Most businesses today have the understanding that online importance is important; however it seems that the effort stops at the point they get online. The online presence is there, but with no organized method you’re just a small being in the large world of the internet. Generally most people have way too much faith in technology and expect to do something once and have it succeed amazingly with no effort. When it comes to designing a website with purpose and power there are a few very important factors:

• The obvious first would be design which comes down to visual appeal and user friendliness.
• Frequency of updated material.
• Backlinks (Sites that link to your site) on relevant sites to yours.
• The relevancy of your material to what your demographic is looking for. (Most shoppers do their research online first.) Wall Street Journal
• Most important of all you want the search engines to understand what you have on your site, where to find it, and what to look for.

“More than half the businesses who responded to a Small Business Search Marking Survey by American Express and SEMPO said they needed help with their campaigns, yet only 25 per cent said they would employ anyone to assist with search engine marketing, MediaPost reported.

Almost three-quarters of those questioned said they handled search campaigns internally, despite often having no expertise in the sector.”

Equi Media

We need to remember that no matter how powerful the computer is whether it be a desktop, a Google server, or a super computer its still no human brain. This is what search engine optimization is for — to help the search engine algorithms understand your site better. This will help your site appear more relevant to the keywords you are using to target your audience and get you the most relevant traffic. Relevancy is key in top ranking whether you are talking search engine marketing or optimization (SEM or SEO). Search engine marketing can also help you research your demographic through keyword research tools and trial and error. This will also give you an idea of what the search engine is looking for; this shouldn’t stop at Google, Bing, Yahoo, be sure to include Facebook too. Quality not quantity plays a huge role in top ranking. If you are going to launch a new site a good start is extremely important, not that this means if you were off to a bad start you’ve seen the end of your online presence. Late is better than never, and that’s why Cyber Stampede is here, to help you!

For those who are familiar with the iPhone/iPod game Angry Birds, here is an SEO analogy that relates to the game.

1. You have to play to figure out the rules
   So many webmasters want to know “the best way” to do this or that – but there rarely is a one-size-fits-all answer. Many times, we simply need to play the game and see what happens, building up the real world knowledge of what is right for OUR situation as we go.
2. You succeed best when your site’s unique contributions are recognized
   Too much energy goes into being “like site X”. Once you’ve got the basics of webmastering down, what’s important is making your site’s unique qualities obvious in the marketplace.
3. You can’t recover from a really bad start
   Sometimes you do need to cut your losses and move on. That’s just the reality of the world.
4. Different problems require different specialists
   Running a website is a diverse project, and you simply cannot know everything required to make the right moves in every situation. Knowing when to bring in outside help or develop a new skill in-house is key.
5. Blowing something up isn’t necessarily felt everywhere
   If you want to make a major change in an established web business, you often need to think holistically, and realize that there are many factors to take into consideration. You can’t just fiddle around without having some idea of how your entire web ecosystem will react to that fiddling – and that includes how it will look to Google.
6. Most improvements are incremental
   Great breakthroughs in search traffic are rare. Mostly it’s just putting one foot in front of the other, over and over again. Google even has safeguards that keep a site from exploding onto the scene too fast.
7. Just because you’ve mastered one task doesn’t make you master of all
   It’s a natural pitfall because webmasters do need to have a lot of diverse skill. But sometimes you need a business plan tune-up, or a conversion optimization, or a usability assessment in order to reach the next level.
8. You can never do the same thing exactly the same way
   And that means you can never do the exactly same thing that someone else did, either. Google moves on, each website exists in a unique larger web presence, and repeating the same patterns over and over will eventually smack you into a brick wall.
9. Some goals require more “birds”
   Sometimes you can make successful changes to a website, only to discover that the business can sustain the new level of success. It’s not just Google that needs to focus on “does this scale.” Webmasters who want major success need to look at that question in advance, too.
10. There is more than one way to win
    Even in SEO this is true. There is more than one keyword or set of keywords that can tap into your audience. There is more than one way to get other sites to link to you. There is more than one way to structure a website. There is more than one way to write HTML, CSS, PHP. etc – even to achieve the same end.

Search Engine Round Table

Be Sure to come back Friday for an article on the difference between SEM and SEO.

Lets face it, if you want to be noticed on the web you need to be noticed by Google and have a presence on the most visited site on the web, Facebook.

Top rankings on Google in 2011 will NOT be achieved through traditional methods, here is a list of “MUSTS”:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
   No matter the platform SEO will continue to rank #1 as the preferred strategy for all major search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.
2. RSS (Real Simple Syndication)
   Because Google rewards “real time media” over static, RSS and consequently Ping services will continue to grow as a leading method of maximizing Google rankings. Services such as Google’s Feedburner can be highly beneficial and is simple to use.
3. Link Building
   In tune with Google’s “L(i)” search algorithm variable, link popularity will maintain a high level of importance to maximize Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask rankings.
4. Take advantage of Google’s Local Listings
   Maximize Google exposure by taking advantage of Google Local which places users more favorably on search result pages.
5. Create a Facebook page
   With Facebook as the most visited site in all the internet, you will need a presence there. Create a page and invite everyone you know, if you have the budget, promote the page with Facebook advertising, a very quickly growing trend.
6. Sponsored Listings
   This can be the quick and easy way to get exposure on the first page of results on Google. Depending on your market this can become costly, but can establish great relevancy statistics with keywords. Tools such as Adwords can help establish statistics on:

• Keyword relevancy in relation to landing pages; Click Through Rate, and Conversions (Know what keywords to include in your articles, and which keywords are creating your desired result.)
• Demographics such as Age, Gender, and Location (Know who, and where to target.)
• When people visit your site. (Publishing new content just before the “Golden Period” will keep your visitors coming.)

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