7 Unbreakable SEO Rules.

As a practice and industry, SEO is constantly evolving. Sites are seemingly at the mercy of the search engines, who usually can't be bothered to give the site owners a heads up before they update their algorithm. Every few weeks it seems like someone is heralding the death of SEO, but evolution does not equal demise. Over time, tactics and methods change to work inside the guidelines of the search engines and to meet the needs of the online user, but the core fundamentals of SEO have remained the same. 

Here are 7 basic rules of SEO...

1. Understand User-Intent

Keyword research is the cornerstone of any SEO campaign. Understanding user-intent when conducting and selecting your keywords is critical to getting your SEO off on the right foot and helping the right audience find your site. For instance, are "gym shoes," "sneakers" and "tennis shoes," the same thing? For some consumers those three words are completely interchangeable. But if a tennis player were looking for a new pair of shoes, they would search using "tennis shoes" and expect a very specific result. It doesn't matter how you would search for your brand/products, it only matters how your target audience searches. Targeting the wrong keywords because you failed to understand the intent of the search means you'll miss out on potential traffic and customers.

2. Don't Rush Your Link Building

It is crucial for the search engines to see a diversified approach to link building that slowly grows over time. A blended approach demonstrates your commitment to white hat link building and building your online presence naturally. The search engines are very aware that they are playing a game with spammers and black hat SEO users, and they don't plan on losing. If you develop too many links too fast, even if they are good quality links, this can raise a red flag with the search engines and your site could be penalized.

3. Content is King

Content is anything that is public and shareable. This includes blog web page content, blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos, whitepapers and more. It is also the most important factor of a website's long term SEO success. Content should always be written for the end user, not for the search engines. You have to remember that the search engines are not going to be the ones purchasing your products or services, people are. Optimize your content so the search engines can find it, but don't forget that it has to be human friendly first. 

4. Be Strategic, Not Spammy

This is especially important in regards to social media marketing and social SEO. If you really wanted to, you could create a hundred different Twitter profiles to promote your content through. But what kind of real value are you getting from those profiles other than a link? You don't have to tackle every aspect of SEO at once. Frankly, there just isn't enough time in a day to take on that much work upfront. Pick and choose your battles so you don't overdo it. Flooding the online market with low-quality SEO doesn't help build your brand or reputation.

5. SEO is Long Term

This is probably the hardest thing for those new to SEO to wrap their heads around. SEO is not a quick fix to your online marketing. No, you won't be ranking on the first page of Google for all your keywords by tomorrow, next week, or even next month. This is especially true if you recently launched your site. It takes a long time to build up your trust factor with the search engines.

SEO builds upon itself over time, but that doesn't mean that once you have reached the first page in the search engines that you get to pack it up and call it a day. The Internet is continually growing and evolving. If you want to stay at the top, you have to keep working for it. It doesn't take long for your site to slip down in the results pages if you abandon your SEO.

6. Follow Search Engine Guidelines

Google, Bing and Yahoo want you to do well with your SEO because it helps clean up their search results. A better SERP makes for a happier search engine user. Search engines are in the business of pleasing the customer, just like everybody else. If your site can't help them do that, you won't ever rank well. That's why every site owner and marketer has to read the Google and Bing Webmaster Guidelines. Consider those guidelines your SEO line in the sand. If they call something black hat, then treat it as such and avoid it. It can be very tempting to test out the black hat side of SEO, especially when you see your competition doing it and seemingly getting away with it. Just don't! Sooner or later the search engines catch on and your site will be penalized.

7. Integrate Everything

Just about all your marketing online (and offline marketing) efforts can be leveraged for SEO. One of the biggest mistakes you could make is keeping your actions in separate silos. SEO works best when it is incorporated into the mix, becoming an essential component of your marketing online. If your company has a large marketing department, don't segregate the SEO guy back to the IT department. Bring him aboard the marketing team and you'll achieve greater online success.

10 things to leave off your CV.

Everybody knows that in most situations, less is more.

Job seekers do themselves a disservice when they send out CVs with too much information. Employers don't have the time or the patience to sift through irrelevant, extensive and false information. Just stick to the basics and you're good to go.

Here are 10 things to leave off your CV and why:

1. Your picture

Unless a job posting specifically asks for your picture (and very few jobs will), don't include it just for fun because your looks are irrelevant to your potential as an employee.

2. Interest and hobbies

Unless your interests and hobbies have something to do with the job you're applying for, there's no reason to include them. In general, make any applicable connections between your hobbies and the job in your cover letter. Better yet, save them for the interview when you're asked what you like to do outside of work.

3. Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors

Most employers assume that if you're OK with sending out a CV littered with typos and mistakes, you'll have the same lack of concern for the work you do as an employee at their company. While spell check picks up most errors, it can miss something major -- did you work the late night shift? Or did you forget to include the "f" between "i" and "t"? -- so have several eyes look over your CV before sending it out to employers.

4. Personal attributes

Similar to sending a picture with your CV, your height, weight, age, race or religion are all unimportant to an employer. Though it's illegal for employers to discriminate against applicants because of any of these factors, some will do so, regardless. Keep everything on your CV pertinent to the job, and you'll be fine.

5. Minute details

Hiring managers don't need to know the details of every task you've ever done in every job you've ever had. It's just too much information, and usually half of that information isn't relevant. Employers want to be able to see at first glance that you're a great candidate, so pick out those details that are most relevant to the job for which you're applying and omit the rest.

6. False information

Plain and simple, no one wants to hire a liar. Don't say that you have a master's degree if you've only earned your bachelor's; don't say you're presently employed at a company if you've recently been fired; don't list your salary history as 20 percent higher than it was. Everything you tell an employer can be verified, so play it safe and be honest.

7. Crazy colours and fonts

No one wants to look at a CV on fluorescent paper, covered in crazy fonts and symbols. Use a font that is clear to read in black colour. Anything else will make your CV hard to read and chances will be high that it won't be read at all.

8. Information that is too personal

Links to personal web sites, your photo-sharing site, or strange e-mail addresses can also be left off. Employers are less likely to respond to likes2party@email.com than just DMiller@email.com.

9. Negativity

Never put anything negative on your CV. Don't include your reasons for leaving. If you left the position due to a layoff or you were fired, for example, bring it up only if asked. Never write anything bad about a previous employer. Don't explain gaps on your CV by stating that you were in prison for 10 years. Keep your CV all positive, all the time.

10. An objective that is too simple

Employers are trying to determine whether you're a good fit for their organizations, so everything on your CV should point to your experience. Employers would rather see a summary of qualifications that displays your accomplishments and background than a generic objective statement like "To get a full time position at a financial institution".

Top 10 Google SEO Ranking Factors.

People don’t really understand that there are many different factors that fall into place when determining where a website ranks in the Google search engine results. Some things to keep in mind when you are wondering why your site doesn’t rank well. It is not always just the obvious reasons that are holding it back. 

Over the past years by reading Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, Google SEO Starter Guide, many other industry blogs and by actually doing professional SEO and internet marketing since the late 1990’s, I have gathered data and come to a boiled down short list of the most important Google search engine ranking factors.

Here is the list of my top 10 of important Google SEO ranking factors to consider:

1. Age of Domain: Age of URL is very important. If you just bought your domain a few weeks or even months ago you have a long road ahead of you. The reality is the age of your website helps build trust. If your website has been online for several years, chances are you have an established business.

2. Domain Hosting: Where is your site hosted? Find out through your hosting company what continent or country your site is hosted in. This can often times play a large role in search rankings. Always use a reputable hosting company. If your company is US based then use a hosting company in the United States. Also, I always recommend a dedicated IP when you can. There are virtual dedicated and cloud hosting solutions that are more affordable. Never use the cheapest hosting. The reality is, if you cannot afford hosting you should re-consider the business…I know this is harsh but very true.

3. Your Neighbors: If you have a virtual server, which sites like Godaddy usually are have been known to house hundreds of websites on one server. Make sure that your neighbors on your server are not classified as spam.

4. URL Structure: Make sure your URL structures are very clean. There should not be any random strings of characters at the end of your URL’s. This is part of the onsite search engine optimization process as well.

5. Content: Content is very important. To start make sure you have text on all your important pages, then make sure it is good text consisting of your targeted keywords spread throughout naturally. Simply put, ALWAYS write your content for humans, your website visitors first and NEVER write content for the solo purpose to achieve Google search engine rankings. Chances are the content will not be user focused or provide value to your visitors.

6. Internal Link Structure: Make sure your inner pages are linked correctly. Visitors should have easy made pathways connecting to your other pages from every page of your website. Make sure the code of your website is verified and keep flash and JavaScript to a minimum, if you can. Essentially make sure the site is clean, easy to use and interlinked to help the user experience.

7. Trust: Do you at least have a mailing address listed on your website? You should if you don’t. Google likes to see trust factors on websites so anything you can add that could help build trust for your audience will benefit your rankings. I always recommend having a phone number on each page of your website. Make it easy for people to do business with you, it all starts with establishing trust and that starts with contact information on your website.

8. Keywords: Make sure your website is optimized using your keywords. This means any alt tags for images, meta page information and existing content at the very least of things. Remember to naturally optimize your website based on the content of each page of your website.

