![]() |
![]() |
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics
Search engines read text, and not a whole lot more. Search engines cannot see and interpret your images. They do not give bonus points to sites that look cool because of Flash technology. Search engines read text. Too often, Web sites are built based on design, rather than content. The content you put on your Web site holds a very important key to search visibility and online traffic.
Content is crucial to your Web site's success, but it is not the only source of search visibility. Here, we explain how and why content is essential to your Web site, but bear in mind there are additional important aspects to a successful search engine marketing campaign. Content is still king, but there are other important players in the royal court of online success.
The content on your Web site that search engines can read is a major factor in earning top search positions. Search engines crawl your Web site's content in order to "understand" what your Web site is about. Without the content, search engines have a very hard time understanding what your Web site is offering, and cannot award search visibility to it. Quite simply, to achieve high natural search visibility, your Web site needs to have unique content that search engines can read to effectively utilizes the keywords you hope to rank for.
Beyond search visibility, your content is what motivates your visitors to take action. On your Web site, you must talk to your market; let them know about your brand, your products and services and your expertise. Integrating the keywords you hope to rank for is important, but not at the expense of the readability of the page. Stuffing keywords into your content will do more harm than good. Write for your Web site's visitors. Keep your keywords in mind, but focus more on your customer's experience than the amount of keyword repetition you use on a page.
Your content not only allows Internet users to find your Web site through search engines, it also gives them a reason to stay once they are there. More factors search engines take into account when awarding search visibility is the length of a visitor's stay on your Web site, and how often they return to your Web site. Content allows users to spend more time on your Web site. Regularly updating your site with new, educational content will bring visitors back time and time again.
There needs to be indexable content on every page of a Web site that you want to search engines to deem important. When you create a page for a specific product or service, you need to create content to populate that page. The content has to relate to the topic of the Web page, and it has to use the keywords you've already selected to target for that page.
A lot of emphasis needs to be placed on the term "indexable content". Indexable content can be defined as content that search engines can read. Content that is located within images doesn't count. Search engines only see the indexable content on a page, and can only give search visibility as based on the content their spiders can read. How do you know if your Web site's content is indexable? A simple test is just to try and highlight the text on a page of your Web site with your mouse. If, while holding your left mouse button down, you can highlight the text of your content, it is very likely that the body text is indexable, and search engines can in fact read it.
Web site owners need to understand the importance of the content on their Web site. Companies need to invest the proper resources into creating, optimizing and showcasing the content. Boiler plate content about your company or products doesn't cut it. Take the time to create original, informative content that is written for your Web site's visitors and optimized for search engines.
Search engines need indexable content in order to give your Web site search visibility. Web users need content to understand what your company offers and why they should buy from you. Strong content also attracts links, building your brand's online presence and making your Web site more valuable to the search engines. Strong content that search engines can read is at the core of your online success, though it is not the only factor in gaining search engine visibility. From Social Media Marketing to Branding Strategies and beyond, a complete marketing campaign is driven by the informative, meaningful content your company can produce. A successful, comprehensive SEM campaign is driven by a Web site's content. Give your Web site's content the respect it deserves, and both your visitors and the search engines will take notice.
Labels: Organic SEO
Assumptions are risky, and too often we see companies making the same assumptions about their Web sites and Search Engine Marketing. Luckily, you don't have to make the same mistakes. Educate yourself, and avoid these expensive assumptions.
Assumption 1 - People know how to access your Web site
You believe your clients and potential clients have your Web site URL memorized. Well if they don't have it memorized, they most certainly have it bookmarked, right? Wrong. People forget things. Your customers aren't always accessing your Web site from the same computer, so their bookmarks may not always be available. This makes search visibility and high rankings on the search engines important. Not only will high search visibility allow new customers to find your Web site, it will also make it easy for current customers to make repeat visits and purchases.
Assumption 2 - People understand your products and services
How many times have you seen a commercial, and you have no idea what it's for until the very end, when the brand, product or service is highlighted. Too often, this happens on Web sites as well. Use your Web site, and especially your Home page to briefly educate your visitors about your company, what you offer, and why you're an industry leader. Remember to utilize your target keywords within your content.
