Search Engine Marketing Articles For Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners

Which Comes First – Website Design or Website Promotion?

Many business owners get stuck during the phases of website design and website promotion; how do you decide which strategy to deploy first? At first glance, it may seem as though one project comes before the other, but the truth is you need to employ both simultaneously to keep your site on the right track.  […]

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You’re Not After Clicks… You’re After Sales!

Driving traffic to your site is great, as far as it goes – but it’s not enough.  You need proven ways to convert prospects into buyers. When your site is primed for search engine optimization (SEO), you get tons of traffic coming to you for free.  Great, right?  But many small business owners make the […]

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Want More Web Traffic? 5 Make-or-Break Tactics to Help the Search Engines Find Your Small Business

Choosing effective small business keywords can be an intimidating task.  Everyone knows that going to search for anything on a major search engine like Google can often return thousands of results.  But does that mean defeat for your local small business?  No! There are a lot of things that can be done to get your […]

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Are You Making These 5 Common Pay-Per-Click Advertising Mistakes?

Because of the ability to specifically target your unique prospects based on interest as well as geography, the ability to tightly control your ad spend and to precisely measure results, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is probably the greatest breakthrough to come along in advertising since the launch of television.  And, because of those same benefits, it’s much […]

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Social Media Optimization Can Lead to Better Social Bookmarking Results

Social bookmarking sites are an extremely valuable tool for those who are looking at all of their small business marketing options. Of course, in order to fully take advantage of the results that social bookmarking sites can yield, it is important to look into social media optimization, and to understand that it is up to […]

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7 Things You Can Do Today to Make Google Fall Head Over Heels in Love with Your Small Business Website

Creating your own small business website can be a scary thing to do. It requires some planning to get it right and make Google sit up and take notice of your site at first glance. Small business website search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the keys, but all too often, astute business people leave […]

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Just Because You Don’t Want To Hear It, Doesn’t Mean It Isn’t True

This article may not make me real popular with many site owners, but it is the honest truth. So many people want top rankings but they aren’t truly prepared to do what it takes to get those top rankings. The truth is the foundation of your site is important to the success of your SEO […]

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Has Your Site Been Banned From Google?

Does Google Forgive?  Forget the Sandbox – when you are in the doghouse, will Google ever “forgive” you and release your site back into the SERPs (search engine results pages)? We all understand the importance of top Google rankings – and in some cases people may get a little desperate for rankings and try things […]

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When to Call In the Big Dogs

We all know the importance of SEO and getting your site listed in the top of the engines so you can tap into all that traffic out there that is searching for exactly what you have to offer. The question is how do you optimize your site and tap into your piece of the pie? […]

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What You Dont Know About Keywords That Your Competitors May Know

Did you know that 25% of searches each month are brand new, never before seen search words and phrases? That is shocking. You would think with the number of search queries running through Google, they have seen it all. We spend so much time on keyword research – and rightfully so, it’s the foundation of […]

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What Google Wants

There are so many articles out there on SEO and so many conflicting opinions. Some of those opinions are people just spouting off without any solid evidence to back it up and others are based on tests and experiments done by the author. It can be really confusing for someone trying to understand SEO. Who […]

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Understanding the Search Engines

Here is a simplified view of how the search engine algorithms work: Think of the engines like teachers handing our gold stars (or check marks) for everything that you do well. Google currently has about 200 factors in their algorithms that determine how your site will rank. The process they go through is the equivalent […]

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Treasure Trove of Website Tips

Recently people have been asking for tips and “Do’s and Don’ts” for website design and content. Whether you are building a new site or redesigning a current site, here is a collection of tips that you’d be wise to follow: Create your site with a clear hierarchy and interconnection of pages. Your most important pages […]

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The Top Rankings Fairy Tale

Over the Holidays I spent a lot of time reading fairytales with my nieces and nephew. The Little Mermaid and Mulan are the current favorites. It reminded me how nice it is to have something you believe in so unconditionally. To my nieces there is nothing more exciting than the magic of those fairytales. That’s […]

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The Missing Piece

The ultimate goal of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is to drive traffic to your site. Many people don’t know why, but they aren’t achieving this goal. The key is staying current and evolving with the times. Way back in the good old days, SEO was a lot easier and we saw results quickly. What do […]

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The Dreaded Google Penalty

There is always a lot of talk on SEO Forums about penalties. Recently there was some discussion about 3 specific Google penalties: The “-30 penalty” The “-950 penalty” Index Exclusion There has been a lot of debate about whether the drop of a website’s rank by 30 or 950 spots in Google is really a […]

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The Cynical SEO Drama Queen

It is time to look at those SEO questions from the folks who need help and guidance. Let’s take a read of some of the Dear SEO Drama Queen email which floods her box every day. Dear SEO Drama Queen I want a number one ranking for my web site. The keywords are clothes, sneakers […]

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Summer Time Slow Down

A lot of people think summer is slow and not the time to focus on their websites. So many people are out of town, some businesses slow down. Not to mention we all have concerns about the economy right now. I want to propose a different perspective. 1. People are sticking closer to home because […]

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Stop Sabotaging Your Success

The primary thought behind all techniques should be: “What is natural”? If you are constantly asking yourself, “Am I using this in a way that the search engines will view as a natural enhancement to my site and not as an overused and abused method”? then you should be fine. So, Keep it Natural, Don’t […]

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SEO On A Budget Tips

I am often asked if small businesses have a chance at competing in the search engines and the answer is a resounding YES. It is true small businesses face some challenges that large companies may not. Small businesses typically have smaller budgets, less staff and more pressure as they try to get as much done […]

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