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Tag: internet marketing

  • SEO Advice from Non-SEO Sites | SEO Factor

    I warn that I’m about to make a very broad generalization in this post. It isn’t meant to degrade the value of any specific forums or sites; rather, to warn against learning from places that aren’t teaching correctly.

    I am in the midst of training someone on the particulars of SEO. Obviously, said person has a ton of questions and curiosity about SEO, where to read more, the who’s who, etc.

    He asked me about a forum he regular reads, and a thread dedicated to SEO. After taking a look at the forum (which focuses primarily on domain buying), and listening to a few tid-bits of knowledge they have bestowed upon him thus far, I instituted a new rule for my team.

    Any information you get from a forum/blog/site not explicitly dedicated to Internet marketing is null and void.

    This might seem a little harsh or even tyrannical, but I have a good reason for such a rule. And my guys know me. There are always exceptions to a rule.

    Good Intentions

    Most of the information we can gleam from sites offering SEO advice on sites that aren’t SEO-centric seem to be of good intentions. Unfortunately, intentions don’t really matter in this game, and neglected a few details can have severe negative impacts on a site.

    So it’s not as if mis-information is spread on purpose. Most of the people pushing their idea of SEO do so with a decent amount of conviction; causing the perceived validity of their opinion to rise. This makes it very difficult to combat when we are consulted.

    Us: “I’m afraid that’s not exactly correct in your case.”

    Client: “Oh, well this guy on this forum sounded pretty sure. Are you sure?”

    In the grand scheme of things, this is only a minor annoyance. Our actions generally speak louder than the words typed on another site. That, and reminding the client that we just cashed their check for an amount that could easily purchase a quality vehicle for 2 of my team members usually does the trick (just kidding…but really).

    Over-Simplification

    Another major problem with taking SEO advice from a non-SEO is the over-simplification they exude. Let’s be honest here, SEO isn’t “difficult” by any means. More appropriately, it just requires a lot of experience, patience, creativity, organizational skills and sometimes a little luck. This doesn’t make it difficult, just too tedious and time-consuming for most people to implement.

    However, there is a very real problem when I see a valid question or concern posed on a forum, only to be answered with a:

    “Just make sure you have XYZ and ABC in order. Then get links. That’s it.”

    I’m sorry, but that’s not it.

    Every single site is different, usually in ways you don’t even understand until you’re neck-deep into the project. So, giving a generic response to a specific question can, and most often does have a negative impact.

    Here’s the thing. At the risk of bragging, I can create a killer process in almost any business situation. Give me 2 months and a little authority, and I’ll shave your man-hours/costs and increase throughput. I was mentored by some of the best minds on that front, and I think I’ve grown that aspect of my strengths rather nicely.

    What I’m saying is, if there were some way I could process an SEO package and keep the quality and integrity we uphold, I would have. There are just too many variables to strictly package SEO services. I’ve seen too many companies try the same thing (still to this very day) and simply fail their clients (often without them even knowing).

    Where Do I Learn/Stay Up To Date

    I’ve been doing this stuff since 2004, and still I find quality SEO blogs jam-packed with awesome information every single day. I can’t really list them all here. Instead, I’ll give you some of the staple sites I read. Check them out. You’ll start to get the hang of the logic behind SEO and will soon be able to separate the BS from the real SEO advice.

    All of the following have a lot of intermediate to advanced posts, so we’ll start with a really good beginner’s guide:

    Local SEO

    General Internet Marketing

    Link Building

    • Link Building Blog – http://wiep.net/

    (Just the one here. You’re simply not going to find a greater resource for learning how not only to build links, but how to think outside the box and find new ways yourself)

  • Internet Marketing Services | SEO Factor

    Our Internet marketing services are customized to cater to varying business modes big and small. From local service providers to national production companies, we create individual solutions to provide what you need specifically. You won’t find any packages here; just the right website promotion solutions for your business.

    From SEO Services to PPC Management, we have what it takes to bring more, quality traffic to your website. We also cater all of our services on a case-by-case basis so you can be sure that you are getting exactly what you need, and only paying for that.

    New To Internet Marketing?

    This industry has been around for almost as long as the major search engines (at least Yahoo!), but that doesn’t take away from its mystery to most people. A large part of our services involve gaining higher rankings and increased traffic, educating you along they way.

    But if you still have questions it’s important to get them answered before you fork over any money to anyone for services. Though we offer in-depth SEO consulting, we also like to make ourselves available for basic questions. Feel free to contact us and we can take a quick look at your site and answer most preliminary questions without charge.

  • How Long Is This Going to Take?

