When it comes to improving SEO, content is king. Yes, you should be submitting your site to relevant directories and using pay-per-click advertising…but if the content is not there, what will people click through when they come to your website?

 
Some people have the idea the content really only matters if your main product is some kind of service. They figure that service providers need to demonstrate knowledge and expertise through articles or a blog. This is true, a service provider certainly does want to use their website to show just how that they are an authority and provide evidence of how they can be of assistance…but this does not mean that people who are selling a product rather than a service have no knowledge or expertise to share. High quality content is a must for your website no matter what kind of business you are in because good content draws people in and brings them back.

As they say, knowledge is power. When your website has quality content, people are drawn to it and will tell others what they have learned from your organization. They may do this live and in person. They may also do it by forwarding something they have read on your site to someone else or by linking to your site from theirs. Either way, you win. You can see an increase in link popularity and traffic if you have interesting, relevant content that relates to your product, expertise and sphere of influence.

 
One way to start is by issuing press releases and this is something that Increase Visibility can do for you. Press releases are often one of the main ways a business attempts to get its message out to the public.  Issuing press releases on a regular basis will ensure that there is fresh content on your website (something that search engines love) and it will inform visitors about the exciting things your organization is doing. Furthermore, creating additional web pages specifically for press releases and spider crawling will also provide the search engines with more pages to index and users more ways to find a business’s website. Our press release programs work hand in hand with our SEO programs.

 
Press releases not only drive traffic based on the content and targeted market but they will also help to create link popularity, which is a very important part in determining good positions in the search engines.

An international powerhouse in IT research recently issued a report which stated that online retailers would see the most improvement if they focused on SEO instead of trying to build a website with all of the bells and whistles.

This by no means indicates that they are telling people that how their website looks and function is of little importance.  They were also not saying that site design means nothing. You want to get more visitors and make sure that when they come to your site the stick around and maybe even return. However, depending on your business, getting new graphics or adding a video may not be the best way to do this.

What they are saying is that the best way to grow your business is to increase visibility and get your name out there. Even if your website is rather plain-looking, as long as it is not sloppy, it makes more sense to build web traffic than it does to spend tons of money revamping a website that is not drawing a lot of visitors. This is one time when saying, “if you build it, they will come” does not necessarily work all that well. Putting a site up on the internet brings no guarantees.

And be aware that this notion is catching on among online retailers. A different research firm polled Shop.org members and found that 70 percent of the retailers who responded indicated that they plan to keep or increase their budgets for online marketing. That means a majority of your fellow online storekeepers will not be slashing their online marketing budgets or doing less to reach people via the internet. They will be doing more and more to got to customers online.

If you want to know more about how you can increase your online visibility, reach more customers and boost sales, let us help. Start with our free website analysis. This will allow our trained technicians to see what the search engines see and determine what needs to be done to improve the success and top positions of your website. One of our experienced search engine consultants will email you the findings within 24 hours of your request and then contact you to discuss your options and how we can help you increase your revenue this year from your company website.

Earlier in the week we talked about how sometimes when it comes to SEO, service providers may feel left out of the game. The notion that optimizing your website matters little because you are not online selling a product that people can order and have shipped to them is incorrect. As a service provider, you are selling your expertise. Even though it does not come in a box, you still want to make sure that your website does more than list your address and phone number. You want your website to project your professionalism and authority. And if it already does that–great! Now you need to get the word out to the masses so that you can increase your client base.

 
One medical consortium found that making the most of their website was a boon to their online traffic. After implementing search engine optimization techniques to get people to the site, they use social networking to further strengthen the connection and to stay on search engines’ radar. By having doctors who are part of the consortium blog on the site, they were able to increase the site’s original content, something that search engines value. They also were able to reach out to existing and potential patients who were able to get to know more about the doctors that work for them.

 
Their increased web visibility certainly helped more new patients find them. And it also helped potential employees find them also. Doctors, nurses and other professionals who were looking to work for a forward-thinking medical group are likely to be impressed when they see an up-to-date website.

 
The Social Media Marketing component that you get when you choose one of Increase Visibility’s SEO plans includes:

 
• Blog Commenting – in an effort to build link popularity and drive direct traffic to your site, we will find blogs with relative content and post comments about your products and/or services.
• Social Bookmarking – in addition to posting blog comments, we will also promote any mention of you in blogs, articles, news releases, etc. in social bookmarking sites which will help drive traffic to your site.
• Article Marketing – if you have any articles that you have written about your company, products or services, we will submit those to top article marketing sites, blogs and social bookmarking sites.