Assumption 3 - People refer to your products the same way that you do
Assuming that your customers and potential customers refer to your products or services the same way you do is a dangerous mistake. You have a professional and expert view of your industry. Experience and education within a certain industry or product often leads to an enhanced vocabulary. While this is important for you as an industry expert, it can impair your lines of communication with customers. Keyword research is a critical step in the Web site optimization process. Find the keywords for your products and services that your customers are searching. Some of the data may surprise you! Targeting the keywords your customers are searching for will benefit you in the long run.
Assumption 4 - Creativity generates sales
Often, too much focus is placed on the appearance of a Web site, and other important aspects are sacrificed. A fancy looking Home page may impress some of your visitors, but if they can't figure out how to make a purchase or how to contact you, what good is your Web site? While the creativity can add distinctiveness and visual appeal, it will not ensure that visitors become customers. There has to be more to your Web site; informative content, easy to use navigation, straightforward calls to action. Depending on your Web site's creativity to generate your sales can be a costly mistake.
Assumption 5 - People know how to get around your Web site
Make sure your Web site's navigation is easy to understand and to use. Search engines don't always list your Home page as the top result for your Web site. Ensure that your Web site's architecture is search engine friendly, and that your navigation and menus allow visitors to easily orient themselves on your Web site. You may have great content within the pages of your Web site, but what happens once people have read that information? Can they easily return to your Home page? Is it clear on those interior pages how to make a purchase? Your site's architecture should allow visitors easy access to all of the important pages on your Web site, including the Home page, how to contact you, and how to buy.
Assumption 6 - Once your Web site is online, it's perfect
Web sites hit road bumps. Your customers make mistakes. When you have interactive facets to your Web site (contact forms, checkouts, etc.) things can and will go wrong. Customers can enter the wrong address or credit card expiration date. Make sure you try out your Web site to address functionality issues. Click on those links. Submit a form or order. Take the time to experience what your customers will experience from your Web site.
Assumption 7 - Customer service will answer all questions
Not all of the visitors to your Web site will contact your customer service with questions or problems. Add an FAQ section, and plenty of educational materials to your Web site so that you can answer the questions that are keeping your visitors from becoming customers. Your Web site cannot be solely made up of product descriptions and marketing materials. Use your Web site to educate your visitors. Establish yourself as an industry resource. Provide the tools and news that authenticate your market leadership. Supply the information your customers need to make educated purchases.
Assumption 8 - Visitors will come back
Even customers that love your site won't become regular visitors unless you give them a reason to. Create a "What's New" section. Add a Blog. Regularly develop new content that will keep your Web site fresh and useful for repeat visitors. Utilize the "Add This" tool so people can share and bookmark your URL for future visits. Add an RSS feed so people are made aware of changes to your Web site. Invest in Blog Marketing to create awareness and traffic for your Blog. You need to give people a reason to keep coming back to your site.
Labels: Organic SEO
Why optimized images are important:
Search engines' spiders are blind. They cannot "see" the images you choose for your Web site. Search engines do not know what the images show or what words are used in images.
Thankfully, there are SEO practices that allow search engines to understand your images, without actually seeing them. When used correctly, images can boost the relevancy and aesthetic appeal of your page, as well as aid the visually impaired to understand your Web site.
As you may have noticed, and as we explained last month, Search Engine Result Pages (SERPS) are changing with more diverse selection of Web sources. Along with these changes, Image Search is a growing trend. Search Engines recognize the impact of visual search and are making these results a priority.
As images become more and more important on the search engines, it is critical your SEO strategy includes optimized images.
Tips for Optimizing Images:Following these simple steps for optimizing the images on your Web site is an easy way to get your site optimized and on track, ready to enjoy higher search visibility.
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO, Social Marketing
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics
As the Web develops there have been noticeable changes in how Search Engine results are displayed. Google has added more and more categories of search results, pushing the ever important organic search positions all over the page. Organic search positions are still important. Appearing as the first organic position for a search is still valuable for brands. Though still important, organic search results are being pushed around on the search engines.
It is important to see how the landscape of Search Engine Results has changed. You may hold a number 3 search position for an important keyword, which used to mean great exposure, but what does that really mean anymore? Here is a screen shot from Google, with the different search results labeled.

These aren't the only listings that can pop up and interfere with organic search positions. Google also inputs Google Local listings both at the top of the page, or sometimes within the organic results. Google has also been including real time news results, streaming information from other news sources and Twitter. Examples of these services can be seen below.


