Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Understanding Content Optimization

Search engines are much like the geeks from algebra class. If you can speak their language, they can help you. Try telling them a joke, and watch the blank reaction. Writing content that gets you noticed by targeted audiences, is known as the fine art of content optimization. Content optimization simply means-writing in a language search engines notice. Remember, search engines are programs that work based on text, relevance and context. They have no understanding of abstract ideas, humor or word associations.

To understand content optimization, imagine you are at a party. You could chose one of two options. You can stand in a corner talking to yourself, or you can listen in on conversations, understand what is going on and get involved in the exchange. Lets look at how to keep this exchange going, with our good friend, the search engine.

Understanding Keyword Density

Keyword density is the number of times a word or phrase appears in a written text. Repeating your keywords gets you noticed. Overusing it gets you blacklisted as spam. The key to good keyword density, is to use the proper ratio of one, two, and three word phrases. To demonstrate this simple but crucial step, lets look at a Google content page as an example. Google content pages are designed with specific keywords, to attract viewers to click through to Google Ads, hence creating income for the web administrator. While this may not be your business niche, these pages are the best optimized, and offer an insight we can all benefit form.

Case Study of www.[3 keyword url].ca

First step, is to check the word density of a website. The main keywords for this site are:

3 Word phrase: Economic Action Plan, Global Economic Crisis,

2 word phrase: Action Plan, Economic Action, Tax Relief, Government Programs,

1 word keywords: Economic, Plan, Action, Government, Programs,

Website’s header categories: Banking, Families, Housing, Debt Assistance, Employment, Business,

Second step, is to note how these keywords are used.

Word

Count

Density

economic

10

6.21%

plan

8

4.97%

action

7

4.35%

canadians

4

2.48%

government

4

2.48%

programs

3

1.86%

Phrase

Count

Density

action plan

6

3.73%

economic action

5

3.11%

tax relief

3

1.86%

government programs

2

1.24%

stimulus

2

1.24%

economic crisis

2

1.24%

Canadian economy

2

1.24%

global economic

2

1.24%

Phrase

Count

Density

economic action plan

5

3.11%

global economic crisis

2

1.24%


Case Study Observations

  1. Keyword concentration is focused on single words being repeated 7-8 times. Three word phrases are only repeated 2-5 times. The reason? Repeating two and three word phrases too much is considered keyword stuffing by search engines. What that means for you? Your keyword stuffed article will not rank high in Google Search.
  2. The top 3 single words are derived from the three word phrases. Why? This way you target your readers specifically, without getting blacklisted for spamming. Single word reoccurrences are not considered spam.
  3. The URL address contains keywords. For a specific page of this website the complete url is www.[3keywords].ca/EconomicActionPlanforDebt.html
  4. Each page has its own unique, relevant keywords.
  5. SIDENOTE: I came across this site via an e-mail . The subject line was personalized to read

“ Your government funds are available Edina” How did they know I am interested in this topic at all? My own blog keywords contain “government funding”.

In Conclusion

In order to rank high in Google Search, know the language of search engines. Pick your keywords wisely, and use them in the right ratio to prevent being blacklisted for publishing spam content. Use single words to create your word density around the top 4 single keywords, while using 2-3 word phrases sparingly. A good rule of thumb is to repeat single words with 4-6 percent density, and phrases with only 1-3 percent density.

Edina Hodos is a Professional Web Content Writer and Researcher. Her online publication as Volunteer Expert, appears on Allexperts.com , in the category of >>Internet Technologies>>Internet Media. Contact Edina for a quote. Professional Profile on LinkedIn.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Blogs are Essential, Interactive Tools of Online Promotions

News Flash!

Did You Know That Business Blogs are the Most Cost-Effective Way

to Promote Your Business?

Internet use is changing drastically. The days of intrusive marketing have been replaced by, value added web content, as a way to attract potential customers. Internet savvy, knowledgeable viewers, respond better to a softer sell and a more interactive approach. A Business Blog is the perfect interactive platform, to share expertise, and connect with potential clients.

What Can a Business Blog Do for You?

1. Promotion With Business Blogs Creates More Page Views,

More Potential Customers

2. Blog Posts are Keyword Heavy to Reach Targeted Audiences, & Improve

Your Conversion Rates Tenfold

3. The Most Cost Effective Way To Get Customer Surveys and Other

FeedbackVia UserInteraction

4. Blogging is a Low-Cost Alternative to Having a Web Presence

What is a Blog Exactly?

Web-log, or blog in its original conception was a form of online diary. People wishing to share their personal lives, could easily publish online blogs with free softwares and a few clicks. What many predicted to be a mere trend, has evolved into a powerful business application, the Business Blog. Read on to find out how Business Blogs can help you reach more potential customers.

What is the Difference Between a Website and a Blog?

