SEO - Creating Sites For Users or the Engines?
By Larry McCullough
Published 11/26/2008 (!!! 3 years is like 30 in the SEO world, but these principles remain true)


What’s more important? Creating sites for users or the engines? The answer is both. 

Your favorite thing about having a blog may soon be this - they naturally attract search engine traffic. Blogs already have optimized site architecture. Most are set up with a clear navigation, where every page is set up to link back to the other main pages. They also have the inherent potential to be well-linked. 

Primarily a site should be designed for the user, with search engines in mind. Google tends to talk out both sides of their mouth when they say, “Don’t do anything special for the engines”. Yet, they create a webmaster tool center where you can submit a sitemap, and get information about how the engines see your site, errors and what key phrases your site ranks for. That gives new site owners a little bit of confusion. 

I like sites that are easy to navigate, pleasing to the eye and that help sell whatever it is you need to. Pages should be set up as landing pages. The great thing about your blog is that it can get so well-indexed that you have the potential to show up for any number of four word phrases that are relevant to your industry. This way you can give the visitor everything they need to make a purchase or fill out a form. At the same time you can optimize these pages for the engines and use the pages for your PPC campaigns. I believe in doing sites this way. It brings the visitor a much better experience. 

The perfect site is not only user friendly, but optimized for the engines. You need to target where people go to in order to provide them with the information or product they need. There is nothing worse than having people landing on a page that is optimized for a phrase but offers no information about it... It brings the user a bad experience and you a missed sale or lead. You have a choice. You can target a general high traffic keyword you have little chance of ranking well for and get barely any traffic. 

Once you have a page optimized, you can streamline the transition from viewing what you have to offer to facilitate a purchase. You can also provide related content and links. This, in turn, will help with you PPC because Google is now checking to see how relevant your landing pages are to the keywords you buy. 

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Sometimes a site's structure (the relationships between its content) must be altered too. Because of this it is, from a client's perspective, always better to incorporate Search Engine Optimization when a website is being developed than to try and retroactively apply it. 

In the grand scheme of things, you do need to optimize your site. However, if you do not have usability for the user, your traffic won’t convert. Non-converting traffic is worse than having no traffic at all. It’s a webmasters nightmare. Make a good quality site that will attract natural links to it in order to obtain any form of long term presence within the search engine results page.

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HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY : 
Google search algorithms have changed DRASTICALLY since this first was published. Google Panda, Google Fresh, Google Plus - have all FORCED SEO gurus like  Larry and like our very own Jen Cochran to change the content of blog posts and where links lead to (more hyper-local, geo-specific considerations). But, indeed, the broad strokes contained in this article remain the same. Good stuff.

- SHAWN COCHRAN 
Branches PSP

Marketing without a call to action is like taking the time and care to put on your shirt, jacket, and hat, but not bothering to put your pants on.

This brilliant, easy to digest eBook doesn't just "sell you" on call to action marketing. It shows you how to do it - successfully. 

If you don't know what a call to action is . . . 

Everything you need to know is contained in this classic eBook out of HubSpot. For those of us lucky enough to be responsible for whether a consumer actually takes action or not (actually picks up the phone to call, fills out a contact form, sends an email, makes a donation, or purchases a product) this eBook is a **must read**.

Each and every blog post, every social media post, each flyer you make, each advertisment you pay hard earned dollars for - heck, every single email you send - should include a call to action.

BY LILACH 109 
The rising popularity of social media has led to growing recognition of its use to companies and the need to incorporate social media into business plans. But businesses often have little experience with this new medium. 

Consequently, there is a growing demand for people with expertise in social media. But unfortunately there is not enough supply of real experts. There has been an increasing number of people claiming to be experts. Gary Vaynerchu even commented that 99.5% of social media experts are clowns. 

