On Tuesday, we looked at some of the changes that Google has recently made to its search options, included letting internet users pick from lists of which media they want to see and letting them decide just how far back in time they want to go. The ability to go as far back as one year (and probably further) means that what you do to optimize your web presence today can have an effect on how people perceive your organization in the future. When you build your web presence and work on improving your search engine ranking, you are helping to build an archive of relevant data about your operations and your field.

 
Google users are now also able to change just how they view the information they request in searches. They can choose:

 
Related Searches: This means that a Google user can get a several lists with searches that relate. Some people would tell you that you should just optimize for every possible thing. We would not advocate that approach. You should, however, be certain to optimize for a range of subjects that are truly related to your business. Increase Visibility offers a free website analysis  to see if your website is making the most of the keywords used to find organizations like yours.
Timeline: With this option, a Google user can see search results grouped by dates. For those who are searching for time-specific content, this will make things a lot easier.
Wonder Wheel: If you have read up a little on education, you know that some people are visual learners. For this people, lists don’t quite work. This is where something like the Wonder Wheel comes into play. The main topic is in the center of the wheel and related topics are spun off onto spokes.
Take some time to play with these new search options to get a feel for the many ways in which someone can come across your organization. This will help you to understand more about the importance of organic search placement. You want to be in the places where people who are looking for you will be able to find you, but you don’t want to force it. If you try to stuff your website with what you think are popular keywords just because. Doing that means that people who are not looking for you will get to your site and may not find is useful. In the meantime the people who would benefit from connecting with you, may not get to you.

All search engines are not created equal (as you probably already know). For the most part you want to get the attention of big search engines such as Google, but it does not hurt to be aware of the other search engines out there.

Metasearch engines
With a metasearch engine (Dogpile, Webcrawler), you can search more than one search engine at a time. Many experts will tell you that metasearch engines really do not give better results than looking up a term in just one search engine. Web users figured this out even without expert advice and just tend to go straight to their favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo!, etc.). We mention metasearch engines to tell you that they are not an area where you need to focus since the replicate the results of the search engines you are already wooing.

Local search engines
On the other end of the spectrum, are search engines that do not aggregate results from different sources, but instead concentrate on one specific region. An example of this would be the Yahoo! Yellow Pages, which will look up terms as they relate to a particular area and not do a worldwide search for a particular term. Some global search engines have the technology in place to incorporate the location of the web user into the search, so someone in the United States looking for a tailor in Birmingham, will not be given listings for tailoring shops in Birmingham, England, but shops in Birmingham, Alabama.

Specialty search engines
Various industries have their own search engines as well, narrowing down the field of possible results. One rather prominent example of this is Technorati, which is a search engine for blog content.

No matter where you are trying to fit into the range of search engines, Increase Visibility can help you stand out and get noticed. Contact us today at 877 SEO ADVICE (877 736 2384) and visit our website to learn more about our SEO plans.

We can help you increase your online sales, qualified traffic and general business exposure through our quality search engine optimization programs. Because you are not making the most of your web presence if search engines don’t even know your name. Each one of our search marketing programs include full website optimization and we make sure to custom design a program to fit your specific needs based on your target industry and your marketing goals.

There are very few things in business that once implemented can be left on their own to take care of themselves. And, as you can imagine, effective search engine optimization is one of these things.

We have met people who thought that if they found out their most valuable keywords and sprinkled them throughout their website, then they would be finished. Any kind of marketing and self-promotional effort will require updates of some kind. Your business, the market and technology are all constantly changing and you will have to update your SEO efforts to keep up with these changes. Your search engine optimization efforts need to be maintained. You may take your business in a whole new direction. Or some new catchphrase that pertains to your products and services may become just the thing that everyone starts to search for and you will want to take advantage of this. And, believe us, when we tell you that this kind of vigilance requires work. If you are too busy to keep up with this yourself, why not bring in Increase Visibility to help?

Search engines are continually changing their algorithms, so the ways in which they register and process keyword searches also changes on a regular basis.

When you hire us we will:

1. Frequently evaluate your current web page placements against other ranked sites in their competing keyword category.

2. Regularly enact the hand-coded modification of your current web pages to climb higher or to maintain current positions.

3. Submit your web pages to the Search Engines during the month.

4. Use our unique tracking software to monitor your website around the clock.

This last service includes doing what is necessary to get your website back to its former position, should it fall for some reason. Our monitoring software is formulated to issue an alert if one of our clients falls in position. Then we work to get you back to where you were.

Your SEO efforts require some pruning and maintenance like everything else. You have to put gas in your car to get it going. You have to charge your cell phone so that it will have power when you want it. If you want to make the most of your search optimization efforts, get assistance from an SEO firm that will be dedicated to helping you keep the gains you have made.

Call Increase Visibility toll free at 877 SEO ADVICE (877 736 2384).

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.

