One of the important aspects of SEO is using proper title tags. A title tag should help you get conversions! The title tag is the title of the web page you see in search engine results. If a person isn’t attracted to the title tag, it is highly likely you won’t get their traffic to your website. Traffic is important, but making sure you use title tag best practices will help you get conversions. Conversions will result in a sale or lead and ultimately, that is what you want for your business!

Here are 5 SEO title tag best practices:

1. Google allows you to use approximately 65 characters in the title tags.
2. Make sure each title tag is unique from any of your other web pages!
3. Good SEO title tags include good keywords which people are searching for.
4. Make title tags appealing to the reader!  Good keywords alone may not be sufficient. You want to get the reader’s attention so they click on your site using a call-to-action.
5. Make sure your title tags are related to the content on your webpage. Use specific terms for what is on your page page. Don’t generalize!

One thing I’d like to clarify is that there is a big difference between title tags and page titles.  These are two separate things even though they sound the same. They can be the same words but many times you can use different title tags and page titles depending on content, terms, and getting the searcher’s attention.

Title tags are often classified under the term “meta tags.” Meta tags are what helps search engines and search results know what content is on each of your web pages.Meta tags include title tags, description tags and keywords. Google focuses on the title tags and description tags and ignores keywords tags. But at the same time, other search engines will take note of your keyword tags. I’ve seen many websites ignore using meta tags….specifically title tags! Make sure to research your meta tags and ALWAYS add a title tag to each of your web pages!

Google Places benefits business owners in many ways. Do you have your business listed?  If you’d like to know how Google Places can benefit your company, glance through this list I put together! Many local businesses are not taking advantage of this great opportunity!

• Google Places includes a map of your location. People search in Google Maps, Google Searches, Google Mobile and Google Earth and could get your Google Places results.
• You can use an iframe of your map and add it to another website. Many people are looking for driving directions to a business close to where they live.
• Reviews of your business online are very influential to your position in Google Places. In addition, people love to read reviews and are also influenced by them.
• Coupons can be created to motivate consumers choose your business.
• Photos are another important aspect of Google Places because people are drawn to pictures! People enjoy seeing visual images of places, people or products.
• Of course, you also get a clickable link to your website! 🙂

Any time you choose to create a profile on Google Places, benefits are increased when you optimize your profile with good keywords. Fill out all of your business information, including hours of operation, payment options, local phone number, and the best related category.  It’s free and fairly simple to set up but to do it well, you have to remember that Google Places works off of local phone numbers. Another issue which can make a huge difference is understanding that when someone recommends another in Google Places, the information has to be identical or it will not be connected. That said, sometimes it is easier if you allow a marketing professional to take care of it for you.

With all of this great beneficial information, what are you waiting for? Grab a map in Google Places and help promote your business!

ADDED 11/12/14

There are  companies that specialize in getting you listed in what used to be called google maps (map on the right side of the google results) the name changed to google business and now it is google places local. Small SEO companies like mine typically do the same work for less or free if you have us to other work for you. If you are good online, you only need some basic understanding to do it yourself…

Question: Pinterest – what is it?

Answer:  If you’ve seen this button to my right, then you’ve seen someone market Pinterest! What is it? It’s a social media website that allows people to add pictures or videos they like by:

• uploading them from their own computer
• sharing it from another website
• admiring another person’s picture/video on Pinterest

Is this site valuable for business owners? If you are a business owner who takes photos or sells products, you have the opportunity to share each photo and video! In addition, other people can share your images and so forth. Each image can be linked to the website is comes from and hence, you have a great possibility to gain sales and “advertise” by photo or video.

In addition, from an SEO perspective, you are getting a link back to your website. This helps to promote your site and helps your webpage become more valuable for people searching for your product in search results!

