Since everyone knows that Google is king when it comes to SEO , there are companies out there that like to prey on the fact. Some of them may contact you because they want you to know that they are a search engine optimization firm that that is Google-approved. They may even direct you to a page that supposedly lists companies that have received some special approval from Google.

We can tell you that Google “approves” of almost everyone in the sense that they will allow all of us to use their search engine. Google will also not try to keep you from doing all that you can to improve Orange County SEO. What Google does not do, however is grant some search engine optimization firms special status.

 This does not mean that there are not SEO consultants that can offer you expert help; we simply do not want you to be fooled.

Increase Visibility is a California search engine optimization company that has been recognized repeatedly for its work in helping its clients boost SEO and promote their businesses online. Earlier this year, in January, Increase Visibility made the list for best online marketing firms of 2010 and was given the site’s Silver Award.

Some reviews sites functions as a third-party review site that gives users background information, comparative analysis and client reviews, ultimately is geared to help visitors decide which company or service to choose from in the marketplace.

Not only has Increased Visibility received numerous industry awards, it also can count on endorsements for satisfied customers. Visit our Testimonials  page to see that we have a variety of clients and that the are happy to attest to the dedication of our talented staff. If you are looking for  affordable search engine optimization  and beyond, contact us.

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.

Earlier this week, we gave some advice to those of you who have followed our recommendation that you start a blog to improve Southern California SEO . Once you have started the blog, you have to put in a little work to make it an interactive forum. Engaging your customers and the general public (some of whom you may be able to convert into customers) is a great way to increase your online visibility.

Check keywords: Make certain that your blog posts include relevant keywords so people who are looking for information on a topic that relates to you can find you. (If you need help indentifying keywords, you can request the Orange County SEO  services of Increase Visibility.

Be responsive: If readers see that no one from your organization has responded to existing comments, they may not get the feeling that you are interested in dialogue. When readers see that they can engage you through your blog, they will be more likely to comment.

Assume readers are taking your advice: This is the best scenario. If your posts direct people to take action, they may be doing just that. People may finish reading your blog posts and get to it. It is hard to know if that is the case, unless you are talking to your customers in different forums and in real life. You can take the advice mentioned above and ask readers to return and share results once they’ve followed your advice/bought your produce.  Or you can write a post where you ask readers directly what happened if they followed your counsel in certain situations.

There are any number of reasons that your blog is not getting tons of comments—some of theses factors may be out of your control. Check your blog’s statistics and make certain that pages are being viewed.  If that is the case, then consider your blog to be just one of many ways that you can communicate with your customers and the public.

The little things really do make a big difference and when it comes to getting better SEO (search engine optimization) in Orange County, you will find that paying attention to the tiniest details can really add up.

We have mentioned before the importance of keywords. And that if you do not know the kind of keywords an internet user would use to try to find your website, the Orange County SEO consultants at Increase Visibility can help you figure this out. We offer affordable search engine optimization in Orange County and beyond, starting with our free website analysis.

Beyond keywords, they are all kinds of other little ways to connect with customers that may slip through the cracks if you are not careful. Here are a couple of examples:

Acronyms
Yes, they are confusing, can change from industry to industry and are not always helpful when they appear in certain documents…but they can make a difference in Orange County search engine positioning. Why? Internet users use acronyms all they time, even though many keyword tools do not. Does this mean that you should replace all phrases with commonly used acronyms? Certainly not. What you can do is mix it up or find a way to include the acronyms as well as the complete phrase so that you can reap the SEO benefits and attract more business.

Single vs. Plural
Since we spend a lot of time contemplating SEO and best practices, we have tried typing in certain items as singular and plural to see if the results change. We can assure you that your potential customers probably will not do this–and that is okay. It is up to you to find ways to make sure your online content refers to your products in singular and plural formats so that you can reach as many customers as possible.

On Tuesday, we talked about how sometimes you can find yourself disappointed with the results of an advertising campaign (If Advertising Hasn’t Worked, Try SEO). The rise of our internet culture put the power of choice into consumers’ hands. Really, the choice to buy or not to buy always rested with consumers, but some companies mistakenly believed that they could lead or sway consumers by blanketing the world with advertising.

The fragmentation of the media means that people are not watching one of three news channels during dinner at 6pm or deciding between a few major magazines. Now, everybody is looking for messages and products that are tailored specifically for them. And although it sounds chaotic, this is actually a good thing. Your next paying customer is not expecting you to knock on his or her door. They are actively seeking you. It is up to you to make sure that this person can find you.