9. Bounce Rate: Although bounce rate might not seem important if Google sees that nobody hangs out on your website for more than a few seconds before they leave this could be a ranking problem over time. Make changes to get visitors engaged with your website. Simple things, like video, newsletter sign up, call to actions, etc will help improve your bounce rate over time. Make sure you have proper tracking on your website, such as Google analytics.

10. Outbound links: Make sure the websites that you link to are 100% relevant to your business and industry. If you sell animals toys but you are linking to a site that sells shoes that is not very relevant and over time could really impact your rankings. Bottom line is if it makes sense to link to another site, then do so, but remember you could be sending your visitors away from your site.

11. Inbound Links: I know this was a list of my top 10, but I felt I had to mention inbound links. The key here (speaking as a white hat SEO person), don’t buy or exchange links. Market and promote your business online to build visitors to your website over time. If you do, then the relevant links will follow!

**Note: As the Google (and yes there are 2 other major search engines!) algorithm changes there are always new ranking factors that come into play, such as the page load time and many others. I am sure when I re-do this list a year from now, there may be another one or two additional factors.

There are many extensive factors that Google uses when determining website rankings. Very important to get these factors correct otherwise you could find yourself just spinning your wheels. The bottom line is it is all about relevancy and earning your visitors (and yes Google’s) search engine trust over time.

5 Important Rules for Affiliate Marketing Success

Making money with affiliate marketing can be a great solution for people who do not want to deal with the hassles of setting up their own website, yet still want to be able to generate income on the internet.

Creating your own affiliate marketing business does not need to be as hard as you think, and one of the most important parts of being successful with this type of business is to pick the right product that you can form a partnership with and begin promoting.

This type of affiliate marketing business model means that you are referring customers and sales to another company in exchange for a certain commission. This can be very convenient if you do not have the extra time to commit to customer service and other essential tasks for maintaining your own business.

Below you will find five rules that you can use to begin to see success with your affiliate marketing efforts. Following these rules can help you make sure you get the maximum return on the time and money you spend.

1. Find Out The Commission Percentage

Is this a digital product that can offer a higher affiliate commission such as 50% or higher? Or are you focusing on a physical product or e-commerce store that only pays its affiliates 10% of the total price. Depending on what you are promoting, you can sometimes make much more money from a company that sells physical products but offers a smaller percentage commission, since the overall price volume will be much higher.

2. Pick The Ideal Price Point

There may be many similar companies and products that you can choose to become affiliated with, but there will likely be some price differences with each one. Pick how high your price should be based on the supply and demand of your target market. Is this a product that provides a solution to an urgent problem? If so, then you might be able to pick a product with a higher price.

3. Only Promote One Affiliate Product At A Time

An important factor that determines your success for any business is how long you can focus and concentrate on the tasks that build your business and increase your revenue. Therefore, if you are placing your attention on trying to promote a dozen different products at the same time, then you are spreading your attention too thin and decreasing your odds of success. Pick one single good product, and stick with it until you see results.

4. Is There An Established Market For Your Product?

Some beginner affiliate marketers will make the mistake of picking their affiliate product based on their own hobbies and interests, only to find out that there is no demand for it. It is important that people are actively searching for what you are providing, even if you want to focus on a narrowly defined market segment. Make sure that there is enough demand for what you are offering that people will be willing to make a purchase.

5. Does This Product Make You Want To Buy?

What is a good way to find out how effective the sales tactics are by the product or company you are promoting? See whether or not this seems like something that you are actually willing to purchase. Depending on the nature of the product that you are affiliated with, it may even be something that you should purchase yourself before promoting it in order to find out what it is all about.

By following these five principles you should be able to maximize the amount of money that you can earn from your online affiliate marketing. Remember to keep realistic earnings expectations about your affiliate commissions, and do not be discouraged if you do not succeed at making money right away.

25 Most Important SEO Factors & Tips for SEO.

Getting visitors to a website through the search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN is on the priority list of every website owner. Yet, many still do not understand how to position their website high in search engine result pages.

Chances are your competition is well aware of the factors that play a crucial role in the SEO world.

To help every small business owner build a successful presence on the search engine result pages, I’ve compiled the 25 most influential SEO tactics. Employ them into your website and you should see dramatic improvement in your Google rankings.

25 Most Important SEO Factors

1. Keyword use anywhere in title tag – Always start with a thorough keyword research. Each page should always have a unique title tag that is descriptive of what the page is all about. The title tag of your website should not only be easy to read, but should also be written to bring in traffic. While you need your title to be optimized for your main keyword for that specific page, it should not be stuffed with keywords. If you are a business catering to local customers, be sure to include locality in the title tag.

