Urban SEO » Professional SEO specialists

How do you write good SEO?

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:00:23 +0000

At Level 343 they go on, and on, and on about the importance of content. They do this because so many people today seem to think that relevant quality information will just cost them far too much and isn’t worth the time or money. Of course, that approach is doomed to failure in the hyper competitive market we love to hate- The Internet.

However, those who have good content often don’t seem to get that you really do need both. The greatest content in the world won’t help you one bit if you don’t do decent search engine optimization. It’s the equivalent to writing the greatest novel in human history and publishing it on toilet paper. No one’s going to find it, and no one is going to want to read it. If your website can’t make both search engine spiders and people happy, you’ll fail. Granted some will argue what about organic? Organic is the gold but, only if you have time on your side.

So, how do you get good SEO content? By following a few simple rules in the creation and promotion of your website.

First off, do a decent keyword analysis. You may know that a ton of people are out there looking for books, but what search terms do they use when doing it? “Find book”, “find books”, and “find good books” may not seem all that different, but to search engine spiders they’re all individual terms. You want to get the people for all three if you’re selling books. You want to use keywords with high rate of search, low competition value. I won’t get into the analysis of it all but suffice it to say you want to generate a solid target so do your homework don’t take just my word for it.

Second, write your website in HTML! Yes, you really do want simple, un-ornamented HTML. All of the Flash, animation, Macromedia and the rest may look really spiffy to you, but they’re a pain to search engine spiders and they’re often a pain to your visitors. If you must use the pretty graphics and new Internet friendly programming languages, put up an optional HTML site along side them and at least give your visitors a choice. Spiders generally have no clue what your site’s about unless it’s in HTML, and if spiders can’t categorize you, search engines won’t show you. In addition, you will not make any friends among visitors who do not have the latest connection speeds.

Third, write decent metatags. A bunch of professional SEO specialists today will tell you that metatags are worthless these days. If your aim is to “trick” the search engines into showing your website faster or higher when you don’t provide quality content, that’s true. Metatags won’t do that anymore. However, three to five well chosen keywords plus a good title and description can make all the difference. Your keywords give the spiders a “heads-up” as to what they’re looking at, and your title and description are the first things any real visitor is going to see about your website. Whatever is in the title and description metatags will be the “clip” about your site that shows up on search engine results pages. You want to make a good first impression with them.

I love this quote from a surftrip I read in this article ” H1 editing is important. Period. Why? because, if done correctly, like a TITLE element, it provides descriptive text regarding the copy to be presented. If the element matches the H1, matches the copy, you’ve got a nice formula there and a good foundation for quality ranking and attracting links.”

Last, generate an XML sitemap, and have it uploaded to your server. Again, this sitemap tells the search engine spiders what they’re looking at in a language they can understand. The less deep comparative work they have to do, the faster your site will get listed. Keep this sitemap up to date and accurate, and resubmit it every time you update. Doing this shows the search engines that there’s someone home, and that your site probably has fresh and relevant information.

SEO doesn’t have to eat your life, and it shouldn’t. People who are trying to trick the search engines have to update their stuff constantly in order to keep the trick working. However, good quality SEO really just means getting the techie bits right so your site gets seen. Once it’s done, it won’t have to be redone for years if ever. How do you want to spend your time?

New To Internet Marketing? Start Here

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Tons of people pay good money to start an Internet business every day, believing that the Internet is the way to wealth and the solution to their problems. The sad part is that the vast majority of them will inevitably fail.

Get rich quick schemes have been around almost as long as humanity itself, and Internet Marketing just provides another way to market them.

The first thing to understand if you’re new to the world of Internet marketing is that an Internet business is just that, a business. It might cost less capital, it might be able to get done in the spare bits of time you have, but it still requires capital and it still requires a plan. Get a book on general business planning and follow the outlined steps religiously.

Second, you’re going to either have to learn a number of skills or you’re going to have to delegate. Delegating usually means handing money over unless you happen to have a crack relative in the wings willing to do it for free. Not many people generally have those, so in the absence you’ll have to figure out what you do best, what you’re willing to learn and what you need to leave to the experts. For instance, many people believe they can create a website, and that may be true.

Can you create a website that has a unique style, that search engine spiders can read and that adheres to all current Internet policies and protocols?
Can you write in such a way to please both search engine spiders and human beings?

