Archive for the ‘Search Engine Optimization’ Category

Modernize & Optimize Online Press Releases

Monday, April 12th, 2010

More Americans are turning to the web for news and information, beating out printed newspapers, magazines and radio according a study by Pew Research Center this year. What does this mean for businesses? Well, if you regularly write and submit press releases, it’s a good time to consider whether the traditional format is effective online.  Writing for the web presents issues and opportunities different from traditional print media, such as SEO, sharing capabilities, content links, subscription links, video and images, ensuring the heading fits into Twitters 140 character box, 120 if you want a re-tweet, then there’s wire distribution and tagging.  Below are some tips to help modernize and optimize your traditional press release for online distribution:

  • Write newsworthy press releases
    • One subject per press release
    • Write for the customer, instead of the media outlet
    • Write about topics that are interesting to your customer, not too much of a sales pitch
  • Use Keywords
    • Use Google’s free Keyword tool to find popular variations of your keyword/phrase
    • Refrain from keyword stuffing, you want an article that your readers will be able to read and find interesting.
    • Include backlinks to your site where appropriate
  • Don’t be afraid to be conversational and interactive
    • Allow users to leave comments  and share the release
    • Include a call to action
  • Use Anchor text links
    • Homepage
    • Product/Service Page related to your press release
  • Tag images and videos
    • Post videos to YouTube
  • Research wire services for distribution
    • Try to use legit distribution sites, not ones that are known for spamming
  • Measure views and traffic

Microsoft and Yahoo form Search Alliance

Monday, March 8th, 2010

U.S. and European Union regulators recently approved a 10-year Search Alliance between Microsoft and Yahoo. According to the agreement, Microsoft will manage search queries as well as paid advertising  made on Yahoo. Technology from Microsoft’s search engine Bing will control organic searches while Microsoft’s  Advertising adCenter will serve as the platform for paid ads.

Although both Bing.com and Yahoo.com are planning on retaining their individual branding, Yahoo search results will display a “powered by Bing” message. As Microsoft manages Yahoo’s search queries, Yahoo will be accountable for landing and supporting premium advertisers, of which Microsoft will keep roughly 12% of revenues. What does this mean for users and advertisers?

According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer “Together, Microsoft and Yahoo will promote more choice, better value and greater innovation to our customers”. However, users reportedly won’t experience much of a change, with the exception of Microsoft providing both organic and paid search results. Advertisers, on the other hand are promised access to a larger worldwide audience, and customized service where Yahoo will exclusively support premier advertisers and agencies, while Microsoft assists self-service advertisers.

While the transition is said to be completed in the U.S. by the end of 2010, it is evident that the alliance is an effort to gain a bigger piece of search engine volume currently dominated by industry leader Google. The search engine giant continues to control search engine volume in 2010 with reports of up to 70% of the volume followed by Yahoo! at 17% and Bing at 13%.

Win FREE SEO!

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Does your website come up on the first page? If not, keep reading for a chance to win FREE SEO!! After all, what’s the point of a great website if no one can ever find it?

Addvisors, Inc. is hosting a “site clinic” from February 16,2010 till May 1, 2010 where we will be accepting commercial websites (we will not be accepting personal sites) for review. One lucky winner will receive FREE on-site Search Engine Optimization, which consists of a basic site overhaul. Submit your site in one step:

Post a link to your website on our facebook or twitter pages.

      if you submit your site through Twitter, please post your link followed by “#Addvisors”.  All site links must be posted by 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 05/01/2010 to be included in the final random drawing.  You are welcome to retweet or repost this contest. See below for official rules.

      Official Rules:

      1. HERE’S HOW TO ENTER: Beginning 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 2/16/2010, visit our social media sites by clicking on http://www.facebook.com/addvisors for Facebook or http://twitter.com/addvisorsinc for twitter. Post a link to your website on either our facebook or twitter page. If you post your site through twitter, please include “#Addvisors” after the link. All site links must be posted by 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 05/01/2010 to be included in the final random drawing.  You are welcome to retweet or repost this contest. Limit one entry per person. If more than one entry is received, only the first entry received will be eligible. By submitting your site, you automatically agree to terms and conditions of  Official Rules.
      2. ELIGIBILITY:  This promotion is open only to residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia who are age 18 or older at time of entry. Employees of Addvisors, Twitter, Facebook, Inc., their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible.  All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law.
      3. RANDOM DRAWING:  At the end of the contest, a random drawing will be conducted from all eligible entries received to determine the Grand Prize winner. The random drawing will be conducted by judges whose decisions are final on all matters relating to this offer.  Odds of winning will depend upon the number of eligible entries received.   The Grand Prize winner will receive a Facebook/Twitter message requesting contact information for prize delivery.
      4. PRIZES & APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUES: One Grand Prize with a total approximate retail value of $2,000 will be awarded.  The Grand Prize will consist of SEO for the site originally entered into the contest. The Grand Prize consists only of the items specifically listed as part of the prize. Limit one prize per entry.
      5. GENERAL RULES: Return of prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate may be selected.  All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of winner.   By accepting prize, winner (or parent/legal guardian if winner is a minor) agree to hold Sponsor, its directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless against any and all claims and liability arising out of use of prize.  Winners (or parent/legal guardian if winner is a minor) assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in this promotion or use or redemption of any prize.  Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to Addvisors, Inc. and its agencies to use prize winners’ names and photo submissions for purposes of advertising and trade (including posting on the Facebook and Twitter websites) without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.  Entrants (or parent/legal guardian if entrant is a minor) agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Addvisors, Inc., its directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless from and against any and all liability and damages.  By participating in this promotion, entrants (or parent/legal guardian if entrant is a minor) agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of the judges which are final.  In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any promotional materials and the terms and conditions of the Official Rules, the Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control.  Addvisors, Inc. is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing, the offering or the announcement of the prizes or in the administration of the promotion.  In no event will more than the stated number of prizes be awarded.
      6. SPONSOR: Addvisors, Inc., 8870 S. Maryland Pkwy #115, Las Vegas, NV 89123.
      7. Facebook provisions: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Addvisors, Inc. indemnifies and holds Facebook harmless from and against all damages, losses, and expenses of any kind (including reasonable legal fees and costs) for any claim related to the promotion including without limitation the publicity or administration thereof. Complete release for Facebook from each entrant or participant. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding this promotion will be directed to Addivsors,Inc., not Facebook.
      8. NOTICE TO ONLINE ENTRANTS: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.  Not responsible for faulty, incorrect or mistranscribed phone transmissions, incorrect announcements of any kind, technical hardware or software failures of any kind including any injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the promotion, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission that may limit a user’s ability to participate in the promotion. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for undeliverable e-mails/Facebook and Twitter messages resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a user’s Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in user’s e-mail account to receive e-mail/Facebook and Twitter messages. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the promotion if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the program; or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration or security of the program as determined by Sponsor, in their sole discretion.   In the event a dispute arises regarding specific individual entitled to receive prize, entry will be declared made by the person associated with the Facebook or Twitter ID from the selected entry.  In the event the Sweepstakes is terminated, a notice will be posted online and all eligible entries received prior to termination will be included in a random drawing to award all remaining prizes.  Any damage made to the Web Site will be the responsibility of the authorized e-mail account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry.  Proof of submitting entries will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.  Any use of robotic, automatic, programmed or the like methods of participation will void all such submissions/votes by such methods.  Sponsor reserves the right to prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected or if the individual fails to comply with any requirement of participation as stated herein or with any provision in these Official Rules.

      Synonyms, a sweet substitute for keywords

      Friday, February 12th, 2010

      Early this year Google engineer Steve Baker blogged about the positive results of incorporating synonyms for keywords into websites. According to Baker, 70% of Google searches are affected by the use of synonyms, and out of every 50 inquiries where synonyms were pulled as part of the results, only one unrelated synonym was part of those results. Since synonyms/acronyms have such an impact on queries, Google now displays them in bold type. Traditionally, only keywords and close variations of those keywords, such as plural forms, were displayed in bold.

      Synonyms are words that can be swapped for the same meaning, such as “Las Vegas” and “Sin City” or “internet” and “cyberspace”. Acronyms are words created from initials of a term, such as “cpu” for “central processing unit”. As users have become more comfortable with manipulating their queries to better represent the information they are searching for, it is important that businesses stay on top of keyword synonyms and acronyms that users may potentially use. Also, synonyms and acronyms are useful in creating content that is interesting, and not unbearably repetitive. In the screenshot below, we did a search for “SF hotels” and returned results on the first page with the words “San Francisco”. It’s interesting to see that none of the organic results on the first page actually include the keyword phrase “SF hotels”.

