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The Most Misunderstood Facts About Ranking Your Small Business

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There’s a lot of confusion out there about how search ranking impacts your small business. Don’t let these misunderstandings bog down your search marketing strategy.

Fact: Keywords are important
Mistake: Keywords are the most important factor in ranking
Yes, it’s vital to identify the right keywords for your business. Your site will rank better, and your visitors will feel comfortable when they see their own word choices reflected on your site. But if you’re worrying about keyword density, you should stop wasting your time. Instead, create readable content that actually communicates well. Don’t write for the search engines. Write for the humans.

Fact: Content is important
Mistake: Any content will do
Regular site updates improve your ranking, but too many business owners are stuffing their sites with boring, generic content that no one will ever want to read. Again, it’s all about making your site useful for the human visitors who end up there. Use fresh and authoritative content to establish your site’s credibility – not just with the search engines, but with your visitors and with thought leaders in your industry.

Fact: Links are important
Mistake: All links are created equal
If you’re working with an ethical SEO professional, you should already know that some link-building tactics are prohibited by Google and may get you banned from search results. “Link farms” – sites that exist only to generate lots of links in order to increase search ranking – are NOT a good idea. Remember that authoritative content we talked about earlier? Great content is the best foundation for building quality links. Promote your content through social media and work on connecting with other online authorities. Your ranking will see the benefits.

Fact: Ranking is important
Mistake: Search ranking is an end in itself
You know that searchers probably won’t find your site unless you make in onto the first page of Google. But when someone finds your site, that’s just the beginning of the process. Stop worrying so much about your ranking, and make sure your site delivers great results. Check that the page title, headings, and content on your pages are all consistent with the search term you’re targeting. Visitors need to find what they’re looking for on your site. Otherwise, they will leave in seconds. Your site analytics will tell you whether visitors are staying to look around or bouncing away without a second thought.

Fact: Traffic is important
Mistake: High traffic means high profitability
You could have 10,000 visitors a day, but your website won’t generate any revenue unless some of those visitors convert into customers. You should already know the most important thing that you want people to do on your site. Make your website easy to use by focusing your home page on that one key step in the sales process. Persuade your visitors to take that action, and you’re in business. Or, instead of directing all the traffic to your home page, consider having special landing pages for different search terms.

SEO Myths That Can Bury Your Site – Part 1

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Bigfoot

Bigfoot Going To Catch Some Waves

To many, SEO is a mystery that is part science and part black magic.  And while I have [mostly] tamed this beast a while ago (I have been doing local seo work over 10 years now); I have noticed that each client needs a certain amount of education.  This only makes sense since not everyone lives and breathes this stuff as much as my team.  This post will hopefully dispel some SEO myths that should be put to bed.  Plus, anytime I can educate current or prospective clients about the realities of this industry it simply helps set expectations.  So, if your SEO pitches any of this bullshit in a proposal run, don’t walk, away.

Meta Keywords – This tag came into existence in 1996 and within the next few years stopped being supported by most of the major crawlers.  Effectively, this has been dead since the late nineties.  So, please let this one go.  It doesn’t help with ranking and is just clutter in your code.  Delete it.  Even Google says to forget it on their blog.

Keyword Density – Another bit of non-sense.  Yes, there was a time when you could shove your keyword into a sentence and if your page was the same size as your competition and had it 10 times and the other guy had it 5 times you would win.  This is oversimplified, but you get the idea.  Do you really think that something as complex as Google’s Algorythm would use such simplistic logic.  If you are trying to become #1 for Widgets the following just won’t work anymore as it isn’t how they determine relevancy and rankings.

“Wow, I just found the best WIDGETS.  These WIDGETS are so amazing I just didn’t think that WIDGETS could be discovered so easily.  I hope you love WIDGETS too!”

Submitting To Search Engines – This is up there with the Keyword Metatag in popularity.  This has evolved from submitting for free, to paying for submission (Yahoo Directory), to submitting your sitemap.  All of it is bunk and has been for years.  The search engines like to discover your site, naturally, via links.  At best submitting your site does nothing; at worst it hurts your results.  Don’t do it.

PPC Helps Organic – I have spent thousands testing this and have never seen any positive bumps in rankings.  If a keyword generates money for your business than you should invest in it.  Organic or PPC-it doesn’t matter.  The only thing that matters is what it costs to get the traffic.  For ex.  if you sell a widget for $50 and sell 1 out of ever 100 visitors you have a 1% conversion and each conversion is worth $50 (assuming every sale is 100% profit).  That means if you can spend .49 or less per click you are making money.  So, by all means, spend money on PPC.  It will only bring you more traffic and more sales.

SEO Is Static – SEO isn’t a thing its a process.  So, you don’t do it once and never do it again; you have to continue doing it daily. Otherwise, your top 3 rankings will become top 10 when your competition picks up the slack and surges ahead of you.  Plus, once behind its harder to catch up and recover the momentum you have lost.