If not, people like web designers and SEO copywriting specialists may be on your delegation list. If you’ve got the time to learn SEO skills and web design, great! Save yourself a bundle and do it. However, if you don’t have the skills or the time, hiring quality people from the beginning will save you a world of hurt down the line.

Next, you’ll have to be a real person. If people get the idea that the only reason you exist is to sell them something and get their money, you’ll fail as sure as rain falls. Get involved in the online communities that fit your business and your philosophy. Write SEO articles about your work, or give your SEO copywriter your knowledge so he or she can write them. Provide an abundance of value, build a relationship with your customers, and you’ll differentiate yourself from all of the others out there who just throw up a page and think they’re done.

Last, before jumping in with your plan, consider if this is truly what you want to do. Really think about it. If you’re doing it just for the money, don’t. It will eat your life and make you miserable. If, on the other hand, you love producing your product or your service, if this business lets you do everything you ever wanted, go for it Internet Marketing is the way. It’ll take a lot of work, but that work will be enjoyable instead of a burden. If you’re having fun, your customers will want to be around you, you’ll build a loyal base, and success will follow.

Finding Your Professional SEO Specialist

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:28:55 +0000

If you are looking for a professional SEO specialist, be aware that they are like any other business professional. They can do their job well or badly. Sometimes this is an easy fix however, this can really damage your web site. Here are some things to look for when seeking a professional SEO consultant.

Does the professional SEO consultant know his or her business?
How long have they been doing this type of work?
Do the SEO writers write their own SEO articles?
Do the SEO writers know about article submission and directory submission and how to use SEO tools in order to maximize effectiveness?

Does the professional SEO specialist make pie in the sky promises, or are they very realistic and based on experience?

Do they know the top ways to get Google ranking?
Is the professional SEO consultant aware of the latest trends and knows just how to get clicks to your website by using Meta tag descriptions and top ranking?
Do they offer SEO services that are custom built to you and your needs?
Are their prices and services reasonable?

Consider the approach they employ to raise your search engine positions. * Free tip Don’t use companies that use doorway pages.

Is the professional SEO specialist willing not to work with your competitors? This is a must know! This must be agreed to before you let them work for you. Have the guarantee in writing and make certain that it is legally binding to the professional SEO services that you are thinking about choosing. Also make certain about the SEO service providers track records. Find out what search engines they have had success with and what keywords and phrases they have had the most results with. Do they have good results over an entire site?

When dealing with professionals, you need to make sure that they have done the work they say they have done. Ask your consultant if they can show you a report that shows rankings through many search engines for six months. Make sure the report that is shown to you is in a format that you can easily understand. Look real SEO services are not cheap and finances will have to figure into the equation. Most will happily give you references and will answer any precise and specific questions. The last thing you will need to ask is do their results equate in a higher rate of return.

These are just some general guidelines to go by when looking to partner with an SEO service provider. Everything has to come together from their customer service, SEO abilities, SEM, and last but not least knowledge of online marketing. If you get all of your questions answered, references checked and reports verified, then you are well on the way to hiring a true winner. By choosing the right professional SEO consultants, you will be assured of not only a better return, but that you will be dealing with someone that is ethical and will do business just for you, not your competitors. Choosing the right company can be a little bit of a hassle, but it is well worth it once you find the right fit.

The Importance of SEO

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:15:06 +0000

In the world of the Internet, you’ll find people who seriously overstate and seriously understate the importance of good SEO work. Professional SEO consultants will try to convince you that you’ll die an ugly Internet death without their services, while search engine administrators will try and say that SEO is worthless, evil, and will get you condemned to the nether regions of anonymity. It’s important to understand the motivations behind statements like these. Most professional SEO specialists, of course, want you to buy their services. On the other hand, search engine administrators are constantly trying to fight SEO meant to trick engines into providing worthless content.

SEO is important in its proper context and place. The real purpose of SEO should be to ensure that technical issues aren’t getting in the way of a great website. It’s a pity that the search engines haven’t come up with an artificial intelligence capable of reading and rating your page just the way a human would, but until that day solid SEO practices and stellar content will go hand in hand.

Many SEO specialists will scramble to redo their SEO every time search engine standards change. They’ll also charge their clients for such services. Solid SEO practices, on the other hand, don’t need to be redone every few months. These practices are also pretty basic, only require a little technical knowledge, and generally don’t cost a fortune. The importance of these basic SEO practices cannot be overstated enough for the Internet entrepreneur. The complicated schemes to trick search engines, on the other hand, will inevitably go the way of the dodo bird.