SOCIAL SEO Article on sitepronews.com

November 29, 2013

Using Social Signals to Boost Your SEO

By Tina Courtney-Brown in Featured

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Social signals are a hot commodity these days; without them, your SEO and overall traffic won’t be all it can be. Socials signals are any promotion or mention of your brand or products through tweets, Facebook “likes”, and related blasts. The more you engage your audience in commenting and sharing your social media and content, the better your overall SEO results will be.
Both Google and Bing have shown an increasing interest in the value of social signals, making an overall strategic social media plan an essential part of your marketing landscape. Understanding how and why social signals are so crucial to SEO will assist you in planning your overall SEO tactics.
How Social Signals Can Increase Your Rankings
The level of social interaction your customers have with your brand directly and indirectly impacts your SEO clout. Organic search rankings have been increasingly affected by social signals, and while it’s arguable to what degree (and varies by search engine as well), it is abundantly obvious that overlooking this aspect of SEO is flat out foolish.
How do social signals directly impact SEO?
The following are critical:
Google+ Circles – Yes, it’s apparent many folks have challenges with the popularity of Google. The thing is, Google loves its social platform, so if you learn to embrace it too, your SEO results can see a boost. Note that the number of people you have in your own circles is not as important as the number of folks who include you.
Facebook Shares – Get your Facebook followers engaged in your content. How? By creating truly valuable posts, ideally rich in graphics and video.
Twitter Followers and Tweet Mentions – Remember that a bigger audience isn’t necessarily better. You again want a demographic that is engaged and active with your content. Retweets and social mentions are golden – getting folks to write #yourbrand is extremely valuable.
Facebook Likes – Quality over quantity rules here too. 1,000 active followers are better than 2,000 fans who ignore your posts. Engagement is always key.
Social signals increase rankings in an indirect manner too.
Examples of these actions include:
Positive Reviews – If folks are saying nice things about you on sites like Yelp, Google Local, and various prominent blogs, your SEO will show it. In fact, Sam McRoberts of Vudu Marketing says the number and tone of these reviews are two of the three most substantial factors in determining local search. It’s integral that your social media strategy include near real-time responses to users that have issues or questions; many people now use social profiles for brands as their go-to for customer support. These interactions can then assist in your overall SEO results, so make a commitment to be very active in this space. You won’t just see an increase in your rankings through this policy, but in overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Inbound Links – These help increase your visibility and credibility, and have been the darlings of SEO efforts for some time. Matt Cutts, the Google search spokesperson, has repeatedly hinted that links are still SEO-critical. Although some feel this impact has been lessened in recent months, links still should not be ignored. Creating a strong social presence and a website that extends the feeling of credibility and professionalism is your best bet to attracting link support from equally reputable partners.
Advice on How to Improve Your Social Signals
You get it – social is crucial. So how do you increase your social signal power?
Here are some practical tips:
On-site Updates – Make sure your website has oodles of opportunities for folks to share your content. Let them tweet articles, Google +1, recommend, bookmark – you name it. Encourage visitors to follow you on the various social platforms too. Blogs are also essential – they not only give visitors lots of options to share, but frequent high-quality and current content makes search engines very happy.
Updated Social Profiles – Choose only those social networks that actually pertain to your business, and dedicate a member of your team to keeping it current. Profiles should be complete, and monitored daily for comments and questions. Facebook and Twitter are a must, as is a LinkedIn profile. Sites like Vine and Pinterest are hot too, and relevant if your demographic fits the bill.
Integrate Your On and Off-site Efforts – Every time you publish content on your blog or website, you should in tandem alert your social stratosphere. Give viewers the ability to follow you on your social spaces, and to comment as well. You don’t just want eyeballs, you want clicks, comments, and shares. The quality and frequency of your content is essential, as is your willingness to engage in return. Make sure everything you do is reflected appropriately on all your social channels. And please take the time to treat each social network separately – status updates and content shares on LinkedIn, as an example, need to be professional and concise. Facebook can be more informal and wordy, and Twitter is obviously short and sweet. Respect the nature and demographic of each network and your efforts will be rewarded.
All the tactics above will not only increase your SEO rankings, but your brand credibility and reach as well. Focusing on social signals is that proverbial win-win.
How have you seen your SEO impacted by your social reach – either positively or negatively? What tactics do you feel are the keys to success?

