What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It refers to techniques that help your website become more visible in organic search results for the people who are looking for your brand, product, or service via search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
What’s the difference between organic vs. paid results?
Organic results are the results that appear in search engines, for free, based on an algorithm. Paid — or inorganic — search results appear at the top or side of a page. These are the links that advertisers pay to appear on different search engines.
What are meta descriptions and do they still matter?
A meta description is the text that appears below your page in a search engine result that explains what the page is all about. Meta descriptions still matter, just not in the same way they used to. They used to be a place to optimize for keywords so crawlers would know more about your page contents; now, it’s more important you write something compelling that makes readers want to click so you can improve conversion rates from SERP results to your website.
Should I optimize my domain name to include keywords?
Your primary domain should not include a keyword just for the sake of keyword optimization — that can actually hurt your SEO.
How do I know when I’m using the right number of keywords on a page?
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you an exact number that is the “right” number of keywords on a page, mostly because that’s the wrong way to think about keyword optimization.
There’s no keyword density you should be aiming for — in fact, using a keyword too many times can result in penalization due to “keyword stuffing.” Just keep the reader in mind, and only use keywords when you need to. You’ll find enough natural opportunities to include keywords that you won’t even have to worry about reaching an arbitrary number.
What’s the difference between internal and inbound links?
Internal links are links on a page on your site that go to another page on your site. Inbound links are other websites that link to your content. Both are valuable for SEO.
How many internal links do I need on each page of content?
Just like you should avoid stuffing too many keywords into your content, you should avoid stuffing too many links into your content. Only include them when it improves the reader experience.
Do I need to know code to do SEO myself?
You do not need to know how to code for every element of search optimization. There are some more advanced SEO tactics that you will need a basic understanding of code for, but it isn’t necessary for every part.
What is robots.txt?
This is a page that gives search engines information about the pages a company wants indexed or crawled. You can find this page by doing to YOURDOMAIN/robots.txt.
What is the sitemap.xml file?
This file is an index of all the pages on your site. It’s a quick reference for search engines of content that you want indexed.
What is the difference between indexed and crawling?
When search engines look through the content on your website, they are crawling your site. As they crawl your site, they index content that will appear in the search engine. However, an important thing to remember is that not all content is indexed. Search engines pick what content they will and won’t index as they go through the crawling process.
How can I see what pages are indexed?
It’s as easy as typing in site:www.YOURDOMAIN.com to find the pages on your site that are indexed.
Why do you need alt text on your images?
Search engines cannot read images, but they can read text. The alt text helps them figure out what the images are all about. Plus, if a page doesn’t load for some reason, people can still find out what the image is by reading the alt text.
How long does it take to see results from SEO?
There are a few different factors that will determine how quickly (or slowly) results will come. This list includes, but isn’t limited to:
- How much content you create
- The quality of the content
- How the content resonates with your audience
- If you’re a big or small site with strong or weak domain authority
A large site could possibly see results in a couple of days if a search engines is crawling their site regularly. Smaller sites will most likely take longer because they get crawled less frequently. Wait at least a week, but probably closer to a month, before you consider changing your SEO strategy — a bit longer if you’re brand new to SEO.
Should I hire someone to do my SEO?
Hiring someone internally or externally to do your SEO can be helpful, but it can also be dangerous if that person doesn’t actually know the modern rules of SEO. Google goes into the risks of hiring the wrong SEO person in this support doc.
What’s a good goal to set for your SEO?
When you think about your goal for SEO, don’t just think about the top of the funnel and how many more visits you’re getting to your website. Think about your full marketing funnel and how much quality traffic you’re getting to your website.
Are the people who are finding your website through SEO actually qualified prospects for your business? If not, does it really matter that the traffic to your website has increased?
As you create your goals, consider what general traffic vs. quality traffic means to you. Set goals not just based on traffic, but based on the entirety of your marketing funnel.
Why should I outsource my SEO?
SEO is a full time job for a person or requires a whole team with several skills ranging from web development, content creation to marketing. Unless you have at least one experienced full time SEO inhouse it is strongly advised to seek assistance from a SEO compnay or consultant.
Can’t I just use WordPress plus plugins for SEO?
You can but it’s not enough. Nowadays most modern CMS and blog software has built in technical SEO capabilities. To outrank others who use mostly SEO friendly software as well you have to stick out.
