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!

Steps for SEO:

• Page rank – If you want your listing in the top position, you should pay attention and increase your website’s  page rank. (This can be seen in Google’s toolbar)
• Content – Add lots of unique content to your website with at least 250 words per post or page. The more often, the better! (Use  content relevant to your site.)
• Headers or Titles – Add the H1 to the title on your web page
• Cross Links – Make sure to use links within your site. (Also known as internal linking)
• List items – Use bullet points to make it easier to read. (As I am doing here!)
• Keywords – Use good keywords and make sure to use the keyword(s) approximately every 100 words (Also known as keyword density) Don’t use the keywords too many times. (Also known as keyword stuffing)
• Navigation – Make sure the navigation of your web pages are done well without errors. (Also called on-page optimization)
• Link Sculpting – Make sure your links work and don’t have errors. (This can be seen in Google Webmaster Tools)
• Meta Tags – Use unique meta tags on each page.
• Text Links – Use good keywords in links and put the link in the middle of content. (also known as anchor text)
• Inbound Links – Get people to link to your web pages. This helps search engines know your website is valuable. Constantly work to increase links to your website. Use clients, distributors, manufactures and other related sites. Note: Link quality in better then link quantity. (This rapper doesn’t trade or buy links which can develop into bad SEO tactics and be expensive.)
• Directories – Add your website to directories. (The rapper mentions Yahoo directory and states it costs $300.) You can find numerous good directories that are free!

I hope this rapper’s video and the summary helps you take some initial steps for SEO!

FINAL NOTE: If any of the rapper’s words are confusing, you can get the definitions in our SEO glossary. After watching this rapper’s video dealing with steps to SEO, search our SEO blog for more valuable information!

SEO Best Practices Checklist

1. Look for errors – Search engines don’t like to return to a website that has a bunch of errors.  This task is a little more technical to do but it needs to be done correctly. Use Google Webmaster and correct errors such as broken links, duplicate content or status errors such as 404′s,403′s or 301 redirects.  If you just got lost on this one, I’m sure you have seen websites and clicked on a link that took you to a broken web page. You got a error message or read a message that was very technical that only web developers can understand. The bottom line is this – search engine robots do not like these type of errors either!
2. Use meta tags and keywords – This is a very important aspect of SEO. There are many ways to research for keywords. I won’t get into this because there are many books on this one! To generalize this task, make sure each web page and title tags and descriptions and apply specific keywords related to your niche. If you are lost, contact us! Sometimes it is easier to hire a good SEO company (like us! )
3. Use reports to analyze your progress – As any good business or organization does, follow monthly reports such as Google Analytics, to see what relevant keywords are working. There are numerous reports that you can utilize to improve your website!

Use this SEO best practices checklist throughout the year. Continue to correct errors, adding content with keywords. Then look at reports on a monthly basis. Always remember that content is king but it only works if it is unique and is beautifully tied together for the content people are searching for!

Any time Tom and I are driving, we notice business vans and the signage on the side of them. Surprisingly, many times these vehicles do not have a website. We laugh and say we need to roll down the window and say, “Hey, do you know you can get a lot of customers and leads through internet marketing?”

I was given a business card by a family member last week and thought the card was well done. It had attractive pastel colors, words which triggered my emotions, and looked simple….yet no website! What a sad situation. If you think a website does the same thing as a business card you only have half the truth! A website also openings up huge opportunities  for you to market your business to millions of people that you would never normally be in contact with one-on-one…when you optimize your website  with search engine optimization.

So, what is your new year’s resolution? I suggest if you don’t already have a website, get one!! If you have a website, start the new year with SEO services. Contact us today and let us help your business blossom in 2011!!

]]> http://www.seodoesmatter.com/blog/2010/12/27/starting-the-new-year-with-seo-services/feed/ 0 http://www.seodoesmatter.com/blog/2010/09/27/white-hat-black-hat-seo/ http://www.seodoesmatter.com/blog/2010/09/27/white-hat-black-hat-seo/#comments Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:11:10 +0000 Melodie http://www.seodoesmatter.com/blog/?p=2107 [...]]]> Have you seen the term “white hat” &  “black hat” SEO?

These are two terms used to differentiate between safe and risky search engine optimization (SEO):

• White Hat SEO – Recommended SEO tactics by search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. Examples can include: Using Meta tags or adding your website link to other websites that rank better then yours.
• Black Hat SEO – Illegal or hidden or deceptive methods to improve ranking in search engines. Examples can include: Hidden text on the website or bad linking. (Linking with bad sites)

Be cautious! Advancing in the wrong direction with black hat SEO can be detrimental to your website!

When I read comments posted to our SEO blog, I always look at the website that is posted with the comment. Occasionally, I will see websites that have black hat SEO embedded into their website. I always delete these comments if I see them on the website. Why? Because we do not want to be linked to any website that is involved with black hat strategies.

When Google and other search engines find a website using black hat techniques to help improve their Google ranking, that site can be ranked poorly or even be banned.  It can take a lot of time to be reconsidered by a search engine once you’ve been banned. If Google connects us with a banned site, we could get banned also. And we don’t want that and neither should you!

Our SEO business works to follow the guidelines set out by each search engine in addition to following Biblical principles. “What does that mean?”, you ask. It means we have morals, guidelines, rules in our SEO work and we follow what authorities say.

Don’t get caught up with illegal (black hat) SEO.  If you want to learn good SEO ethics (white hat) continue to follow our SEO blog, or send us an email with your question.

Ultimately remember this:

It is our desire to help you have a website that is SEO friendly, user friendly and developed so that people searching for your business, service or product in a search engine will find YOUR website!

