Will Schema lead to a Yahoo or Bing Panda Update?

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Internet Marketing, Organic SEO Marketing

If you’ve been reading this blog you know by now that schema is a collaborative effort between Google, Yahoo, and Bing. What they did was develop a new coding system that tells the search engines more accurately what they will find on individual pages in a website. Your shopping cart page and your home page, once lumped together by search spiders, show up as their own separate entities with schema coding. For us, it adds another element to organic SEO. We can now optimize individual pages with more detailed code and descriptions, a benefit to our clients.

Will the collaboration with Google, the first of its kind, lead to more universal actions on the part of Bing and Yahoo? Will they come out with their own version of Panda now? We’re thinking that was inevitable even without this schema effort. What Google did with Panda was make content the most important variable in their algorithm. That had to happen before the internet got too diluted with poor quality, inaccurate articles and blog posts. Those are still being published after Panda, but they won’t ever see the first page of Google searches. We’re hoping Yahoo and Bing follow suit.

Look back at the evolution of the internet and the World Wide Web. It was originally meant to be an academic forum where information could be shared among scholars and research firms, so accuracy and quality weren’t a concern in the beginning. Even a few years in, the integrity of those posting information ensured that most of what you read online was accurate and true. As the demand for more content increased, article writing and distribution sites began to spring up, the first step in the decline of quality on the web. That decline hit its peak in 2002/2003 with the development of social networks.

The freedom to publish what you please is both an attraction and a turn-off to internet users. You can’t censor anything because the web is just too big to regulate, but the search engines can award higher page ranks to those who publish accurate, quality content. That’s what Google Panda was all about. It was an attempt to clean up what had become a cesspool of poorly written articles and inaccurate content. Both are still out there on the web, but you won’t find them anywhere near Page One.

Better Content Management Systems have made Affordable SEO a Reality

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Remember when clothing and furniture were made mainly by hand, when automobiles were assembled without the help of computers, and when baked goods were made from scratch? Average consumers are nostalgic for these products because they believe they just don’t make them like they used to. That’s true in more ways than one. In some cases, the way they used to make things led to better quality goods. In others, it just took far too long to get a finished product. Content management systems are no exception to this. Some have led to better content, others contribute to poor quality.

The better ones have made affordable SEO a reality for small businesses. Systems like WordPress and Drupal have made it possible to build sites and add links in a third of the time it took when you had to code everything by hand. They’ve also made it possible for those without coding knowledge to do things that were once only possible after an extensive education. Is that good or a bad? We hate to go Zen on you, but it’s both. More artists at work leads to a richer environment for sharing ideas, but it also causes the overall quality of content on the web to go down.

Hire a professional to develop your content and build your website. You might be able to do it yourself with the tools at hand, but there is so much that you’ll leave out which could help you. With these new content management systems, you don’t need to code yourself, but do you know how to get them to code for you? In most cases it’s not automatic. Even WordPress requires a plug-in if you want Meta tags and descriptions. Do you know how to find that plug-in and choose keywords to enter into it?

The systems that make it easier for an amateur to build a site make it simple for a professional to do their tasks faster and more efficiently. That means lower prices for you, the small business owner. The CMS systems we use have made small business SEO a service that anyone can afford. If you have a website or want a website, you need to contact us about content development and marketing. You can do it yourself if you want to, but you’d be wasting time you could spend running your business. With the rates we charge, there’s no reason not to use us.

Small Business SEO – Then and Now

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Small Business Web Advertising

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … well, maybe not that long ago or that far, but it seems like its been a while. The world of small business SEO has changed dramatically in just the past five years. Do you remember what it was like to attain high page rank with a small business back in 2005? Of course you don’t; it didn’t happen. The way the search engines ranked back then, only the biggest and the richest had a shot at the prime keywords in any industry. Buying your way to the top was a regular practice.

Enter the Google algorithm. It was there before 2005, but it was halfway through the last decade that changes started to be made which would alter the way that organic SEO was done. Linking, once a mass production exercise focused on volume only, evolved into a strategically planned campaign that had to be carefully thought out and executed. Linking up with just anyone became taboo sometime in the past two years; today it can actually result in you losing ground. That never happened in the days of yesteryear.

