Howdy SEOmoz fans. Welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we’re talking about how to give your content a better chance of going viral, and from virality, what I really mean here is not just getting links, which are obviously very helpful from an SEO perspective, but getting social shares, getting mentions on other blogs, getting talked about, getting emailed around. The virality of content determines how successful that content is going to be in the broader Web, in the scheme of all things that are inbound, not just SEO, not just social, not just community stuff, but overall. There are a few things that you can do that will significantly help your efforts to earn that content virality. So let’s talk about a few of them.
Number one, the right format or the right UI or UX, user experience. What I’m talking about here is a lot of people think that they can take the same way that they produce content normally, keep on doing that, and sometimes that works, especially if you have a very, very clean site, maybe it’s in a blog format and it’s got nice width. It’s not too hampered by advertising and surrounded by that kind of stuff. But oftentimes you will see that content can perform better when it’s in a separate type of format. So let’s say you’ve got a traditional page layout that has content section here but a big header up here and a top ad and a bottom ad and a bunch of sidebar stuff. And maybe you think, “You know what? I’m actually going to clean that up to something that has branding but minimal branding, got a great headline, got the content right in there, and that’s the focus of the page.” So the users who
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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/seomoz/~3/ftsFD313Fdk/how-to-increase-the-odds-of-your-content-going-viral-whiteboard-friday
Category Archives: Optimization
More Options for Google+ Badges
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 1:53 PM
Webmaster Level: All
When we launched Google+ pages in November, we also released Google+ badges to promote your Google+ presence right on your site. Starting today in developer preview (and soon available to all your users), we’re adding more options for integrating the Google+ badge into your website. You can configure a badge with a width that fits your site design and choose a version that works better on darker sites. You’ll also see that Google+ badges now include the unified +1 and circle count that we added to Pages last month.
If you’re still considering whether to add a Google+ badge on your website, consider this: We recently looked at top sites using the badge and found that, on average, the badge accounted for an additional 38% of followers. When you add the badge visitors to your website can discover your Google+ page and connect in a variety of ways: they can follow your Google+ page, +1 your site, share your site with their circles, see which of their friends have +1’d your site, and click through to visit your Google+ page.
The Google+ Badge makes it easy for your fans to find and follow you on Google+. With these additional options, we hope it’s even easier to create a badge that fits your website.
Follow the conversation on Google+.
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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/amDG/~3/cz8fpcIdFYQ/new-google-badges.html
How Much Does SEO Cost? 3 Analogies To Help You Determine Its Value
“Why can’t you just give me a straight answer?”
Johanna’s voice showed a trace of irritation. “All I’m asking is how much you charge for SEO services!”
I smiled. This was familiar terrain. As an SEO consultant, almost every client asks me a similar question. My answer is always the same.
“It depends. On many things. Because SEO is not a turn-key solution you plug in to play.”
“Wait. You’re an expert – and you can’t tell me what you’ll charge?!”
That’s when I explain why and when SEO matters, and the dynamic process of fixing my price for SEO consulting.
Broadly speaking, here’s what I share – and 3 analogies I use to make it easier to understand – buying a car, an iceberg or a dam!
Why SEO Matters
Every client likes to save money while getting great results from search engine optimization. But by always looking to save money on SEO, you’ll take your eye off the more important issue of intelligently allocating your marketing budget across various tactics, of which, SEO is often the most cost effective.
SEO isn’t simple or easy. Google itself rates websites based on over 200 ranking criteria – and keeps tweaking the algorithm constantly, up to 600 times in a year.
So if an ‘expert’ takes one look at your site and quotes you a “complete price” for SEO, run for the hills (or at least exercise extreme caution). Sure, they may fix some glaring weaknesses, or help you pick the low hanging fruit – but deep and lasting SEO is about a lot more than that.
