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07/21/2011
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.
07/16/2011
The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Business
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Social Websites Marketing
Does it really work? Social media marketing is a different animal, one that doesn’t work the same way that any other type of marketing does. For one thing, it needs to be done indirectly, even casually if you want to get the best results. Those who are spending time on social networks aren’t there to buy anything and won’t respond to a direct solicitation, but they will remember when something is mentioned in a conversation thread, even if its not their own. That’s the key to social media.
There are two results that you can expect from social media marketing – the seen and the unseen. The seen is when someone actually responds directly, clicking a link in a conversation thread that you or someone else took part in. The unseen is the organic SEO benefit – the backlink. You score one automatically just by posting the link on someone’s wall or page; you score many more if that link goes viral and gets picked up on other networks and social bookmarking services. The domino effect with social media can be breathtakingly fast at times. When it catches on, it moves pretty quickly.
So how do you create conversation threads and get others to talk about your service or products. Start by having conversations with close friends who already know what you do. Mention events of the day, new projects, or drop job references into a thread about some drama going on – Facebookers in particular love that type of post. Put yourself in their position and cater to what they’re looking for. It’s not hard to do if you think carefully before you start the thread. Here at Webwise Media, we have experts that do it all day long as part of our organic SEO marketing campaigns.
There are millions of people going online every day to check their Facebook wall, tweet from their Twitter account, or Digg new websites. Techies are looking at Technorati, networkers are checking StumbleUpon, and professionals are updating resumes on LinkedIn. Who do you want to get the word out to? Social media is a good way to do it, but you need to know how. You could learn, or you could just run your business and let us handle the social media marketing for you.
07/11/2011
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.
07/06/2011
Using Schema.org as Part of Your Website SEO
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Search Engine Optimization, Website Design
Most of the individual business owners and professionals we do organic SEO for really don’t have any idea exactly what we do. That’s why we publish regular posts on this blog. We’re not one of those companies that shroud our services in mystery to give us a plausible reason to charge more. We offer affordable SEO to our clients, internet marketing that even the smallest businesses can budget for. We also explain what we do in terms that everyone can understand – not just your programmers and IT people. We do this because we want you to feel comfortable doing business with us.
Take the new Schema coding system, for instance. Most folks know by now that there is HTML coding behind every web page that tells the search engines what is contained in the site and what the title of each individual page and post is. This coding is known as Meta tags and Meta descriptions. Some say it’s not as important today as it used to be – we know better. A properly coded website will move up the search engine rankings much faster than an un-coded site. Schema may make it move even faster.
Schema is a coding system devised in a collaborative effort between Google, Bing and Yahoo. It is a universal coding system recognizable by all three search giants that is now part of all our website SEO efforts. How much will it affect search engine rankings? It’s too early to tell, but there’s no question it will change the search marketing industry for the better. We’re already starting to see less disparity between search rankings. What works for Google now works for Bing and Yahoo also. There’s no longer a need for duplicate efforts and multiple search engine submissions.
Webwise Media has stayed on top of the Los Angeles SEO industry for over a decade by making sure we’re always on top of changes and new technology in search marketing. The changes made by Google over the years have never come as a surprise to us, and this is no exception. Universal coding is important, as is increasing the quality of content on the web, something they addressed earlier this year with Google Panda. We’ll keep you informed when they make any other changes.
07/01/2011
Personalization Takes center Stage in Local Internet Marketing Debate
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Internet Marketing
There was a time when just searching for a service provider was a process that you did only half-heartedly because the level of trust you had in the results wasn’t nearly enough to guarantee that you’d actually pay the company you found with those search efforts. Society was till geared towards physical retail shopping – places where you could see the layout of the store with your own eyes – a personal experience that the internet could never duplicate – at least that was your opinion. Modern technology and local internet marketing has changed all that.
