Search Engine Optimization

Does Google Penalize Duplicate Content?

Jan 172012

January 17, 2012 Posted by Melodie at 8:00 pm Search Engine Optimization No Responses »

Question: Does Google Penalize Duplicate Content?

Answer: The quick response would have to be “yes!” Avoid duplicate content and use unique content on your website.

The other day I noticed a website that had duplicated another website trying to promote the other site by “helping” them. But in reality, using an iframe to do this will only cause Google to penalize this duplicate content and lower the rankings for this other site. That’s unfortunate because the person was intending to help the original site owner.

Today’s article is to help a website owner understand the importance of adding unique content to their site. This means when you see an article you like, you do not copy it and put it on your website. (This would be called duplicate content!) Google would view the second website with the same material as plagiarism and could possibly lower website ranking or eventually might kick out the second site from search results.

So, how do you avoid adding duplicate content to your site? Sometimes I write original articles from my own experiences. If I see an article I really enjoyed reading, I might write my own original piece of content based from what I just read.

Focus on adding new, unique content to your website. Write about the field your website is centered on and always use some good keywords to help optimize each of your web pages. Google will like you and come back and visit often!

Start the New Year with Search Engine Optimization Strategies

Jan 022012

January 2, 2012 Posted by Melodie at 8:15 pm Basic SEO 2 Responses »

Do you plan to incorporate search engine optimization strategies into your business for 2012? I often see businesses that do not use internet marketing techniques. The use of SEO services is highly beneficial if you have products or business services you want to sell.

Business Van Without Website Whenever Tom and I are driving, we see company vehicles containing business names and phone numbers painted on the side of their car or truck. Astonishingly, many times these businesses do not have websites posted. We both wonder if they have a website or know the importance of marketing on the internet. I always want to roll the window down and ask the driver this question, “Are you aware of the fact that you can receive many customers and sales leads through search engine optimization?”

From time to time when we get someone’s business card, we get a professional looking card without a website address! A website does not perform the same function as a business card. Business cards help when you meet someone and it’s great to give them your contact information, don’t get me wrong. But a website makes it possible for you to have huge opportunities of marketing your business to millions of potential customers that you might otherwise never meet face-to-face … if you wisely use good search engine optimization strategies on your website.

Do you have a resolution for 2012? If you are a business owner, you need to create your own website if you do not currently have one! If you do have a website, begin 2012 using professional search engine optimization techniques that will improve your traffic, leads and sales! Email us today and allow us to assist you in growing your online business this new year!

Why Websites are Important for Business

Oct 262011

October 26, 2011 Posted by Melodie at 7:30 am Misc. 4 Responses »

If you are wondering why websites are important for business, you aren’t alone! There are many businesses that still haven’t taken this step. Here are several reasons why websites are important for business:

You have greater ability to reach more customers online then in person.
You can showcase your product/service in any shape or form.
You don’t need a sales pitch to sell to customers. Using search engine optimization, new clients find your websites and contact you for your product!
You can contact customers through popular social media sites. Customer service is a huge on Facebook.
You have the ability to get ahead of your competition and know where you stand.
Your website can be “open” 24 hours a day!

Why Websites are Important for Business

Statistics show that in today’s technical world, people search the web for reviews of products before purchasing products online or in their local store. Today customers want to browse products on their own and websites give them this ability. Your business has opportunities to address these questions and promote products customers seek.

I am not downplaying the importance of word-of-mouth or business cards. These are crucial and all businesses should continue to use them. But websites are important for business in today’s society! People use Google Places (and other directories) to find businesses, read reviews and get basic needed information. (Such as an address, business hours, or getting a website address!)

If you don’t think websites are important for business, contact us today and allow us to share some internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) information with you. We don’t want any business to crumble in today’s economy. Email us today!

