Archive for the ‘Search Engine Marketing’ Category

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Should I Hire an SEO Copywriter? | Search Engine Optimization

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Do You Need an SEO Copywriter?Is hiring an SEO copywriter a good investment in your business, or are you better off writing your own copy?

In today’s Dear Rich post, I summarize a conversation I’ve been having with a few different clients lately. Although I’m not a copywriter myself, I’m a huge fan of the art, so expect heavy bias ahead.

Dear Rich, 

Should I hire an SEO copywriter or write the copy myself? 
 
You [flyte] have provided me with a keyword matrix for my website. You’ve given me recommended titles, headers, meta-descriptions and keywords for every single page. You’ve even provided suggestions for alt-tags and intrasite links. 
 
This thing could write itself!
 
No one knows my business like I do, so why would I spend money to have someone else write my copy for me? 
 
Why can’t I write my own search engine optimized copy?
 
–Writing in Westbrook  (more…)

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing | 1 Comment »


Should I use PDFs on My Site? Are PDF’s Read By Google?

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

Can search engines read PDF files and if so how well?

This is a great question I hear all the time from our clients.

The quick answer is, Yes. All search engines can read PDF files, if they are optimized.

Here are a few tips on How to Optimize your PDF for SEO:

  1. Don’t use Photoshop! Create your PDF in a text based program like Microsoft Word or Adobe Pagemaker. If you create your PDF in Photoshop, it is considered a large image and is not an actual readable PDF.
  2. Use basic SEO principles. Optimize your title, header tags and descriptions.
    There are a few ways to do this.
    • If you are working in Microsoft Word, use the H1, H2, H3 tags provided where necessary.
    • Also, make sure that when you go into Adobe Acrobat you fill out the proper description fields. This means adding a title, subject and keywords into the appropriate content fields.
    • Title your PDF with a keyword, for example it should be named keyword.pdf.
    • And, lastly create alt text and captions for any images used in the document.
  3. Make the PDF prominent. Don’t bury the PDF on your site. Make sure that you create a link to the PDF from a page on your site that is crawled often, like your homepage.

There has been a bit of discussion about how well a PDF will rank compared to html content. And, while we recommend html over a PDF, there have been cases where a PDF ranked for a certain search term quicker than the html version, however, eventually the HTML landed at the top.

Joan Woodbrey Crocker
If only Google Bots were as Cute as that Dog!

Photo Credit: By liesvanrompaey

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing, SEO | 4 Comments »


Link Building for SEO Tip: One Man’s Broken Link…Is Another Man’s Treasure

Friday, December 28th, 2012

Link Building Trick: Find Broken Links and Replace Them With A Link to Your Site.Broken Web Links

Link building is an important aspect of SEO.

Obtaining links from relevant and authoritative sites allows for a little bit of their accrued trust to be passed on to you. Acquiring links therefore helps you rank better in the search engines. When link building you want to make sure you the types of links your are acquiring are diverse. Meaning, you’ll want links from blogs, articles, websites, directories and news sources.

A great way to acquire links to your site is to replace broken links in other folks’ content with links to your own brilliant (and relevant) content. 

Here’s how to do that…

The first way is organically.
Simply reach out to bloggers and webmasters when you come across a link that is broken. We have all clicked on a link for more info only to find an error or worse irrelevant or outdated content. If you have a piece of copy that is more useful or can be updated from the version the site is linking to, offer to replace it and give them a reason why.

The second is to actively search for those link errors using tools (free or paid) that do the searching for you once you plug in the URL.
Here is a list of potential tools to help you find broken links. Use the one you find most user friendly.

You simply plug in the site you would like a link from and it does all the work for you. Once you’ve found the broken link, test out the URL to see where it goes. Does it go to a page of content that no longer exists? Your next step is to reach out to the author or webmaster to let them know, point out the broken link and then offer up your link to make it easy.

Some helpful tips:

Don’t know which sites to plug in to the tools?
Start with your competitors. Who links to your competitors site? Plug their URL in and see if you can get a link too!

How do I find The Right Person to Contact When I Find a Broken Link?
Most blogs will have information about the author right there for you to find and email or use a contact form. You can also use different tools out there created for the purpose of finding the right contact such as BuzzStream or Link Research Tools Contact Finder.

Find out who else is linking to the broken link!
You can use SEO Moz’s Open site explorer or another tool to do this. Once you plug in the broken URL and find out who is linking to it, it gives you that many more sites to go after for a replacement link.