As you can see, the first organic search listing doesn't fully appear "above the fold" in this case. So what are these new sections of results, and how can you make the most of these sections for your Web site?
Google isn't the only search engine to diversify their listings. Below, you can see how Yahoo and Bing are also offering more diversity in their search results.


Search Engines are changing the way they present information to Internet users. There are more opportunities than ever to gain exposure and search visibility on the first pages of search engines. As things are changing, it is important for Web site owners to understand how things are changing, and what they can do to adapt.
Labels: Organic SEO
When was the last time you, your SEM team, or your "SEO-Friendly" Web developer did the following things? Chances are, its been awhile. These are 10 tasks that should be on your radar at all times, and done regularly to improve your Web site's functionality and search visibility.
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics
Labels: Organic SEO
Within the new section you will find stats on how fast your Web site loads compared to other Web sites, example pages and their load times, and speed suggestions for pages on your site. You also have the option to install the Page Speed browser add-on which evaluates the performance of your pages and provides suggestions on how to improve them.
Below are screen shots from the new Site Performance section of Google Webmaster Tools for E-Power's Web site.
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics

A recent study published by Scarborough Research illustrates the importance of Working Moms and your online marketing campaign. The study utilized more than 220,000 adults nationwide and defined the term "Working Mom" as ?Women who are employed full-time and have one or more children in the household?. The study was done to establish an understanding of the Working Mom's lifestyles, including demographics, shopping habits and media behaviors.
According to the Scarborough study, there are approximately 21.6 million Working Moms in the United States. They account for roughly 9% of the adult U.S. population, and 18% of all the women in the country. 43% of women in the United States fall into the "Working Mom" category. This is a huge group of consumers, have you been focusing on earning their business online?
Who are we looking at when we discuss Working Moms? This group is largely made up of women in their 30's and early 40's, with a 4-year college degree or higher, and making, on average $81,900 per year. From the necessities of food and clothes to life's little luxuries and beyond, Working Moms are responsible for providing for their families. The Scarborough research delves into how Working Moms shop for food, clothing and technology and gives key insights into how this group takes care of their homes.( "QUICK FACT: Moms spent $3,334 on home improvements during the past year.") From how much they're spending, to which stores they're spending their money at, this research gives a great look into the mind of the Working Mom.
Working Moms carry a lot of the responsibility of shopping and providing for their families, but they also take some time to focus on themselves as well. With an exhausting lifestyle that includes a full time job, raising children, taking care of the home and more, one may assume that a day off would mean a day of rest, but that's not the case according to the Scarborough research. Many Working Moms prefer to be active when it comes to their free time. From Day Spas to Health Clubs, this is most definitely a very active group of Women.
You may have long suspected that the Working Mom is an important audience to target with your marketing. Now that you know a little more about then, let's look at how they spend their time online:
So, what does this mean for you and your business? Thanks to the Scarborough research, you now know that there is an audience of almost 22 million customers out there, with higher than average incomes, control over family and personal spending with the ability to influence the preferences of their children and spouses. That sounds like a pretty important target audience to me. You know how they are spending their time and money online, so how do you market your brand on those sites?
What can you offer the Working Mom that could improve the quality of life for her and her family? How can you market yourself as a solution to her busy lifestyle? Can you save her money or time? Do you offer a product or service that can improve the health of her family? What are you doing to promote your company through the mobile channels the Working Mom most often uses?
There are a lot of options for targeting the Working Mom online. From Social Media Marketing on active blogs and social networks, to offering discounts on popular Coupon Web sites, you have options. Have you checked your listings on the online yellow pages recently? You may need to update your information. Advertise your job openings on the important area Employment Web sites, you may find your next great employee, or at least get your brand name out there where the Working Mom is spending her time online.
Come up with new ways to reach this large demographic, and you'll be reaching an important and sometimes undervalued group of spenders. Utilize the Working Moms in your company to come up with creative ways to market your brand. Turn your attention to the online habits of these women, and you'll know how to better spend your marketing budget. Don't wait, as the school year gets underway, and the holidays are rapidly approaching, now is a great time to focus on turning Working Moms into customers.
