Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:46:57 by Matthew Hopkins
Local search is important and as the volume of information (web pages, businesses, products, etc) continues to be so overwhelming, more people will start to make their world a little bit smaller.. and search locally.
Google offers a service called the "Google Local Business Center". Although it is a separate service to its maps product, they are closely linked. Google maps gets its business information from a variety of sources - including its own database (aka Google Local Business Center). Although there are other sources, if you want to get listed in Google maps quickly - Google Local Business Center is the best place to start.
The great thing about it is that you can get listed in the Maps (find a business) section within 24-48 hours of verifying your listing. It then can take up to 10 days to appear in the local listings that show up in Google's main results (aka the "LocalOneBox"). This is great news - where else...Read More.
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Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:45:12 by Matthew Hopkins
We often speak about there being two halves to search engine
optimization - "on-page optimization" and "off-page optimization". But
an on-going search campaign also has two main phases - "core build" and
"on-going".
In the "core build" phase, our main function is the
ensure that the site is raised to a certain standard in terms of its
on-page optimization as well as map out the plan for the off-page
optimization activities. It is in this phase where we make a site more
search engine friendly and remove as many impediments as possible that
may be preventing the site from gaining the rankings it deserves.
The "core build" phase is more straight forward in many respects. Experienced SEO's can look at a site and know what needs to be improved in order for it to be given a better chance of ranking well.
It
is in the "on-going" phase th...Read More.
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Wed, 9 Jan 2008 14:01:08 by Matthew Hopkins
To make it easier for our clients and partners to contact us, we've just acquired a new toll free telephone number -- 1 800 390 8520.
Matthew Hopkins
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Wed, 5 Sep 2007 22:54:26 by Jessica Faltot
Preparing Site Content For Optimization
A smart company should not rely solely on search engine optimization to drive online sales. The old adage about leading a horse to water comes to mind. The search engine optimization company can lead a horse to water, can even help make him thirsty but getting him to drink is something that companies must do. In addition to writing compelling content, you should first review your web site to make sure that it is aligned with your business goals in preparation for a fully managed search engine marketing campaign. This should not take a great deal of time, if you work smart. Here are some web site usability tips to get you started.
Who Are You Trying To Reach?
Back to marketing basics that will help you identify your target market and ensure that your web sites content outlines the need and solution your company offers. Ask yourself some basic questions:
Read More.
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Tue, 7 Aug 2007 22:10:53 by Michelle Smith
When your Search Engine Optimization Firm starts on your campaign the beginning focus is Keywords. They work with you to think about what your customers would be searching for if they were looking for your site. Don’t think about what YOU would be searching for—work with your Campaign Delivery Manager to try to think like your customers. Ask several customers or those familiar with your products or services how they would search for your Web site. You’ll be amazed at some of the responses.
Your Search Engine Marketing Firm will not focus ONLY on your products or services. The SEO Optimization will include what your customers are looking for when they come online.The SEO Firm will help to give your customers the information they're looking for, and you'll be pulling in targeted traffic from keyword areas that you may never have considered before.
Remember, a good SEO Company will put a lot of thought into choosing ...Read More.
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Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:11:41 by Rebecca Ratliff
So you've achieved first page rankings but aren't seeing an increase in traffic. Improving the description that appears on the SERP's page can increase the number of visitors to your site.
The following are samples that are representative of some of the descriptions of sites that made it to the first page of the SERP's for the keyword phrase. If I were researching trek bikes, the first result listed below would certainly entice me to click through.
Trek Bicycle SuperstoreTrek Bicycle Superstore, the number 1 Trek dealer in the USA and voted the Best Bicycle Store in San Diego.
If they are the number one dealer in the San Diego area they probably have a good inventory of bikes and are knowledgeable about trek bikes.
Trek Orange: Ride at your speed.Meet Orange · Orange Life · Fun Stuff · Get Orange ·RIDE AT YOUR SPEED
The second example really doesn't tell me what to expect. What is Get Orange anyway? Is this a biki...Read More.
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Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:19:00 by Michelle Smith
When people visit your Web site, they are usually looking for a particular piece of information on your site. They could be looking for a specific product or service that you offer.
Your site has that information but if visitors can not find it easily, they will leave which will result in lost business opportunities. Here are several points to check if your site is user friendly:
What do your customers wish they could find on your Web site?
What bits of information are they looking for?
What products or services do you sell that are difficult to find?
Search Engines
The Search Engines will value the beginning text on your web page as the subject of the content to follow. The content of the page itself is a big part of the equation. Writing from the top down (also known as the "outline method") is the best way to develop new content. Create an outline, using theme keywords and phr...Read More.
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Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:49:43 by Jessica Faltot
We are often asked what the difference is between www.abc.com and the non www version (http://abc.com) Most people don't realize there is a difference and that it does matter if incoming links are split and pointing to oth of them
It's called a canical domain issue. While Google is working to alleviate such problems in the future, it is important that companies be aware o this issue. Does it cause problems? Yes. Can it be fixed? Yes, without too much effort, your IT department or an SEO company like Vertical Leap will fix the problem. Is it critical? It depends on whether or not ranking is important to you. Why create more issues by having Google see these incoming links as going to two different web sites when you don't have to?
It is a problem because you want each relevant link to add the maximum value to your web site. You can lose this advantage and have the another potential problem of Google viewing e...Read More.
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Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:24:34 by Jessica Faltot
When looking to make an online purchase, which search results usually return the most relevant results?
- Sponsored Search Results: 27%
- Organic Search Results: 73%
sponsored by SearchEngineNews.com
The above survey ran today, July 16,2007 - showing that organic search rankings continue to be the favorite of users looking to make an online purchase.
Why is that? Maybe it's because people would rather buy something than be sold to.
Jessica Faltot
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Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:58:06 by Matthew Hopkins
A "spider trap" - it probably sounds like a good thing, but its not.
In order to get maximum exposure in the search engines, you want to ensure that all of your pages get indexed. After all, the more pages of unique content that is indexed, the greater your chances of meeting someone's needs when they search.
When the search engines index your website, they use automated software known as a "bot" (e.g. GoogleBot). This software will visit your site and crawl or "spider" every link it can find. The list of links it finds is then indexed either immediately or at some point in the future depending on a variety of factors.
One of the main tasks in search engine optimization is to make sure that a site is "crawlable". This basically means that a search engine spider is able to easily navigate the site and find as much of the content as possible. In recent years, XML site maps have really helped this process.
The real problems occur when you...Read More.
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