If you have any sort of web presence and particularly a blog, I’m sure you are aware how important optimizing your site and content is.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential, and there are a few rudimentary steps you should be integrating in your web pages. Of course any major undertakings are best left to the SEO professionals, and certainly if you are in the process of building a site seeking out the help of someone savvy in SEO will pay off.

In the meantime there are a few basics (emphasis on the word “basic”) you can integrate into site to help optimize your copywriting:

• Select the best keywords – this is the most important first step. Take the time to research what your prospects are searching for online.
  • Remember small variations can make a world of difference – for instance if I’m using “public relations” throughout my site, but the majority is searching for “pr” – I’m missing the target.
  • Also keep in mind most searchers don’t use one-word searches. They are more than likely searching by multi-word phrases.
• Next integrate these keywords into your blog post. Use caution not to sound too repetitive. You’ll want to include them in your headline, subheads, the body and any bulleted lists.
• Use links throughout your post. If possible try to link to another relevant page on your site. Links to your pages are like votes in the eyes of search engines. Share the link love though…don’t always just link to your own site. And watch your link text – this tells search engines what the page you are linking to is about.
• Use keywords in page titles and metatags – the page title is the text visible at the top of the Internet browser and it becomes the link shown in a list of search engine results. Metatags are typically not visible to site visitors, rather they are elements in the pages code that contain data and essentially provide information about the page.

Joshua Unseth of the JAR Group, an internet marketing company out of New York, also provided some useful tips (see below video) for getting your blog or site optimized, as well as what to ask SEO professionals if you are shopping around for one.

Bottom line, don’t let SEO overwhelm you. Do what you can, but if you have the budget for a professional considering seeking one out.

Question: If you recently started implementing SEO practices into your blog post writing, have you noticed a difference?

Resources:

1. SEOmoz.org
2. JARspeaks
3. rYnoweb.com

Enclosures:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

, M4V

There are countless free online tools out there – everything from white papers to eBooks, to tool kits and guides. While they run the gamut on what they offer, there are a handful of useful tools to help manage, market and maybe even grow your business. Google offers a fare share of resources, as well as Bing, Yahoo and several other sites dedicated to the small business.

These tools will focus on creating awareness and driving people to your brand online:

• Google’s Local Business Center – as local search grows this will become a valuable stream for businesses. It enables you to list information about your business – address, hours of operation, photos, videos, real-time updates and special offers. You can also track views, actions and where the searcher came from. (For more see the below interview with Chuck Reynolds)

• SEOMOZ.org – search tons of free resources and information on search engine optimization.

• Websitegrader – enables you to essentially test the effectiveness of your Web site by giving you an actual grade on the site. It will also tell you where you need to make improvements and offer a few suggestions.

• Google Webmaster Tools – search articles, tips and information on improving your site and where it shows up in search results. It is also a great tracking, management and guideline tool.

• Google Analytics – allows you to track your site’s activity. Find what key terms brought searchers to your site, what part of the world they came from, how they navigated your site, how much time they spent there, and even set up specific tracking events. Extremely thorough and intuitive.

A few others to check out:

• Bing Local Listing Center

• Google Favorite Places

• Yelp

One last note, Google is now doing sentiment analysis, which essentially means it is geo-tagging blog references. Now, when a search is conducted for your business on Google maps it will not only pull up the location of your business, but also any other online references, including blog posts. Yet another reason to get listed on Google Local.

What free tools are you using to help your business get discovered online? Please share.

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

, M4V