How do you find the best keywords for my business?
First we’ll ask you to describe your business and market, and ask you to provide a few suggested seed keywords. Then we’ll massage this data and feed it to our database tools. From this we get hundreds of related search terms along with information about how many people are searching for them and how many other web sites are competing with you for the traffic. We’ll whittle the results down to a few valuable key phrases tailored to your goals and budget. Identifying keywords is the most interactive client/consultant phase. After a few rounds of calls or emails, we’re ready to take the reigns and not bug you as much!
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social Media Marketing has two main functions; connecting with users and generating links. Social Media Websites allow users to promote and share content in ways that just weren’t feasible before the Internet. Understanding these technologies and figuring out how to best utilize these services for your brand can take you far with customers online.
Social Media Marketing should not be used solely to gain traffic to a Website. Instead, Social Media Marketing should be used to network with your audience and to build relationships with potential customers. Use Social Media Websites correctly, and you will have the chance to build name recognition, increase the reach and awareness of your brand, and connect with a large audience.
Search Engines reward Websites that have quality links pointing to them. When a user saves a link from your Website to a Social Media service, search engines take note. When users deem your Website valuable, search engines will too.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) basically aims to connect you with your users as well as generate effective and usable links. Having a Social Media Website will enable you to promote and share your site’s contents as well as your products and brand easily, which will then enable your clients to make a well-informed decision.
Aside from driving in more traffic to your website, Social Media Marketing is also an effective network where you can reach out to your target audience and build good relationships with your possible clients. When use properly, Social Media Websites will help you increase your website, brand and product’s popularity.
In addition, when you have effective links on your website that points to search engines, these search engines will give you rewards, thus you will also be able to improve you ranking in these search engines.
What is the difference between Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Marketing?
Social Media Marketing is one facet of Search Engine Marketing. Social Media Marketing focuses on interacting with your market and sharing content with your customers. Search Engine Marketing is a broader term, encompassing many aspects of Internet Marketing, such as Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click advertising, Blog marketing, Local search marketing, and so forth. Your Search Engine Marketing campaign should include Social Media Marketing, as it is an important step in succeeding online.
What is Social Media?
The term Social Media refers to Websites that allow Internet users to connect, share and network online. Social Media Websites have coupled the innate need for connections and communications, with modern technology. Social Media Websites allow users to discover information, read and share content, view videos and learn about news quickly and efficiently. Social Media Websites allow users to not only consume information, but to publish it as well.
E-Power Marketing believes that Social Media Websites have grown in popularity primarily because they allow people to form relationships over shared interests. It allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal, political and business use. They connect people in ways that simply weren’t possible before.
Social Media encompasses many different services and Websites. Websites pop up everyday offering users the opportunity to connect and share with others. Some Social Media Websites are dedicated to large audiences, spanning many interests and activities. Other Social Media Websites are tailored to niche audiences.
It is not always easy Identifying and understanding the most useful Social Media Websites for a brand. Having a general comprehension of the major types of Social Media Websites will help you decide which areas to focus your Social Media Marketing efforts on.
Social Media Marketing categories:
What is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?
Social Media Marketing is the practice of utilizing Social Media Websites in order to publicize and promote a brand, product or service. Though Social Media Marketing has many of the same goals as traditional advertising and marketing principles, the rules and best practices are very different.
Social Media Marketing allows brands to harness the power and reach of Social Media Websites, reaching countless potential customers every day. ITU conducted a study that found the number of people using all social media services have passed 1 billion. In a report released by Nielsen, studies have found that of the world’s Internet users, two-thirds use a social network or blogging Website. Social Media attracts an accessible audience much larger than most other media outlets offer.
Not only are those large numbers looking for information and connections through Social Media Websites, they are also expecting to see brands. According to the 2008 Cone Business Social Media Study, 93% of Social Media users believe a company should have a presence in Social Media. An overwhelming 85% of Social Media users believe a company should interact with its consumers via Social Media Websites. Plus, 56% of Social Media users feel both a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a Social Media environment.
When used correctly, Social Media Marketing is a direct connection to potential and existing customers. Brands can promote, gather feedback, connect, persuade and educate the Social Media users easily and effectively.