People still tend to go with the recommendations of friends, relatives and sometimes even strangers. While search engines are not something people would call “a trusted friend,” they still pay a lot of attention to what search engines have to say about the companies in a certain field. A search engine basically makes recommendations based on the information that it has gathered after combing the internet. It takes the search terms that internet users type in and compares them to what it has found on various websites, looking for the closest match. Search engines also take into account how many other internet users have looked at various sites too. While this is a very simple breakdown of what search engines do, you can see how they act to recommend websites and why you need to get their attention.

Increase Visibility can analyze your website to see if you are using the kind of keywords that will lead eager customers to your site through the various search engines. If you are the best in the world, but they cannot find you, this does you no good. You want to make sure that customers can find you based on common themes.

At Increase Visibility we work to get you in place to be seen by those searching eyes. And to reach those human eyes, you first have to get the attention of search engines. We will determine the keywords that will get you noticed, implement these keywords as part of an SEO plan and report back to you with the results.

It is a new year and times are tough. Although you are likely looking at ways to trim costs, now is not the time to slash your marketing budget in the hopes that this will be a cost effective way to keep your business going.

If anything, now is the time to put even more resources towards marketing. When you stop marketing, you lose the momentum that keeps your business going. Yes, maybe some of your loyal customers are cutting back. That is okay because you can continue to market to them so that they will think of you when they are ready to spend. You need to visible reminders so that they do not forget you. This would be necessary even in a great economy and it is even more important when things are not so great. Your loyal customers can still act as ambassadors for your company, telling others about your products and services, even when they are making fewer purchases.

You also need to attract new customers. Someone out there is looking for your company: maybe they’ve had a bad experience and are looking to make a switch or maybe they are interested in trying your product for the first time. But how can they find you if you are nowhere to be seen?

This is where Increased Visibility comes in to the picture. While you handle running your business, we can handle your internet marketing plan. First we will analyze your current marketing efforts and learn about your company. Then we will sit down with you and craft a marketing plan that is tailor-made for you and your industry.

If you want to see evidence and like to get referrals, take a look at the Case Studies on our website. Some of the companies you will read about were not doing too bad, but we help to put them over the top as far as expanding their reach. Then you’ll find other companies who were not doing so well, like the organization with less than 100 page views per month–we helped them to get page views and inbound links in the thousands.

When it comes to attracting customers, it is a numbers game. You will not get everyone to get on board, but making sure that you maximize your web presence can make all the difference when it comes to profit. Let Increase Visibility assist you in making sure that more people are aware of your products and services.

Surely you have heard someone say that they wish they could clone themselves in order to do all that they need to do. In the 21st century, you really do need to be in more than one place at a time and accomplishing this is possible in the virtual world, although it is not possible in the physical world (at least not yet).

Perhaps you have already set down your goals for next year and these goals include ramping up your marketing efforts. Even as you wrote them down, you probably knew in the back of your mind that your goals were lofty. You probably wondered how you were going to get some of this done with all of the other things you have to do. Did you include “get more help” or “delegate certain tasks” as one of your goals? If not, it is not too late to include that in your plans.

The great thing about hiring a firm such as Increase Visibility to assist you with SEO and your efforts to improve organic search placement is that you really can be in several places at once. The real you can take care of the day-to-day tasks that are a part of running your business, while the virtual you can be active in various online communities and showing up in the places where you need to be to reach your current and potential customers.

You can work on your own behalf, even while you are sleeping, taking a well-deserved vacation or chatting with a client by participating in:

-Facebook
-Twitter
-Digg
-StumbleUpon
-LinkedIn
-MySpace
-YouTube

In addition to this, you can also create promotional videos that you can put on your website and promote in the avenues mentioned above.

Although you may want to choose a certain aspect of your online marketing campaign that you want to maintain personally, Increase Visibility is there to help with the rest. We are also here to offer advice on just how to shape your online presence.

Professional search engine placement will help you gain more national and international exposure, generate “hot” leads, and ensure that your marketing campaign is effective and brings the return on investment that you seek.

On Monday we talked about how SEO and organic search placement can be compared to two different decision-making processes: one where a person makes a quick decision using instincts and one where someone takes their time to talk over the advantages and disadvantages of the choices at hand. When it comes to deciding how a website ranks in search results, search engines use a more than a few criteria (in fact Google looks at more than 150!).

Well, although Google uses a sizable number of criteria, it does not take forever to come to its conclusions. This is why you need the assistance of a firm like Increase Visibility, so that your website marketing program has all the correct components in place when Google stops by to check you out. You definitely want to be prepared. Search engines do check often…at first. But if it seems like your site has little new material to offer, they will space out their visits more and more until your website becomes an afterthought and you do not want this to happen.