Labels: Link Building, Organic SEO, Social Marketing
The power of research is endless when it comes to search engine marketing. Not only can you see what your competitors are doing, but what gaps your business may be missing as well. There are countless free tools available that provide you with data within seconds. From search positions to traffic to conversations on Social Media Web sites, the info is all there. The question is, how your business will use this information?
Here are 5 of my favorite free online research tools:
http://www.spyfu.com/
Spyfu allows you to lookup a domain and view both organic and pay per click details. Organic keywords and rankings, keywords being targeted on Google AdWords, estimated spending on Google AdWords as well as organic and PPC competitors. Spyfu is free, however if you subscribe (paid) you can view a larger set of key phrases and stats than the free version.
http://www.twazzup.com/
Are you on Twitter? Are your competitors on Twitter? Whether you are or not, you should research and see if your company and products are being discussed on Twitter. If they are, then you should start building a presence on Twitter and take advantage of the direct line of communication you can create with your customers. If your audience isn't there yet, chances are they will be sooner than later. Twazzup is a free tool monitoring conversations on Twitter. Type a phrase or domain in and see the latest activity surrounding that topic or URL.
http://www.whostalkin.com/
Social Media is exploding, so stay tuned in to what others are discussing in regards to your industry, business and competitors. Whostalkin allows you to enter a key phrase or URL and search various News sources, Photo Web sites, Videos, Forums and more from one interface. The biggest mistake a company can make is not monitoring what is being said and taking advantage of creating relationships with customers and potential customers.
http://www.compete.com
Compete will provide you with general traffic estimates for Web sites. They are not 100% accurate however the overall trends typically are. So the next time you get a weird link request for some new directory, go check it out on Compete and really see if it's as great as they say it is. Compete is free. Create a free account and you are able to use a few more features than without the account.
http://www.google.com/alerts
Google Alerts allows you to get alerts when Google discovers news, links, or content around your chosen key phrases or domains. You have the ability to have alerts delivered through email (daily, weekly or as it happens) or a RSS Feed. Set up Google Alerts for your domain to track new links as well as your competitors. You also should create alerts on your most important key phrases as well as other industry terms to monitor the buzz of the industry.
Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics, Social Marketing

Autumn is here and as the days are growing shorter, and temperatures are dropping, it's time to say good bye to summer for another year. As much as I'll miss the heat and sun, fall is my favorite season. The colors of the leaves, the crisp fall air, it's hard to ignore all the changes going on outside. As the seasons change, why not take a minute and look over your Web site to see what changes you can make this season?
How long has it been since you read through the content on your Web site? Too often, content is outdated, making your Web site look unprofessional. Check the dates in your content. Make sure you reference current information. Review your company information for changes in personnel and contact information. Make sure everything on your Web site is up to date and relevant. While you're checking for outdated information, keep an eye out for misspellings as well.
Nothing dates a Web site like old images. Stock photo services are easy to use and relatively inexpensive, but can give your Web site a fresh new look in no time. Don't forget about the Alt IMG tags. The Alt IMG tag allows you to input alternative text if the image is not available to users, and to describe the image to search engines. Use an optimized Alt Image tag with relevant keywords for the most benefit.
Why not develop some new content for your Web site this month? Create an informative, resourceful page that will educate your audience, and help to establish you as an industry leader. Contact your Search Engine Marketing firm for great recommendations on what kind of content will work best for your Web site. No Search Marketing firm? Check out the E-Power Marketing's Linkbait article for some more general suggestions.
The search engines reward Web sites that consistently revise or add to the content on their Web site. Blogs are an important tool for increasing search visibility when well written, optimized posts are added regularly. Have you looked at your Blog recently? How often do you post to it? Publishing at least one new post every week is a great goal to shoot for. Already posting once a week? Why not try to do more. The more optimized content you publish, the better your chances are of getting top positions for the keywords that matter to you.
There is never a bad time to update your online presence. Turn a critical eye to your Web site, and figure out what you changes you can make before the snow starts to fly. Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, you can easily make updates to your Web site that may make a big difference to your potential customers.
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO

Labels: Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics
Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics
After a week in Seattle for the SMX Advanced Search Engine Marketing Conference, not only did I come back with a lot of great tips and confirmation, I got to thinking about different strategies, avenues, etc and came to discover the two secret ingredients for Search Marketing success - Commitment and Engagement.