2. Keyword use at the beginning of the title tag – Concentrate on a keyword for which you want to rank well in Google and use it at the very beginning of the title tag. Regardless of what you may think, your company name does not belong there and sometimes should not be used in the title at all. You have a limited number of characters that will be indexed by the search engines so use those well.

3. Keyword focused anchor text from external links – Inbound links from other domains are crucial. Inbound links with your keyword as the anchor text are much, much better. They are highly important for SEO.

4. External link popularity/relevancy – Quantity and quality of external links matter greatly. While every link is like a vote and the more links your page gets the more popular Google considers your site to be, quality trumps quantity. It’s much better to have three highly relevant links to you from other popular related websites than 30 links from unrelated low ranked sites.

5. Diversity of link sources – It is better to have inbound links from many unique root domains. Don’t get all your links from one type of source; make sure you have a healthy blend. 

6. Unique content – Duplicate content is frown upon by the search engines.

7. Fresh content – Adding a dynamic component to your website that will add or change content regularly is a good way to freshen your page. Search engines are like children ever hungry for new information so fresh and relevant content can be very appealing. Add viral aspect and plenty of quality incoming links and you got yourself an authoritative page and will rank well.

8. Authority of the domain – New content on a domain that already has a strong online presence is valued more by the search engines.

9. Keyword in domain name – Having a keyword in the domain name can give you a great SEO edge over your competition.

10. Keyword use in body text – Repeating your keyword(s) throughout the content of the page tells Google what the page is about and how relevant it is to a particular search term. Don’t overdo it; make sure to write for humans first. Bolding important keywords make a difference as well. 

11. Keyword in H1 header tag - Google knows that the most important information on the page is in the header tag. Make sure there is only one H1 tag and optimize it well.

12. Keyword in anchor text for internal links – Having links to a particular page from other pages on its own domain is important. Those links show the search engines that this page is highly valued. Take that further and link with a keyword as the anchor text to give yourself a nice SEO boost.

13. Keyword in anchor text of outbound links – Linking out should be a part of your SEO strategy. If you are not linking out at all you are sending a signal that you are not part of the Internet as a whole. Make sure to only link out to relevant and quality pages and use keyword-rich anchor text. Be smart about your internal & outbound linking strategy.

14. Keyword at the beginning of the page (50-100 words) – Search engines assume that the top of your page contains the most important and relevant information so make sure that you use important and relevant keywords in the first 50-100 words on your page.

15. Keyword in page URL - Google pays attention to sites with keywords in their permalinks. Make sure that your blog is not setup to use session IDs in the URL. It is always better to use descriptive, easier to read and keyword-rich URLs.

16. Keyword use in other headline tags (H2 – H6) – Although less important than H1, other header tags still carry some SEO weight and should not be overlooked.

17. Keyword in alt text for images – Every relevant image should have an alt tag with your keywords mentioned in the tag.

18. Domain age – This one goes along the authority of the domain (#8). Older domains enjoy more credibility then their younger counterparts simply because they are viewed as more trustworthy. Also, spammers often register domains for very short periods of time so it is always a good idea to register a domain for more than just a couple of years.

19. Existence of Meta description tag – Even though having keywords in the Meta description doesn’t impact rankings they can play a significant role in the sites click through rate from the SERPs. The description tag is the paragraph that people will see when your page comes up in the search results, so it should be captivating and designed to attract business. 

20. HTML to text ratio – Bloated code and poor load time are a really bad thing for the search engines. Be sure to use include files to call your scripts wherever possible, and just clean up or take out all of your unnecessary code. You’d be surprised by what you can live without or how much can be called from an external file.

21. Page that is HTML valid to W3C Standards – HTML Validation is not necessary, but running validation is an easy way to catch broken code that can trap spiders.

22. Use of XML Sitemap – The XML site map has become the de facto standard for ensuring all that of your pages get crawled.

23. Permanent 301 Redirects – If you have to change the filename of an existing page or delete it entirely, you have to make sure to redirect both search engine spiders and humans to another page on your site. There are two main reasons for using a 301 redirect: one is to avoid the 404 (page not found) error (search engines do not like sites with broken links and they may see them as not credible), the other is to retain the value of any inbound links you may have obtained for that page.

24. Canonical Issues: the www.vs non www – Google sees subdomains as separate domain names, and the www prefix is just another subdomain. It is important to decide which version to use. You then need to implement the proper rules on your host server (via .htaccess on Apache and its own method for Windows servers) plus set the record straight in Google Webmaster Tools.

25. Neighboring Domains – Having spammers as your IP neighbors can be potentially bad so make sure to buy hosting services from a reputable company.

