See how VisaPro used and integrated various online channels to leverage their marketing potential.  VisaPro focused on usability and creating valuable content for their users.  They also research keywords that were most valuable for their business and optimized their website for those keywords.

My favorite comment in their presentation is “Never Optimize for search engines, Always optimize for better user experience”.

I f you enjoy data, charts, and analytics you are going to love Hubspot for their hard work in putting these together.  HubSpot complied this data from a variety of sources, including analysis of our 2,500 business customers, surveys with hundreds of businesses responding, analysis of the data in our free tools like Website Grader, Twitter Grader and FacebookGrader. Each page has a URL to the original source document or article.

Although its not a huge factor,page speed is a factor in Google’s search ranking algorithm accoding to Google’s Matt Cutts.  Over the last year Google has introduced the ‘Site Performace’ in the Webmaster Tools user interface and a Firefox plug-in named Page Speed.  Page Speed is an Add-on to Firebug in Firefox.

So how do you get it?  You can follow the directions below, or If you would like to run a test without a plug-in try zoompf.com.  This site will allow you enter in the URL of a site of your choice and run a page speed analysis.

To use Page Speed (Highly recommended)

1. You must have Firefox
2. Download the Firebug plug-in
3. Download Google’s Page Speed add-on

Here are a few additional tools that are very helpful as well

• YSlow, a free tool from Yahoo! that suggests ways to improve website speed.
• WebPagetest shows a waterfall view of your pages’ load performance plus an optimization checklist.

Search Engine Optimization is important for users to find your site, but once they are there usability becomes the most important factor.  You want them to return, right?  Your site should have a good balance and your SEO strategy should include some type of survey or feedback mechanism in order to determine what exactly the users are looking for and expecting.

The future is technology.  This video is very enlightening to the changes that take place daily and creates a great reference point for comparison.

Search Engine Optimization is more important now than ever. Keeping up with technology is difficult as it is, and without a properly positioned website it will be more difficult to catch up in the future.

Our SEO Consulting team can help.

Understanding and knowing the potential external influences when making a business decision is extremely important. It could be changes in government policy or in this case a change in search engines. Over the last few months Bing has been ferociously marketing their new search engine “BING” with great success.  According to comScore, Microsoft has increased it’s share of search each month, while Yahoo has been on a steady decline.  In March 2010 Yahoo’s percentage of search was down .06% since November 2009 while Microsoft’s was up 1.4%.  Both Microsoft and Yahoo combined still are no match for Google’s Goliath numbers at 65.1%.

The search engine results page, commonly referred to as SERP, are the listed web pages that are returned when typing in a query in the search engines.

There are several different types of results where a business can appear on the first page.  Often times the types of results are contingent on the type of business and the products offered.  For example, a non-profit would not trigger “shopping” results.

• Paid Search
• Organic Search
• Local Search
• Images
• News
• Shopping
• Videos
• Latest Results (Twitter Feed)

In order to understand the difference between these, it is important to understand the anatomy of the search results page.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about using these multiple channels in order to get your site positioned toward in the best possible places.  A strong online marketing mix will aid your organization in achieving the results you desire.

5 Basic steps to improve your website

1. Update your page or META titles - Your page titles can be up to 65 Characters.  The page title is the title displayed in the search engine results. Each page should be optimized for a different set of keywords.  Duplicate page titles can divide page popularity.



2. Update your META Descriptions - This is the text below the title in Google’s Search Engine Results.  This field shoud be a short consice explanation of your services.  This section typically run our of space at 154 characters.
3. Use the “ALT” attribute for your images.  You can check this by right clicking on an image an selecting “properties”.  If the the “ALT” says “missing” Then you need to update this.
4. Use Heading attributes <H1> and <H2> -  This places an emphasis on important keywords and phrases on your pages.
5. Use block level analysis to determine optimal placement for your links.

Image compliments of SEOMOZ

You web site needs to be an integral part of your marketing strategy.  All of your marketing campaigns, communication efforts, and any other form of correspondence should include your URL.  Ensure that one of your first goals includes getting listed in the major local search indexes, such as Google, Yahoo, Yellowpages, and Bing.  Look for other opportunities to advertise your site in public places like the library, and possibly other popular local websites.  Always keep your eyes open for opportunities to cross-promote your site will affiliate businesses or professional organizations.  If you have a philanthropic organization, approach the non-profit organizations and offer to feature an event on your site.  Be sure that your Homepage URL is located on all of the following:

• Print advertisements
• Radio
• Associated or sponsored venues
• Direct mail campaigns
• E-mail campaigns
• Business Cards
• Stationary
• Invoices
• Payments
• Product packaging
• Thank you cards
• Press releases
• Posters and billboards

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