Small Businesses, Stop Worrying About Your Google Ranking Trying to beat the web search giant's mysterious algorithm is a massive time-sink for any small business. July 30, 2012 Everyone knows that a high rank on Google for your small business can mean loads of potential customers. But achieving those rankings can be difficult, and the rankings can change in the blink of an eye. Web Access Has Changed It used to be that using Google meant heading to your computer and doing a search from within a browser. Results are tailored geographically, making them more localizedResults are listed differently, giving you one-click features to call businesses and get directions Also, Google has "personalized" search, which takes into account whom your friends are and tailors search results based on your social profile. How Google Has Changed It used to be relatively simple to appear high in Google results, as the ranking algorithm was much simpler. Unfortunately, how Google ranks sites now is much more complicated than it used to be. How Google Hasn't Changed
Who Are You Writing For? SEO Copywriting vs. Social Media Writing We often think of SEO copywriting and social media writing as two separate ways of creating online content, each requiring a different skill set. But are they? Social media and SEO are becoming more closely related, so your writing techniques should reflect this shift towards a hybrid "social-SEO" writing strategy. SEO Copywriting Keyword-based copywriting for search engines requires you to constantly consider how your content is being "read" by Google and other search engines. The key is to find a balance between writing for consumers and making the page SEO-friendly. The title of your content page or blog post is the first thing to consider, both to optimize your page and attract readers. Encourage action in your headline to create a sense of urgency so your readers will click on it to read more. What you are writing about on your content pages should be focused in scope. Limiting the focus of your pages also makes it easier to insert keywords into your writing. Writing for Social Media
SEO Pricing: 600+ Agencies Share Costs of Services & Pricing Models Near the end of December 2011, we ran a survey on this blog asking consultants and agencies of all sizes and geographies to contribute their pricing models and cost structures. I'm pleased to share the results of that survey in the hopes that it will give everyone in the search industry a better idea of the range of fees and the services provided. Obviously, this data is imperfect - SEOmoz is not a professional data surveying firm and our only tool was a basic list of questions on SurveyMonkey. That said, I'd be surprised if a professional surveyor found dramatically different data - there was enough participation to receive a trustworthy sample size and firms provided their personal/contact information (many of which I recognized while digging through the responses, but obviously will not be sharing identities publicly), which means we likely did not receive intentionally manipulative/misleading information. (via AYTM's infographic) Top 9 Takeaways Infographic from AYTM Data Dump Files
info.thewholebraingroup.com/Portals/167787/docs/WBG_EnhanceYourInternetPrescence_SocialMedia.pdf SEO Copywriting Tips for Improved Link Building Compare the two posts below, both written by the exact same SEO expert and each containing around the same number of words. Without knowing the subject, can you guess which post earned more links? Try 378 to 6. The “secrets” of copywriting have existed since before the ancient Greeks. So why don’t more authors take advantage? Here’s the takeaway. 1. Steve Krug’s words of wisdom for website usability in his book Don’t Make Me Think ring true for all elements of SEO copywriting. "We don’t read pages. Krug advocates for a billboard style of design. To be fair, prettying up mediocre content won’t make it any better. Unless you are Wikipedia, don’t look like Wikipedia. 2. Headlines organize your content by making a promise to the reader. Check out this recent cover for Wired Magazine. Using the “who-what-why” formula isn’t the only way to format your headlines, but it works. Don't be scared of headline formulas. 3. I made that number up. Numbers grab our attention. 4. Words are magic. 5. 6. 7.
Infographic: How Much Does SEO Cost? How much does SEO cost? How much time do you have to discuss the various models and prices out there! However, a new survey sheds some light on the subject. Over 500 people and companies who offer search engine optimization services were asked about how their models. Turns out, it’s most common to charge $100 to $150 per hour, in the US. Also popular is project-based pricing, where the average price is between $2,500 to $5,000, in the US. The survey was conducted by SEOmoz and compiled into the infographic below by AYTM: Want the infographic for yourself? Need to learn more about SEO? Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Infographics | SEM Industry: General | SEM Industry: Stats
The Marketer's Guide to Search Engine Optimizing Non-Written Content We’ve all heard about how inbound marketers need to get more creative with their content format by incorporating visuals, audio, and images. Heck, we’ve even created a free crash course (with templates) for non-designers to create visual content to react to this trend. With all these content types, aren’t we forgetting something? Oh right. SEO. Best Practices for Image SEO To explain this concept, let's take a step back and imagine we're proprietors of a tasty ice cream shop. 1) Pick an image that's in a Google-supported format. Before uploading your beautiful ice cream infographic, make sure it’s in the right format. 2) Name the file using keywords that describe the image. Raise your hand if you have uploaded an image with a name like "IMG12934.jpg." 3) Add in helpful alt text. Bad: alt=””Better: alt=”Ice cream”Best : alt=”Popular ice cream flavors”Avoid: alt= “ice cream flavor yummy vanilla chocolate Delicious" 4) Provide context for the image within content. 5) Submit an image sitemap.
SBSM Mailbag: How Best to Charge Small Businesses for SEO Services? Kris recently sent in a good question about providing SEO services for small businesses; more specifically, about the business model and billing: I usually work on a monthly retainer-syle basis with no contract. I sometimes feel apprehensive about this because I feel that huge value is delivered in the plan and strategy that is done at the beginning in the analysis/research phase. Execution of the plan often does not require as much knowlege or skill but is where I make back the investment in my skills (education, reading SEO blogs at 2am on Saturday night, etc.). Do I make prospective clients sign a contract? Thanks for the email, Kris. My experience is the same as yours when you say that the most value is provided at the beginning of an SEO engagement. planning setting goals analyzing competitors analyzing the keyword landscape auditing the client’s website writing up your audit report developing recommendations and a plan of attack writing the recommendations report(s) etc. 1.) 2.)
32 Website Optimization Terms Every Marketer Should Know [Glossary] Staying on top of new website design and optimization trends may feel intimidating. The technology seems like it evolves every single day so that while you're just catching up on terms like “mobile optimization” and “dynamic content," a billion new terms emerge. To help you conquer the fast-paced world of website optimization, we compiled the essential terms you'll need to know as a marketer. Whether experimentation and optimization is your day job or you just are interested in how smart inbound marketers convert leads, check out the following glossary. And, if you have any terms to add, feel free to leave us a comment with the word and its definition. For your convenience, you can jump to a letter you want by clicking on the letters below: A/B Testing: A/B testing, also known as split testing, is one of the most effective ways to make measurable (and scientific) improvements to your website. Above the Fold: This website design term is a legacy from printed newspaper days.
Small Business SEO: Costs, Expectations & Realities Janet Meiners wrote a good article Monday on Small Biz Trends: Practices of Top SEO Companies for Small Businesses. It’s designed to help small business owners understand the basic/minimum services that an SEO company/consultant should be providing. But what about the cost of small business SEO? What should a small business expect to pay when hiring an SEO consultant? In the comments on that Small Biz Trends article, a man named Jeff says this about the cost of SEO services: “…many companies that offer SEO services charge an arm and a leg, usually monthly (anywhere from $300-$1000/monthly) and many don’t provide any kind of guarantee on results.” There are a couple things in there that probably represent a fairly common view of SEO services for small businesses. Here are five points that I hope will help small business owners understand more about SEO, pricing, and services. 1.) There are other SEO companies/consultants who charge differently. 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) Final Thoughts