What have I missed? What else do you employ in your overall SEO strategy?

SEO Tips for Top Ranking at Google, Yahoo and Bing- Do It Yourself.

Getting website traffic from search engines like Google and Yahoo has to be part of your Internet marketing plan mainly for three reasons:

1. It is high quality traffic. (After all, these visitors searched using your best keywords!)

2. With good ranking you can get a lot of this traffic passively.

3. It's free! I've received literally millions of visitors from search engines over the years.

This article will show you how to start your flow of traffic from Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It all starts with a little SEO.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It consists of strategies to help your web pages rank better in the search engine results pages (SERPS) for a particular search word or phrase.

SEO can be a complicated subject which is why there are so many freelance consultants and internet marketing companies offering SEO services. Some of them are quite expensive, charging thousands of dollars to get a site ranked in the top ten for your particular niche keywords.

However, if you are running on a tight budget and can't afford to hire a professional, you can do SEO yourself. Just follow the nine SEO strategies below. Most of it is fairly simple, it just takes time.

(When building new sites, I like to do everything myself except steps 7 & 8 below which I prefer to outsource.)

1. Choose Your Keywords Wisely

When you are planning your website's content, you should do some research about which keywords to use. Keywords are the search terms that people use to find websites in search engines. Think carefully about your target audience and consider what they might type into a search engine when they are looking for websites like yours.

You can use tools like the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to help you with your research. When you are starting out, aim to have a list of five keyword phrases that you will optimize your website for. Once you are ranking well for these five, you can add more keywords to the list.

When using the Google Keyword tool, use the "exact match" option so you know how many people are searching for the exact terms you're researching. The best keyword phrases to optimize for are keyword phrases with 1500 - 5000 monthly searches. Those keywords usually have just enough searches to be profitable, but not so many that the competition is too stiff to outrank. 

2. Use Your Keywords in the Title Tags of Your Web Pages

A web page's title tag is one of the most important factors for how that page will rank in the search engines. Each page at your site should use a title tag that matches the search term you're trying to get the page ranked for. This is especially important at your main page. The title tag should also describe the content of the page in a concise and accurate manner. This helps the search engines decide how relevant the page is to a particular search term. The more relevant a page is, the higher it will rank in the results for that search term.

3. Use Your Keywords in Your Domain Name

I've done a lot of research on this and even though not everybody agrees, I have found clear evidence that websites with exact match domains get top ranking easier than non-keyword domain sites. In other words, once you know your best keyword phrase for your niche, see if you can get the domain name that matches that phrase exactly. Go for .com then .net, then .org. If none of them are available, use a hyphen (-) between your best keywords.

4. Use Your Keywords in the HTML Heading Tags

Heading tags (e.g. H1, H2, H3, etc.) give the search engines more info about how relevant the web page is to certain search terms. Make sure to use heading tags containing your keywords at each page of your site. As a bare minimum, every web page should have one H1 tag that includes the same keywords that are in your title tag.

5. Check the Keyword Density in Your Website Text

The number of times your keywords appear in the text on your web page or blog helps search engines match the content to the appropriate search terms. This is known as keyword density. How often keywords should be used is often debated among SEO experts. Some believe that stuffing a page with keywords is beneficial to search engine rankings, while others think that 'keyword stuffing' is viewed as a form of spam by the search engines. As a general rule, for a web page that has about 400-600 words of bódy content, use the main keyword once in the first paragraph, once in second paragraph, once in the last paragraph, and once somewhere in between.

6. Setup Your Website's Internal Linking Structure Properly

When you are planning your website or blog, make sure you have at least one text link on every page that links to your main URL. The text link should contain your best keyword or keyword phrase. As your site grows in size, so will the number of web pages that point to your main page, increasing the popularity for that page based on your best keywords. Also, when adding blog posts at your blog, be sure to hyperlink to other posts on your blog when appropriate. (Each time you do this, be sure to use the keywords you're working at getting ranked!)

SMO News | SEO News | SEM News: How to Simplify the Whole SEO Process - SEO Strate...

SMO News | SEO News | SEM News: How to Simplify the Whole SEO Process - SEO Strate...: "If you're a full-time online marketer and webmaster, you may get the feeling (in my case a stubborn opinion) that because SEO has become su..."

What was SEO and what is New in SEO.

SEO has been around more or less as long as there have been search engines. Although it seems like some blogger or another is heralding the impending death of SEO every few months or so, SEO has yet to fade into oblivion. The very core of SEO is to change; to make adjustments to one's site to adapt to the search engines' algorithms, the changes in consumers' online behavior, the expanding online world and so forth. SEO isn't about to die anytime soon, but it is constantly evolving to meet the needs and challenges of the times.

