SEO, or search engine optimization, is the most important element in building a successful website. Much thought and research must go into a site before it is ever developed and designed.  Most people online have heard the term SEO and have some idea of what is involved yet it remains a mysterious process to many. One of the reasons SEO is so mysterious is that it can be a complicated endeavor and search engines are constantly changing the way they rank sites and the way the recognize the many tools of SEO.

At the forefront of the SEO check and balance system is the leading search engine Google. They have pretty much set the standard for technology in search engine algorithms that can track the relevancy of a website to its content and SEO efforts. Their ranking system remains one of the most popular methods of determining a web site’s quality because of their diligent efforts of weeding out the bad apples that have little to offer a consumer other than skilled manipulation and the ability to ‘play the system’ to their advantage.

Of course taking advantage of the system makes perfect sense from a business standpoint but from the search engine outlook of wanting to provide the best quality sites on their results for the viewer it can become difficult to differentiate the site that is good quality wise from the site that is good because it has a very manipulative operator at the helm.

Because the rules for SEO evolve and change rapidly the mystique of search engine optimization continues to confuse website owners. Many people build their websites thinking the only SEO tool they need is key word density. While key words are an important aspect in SEO they are not the only means to an end, they are simply a part of the puzzle. There is another tried and true method of SEO that is as relevant today as it was at the start of the concept of web 2.0 marketing and that is back linking. While back linking remains one of the most successful ways to get your site to rank high on the search engines it also has undergone some changes making the types of links important so that search engines do not penalize a site for bad incoming links.

The term “back link” refers to an outside link on another site that points to yours. In the past any link from another site would have a positive impact on your site by the search engines. Because there were so many gimmicks developed in the last few years to garner massive back links to websites such as link farms, and irrelevant reciprocal linking Google began to develop a way to weed out links that were purchased, or had little meaning or relevancy.

Even though back linking is used to manipulate search engine popularity there are many very legitimate reasons for using the system of back linking. Finding web sites that have a common interest to your own who are willing to place your link on their site can get you extra exposure. When their visitors come to their site they will see your link and likely visit your site as well.

The fact that on-site links like that have such a perceived relevance to the visitor makes them a valuable marketing tool, but that perception of quality is also why Google works so hard to be sure they are real quality links. You will get higher ranking on a search engine for a number of truly appropriate back linking partnerships however if the sites linking to you do not share any common information or products Google will penalize you for the link. There are new programs in the works with Google where your site could even be devalued if the site that links to you is determined to be bad quality so it is important who you choose to link to, and also who links to you.

In the past many web site owners would open up multiple websites with the sole purpose of promoting one principle site. They would use the extra websites as a means of placing back links to the main site. Google now watches for sites that are created with the same IP address. Creating a large number of websites on the same IP address and putting back links on them to quickly develop a number of links is known as link bombing. That is not to say that you cannot ever link to your own website from a site you own. If there is a reason to show your visitors some additional information a few well placed back links are fine. It is when there are many links from each site all pointing to a single ‘main’ site that the search engines look at them suspiciously.

The system Google is working hard to put in place to discount a link from a bad site is why it is very important to know who is linking to you and if their site stacks up to your standards. It is no longer true that all inbound links to your site are good links. There are very good tools available online for free that can show you who is linking to you. If you find a site that is linking to you that you feel is questionable in terms of how they relate to your website either in information or product you should contact the webmaster of the site and demand that they remove the link to your website to avoid being penalized by the search engines.

Probably the best way to obtain a back link to your site is through anchor text. That is when you have another website with content that is relevant to your own (relevancy is ALWAYS important) including your site in the actual content of their site with a hyperlink inside the text. These back links are valued much higher than a simple sidebar link as long as they appear in the text in a way that has a fluid and meaningful association with the content of the article. There are several ways to get such back links.

Providing articles to content sites with your link built into the article is one method. If you write very compelling information on your website is another as someone else with a similar site may wish to point it out on their own. You may not even realize they are doing it unless they tell you about it. This is one of the main reasons it is important to keep an eye on who is back linking to you. While the majority of those types of links are wonderful and you should thank the site owner for their inclusion, if you feel the site that is linking to you does not meet your standards, have similar information, or the content is not relevant to your site you should definitely ask them to remove your link.

Back linking is an extremely important aspect of SEO development and it is something you need to understand well in order to implement and control it properly. There are many secrets and mysteries in the SEO world that diligent study can clear up. Keeping your website in good standing with the search engines and popular with your visitors is the best way to ensure a vital and profitable future for your business online.

Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Development, search engine optimization | No Comments »

Online marketing is defined from Wikipedia as the selling of products on the Internet. Online marketing, (also known as web marketing, search engine marketing, SEO or internet marketing) is extremely vital in todays internet savvy world. Online marketing employs different techniques to those of traditional marketing. As with any product or service, however, not all online marketing services are created equal.

It is unfortunate that many businesses forget to market on the internet for their business. Usually its the same “But…my business is different” attitude that causes this. Many feel that since they only serve a local area, or a smaller geographic market that Internet Marketing is not needed. This could not be further from the truth. A simple and effective internet marketing campaign using Pay-per-click marketing or Search Engine Marketing could have an incredible ROI or return on investment. Not only could you be on page one of Google search results multiple times you could virtually brand yourself as the “Top” business in your field for your local geographic area. Who wouldn’t want that?

Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the internet, including design, development, advertising and sales. Internet marketing methods and strategies encompass a wide range of services such as search engine marketing (SEM)which can be broken down into search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click (PPC), display advertising, text-based advertising, behavioral marketing, software-based ads, e-mail marketing, newsletter marketing, Customer Relationship Management Marketing affiliate marketing, web press releases, interactive advertising, online reputation management(ORM), online market research, and also Social Media Marketing Methods such as blog marketing, multivariate testing or optimization and viral marketing.

With research confirming that 70-80% of prospective web customers use search engines or search directories to find relevant content, search engine marketing is the most widely used method of attracting visitors to a website. As a result, competition is fierce at the top of the search engines. Are you forgetting your own market? The shift to the internet in happening, are you being left behind?

Advertising, General, Internet Marketing, Web Development, search engine optimization | No Comments »

Branding and brand recognition has always been one of the most important aspects of a thriving popular company. However it is also a very difficult thing to achieve, total market saturation with brand awareness is what everyone dreams off, yet only a very few companies will actually achieve this level of market awareness.

One of the most important parts of developing a strong brand is to keep it constantly in front of your customers and potential customers on a consistent basis. Previously this use to be done with massive marketing campaigns by the major companies, billboard ads, television, radio and anywhere else they can put their brand.

With the Internet and massive popularity of search engines like Google this has made the “game” of putting yourself in-front of a massive audience a much easier process.

Imagine for a moment that you can on a daily basis put your company and brand potentially in front of 1000’s of new eyes every single day of the year for a faction of the price of traditional media?

This is consistent brand expansion happening on a daily basis with your exact target demographic.

You would be crazy not to do something like that right?

Well this is possible, and search engine optimization or SEO is how its done.  By targeting your business the most effective way online you not only build your brand, but, also your business.

Advertising, General, Web Development, search engine optimization | No Comments »