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Looking to improve your blog posts? Below are five great ways to get the readership, the comments and the traffic you are looking for:

1) Revamp your Title Tags and URLS Format

You want your title to be catchy but you also want to highlight the keywords in your phrasing. This can be tricky. One way to keep your title informative but also throw in the keyword phrase is to make use of your title tags. You also don’t want to discount meta descriptions which appear under your title in the SERPS. Don’t waste the opportunity to rephrase your title and add another keyword phrase. It is also important to keep your URL’s short, sweet and to the point of your content. Try to remain in the 3-5 word range and get rid of any of those unnecessary “its”, “and’s” and “I’s” which are ignored by the search engine.

2) Pull Quotes

You’ve seen this tactic done before – somewhere in an article, the author will take a certain piece of text, make it better, use different colored text and wrap the rest of the text around it and viola, pull quotes! These quotes are eye-catching and break the article apart in the same way a picture does. Furthermore, you can use these quotes to highlight something particularly interesting in your piece to attract readers to the rest… or you could always use the quote as a great way to highlight a specific keyword phrase without looking too spammy.

3) Include Images

Like quotes, images will automatically attract reader’s attention and break up the writing for easier reading. Images can highlight your words and make your page look pretty. But this is not the only great thing about images. Used properly, images can also help with your search engine ranking. You need to use the alt text key to describe the image (placing a keyword in there wouldn’t hurt either). For those trying to sell something, an image is a great way to connect to your visually enhanced customers and for those offering advice through a blog, images can make the posts much more readable.

4) Highlight your Internal Linking

Internal linking is central to any successful SEO campaign. It will connect your posts to one another for the maximum traffic possible. To benefit from internal linking, use a cross-linker to automatically interlink a number of keywords together.

5) Focus on Keyword Research

We’ve saved the best for last and that is your keywords. You always need to focus your posts around a central keyword phrase or two. Once you have an idea about what to write, check out Google Adword Keyword Tool to find the most popular and most relevant keywords to use in your posts. It may only take a couple of minutes but it will be worth the time in the end.

Keep in mind that there are a number of other great ways to update your blog and attract the traffic you are looking for. Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.

One of the hardest aspects of writing any search engine optimization content is finding that balance between keyword enriched and interesting. You do not want your posts to read like a walking advertisement but you also do not want to exclude those much-needed keywords in order to get your point across. After all, if your posts are too keyword-riddled then you will not get the readership that you need. However, without these keywords your readers will have a hard time finding the article and your great writing may never be read. There needs to be a happy medium between both. So how do you do it?

First of all, never underestimate the power of subtitles and headings. Not only will a subtitle split up your text to make it more readable but it can also be a great place to add in a keyword phrase. People will automatically turn to the subtitles when scanning an article. You will be able to explain what the post is about but will not disrupt your writing with a keyword-riddled phrase. It is also always a good idea to include a keyword phrase in the title, even if you think it does not belong there. Restructure your wording and try to find a balance between edgy and useful.

Another great way to combine great content with keyword phrasing is to adopt the head and tail content strategy. You will need to write two articles – one of them based on a commercial keyword phrase (the tail piece) and one of them based on really interesting content (the head piece). Next, interlink the head and tail articles on publication. Once the head piece has gained links and the traffic begins to slow down, you can focus the anchor text used to connect to the tail pieces.

If you are having trouble coming up with keywords for your post, then it’s time to do your keyword research. There are a number of tools out there for free that can help you determine what keywords to use for your posts. One of the best ones (that is also free) is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool which can help you determine the weight and popularity of keywords that could work in your post.

Another excellent way to really see the difference in your articles is to use Scribe SEO. Yes, you have to pay for this service but it really is worth your while. Why? Scribe SEO analyses the different SEO factors in any post. It works as an editor that goes over your article and points out what is missing or overused. Scribe SEO will give your post the once over (something you should be doing anyway) and point out any SEO factors so you know exactly what to expect from your posting.

It is completely possible to write an informative or opinion based piece of writing that is also keyword enriched. Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.

We are all a little guilty of over-using social networking sites. When this is for pleasure, there is no real harm. After all, you are not really hurting anyone if you are chatting on Facebook rather than cooking dinner (except your stomach perhaps). However, when using Facebook for professional purposes, you could end up destroying your business by relying too much on Facebook and not enough on other marketing tools.

Facebook Fever

While there is no denying that Facebook is a hot marketing tool right now, there is still a lot of danger in putting too much effort into making Facebook the center of your marketing campaign. Facebook is easy to use and it seems like almost everyone and their dog have a page now. This means you can reach a wider audience with one simple marketing tool. Furthermore, Facebook is actually fun and addictive to use. Even so, it is important to spread out and see what’s out there. Relying too heavily on Facebook could result in complications and controversy down the road.