Many of your customers may also make rather instantaneous decisions. Whether they see you in search engine rankings or see your company name in a list of press releases, they probably will not spend all day deciding which link to click to continue their online journey.

Again, you need to be primed and ready. You need to make certain that the prose they see is crisp and clean. You also need to have already worked on name recognition through your online marketing efforts. We all go for what is familiar–even when we do not realize that it is familiar. Returning customers know you already. However, the newer customers whose attention you want to grab may not be acquainted with you just yet, but if your name has been floating around the web on blogs, directories and social networking sites, they will click on a link leading to you because your name is familiar.

Let Increase Visibility help you make sure that your name is front and center in people’s minds when they think about your industry. One of our SEO marketing plans can put you at the top. With our Bundle 3 Plan, we will help you broaden your customer base with blog commenting, article marketing, video marketing, podcast marketing and social bookmarking—just to name a few of the services that we provide.

When you make a decision to choose one thing over another–be it a burger over a chicken sandwich or a blue sweater over a green, you are probably unaware of just how complex this transaction really is. Well, if you take a while to make decisions and spend time talking it out and going over the pros and cons for each option, then you might be aware of some of the complexities.

However, if you are the type of person who just picks something quickly based on instinct, then you may not really be aware of all that goes into choosing one item over another.

Ok, so how does all of this apply to organic search placement and search engine optimization, you ask? Which scenario–the instant decision or the talking-it-out decision–be compared to SEO?

 Well, the answer is that both scenarios can be applied to SEO. And here is how:

A Large Number of Factors Go Into Search Engine Placement

Did you know that Google uses more than 150 different criteria as they try to figure out where your website should  fall in search results? This means that like the person who talks over every aspect of a decision, Google has a lot on its mind when it is selecting which websites will rise to the top and which will sink to the bottom. And of course Google is not forthcoming about sharing exactly what these criteria are or how they may change. They are not going to reveal their recipe and have everyone else cooking up a monster search engine.

Increase Visibility Can Help

This should not scare you, however. It simply means that trying to get into the mysterious mind of Google is not a job you should tackle on your own.  Increase Visibility specializes in search engine optimization, but cannot promise to have all of the answers,  Be very wary of anyone who tells you that they have cracked the code and that they know all the secrets of the various search engines.

 Here at Increase Visibility we do not claim that we know every, single aspect of just how a search engine makes its selections, but our staff does have  long and solid relationships with many search properties  and we will put this to will put to work on your behalf. The search engine industry is constantly changing and with our continual vigilance in studying the latest trends, we can provide you with a competitive advantage.

Call us today at 877 SEO ADVICE, 877 736 2384 or email us at info@IncreaseVisibility.com with questions.

And check back on Wednesday for more on this topic.

On Monday, we talked about how entering the world of Twitter without a little guidance can be like jumping into the pool without your water wings. Twitter does not have to become overwhelming and over time you may find that it is actually very helpful.

Twitter poses the question “What are you doing?” and then limits you to 140 characters in which to provide the answer.

 Business works on connections and if you are genuine, people will be drawn to you. Ask to follow people and give them permission to follow you, if you think it will be beneficial. Aim to post often enough, but not too often. It will take a little time before you find your comfort level. Obviously, a post every 5 minutes is too much, yet posting once a month means you won’t gain a lot of momentum.

 But be warned: If you are using Twitter for business, it is not a confessional. You probably would not always tell a client exactly what you are doing over the phone or in an e-mail. Keep that in mind while you are using Twitter.

Last week I went to a networking event where a woman noted that some people seem rather whiny in their Twitter posts. Think about the sum total of your posts and put your best foot forward. You can be human and admit a bit of frustration, but if you use Twitter to vent constantly, people will be turned off.

 Instead, use your Twitter account as a way to publicize your new and existing products. Let people know about the new, exciting things you are doing. You can also use it to link your company to current events.

 While it is true that all of your customers may not flock to Twitter, know that the ones who do are people who like to stay on top of things. These are people who are likely to help spread word of mouth quickly to their contacts when they learn of something new. You want to harness the power of these connections to get the word about your products and services and grow your business.

 Since you may not reach all of your customers through Twitter, you still want to keep the other components of your web marketing plan going at full speed too, Increase Visibility can help you do this. We specialize in Search Engine Optimization, but we have a full menu of services to make sure you and your business get noticed.