You should also consider your keyword placement and keyword density on the body of your web pages.  Think specific keyword phrases– not “keywords.”  Why?  Due to the extreme amount of competition for general terms in the search engines, you stand a far better chance to rank well for specific phrases where there is less competition.

Check out some of these tips for using keyword phrases:

1.)  Work Through Elements

Search engines completely ignore elements like punctuation and line breaks, so you can too.  If you have a three word key-phrase, there’s no reason you can’t end one sentence with the first two keywords and then start the following sentence with the last keyword.  Work through elements and get noticed by the search engines.

2.)  Form Quotes from “Personal” Key-Phrases

Incorporate quotes in the first person into your content since many people search in the first person.  For example, if you offer leadership training like our recent client, Greg Schinkel of Unique Training and Development, you could say something like, “Many managers wonder, ‘How can I engage and motivate my employees?’”  When someone types this question into a search engine, you have a good shot at getting them to your site!

3.)  Include Opposite Key-Phrases

So what if a really good key-phrase you’ve found doesn’t apply to your business?  How can you incorporate these into your content?  Find a legitimate way to use the key-phrase—even if it’s a page telling a client why the key-phrase is a bad idea or doesn’t apply to your business.

4.)  Add Other Words

So maybe you’ve tried to incorporate key-phrases into your content but it just ended up sounding clunky and uncomfortable.  The solution is to add other words to the beginning or end of the key-phrase.

For example, one of our recent clients, Agadia, offers “prior authorization software” for healthcare management.  Using “prior authorization software” repeatedly is no good.  Instead, they can incorporate other words before the phrase, like “web-based” and “feature-rich.” Or, they can incorporate other words after their phrase, like “solution.”

5.)  Consider “Stop” Words in Choppy Phrases

If the key-phrase you need to use isn’t complete or wouldn’t make sense in a sentence, consider adding “stop” words.  “Stop” words are words like “of,” “the,” “a,” and “for” that the search engines weed out anyway.

But what if your website has already been built and you don’t have a new website planned anytime soon?  You can still incorporate keywords and keyword phrases into articles, newsletters and blog posts you put on the web.

For more Internet marketing techniques to help you increase search engine rankings and generate more traffic to your site, check out the “Internet Profit Kit for Information Marketers: 101 Proven Tactics & Tools You Can Use to Build Your Business.” Visit http://www.internetprofitkit.com for details.

That’s why I put together some time-tested and proven tips and strategies designed to give you a big boost in growing your business.  I think you’ll find a lot of value from the quick-read ideas presented in “Profit-Rich Marketing: Proven Strategies to Help You Grow Your Business,” which are designed for easy implementation.

The practical marketing approach and proven strategies will help you to:

• Create the Marketing Mindset
• Create Explosive Growth in Your Business
• Utilize Marketing Secrets of the Masters
• Measure Marketing Success
• Design Profit-Rich Marketing Materials
• Write Copy Like the Pros
• Build Your Online Money Machine
• Drive Targeted Traffic
• Use Blog Marketing to Build Your Business
• Monetize Your Social Media Marketing Efforts

Get more details on my “Profit-Rich Marketing: Proven Strategies to Help You Grow Your Business” and leave us a comment to let us know some of the ways you’d like to improve your business.

Really, though, I’ve learned how important it is for all companies to incorporate keywords into their web content.  But what if your website has already been built and you don’t have a new website planned anytime soon?  You can still incorporate keywords into articles, newsletters and blog posts you put on the web.

Check out some of these tips for using keywords:

1. Work Through Elements

Search engines completely ignore elements like punctuation and line breaks, so you can too.  If you have a three word key-phrase, there’s no reason you can’t end one sentence with the first two keywords and then start the following sentence with the last keyword.  Work through elements and get noticed by the search engines!

2. Form Quotes from “Personal” Key-Phrases

Incorporate quotes in the first person into your content since many people search in the first person.  For example, if you offer leadership training like our client, Greg Schinkel of Unique Training and Development, you could say something like, “Many managers wonder, ‘How can I engage and motivate my employees?’”  When someone types this question into a search engine, you have a good shot at getting them to your site!