Looking for some more creative ways to use broken links to your advantage? Check out these awesome blog posts…

Creative Broken Link Building
Tools and Tips for Effective Broken Link Building
The Broken Link Building Bible

Have you had any success replacing a broken link with your own content? Share your strategy with us in the comments section!

Joan Woodbrey Crocker
SEO via Link Building

 

Photo credit: by xJason.Rogersx

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Posted in Link Building, Search Engine Marketing, SEO | No Comments »


How To Customize What You Share on Facebook

Friday, December 14th, 2012

We’ve all done it – posted a link to our status, Facebook page or a friend’s timeline only to see an irrelevant image or description text populate the page. This is not only frustrating, but also not helpful when trying to reach your audience with accurate links and info.

The image below demonstrates how stray code can muddle a link posted on Facebook. Back Cove Yachts wanted to post a link to their business page but an old meta-tag populated outdated information which led to a confusing message to their fans.


I updated the meta-description on the PHP page and still no dice. Our web developer, Andy, told me to add Open Graph tags to the page.

What is Open Graph and How do I Use It?

Unfamiliar with Open Graph, I quickly Googled it, and voila, I hit a Facebook developer page.

When you arrive at the Facebook Open Graph Protocol page, you’re clearly told why you should use these tags, “the more information you provide, the more opportunities your web pages can be surfaced within Facebook today and in the future.” It’s basically helping your Facebook search results internally and externally.

By adding open graph tags to your page header code, you’re telling Facebook how to display a link to your page.

These tags can also help promote your site in your users’ newsfeeds, collect user names and data, auto-fill forms, remember Facebook login info for apps, as well as give you a larger social graph to analyze by tapping into a user’s friend groups.

Keeping your clients’ or your own audience’s links accurate is quite valuable and a big time saver. Open graph tags will auto-populate your link posts in the future without any tinkering and keep your brand messaging tighter. It also gives you the flexibility to create custom landing pages with specific link content on Facebook.

Add these basic “meta og” tags (image below) inside the head tags of your page to begin tweaking your link appearances. Change the fields in blue (below) to customize your link. Many more options and explanations exist on the Facebook Open Graph Protocol page, so take a few minutes to see what it can do for you.

Once you’ve updated your open graph meta fields, then save the page and upload again to your server to see the results. You don’t need to add all these tags, but I’d recommend the title, URL, image and description fields to start.

Another handy tool is one of the Open Graph plugins for WordPress. There are quite a few to sift through, but the better ones handle the laborious task of updating all your pages’ meta tags by handling it quickly through a plugin.

Some of the top results when searching for Open Graph plugins are “WP Open Graph,” “WP Facebook Open Graph protocol,” “WP Open Graph Meta,” and “Open Graph WP Implementation.”

For current open graph discussions, updates and more, check out the Open Graph Protocol Facebook group. If you need to figure out why your open graph code isn’t working, you can use the official Facebook Debugger.

You can also see what Google will make of your link in a search query with the excitingly named Google Structured Data Testing Tool.

Alternatively, if you’d rather not go messing around in the code, contact your nearest web developer!

Are you currently using a WordPress Open Graph Plugin? If so, which one and is it working well for you? Let us know in the comments section.

Happy linking!

Chris Felax
Web Developer

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Marketing | 1 Comment »


The ONE Thing You Need to Succeed Online

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Content Success SummitDiscover how to attract quality customers and quickly grow your business.

If I told you that there’s something out there that would dramatically increase your online visibility and drive more qualified traffic to your site, would you believe me?

With this magic potion/formula/bag of beans you could attract just the right type of customers and build your business?

Well, it exists. And successful marketers and businesses have been using this method successfully for years. 

It’s called content marketing.

When you use it correctly you’ll increase your SEO, build a blog that attracts customers, and engages your audience in social media.

What’s that? You don’t know how to use content to market your business?

Well, luckily Social Media Examiner has put together 22 of the world’s leading experts for the first ever Content Success Summit!

Here’s just a few of the key takeaways:

  • Discover the best ways to market your business with content
  • See how successful content producers operate
  • Pick up new content marketing strategies
  • Discover how to grow a loyal following
  • Uncover how to sell your products and services via content, and
  • Get a leg up on your competition.
The best part is, you can gain all this amazing information without leaving your home or office. The Content Success Summit is a 100% virtual event that allows you to watch live or recorded presentations from top marketers like:
  • Joe Pulizzi, co-author of Content Marketing
  • Ann Handley, co-author of Content Rules and chief content officer of MarketingProfs
  • Michael Hyatt, author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World
  • Michael Stelzner, author of Launch
  • Amy Porterfield, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies
  • Derek Halpern, founder of Social Triggers
  • Pat Flynn, founder of Smart Passive Income Blog
  • James Wedmore, author of The YouTube Marketing Book
  • Marcus Sheridan, founder of The Sales Lion
  • and a dozen more, including me! Rich Brooks, author of a book to be named later.