Reprinted from i-Webmaster.org

Prediction: The Future of Search Engine Rankings

Search engines . . . mysterious, frustrating, and unpredictable. Nearly every webmaster would love for their site to rank well in the search engines and have the staying power to last beyond the next algorithm change. Unfortunately, too many people try to get there using shortcuts instead of building for long term success.
In the past, that meant things like:

• Stuffing keywords into the page and source code.
• Content and article spinning.
• Automated mass link-building.
• Showing the search engine spiders content customized for them.
• Mass quantity doorway pages.

...to name just a few. Of course, a person has a right to do those things with their own website. But at the same time, the search engines have the right to rank your site poorly or not to index it all if you do.
All those "tricks" worked at one time, but the search engines took action against every one of them, and they're still fighting web spam as vigorously today as ever.
Webmaster's whose sites are de-indexed or lost their rankings often cry foul, and then go right back to searching for more shortcuts.
One of the "in" ways to cheat now is to hide content out of site by using CSS to move it off the visible page. Those who use this trick don't realize the search engines have a large staff whose job it is to hunt down web spam in the search results.
They view the source code. They also use browser plugins to easily turn off JavaScript and CSS so anything a webmaster tries to hide becomes immediately visible.
And which sites do they check?
Sites that are reported, usually by a competitor. And . . . sites that start ranking well. That's one reason cheaters who make it to the top don't usually stay there very long. They have no reason to check sites that don't rank well, so they check the sites that do. As soon as a spammer thinks he or she the beat the system, the hammer falls.
And here's another newish dirty trick...
Have you ever went to a website and tried to click the back button and it doesn't seem to work? That's because some webmaster's are using redirects and other tactics to try to trap you on their page longer. Some of these guys will redirect you dozens of times, making it impossible to use your back button. Why? Because the time spent on a site after following a link in the search results is one of the ranking facters. The longer you stay, the better it is for the site.
The search engines will catch on to this trick, too, if they haven't already.
Do you see a pattern here? Webmasters figure out a way to cheat. It works temporarily, then the search engines catch on and penalize them. Then those who cheated look for more cheats.
It's a never-ending cycle, but there is a better way. First you have to know what the search engines want. That's an easy one...
They want to show the most relevant search results to their users, and they want the best of the relevant sites listed first. So ask yourself...
Why should your website be on the first page of search results?

Hint: It isn't just because you want it to rank on the first page.

The answer, ideally, is that your content is the best, and that may be the case one day. Right now though, we don't live in an ideal world. There are other factors that do matter. Things like:

• Slow and natural link building using varied anchor text.
• Good intra-site link practices.
• A mixture of no-follow and do-follow links.
• On-page optimization.
• On-site optimization.
• Social signals.
• Page load time.
• Good keyword selection.

...to name just a few, but there is one factor that matters the most. Do you remember what I said the search engines wanted?
To show the most relevant search results to their users, and to show the best of the relevant results first. This is what the search engines have been working toward from the beginning, and it's what they will keep working toward. While the steps they take to meet this goal aren't always predictable, the goal itself is very predictable. You can count on that.
The seach engines keep getting better and better at determining quality content from spam. While the still have a long way to go, the effectiveness of dirty tricks will keep going down as they continue to make progress.
Why do I say that?
Two reasons. First, because the more parameters there are that factor into the search rankings, the less effective any one cheat will be. And second, the better they become at discerning quality content from junk content, the less effective ALL cheats will be. The first reason is more of a factor now, the second will become the most important factor in the future.
And with quality content as the historical trend and the long-term goal, that means we should create content that DESERVES to be ranked highly on it's own merit, rather than because we found a temporary shortcut. And that is the secret to long-term success.
If those who chased the quick tricks would have built for the long term from the beginning, they wouldn't have to keep starting over every time there's a significant algorithm change. They'd have valuable web property right now. They'd have a successful business or hobby site, whatever the goal is.
Yes, it takes time, planning, and effort—but that beats constantly fighting against the trend toward better content and the elimination of web spam. If you want long-term success online, you have to build it one piece at a time; short-term cheats won't help you build a sustainable web presence.
In the next issue, we're going to take a hard look at just what "better content" really is as far as the search engines are concerned.

This article is worth the read. Take heed of what you post on social networking. It pays to be cautious and he bring out some very good points.

 http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/information/10-things-you-should-not-share-on-social-networks.htm#page=0

SEO Summed Up Counting to 10!