No One Can Hurt You – I call Bullshit on this one.  There are more than a few ways to sabotage a competitor.  So there is always the chance someone will do this to your sites.  I don’t think it is common but it does happen.  We don’t utilize these type of tactics since they are -more than- pathetic.  If you can’t get up without pushing someone else out of business you don’t deserve the ranking.  Which is why we won’t go into more detail on how to employ this tactic here. Karma is a bi$&#.  (The author of this post must apologize to Karma for calling her a bi$&#.  Karma you know we have something special.)

Well, if you liked these SEO Myths Part 2 is just around the corner. Just give me a few days to put it together.

15 Things You Should Never Do At An SEO Conference

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Conferences are a great way to pick up new ideas but more importantly are a chance to talk “SEO” without people around you screaming with boredom!  SEO conferences are generally laid back affairs but be aware the following 15 actions may get you blacklisted from any future events.

1. Try to Seduce SEO Chicks

randlisaseochicks

There are two good reasons for this

1. Most are married to top SEO’s!

2. You’re an SEO not Neil Strauss

Yes.. its true that women exist in SEO but that does not mean you need to try that new chat up line you found in the latest seduction eBook you’re flogging.

Check out SEO Chicks!

2. Get Paralytic at the Bar

Any sensible person knows the bar is were the majority real SEO activity occurs during a conference. Attempting to drink your own body weight in Gin and trying to show off your new party trick is not a good idea.

3. Give Away that Amazing Niche with No Competition

keep-your-mouth-shut

You’re in an SEO conference, enough said.

4. Try and Sell Yourself or Your Services

bad salesman

If you try and sell links, domains etc all you’re gonna do is piss people off. You could try to sell your body but I know of no domain or link that is worth that feeling you feel in the morning.

5.“Do a Borat” (run naked through the conference)

naked borat

Yeah it’s funny on film, but if you try it for real like you’ll find it’s the quickest way to meet the security team and waste your entrance fee. I know what you’re thinking, but even if you get a thousand back links every one in the SEO world will have seen your wiener, not good if it’s a cold day!

Source

6. Going on, and on, and…..

sleeping_at_conference

You’ve been asked to give a talk at an SEO conference, your is head spinning with ideas. You envisage Rand Fishkin looking up at you with awe and respect..all this is understandable. It does not, however, mean that you have to be one of those guys who spends two and a half hours explaining how you spent six months getting a pr 7 back link. Keep it short and to the point, after all isn’t that what you would want if you were listening?

7. Wet Yourself When You Meet an SEO Idol

danny-sullivan

Ok, I know you probably spend hours blog commenting, tweeting and following every word of Fiskin et al, but you have to remember that the Danny Sullivan’s and Michael Gray’s of the world are REAL PEOPLE and not demigods. Treat them as such.

image source

8. Suck Up to The Speaker

It’s only natural that you want to make an impression, we all do. Repeatedly telling the speaker how amazing he (or she) is, but endlessly waffling about how incredible their talk was is not the way to go about it. In fact you’ll probably find the buffet a very lonely place, as nobody will want to talk to you.

9. Over Use Slides With Too Much Text

worst-slide

The human attention span is very limited. To combat this, it’s best to think you are presenting to an audience of Homer Simpsons, keep the slides to a minimum (less than ten), use lots of pictures and go easy on the text. Even the most die hard nerd won’t read all your slides on maximising in the SERP’s if  you have 100 slides packed with 10 bullet points per slide.

10. Be That “Question” Guy

asking_questions

You know the one…that guy who asks loads of pointless questions over and over….No? Then you’re him. If you feel the need to ask a question about what makes an article link bait for the 169th time, just take a second and feel the hatred emanating your way!

11. Say in passing “ SEO is not Rocket Science”

rocket-science

Do you remember the stink Dave Pasternack caused when he said that “SEO is not Rocket Science?” It’s unlikely to earn you any friends if you start spouting out this phrase and it’s likely that you will find an SEO competition for your name when you get home!

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12. Turning up stinking like some who hasn’t left the “office” in 48 hours

armpit-stink

An SEO spends many an hour on their computer, however you’re not in your mom’s basement any more, and the conference goers aren’t going be forgiving as she is. Get in the shower!!

12. Whilst having a talk with Danny Sullivan give him a nudge an wink and say “ yeah but, SEO is all snake oil ;)..”

snake-oil1

I’d be nervous, hell we all would, but try and crack this joke and I’d bet my bottom dollar he isn’t going to laugh.

Source

14.  Ask Danny Sullivan for a History of SEO Whilst He is Waiting for the Toilet

toliet queue

There are a few times when a man needs peace and quiet, waiting for a porcelain throne is one of them. Leave him (and anyone else) in peace!

15. Be Someone You’re Not

Purple Suit

Don’t try and be cool by wearing a purple suit and shades for the conference, you’ll just end up looking like a weirdo. Just be yourself, share some ideas, make some friends and above all have fun!