Folks still want to have the personal experience when they’re shopping, but today that experience is possible on the web. The comfort level of those shopping electronically is much higher, buying products and services is now commonplace. It’s no longer a question of whether or not you’ll do business on the internet, but rather a search for the web-based business you feel most comfortable with. That’s where personalization comes in. Local shoppers like the thought of doing business with local shops. How do you make yours more inviting to them?
An important piece of the website SEO that we do when we first begin our organic SEO marketing campaigns is the redesign of your website and the message we want to send with the newly refurbished pages and posts. The content helps us with this, but the individual look and personalization is what your visitors are going to remember. Our designers will install code that brings in local traffic, a process called geo-targeting, but once that traffic gets there, they are going to need a reason to stay. You want them to feel welcome at your site and have a sense of trust should they choose to do business.
How important is personalization? In the web world, where millions of websites are vying for those few precious spots on search engine Page One, something needs to set you apart from the rest. Our job is to get you a spot on Page One, but that’s only a portion of what we can do for you. With the knowledge and experience our web design team has, we’ll not only bring you the traffic, we’ll make sure it converts.
06/26/2011
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.
06/21/2011
Does your web presenter have anything relevant to say?
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Web Content
A web presenter is much more than just special effects graphics your visitors can admire. It’s a virtual salesperson that is often the very first contact your potential customers have with your company. Does it have anything relevant to say? Someone wrote the script and recorded the voice. Was it you or was it a marketing company? Here at Webwise Media, we do professional quality web presenter recordings with scripts written by copywriters who know what sells. If you’re not getting results now, let us give it a try. Those using our web presenters are getting great numbers.
Unlike the organic SEO work that we do, a web presenter isn’t designed to attract search engine spiders. It’s a tool to captivate human visitors and sell them on the benefits of your products or services. That’s a bit trickier than building links that an algorithm can tally. Human beings are notoriously unpredictable, so finding the right combination of words and images can be difficult. Consistent, positive results come only after significant trial and error, something we’ve already been through.
After ten years in local internet marketing and Los Angeles SEO, our team knows what works and what doesn’t. Web presenters are not new technology – we’ve been using them for quite some time now – but others are just starting to incorporate them into their marketing packages. Do you want someone who is still advertising this as a “new” service or someone who has experience and knows how to put a presentation together? Believe us when we tell you, visitors are no longer awed by web presenters. That virtual person on the screen is common, the message they have shouldn’t be.
As is the case with any of the other services we offer, the web presenter works best when other work is done to the website. Optimization will bring in more traffic and a redesign or the addition of “sign-up” and “buy now” buttons will increase your conversion rate. We will also, of course, want to start a long-term SEO process which will bring you sustained organic traffic for years to come. Don’t worry though. You won’t have to greet them yourself. That’s what your web presenter’s job is.
06/16/2011
Onsite Sign-Up Options enhance Targeted Email Marketing Programs
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Email Marketing
The objective of a targeted email marketing campaign is to get people to come to your website, but what happens then? You can track the visitors using your analytics program, but what about the conversions? Are they buying what you have to sell, browsing multiple pages, or signing up for your newsletter? Getting someone to come and visit is only half of the battle. In order for a targeted email marketing campaign to be successful, you need to be able to show results, not just numbers on the hit counter.
How do you get those results? Onsite “sign-up” and “buy now” options are two of the best ways to do it. The positioning and color of these options will either entice or deter your visitors from entering their information into them. The difference isn’t always clearly apparent. Some feel that bright yellow buttons in the top right corner will do the trick, but those don’t work if you’re offering serious professional services. A capture box in a subdued color, positioned in a place where the reader’s eye will automatically go, could help you build you list faster.
Our professional website SEO and design specialists can put it all together for you. We also offer the actual targeted email marketing, something you do not want to do yourself if you’ve never done it before. Even if you have some experience with it, it’s best from a time management perspective to hire us to handle it for you. We can spend those extra hours picking through leads to make sure we’re hitting only those prospects who we believe will buy something from you or sign up for your service. Once our web designers are done, the prospects will know exactly how to do that.
