Posted on: February 3, 2012 by Jordan Hardy
Here are my top 10 SEO (Search Engine Optimization) recommendations for businesses online. There are hundreds of other Search Engine Optimization recommendations I would suggest, so in the coming week I’ll post another small collection. It is important to note that each recommendation can be considered a tip of the iceberg for that item, where a high level of experience and technique are necessary to deliver long term results.
- Content with keyword strategy are important, as long as the information is unique and useful to Website visitors and search engines.
- Ensure your Website doesn’t have crawl errors. Search engines dislike broken links, code errors, hosting issues, redirects, incorrect usage of JavaScript, and error pages.
- Optimize your Website and landing pages for keywords which will convert at a higher CTR. Keywords and topics should be relevant to your targeted subject matter, with high quality clicks which convert being more important than impressions. It is important to leverage, but not overuse keywords.
- Submit a sitemap to Google and bing (same as Yahoo from alliance). Search engines use sitemaps to learn about the structure of your pages and Website.
- Use bing Webmaster Tools and Google Webmaster Tools. These tools provide interesting data to consider with your own Web analytics.
- Secure quality inbound links to your top handful of pages from other Websites.
- Use a robots.txt file to provide useful information to search engine spiders, robots, and crawlers.
- Use descriptive, carefully phrased title tags in your code.
- The best code for search engines is built from scratch since there is a generous amount of unique, useful information to crawl. If you’re using a CMS, eCommerce, blog, forum, template, or other platform, work hard on the code to ensure the Website will provide nearly as much useful information to search engines as would a hand coded Website.
- Your Website structure needs to be carefully architected, providing a useful, balanced hierarchy of information to people and search engines.
Contact Jordan Hardy here to inquire about consulting for your business.
Posted on: November 13, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
Google has launched Google+ Pages this week. Google+ pages can help organizations and individuals promote their brand and interests, strengthening connections with fans. There hasn’t been a place on Google online properties formerly where companies and groups could communicate with customers, comparable to Facebook.
Google+ pages are already found in Google Search results this week. Considering that Google is leveraging Google+ pages in search, Google+ is already influential.
I suggest not replacing a twitter or Facebook presence with Google+. Google+ pages can be utilized successfully if there is a distinct purpose, different enough from other social media properties. Google+ tools such as circles, ripples, and hangouts are best used to leverage unique offers, announcements, news, and other compelling content people will want to read.
Posted on: August 15, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
When Google launched the +1 button a number of months ago, it was not incredibly different than the Facebook “Like” button. Once signed in a Google account, a Google user can publicly give their stamp of approval with the Google +1 button. By clicking the +1 button, they are showing they are interested in recommending, sharing, and displaying a piece of content.
After clicking a Google +1 button, others will know the item is “cool” to check out. Google +1 adds items to search results. Google decides where it will be most relevant to display +1′s based on social connections (Gmail, Contacts, Google+ Circles, Google Reader).
The Google +1 button provides recommendations to friends logged in, as well as anonymously to others in the world. The Google +1 button can appear on Google near search results or ads, Websites around the Internet, or even next to articles on news Websites. It is also possible to keep Google +1′s private, using them to manage favorites around the Web. The Google +1′s created by a user are stored, and can be edited in a new tab within a Google profile.
So far, the Google +1 button is still catching on, here to stay, and gaining traction. With so much content on the Web, it will take some time to see how well adopted the button will be. For sure, it is being used more and more since Google is the #1 search engine and many individuals and organizations want better and better visibility on the Web.
Posted on: August 15, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
Although there is now some competition for Facebook between Google + (Google Plus) and tTitter, Facebook is still far ahead in the social networking space.
Here are the top reasons I see:
- Facebook has a large number of users. As many new people create accounts, they can find Facebook has the highest number of active friends and companies they can connect with online.
- Next to Google AdWords, I’ve found Facebook can be very successful or advertisers.
- Facebook makes it very easy for users and organizations to upload unlimited links to articles, photo galleries, videos, and information from mobile devices.
- Facebook is constantly innovating and reinventing itself, with recent rollouts involving chat, voice calls, and video calling.
- The “Wall” which Facebook provides is more active and interesting than that of any competitors.
It is possible Facebook will have a real competitor in coming years. It is unlikely if a competitor surfaces in coming months that they will equal the number of Facebook users, similar or better “Wall” interactivity, and/or the same number of partnerships and technology rollouts.
Posted on: June 8, 2010 by Jordan Hardy
These are 5 steps I find valuable to improve ad performance in Google AdWords with match types. I have also listed additional techniques I employ on my Twitter and Facebook pages.
- Open the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to research varied keyword possibilities.
- Take advantage of Match Types in the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to explore Broad, [Exact], and “Phrase” keywords.
- Sort results by Keyword Competition, Global Monthly Searches, Local Monthly Searches, Local Search Trends, and/or Estimated Average CPC. Analyzing data in these columns, refine your keyword list and compose an updated keyword spreadsheet.
- As you build new ads in Google AdWords, you will encounter match types after you fill out the Select Campaign Settings screen and move on to the Create ad group page. On this page, below the Keywords section there is an Advanced option: match types link. With a click, this section displays a key to remind users how to enter each match type just above in their Keywords section. Broad match keywords allow extensive keyword coverage, enabling similar keyword phrases and variations. “Phrase” match keywords show ads in searches that include the specific keyword phrase you have chosen. [Exact] match keywords only show your ad for keyword searches matching your exact keyword search phrase. -Negative match keywords allow you to exclude keywords from Broad, Phrase and Exact Match Types. All four Google match types are extremely beneficial.
- After your new ad/s leveraging match types go live, monitor ad performance by examining impressions, clicks, click-through rate, position, first page bids, conversion, and ROI. AdWords Reporting, AdWords editor, AdWords Conversion Tracking, and Google Analytics offer this performance data. You can use this data to evolve your keyword lists and campaigns, and subsequently improve your Google AdWords ad performance.
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