Though the potential for success with Social Media Marketing is huge, there is an even bigger chance for disaster. Social Media users want information, not sales pitches. Social Media Marketing, when done correctly, doesn’t slam users with advertisements and offers.
Social Media Marketing informs users about brands, connects companies with their audience, so that when purchasing decisions are made, users will have positive associations with your brand, they will understand your company better, and feel a connection with your brand.
Social Media Marketing on Twitter
Twitter is a Micro-blogging Website. Micro-blogging Websites such as Twitter are Websites where users are able to publish short posts, up to 140 characters, that can be viewed by others. These posts can contain links, product or service information, news, sales pitches and more. Brands utilizing these Websites successfully also use these posts to establish themselves as industry leaders, offering educational, non-marketing information to others.
Recently, Twitter has exploded in terms of popularity. Celebrities, sports stars, brands, even pets have all taken to the Twitterverse and gotten in on the action. Twitter is a great place to build a following, connect with the public, and more. Twitter can and should be used as a means to establish yourself as an industry leader. Tweet about things going on in the industry. Tweet about events, news, gossip, seminars, etc. Post a new Blog article? Tweet! Hire a new exec? Tweet! Have a company picnic? Tweet! You get the idea. Post tweets with value, not just marketing information. Show the public different sides of you and your brand.
Why is Blog Marketing beneficial?
An active Blog can create many opportunities for brands. Creating and maintaining a company Blog is important for branding as well as building search visibility. Once you’ve committed to a company Blog, it is important to optimize it. From the layout itself to individual blog posts, optimization for search engines is an important step. We work with our clients in a multitude of ways to make sure that their Blogs are up to par and working hard.
Once you’ve established an active, optimized Blog, it needs to be promoted. This can be done in several ways. Social Media Marketing outlets allow you to share your Blog content. Blog directories and aggregators are one way of doing this. When a well written Blog Post is informative, and not sales driven, submit the URL to relevant Social Media Websites as well.
Connecting with other Bloggers is another way of promoting your Blog. Our Social Media Marketing team has experience finding relevant Bloggers for our clients. We network with these Bloggers, making them aware of your Blog, developing relationships with them and generating linking opportunities.
You can also promote yourself, your expertise, and in turn, your brand, on other Blogs. Online, you will find Blogs written by and for others in your field of work. You can establish yourself as an industry resource by posting relevant, non-spam comments on popular Blogs that relate to the topic of the post. By becoming active on industry Blogs, you will be doing great public relations for your brand, connecting with potential customers, and learning from others in your field.
Social Networking Websites – Facebook
Facebook is a Website that you’ve heard of before. Do you really understand it though?
Social Networking sites are online communities. People use Social Networking Websites in order to connect with friends, old and new. Most Social Networks offer both public and private messaging capabilities. Social Networks also allow users to share links, videos, images and more.
Social Networks such as Facebook appeal to users on a universal level. With users flocking to Social Networking sites, it’s important to build your brand’s presence on them. The statistics show that people expect brands to be represented on Social Networking Websites. Social Media Marketing utilizes these Social Networks for the benefit of both brands and the public.
The New Business Networking – LinkedIn
Just as Social Networking Websites connect people on a social level, there are also networking Websites that connect people on a professional level. Business Networking Websites, such as LinkedIn, allow users to focus on their professional accomplishments and goals. Users can network with co-workers, clients, others in their field and more. Members are able to have discussions, post jobs, refer other users and more. These networking sites focus on business credentials and goals, rather than on shared hobbies or common interests.
These Websites can be important resources for brands. Utilizing Social Media Marketing techniques on these Business Networking Websites allow brands to connect with like minded professionals. Even if you don’t offer a service or product tailored to the business groups already established there, these Websites allow you to increase your online reach. You can even start your own business group.
Why utilize Video Sharing Websites for SMM?
YouTube is the most popular Video Sharing Website out there. YouTube and all Video Sharing Websites give users access to media on demand. Countless videos are uploaded to YouTube, where people from all over the world have access to them. Video Sharing services give brands a way to share their video media with users like never before.
Does your company have commercials, demo videos, TV appearances, or other visual media? Do you see opportunities to create new videos? If so, you should be utilizing Video Sharing Websites to promote your video content. These Websites let you upload, share, and market your company’s name and information. Utilizing video sharing Websites can bring your company higher rankings and more targeted traffic.