Traffic is important, but it’s meaningless without conversions and sales resulting from it. If your traffic numbers are going up and you’re not seeing an improvement in your bottom line, the problem could be with your website. Our team can create landing pages for you specifically designed to capture targeted email traffic, PPC traffic, or traffic that comes in from special offers and organic SEO efforts. We can even A/B test different landing pages to find you one that will get results in all situations. Contact us today to learn more, and to set up your targeted email marketing.
06/11/2011
Why is the leader in organic SEO talking about PPC Management?
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Internet Marketing
Webwise Media is the undisputed leader in organic SEO. That’s a statement that you’ll find few in the industry willing to argue with. With a track record of success going back over a decade, five times the expected lifespan of any other Los Angeles SEO company, we have proven that the decisions we make when it comes to search engine optimization are the right ones. So why are some people wondering about our PPC Management services? They are not competitive to SEO, they compliment it. In addition, early indicators show that traffic may now be a factor in the Google algorithm.
The formulas used to calculate page rank have always been shrouded in mystery, a decision made by Google early on to protect the integrity of their search engine. If the details of the algorithm were made public, those with money and resources could simply buy their way to the top and small businesses would be left out in the cold. It was that reason that also led to the decision to not include overall traffic as a variable in the calculations, but it appears that may have recently changed. According to our tracking, sites with a larger number of visitors are being awarded higher rank. It’s too early to know for sure, but apparently traffic counts now.
Of course, like everything else the search engines do, this is a “what if?” and could be temporary, so we’re going to continue doing the things we have done to be successful to this point. Our clients are encouraged to include PPC Management as part of the package we offer to them. Paid traffic while we’re doing the link building needed to get regular organic traffic is a benefit, no matter how you look at it. If the search engines count it towards page rank, that’s fantastic. If not, it will lead to conversions, sign-ups, and sales while we’re doing the long term work to give you internet presence.
Traffic also brings new links. Those who bookmark your website when they view it are providing you a backlink that will count in algorithmic calculations. The more links you have, the higher your rank. Your content counts too, so don’t leave out development and website expansion. Those are key factors in capturing web surfers and also in getting search engine spiders to keep coming back for more. These are all elements of our SEO strategy that you will benefit from if you do business with Webwise Media.
06/06/2011
Custom Blog Creation is a Tool that can be used More than Once
Posted by seo_writer_kvn as Blogs
Do you find yourself staring at your computer screen trying to come up with another great blog post? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s a likely possibility that you’ve already written on a number of different topics and you’re just plain stuck. What should you do now? We have two suggestions and both of them involve a service we offer here at Webwise. The first one you’ve probably thought of already. Hire us to do the writing for you. The second might surprise you. You can hire our custom blog creation team to put together a second blog for you. Then you can start fresh.
There’s nothing that says you can only have one blog. Sure, you want to continue to post regular dynamic content the search engines will come back and index, but you can do that with a secondary blog and still have links back to your main website. You’ll get link juice on the new blog and that will raise your overall page rank. Even better, you can hire one of our writers to cover some of the same topics you covered already, but using different language so its original content. Order the posts at the same time you ask us to create the new blog and we’ll do everything all at once for one affordable price.
Blog posting is one of the most effective organic SEO tools there is. It’s also a great way to reach out to customers and potential customers who want to know more about your products or services. Those customers may be searching for different terms when they go looking for you. Additional blogs focused on those search terms make it more likely that they will find you. The new pages you add, even if they’re not attached to the same URL as your original website, will still give you a larger presence on the web.
Every tool that we have here at Webwise Media can be used over and over again with the same great results time after time. The first thing we do when we sign up a new client is recommend that they have us create a blog and start posting. For some clients, we’ve done dozens of them. The more popular a product or service is, the more sites you’ll want to have talking about them. Contact us today to learn more about custom blog posting and the many other organic SEO services we offer.
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