David Wallace is CEO and founder of SearchRank, an original search engine optimization and marketing firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is experienced in search engine optimization and marketing, pay per click and pay for inclusion management, directory submissions and web site design usability. David is a frequent contributor to various search engine related forums, an active editor of popular directories such as GoGuides.org, Joe Ant and Zeal and has had several articles published on industry related sites. Since 1997, David along with his company have helped hundreds of businesses both large and small increase their search engine visibility and customer acquisitions.
While plug-ins for the WordPress blogging platform are in abundant supply, I try not to depend on too many of them due to the fact that I don't want to have to worry about them breaking every time a new version of WordPress is released. That being said, there are four plug-ins as well as one adjustment (or hack) to the post template itself that I feel are essential in order to have a great WordPress experience. ...
If you've ever tried to find the spare toilet paper in someone else's bathroom, you've experienced a usability issue. Just like the owner of that bathroom, we sometimes get so used to our own sites, we can't see what needs to be fixed. In this workshop, Matt Bailey, Founder of Site Logic Marketing will walk you through common problems that can make your site a hassle for visitors to use. Find out how even the smallest change can make a dramatic impact on your site's conversion rates....
The days of flipping through a big fat yellow book to find a local business are quickly coming to a close. After all, why settle for a simple phone number when an online search can also net you menus, pricing, hours and consumer reviews? In this workshop, Matt McGee, SEO Manager at Marchex will walk attendees through the most popular local search engines and will show you the best ways to leverage them to promote your business online....
Need links? Of course you do! In order to rank well and successfully promote your online business, you need an effective link building program as part of your over-all SEO strategy. Link guru Debra O'Neil Mastaler, Owner of Alliance Link walks attendees through the world of links. Find out why search engines rely so heavily on links, where to find links and why a good link can send sales through the roof....
While pay per click advertising can be a quick and easy way to drive traffic to your web site, it can also be a quick and easy way to drain your bank account. Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance reveals how to get the most bang for your buck from each of the major paid search engines by choosing the right keywords, writing relevant ads and optimizing your landing pages. She will share the simple tweaks you can make to dramatically cut your average cost per click while increasing your sales so you have the best chance against companies with much...
There's no doubt the best endorsements come from happy and loyal customers. So what if there was a way to build a community around your web site? A community that helped keep your content fresh, your ideas flowing and the links 'a coming. Turns out, there is. Find out the best ways to build up a loyal readership and how to get your visitors more involved from the queen of community herself, Wendy Piersall, Founder of Sparkplugging.com....
The Dallas Business Journal recently ran a story on one of our clients, Wasp Barcode Technologies, describing how they went from spending enormous amounts of money on PPC to focusing more on traditional SEO and link building. The strategy paid off -- Wasp spent less and got better results. These are the kind of results every small to medium sized business would like to enjoy....
Once upon a time directories provided value to webmasters who were either looking to get new sites indexed or increase their site's link popularity or both. Now I am seeing a trend where directories are not as helpful in these two areas as they once were. Add to that the rising costs of submission fees and it is easy to see why the small business owner should approach directory submissions very carefully....
IncrediMail, an Israeli based a company that develops software to customize e-mails, has provided business owners an incredible lesson as to why you should not place all your eggs in one basket. Last week, they discovered that their Google AdSense privileges had been banned. This resulted in their stock dropping over 45% to a new year low. While IncrediMail does claim to generate revenue by selling software products, offering subscriptions to their content database, and by selling paid advertising on their Web site and e-mail client, they did admit that search revenues powered by Google's AdSense program made a significant...
There are times where it can be difficult for small business to compete in the paid search environment. As the cost of targeting keywords on venues such as Google AdWords continues to increase, many small businesses are finding it difficult to keep pace. They either have to accept the fact that they can afford only a very small slice of the pie or abandon paid search marketing altogether....
I recently wrote a piece demonstrating how companies can use social media and networking sites to help control their online reputations. I want to take this a step further and describe some of the benefits social media sites are providing for small to medium sized businesses (SMBs). Some of the most popular sites include Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, and YouTube however, it does not stop there as the list of sites is nearly an endless with new ones coming on board all the time. Even eBay and Netflix have jumped on the social bandwagon, allowing users to create social media profiles...
I just survived another garage sale that my wife, Irma, has put on. That's three in the last six years. While I absolutely hate them, I do enjoy the end result which is some cash in her pocket (or purse) and a house that is less cluttered. During this one (which I hope is out last), I started to think how a successful garage sale is a lot like a successful search marketing effort. Likewise a garage sale that performs poorly can be compared to a search marketing effort that delivers a poor ROI....
Search marketing has become an expensive endeavor. This is especially true if you are in any kind of a competitive industry. Good search engine optimization can be pricey (we charge $200 an hour). As pay per click advertising continues to attract more and more advertisers, the cost of bidding on keywords will continue to rise as well. Most web directories and other web site listing services now charge for inclusion where it used to be free. The list goes on and on. So how does a company with practically no budget compete in an online world?
