Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique to increase the ranking of any web page or website on search engines like Google or Yahoo, for a given keyword or keyword phrase search. A higher search rank will produce a higher result in the organic search results and generally more traffic to the web site from search keyword traffic. Organic search traffic is generally high quality and can be more easily converted into repeat visits or product purchases. As well higher rankings give your business and brand more exposure.

Importance of SEO in Internet Marketing

The basic tenant of Web marketing is to increase the traffic and awareness of any web site and their respective products and services on Internet. As well the more traffic you can receive for free from organic search results means you need to spend less on Search Engine Marketing (i.e. buying traffic)

On average Search drives an average of 50-75% of all visits to web sites. Therefore it is very important that search engines direct traffic to your site instead of others. This is where SEO comes into play: generating more traffic for your site.

Site Optimization

Keyword Research: determining what to use keywords is a very important. Make a list of words and phrases that are related to your business and then use tools like Google Trends to determine which are the best for your business.

URL Format: having an easy to read URL structure makes it easier for search engine crawlers to determine how to read your site. It will also make it easier for users to remember subdirectories on your site so that they can go back directly. Ensure that the main keywords of your page are in the page name or URL structure. Also choosing a domain that is related to your business and its main keywords can be helpful.

Titles & Meta Tags: For titles try moving your brand name to the end and start your titles with the main words of your site or page. Meta Tags and Meta Descriptions should also be dynamic and customized to each page.

Content Optimization: Content of the webpage should be carefully written using the selected keywords effectively and should not cross 5-10% density amongst the total content of the webpage. Other factors are: wise usage of Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3), selective usage of bolding, italics, colors and intra-page hyperlinking on keywords and phrases.

Content Generation: Use a blog on your site to generate keyword rich articles about your site’s product or services. Not only will you be providing users with interesting information you will be generating text rich pages that search engine crawlers like to index.

Page structure: Most sites now use CSS or cascade style sheets. Make sure to use alt text for images, using headers and footer links. Consider using image sprites to increase page performance.

Site Map: Submit a site map to the major search engines and keep it updated. A visitor friendly (HTML) version and a machine friendly (XML) version will help search engines know where your pages are. Also be sure to use a robots.txt file to tell search engines what not to crawl.

I recently worked on a new site for a local Charlotte DJ (Rick Underwood). I built him a brand new web site using WordPress for his company Replay Productions: DJ & Entertainment Services.. His site consists of about 20 pages: including detailed customized form pages for his event planning; events pages for weddings, school dances, corporate events and private parties; a bio page and a list of web site links.

According to Rick, “Choosing the right DJ is crucial to your event’s success. A professional Disc Jockey is able to read the crowd, determine which songs to play and how to keep your guests motivated to make sure everyone has a great time!”

“Rick has been involved not only in the mobile DJ industry, but is well known in the Charlotte, NC area for his “on air” and production services for 107.9 The Link’s “RETRO DANCE PARTY” and KISS 95.1’s “CLUB KISS” weekend mix shows. He has also held head DJ positions for several years in some of Charlotte’s hottest night clubs.

Whether it’s a wedding reception, birthday party, corporate event school dance, or if you are just looking for a reason to have a party, Rick’s attention to detail and eagerness to please will make your event a success. His ability, matched with a great library of music and state of the art sound and light show is definitely a combination to “wow” your guests.”

Visit Replay Productions at http://www.replayproductionsdjservices.com/

I was reading some articles about how people use Twitter and came across one on MIT’s Technology Review web site. It made mentions of a survey done on Search Engine Lane about how people use Twitter. Here’s a summary:

• Half of all users ask a question using Twitter at least once per week.
• 40% say they are are “usually” satisfied with the answers they get.
• Nearly half of all users say they ask questions on Twitter either because they trust their friends (or followers) more than normal search results or because they are seeking expert answers.
• 40% say they use Twitter to find out about “real time” issues or to get a variety of opinions.
• Nearly 70% say that the questions they ask are related to computers or the internet; 44% asks questions about Twitter; 41% ask about shopping or products.
• Only 4% of users say they could give up a traditional search engine for Twitter.

So if Twitter users are asking questions on Twitter Search and getting answers who needs Yahoo Answers or Google Answers?