SEO vs Adwords

Sep 302011

September 30, 2011 Posted by Melodie at 7:28 pm Paid Advertising 15 Responses »

We’ve met many businesses that spend thousands of dollars on Adwords and don’t get a good return on investment. (ROI) I want to share the differences between SEO vs Adwords. (Google’s paid advertising also known as pay-per-click.) Are they the same or different? Is one better then the other? Is one less expensive? Is one more effective?

Let’s take a look at SEO vs. Adwords!

SEO vs Adwords
Adwords – Adwords is paid advertising that is done by Google. When you see search results, the ads in yellow on the top of the page or on the side of the page are ads that people are paying for in hope that you will click on the their ad and purchase their product. Adwords can also be seen on websites that allow Google’s ads to be placed on their site.

Adwords has pros and cons. If you are not highly experienced and don’t have a good grasp how it works, you can spend literally thousands of dollars and not see any results. If you use Adwords, (with or without any ROI) money must be deposited to see your ad. But there are benefits! Adwords will help market your website instantly and give you an online presence within an hour of time. Adwords is easy to track and see the ROI and tends to be easier to sell because it is closer to advertising techniques. If time is essential and money is not, this can be a good direction to go.

SEO - SEO (search engine optimization or organic results) is seen in search results under the paid ads. Typically there are ten results per page. These results are search engines using specific formulas to try and bring you the results they believe you are looking for. The formula (also known as algorithum) changes from time to time as peoples’ searches evolve. SEO focuses to apply these factors onto your web pages to produce organic results on the first page of Google.

SEO also has pros and cons. SEO tends to take a month or two to see results. The good news is that it can be learned within a company or learned by the owner so it can be updated yourself much less expensively then paid advertising and have fantastic results! Marketing with SEO is building on the website you own vs paying for a temporary ad. SEO Does Matter believes with good SEO you can have the same results for less money or learned and maintained within your company for a fraction of the cost of Adwords.

SEO vs Adwords - Although there is a debate between these two forms of online marketing, both can be used at the same time with good results. Take a look at SEO vs Adwords and tell us what you think! Each business along with products and other variables will help you determine what direction you should go! But remember, the online marketing possibilities are endless since there are millions of people searching for what you want to sell!

Get started today!!

Dog Talking Video Goes Viral!

Aug 242011

August 24, 2011 Posted by Melodie at 3:21 pm Videos 10 Responses »

Can I assume you’ve seen this dog talking video on Youtube? This video went viral through social media. There are more then 57 million people who have viewed this dog talking video! My family has laughed and laughed replaying the dog’s words, expressions and reponses. In case you missed it, take a look at this viral video!

What makes a video become successful and become viral? (Viral can be defined in today’s terms in that the video is shared and sent to thousands of people like a virus.) Several important factors in video marketing and search engine optimization include:

People enjoy humor
Short videos (Note the dog talking video is under 2 minutes!)
Good keywords in title and description
Using Youtube for link building
Add your website address at the end of your video (Keep it simple! Leave your web address on long enough for a person to write it down.)
Your video can be created/edited with inexpensive video tools (It doesn’t have to be professional to become viral!)

Youtube is a great place for video marketing! Create a channel for your videos and make sure to add a link to your website in addition to using keywords in the descriptions and titles. Because Youtube in owned by Google, it can help you with search engine results if you are optimizing your videos!

You may choose not to create a dog talking video… but you can create a video and promote it with Youtube and video marketing! If you haven’t started, what are you waiting for?

Why is Marketing Important to a Business?

Jul 282011

July 28, 2011 Posted by Melodie at 6:00 am Christian Internet Marketing 5 Responses »

Q: Why is marketing important to a business?

A: Good marketing is the key to a successful business! Marketing produces sales and leads and if done correctly, happy customers that will help to brand your business name.

For years, the best way to market was in print, radio or through television…and today they are still popular choices. But unfortunately, they can be very expensive! Another valuable avenue you should consider is internet marketing. Why? Because you and I and over 2 billion people are using the internet and many are looking for products they want to buy!