3. Include Opposite Key-Phrases

So what if a really good key-phrase you’ve found doesn’t apply to your business?  How can you incorporate these into your content?  Find a legitimate way to use the key-phrase—even if it’s a page telling a client why the key-phrase is a bad idea or doesn’t apply to your business.

4. Add Other Words

So maybe you’ve tried to incorporate key-phrases into your content but it just ended up sounding clunky and uncomfortable.  The solution is to add other words to the beginning or end of the key-phrase.

For example, one of our clients, Agadia, offers “prior authorization software” for healthcare management.  Using “prior authorization software” repeatedly is no good.  Instead, they can incorporate other words before the phrase, like “web-based” and “feature-rich.” Or, they can incorporate other words after their phrase, like “solution.”

5. Consider “Stop” Words in Choppy Phrases

If they key-phrase you need to use isn’t complete or wouldn’t make sense in a sentence, consider adding “stop” words.  “Stop” words are words like “of,” “the,” “a,” and “for” that the search engines weed out anyway.

Remember, grammar and punctuation has the power to showcase the professionalism of your organization.  A lack of proper grammar and punctuation (yes, even in a quickly typed email or buried within copy on your website) can do the opposite—diminish the perceived professionalism of your organization.

I plan on doing a few “refreshers” with our team.  I suggest you and anyone else from your organization who writes at all (nearly everyone!) review this first installment of reminders.

Semicolons

Semicolons usually separate two main clauses that could stand on their own if you wanted them to.  The catch is that they must be closely related main clauses.

For example:

“I need the report by the end of the day.”

“I will expect it from you by 5:00.”

Becomes…

“I need the report by the end of the day; I will expect it from you by 5:00.”

So why use semicolons?  The main reason to use a semicolon is to add some variety to your sentence structure.  This is a nice option if you have a large amount of content.

Colons

Colons are used after complete sentences to signal that what comes after the colon is directly related to the previous statement.  Colons should never be used after sentence fragments.  Instead, a colon should be used to expand or clarify on the complete sentence before it.

For example:

“Our company specializes in three areas.  They are internet marketing, marketing and website design.”

Becomes…

“Our company specializes in three areas: internet marketing, marketing and website design.”

So why use colons?  The main reason to use a colon, again, is to add some variety to your sentence structure.  Additionally, it helps your reader remember the points you included.

That’s enough for today, but why don’t you make a goal of using a semicolon and a colon properly at least once this week?  It doesn’t have to be for anything fancy—these can be used quickly and easily in a memo, email, report, etc.  Then let us know what you think!  Did using a semicolon or colon add variety and sense of professionalism to your writing?  Do you think you’ll start incorporating them on a regular basis?

Whether you’re a novice or seasoned blogger, use these ABC’s of Blogging Tips to improve your blogging.

Add value to attract attention

Build trust to create a following

Consistency is crucial to keep readers coming back

Don’t self-promote or down talk the competition

Engage your audience by encouraging feedback

Focus on topical ideas to increase search engine rankings

Grow readership through email campaigns and social media links

Hold yourself accountable for the content you publish

Imagine you’re having a conversation to ensure your blog has the right tone

Join the conversation by responding to comments

Know your audience and what their needs are

Leverage your content by re-purposing and repackaging it

Monitor traffic and comments to measure results

Never plagiarize

Offer expert advice as the hook to get them to learn more about you

Publish the content to various social media platforms

Quality counts – so remember to proofread

Recognize that everyone may not agree with what you have to say

Stand out from the crowd by offering unique content

Tell a story to help your readers relate

Uncover solutions to prospects’ problems

Verify facts before publishing them

Write what you know

XYZ(e)xamine your zest.  Ok, this one’s a stretch.  What it means is write with enthusiasm and your readers will respond.

What tips do you have for successful blogging?  Please leave your comments below.

The signs of frightful blogging are obvious… foaming at the mouth, ghastly tales of competitors and unnerving lists of links.

This doesn’t mean you should let your fear of blogging hold you back; it is a powerful tool if done correctly.