Facebook should most certainly be used in your marketing strategies; however, it should be the only thing that you focus on. Why? Because, essentially, you are giving control of your business to someone else. When you allow your pages to be re-directed to another site, such as Facebook, you are giving the power to another Web 2.0 company. You are under their control, their guidance, their regulations and their terms of service. This means that if Facebook suddenly closes its cyber doors, you are left with nothing.

Facebook is getting bigger and bigger by the day. However, eventually, it will all come crashing down. There are already a number of rumors suggesting that Facebook will shut down, that people will need to pay for its services and that Facebook will be governed more strictly. Furthermore, Facebook could soon be competing directly with Google which could not end well for Facebook. In fact, you may have heard about the recent de-activation of several high profile Google engineers Facebook account. This was no accident. Both Google and Facebook want to rule the World Wide Web, and, unfortunately, this is one war that Facebook cannot win.

Stepping outside the Facebook Circle

Instead of putting all your marketing efforts into Facebook, it is a good idea to take a number of publishing paths and tailor your content to a few different websites. That way, if Facebook does take a turn for the worse, you still have a number of other marketing tools to fall back on. The reality is you cannot control the fate of Facebook so don’t let Facebook control the fate of your business.

Interested in establishing your web presence outside of your Facebook page? Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.

Any website, regardless of the content and the purpose, can benefit from backlinks. Backlinks are found on other websites that link back to your site. With a backlink you are reaching a greater audience and ensuring a better search engine ranking. But this does not mean you need to resort to link begging to find those ever-elusive backlinks.

What is Link Begging?

First of all, let’s define link begging. Link begging is the process of identifying link prospects, usually through competitor backlink analysis, and then contacting each one of those sites and begging for a link. Not only is this needy practice time consuming but it usually only ends in failure. Instead of tarnishing your personal and professional reputation by resorting to link begging, try the following methods to build up your networks and find worthwhile linking partners.

It all begins with good content. You’ve most likely heard it a dozen times already but this is only because it’s true – good content sells. Good content makes friends. Good content brings in excellent backlinks. Once you have established your web site, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty.

Link Building Strategies

The first thing you need to do is research. Make a list of the best blog posts, articles, PDF’s, videos, discussion threads, forums, twitter feeds, Facebook accounts, news sites, conferences and any other social networking sites that are in your niche. Organize them into different groups that will work with your niche. Once you have made the list, you need to sit down and compose a number of emails to the owners of these sites. Explain your site and ask them if they think it’s a good idea to share the audience.

Next, once you start getting responses, ask your prospects to participate in a group interview which will contain several group interview questions. After you get the answers back, reach out to the participants to let them know their interview is live. It’s a good idea to ask them to mention it to their readers and Twitter followers as well. You can also do solo interviews with prospective linkers. If you are attempting the solo interview, make sure that you’re asking new questions that probe into genuine areas of passion for your experts. Do not create a universal interview sheet and expect excellent results. You need to put a lot of attention and care into every single interview.

The main thing to remember when it comes to link building is that you need to form a relationship with your linkers. It is all about networking and finding personal connections with other sites that will benefit everyone in the end. There is no need to resort to link begging – there are a number of creative ways to find links without tarnishing your name.

Want to learn more about the process of link building? Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.

SEO’s are a dime a dozen these days and, like car salesman and mechanics, it can be hard to know who to trust and who to stay away from. Which SEO’s are promising the world and actually coming up with something and which are guaranteeing you results with nothing to show for it? When you are looking for a SEO, consider the following five questions that can help you decipher the SEO slime balls from the SEO successors.

1) Does your SEO guarantee results – if so, then you might be let down. No matter how skilled a SEO is, it is impossible to 100 percent guarantee something. If a SEO has promised you a certain amount of visitors or a certain amount of money in a time frame, then be weary. Look for a SEO who explains exactly what he is able to do and what his track record has been in the past. Look for a SEO who is willing to set expectations and work within your goals rather than promising the world. In the end, you will only be disappointed.

2) Does your SEO educate you on the process or leave you in the dark? You may not want an eight-week lesson on search engine optimization but it is always a good idea to be informed on how things are going and what is happening. Look for a SEO who is willing to educate you and demonstrate his level of competence in the subject.

3) Is your SEO constantly updating the process? This is a good thing. It may seem like your SEO is a little scatterbrained but the truth of the matter is, the world of search engine algorithms are constantly changing which means a good SEO has to adapt with these changes. Look for a SEO is that up to date on the recent trends and is willing to be flexible with his plans. If your SEO admits that he is not familiar with something in the field, do not automatically fire him. The important thing is that he is willing to learn and push the limits to get results.