Not everyone who claims to be a social media expert truly is one. There are a lot of fakes around who claim they are experts but in fact know little about social media or business. It’s important to be able to identify the fakes so you can avoid being a victim of a fake expert. But how do you distinguish the ‘real deal’ from the ‘fakes’? Let’s look at some key indicators…

• An expert should be an active user of social media. They will have updated profiles, regular updates, and maintain a regular blog.
• The fakes often have a narrow view of social media. So you should consider: Have they moved beyond the generic channels of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? Are they engaging in the right channels for their niche? Social media experts move beyond the obvious and are well-attuned to where their niche hangs out.
• They are an experienced and active user of social media. They have been using the medium for some time and have lots of practical experience using it.
• They are up to date with the latest social media trends and are using the latest tools. i.e. they have got a Google+ account.  As social media is constantly evolving, one cannot be an expert unless they are up to date. People who claim to be experts without reading the latest blogs, researching upcoming trends whilst engaging with the latest  news are not real experts.
• Fakes often have lots connections but lack quality connections. An expert will go for quality over quantity. Whilst the fake might have lots of Facebook likes orTwitter followers, they lack relevant followers and actual customers.
• Fakes use social media primarily to promote a company’s services/main messages without engaging with users. Experts will interact with their followers, commenters, etc.
• Fakes claim to be general social media experts and lack a specialist area of expertise. Social media is a broad area; it’s not possible to be an expert of it all.
• Fakes lack real business sense and have little or real evidence of their previous business success. They don’t know how to turn fans into customers. They lack insight into their customers and lack any drive to meet customer needs.
• Fakes often adopt an over-optimistic position without any careful consideration of the specific company’s circumstances. You should be wary of people claiming social media is the only strategy – It’s not – it should always be complemented by other elements of marketing. Social media doesn’t replace solid marketing strategy; rather it is used to enhance it. You should also be wary of those claiming it is essential for every business – Whilst using social media effectively is becoming evermore important for business success, employing social media is not necessarily the right strategy for every company. Determining whether it’s the right strategy requires careful analysis of the company and the context in which it operates.

Unfortunately these ‘fakes’ can give social media a bad name. It’s so easy for people to jump on the band wagon and say they’re a “social media expert”.

But remember social media is a great tool but only when in the hands of someone with the understanding and experience of how to use these tools and successfully implement social media strategies. There is a need for real social media experts who know how to use these new communication tools effectively.


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Original Post about Social Media Experts

Click on the "Download File" link below to view the article in your browser. Or, visit the What's Up Magazine website to read the article. 

Jennifer Cochran - as featured in the January issue of What'sUp Magazine : "People to Watch 2012".

9 Tips for Hiring a Local SEO Firm
Writing by Nick Stamoulis    

Since the Internet is “everywhere” you don’t have to hire the SEO firm down the street if you don’t want to. As long as they are US-based, feel free to work with the best SEO firm for you, even if they are in a different time zone. However, if you want to have that face-to-face interaction that comes with working with a local SEO firm, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Respect someone’s time

If you’re just shopping around, stick to the phone. You’ll be able to get all the information you want in an hour long (maybe even less) phone call. Most small, local SEO firms don’t have the manpower to spend all day chasing down leads that aren’t seriously looking to hire an SEO firm.

2. Focus on small/midsize companies

While larger SEO companies may look incredibly impressive, working with a smaller SEO firm means you’re more likely to work directly with an experienced SEO strategist that customizes your SEO campaign around your needs and goals.

3. Beware the sales rep!

A sales representative that works for an SEO firm, but doesn’t actually do SEO, will do and say just about anything to get your business. That is their job—to bring in new clients.

4. Go with your instinct

If the first local SEO company you meet with seems to be the perfect fit, don’t second guess yourself. You don’t have to drag three or four more companies through the pitch process just because you feel like you’re “supposed” to shop around.

5. Don’t trust “magic” solutions

Every SEO firm has their own process, but you should be hearing similar things from different companies. If an SEO company comes out of left field with the “magic pill” to all your online marketing problems, don’t drink the Kool-Aid.

6. Don’t expect upfront work before you’re a client

You don’t work for free, and neither do local SEO companies. While you have the right to ask questions about their process, don’t expect a full SEO campaign to be created before you hire them.

7. Respect the SEO company and its employees

The key to a successful relationship with your local SEO company is respect. If you want them to do good work for you, treat them like you would an employee or partner.

8. Be willing to change

Let your local SEO firm do their job! If you aren’t willing to take their SEO recommendations, why bother hiring someone in the first place?

9. SEO is not a commodity, it’s a service

There are plenty of “yes man” companies out there that will say whatever it takes to get your money and then run off with it (even if it is just the low, low price of $49.95 a month!).

Source :
http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2011/08/25/local-seo-firm/

From left: The late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Larry Page, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. | Photos courtesy of David Paul Morris/Getty Images (Jobs); Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Zuckerberg); Chip East/Reuters (Page); Mario Tama/Getty Images (Bezos).