Webwise Media has been a leader in Los Angeles SEO for over a decade, so we have seen the evolution of the search engines and the formulas they use to calculate page rank and position. If you analyze each of the moves they have made in the past ten years you can see a pattern that will give you an idea of what comes next. That’s what we have done, and we haven’t been wrong yet. Being able to predict where the changes are going to come tomorrow helps us plan the marketing strategies of today.

It’s not that we’re clairvoyant. We use a decision-making approach that was also very common once upon a time – common sense. We take advantage of opportunities when they arise. During the recession a lot of big name retailers went under – companies that controlled their industry keywords for years. That left an opportunity for small businesses to gain a foothold and move up to search engine page one. Contact us today and we’ll tell you how we can do the same for you.

Do Free Press Release Services really work?

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Web Content

Just because something is free doesn’t mean it’s without value, though in some cases that is exactly the case. Do free press release services really work? Yes, in some cases they do, but paid services work better. That’s true in every industry – you get what you pay for. Here at Webwise Media, we’ll occasionally use free press release services to help spread the word about new services and products either we or our clients are offering, but for the most part we stick to the paid services. They get better results.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to internet marketing. There’s also no mystery to it. The more people see your articles or press release, the larger the response. A press release is a direct response marketing technique, one where readership numbers have to be high if you want to succeed. It’s also a link building opportunity, one where the link will be worth more if the press release service is worth more. That’s where the paid services are more valuable than the free ones. A paid press release service is more likely to have a higher PR and authority score for linking purposes.

For those not familiar with how link building works, it’s not the same as it was just a few short years ago. Go back to 2005 and you’d be in a world where you could do mass directory submissions and press releases using any service, even those with no readership. The search engines did not rate the quality of links back then, only the quantity. Today, that’s not the case. The technology is available to rate quality by editorial process and/or readership numbers. Those who do link building must now be careful where they place them – some links can actually hurt your page rank, not help it.

How do you know which press release services are the right ones to use? That’s simple. Just ask us to write and submit your press releases for you. It’s one of the many services we offer either as part of an organic SEO package or as a stand-alone service. Webwise Media can take all the thinking and questions out of the process for you. Our people know what works and what doesn’t. They’ve had over ten years to track results.

Can Google +1 compete with Facebook Like?

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Social Websites Marketing

Click on a Google +1 button and you can leave a comment that will be seen by Google searchers the next time they are looking for a product or service in that category. Click a Facebook like button and a post will appear on your wall telling all of your friends that you like the page or post you just visited. Both are powerful marketing tools, but which is better. Can Google’s latest entry into the world of social media compete with the platform created by the masters who created the platform in the first place? It’s not that simple, especially from an organic SEO standpoint.

Facebook gets great numbers but Google is still the undisputed king of the hill. The accomplishments of the social media giant in just a few short years have been nothing short of amazing, but if you want to rank you’re not going to do it by soliciting for Facebook likes. The Google +1 button will not only compete. It will blow away everything that Facebook has accomplished with their like function. Even now, their growth appears to be slowing down and Google is once again gaining momentum. Was there ever any doubt? Not over here at Webwise there wasn’t.

Social bookmarking and social media marketing are wonderful tools to promote your business, but they work best when used to complement legitimate website SEO, local internet marketing, and link building to improve page rank and position. The most effective way to get sustained traffic on the web is by optimizing your website and building your web presence through backlinks, press releases and article submissions. Posting on your Facebook wall will get the attention of your friends, but don’t most of them already know what you do. Facebook is not a search engine; they’re a social network. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the two are one and the same.

Webwise Media has remained the top Los Angeles SEO firm for ten years by watching carefully while the search engines evolved. One of the major factors in Google’s success has been their ability to bring emerging technology and potential competitors into the fold. Their greatest threats along the way are now partners, tools, and apps that sport the Google logo. Facebook is still attempting to make it alone. Are they a powerful force? Absolutely, but they’re not Google. Put your money on the +1 button. We’re thinking it will be more beneficial to you in the long run.