Reprinted from:

http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/08/15/10-clear-ways-to-help-people-find-your-site/

10 Clear Ways to Help People Find Your Site

By Terri Seymour
Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is the process in which you rearrange your site to get a higher ranking in the search engines, thus making it possible for more people to find your site. There are many things you can do to optimize your site for more exposure in the search engines. There are also many things you should not do because you and your site could be penalized.
Accurate and efficient SEO is critical to your site as most sites are found via search engines. Search engines have evolved and are now much more selective in what they look for in a site. Your SEO must adapt to this evolution to keep up your rankings.
While SEO methods can get complex and confusing, there are basic and clear things you can do to increase your chances of showing up in the search engines. By integrating the following optimizations into your site your rankings and your traffic should increase. Take note of the things you should not do as well.
1. Keywords – Many professionals will tell you that keywords are one of the most important factors in successful SEO. When choosing keywords you need to zero in on your business as much as possible. For example: if you sell jewelry, using the word jewelry will more than likely not be enough. You need to target your products in more detail. What kind of jewelry do you sell? What attracts people to your jewelry? What would you search for\when searching for jewelry? You can find out what keywords people use the most when searching for products by using Google’s keyword suggestion tool.
DO NOT be too repetitive in your use of keywords. This is called keyword stuffing and is very much frowned upon by the search engines. Use a Keyword Density Tool to make sure you have not overused your keywords.
2. Page Titles – Page titles are important for your SEO because they let the search engine spiders know what the page is about and in doing so make your webpage easier to index. When writing a spider-friendly title it all comes back to keywords. Choose some of your most effective keywords but be sure to make the title appealing to human eyes as well. Be sure your title makes sense and reads clearly. For example: jewelry diamonds, rubies, emeralds, rings, bracelets and more, is not a title but a string of keywords.
DO NOT make your title more than 70 characters because the excess will not show up in the search engines. You will then get one of these ……. which does nothing to get people to click on your page.
3. Quality Content – The search engine spiders are always looking for quality content on the websites they index. Don’t make your site a giant advertisement. Provide tips, information, resources and more pertaining to your business. If you own a home décor site, provide decorating tips, ways to save money with home decorating, etc.
DO NOT let your content go stale. You must add new information on a regular basis. This is critical to your SEO success.
4. Quality Links – Getting other quality, high-ranked sites to link to your site can be significant to your rankings. Always link to sites that will be helpful and beneficial to your visitors and to you. Find high ranked authority sites and contact the webmaster. Offer to place their link on your site if they do the same for you.
DO NOT link to junk or spam sites just to get more backlinks. A good thing to do is to ask yourself if you would find the site helpful. Would you visit this site or spend any time on it? Does it actually provide any useful information or content? If not, don’t chance damaging your reputation by linking to it.
5. Clean, Clear and Concise – Make sure your site is clean, easy to use and read. Have you ever been to a site that just takes you round and round and you never seem to find what you’re looking for? I call them merry-go-rounds and leave as quickly as possible. To me, they are about the worst kind of site. Be sure your site provides clear and concise navigation to all your products, content and other aspects of your site. Provide links to all your pages organized in a user-friendly way. Keep your site clean and clear of too many ads, clutter and junk.
DO NOT load your site with flash or frames. Both of these can cause problems for the search engines.
6. Image Alt Attribute – Search engine spiders cannot read images so be sure to use alt attribute to add keyword rich image descriptions.
DO NOT make your image description too long. A few words are usually sufficient but you could use a short sentence or two if appropriate.
7. Site Map – A site map will help make your site much easier to read for the search engine spiders and your human visitors. A site map is simply a page that lists and links to some or all of the pages of your website. Using an XML site map will make it much easier and effective for the search engines.
DO NOT put too many links on your site map. This could confuse the spiders and they might mistake you for a link farm. Stay within a 25 – 40 link range.
8. Social Networking – The astronomical rise of social media has had a huge impact on SEO. Be sure to get involved in social media and link to all your social sites via your website. Be sure they are all connected. My favorites are Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Get on over to those sites and get connected!
DO NOT join too many social sites. Find a few that work well for you and focus on participation and building your brand.
9. Page Speed – The speed at which a webpage loads is not the most important factor in your site ranking but making the speed the most efficient it can be will be well worth the time. Many visitors will leave a webpage in about 10 seconds or less if it does not load. Clean up your pages as much as possible. Make excessively long pages into two or more shorter pages. Reduce the size of your images. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to improve your page speed.
DO NOT load up your site with special effects, flashy lights and other unnecessary clutter. You want your site to look sharp and professional, not like the Vegas strip.
10. Broken Links – If you have excessive dead or broken links on your site the search engines will consider your site to be a poor quality site and it will affect your ranking. If you have a lot of external links on your site, be sure to check them regularly. Sites do die out and the links are no longer valid so you want to make sure you check them often.
DO NOT underestimate the impact of broken links. If you let them go unchecked and amass too many of them your site will suffer.
Don’t be intimidated by search engine optimization. There are many small things you can do that will make a big difference in your search engine ranking. Take some time to learn how to do these not so complicated steps and watch your site start rising to the top!