4) Does your SEO have references? Make sure you ask for them. The best way to determine if a SEO is worth your business is what his previous clients have thought. Check websites, make phone calls and uncover the truth behind those promises.

5) Finally, does your provide you with a timeframe? The truth of the matter is, search engine optimization is not something you can simply do, forget about and still see results. You need to constantly tweak your design and stay current on the trends. Your SEO should explain what can be done within different time frames – five weeks, five months, five years, etc. so that you understand exactly what you can expect.

Our company have years of experience in SEO and web design. Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.

SEO is not something that you will learn overnight. Furthermore, you will not see the results of a successful web site right away. It will take time to see the results. However, below are some of the sure-fire ways to turn your website into a SEO success story:

URL Tips

Let’s start with your URL’s. Make sure they are correctly formatted and that they are actually about what your page is about.

For example: www.carsalesguide.com/article_344445_page_index/

is not as effective as

www.carsalesguide.com/all-about-insurance/

for letting the readers know what the article is all about.

You should also look into removing any stop words from your URL’s. These are words such as “I”, “it”, “the” and “what.” They are stop words because Google tends to completely ignore them. When it comes to choosing a URL, think simple.

Meta Descriptions , Page Titles and Headings

Moving on to your Meta descriptions, make sure you are writing concise and focused meta descriptions. This is the tag that goes in the head section of your webpage and relies information about the page that may not be in the title. Meta descriptions are still used by most search engines to describe the content of your page. Stick to concise and accurate meta descriptions for the search engine results.

When it comes to your Headings Tags, you want to follow the three golden rules: 1) don’t skip heading levels. 2) try to have the H1 heading be the first on your page. And 3) use the main keyword on your H1 heading.

You should also always optimize your page titles. What this means is that your important keywords always occur within the first 60 characters of your page title. Make your page titles fresh and interesting, taking into consideration the emotions of your readers.

Images and Sitemaps for Success

Two more things to consider – images and site mapping: When it comes to your page images, make sure you always use the Alt and Title attributes. Alt tages will describe the content of the image to the search engine so your image will actually be found during a search.

As for site mapping, make sure you have one. XML sitemaps are the best as they provide an easy way to inform search engines about new pages on your site and are fairly easy to construct.

Social Media and Backlinks

And finally, never underestimate the power of social media and backlinks. These are incredibly important for your page ranking. Write a blog, join Twitter (and tweet regularly), post comments on other relevant blogs and network your site out there.

One final note – your website is not just about SEO. The most important aspect of any site is the content. You need to ensure that what you are actually saying is worthwhile reading. Be fresh, informative and entertaining to attract a loyal following.

Want to learn more about the tricks and trades of SEO? Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.

Competitive analysis is an evaluation on your competition. This marketing tool is essential to success in any industry. By analyzing your indirect or direct competition you are able to get a clearer picture of what works and what doesn’t work. You can also avoid making the mistakes that your competition has made along the way.

One great thing about the widespread use of the World Wide Web is that you have direct access to your competitor’s information via their website. This creates a great opportunity for market analysis. It is important to identify your competition and what their strengths and weaknesses are. You can use their business ideas to your advantage by taking what they are doing and making it one step better. You may be able to find a unique selling proposition which your competition is not offering, thus giving you the advantage.

So how do you conduct a competitive analysis and find out what’s happening on the dark side? Below are ten great hints to help get you started:

1) Make use of Pay Per Click. Find out what your competitors are bidding on each search engine. If they are getting a good ROI, then perhaps it’s time to follow their lead.

2) Find out who your competition is working with – does he use outsourcing or partnerships with other websites to gain traffic? If so, consider doing the same.

3) Check out how your keywords are working in comparison to his. Use Google, Yahoo and other search engines to uncover who is ranking higher.

4) Check out Alexa, Compete and Ranking as well as other online tools to determine where your competition is ranking compared to your website. A little competition never hurt anyone – however, you can make it work to your advantage by always knowing where they stand.

5) Uncover how your competition is making money from the website by checking their revenue model.

6) Analyze your competitors PPC ads to determine if your PPC ads are doing you justice.

7) Check out their customer service by ordering a product or asking for their services. Be polite and see how your competition responds to a typical sales call.

Backlinks are critical to a web page’s ranking. Check out your competitors backlinks by using search engine analysis. You can look for any social media sites where they are getting their backlinks.

9) Check out any associations or business organizations that your competition belongs to. Associations can build up relationships and offer a validation on your credentials.

10) Find out if your competition is offering free mailing or newsletter subscriptions to members. This can be an effective marketing tool for the right niche.

Competitive analysis is only one of the many tools needed to discover your business strength and weaknesses and improve your ranking online. Contact us today for more information on how we can improve your business or create your company a web presence that will dominate the search engines and deliver results. Call today at (612) 558-1020 for a free phone consultation.