This is a look at SEO as it was in 2004 and how it has morphed to fit the modern world of 2011.

SEO: IT or Marketing Department? 

Back in 2004, many marketing departments looked at SEO as a technology and not as a marketing tool. It was all about coding and web development and was often lumped in with other IT "stuff." The singular goal of SEO was to get a site to rank number one in the search engines for a given keyword. Period. Now, SEO is tied in with every aspect of marketing online. SEO can be used to build a brand and online reputation, help create a community of targeted consumers, and more. Rank is no longer the principle focus, albeit still a very important result. Nowadays, SEO is squarely about marketing.

Linking Best Practices

Links were and continue to be the bread and butter of SEO. However, the way companies go about building inbound links has dramatically changed over time. In 2004, I was working for a large SEM firm. We had a full-time employee that was hired solely to develop link exchanges for our clients. Since then, link exchanges, paid links, spammy anchor text, cloaking, and the like have all been soundly labeled "black hat" by the search engines. Directory submissions were wildly popular in the early days of SEO, and while there are a few good ones left that can provide a quality link, they aren't usually valuable for much else.

Nowadays, link building is synonymous with trust building. If you were to compare a very spammy, black hat site to a quality site, you would find that the spammy site (even if it has more links) is usually linked to/from other low quality sites. A website that is seen as an authority figure will have a much more diverse and valuable link portfolio, even if it is smaller. In 2004, quantity could trump quality. That is no longer the case for 2011. 

Search Engines

Remember when AOL was King of the Internet? Now we all giggle at anyone who still actively uses the former giant. What about InfoSeek or AskJeeves? Do you still search using AltaVista? In the early days, the Internet was littered with various search engines, each with unique pros and cons. In 2004, Google was just one of many. Now, we use Google as a verb when we want someone to conduct a search. The general consensus of many SEO professionals is that when we optimize a company's site, we are going after the Google SERP. Bing has been slowly chipping away at Google's share of the search market, but for the most part Google is still the dominant player.

SEO Tools

Back in 2004, conducting keyword research was the single worst part of SEO. You couldn't trust any data on search volume to be accurate, so in the end we pretty much had to guess. I remember sitting down with a thesaurus to come up with keyword variations! Good keyword research tools didn't exist. Can you imagine optimizing each page of a 1,000 page website with no data to guide you? Luckily, today we have the Google Keyword research tool to make that task much easier and help streamline the process.

Google Analytics, a tool every responsible website owner should use, was only fully implemented in 2006! Before then, site owners had to purchase analytics software or use a generic hit counter (which didn't tell you anything much other than number of visitors) to monitor their site's analytics. Nowadays, we don't make any changes, big or small, to a website without first consulting our Google Analytics information. The information found there helps shape and adapt our SEO campaigns for the better, and we can make decisions knowing they will point us in the right direction.

Social Media and Sharing

Social media didn't really exist in 2004. Facebook, the 800 pound gorilla of social networking sites, was barely operational in early 2004. We certainly didn't have Twitter and LinkedIn. While smaller social networking sites did exist, social media as we know it really exploded in recent years. Back in 2004, if you wanted to connect with someone online, you sent them an e-mail or an IM message. Now we message, Tweet, post, share, Like, bookmark, and much more. Content gets passed from person to person at astonishing speeds. We can build relationships with people worldwide all thanks to social networking.

SEO has even begun to envelop social media. The search engines have started incorporating data from social networking sites into their algorithms to help organize search results. Suddenly, the information your friends used to share on Facebook or Twitter amongst yourselves is impacting the general search results.

Mobile

The first smartphone, a BlackBerry, was released in 2003. The concept that you could be connected to your e-mail wherever you went and without a computer was revolutionary. Suddenly the Internet was mobile. The subsequent iPhone releases and Android phones furthered our online connectivity, and now smartphones are dominating the cell phone market. Local search has become an increasingly important part of SEO, all because of mobile phones and tablets. Google Maps didn't even exist in 2004, yet now we can search for an address and get directions on our GPS enabled mobile devices.

Consumers and companies alike want to be able to connect with each other on the go. Since we don't ever have to disconnect from our online lives, mobile marketing has developed to allow companies to target consumers no matter where they are or what they are doing.

How to Simplify the Whole SEO Process - SEO Strategy

If you're a full-time online marketer and webmaster, you may get the feeling (in my case a stubborn opinion) that because SEO has become such a big industry, it has to be "complicated up" rather than "dumbed down" for the receiving audience. In other words, it is in the best interest of SEO firms and services to make SEO seem like a much more complex process than it actually is in practice. 