Pinterest is growing like wildflowers! From May 2011 to January 2012, Pinterest was the fastest site to break through ten million unique visitors according to comScore. (TechCrunch) It’s obvious that people enjoy “pinning” (adding photos) to their “billboards.” (sets of pictures created on any given topic)

Images and videos are eye appealing and impact people visually. If you haven’t created an account on Pinterest, click on the image above and start the “pinning” process today!

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!

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.

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!

Recently, I’ve seen some articles stating Facebook can represent your business instead of building a company website. Facebook vs. Website. What’s the difference? Here are five aspects comparing Facebook and your own business website. What do you think?

Facebook Business Page –

• Facebook does well in search engines
• Can create polls and email marketing
• Interact solely with Facebook users
• Facebook owns the website
• Can add special welcome pages with html or iframes, etc.

Business Website –

• You can do the same things Facebook can do
• You can create an e-commerce site or blog site
• You own the site and can customize it to your liking
• You have access to many more people on the web
• You can optimize each web page for search engines

When you compare and contrast the differences between Facebook vs a website, you see there are a lot of similarities. But the crucial difference is that you are limited to the fact that Facebook can delete anything it wants since it owns the website! What does that mean? This week I noticed Facebook deleted the “discussions” tab. I saw some comments from business pages asking Facebook what happened to the content that was there.  

Remember, it’s Facebook’ s website!

Having a website in addition to a social media presence offers several advantages that can help businesses and individuals achieve their goals more effectively. Here are some reasons to have a website alongside your social media presence:

1. Brand Control: A website provides full control over your brand’s online presence, allowing you to customize the design, content, and user experience according to your brand’s identity. This level of control is not always possible on social media platforms, where branding options are limited.
2. Professionalism: A well-designed website conveys professionalism and credibility to your audience. It serves as a central hub where potential customers or clients can learn more about your business, products, services, and achievements in a structured and organized manner.
3. Content Ownership: On your website, you have complete ownership of the content you publish. This includes blog posts, product descriptions, videos, images, and more. Unlike social media platforms where content can be subject to platform rules or algorithm changes, your website allows you to control and archive your content independently.
4. SEO and Discoverability: Websites are crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. By optimizing your website for search engines, you can improve its visibility and rank higher in search results, attracting organic traffic from people actively searching for your products or services. Social media platforms can complement SEO efforts but do not offer the same level of control over search engine visibility.
5. E-commerce and Transactions: For businesses selling products or services online, a website provides a platform for e-commerce transactions. While social media platforms may support some e-commerce features, a dedicated website allows for more extensive customization, payment gateways, inventory management, and customer relationship management.
6. Analytics and Insights: Websites offer robust analytics tools that provide valuable insights into visitor behavior, engagement metrics, conversion rates, and more. These analytics help you understand your audience better, optimize your marketing strategies, and make data-driven decisions to improve your online presence and performance.
7. Long-Term Asset: A website is a long-term asset for your business or personal brand. Unlike social media posts that may have a limited lifespan in users’ feeds, your website content remains accessible and searchable over time. It can serve as a valuable resource for customers, clients, partners, and stakeholders.
8. Diversification and Reach: While social media platforms are essential for reaching and engaging with a broad audience, having a website adds another channel for reaching potential customers or followers who may not be active on social media. It diversifies your online presence and extends your reach across different platforms and audiences.

In summary, a website complements your social media presence by offering brand control, professionalism, content ownership, SEO benefits, e-commerce capabilities, analytics insights, a long-term asset, and diversified reach. Together, these advantages contribute to a more robust and effective online presence for businesses and individuals alike.

Facebook is a good way to market your site and an added bonus in representing your business. Take advantage of this great marketing website! Think of Facebook as another mini site for your company that you can use to increase your branding, customer service and linkback optimization. But you also need to consider this…do you want your business represented entirely by someone else’s site? I don’t think so!

What conclusion did you come up with after reading the differences between Facebook vs. a website? We’d love to hear your opinion! If you have social media or SEO questions, feel free to comment and ask!

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!

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!

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!

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!!

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? 🙂