By now you probably know that blogs can help you increase search engine rankings, drive traffic to your website, and position you as a credible expert in your field.

While blogging is indeed a way to build your digital footprint, there are some practices you should avoid.  Here are 3 ways your blog could come back to haunt you:

1.  Foaming at the Mouth

A common mistake many bloggers make is that they focus too much on self-promotion.  When writing your blog posts, focus more on giving value to your audience than trying to pitch a product or service.  This is what adding value is truly about.  If you do this consistently, you won’t need to tout your products and services; your prospects will seek them out because they’ve come to trust you (or your company) as an expert!  A good model to follow is the 80/20 rule (The Pareto Principle).  80% of the content you publish should be focused on providing insights, solutions, and strategies.  The other 20% can include a related promo, offer or affiliate link; just always proceed with caution and focus on the audience who is absorbing your material.  I suggest even using the 90/10 rule of thumb or creating complete posts without any up sell, but instead encouraging them to engage with you by posting their comments on your blog.

2.  Ghastly tales of competitors

Think political ads on this one; they are the perfect example of bashing the competition to further your own agenda.  It’s just bad business and can… and probably will… come back to haunt you.  Remember that anything you publish today will remain online for many, many years to come.   It’s good practice to keep your writing free of negative emotions; this will ensure you’re publishing information that focuses on your audience instead of what the competition is or isn’t doing.  Don’t confuse this with creating posts with your unique voice and opinion. That is a good thing and shows authenticity.  You’ll decide how far to push the envelope. Case in point, one of my friends is a best-selling author and runs a popular blog.  He bashed American Airlines in his blog and got banned from the airline for 5 years.

3. Unnerving lists of links

There is a fine line between including a link that enhances the information in your blog and adding several links to promote affiliates, text link ads and so on.  Too many links will annoy people, turn them away from your blog and possibly even get you labeled as a spammer.

Now that you’ve learned what not to do, it’s time to tackle your fear and start blogging your way to building your business.

What have you done to make your blog stand apart from the crowd?  Or, what’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your blog?  I’d love to hear from you.  Post your comments below.

First, understand that it’s the search-engine’s goal to provide the best search results for the user.  While Google, Bing and Yahoo rank website pages a bit differently they all have the same outcome of a positive and relevant user experience.  That experience comes from listing unique pages on their search result pages (SERPS).  

For this blog posting, I’m just going to use Google as “the search engine”.  

Duplicate content generally refers to blocks of text or entire pages that are virtually the same.

If you have the same article content and it’s used on several different websites, Google will try and decide which website is the originator of the content, give them the credit and show that listing.   Yes, that means that even though it’s your content from your website if someone steals it, or even if you submitted it to them and they posted it with your permission, it’s possible that website and not yours would get the credit.  I’ve seen my blog postings, YouTube video descriptions, and articles used on several other websites without permission or even back-links to my website. 

For clarifications sake, we all want higher search engine rankings and more targeted traffic.  We understand that we have to have keyword-rich content with those keywords used appropriately (keyword density) and optimized according to the rules of the search engines. 

So maybe you started out by creating new web pages targeted around a keyword theme.  Then you wrote a few articles or blog postings about the same subject thinking… more keyword-rich content means more traffic.  Then you took those same articles and submitted them to other websites or even posted them on other social media websites. 

Now you have fallen into the trap of duplicate content and even if you did so innocently, you may find that your website pages or entire site isn’t indexed anymore. That means no search engine traffic. Do I have your attention yet? 

There are several things you can do to get higher rankings, avoid duplicate content and prevent Google penalties.

1.  Understand that you need original, relevant keyword-rich content on your website and that each page should have a unique page title, unique meta-description tag, unique h1 header text, and focused content around a theme.  

2. Article marketing. Having your articles posted on article directories and other websites or blogs with links back to your website is a great way to increase your traffic when done correctly.  Back-links help Google understand the relevancy of your website because if you have several other websites with similar themes or focus all linking to you, like from your articles, you get more rankings.  In short though, you need unique or mostly unique versions of the article posted on different websites with a reference link back to you, not the same article everywhere. Having the same article everywhere is just a waste of time.