Earlier this week, we discussed how SEO and online reputation management are only going to increase in importance in 2009. Now, let us tell you just one of the reason’s why it is so very important that you have an online marketing plan in place: Google SearchWiki.

Google launched its SearchWiki last fall. New Google features do not get the kind of press that latest new model computers or cars get, but these things have an impact on your online presence.
Signed-in Google users can use the SearchWiki to re-rank, delete, add and make comments on search results. A Google user can only make these alterations to their own searches and Google stores these changes for the individual user.

You may be thinking that this is not big deal. If someone re-ranks you on their own personal search page then they are the only ones who know…whether someone decides to move your company’s website or blog up or down is no big deal, right? Wrong. Google also allows individual users to see the ways that other people have customized their searches. Signed-in Google users can see the notes and edits that other people have made with just one click.

As if you didn’t already know, people can influence others to buy or stay away from certain products. This happens through word of mouth and it also happened through “word of web,” as the Google SearchWiki demonstrates. You may not be able to control everything that is said about your business online, but you can be proactive about getting your message out there.

This is especially true if your customer base is web savvy and up on the latest. At least one SEO expert has already predicted that the Google SearchWiki will become increasingly popular and you need to be aware that it can affect your business and your reputation. And this should not scare you because it can be a good thing. Certainly, some internet users will have positive things to say that will send customers your way.

Increase Visibility can help you:
-Improve Organic Search Placement
-Get Higher Search Engine Ranking
-Increase Link Popularity
-Implement Effective Social Media Marketing Efforts

This way you can present yourself the way you want to be presented and highlight the products and services that make your business unique. You do want to have people discussing your company in chat rooms, blogs and other forums, but you also want to make sure that your voice is heard and that your web presence is strong.

Although there are tons of people on the web at any given time, they are not always there with the same purpose.  If you have a business that has a brick-and-mortar store, you are well aware that everyone who comes into your store does not have the same purpose. You likely set up your store with things that will draw in browsers and serious shoppers alike. Well the same thing happens online. People will stop by your website for different reasons and it is up to you to keep them there and lead them to make a transaction.

Even if you do not have a bricks-and-mortar store, you too have to be aware of the different ways that people use the web—

Information seekers
These are people who are online looking for facts, news and information. They may type a phrase into search engine because they are looking for some very specific information. However, if you sell a product that relates to their query, you may be able to help them and they will visit your site if they think you have valuable and useful information.

Surfers
Web surfers are hanging out and hanging ten as they peruse the web, not looking for anything in particular. When they come across your web site, if it clearly communicates a message that addresses their interests, you can get them to stop surfing and start hanging out at your website.

Navigators
Navigators are on the web with a particular destination in mind. If they know the exact name of the website, they will go right there. But if they do not, they may have to search for it, and if you come up in the list when they search you may be able to get them to your site instead. (Unless of course these navigators were looking for your site in the first place. Then you want to make sure that your site name is firmly placed in their mind so they can type it right in without wandering.)

Increase Visibility can help you snag internet users who are looking for information, surfing around to see what they can find and those who start out with a specific destination in mind. We can analyze who is visiting your site and track you current online marketing campaign so that you can see who is visiting your site and what they are doing while they are there. Take a look at our SEO plans and give us a call at 877 SEO ADVICE (877 736 2384) to disucss which plan will work best for you.

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 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.

Here at Increase Visibility we advocate a combined approach to achieving success with organic search placement and reaching out to consumers.

With that in mind, we have to remind you that although Google is without any doubt the biggest player out there, you cannot forget that there are other search engines and that you need to be on their radar as well.

Recently, Yahoo experts had some interesting things to say that follow along the lines of this same theme: it is important to make a combined effort when it comes to marketing. Their advice was that companies and organizations use both search ads and display ads. Contrary to what you may have heard, one method does not reign supreme over the other and you should not throw all of your weight behind one just one of these advertising tools.

There are some people who have been advised to put all of their eggs into the search advertising basket because it is easier to measure the results of search ads. We are certainly not knocking the idea that it is important to be able to measure results. We do think it is important to have all of your bases covered, though. So if you choose only one kind of advertising, you may have a blind spot in your advertising program, one that the competition may be all to ready to fill.

Just as you don’t want to only use posters or only advertise on the radio, it pays to diversify when it comes to your internet ad campaign.

Yahoo gave the following scenario: a potential customer clicks on one of your display ads, views it, but leaves without making a purchase. Then some time later, this same person does a search through Yahoo by typing in one of your search keywords. This time the potential customer becomes an actual customer because after they see your ad, they decide to buy this time around.

As you can see display ads and search ads can work hand in hand to help customers find you and encourage them to purchase your products and services.

If you are wondering about the effectiveness of your current website marketing efforts, call Increase Visibility. We can help track your marketing to let you know who is visiting your website, where they are coming from and what pages are the most popular. And we can give you the insight to interpret these results in a way that you can decide what is working and what is not working as you grow your business.