      A great tool to use for researching keyword variations is the free Google Keywords Tool. In regards to using synonyms/acronyms it is important to be aware of the context you use them in. Google decides on these variations based on the accompanying words in the phrase, so that unrelated words do not show up in bold, for example “AAA” could mean “American Automobile Association” or “American Accounting Association”.

      Track Your Website to Phone Call Conversion Rates

      Friday, February 5th, 2010

      Conversion rates from website visits to actual phone calls could be anywhere from 0% to 50%. Other than asking clients how they heard about your business, how can you narrow down these numbers and more accurately identify where you lie in the spectrum? The answer: Phone number tracking systems. That’s right, a system that takes guess work out of the equation, and lets you track which marketing effort, i.e. banner ads, pay-per-click, search engine, etc., is converting into phone calls.

      These systems work by assigning each of your internet marketing channels a specific phone number (these calls are routed to your main business number so that you won’t have multiple phone numbers to worry about), making it possible to track which specific channel is working best. Many phone number tracking systems also allow you to:

      • record calls for analysis: how the call is handled, & what your customers need
      • provide detailed call information: length of call & geographic location of caller
      • integrate data into Google Analytics

      An awesome feature is being able to assign phone numbers to keywords and referrals through links in order to track conversions from SEO! Tracking both online and phone traffic from your website will allow you to more accurately determine your ROI.

      Revive Your Website Content

      Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

      Like graphics, your website’s content is a reflection of your brand. You don’t want customers to get the wrong idea about your company because your pages are filled with poor grammar, irrelevant subjects, and downright long, monotonous articles. Since content can affect your SEO, conversion and stickiness, it should be searchable, relevant, interesting and fresh with regular updates. Here are a few tips to reviving your content:

      • Focus on your audience. Put yourself in their shoes by asking:
        • What would they like to know?
        • How will this (product, service) benefit them?
      • Use keywords, but only where they are relevant. Avoid keyword stuffing, it not only makes for an unpleasant reading experience, but search engines may penalize or ban your site.
      • Keep customers coming back by keeping your content fresh. Update regularly by:
        • Posting new products, along with new ways to use them.
        • Post seasonal promotions, this is a great way to get your customers to keep checking back.
        • Post a blog offering service/help information instead of strictly sales.
      • Make it interesting by:
        • Making the first sentence an attention grabber.
        • Keep it short and simple
        • If possible, use tone and show character so it’s not like reading a textbook, especially if it’s for a blog.
      • Format paragraphs so they are easy to read.
        • Use bullet points lists
        • Break up long paragraphs into short, concise ideas
        • Use subheadings
        • Check grammar and spelling

      Given that the average time spent on a site is 56 seconds, make the most of your content by ensuring that when a potential customer visits your site, your message is crystal clear.

      Is your website doing its job?

      Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

      Your website should be more than just pretty, it should deliver results. Here are a few factors to consider:

      1. Determine your site’s goal: what do you want your site to do? For example:

      • Sell products (ex: amazon.com, Etsy.com, theawesomer.com)
      • Pre-qualify & Produce Leads (ex: car dealership sites, real estate sites)
      • Provide information (ex: petfinder.com, webMD, treehugger.com)
      • Customer Support (ex: help.com, apple support)

      2. Design

      • Great design (professional, innovative) helps establish credibility
      • Harmony & flow. Everything should work together to create one clear message
      • Organize pages so they make sense to the first-time user
      • Colors & graphics should reflect your message, and fonts should be easy to read
      • Create a call to action- what do you want visitors to do on your site? Make a purchase, fill out a contact box, leave a comment, etc.

      3. Usability

      • Easy to navigate
      • Loads quickly- be wary of lengthy flash intros- although pretty, they take a while to load and many times are irrelevant to the message of the site, contributing only to the aesthetics. You don’t want your clients to go to another site simply because your site takes too long to get to the stuff they are looking for. Also search engine bots don’t read flash.
      • Keep content simple, easy to understand and concise.
      • Make it easy for visitors to participate in your call to action with features such as a contact box on every page.

      4. Stickiness

      • Maintain repeat visitors by keeping your site fresh with regular updates & new info/products.
      • Encourage visitors to join or subscribe to your social networks, consider giving them an incentive such as a coupon.

      5. Tracking & Searching

      • Use Google Analytics (it’s free!) to track your site’s performance. With this info, you can see which pages retain traffic and which ones need to be revamped.
      • Make your site easy to find with either PPC or SEO.  Since only 28% of users bother to go beyond the first page of search engine results, if you rank on page two or three you might as well be on page 65.