    Posted by admin on Wed, 02/13/2008 – 21:10

    One more introduction topic to start this SEO eBook, and then we will start to get into the good stuff.

    We know how important an SEO strategy is, and we know what some of the basic ideas are, but how long is this whole ordeal going to take? First, let me say that a question like that means you are likely thinking of SEO or Internet marketing as a plug in for your site, and not as a permanant aspect. Try to get around that as quickly as possible.

    You SEO/SEM/Internet Marketing campaign needs to be a part of your long term strategy. There are no quick and easy returns in this environment, and chasing such goals will leave you spinning your wheels. However, the idea of the question is not a bad one, we just need to word it a bit differently. Successful people don’t have all the right answers, they ask all the right questions.

    How long will it be before you see results? This depends on your goals. With strict regard to SEO and rankings, it’s often not as bad as most people might think. When you start looking at conversions, ROI, and profit margins, things get a little thicker. Because I want to try to keep this eBook as beginner oriented as possible, I’ll try to focus on the rankings/traffic aspect. But even with that, there are a few factors.

    Brand New Sites
    If you just started a site (less than a month ago), you’re in a situation where you will see the most waiting time. First, the search engines have to find and index your site. A brand new site can usually be indexed within a week. At the time of my writing this page, I am seeing indexed sites within a few days.

    Once indexed, the site has to rank. With proper optimization and promotion efforts you should see “results” within about 3 weeks. “Results” is in quotes because though you may see something happening, the site’s success is far from fruition. You might see a few more indexed pages, or rankings for your search terms within the first 10 – 15 pages of the results.

    At about 3 months, you should see a few terms within the first 5 pages of a search engines results for desired search terms At 6 months you should see a few page 1 terms, and perhaps a recognizable flow of traffic. By 9 – 12 months, you should see good rankings across the board, large chunks of page 1 rankings, and a steady flow of traffic.

    Aged Sites
    If you have a site that’s been up for a while, and it’s not indexed, then there’s a whole new issue. There may be technical problems with the site, or there may be a ban or penalty in place. Either way, if we have an older site not indexed, the site is going to need some attention. We will be going over these issues later, so don’t worry too much.

    Assuming there are none of the issues above, aged sites that are indexed will see results much sooner than newer ones. A simple title/internal link/keyword research overhaul could indeed do wonders. With proper optimization and promotion efforts, you can usually cut the time it takes to see results for newer sites in half.

    Now, looking at these timeframes, you may be thinking that this is just way too long. To that, I ask you to consider how long you plan on being in business. Do you not plan on running a successful business 5 or 10 years from now? You Internet marketing campaign should be a part of that success the whole time, so the first year will breeze by. It’s a long term process for long term successes.

  • Book Review – SEO: An Hour A Day » SEO Factor

    « Week In Review 4/30 – 5/04 – Analytics Gallore » 7 May 2007

    I have always hated books with the “An hour a day,” or “in 24 hours” in the title. Being so nerdy and technical in nature, I sometimes cower in the presence of something too simply explained. However, this wasn’t the case with “SEO: An Hour A Day” written by Gradiva Couzin and Jennifer Grappone. The thing with SEO And SEM, is that once you start learning, you are forever on an upwardly mobile course; learning new and more complicated aspects almost everyday. It isn’t often that you re-read something that is tagged “for beginners.”

    If you’re like me, you love seeing how others approach SEO and Internet marketing. That being said, that isn’t likely to be found with this book. It is indeed very beginner oriented, following the common “read this chapter today, and the next tomorrow” format. It’s a little hard for me to be critical of that fact because I assumed this going in. However, there were a few things that I didn’t count on from a beginner book that actually made me very happy.

    There are obviously some very tricky aspects to optimization that can not be explained in a matter of a few sentences. I think they were conveyed so easily in this book in fact, that someone who had never heard of SEO would be able to grasp such ideas. With inserts giving real world examples and actual past cases (with identifying information changed, of course) one such beginner could quickly asses some basic problems and find solutions for them.

    I also give a very large ‘Kudos’ to the fact that a lot of the book covered SEO in a fashion that wouldn’t make it obsolete next year. It’s difficult to write something, send it to an editor, have it printed, published, and distributed, and still expect the information to be pertinant to such an ever changing world.

    I have know read three “beginner” SEO books (In print, not online books), and this one was by far the best. If you are just starting your walk down the SEO road, I really suggest looking into this one. You can get a copy here (Affiliate Link). If you have been reading on SEO or have been involved for any length of time, you may not get a lot of new information from it. However, again, it’s always neat to see how other professionals organize and implement their methods. You may also find some use out of the spreadsheets they provide in conjunction with the book, which can be viewed here.

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