Google Instant is making searching so advance that it is waiting for you to type in what you want to search for.  (Google Instant results will give you search results faster then you are typing!) Google Instant mentions that you will save 2-5 seconds per search compared to the previous Google search.

So what about Google Instant and SEO? Will search engine optimization die? Not according to Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team. People might change the way they search for information in search engines or through social media, but search engine optimization is very much alive and well. Matt Cutts states this:

“But that doesn’t mean that SEO will die. I’ve said it before, but SEO is in many ways about change. The best SEOs recognize, adapt, and even flourish when changes happen.”

If you are thinking about creating a website or don’t understand the how and why of search engine optimization, it’s not going to go away or get easier! Millions of people are on the internet searching for the specific products or information they want. SEO will always exist but it will need to change based on the needs of technology and the user.

Let me list a few of the areas you can get your potential clients for business:

• Internet Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing (paid or free)
• Word of mouth (WOM)
• Email marketing
• TV advertising
• Radio advertising
• Soliciting (door-to-door or phone)

Now I’m going to dig a little deeper into the huge possibilities of internet marketing:

• Social media (Facebook, Linkedin, My Space, etc…)
• Videos (Youtube is the biggest website and it’s owned by Google)
• Articles
• Press Releases
• Directories

When working to find potential clients through internet marketing you need to implement search engine optimization to maximize the possibilities! Otherwise, in a world where millions of people search for websites, your business will get lost in the shuffle of all the other businesses trying to market themselves.

When you choose to use internet marketing for your business, you can also benefit from word of mouth and gain potential clients for business by successful internet marketing and search engine optimization; potential clients from WOM can come along without any added work!

I hope this helps you with some new ideas as you look for potential clients for your business! Send us an email  or comment on our SEO blog if you have questions about internet marketing or search engine optimization.

There are many different meta tags in HTML. When creating a web page, meta tags are typically used to tell search engines what your web page is about. Just as a term paper has titles, a synopsis and headlines, meta tags in HTML do the same.

Some primary meta tags include the following:

• Title tags
• Descriptions tags
• Keyword tags

Search engines use robots to “read” websites to determine what information is on your website. When meta tags are filled out correctly, it can help your website appear higher on the list of  search results because it helps categorize your website among the millions of websites that exist.

Although there are many other factors involved with search engine results, some meta tags are essential to search engines like Google. Search Engine Optimization (the art to getting your website on the first page of Google) uses good keywords in the meta tags to enable better search results for your website.

Many factors structuring your website are fundamental to search engines. If you are considering having a website created,  create a good foundation before you buy your domain name.

Many people build a website without realizing what is needed and spend thousands of $ dollars $ when it isn’t necessary to get the results you want!

“What are meta tags used for?” I hope you know the answer to this question and will implement this factor into your website development.  If you would like to know more about search engine optimization (also know as SEO) and want to learn how to accomplish this, contact us today!

Many people do not have a budget for internet marketing in this economy. But there are some marketing resolutions any business can set up to do better with your customers in addition to potential customers.

Here are five marketing resolutions your business should put into practice:

1. Marketing Plan – Does your marketing plan consist of primarily print ads, television ads or radio ads? If so, you need to rethink the potential available in internet marketing. There are many different arenas of the web that can be marketed to meet the demands and information being sought right this very moment!

2. Your Website – Update your website and make sure it is optimized for search engines.  Does your website help customers know what to do with a great call-to-action? With technology constantly changing, so do websites. Don’t think just because you own a website that you will get leads or that people will want to buy a product from you. There are specific ways to enhance and give value to your site!

3. Web Reports – Do you look at any type of monitoring of your website? Have you compared different versions or styles to see what works best with your customers? Do you get any type of analytics or reports to see what web pages are doing well and which need to be changed? If not, track and measure your website and make modifications to get better results.

4. Social Media – Like it or not, social media is here and still growing every day! Do you have a presence in sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or Youtube? If not, there is a way to do this successfully with social media optimization and engaging with your customers.

5. Listen – The key to Social Media is listening to your customers. Today’s businesses have become lax in this area. Not only do you need a web presence, but to do the job well, you need to listen to what people are saying and change the situation to build integrity, trust, and RELATIONSHIPS. Organizations fail in this important area of social media. Don’t be another company to contribute to this problem!

If you do any of these marketing resolutions, you are going to benefit and see results in 2010. Don’t be afraid to try and test this out. Don’t be a wimp and sit there and say, “Yeah, I need to do that some day!”

Be one step ahead of the rest! Connect and market to the people who want to purchase your products! Enjoy your customers, build new customers and see results in 2010.

Have a Great and Happy New Year!

1. Make sure you provide one (and only one!) call to action on your landing page. If you provide several options, people will get confused. Buyers are looking for easy and simple directions.
2. Writing your call to action needs to be easy to understand.  Eliminate unnecessary or confusing, words or phrases. Here are some examples: “buy it now”, “fill out this form”, “sign up”, “go to this site”.
3. Is your call to action prominent? Does it stand out from the page by color and size? Don’t use too large of graphics if it takes away from the call to action or the user will get distracted.
4. Writing your call to action needs to be persuasive.  Writing needs to ask a question, use facts and figures or a powerful strong statement. Compare these examples  and tell me which one grabs your attention!

• Find out how to increase traffic with SEO!
• Click here and read this article.

Writing and looking for a higher conversion will usually need A/B testing. Although there is expensive software to accomplish this,  Google offers their Google Website Optimizer free! You will be able to test your call to action and other factors such as graphics, colors, writing content and find out what works best on your website. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!