A lot! It’s the difference between people “window shopping” on your site, vs. making a purchase, and giving you feedback about your offerings. I am a strong advocate of using blogs as a means of business promotion. Not only because I make my living by writing blog content, but also because 80 percent of my own promotion is through the successful use of a blog. Simply put, it works...when you know how to do it right!

In technical terms, Websites use static pages, that are updated when you make a change in your webmaster account. Blogs use real-time syndication, and update themselves automatically once you post a new entry. This is important, because search engine robots use most recent dates, as one of the criterias to determine your page relevance, hence your website’s ranking when people do a Google search. Blogs are also interactive, allowing your readers to instantly comment on your post, e-mail it to others, or bookmark it in any social bookmarker like Delicious. The potential to reach viewers becomes endless, with the many tools and plug-ins blogs offer.

How a Blog Can Be a Promotional Tool

Frequently Asked Questions

If you get a lot of mail to your webmaster account, you can post the common questions up on a blog. This will provide your customers a place to go to see questions and answers, and as new questions come in, you can post them to help more people.

Promotions

If you do promotions every week, you can use a blog to highlight them.

Contests

Daily contests and games are a great promo in a blog. They are fun, and bring your customers back.

What's New Pages

If you add lots of new articles, information, or products regularly, sometimes it can be difficult for your customers to find out what's new. A quick blog entry can show them what's updated on your site.

What's Coming

Test the waters before you jump into any new product development, with the use of comment features. You can use a blog to peak interest in future products or projects. It's also a great way to keep notes about what you're doing in the community, new event your company is participating in.

Photo Blog

Rather than writing, you could put up a daily photo for your customers. A photo and a short description can be very compelling. Search engines will adore you.

News

The most common use for business blogs is news, usually about the specific topic relevant to the company.

Edina Hodos is a Professional Web Content Writer and Researcher. Her online publication as Volunteer Expert, appears on Allexperts.com , in the category of >>Internet Technologies>>Internet Media. Contact Edina for a quote. Professional Profile on LinkedIn.

Tips for Getting Funding- Little-Known Ways to Find an Angel

Economic downturn is the mother of all opportunities. The playing field is leveled, giving new exciting opportunities for even the common man. Perhaps you are amongst the many, who has a great new business idea, but little cash to realize your golden opportunity. Find out how to take advantage of dealing with angels and adventurists–non-professional investors who might be known to you already. The more angels you can get onside, for small amounts, the better your chances of reaching your funding goal for your entire project. Here's how to seek them out.

Before you go looking for angels, you should know what they're looking for from you. Here are three elements you should have in a place or be prepared to seek.

1.They want to feel confident in your ability to make the business run.
2.They want you to be accessible, so they can check with you and have you keep them up to date on developments.
3.And in a perfect world, they'd like to see a 20 percent return on their investment.

To find investors like these, you should look to people who fit the profile. By talking to potential angels and adventurists, you can get a sense of their expectations. But where to look?

Friends and Relatives
Think first about those closest to you. You might already have some sense of whether they fit the profile, and you've likely shared some details of your business with them in the past, or they're at least aware of what you do, and might be interested in getting involved.

Professional Acquaintances
Dentists, doctors, lawyers and accountants often make prime prospects. They have good incomes, and they might be looking for an investment opportunity beyond the usual, "boring" alternatives. Turn the small talk to your business, and feel them out.

Business Acquaintances
Suppliers, customers and other business people you deal with on a regular basis will be more familiar with your business, and may have an actual stake in seeing it grow.

Outside Your Circle
Beyond your immediate contacts and acquaintances, look to other professionals, middle managers and entrepreneurs. Since you don't already have an opportunity to introduce the subject during the course of a conversation, you'll need to look to more active prospecting techniques.

Telemarketing

Learn some techniques of telephone sales, if you're not already familiar with them, and begin going through the phone book or a directory of professionals. The first few rejections you receive will help you fine-tune your approach.

Middlemen

Look to financial consultants, venture capital clubs and matching services which can put you in touch with adventurists. Or talk to a business broker. Only in this case, ask him to sell part of your business.

Advertising
Take out ads in investing magazines or use classified ads in the business opportunities section of the local newspaper.

Develop a pitch and be prepared to use it as the opportunity arises. Remember, if the person you're talking to isn't looking for an investing opportunity himself, he may know of someone who is.

[SIDEBAR]

This may be the most powerful method of reaching angels.
According to experts, you can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars using a technique that costs maybe $150.

The secret? Classified ads.

If you're looking for less than $100,000 from any one investor, it's cheap, fast and effective. Check out the Business Opportunity section of a Sunday paper. Learn the techniques of good classified ads, consider hiring a copywriter to pack a compelling sales message into a few words, and make sure a lawyer reviews your ads.

Edina Hodos is a Professional Web Content Writer and Researcher. Her online publication as Volunteer Expert, appears on Allexperts.com , in the category of >>Internet Technologies>>Internet Media. Contact Edina for a quote. Professional Profile on LinkedIn.