Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Quick and Clean SEO

Orange Soda

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a complex science, resulting in consultants that get away with charging thousands of dollars per month for just a few hours of consultation. The really good ones can charge tens of thousands per month and have no shortage of clients begging them for their help.

That some companies are willing to spend so much shows you just how important SEO is for an online business. A vital part of any internet marketer’s repertoire, properly managed SEO can get you listed at the top of every major search engine for the keywords of your choosing. For some keywords, being listed at the top can mean a difference between glorious success and a meager existence.

On the other hand, bad SEO can result in low rankings or even get you banned from the search engines. Getting blacklisted is enough to put some companies completely out of business.

Not everybody has the skills necessary to implement proper SEO. Good SEO means staying on top of things; getting to know industry insiders and constant vigilant testing of the search engines as you watch for changes in ranking algorithms.

However, there are a few quick, yet clean, SEO techniques that you can implement immediately to improve your search engine rankings.

Use Keywords in Headlines

Search engines figure that if something is in a headline, it must be important. Sub-headlines are also considered important, but to a lesser degree.

A headline is recognized as such with the following HTML headline tags:

· <h1> … </h1>

· <h2> … </h2>

· <h3> … </h3>

Headline tags go all the way down to level six (H6) with H1 being the largest headline, and thus receiving the highest importance. If you want to optimize a page for the term “hiking boots”, then you should have that term between H1 tags.

If using a term in a sub-headline (H2, H3, and lower), then including those same keywords in a bulleted list immediately after will help give those keywords the same level of importance as keywords in a main (H1) headline.

Bold Keywords Throughout a Page

Bolding keywords throughout a webpage will increase the relevance a search engine gives those specific keywords. The preferred method of bolding keywords is with STRONG tags:

· <strong> … </strong>

Optimize for Less Popular Keywords and Phrases

Getting top ranking for the key phrase “hiking boots” can be tough because it’s a very popular term with a lot of competition. It can be done, but would require a lot of time and effort. And since this article is about speed and simplicity, we won’t discuss what would go into a campaign to get ranked for such a competitive term.

For quicker and easier ranking, go after more specific, less competitive key phrases. For example, instead of “hiking boots” try combining the term with brand names, designs, material used, manufacturing process, and so forth:

· Brand name: Joe’s Super Sweet hiking boots

· Design: elegant elf-toe hiking boots

· Material used: NASA approved space-leather hiking boots

· Manufacturing process: hiking boots manufactured through the new “circular frog stamp” technique

You get the idea. While you won’t get as much traffic as a similar rank for a more popular phrase, you will get ranked much easier and faster. The traffic you get will also be more highly targeted and more likely to convert into a sale.

The tactics that we’ve discussed in these articles can be very easily and quickly implemented into just about any website. Keep in mind, however, that you don’t want to get carried away by cramming a page full of keyword-stuffed headlines, bolding half your page, or overusing a particular key phrase so much that nothing on your webpage makes sense.

Search engines are savvy enough to spot such attempts to get ranked, and most will penalize you for doing so. Also, don’t forget who your target market is… people. Stuffing a webpage full of keywords might help you get ranked higher (at least temporarily), but if a visitor can’t make sense of it, they’ll just leave your website anyway and your efforts will have been wasted.

So remember to keep it clean, keep it simple, and you’ll be happy with the results.

Related Topics: Branding, Business, Computers, Internet, Technology    1 Comment    

The Perfect Presentation Part 1: Leave Your Audience with a Lasting Impression

Lindsay Lake

Whether your audience consists of one person or a hundred, your primary goal should always be to close each presentation with some sort of sale. This will help you to focus your presentation on what is important. Of course, that sale can come in many different formats: it may be of yourself (convincing them to do business with you in the future), your product, your idea (perhaps gaining ground from an investor perspective) or any other type of sale. But, no matter what your specific situation may be, it is vital for you to provide your audience with a few things to help them make that decision to buy.

* Content: This may seem obvious, but you would be amazed how easy it is to get this wrong. Remember your audience likely knows much less about your topic than you. By keeping the information simple and substantiated. You not only provide just the details, without extra fluff, but you also provide other sources of information, lending you credibility.

* Graphics: Finding the right images and creating the perfect charts can often be your most time consuming task throughout the process. Although sometimes overlooked, your graphics are the most important factor, besides yourself, for engaging your audience. Keep this in mind and spend the time it deserves to make it right. You’ll be amazed at how much a simple change in graphics can boost audience attention.

* Technique: If you are a veteran and have been giving presentations in some form or another for quite some time, you’ve probably crafted a technique that fits your style. If you are still pretty new to giving presentations, you’re probably looking for a technique to fit your style. Either way, chances are that it can be improved. Take a few minutes and watch some of the best presenters out there, such as Steve Jobs at Apple. These types of folks are recognized as great presenters because they know how to engage an audience and make a sale. And, since it’s always easier to do things you like, take some notes on what they do during their presentations, that you like. Then, the next time you give a presentation, implement just a few of the techniques you wrote down. Making changes to your style in this manner will be much more effective than trying to do a complete remodel right away.

Keep these tips in mind for your next presentation, and truly go for the sale.

During the following weeks I’ll be digging into each of these topics (content, graphics and technique) more deeply. Stay tuned to learn more about improving your presentation to improve your business. And, if you’d like some more ideas before the next issue, visit my blog, Presentation Perfect.

I have spent a lot of my career creating powerful, concise and engaging presentations. I started fine-tuning these skills while working in account management for Thomas Taber & Drazen, an advertising agency in Denver. While there I had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients in industries including financial, media, retail and non-profit. My experience has given me a great eye for design and the tools necessary to create outstanding, intriguing presentations.

To reach me, simply send me an email at lindsay.lake@gmail.com.

Related Topics: Advertising, Branding, Business, Design, Marketing, Sales    No Comments