In response to, "Websites Worth Caring About"

I recently came across this article, which was recommended through an email from my wife to me. I was sure glad after having read it, as it was in itself an article worth reading. So much of our time is often wasted chasing the new-fangled online marketing tools that promise us the world in terms of traffic delivery as compared to the small amount of money that is actually wasted on these false-claiming resources.

The internet is increasingly plagued with trendy gimmicks and the hopes of striking it rich. To sum it up, this modern day"gold rush" is so much more than what most people can even understand. Keep in mind that writing a blog is just one piece of the puzzle. A major problem I still see is that many are taking the time to try and learn what they need to know to make writing a blog and distributing it more efficient, but they aren't finding the time after to apply these principals to their strategic marketing plan. There are also many automated posting services available that many people get drawn into. But I think something often get's lost in the dynamic of posting your own content one quality link at a time. Like I always say if you are human, than act like it.

Somehow readers know the difference between you and someone who posts your content for you, especially if they know you personally. There is something that can be said of a quality blog or article linking to a quality website or other quality resource. It says something about the level of skill it took to create the emotions that translate readers and followers into sales conversions.

I very personally am glad to know that through it all good old-fashioned organic search engine related marketing through quality blogging and distributing blog content still works. Of course this is no surprise to me, but it is nice to find an article from time to time which supports the idea that us hard working marketing professionals aren't wasting our time trying to purchase these trendy optimization gadgets that don't often work.

I completely agree about the beauty of a blog it is ever changing, that was a great point that was made in the article. I would like to be able to think that every blog and blog writer evolves over time. Such evolution would seemingly signify a deeper understanding of the niche and their for the quality of the expertise in the blog content; which in turn should be represented by a greater following or a larger network or down line.

What can I say the food was good and so was the company. That is in fact what's it all about. If only other marketing blogs could communicate their purposes so effectively and eloquently.

"Quality over quantity wins again!!!!", and Josh Klein delivers that message quite well. I found this article to be a powerful message and certainly a valuable website marketing tip. Thanks so much.

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Managing Website Optimization | SEO and SEM Services On and Off Site

As it stands today, one of the best long-term solutions to overall website visibilty that we know of is search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). This is the the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines via “natural” search results for targeted keywords.

The earlier a site is presented in the search results for respective keywords or the higher it “ranks” in the SERPS (search engine page results) the more potential searchers will visit that site.

While most website owners still don't understand the importance of having these services applied to their website or how it how it can affect a website's total traffic over time; it is a seperate challenge for many more even to understand the specifics involved in managing an on-site or off-site website marketing campaign for their business.

There are many resources online that talk about the differneces between these types of campaigns and although there are many differences of opinion, the fact of the matter is that the processes involved are very complicated and can be very time consuming to explain to the average Joe or Jane. Ultimately understanding that content is king, goes a long way in this business. Which means that if you write great content that is properly optimzed the search engines will know what to do with it. Great content will not only get people to your website but will keep them coming back.

The following are some basics about on-site and off-site website optimization and how they apply to SEO and SEM marketing strategies.

On-Site Website Search Engine Optimization-

The process of On-site search engine optimization involves optimizing your website for the specific keywords that you are trying to rank for in the SERPS. It involves the manipulation specific attributes within the website document, which are listed below.

1. Meta Tags
2. Image Alt Tags
3. Sitemap
4. Robots.txt
5. Home Page
6. Sub Pages and Content

This can itself be a daunting task, however the common goal in manipulating these attributes is simple, to define how the search engines will interact with your website which will in turn determine your websites page-rank over time as well as it's visibilty within the search engines for specifically targeted keywords.

Once these attributes have been manipulated for optimization based on your keyword selection.

The search engines then very carefully determine the websites page(s) relevancy to it's content, title, and name of the URL by calculating it's keyword density weight against other similarly optimized websites (usually your competitors) .

Whichever website has the higher density of prominent keywords get's the higher pagerank.

It's really that simple to understand, although the process is not as simple as it can be explained.

Although there are many of you that have very simple websites and very basic optimization needs in terms of visibilty; if you don't know what your doing, you should speak with a trusted SEO company or SEM firm before making any changes to your website code on your own.

I have spoken with several individuals that tried to manipulate this content on there own and ended up hurting their online business efforts in the long run.

But, there are many free tools on the web that can help you manage your on-site website optimization if you search around.

I would recommend starting with Google. First, try a search for "free keyword density checker". There will be several versions of this tool, choose the one that best suits your specific needs. Next do a search for "free pagerank checker". There will be several version of this as well, again simply choose the one that best suits your needs. Last but not least is a really basic website code /design editor like MS Frontpage or even Dreamweaver if it they are accessible, but any will do.