This applies doubly true for when it comes to ranking high in Google. Many SEO firms go into all kinds of "linking structures", "site metrics", "keyword correlations", "on page factors"... in explaining how to achieve those top Google spots for lucrative keywords. Granted, the Google Algorithm has over 200 ranking signals or factors which they use to rank pages. And, this mathematical formula is constantly being redefined or altered by major changes, such as the recent Panda Update, which left many webmasters reeling. But...

While Google's ranking algorithm and system might be the most complex creature on the planet, ranking high in Google is a very simple process. So simple anyone can do it and achieve first page listings in Google. It's not rocket science and it's not complex by any stretch of the imagination. However, it does take some work on the part of the webmaster to actively promote his or her site. In other words, if you just create a perfect site and place it on the web and do nothing else - chances are extremely high you won't get those top rankings in Google, at least not for the highly competitive lucrative keyword phrases.

This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) enters the picture and takes over. You must get certain factors/ signals right if you want your site to truly compete in major search engine keyword battles. But most of these things or factors are not difficult or hard to understand, you just need to have them in place if you want top listings in the search engines.

Here are some things you can do to simplify the whole SEO process:

1. Try to create a short domain with your targeted keyword in the domain name. Go with a dot com domaín if you can get it and if you have to use a multi-worded domain, try to get your keyword at the beginning. 

2. Create an "easy to navigate" unique content rich site which is optimized for the search engines, but directed solidly at solving your visitor's needs. If you're on a budget, one of the easiest ways to do this is to use the free Wordpress software/platform to create a keyword optimized site. Make sure this site is totally intertwined with all the latest social networking programs such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Make sure you have profiles/accounts in all of these platforms to complement your main site.

3. Link to main interior pages from your home or index page. These interior pages should have your targeted keywords in the "Title", "URL", "Meta Tags", "H1 Headings", "First Paragraph", "Last Paragraph" and use keyword variations throughout the content. Place a few in bold print and italics. Don't be afraid to create large pages and link out to other authority sites in your niche. Don't worry about keyword density unless it goes over 4%. This should not happen if you write naturally for your visitor and not for the search engines.

4. Build quality one-way links by creating articles, press releases, blog posts, videos, viral reports... and submit these to the major places on the web such as free article directories (my favorites are still ezinearticles, goarticles, buzzle, ideamarketers, isnare and article alley). The real trick here is to consistently produce fresh content which steadily builds your backlinks month after month, year after year, decade after decade!

5. Do whatever you can do to enrich your visitor's experience. Add valuable free content, free ebooks or ecourses and/or provide a comprehensive guide(s) to your visitors. Connect all this free content to your autoresponder opt-ín list or newsletter and build repeat targéted traffic to your site. In addition, make it extremely easy for these visitors to bookmark/follow your content in all the social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Google +1, and so on.

6. Rinse and Repeat. One of the little known tactics about achieving top rankings in the search engines, especially Google, is to create not one site but two or more sites in your niche market. (If you're on a budget or time is short, try creating two pages on your domain related to the same targeted keyword.) Instead of trying to rank for one site in Google, create two complementary sites on the same related keywords and you will find it much easier to get to the top spots. Interlink these sites and you can even promote them together. Just make sure they each have unique content for the visitor.

Over the years, I have come to believe strongly that achieving high rankings is not some complex process but just a matter of persistence. Consistently promoting your content by building quality backlinks will get you to the top and keep you there. But the whole trick is persistence, keeping at it, day after day... building those links back to your content. I also believe it is the number of backlinks which is the key and this has been proven to me many times over the years. Many SEO experts will now argue that links have taken a back seat to other factors such as site authority and structure, but I am not convinced this has happened. At least not yet, but data from the 160+ million Google Chrome users and the new Google +1 Button, may eventually lower the importance of backlinks and PageRank.

However, at the present time, if I stop promoting a page or competitive keyword, it usually drops from the first page of Google. To get it back on the first page, all I have to do is promote it with a few articles, blog posts, press releases, videos, etc. and it jumps back into the top spots, even Post Panda.

For years, I had a webpage for "list building" in Google on the first page, then I stopped promoting it with keyword related articles, posts, and content. It dropped to the third page of Google. Changing none of the ranking factors mentioned above, I was quickly able to get that page and ranking back to the #5 spot by simply creating some current backlinks to the content. I mention all this because many times SEO firms and experts will try to complicate things with convoluted explanations and complex processes while in actual fact, achieving high rankings can be simplified down to nothing more than persistence and adding a few quality backlinks.

Top 10 Basic Rules of Social Media Marketing.

The 10 Basic Rules of Social Media Marketing

 

Social Media Marketing is the act of using social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) in order to promote a business.