5 Reasons Why Webwise Media is still Number One in Los Angeles SEO

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

When a company that specializes in organic SEO and internet marketing stays on top as long as Webwise Media has, there must be more than just one reason for it. If you went around the room at one of staff meetings, you’d hear about a dozen. If you spoke to our customers, they’d each have their own list. We’ve broken it down to the top five:

1. Quality Content Development: Quality, relevant content is the key to attaining high page rank. We knew that when we first started in this business over a decade ago and we’ve always made it a top priority for all of our clients. The search engines have changed their formulas for calculating page rank many times over the years. We’ve never changed our content strategy. That’s why our clients are always climbing and never falling back from their spots on the first few search pages.

2. Common Sense Decision Making: The Los Angeles SEO industry is filled with companies that try to make search engine optimization a mystery to their clients. We don’t do that because it’s a deceptive practice. SEO is not rocket science. Its common sense decision making combined with hard work and time invested in doing the job right. We constantly put ourselves in the position of those who are searching for your products and services. What do they want? Answering that question correctly using common sense and knowledge of your products and services is one of our strengths.

3. Technical Expertise: Our coders and programmers are some of the very best in the world. They come to us because we’ve been around longer than anyone else and they know we’ll still be around for years to come. Job stability and a track record of success help us recruit the best and the brightest from around the globe.

4. Ten Years Experience in Organic SEO: We practically invented the concept. As the search engines have evolved we’ve been growing right alongside them, watching their every move. When Google was in its infancy we were already helping our clients to be successful marketing themselves on the web.

5. Personal Attention to our Clients: You’ll never have to wonder what we’re doing or why. Each of our clients is given the personal attention they deserve and we make sure that you know the reasons and expected results behind every move we make. After all, it’s your company. You have a right to know how we’re marketing it.

The Evolution of Organic SEO and Search Marketing

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

For those of you who aren’t in the know or have just not been paying all that much attention to the subject, organic SEO and search marketing have evolved in the past few years. What started out as a race to see who could get the most backlinks has now turned into a careful, methodical science where only those who know what they’re doing are going to be successful. The number of links back to your site isn’t important anymore. It’s the quality of those links that counts the most in search engine page rank calculations. If your rank has recently dropped, that’s probably why.

Another example of change in our industry revolved around social bookmarking. The social media platform first hit America by storm in February 2004, when Zuckerberg and friends launched Facebook. Others were already there before them, but the whiz kids from Harvard eventually set the standard for social networking. They also inspired others to use similar platforms to launch networks that never really made it. Many of those have been the sites you’ve been buying social bookmarks on for the past few years, another reason why your page rank may have dropped recently.

In February of this year, Google changed their algorithm and discounted all of those links that come from link farms and social bookmarking sites with no content. Bottom line, if it isn’t relevant to what you have to say, it doesn’t count. You can still submit your site to all the directories and social networks you want, but it won’t do you any good when Google calculates your page rank. Of course, there’s still Yahoo and Bing, but they account for less than ten percent of all search traffic. How many of your friends talk about going home and “Binging” a search inquiry. Most Google it. Think about it.

Article writing and distribution still works, and so does content development and website SEO. In fact, the latter two are now even more important to search engines than they were in the past. The content variable of the algorithm is one that seems to be weighted more heavily, unlike many of the other variables that aren’t worth much or have been eliminated completely. There are also some new standards for mobile websites. They’re still pretty vague, but we’ll keep you posted as they evolve.

Social Bookmarking should be an Organic Process, not an Automated One

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Social Websites Marketing

You haven’t fallen into the automated submission trap, have you? There are dozens of sites out there where you can go and submit your URL to get listed with directories and social bookmarking sites. Some of them even have the audacity to charge you by the submission, even though by now almost everyone knows that those automated tools don’t work. Are you the only one who didn’t get the memo? Social bookmarking should be an organic process, not an automated one.

Just in case you don’t know what we mean by that, let’s take the most obvious example of social media – Facebook. Everyone uses it. Some actually generate business with it. Social media marketing can be a powerful tool if you use it properly. Promotion is done indirectly through conversation threads. You start one, someone else gets into a discussion with you, and everyone else sees it. If the topic is interesting enough it goes viral and more people get to learn what you’re all about. If you have a Facebook account you know how this works. Hit with one thread and the numbers can be huge.

