Types of Search Engine Marketing - Part II

Why Social Media Business Pages Matter

Published on October 19, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

This article is Part II in a series on the Types of Search Engine Marketing. This series will continue until the end of 2012, and will cover the different types and aspects of search engine marketing techniques and services.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media used to be considered the fluffiest form of search engine marketing. Almost every business we know stated at one time or another, "our customers are not on there". This position considers only the potential for a lead or direct sale. What was missing is the realization that social media marketing builds brand recognition and loyalty, can directly impact SEO, and it DOES generate leads!

In 2012, social media signals became a key element of Google's search engine algorithm. Social media is also a signature part of strategic inbound marketing services. Any business who clings to the notion that social media is not important is making a big mistake in their marketing efforts.

Social Media Business Pages

It is a fact that your business needs to establish social media business pages. Your company should have a social media presence that includes well structured business pages with graphics, complete profiles and links, and maintained with fresh content.

At a minimum, your company need social media business pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Other social media sites and pages may be useful, and should be selected based on your type of business and customer profile. Sites like Pinterest, Foursquare, and social bookmarking sites are worth considering. The amount of time to create each business page and provide all important information probably averages about one hour. When available this business page setup should include the creation of custom profile images and page main images.

Social Media and Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing intertwines social media marketing, SEO and content marketing to drive traffic, generate leads and build branding. The role of social media is to allow a business to interact with potential customers in a non-sales fashion, present user friendly information and position the product or service for first-in-mind consideration.

Social media is how to build brand recognition, and serves as a nice channel to distribute links to articles, mention promotions and specials and educate consumers. Adding social media icons and links to your website is a strategic online marketing tactic.

Social Media and Your Website

Because social signals are part of Google's algorithm you need to link your website and your social media pages. Additionally you need to utilize content and calls to action (CTA) that drive traffic between these sites.

To learn more about why social media business pages matter you can visit our website or do some Google searches for social media and inbound marketing.

SEO Trends Continue To Drive Professionalism

2013 SEO Best Practices Will Be Better Than Ever

Published on October 10, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

The 2012 algorithm changes have proven to be very effective in driving SEO best practices to more professinal levels. As we move into 2013 it is safe to say that effective SEO results will be the result of refined and more professional practices than ever before.

SEO 2012 vs SEO 2013

At the beginning of 2012 there was a plethora of websites that continued to hold high organic rankings that were achieved with spammy and black-hat techniques. By the end of the first quarter of 2012 Google implemented algorithm changes that forever obliterated vast areas of black-hat SEO. As Google continues to make algorithm changes it is important to rethink and rebuild your SEO structure.

2012 Google Algorithm Changes

In 2012 Google launched an initiative to improve search engine results pages by knocking out sites that have used black-hat SEO techniques. The 2012 algorithm changes included the bombshells known as Panda an Penguin, the DMCA penalty, link warnings and a number of lesser algorithm adjustments. These changes penalized sites that were deemd to be specifically involved in buying links, using link wheels, using plagiarized copy or content, and having low quality site content.

Transitioning To Better SEO

Sites that experienced profound ranking losses during 2012 will require significant hours to amend algorithm based problems and resolve manual actions taken by Google. For other sites, even those not affected by the 2012 changes, it is a good idea to make certain modifications as SEO preventative maintenance.

Changes we recommend are eliminating site-wide links, removing pages with low quality content, use htaccess 301 redirects for dead pages, create unique titles and descriptions for each page, minimize the number of outbound links, modify text content to avoid any signs of keyword stuffing, and update your XML sitemap. Pay attention to your link velocity, anchor text and diversity of domain sources.

Additional SEO tips are creating social media business pages and linking to them from your website, include some video content, and avoid using any "miracle SEO services". Certainly you should terminate any and all relationships with black-hat SEO people, and not use article spinning software or buy backlinks.

Vetting Your SEO Provider

To protect your site from algorithm driven ranking losses we recommend vetting your SEO provider. It is absolutely critical to know that your SEO company has a sound understanding of current best SEO practices, and knows how to make the changes that will keep your site in a competitive position. In all fairness, if your site has been negatively affected it may not be the fault of a prior SEO provider and not your current SEO provider. In this case, what matters is having an SEO company that can accurately assess the root causes and is capable of making the necessary corrective actions.

Branding Beats Spam

Google appreciates fair and legitimate marketing that builds branding and serves to inform potential customers. Spammy e-marketing techniques are the pathway to failure. Build your brand reputation with high quality content that informs buyers on features, benefits and factual data. Keep the sales pitch to a minumum.

As Google continues to improve their algorithms you will see significant improvements within the SEO industry. The poor SEO people may remain able to make a good sales pitch but their inability to achieve first page rankings for their clients will set them apart from the true SEO professionals.