or globe with the same cookie cutter banner or ad copy, we can (and should) create ads that speak to the region(s) they are being displayed in.

Not only will Geotargeting lend to a high Click Through Rate on some ads, but inevitably a higher conversion rate as well.