Many companies will want to start their own social media marketing campaign and create a Facebook page or Twitter account. The problem with is they don't have a clue on how to run a successful social media marketing campaign. Here, I have listed 10 of the most basic rules when it comes to social media marketing. Follow these rules in order to have successful accounts with Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Top 10 Basic Rules of Social Media Marketing-

1. Update. I shouldn't even have to list this as a rule, but many forget how important it is. You should try and update daily because when consumers visit your page and it has not been updated in over a month, they will assume it is inactive and decide not to follow your business. Also, they could easily go with your competitor because their page is so active they feel that business will give them better service. You do not want that to happen, so update your social media accounts regularly!

2. No pitching. You are not Billy Mays. Therefore, you do not need to yell at consumers telling them to purchase your product or use your business. Social media is meant to connect, not pitch. If your consumers feel they have a connection with your company through your Facebook page or Twitter feed, they are more likely to use you over another business that does not make an earnest effort to connect.

3. Communicate with your audience. If you do not feel it is necessary to reply to comments, answer questions, or join in on conversations on your page, then social media is not for you. You need to be a part of the conversations on your page. If not, you will lose touch with your customers and what they want. 

4. Choose Wisely. What you say will forevermore remain public record on the internet. Choose what you post on your page wisely. I cannot stress that enough. If you hire a company to post for you, be sure to hire someone you can trust. And, remember, if you manage your social media outlets yourself only post what you would want to see on the front page of the New York Times (or the Huffington Post).

5. Handle angry customers with class. Some customers will just have a bad day and want to take it out on your page and blame you for everything. Do not remove any negative comments. Instead, ignore it if it's only one comment (unless the comment has foul language and is completely inappropriate). If you are in a predicament like Nestle was about a year ago where everybody protested on their Facebook page, post an update saying your business is making moves to fix the problem. Don't ever directly respond to one individual, you won't ever win. Also, don't ever make promises you cannot keep. 

6. Link to others. If you find something interesting (and relevant) on the web, link it on your Facebook or Twitter page. Explain why you find it interesting (and relevant) and ask for their input. Link to other companies, articles, cool websites, whatever. Just be sure to ask yourself before posting, is this relevant to my business?

7. Share. Don't be afraid to show your consumers what your company's employees are doing when they are not in the office. Take photos of your office picnic, philanthropic event, or even a run/walk for a good cause. These photos create a positive image about your company for your consumers. They want to know you're human and don't wear ties all the time. If it's casual Friday in the office, take a gróup photo of everybody wearing the company polo and post it immediately so others know what is going on in your office in real time.

8. Start a weekly trend. If you do something once a week, on the same day each week, your followers are bound to come back that day every week. For example, if you own a shoe store, every Monday you could post the shoe of the week. Include an image and a promotíon for the shoe, such as a percentage off that week only. If you posted every Monday, consumers are bound to check every Monday to see what pair is being promoted that week and come into your store to purchase it. It's a great way to get customers onto your social media pages as well as into your store.

9. Link to your blog. You put so much effort into writing that awesome post about trendy heels for the spring, but no one ever reads your blog. Link it on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. Don't do it all the time, because if that is the only thing you do to update your social media outlets, people will get bored with you very quickly. But at the same time, don't be afraid to link back to your blog. You put a lot of hard work and effort into it, and you want people to read it!

10. Spread the word. If you have a Facebook, Twitter, blog, YouTube channel, etc. you really need to tell people. They are not just going to assume you have them. Put them on your company website, on your business cards, put a sign up in your store saying "Add us!" with all the little logos for each site next to the copy. Don't be afraid to tell your customers you're on Facebook. If they like you and your product, they will share it on their Facebook account and say, "Hey, I'm a fan of Sally's Shoes and I want everybody to know!"

How to track your mobile phone on google earth..

How to get Facebook Chat History Even when Friend are Offline !!!

Hi friends…
Today we will teach you the trick of getting a Facebook Chat History even when the friends if offline. Normally you cannot get back the Chat history when the chat box is closed for a offline friends. But we have a solution.
But you need to do some simple steps to follow to derive the chat history :
1) The First step you have to do is get his/her profile ID. So you need to go to his/her profile , and go near the POKE button and right click on it to copy the LINK LOCATION. The last 10 numbers is the profile ID. Please copy the profile ID.
After saving the profile ID ….
You need to use some javascripts to pull up the chat history of a offline friend.
Type :
javascript:Chat.openTab(ID_GOES_HERE);
Example :   javascript:Chat.openTab(100001005311169);
Next we have copy this javascript and paste it in the Address bar and hit enter…But it may take few attempts so that it works.
The javascript is ‘‘CASE SENSITIVE’‘…

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about it …