A lot of times when we discuss search engine optimization on this blog, we talk about products and storefronts (be they physical brick-and-mortar storefronts or virtual online ones) and at times we mention services too. However, we are aware that some of you who are service providers may not really quite see just how SEO can help you if your main product is not something you manufacture, but something that you do. Well, thanks for bringing that up (smile); we would be glad to tell you just how organic search placement and SEO can make a difference for your business.

 
Good SEO can do wonders for reputation management and bring your website to the very top of the pile when internet users are searching for a service provider in a particular area. Many years ago some business purposefully chose names like “AAA Plumbing” so that they would be first in the phone book. There is no need to alter your organization’s name in that fashion since the internet is not alphabetical. Instead, you need to make sure that your site has the keywords that people associate with your service. You also want to make sure that your website is listed in pertinent local directories and perhaps you may even want to put some pay-per-click advertising in place to increase your online visibility a little faster.

 
While everyone is not on the internet, a overwhelming number of people are. And even those who do not use the internet are more likely than not connected to someone who does. Word of mouth does not just spread based on actually experience. People go out and talk about the service providers they have read online too, even if they have never once visited the place they are discussing.

 
With that in mind, you want to make sure that people can find you online and that what they find is worth discussing. Increase Visibility can help. Here is some of  what you get when you choose one of our SEO plans:

 
Website Optimization
• Keyword Discovery/Analysis
• Optimize Site
• Promotion
Directory Submission
• Paid Submission.
• Directories Include
• Free Submission

 
Come back later in the week to learn about how one group of service providers used their website to enhance their reputation and increase visibility.

All of us know that things from the past can come back to haunt us. And this seems to be especially true in the internet age. If something embarrassing does not appear for the first time on the web, then someone has gone back to find it somewhere else and post it online.

On the social networking site Facebook, I have found that some high school friend have a fondness for posting less-than-flattering pictures. None of what has been posted would be considered criminal or horrible, but these pictures are simply not as polished as I would like them to be. And when it comes to your image, you want to be in control. In those cases, I can simply un-tag myself or politely ask that the pictures me taken down.

With all of the worry and concern about unflattering pictures and other things that can appear on the web, we often forget about the positive aspects of having a rich web cache. If your company website has a lot of pertinent links, good information and well-crafted press releases, then you have a distinct advantage.

Sometimes organizations are so afraid of having the wrong thing up on the web, that they do not put enough information up on the web. You want to put things up on the web so that people who are looking for information related to your industry can find you–be it tomorrow or a few months from now.

All of the work to build key-word rich pages, set up reciprocal links and get your website listed in pertinent directories is much more beneficial when internet users are lead to your website and find that it is filled with useful information.

Increase Visibility can help. We will work with your development team to optimize source code, text content, heading, titles, descriptions, keywords and more. And we can also help you with press releases and social media marketing options such as a blog that will provide relevant, updated information on a continual basis.

You want your presence on the web to be full and rich. With great content, you can make sure that you are getting your message out in the way that you want to. Do not let others dictate what is said about your industry and your company on the web. Take control and craft the information that internet users read about you.

Variety really is the spice of life, as they say. And when it comes to marketing your organization on the web, and it is key to marketing yourself on the web as well. To delve further into our cache of cliches: you really do not want to put all of your eggs into one basket. Increase Visibility employs a variety of methods—keyword analysis, social media marketing and pay per click advertising to get results for their clients.

Some people want to get everything at no additional cost, while others believe that you really do get what you pay for. Who is right? When it comes to SEO and organic search placement–both sides are correct.

There are ways to get your name out there without paying extra for it. You already have a website, so you can start with optimizing the content on your website. Increase Visibility can analyze your website to see if you are using the proper keywords to promote organic listings. Once the organic keyword terms have been determined, we will optimize the website according to current search engine standards, incorporating in the key terms.

You can also make use of free directories. After all, if someone is willing to create a directory and let you be included at no cost, why not take advantage of this? We will submit your organization to the top free directories.

On the other had there are also directories that require payment. We can submit your website to these directories as well and this will send traffic your way and build link popularity.

Whether you prefer to try get as much free promotion as you can or don’t mind paying for it, there is one thing that is definitely worth pay for and that is  good help. Increase Visibility is an award-winning SEO firm that helps you grow your business by expanding your reach on the web, leaving you free to take care of that business. We were recently honored by being included in the top 3 in PromotionWorld’s Readers’ Choice Awards for the best Search Engine Marketing (SEM) companies. We have also been ranked #1 or #2 for SEO firms for August 2008 – February 2009 by TopSEOs.com by convincing the search engines to reward their clients with top search engine placements.

Visit our website and take a look at our SEO Plans. Then you can call us and find out how our Website Marketing Plans can help your online business succeed: 877 SEO ADVICE, 877 736 2384.

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).

SEO is more than a buzzword. It is a key part of doing business that is here to stay. The business you do on and off the web is affected by how much effort you put into your online marketing efforts.