Google has made some recent changes to its AdSense policy that has web publishers concerned. While some changes are minor - their referral program, using images next to ad units, AdSense for search, and copyright material - the item that has publishers concerned has to do with their Competitive Ads and Services Policy. Namely Google is trying to keep ads, whether competing contextual or not, from mimicking their own layout and style so as to not create confusion. This may have many web publishers making changes to their sites to keep from violating AdSense terms and conditions....
Matt Bailey from SiteLogic has compared the process of making sales to SEO in a post entitled "10 Ways That SEO (Website Marketing) is Like Sales." He explains that his sales experience has shaped his philosophy of SEO and website marketing. It is definitely worth a read. read on for a few excerpts as well as link to entire post....
There are some of those in the field of SEO that refuse to disclose their methods and processes to clients. Should SEOs keep their procedures and strategies secret from clients? Should their clients sit patiently by, waiting for the end results and not be concerned about the process that gets them there?...
I have seen it happen time and time again. The decision is made to redesign the company web site. However, in the process regard for search engine visibility is not included in the overall plan. The new site is launched and everyone waits for the traffic to pour in but for some reason it doesn't. In fact, traffic declines. Sales drop. The CEO is demanding answers. What happened and who's fault is it?...
I admit it. I am a WebmasterRadio junkie. Not only do I listen to many of the live shows that they do on a weekly basis, I also find myself listening to archived shows as well. I absolutely love it. It allows me to not only keep abreast of the latest happenings in my industry very quickly, it also allows me to hear the audible voices of many folks that I already know online or have met in real life. If you frequent any of the popular search marketing forums or blogs or have attended conferences such as Search Engine...
I have been following an interesting thread over at Search Engine Watch Forums entitled "Do Designers Hate SEO?" where forum member "glengara" began with the question of whether all-Flash sites should be used in the commercial web space. It is certainly an interesting topic and one that has been hotly debated time and time again. The SEO argues for an "optimized" site that search engines can comprehend while the web designer argues for artistic liberty and creativity....
There are times when a web site has indeed come under some kind of penalty or has been completely removed from a search index for one reason or another. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid such penalties as well as ways to redeem yourself if you have experienced this misfortune....
While these are still essentials of SEM, marketing one's site via the search engines is a much more involved process these days....
I firmly believe that directories can be foundational for building link popularity and a very important reason why a web site owner should make sure they are included in them. It is a step in your marketing that you can easily control....
Now that we have come to the conclusion that this sandbox, aging filter or whatever you want to call it, actually seems to exist, what can one do that has been affected by it?...
Many are under the impression that one has to sacrifice the end user if they are to please the search engine. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the end user that you want to attract and as a result, covert to a customer. Therefore you should always design and market your site with the end user in mind....
As a company looking to hire a SEO firm to improve your web site visibility in the search engines, as well as increase traffic and conversions, what positives do you look for? What negatives do you need to watch out for? We will explore some of the major issues related to this question....
Gimpsy is a different kind of directory, listing only sites that provide online activity or help you accomplish a specific task. Gimpsy founder, Mordechai Chachamu explains why....
So what is the difference between a doorway page and an advertising page? Only the way they are spelled. It is still a spam technique. It doesn't work. If by chance it does, it won't for the long term. The one thing this strategy is successful at is to keep engineers at search engines employed discovering ways they can combat them. It is also successful in that it makes for an easy sale to an unsuspecting victim because it sounds like Black Hat SEO has an advantage that others don't....
With the current rise of pay per click advertising services such as Overture, Google AdWords and many others, professional search engine optimization companies are having to deal more and more with the issue of why their clients should spend money on traditional SEO when they can simply "buy their way to the top."...
To your horror you discover that a client has completely redesigned their web site and in the process, removed all of the optimization you developed. All your work has been flushed right down the drain! Does this really happen? Will a company hire a SEO firm, spend thousands of dollars to optimize their site for better positioning and then sabotage themselves? You bet it does, unfortunately all the time....
It is well worth the money you will spend as well as the peace of mind knowing that someone else is worrying about your rankings for you. A good SEO company will actually not cost you anything in the long run because it will amount to increased exposure and increased traffic which in turn will bring increase revenues.
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 David Wallace is CEO and founder of SearchRank, an original search engine optimization and marketing firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is experienced in search engine optimization and marketing, pay per click and pay for inclusion management, directory submissions and web site design usability. David is a frequent contributor to various search engine related forums, an active editor of popular directories such as GoGuides.org, Joe Ant and Zeal and has had several articles published on industry related sites. Since 1997, David along with his company have helped hundreds of businesses both large and small increase their search engine visibility and customer acquisitions. |
Video blogger Sage Lewis keeps you up to date with what's hot in the world of search engine marketing.
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