Simple ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Bronze’ packages don’t work for SEO. SEO isn’t something you install or plug in to your website. It’s not a ‘one-time’ operation. Good SEO is a process. Research and
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Article source: http://searchengineland.com/how-much-does-seo-cost-3-analogies-to-help-you-determine-its-value-108870
How to Improve Local SEO Efforts
Optimizing a website for local search is important for a few reasons. First, the number of smart phone and tablet users is on the rise meaning that a larger percentage of searches are being performed “on the go”. Mobile web searchers are often looking for local information and local establishments. Second, search is becoming more personalized and search results vary depending on individual search behavior, social media connections, and location. Therefore, it’s important to consider the following local SEO best practices while conducting an SEO campaign:
Incorporate Local Keywords
The first step of an SEO campaign is to conduct keyword research to find out how target audience members are searching for the products or services that you provide. Skipping this step can result in less traffic or less qualified traffic that won’t convert. Keyword research should first be conducted nationally, and then localized later by adding the city or town, state, and neighborhood in front of the chosen keyword. For example, for a local pizza shop it makes more sense to optimize for “Anytown NY pizza place” than it does to target the much more broad “pizza place”.
Develop Local Search Profiles
You don’t need to be a business that only operates locally to create a local search profile. In fact, all businesses should submit their information to Google, Yahoo!, and Bing local directories. It improves search engine results page visibility, increases your online real estate, and builds another legitimate inbound link to your website.
Include Contact Information
Contact information including a physical address, a mailing address, and a phone number should be included on every page of the site and should be crawlable text that the search engine spiders can “read”. For many websites it makes sense to include
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Article source: http://isedb.com/20111230-16168.php
6 SEO Tips for the New Year
Welcome to 2012, everybody! We hope your holiday festivities were smashing successes, and that you brought in the New Year with joy, appreciation, and excitement for an even better 2012. Most of us have made New Year’s resolutions to exercise, eat better, overcome irrational fears (okay, maybe that’s just me) and more- so, here’s to sticking to all of these resolutions and more. With new goals to achieve and a clean slate with which to approach them, we should all enter this New Year with excitement for many promising days ahead, especially when it comes to working extra hard to triumph in a bad economy.
If you are a small business owner, likely your number one resolution is to bring in more business this year – in fact, if you are a business owner of any size, this is likely your goal. With that in mind, as many of you know, one way to approach this is to invest time, money and energy into Search Engine Optimization. Though there will undoubtedly be more challenges to face in 2012 as SEO grows and evolves (and as Panda updates continue to be run), ultimately, we all adapt and work together to achieve a better, more user friendly internet experience. The most important thing to remember going into 2012 is that the game has changed. It’s not about just link-building anymore; it’s about branding, content, social media, and more.
SEO in 2012
So, keeping all of that in mind, I’ve drummed up six things SEOs should adhere to as they get back to work after the holidays (at least, these are the factors the folks here at ESI are focusing on!):
- On-Page Factors: Make Sure Title Tags and Meta Descriptions Read Well
In much earlier posts, we have discussed the importance of optimizing your title tags
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Article source: http://www.businessinsider.com/6-seo-tips-for-the-new-year-2012-1
Basic SEO Tactics for Wholesalers in 2012
While Search Engine Optimization tactics evolve over the years, the good old basic tactics remain valid. That means keyword research, search-friendly URLs, Title tags, Meta descriptions, headers, great content, images with Alt tags, optimized videos and linking. As Google and other search engines continue to tweak their algorithms to benefit users, wholesalers must think about satisfying the needs of their users as well as search engine robots. This article will review traditional SEO tactics that can be used to create great pages for top rankings.
Keyword Research: Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. Even though search algorithms are highly sophisticated and complex, you basically get found by your keywords. For an explanation of the value of keyword research see the SEO Moz Beginner’s Guide to Keyword Research.
Search Friendly URLs: While URLs are not a huge ranking factor, search-friendly URLs are important because they provide a good user experience as well as information for search robots. Put relevant keywords in your URLs as this provides anchor text when people use your URLs to link to your pages.
Title Tags: The title tag is the main text that describes an online document. It is the single most important on-page SEO element and appears in three key places: the top of a browser, search engine results pages, and on external websites as link anchor text. Best practice is to use no more than 70 characters in the Title and to use strategic keywords.
Meta Description Tags: The Meta description tag draws readers to a website from the SERPs; thus, it is very important for gaining user click-through from search results. As a short paragraph describing the content on the page, the description tag should be compelling, contain strategic keywords and contain between
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Article source: http://www.toptenwholesale.com/news/basic-seo-tactics-wholesalers-2012-5860.html
6 SEO Jedi Tactics to Try Before Turning to the Dark Side
If you’re an SEO Jedi, black hat tactics undoubtedly tempt you on a regular basis. Before giving in to the dark side, check out these SEO tips to renew your faith in the [white hat] light side of the Force!