One recent industry survey found that a very large percent of the respondees did not really understand the purpose of search engine optimization. At the same time a overwhelming majority said they used SEO techniques despite the fact that they really do not understand it and that SEO accounts for a larger percentage of the traffic they get on their websites.

It was also eye-opening to read that more that half of the respondees thought that practices that industry insiders consider to be unethical would bring results. Trying to trick search engines into boosting your rank will not have long lasting results. At the same time, they were also able to recognize ethical and effective SEO practices as well. So this points to a problem of distinguishing between honest SEO practices and ones that are underhanded.

Then again, maybe we should take heart: a good number of business owners actually know what SEO is. Now it is time for our industry to work on educating them about the best ways to increase visibility on the web. If they were totally unaware of any SEO techniques, then we would have that much more work to do.
With this news, we have to say that here are Increase Visibility, although we are the experts, we want you to understand what is going on as we help you plan and administer your online marketing plan.  AS our slogan says, we provide SEO you can understand and results that you can see.

One of the reasons that you do not want to fall for an SEO scam is that not only will you not get results, you will not be any further ahead than you were before. In fact, you may actually be behind because you will have wasted valuable time and money. Signing on with a dishonest SEO firm may also cause you to enact marketing practices that could possibly offend your clients and colleagues.

The other part of the survey that disheartened us was learning that some survey respondees felt they could not afford to get help from an SEO firm. At Increased visibility, we offer different levels of SEO plans and will work with you to tailor a plan to suit your needs.

Not too long ago, a marketing guru came to speak at a rather prestigious venue in town and boldly declared that the press release as we know it was dead. Making this rather surprising announcement of course produced its desired effect: it threw the room into a tizzy. The blogger in the back of the room of was blogging and twittering the event of course sent out that information immediately. Within a few seconds the speaker had a whole roomful of people and possibly untold numbers of internet users buzzing about his latest prediction.

What he had done, in essence, was use a verbal press release to create instant buzz. So really the press release is not dead, but it may appear in different forms. And this was essentially what this marketing guru went on to say after he grabbed everyone’s attention with that opening headline.
And really, the press release is not dead because people still use them and continue to expect companies to produce press releases outlining news and developments.

The writers at Increased Visibility have more than fifteen years of experience with creating attention-getting press releases. When you combine this with our firm’s knowledge of how to optimize a press release foe the web, you will get results. The press release has evolved over the years. There was a time when people would mail press releases. Then they would fax them. Now press releases go out over the web with relevant, quality reciprocal links.

These days press releases put out on the web serve a dual purpose: They inform readers about your latest news and give them an overview of your organization while at the same time they serve to better your ranking with search engines. Having an optimized press release on a newswire service that includes links that lead back to your website serves will do wonders for your search engine optimization. An optimized press release can further help a business’s search engine ranking when they are placed on the business’s website thereby increasing the website’s size and content. For a search engine, the bigger the site, the better it is.

Increase Visibility offers different levels of press release services. Call 1-877 SEO ADVICE (1-877-736-2384) to learn more about how we can help you to expand your reach through press releases.

As proof that one person really can make a difference, we present Frank Eliason, the Director of Digital Care for Comcast. Visit his twitter page at http://twitter.comcastcares for a case study in how one company has harnessed the power of Twitter and other social media to improve customer service. Eliason started out trying to reach out to customers through social media on his own; now he has a department.

Comcast not only talks about itself online, it talks back when customers discuss the company online. If you are a customer of Comcast and you write about Comcast in a blog or on Twitter, there is a good chance that you will get an online response. Perhaps an answer to a query, response to a statement of frustration or a simple “Can I help?”

By setting up alerts so that they know when someone has written about them online, Comcast is able to respond quickly. They still have call centers where customers can call to with complaints and ask for tech support and repair services. But for a fast-moving, tweeting and texting customer, getting a quick reply falls right in line with the on-the-go lifestyle. It is important to meet customers where they are. And it likely keeps some of these customers from making an easy jump over to the competition because they are not satisfied.

These quick responses also help to humanize a company. In a New York Times article on the topic one woman noted that she “softened” her tone when she saw that she was dealing with an actual human and not hurling rage at a machine or a huge inhuman conglomerate.

If social media is one aspect of your marketing plan that has been neglected, you can count on Increase Visibility to get you right into the thick of things. Using blogs and services like Twitter is great for establishing one-on-one relationships with a number of customers and their friends and family because they are certain to discuss some aspect of their interaction with your company with someone.

And much in the same way that individuals discuss their experiences, search engines will also be looking at your increased web presence due to your appearance in more social media outlets and they will make note of it as well. You can optimize your search engine status and your ranking with customers at the same time.