Educating Your Clients

Lesson #1: You Are a Creative Professional, Not a Laborer

You are not a laborer. Or whatever this guy is..
(Image from Photodune)

The first lesson, which forms the basis of all other lessons in this post, is to make your client understand that you are a creative professional with the same talent, skills and experience that any other professional might have.

Most people don’t tell their doctors or electricians how to do their jobs… why? Because most people recognize that doctors and electricians know more about their respective trades than they do. This seems to change with web designers though – lots of clients think that simply surfing the web qualifies them to make design decisions… meaning that they usually treat web designers as extensions of their own minds.

Because of this false-perception, clients often take us creative professionals are laborers who were born to do their work, not experienced professionals that are an equal part of the design process.

This can especially be the case with freelance web designers, where most clients are of the mindset that – if you don’t have an office, it means that you don’t have any work hours. For these kinds of clients, educating them that you have set times of the day that you work is the first step in establishing a respectful work relationship. Make it a point to tell your new and existing clients that you are a professional, the same as they are, and that you need time for yourself, your family and all other things in the world.

Reprinted from:

http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/workflow/educating-your-clients-8-lessons-for-web-designers-to-teach-clients/

This article is from www.rollwiththetank.com.
The direct link to the article is below and the content is reproduced below.

This says it all...

Many times when I am asked what are the first steps for getting a new website I always recommend to get all of the content of the website in an outline format. More times than not when I am approached about a client getting a website for the first time the client does not know specifically what they want on the website.

So attention all clients! You have homework – make an outline of all content for your new website.
This helps in (2) ways: First, it will allow a web designer to quote for your project. If you can get a website designer to give you a quote for a project where they have not seen at the very least an outline of the websites content then either the designer or client is probably not going to end up very happy with the amount of work going into the website. The designer runs a risk of under-estimating the amount of time and work it will take to complete a website or also it could to lead to project drift or creep.

Second and more importantly, knowing all of the content will allow for the optimal design for the website. Knowing all aspects of what is to be included on the website will absolutely affect it’s actual design.
The outline form can easily take the traditional outline format. Did you ever have to create an outline for a paper that you wrote in school? Ever had to give a presentation and wanted to make sure you covered specific points? You have probably created a content outline in one form or another.

A basic format is to make it look like this….
I.
    A.
    B.
        1.
        2.
            a.
            b.
II.
    A.
    B.

Remember the saying….”Content is King.”In most cases it is always the responsibility of the client to provide the content for the website. Again, in most cases that is optimal as no one knows the clients product or service better than the client does and what the best approach is to present it in a sales or information pitch via website. Remember the saying….”Content is King.” Be sure to treat it that way!

Nice Information on Domain name age

From http://www.i-webmaster.org

Domain Age
In this video, Google's Matt Cutts says: "The difference between a domain that’s six months old verses one year old is really not that big at all."
Going by comments I've seen written about that statement, most folks seem to think "Oh, it doesn't matter." But, by acknowledging the difference between a six-month old domain and a one-year old domain is not that big of a difference, he's also admitting it is a ranking factor.
So it's not that big, but he's only talking about a six-month difference in age. What if the domain is several years older than another? I think the older the domain, the bigger the difference it makes.
Plus, as with all ranking factors, any one thing isn't likely to make a significant difference. It's the total of all the factors that matter, so every little advantage you can get, however small, is still an advantage. In general, those with the most advantages win the ranking game.