I’ve been involved in almost all the Success Summits that the Social Media Examiner has put on, either as a presenter or as an attendee, and here’s what I’ve discovered:

You get an insane amount of content for the cost of admission. 

I never fail to pick up dozens of tips for growing my business and I’ve been doing this for years. 

If you’ve never attended a Success Summit, or even if you have, this will be a great way to kick of your marketing efforts in 2013.

And if you act now (you knew that was coming, right? ;) ) you can save $300…over 50% off the regular price.

Just use this link before it’s too late!

The event takes place over the course of the month of February, with every session being recorded for later or multiple viewings.

Learn more, see the full list of speakers and topics, and reserve your space now!

Rich Brooks
Content Marketer 

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »


What’s Your REAL Rank at Google? Avoiding Personalized Results

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

Google SplatterYour previous search history can alter how you think you rank. Here’s how to get a clearer picture of your true search engine rank.

Dear Rich,

I understand that Google serves up different results based on your previous searches, where you’re searching from, and the types of searches being done.

Is there any way to create a “control sample” so we can find out how we “really” rank?

Searching in Saco

(more…)

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing | No Comments »


How to Find Out Which Keywords Your Competition is Targeting

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

Is your competition out ranking you in the search engines? Here are a few ways to figure out what keywords your competition is targeting so you can get a leg up!

We are all curious to know how we are stacking up against the competition. Conducting a little competitive research doesn’t just cure that curiosity… it’s good business. What is working? What isn’t? Why is your competition ranking better in search than you?

Keyword research can help you outmaneuver your competition and so you can rank higher than them at Google. Below are 5 key ways that you can figure our what your competition is targeting so you can too.

1. Google Adwords Free Keyword Tool: This free tool isn’t just great to find and research your own keywords, you can also use it to see what a competitor’s site is optimized for. All you have to do is type the URL into the Website search bar and Google will generate a list of up to 100 words that can be found on your competitors site. 

2. Title Tags: Title tags can be found at the top of your browser when you are on a competitors website, as well as in the tabs and is the title used on the search engine results page. Many think that the title is the most important factor when trying to rank well for particular terms. This means that the terms or keywords that your competitor is trying to rank well for should be here.

3. Website Analysis: While this is a more hands on approach it’s also one of the best ways to look at what your competitors are targeting for keywords. For instance what have they named their navigation? Do they have a site map? What words are they using in their anchor text and intra site links? What are they titling their blogs? What are their page headers? These are all places where SEMs incorporate keywords. Find out what they are using and use those as a starting point for your keyword analysis. 

4. SEMRush – Type your competitors URL into the search bar and voila! This tool can give you some great insight into what your competitors keywords are, both organic and paid. However, you’ll only get the top 10 results with the free version. It also give you the SERP position and percentage of keyword use. You can only use this once before they want you to register for the paid version.

5. Alexa: Again you simply type the URL of your competitor into the search bar and you can get a glimpse at what folks are typing in to find their website. This will show you the top 10 search queries leading to site traffic as well as the rises and declines in the past month.  

 

Feel inspired or want to get a more in depth view of what your competition is doing? SEOmoz and Raven SEO Tools are a couple of my favorite paid services.

How do you find out what your competition is ranking well for? Let us know in the comments section!

Joan Woodbrey Crocker
Keyword Spy 

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Posted in Analytics, Search Engine Marketing, Web Marketing | No Comments »


How Do I Make Sure People Can Find My Facebook Page in a Facebook Search?

Monday, August 6th, 2012

Facebook Search How to ensure your Facebook Page appears when users type different iterations of your company name into Facebook Search?

Hello Joan,

I am hoping you can give me a little guidance. In talking with a client, they mentioned our Facebook page is not easy to find on Facebook. So, I asked one of my colleagues to go to Facebook and type several different versions of our name to see if we would pop up on the page. Here’s what happened.

If you typed in the full name of the page, we showed up. But, if you typed in just half of the title, or a different version of the title we didn’t. 

Is there anything I can do so we show up with any of these iterations?