Engagement
"Social media has overtaken email as the most popular consumer activity according to a recent Nielsen study. Importantly, consumer growth is coming from an older demographic than social media's historical base; for example, Facebook's strongest growth is coming from 35-49 year olds adding twice as many 50-64 year olds as opposed to those under 18. (Nielson "Global Faces & Networked Places," March 9, 2009; MediaPost Blogs Research Brief, "Social Networking Is No Respecter of Age," March 18, 2009.)"
Source: iab. Social Advertising Best Practices, Released May 2009.
As a business you need to engage your customers from the start. You may not be on Twitter, but I can almost guarantee your customers are. You may not like Facebook, but the market does. Your market is all over the web, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, or YouTube. Research your competitors, I bet some of them are already ahead of the game. Your competitors could be attracting customers that otherwise would have came to you.
Not only do you need to engage your customers on Social Media avenues, but also on your web site. Incorporate interactive features on your web site. Add a blog, videos, a photo gallery, polls and questionnaires, news, etc. Provide visitors a reason to be engaged on your web site. By keeping visitors engaged on your web site not only do you keep them onsite longer, but they usually come back again for more.
Commitment
In order to achieve engagement with your customers you must also provide a great deal of commitment. Being engaged on various Social Media avenues and to your web site requires a considerable amount of time and expertise. Your business must be committed to providing the resources necessary in order for your Search Marketing program to thrive.
Sure, anyone can "tweet", but can they "tweet" effectively in reaching your business objectives and goals. Can they be active on Twitter making your tweets a resourceful avenue? Someone can quickly throw up a Facebook Business Page, but can they turn it into an interactive hub for customers to ask questions and discuss your products or services?
If your business is not completely committed to search marketing efforts, the program will not reach its full potential. Your business needs to be committed to designing a search friendly web site, continually adding content and growing the web site, being active on various Social Media networks and opening up the direct line of communication with customers. If top management isn't on board your success on the web will be limited.
An integrated Search Marketing program including Organic Search Engine Optimization, Pay per Click Advertising and Social Media Marketing along with an engaged and committed core on behalf of the business equals the potential for long lasting success on the web.
Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, Social Marketing
Press releases have long been used to distribute news to media outlets. As technology and businesses have evolved, so has the role of the press release. With the increased popularity of online media, it is important to understand that Search Engines use press releases differently than traditional media outlets do. How do you go about creating a press release that is worth your time and money?
Labels: Link Building, Organic SEO
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics
Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics
Whether for defensive branding purposes or some other reason you have multiple domains for your Web site. No problem right? Not necessarily. Unless your domains are properly set, they can hinder search visibility.
Back in 2006, Google released their patent and deep inside; it stated how Google reviews a Web site's DNS details to help eliminate spam; therefore, why you need to be concerned. The good news is that you can easily get all of your domains aligned and properly setup, eliminating your need to worry.
Implement the following steps to keep your multiple domains from becoming an arrow in your search engine marketing efforts side:
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics
Spring is in the air! Snow is melting, birds are singing, and people are gearing up to do some spring cleaning! Why not get in on the action by doing a little online spring cleaning of your own? Not sure where to start? One simple, but effective way to clean up and refresh your Web site is to work on your content!
8 Easy Ways to start the spring cleaning:Spring is the perfect time to make sure your Web site is current and attractive to both search engines and people. Many companies looking to maximize their Web site's potential will work directly with SEO professionals. Contact your SEO specialist or find a qualified Search Marketing professional today to make sure that you're Web site is ready to do all it can for you this spring.
Labels: Organic SEO
Effective search marketing is valuable for growing business. Done well, search marketing can be the most efficient and effective form of marketing available today.
However search marketing is not well understood. This opens the door to a variety of scams. From reading my junk email and talking to search marketing sales people whom our clients direct to us, search marketing scams are more prevalent today than ever. I also fear they are bagging too many clients who have no idea that they are being taken.
So avoid these common scams:
Labels: Organic SEO, SEM Back to Basics
111 N Main Street, Suite 405 | Oshkosh, WI 54901
Phone: 920.303.1244 | Fax: 920.303.1344 | info@epowermark.com
© 1998 - 2010 E-Power Marketing Inc