In an earlier post, SEO Wars: Forget Black Hat, White Hat – What Color Is Your Lightsaber, I introduced six unique SEO styles (and respective lightsaber colors) for wielding the Force of magnetic content.
“The Force is what gives an SEO their power. It’s an energy field created by magnetic content that binds search engines, web visitors, and marketers together.”
White hat SEOs are called to a higher purpose of serving up quality content that web visitors would value, while [dark side] black hat SEOs are instead focused solely on the power of search rank, leveraging any tactics necessary to achieve it. Both sides of the Force leverage inbound marketing tactics to organically draw users to content.
The lightsaber color symbolism is fun, yet practical, as noted by this tweet:
Tired of swinging the blue light saber for one client. Its not working. Changing to orange j.mp/seolightsabers @sewatch
— Scott Hendison (@shendison) September 13, 2011
Perhaps you can relate? The rise of the black hat SEO dark side cannot be denied. However, the temptation and seduction can be …if you’re strong with the Force and leverage the right tools.
The SEO Jedi Order: A New Hope…
Listen up, fellow SEOs… it’s time to unite! Provide accountability to your fellow white hat SEOs and creatively contemplate ways to wield the Force of magnetic content.
- Believe
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Article source: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2135348/6-SEO-Jedi-Tactics-to-Try-Before-Turning-to-the-Dark-Side
All About Anchor Text
Howdy, SEOmoz fans. Welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Happy New Year. This is the first Whiteboard Friday of 2012, and today we’re talking about anchor text, which could seem like a basic topic. But, in fact, there are a lot of intricacies that we should cover. Let’s get right to them.
What I have drawn here is a web page, and it says, “I just found this great website on Portuguese cooks. You should check it out.” Now, this, this text in blue with the underline, that links somewhere, and that link points to another page. Let’s say it’s a page over here, a very nice page on Portuguese cooks. It has some pictures on it. I don’t know what it’s got.
What it’s saying to the engines is not only eye this page and this website, I’m voting for this other page over here, and I want to pass over some PageRank and link juice. I want to pass over trust. I want to pass over the domain diversity, whatever the signals, the keyword agnostics signals are, but I also want to say that I particularly like this web page about Portuguese cooks. That’s what I think you, search engine, should interpret and take away from it.
Of course, this anchor text with the keyword embedded in it becomes a very strong signal to search engines, and as we all know, this is one of the strongest signals that Google and Bing interpret, Bing maybe even stronger than Google. Because of this, lots of people go down a path of trying to acquire links that say the precise keyword that they want.
Of course, this is a challenge because most natural links on the Web don’t generally do this. They will say things like your brand name. They might say something
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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/seomoz/~3/rVeCYIg7LRc/all-about-anchor-text-whiteboard-friday
One year of search engine news: everything you need to know
Article by Axandra SEO software
Advanced On-Page Optimization
Howdy, SEOmoz fans. Welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week, we’re talking about advanced on-page optimization. Specifically, I have five tactics for you that go beyond the traditional “I’m going to put my keyword in the title tag. I’m going to put my keyword in the URL”, those kinds of things.
First one, starting out is this idea of semantic connectivity. We talked about this in the past. We did some research a couple of years ago, maybe 18 months ago on LDA, which is latent Dirichlet allocation, which, of course, is a form of topic modeling that we suspected Google might be using.
It’s a way to imagine the connections between words in a particular language. I’ll give you an example. Here is the word “cat”, and the word “cat” is probably closely related to the word “feline”. If you were a search engine and you saw a document with the word “cat” and the word “feline,” you would think that document is more relevant to a query for the word “cat” than a document that has the word “cat” and the word “whiteboard,” which maybe that would be very far away.
Here’s cat and here’s canine. Those are much more distant, but cat is relatively closer to tiger, but it’s even a little closer to meow. So, you get this sense of, ah, the search engines have a graph of all the words in a language set, how they’re connected to each other, what’s relevant to what, phrases not just individual words but the two or three or four word phrases.
This kind of thing can be very helpful if you’re looking at a document and you’re saying to yourself, “Boy, I talked about cats, but I forgot to mention anything about what they eat or what family they’re in
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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/seomoz/~3/FuU_phKmnTk/advanced-onpage-optimization-whiteboard-friday