      Will Google’s Caffeine Give Your Site the Jitters?

      Thursday, January 21st, 2010

      Google Caffeine, Google’s newly revamped search engine, has many of us wondering what effect it will have on our websites SEO. Many studies, including an impressive 9,000 keyword research conducted by Summit Media, found that although search rankings are not highly affected, Caffeine favors sites that have new and timely content, especially for generic searches. Unlike long tail searches that are more specific, generic searches will bring up results that are real time oriented in order to give the user a more current scope of results. Here are a few ideas to consider about Caffeine’s effect on your site:

      • With Caffeine showing a bias towards updated sites, consider integrating features onto your website that will keep it fresh and dynamic, such as a blog.
      • Caffeine is said to boost real-time results, you may want to amp up your social media by contributing regularly to Twitter, blogs, etc.
      • Since Caffeine will deliver more relevant search results, focus on keywords and use relevant, high quality links. Get rid of broken and irrelevant links and make sure your site loads quickly.

      If you have experienced Caffeine, please feel free to share your findings or any user tips.

      Tips to Using Google Analytics Data

      Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

      According to Netcraft, as of December 2009 there were over 230 million websites! In an environment where the term “stiff competition” is an understatement, how can you tell if your website is effective? By analyzing every single page! Yes, were talking hard core analysis with charts and statistics provided for free and packaged beautifully by Google Analytics.

      Google Analytics is a user friendly service that basically tracks your website’s performance, reporting how visitors found your site and what they did once they found it. Created for marketers, Google Analytics is uncomplicated with straightforward directions devoid of confusing techie lingo. To get started, copy and paste the html tracking code into pages you want tracked. From visitor tracking and loyalty, to source conversion, Google Analytics offers over 80 customizable reports.

      Here are a few tips on how you can use this data to get better conversion rates:

      • Pages with high bounce rates should be reviewed. This could mean optimizing for usability. Consider shortening and simplifying lengthy text with bulleted lists or adding a video.
      • Having the ability to see the path your visitors take- which page they just came from and which page they went to next- tells you if your customers are following the path you have created for them. Your site should be deliberately constructed to direct your customer into some form of action.
      • Recognizing which external sources drive traffic to your site, especially if you are paying for them, allows you to focus on successful sources rather than wasting time and resources on ones that bomb. If you notice a large portion of your traffic comes from social media sites, you may want to implement or invest more time blogging, optimizing videos, or creating a facebook app.
      • Identifying keywords used to drive traffic to a page helps SEO with both successful and negative words (keywords you do not want to come up for in a search). For example, a high end retailer may not want to come up in a search for “cheap or free”.

      To maximize the benefits of Goggle Analytics, stay on top of reports with consistent review.  This way you can learn about patterns, effective pages and sources, and ways to get a better return on your investment.

      Social Media Marketing

      Monday, December 21st, 2009

      Social media marketing, using social networking sites for business marketing purposes, is a fun and effective way to bring your brand to life.  With two way communication and features such as video and event invites, businesses can now show consumers their brand personality.

      Brand personality, according to wiki “includes all the tangible and intangible traits of a brand, say beliefs, values, prejudices, features, interests, and heritage…seen as a valuable factor in increasing brand engagement and brand attachment, in much the same way as people relate and bind to other people.”  Generally, a brand name is associated directly to a product or service, i.e., Nike equals athletic gear.  Social media marketing transforms the association people have with a brand from a lifeless item/product/service to something relatable, significant, and relevant. For example, on Facebook, Nike is no longer just an athletic shoe company, their page is a source for like-minded athletes, it’s engaging and motivational.  Nike’s Ballers Network on Facebook allows users to set up pick-up games around the world!  To its users, Nike is more than just an athletic gear company, it’s the brand that brings them together.

      With social media marketing, you have the ability to give your brand a face, a cause, a personality that your consumers can form an association with and support. The hope is that you create a connection with your audience, they relate and recommend it to their friends, who pass it on to their friends, and their friends, and you get the point.

      Here are some tips on getting started:

      • Decide on the best social networking site for your company based on your niche.  (Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube, Flicker, Digg, etc)
      • Design a page that showcases the personality of your brand. If possible, include interactive features and applications.
      • Setup blog content to feed into your page. Do not hard sell on your blog or page.
      • Maintain your page with frequent content updates so your friends keep checking up on your site.  Remember, Search Engines love new content!

      Have fun being creative with your brand! We will provide more information on the different Social Networking sites in upcoming blogs.