3. Check your website and learn more about duplicate content using Google’s Webmaster Tools.  It amazes me that people may think that Google’s ranking structure is a secret. While the algorithm may be secret, Google wants you to build your site properly so it can give you the credit.  

4. You can search for duplicate copies of your content using the online website, http://www.copyscape.com/. They offer a free service and premium service to check if content is unique and original.  Works fast and you’d be amazed by the results. Recently, I re-wrote all of the landing pages copy for our Prime Concepts website and found over 80 other websites that had taken my copy word-for-word, and just switched out the company name.   Go to CopyScape and check your website.

5. If you find infringing websites you can file a notice of infringement with Google.  Learn more about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and how to file a DMCA notice here.

6. Get unique versions of your articles out on different websites. If you send the same article out to 500 different websites, Google is going to look those 500 websites and see the exact article on all of them and simply index only one or two of them and your efforts would have been wasted.  You need to submit a unique variation of each article to each article directory. There are literally hundreds of article directories.  This way Google and the other search engines will see all of the unique content and those pages will get indexed and credit the links back (back-links) to your website.

7. We believe strongly in article marketing campaigns, but the titles, main content, word count and resource box links have to be mostly different to avoid the duplicate content problems.  There are tools, called “article spinners” that can help you modify or re-work the content of your articles, but again, I urge you to use caution, as attempts to manipulate the search engines may cause the Google bitch slap and you’ll lose your rankings.

8. Be careful about services or websites that claim to create quick back-links or automated article submissions to other websites.  There are no short cuts to an effective back-linking campaign.  If you find a service or other tool that you love that’s produced great results, add a comment with details on this blog posting.

Take action now. Go write unique, keyword-rich content for your website and original content articles that you can place on article directories.  Turn them into Videos and podcasts too.  Remember that keyword-rich content drives traffic, so focus on delivering relevant information and watch your business grow!

Everyone I talk to as an Internet Marketing Consultant wants to know how to get more site visitors from search engines.  It starts with a basic understanding of how the search engines work-or rather what their responsibility is to their user-the searcher.

The search engine’s job is to provide the best and most relevant results to the person using their search engine to find solutions to their searches. To do that they need to catalog a site’s content and while there are every-changing algorithms for top rankings a critical element for search engine optimization (SEO) is the content, which of course is made of WORDS.

Those words when filled with your “keywords” make up your content.  Knowing which words to use and where to put them on your site is a huge element of SEO to get more traffic.   Keywords and keyword phrases are the same thing.

Here are a few tips for keyword success:

1. Make a list of the main types of prospects you want to attract.

Create a marketing profile for the typical prospect and customer for your business in a word doc. Get as specific as you can so you can put yourself in the “mindset” of the type of people you want to attract.  Ask yourself and evaluate what keywords you think they would type into a search engine to find you, your products or services.

2. Do your research.

Look at your website statistics because that will show you what words people are using now to find you. It doesn’t mean they are the best words, but your stats will show you what keyword phrases they are using now.  We use “Google Analytics” for sites. It’s a free service, easy to implement and offers a ton of benefits.

You want targeted traffic that will convert into customer leads and sales.  Many years ago I optimized my Internet Marketing Speaker website for my name “Ford Saeks” but because my first name Ford is also a major automotive company I was receiving tons of spill over traffic for people looking for Ford cars and Ford car parts, and not my professional services to help people improve their marketing results and profits.  The keywords we use now are related and relevant to what our prospects and customers are searching for to find our solutions.  The research results, our site statistics and usage of the popular keywords research tools all help us optimize our sites for top rankings.

Two of my favortite Keyword tools are:

Google Keyword Tool Sandbox:
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

and the WordTracker Free Keyword Tool

There are several other sources for keyword research and they all offer specific advantages and benefits. WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool and  Google’s Sandbox Tool will keep you busy for a while and help you create a nice list of keywords.

3. Use your Keywords on your website content, blog headlines and postings, articles, media releases, and social media website profiles.

Remember, keywords… sorry scratch that… The right keywords, meaning most relevant keywords that your prospects would type into a search engine are what you want in your content.  This includes the content on your website and any content that you place on other people’s website.