Thanks,
Customer

 

So, how do you make sure that your page is easy to find within Facebook’s limited search options?

Here are a few suggestions:

  • Optimize your URL/Title: If you haven’t already, Create a Username and Page Title that are optimized.
  • About Section: Start using some of these variations in the “about” section. Using different versions of your company name as well as keywords may help others find your page.
  • Info Section: Sprinkle keywords not only throughout your about sections but throughout all info sections you have at your disposal. The more information you can add the better.
  • Updates/Posts: Your posts show up in Facebook searches, so make sure that you are also incorporating these iterations and keywords throughout your status updates.
  • Creating Apps/Tabs: Also creating more tabs on the page that are named with appropriate keyword terms and have keyword rich content may help.
  • Link Building: Some folks think that linking to your page also helps boost it’s SEO, although it’s hard to tell if this is true. If so, links to your page work like links to a website. They pass on some value. Maybe try linking to your Facebook page in a few of your blog posts.

It’s important to note that Facebook searches are not the same for all on Facebook. It will suggest things that it thinks best fit your search based on your past searches, likes, locations etc. And, if someone already likes the page the likelihood that you show up when they start typing your name is increased.

Folks are used to the imperfect search system of Facebook. Which as of last week has been updated slightly, check out the Facebook search updates here. Many will keep typing in variations until they see what they are looking for. But, including these suggestions within your content and page may help to make it a bit easier for folks to find you.

These tips have helped me within my pages. What seems to be working for you?

Joan Woodbrey Crocker
Facebook Page Optimization

 

* Updated: Check out “10 Ways Facebook’s Graph Search Helps Your Business”

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Marketing | No Comments »


How to Reach Your Ideal Customer with Search, Social & Mobile Marketing

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Agents of Change TV PromoDo you know how to reach your ideal customer?

This is something businesses and non-profits struggle with every day.

  • How to get found on Google or Bing?
  • How to build an audience on Facebook or Twitter? (Or LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.)
  • How to use mobile marketing in an engaging, non-invasive way?

If you’re looking to build your business or organization by using search, social and mobile marketing, consider attending the Agents of Change Digital Marketing Conference.

You can come to Portland, Maine and attend in person or watch it all online with our digital pass. 

Early bird discounts run through the end of July!

Check out this great promo that our media partner, WCSH-6, put together for us!

Rich Brooks
See You in September! 

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Posted in flyte news, Mobile Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments »


What Do I Need To Be Doing with Pinterest? 10 Pinterest Articles worth a read!

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinerest. You can’t be on Facebook, Twitter or pretty much anywhere else on the web these days without hearing about Pinterest. And, with good reason, Pinterest is blowing up! Folks are realizing the power behind the platform and just how useful it is for business.

Sure there are plenty of folks that are using it for just pure fun and enjoyment, but businesses are actually benefitting from this. Check out these 10 posts below that are super informative about Pinterest, how to use it for business and some of the facts about this awesome tool.

1. Amy Porterfield’s post: The 10 Commandments of Using Pinterest for Business Awesome tips!

2. TechCrunch’s post: This is everything you need to know about Pinterest This infographic is a great snapshot of “everything you need to know.”

3.  10 Ways to Use Pinterest to Reach Prospects via Fuel Lines. You’ll find tips on how to highlight your company’s testimonials, give agency tours and more.

4. For the measurement geek in you… Making Sense of Key Pinterest Metrics and Analytics Tools

5. Want some examples and case studies? Here you go… 5 Interesting Pinterest Marketing Campaigns. via Mashable.

6. Looking for some tools to “Supercharge” your experience? Check out 7 Useful Pinterest Tools to Supercharge Your Pinfluence.

7. Studies Say – Pinterest Now Generates More Referral Traffic Than Twitter

8. 26! Count them…26 Tips for Using Pinterest for Business! via Social Media Examiner.

9. Wondering who’s on Pinterest? Apparently the ladies according to this TechCrunch Article, Where the Ladies At? Pinterest. 2 Million Daily Facebook Users, 97% of Fans are Women.

10. And, last but not least… Kidolani.com’s “5 Steps to Improve your Pinterest Profile in Five Minutes.

If you are looking for more info on how to use Pinterest for Business attend flyte school on 7/17 here in Portland at the Portland Public Library. What better way to spend your lunch break than learning all about Pinterest for Business?

How are you using Pinterest? ANy Tips? Share them with us here in the comments section!

 

Joan Woodbrey Crocker
Pinterested!

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Social Media | 6 Comments »

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