In: Root » Internet » Search engines and SEO
This is the first of a series of articles detailing how to gain the Internet marketing edge. This first article will spotlight organic SEO. What makes organic SEO a recession buster? This online marketing practice yields a higher ROI (return on investment) because it is based on reputable, solid e-marketing practices which employ pull rather than push marketing. Pull marketing draws the prospects in because of the relevance to the prospects needs or wants. Put organic SEO (natural search engine optimization) to work for you! "If a tree falls in a forest with no one to hear it, then does it make a sound?" You can apply that same philosophic principle to Internet marketing. Most organizations and businesses grasp how important it is to have some sort of web presence be it a website or a blog or even just a single web page. Having an Internet presence is the modern day equivalent of what obtaining a phone number was way back. However, much like with the phone number, if you were not listed or did not promote your phone number, you were severely limiting your business reach. Online, if prospects or web searchers are using a search engine to find information or a product that you can offer them, if your website does not come up in response to their query, well, you are severely limiting your business because they will not know you exist. There is a quick fix which is not recession busting for it requires an ongoing financial output. That is push marketing with pay per click advertising where you will pay a fee each time anyone clicks on your website. It is high cost/medium return. Or, you can apply something that is is recession busting and historically has returned a higher return on investment. It will initially take a bit longer to yield results however will yield high visibility, branding, and have a free to mid range cost, depending upon whether you do the work yourself, or if you hire a SEO specialist to work with you. Organic SEO is pull marketing; prospects are searching for the products or services you offer. These prospects, when they find you, are the most likely ones to become customers. To get started, first you must have a plan. Start with search terms. You need to determine what the most valuable, industry specific key words or search terms are for your website. Compile a list of as many as you can think of; each term should have 2-5 words in them becoming keyword phrases. Try to think "out of the box", perhaps ask others outside of your industry to help you brainstorm. Spending time on keyword research is essential because this is the focal point of your website and of your marketing plan. Your aim is to rank highly for relevant search terms that will bring traffic and ultimately sales to your website and business. Next, take a baseline reading so you know where you are and where you need to go. The two measuring tools are a search engine ranking report and a statistics tracker. Now you are ready to look at your website content. Each page should tell a story all around the targeted search terms for that page. Each page should be unique. All the pages together should form a story book with one central theme or thread tying each page together. Write for your site visitors, not the search engines. Copy should flow, utilizing the page targeted search terms but not excessively so. Be sure to incorporate targeted search terms into the title, description, page links, alt text (text under the pictures). Another important consideration is the website design. It should be appealing, user friendly and not too busy or cluttered. Flash is beautiful as an addition or enhancement to a mostly html based website. The search engines still struggle to read Flash and need basic html to really delve into your website. Keeping your website accessible by making sure it validates to coding guidelines put in place to ensure equal access to all including those with visual or auditory impairments. Be sure that the website also views properly in different web browsers. Once you have taken care of the website content and design, it is valuable to have some high quality, relevant inbound links for the search engines love to see others linking to you. It boosts your credibility in their eyes. You can write press releases and articles and have them linking to your website. You can publish blogs that link to your website. You can ensure that your website is listed in appropriate web directories and portals. Finally you can simply trade links with other industry related websites. However you decide to handle your linking strategy, be sure that any website that houses your link is a reputable one. Your professional image and your reputation with the search engines are at stake and wise choices can be immensely valuable so exercise good judgment. Back to your measuring tools. Once a week you should check your search engine rankings and every other day or so you should be taking a glance at your web statistics. Adjust your page content when necessary and watch as you gain the Internet marketing edge over your competition. Diane Greenblatt, founder and CEO of Our Online World http://www.ouronlineworld.com Our Online World is a NY search engine optimization and social media marketing firm specializing in: What can we do for you? Please contact us to discuss your business needs. We thank you for the privilege of speaking with you.
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