For exampke, if you have your company profile or products listed on directory sites or association listings you want to include relevant keywords.  If you have a blog then your blog headlines and blog postings or comments you place on other people’s blogs should include relevant keywords.  If you are using Social Media Marketing Websites — like FaceBook, Linkedin, YouTube, MySpace, and many others to grow your business — then you need to include your relevant keywords in your profiles and postings.

Make certain that your webmaster understands the proper SEO elements necessary for top rankings so you can take advantage of your keywords.  Or hire an SEO Specialist like me, Ford Saeks, to help you and your organization dramatically improve your search engine rankings and make more money. There are 7 critical places you must place your keywords to get top rankings.  One of the best places on your site is the PAGE TITLE and it must be unique on every page.

I explore over 10 other keyword research and SEO strategies going into much more detail on finding the best keywords, including the seven critical places you must use your keywords to increase your targeted site traffic on Keyword Secrets: 60-Minutes to Simple Keyword Success Audio.

Also, WordTracker offers a 7-day free trial and 7 free keyword videos and a Keyword Basic’s Guide that you and your webmaster will find extremely helpful.  I guarantee it!  

Start Now. Add a comment below on this blog posting with your top keywords and put a link to your website.  This will give you an in-bound link that also helps your site rankings.

Q:  Why do I want my blog to be part of my site when I can set one up for little to nothing at sites like BlogSpot.com or WordPress.com?

A: Host Your Blog Directly on Your Domain
Hosting your blog on a different domain from your primary website can limit the value of your blog to your business.   We started out with a blog at typepad.com a few years ago, then realized that it was much more valuable to install a WordPress blog (www.wordpress.org) .ORG software on our server and had our techs configure the templates, plug-ins and interface. 

The main reasons for having your blog as part of your actual domain is that a blog on your domain can attract links to other areas of your site, increase visibility, improve publicity efforts, build trust, and raise your search rankings. 

Our old blog platform using Typepad:   primeconcepts.typepad.com

Blog as part of our corporate domain:  www.PrimeConcepts.com/blog 

What is your favorite Blog application? Comment below:

I get asked this all the time.  Let’s see if we can clear this up… 

Short Answer:

A blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ at the top of the main page to the older entries toward the bottom. Watch this short video that answers the questions in simple and easy — non-techie — terms.

More Details:

The word BLOG is short for web log. A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging.” Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts” or entries. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger.”

A blog may consist of text, images, video and links to other web pages. Blogs generally use a conversational style of writing with the best blogs focusing on a particular “area of interest.” They are typically updated at regular intervals using software that allows people with little or no technical experience to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured at the top of the page. Confused? Don’t be. It’s really quite simple.

Great Video Explanation

Some of these secrets may seem like common sense, but after reviewing literally hundreds of sites for various companies, I’ve found that way too many businesses are making simple and easily avoidable website mistakes.

Secret # 1: Have a Clear Purpose. Whether you’re just sitting down to map out your site, or you’ve already got your site up and running, stop and take a moment to really look at your site. Ask yourself what the outcome and purpose is for your website.

How does it position you and support your branding? Does it generate leads? Does it just sell automotive products and services or does it also let visitors schedule a sales call, watch a product demo or installation, or download specs? Does your site provide customer service and support? It may be that your site needs to do all of the above.

Sure, you want to make more money, but on top of that, your website must reflect what you want your customers to do. For example, if you want them to buy something, there should be a process in place that guides prospects through the purchase. It should begin with the visitor finding the solution to their need, learning more about it, making the decision to buy the product or service, and then clicking on a button or link to order it.

Maybe the purpose of your site is to build a bigger mailing list, too. To accomplish this, you might want to get visitors to sign up for a monthly ezine. Your process might begin by introducing your newsletter, then outlining its content, providing past issues, and then ending with a subscription box. Make sure you have an automated method of capturing visitor contacts. Get clear on the purpose of your website, then look at it with a fresh perspective.