If you have a new business and realize your products are not selling, you need to look at your goal and plan.

How do you get customers?
Do potential customers walk away without a purchase? Why?
Are you driving the people who are searching for your product to your business?

Don’t become a company that goes under. In today’s economy, it’s important to market well. But be wise and make sure you monetize in marketing. There are many different variables of internet marketing, so be careful! You don’t want to spend a large amount of money on marketing and not get a good return of investment. (ROI)

If you have not used marketing and have maintained your business in the black, here is something to think about. Why is marketing important to your business? Adding online marketing will give you an opportunity to grow your business and build a better foundation that can have endless results. What can you lose?

If you want free Christian internet marketing consultation, contact us today! Let us help your business move forward for a better future!

Search Engine Optimization Definition

Jun 302011

June 30, 2011 Posted by Melodie at 6:00 am Basic SEO 9 Responses »

What is search engine optimization? The definition of search engine optimization (also known as SEO) is the technique and process of helping your website become visable in search engine results. (Such as Google, Yahoo or Bing)

Search Engine Optimization considers how a search engine works then examines what phrases or keywords people are searching for and helps your website gain better presence in those search results! When you target a specific audience, you will see better results with your website. Another practice with search engine optimization is working to remove any known errors on your website. (e.g. bad links or 404′s) Promoting your website through internet marketing will help increase your website ranking in natural search results.

The definition of natural results is not referring to paid advertising that you see on the top or side of search engine results. This visiblity is noticed within the 10 main results. Obviously the better the optimization, conveys viewing your website on the first page. Ask yourself this question, how often do you scroll through all of the results? It’s rare people look at websites past the first page!

Because search engines (such as Google) were created in the late 1990′s, search engine optimization is an area that is constantly being analyzed, developed and improved. Unfortunately, this also opens the door of opportunity for some SEO people to put effort to find methods that are unethical. The definition of this type of search engine optimization is known as Black Hat SEO. If these tactics are used, your website will eventually get kicked out of search engines. Stick to ethical principles and have a successful business that is captured in search results!

Read our basic SEO blog posts or contact us with your SEO questions!

Top Ten SEO Tips

May 032011

May 3, 2011 Posted by Melodie at 6:00 am Basic SEO 7 Responses »

Here are my top ten SEO tips:

10. Use structured format to create your website – Believe it or not, the foundation of your website is important for good search engine optimization. The depth of each page should not be more then three layers (3 clicks) deep. If you try to repair this after a website is built, good SEO can be difficult to achieve.

9. Create XML sitemaps – Tell search engines what pages you have to help get all of your pages indexed.

8. Use a robot.txt file – Tell search engines what to do and add it to the root of your structured website.

7. Use Title Tags and Alt Tags – Any time you create a link or graphic, tag them with good words and descriptions. This helps search engines know more about your website.

6. Use Meta Tags – Title tags and description tags should always be used on every web page. Use unique meta tags for each and every page.

5. Analyse your website - Look at reports at a minimum of every month to understand: who is coming to your website, why they are coming and leaving and what keywords are working and not working. Fix broken pages and any other errors. Adjust your site accordingly for maximum traffic growth.

4. Connect with Social Media Websites – Take advantage of social and video sites by create a profile. Linking from these sites are very valuable.

3. Get backlinks – Backlinks need to be from good websites that are relevant to your site. Don’t link to sites or from sites that might be part of a link farm or you might get banned from search engines.

2. Find the best keywords for your site – Find keywords people are searching for and exclude keywords with high levels of website competition.

1. Add good relevant content – Content is still king. Search engines love content relevent to your website. Content should not be copied from another website. Content needs to inspire your readers with calls-to-action.

If you have questions about these top ten seo tips, contact SEO Does Matter today. If you enjoyed these SEO tips, read more of our basic SEO blog post entries and develop a successful and higher ranking website!