Those of you who read this blog regularly know that we like to talk about the importance of keywords when it comes to Southern California search engine optimization . These are the words that internet users can type in to find your business and pages on your website that mention certain products and services.

Well, if you can believe it, negative keyword really do exist. And no, this does not mean that you should use unflattering descriptions of your business and products as a way to improve Orange County search engine positioning.

Instead, negative keywords are sort of like photo negatives: they show a different view of the same picture. By including negative keywords in your pay per click ad program, you are actually making sure that those who really want to find you on the internet can do so. With some of your more general keywords, your business can show up in all kinds of searches and although you want to get your name out in front of many pairs of eyeballs you want it to be the right pairs.

If someone who is not looking for you clicks on your ad, you will pay even though that person has no intention of ever patronizing your business. When that happens over and over again, your pay per click ad campaign costs more without yielding you the results you really want. You want the attention of qualified leads.

Here’s is a very simplified example of how it works:

If one of your company’s keywords is “photo” and you are appearing in searches where people type in “photo key ring” and you do not sell products like key rings but do high end photo refinishing, you could make the phrase “key ring” one of your negative keywords.

But before you can get into negative keywords, you first need to be aware of your regular keywords. If you’re not contact Increase Visibility  so we can assist you with a keyword analysis.

Years ago, I worked in an industry that had a hard-to-define product. Well, perhaps the product was not hard-to-define, but public reaction to it could be unpredictable. For that reason, people in this industry took an intuitive approach to marketing, using instinct to guide them rather than cold, hard facts. Once, I even had a boss tell me that it was like “throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.”

Today, this industry is in trouble. I’m sure it will survive, but there is no doubt that things will have to change in order for it to thrive. I will also add that this notion of “seeing what sticks” pre-dated serious internet use, so that it was not possible to use to web to learn consumer habits the way it is now.

As much as we are in favor of “doing what comes naturally” and “going with the flow,” you should know that improving your search engine optimization in an organic way does involve some analysis of data and an examination of website usage.

When it comes to your website and web traffic, there is no need to play guessing games. You do not have to keep throwing up new things to see if they work. We can help you look at your site usage to determine how people are using your site, which pages are “sticky” (keep internet users interest for the longest periods of time), and the most popular keywords that people use to find your site.

Once you get an analysis with a breakdown of the terms people are using to search for products or services, we can help your organize your site in a way that goes with and not against the natural tendencies of your customers. You will also see the average amount of times each month those terms are searched on so we can determine which terms will provide the most traffic and this highest ROI.

When you employ Increase Visibility, you will see the enormous benefits of becoming highly ranked for your industries specific search terms. Some of these benefits include: higher sales volume, better brand recognition and increased market share. Increase Visibility excels in providing SEO services and our clients include many Fortune 1000 companies.

Call us today at 877-SEO ADVICE (877-736-2384) to learn more about our SEO plans.

Trust Factor

People tend to put more faith in organic search results than in paid or sponsored results. This does not mean that sponsored results do not get attention, however. What it is does mean is that although a search engine is not a trusted friend, people treat it as if it were. Web users rely on search engines to work as a virtual grapevine that sifts through the plethora of available information to let them know what really matters most.

You ask your friends to recommend service providers because you trust their judgment. You figure that they won’t steer you wrong because if they had a good experience then you will too. It is the same with organic search results. Unlike paid advertisements, organic search results let someone else sing your praises. This is why web users like to relay on organic searches to present them with the options that seem most legitimate. The algorithms behind search engine results are complicated, but in part they do reflect website options that were preferable to large numbers of internet users,

Trust Translates into Transactions

Even if a consumer does not immediately go to your website and buy a product or sign up for a service the first time that your organization appears after they conduct an online search, this does not mean that they will not do so.

It is important to continue to optimize your web presence because you will see the difference over time. When you use targeted keywords, you should find that organic searches translate into sales.  Increase Visibility can provide an insightful analysis of your website to help you narrow down exactly what are the most relevant keywords for your business.

However, it does take effort on your part to get noticed by the people and search engines that can publicize your brand, product and message. You may be absolutely wonderful, but if no one knows this, then it does you little good.

And this is where Increase Visibility comes into the picture. Let Increase Visibility assist you in getting your name out there by optimizing your web presence and helping to increase link popularity. We can make sure that search engines know that you are there and that you want to help people who type in searches on specific topics that relate to your business.

On Monday, we discussed how the word “blog” was derived from nautical terminology. Blog came from “web log” which in turn came from log, a record that a ship’s captain kept about the ship’s dealings at sea.

Another term with nautical roots that has great significance for organic search placement is anchor text. When it comes to making your website more and more visible, you need to make sure that your website is making good use of anchor text. Good content can do a lot for you, but not if no one can find you.

Words, phrases, and even sentences that appear underlined and often highlighted in a different color on a website are anchor text. Just as an anchor was very necessary to keep a ship from drifting, anchor text is a key element in keeping search engines from drifting past your website in favor of the competition. When you connect certain words to the URLs for pages in your website, you are anchoring those words. A search engine will notice that your website has been pinned down to these words and will inform internet users that your website has some connection to the words you chose.

With that in mind, it is very important to choose anchor text wisely. There was a time when websites all over the internet, simply connected a hyperlink to the words “Click here.” After all, we have been told to use verbs and suggest action to customer, right?

Well, the days of using “click here” as effective anchor words are over. This tells search engines that your business is related to “click” and “here.” Unless those two words represent your key products and services, you do not want to use them. An internet user is very unlikely to type in those two words to find your business.

What you want to do is choose anchor text that highlights the kinds of words and phrases that your customers will use when they are looking for your business online. Increase Visibility can help you determine proper keyword terms to promote for organic listings. You may think that you know how potential customers are looking for you, but it is entirely possible that they are using search terms that you never even considered. Our SEO plans include expert keyword analysis. Once, Increased Visibility zeroes  in on the search terms that people use to find you, we can help you optimize your website to that these keywords are being used effectively on your website.