Collaborative Information Resources, Wikis and Answer Sharing Sites
Collaborative Information Websites such as Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers can be very beneficial to brands when used correctly. Answering others’ questions and providing the public with useful information is a great way to establish yourself as an industry expert. Adding to these Websites is also a great way to get your brand’s name out there so that people will view you as knowledgeable and beneficial. This may cause them to choose your brand when they need your service or product in the future.
A Wiki is a Web page or group of pages that are set up to give different users the chance to add or change the content of the page. Wikis are very often used for professional, educational or business purposes. Wikis can be public or private, with passwords used to gain access.
Probably the most well known Wiki is Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a public Wiki that is set up like an encyclopedia. The information is generated by the public, and can be edited by those with a free account from the site. Wikipedia is a popular online destination, providing millions of people with information every day. Have you looked up your brand on Wikipedia? What are people saying about you?
Much like Social Media Marketing on forums, you cannot spam on these Websites. They were created to educate and inform people, not for brands to sell on. Look for topics that will allow you to share your valuable insight and industry information. Don’t look for opportunities to brag or spam. These Websites offer great opportunities to connect with your audience, but misuse them, and you’ll be in trouble.
Marketing on Social News Websites
Social News Websites, such as Reddit, allow users to share, vote for, and comment on newsworthy content. These Websites attempt to sort out the junk, and give users only what they want. When content is submitted, it is classified by topic, allowing for users to read only about “Breaking News,” “Sports,” “Entertainment,” etc.
Social News Websites are no place for spam or marketing. These kinds of Websites are very stringent with their guidelines, and will ban users utilizing their sites for marketing purposes. The Websites’ administration teams aren’t the only ones who frown upon spam and marketing. Social News site users are also strict about the content. On many Social News services, users are able to vote up or vote down the content based on their preferences. They can also make reports to the moderators over objectionable users, stories, and more.
There are plenty of ways for brands to use Social News Websites without submitting marketing information. Use a Social News account to educate users about your industry. Share information and resources. Do you sell cars? Submit stories about the automotive industry. Work for a law firm? Share stories regarding your area of expertise.
Occasionally, seldom in most cases, you may write a Blog post that fits the criteria to submit to a Social News site. This kind of Blog post will not focus on your brand or products, but rather on industry news, sharing resources, or educating the public.
Not sure if your post will be well received on a Social News site? Don’t post it. The more time you spend on these sites, the more you’ll get to know their culture and standards.
What is the difference between smm and smo?
Social Media Marketing usually include the act of advertising content through such methods for inquiring about a product/service and posting votes for certain activities or the launch of a product for the company. SMO includes developing the right content and establishing a website which is friendly to social media customers, but does not go as far with regards to advertising the same.
How many social media sites should i use?
While there are countless numbers of social networking sites relating to public networking out there, it’s difficult to use them all. Generally, it’s more effective to use a few (We suggest 3 to 6) definitely, and if you want to have records of other websites that you use occasionally, that is excellent. Because part of having an effective social network, it includes building a customer profile and a popularity of the site, it is much more genuine to accomplish this when you are using some websites continually.
How can i use social media to build links?
There are basically two different ways to develop hyperlinks with social networking sites.
First, by submitting your content, you may gain a quality inbound weblink from the social networking site itself. However, some social media websites use no follow tags on hyperlinks to discourage spam link syndication.
The second and more effective, way to develop hyperlinks through social networks is to develop outstanding content that creates a lot of buzz with social networking sites like videos, blogs, images etc.. It will encourage other blog writers and online marketers to weblink to you. Social networking websites are an outstanding platform for added exposure that will lead to more backlinks.
How much traffic can i expect to get from social media?
Generally, major social networking websites are capable of delivering thousands of visitors, while the smaller sized social networking websites may send a few hundred or less. Though these visitors are significant, it’s not the end of the tale. Pages that includes a lot of backlinks are also likely to position well in google, which can lead to plenty of on-going traffic as well.
Can smo drive more traffic and help expand my online business?
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Digg etc., have become the most visited sites on the internet. If you have a significant presence here, it might go a long way in advertising your business globally. This results in not just more traffic but better conversions also as this is not a direct selling but interest-based engagement.