Secret # 2: Communicate Value and Use Clear Action Steps. You need clear, attention-grabbing headlines and specific action steps on every page. Let me repeat this… you need clear, attention-grabbing headlines and specific action steps on every page.

When I say clear, attention-grabbing headlines, I mean your headlines must ‘hook’ the attention of the reader, and then lead them into your main message. When writing copy, make sure it is benefit driven, and that your benefits are validated with features. Use testimonials, bonuses, special offers, incentives, guarantees, etc. Guide visitors through the entire process so they know exactly where to click whenever they land on a particular page.

Suppose I’m on your site and I’m reading about your aftermarket products or services. When I’ve finished reading about them, does it just leave me hanging to figure out what to do next?

Wouldn’t it make more sense if you had an action step that told me what to do next, such as ‘click here to order’ or ‘to learn more’? Isn’t that the point of your site… to get visitors to read and click on what you want? Too often the action step is left off the page, assuming the visitor will figure it out. Don’t take that chance – every page on your site must include a clear next step.

Secret # 3: Get more domain names. Okay, technically this secret isn’t really about website design, but it is so important, I’m including it anyway. At Prime Concepts Group we have over 500 domains. You probably don’t need that many, but I bet you could benefit from getting a few more great ones.

Have you ever needed to find a company or their phone number and just opened a browser and tried to guess at their domain name?  Maybe you tried three or four spellings, but couldn’t find the site you were looking for. Well having more than one domain name makes it easier for people to find your business.

Keep domain names simple and easy to remember.

Having multiple domain names is an ideal way to track the success of particular promotions. Use them in Pay-Per-Click advertisements—this doesn’t mean you have to change your main domain—it means getting other “keyword” domains. Don’t forget domain names with common misspellings, hyphens and keywords, and other extensions (such as .net, .org, .info. .US. .co or .mobi). With customers using their mobile phones and PDAs to access the Internet these days, now is the time to get a .mobi extension or at least create a sub-domain like m.profitrichresults.com (iPhone/Smartphone enabled website), too.

Search for domains online—a few popular sites are NetworkSolutions.com, GoDaddy.com or DeletedDomains.com.  I like to search on DeletedDomains.com because it’s a site dedicated to listing domains that others have let expire so you can snatch them up.

Secret #4: Use Keywords to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings. Keywords help prospects find you in the search engines. Selecting the right keywords to emphasize on your site is crucial to your online success. Think about what words your prospects might type into a search engine to find you – those are your “keywords.”

When you’re searching for something, sometimes you may search a broad category with only one word… that one word is also a keyword.  Sometimes you search using multiple words at once, such as “website designers in Dallas.” That’s an example of a keyword phrase.

Your task is to think of the keywords that your prospects would use to find your product or service. Use your keywords when writing content, naming the actual html page, like “website designers_dallas.html”.  Use them for links on your site and to help the search engines catalog your site so visitors find you.

Make a list of your Top 50 keywords and keyword phrases (actually, I think you should compile a list of several hundred keywords, but let’s start with getting a good list of the top 50). The number of keywords on your list really is dependent on what you sell. If you offer several hundred items, obviously you’ll need a much bigger list.

Do your keyword research when you’re compiling your list. There are several main research methods.  Here is an audio resource that explains keyword research in more detail.

Use an online tool like the Google’s keyword tool. These are FREE keyword search tools. Another of my favorite keyword search sites is Wordtracker.com. This one’s not free, but it offers tools and training to master keyword research.

• Ask your customers what words they used to find your website.
• Ask your sales team what they think your keywords should be.

Look at your web server’s “referrer” logs and analytics reports. Ask your webmaster (if you’ve got one) – they can help you.

Use your keywords in online articles, specific web pages, and HTML description Meta tags. Create unique page titles for every page on your site (page titles are the words that show up on the top edge of the web browser). Look at your home page – what does it say? Look at other pages on your site. Each one should be unique to the content and purpose of the specific page. (Your webmaster should know how to do this… if not, get a new one!)

These are just four things you can do, but if you truly work on mastering these four, you’ll see a dramatic, positive effect on making your site a money machine. You have the tools you need to turbocharge your sales; now go for it!