Why is social media marketing so successful? Its success or failure is directly related to the friend or follower base you build in the beginning. They are the folks that have to see your posts and participate in discussions. When you use an automated social bookmarking service, you don’t get that base. You get a single link to the service and that’s it. Unlike the social bookmarking we do as part of our organic SEO efforts in this area, you’re not getting an audience to talk to.

Our networks for each of the social media sites we do bookmarking with are large enough to give you instant traffic and attention. When our team here at Webwise Media bookmarks a site there are consumers and business owners paying attention, so you can expect to get results. You can also expect to see some link juice to help improve your page rank. That’s what happens when you have social bookmarking done by an expert in the internet marketing field, not an automated service.

Changes in Search Open Up Keyword Opportunities for Small Business SEO

Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Organic SEO Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

The only thing constant about search engine marketing is that you can always expect changes to occur on a regular basis. This year, in the first quarter alone, the world of organic SEO saw a major shift brought about by changes Google made in its search ranking algorithm. The ripple effect is still being measured, but there’s no question that new opportunities opened up in keyword marketing for small business SEO. Keywords and key phrases once thought to be out of reach by anyone not listed in the Fortune 500 are now easy to obtain, along with the high page ranks that come with them.

The rules have changed, and the changes benefit small businesses, not multi-million dollar retail giants. Gone are the days when you can just throw piles of money into buying links and expect to be on top of Search Engine Page One in days. Most of those paid links are paid links have been devalued by the new algorithms. You actually have to earn a spot on the first page now by building your website with quality content and linking to credible directories and authority websites that screen your company.

Why is all this happening? Is it to create more of a free market for small business? Don’t be naïve. Google didn’t become the undisputed king of search by being nice. They are seeing that the quality of content on the web is deteriorating and they want to hang on to their 90% market share. Smaller search engines like Bing have been taking a different approach to search ranking, measuring quality and relevance of content as the most important variables in their search formulas. Google is simply following suit.

The keywords that are most often searched for in your niche market were for years dominated by larger companies who could afford to buy the links to keep them on top of search rankings. That tactic doesn’t work anymore. If you’re a small business and want to finally take a piece of that elusive potential customer pie that’s out there, now is the time. And Organic SEO is the way to do it. Contact us today to learn more.

Your Best Customers Are Local: Internet Marketing For The Walk-In Crowd

Posted by seo_writer_mkl as Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Organic SEO Marketing, Small Business Web Advertising

Local internet marketing techniques are often limited to a few tried-and-true favorites. By and large, they map well directly onto the list of non-local internet marketing techniques; there are locale-specific variations of pay-per-click marketing, certain tricks that make sure your organic SEO strategies affect your rank in local listings, and so on.

There are also local internet marketing gurus that will tell you to do things like post ads on locale-specific classified ad sites (your local newspaper is probably a good example), or to join Facebook groups specific to your hometown and promote your business via social networks. These methods absolutely work — no bones about it. But they are only the beginning of the variations on local internet marketing that can be put to work for you.

One of the biggest routes to improving your foot traffic by changing things online involves getting changes made to your listings. Much like a traditional yellow pages ad, almost every directory of businesses offers an improved listing option. That option will cost a little bit of money, but the result — that surfers tend to see your ads first and might actually just miss a competitor’s ad altogether due to the difference in size and coloration — is worth almost any amount of money.

At the same time, many search engines and directory services rely on surfers to put in information about their local businesses — which means that you might not even be listed at all! Few SEO companies keep a decently comprehensive listing of local directories in order to make sure you’re on them — most will be content with making sure you show up on Google and Bing! and just leave it at that. Focusing on getting your name onto as many such sites as possible will improve your exposure dramatically for not that much effort.

One final rarely-used method of marketing your business locally is a mass Email. Very much akin to a physical mail-out, a mass mailing will usually require you to get a list of emails known to be local to your business and then, well, mail them! A single mass Emailing can bring significant business, and is almost never considered spam

Take full advantage of ALL of the local internet marketing services available to you — get in touch an expert organic SEO company and ask about it.