Once you have these three tools and have done a little more marketing research on the attributes mentioned above you should be ready to begin your on-site website optimization.

Off-Site Website Search Engine Optimization-

Off-site website search engine optimization is a much easier concept to understand but is much more time consuming in the long-run to explain.

Off-site website search engine optimization is generally done after your website has been made search engine friendly by on-site website optimization.

In order to further increase your website traffic, pagerank and overall visibilty, your website now needs to get "votes" links pointing to it. The types of links are very important for your website to rank for certain search phrases.

When speaking in terms of digital space you want your network of links to reflect the keywords your website page(s) is optimized for.

(Example:- if you want to rank for the keyword phrase “abc golf supplies” the inbound link text must be “abc golf supplies”, this creates a “vote” for your website for the search phrase “abc golf supplies” – in very simple terms the website that has the most “votes” or inbound links with the “anchor text” or search phrase in the link text should outrank competitive websites with the same prevalent keyword targets. Anchored links should be text that is relevant to the website and a term the website is trying to be recognized for. The best place to start is with Authority Websites , or sites which have similarly related content that already ranks higher than your own website.

These types of links can be obtained through several different ways and are mentioned below.

1) Reciprocal Links

2) One-way Links

3) Triangulated Links

In a nutshell you want to have as many of these links as possible linking back to your website. Anchored links from authority sites is what gives your site recognition in the eyes of the search engines. The problem with getting anchored links from authority sites is that most authority sites are careful who they link to and will not always honor a request from a new site to give you an anchored link.

However there are several professional SEO companies that specialize at link building, that already have resources available the match your target market.

A Powerful Combination-

While manging your on-site website optimization, which can be an ongoing process until you get the results you want it terms of keyword density as well as relevancy; in addition to considering the aging or maturing periods of inbound links, which takes approximately 3 to 6 months for links to count as solid votes for your website. You must realize in general that the SEO, SEM process could easily be a full-time job and learning this art is far easier than implementing a campaign yesterday, which is when you needed it.

Where inbound links no longer count as a vote immediately, like they did in the past and Google as well as other search engines constantly changing the way in which SERPS are delivered; it's not hard to realize how much effort really is involved in having your website properly optimized to bring quality and consistant traffic from your on-site and off-site website optimization practices.

Although on-site website optimization is designed to work independantly from off-site website optimization and can prove to be fruitful if you are well enough optimized for your target market; there is virtually no point in running an off-site campaign without first having your on-site content optimized for search.

Together these powerful website marketing techniques are certain to help to make your website a powerful HUB and eventually an authority within it’s industry, by building your backlinks properly.

Search Engine Optimization - Insurance For Business

Search Engine Optimization also known as SEO, has become something of trial and error for many businesses and bloggers still trying to figure how to make it work for their website. Although it is a fairly simple task in understanding how it works, making it work for any specific business is no easy task if you haven't had prior experience with this type of online marketing.

I have mentioned on my marketing company website that managing an SEO campaign can even be full time job in some cases if your trying to hit a larger target market.

Being that there are many factors to consider with SEO marketing it becomes obvious to any novice that the science of making this work is the reason why search engine marketers are making top dollar in most cases for their services.

Although, there are many free resources online that claim to make search engine optimization an easy task, it is simply no easy feat keeping up with the changes in the way we market to search engines while being able to manage an effective online keyword marketing campaign.

In addition to being well versed in the lingo you'll find that most online marketers that have a good reputation at doing this are not only well versed but highly visible.

It's no joke in saying that most of us have spent years testing the waters on effective SEO marketing strategies because most of us have been in the exact same position you may be in right now.

Probably the most important thing to remember is that content is king in this business. Having properly written copy on your website is also one of the most important things in terms of search engine placement. In addition website content that has been written the right way will ensure the conversion of sales of the products, services or information your website is offering.

More and more businesses are turning to Search Engine Optimization as a solution to help their business visibilty through these tough economic times. Also, not only is SEO becoming more and more affordable for businesses to take on, but more business are becoming turned on to this type of marketing because of the lasting benefits it offers over traditional types of media marketing.

Although it does take some time to see the results, website content can leave a lasting impression on search engines if managed properly. Where as traditional media marketing stops when you stop paying.

I am approached by many business website owners about this service on a day to day basis and I never get tired of hearing from them, after sitting and talking awhile that they can't afford it. The bottom line is if you have a website and you aren't properly optimized for sales, you can't afford not to have this service provided.

This is the missing ingrediant! Remember when someone told you that you needed a website to make money online? That may even be the reason you got a website in the first place. Have you already wracked your brain? I remember first getting started myself thinking, "Now why isn't this working?". As much as the internet has changed this has very much been apart of it from the beginning. Just think there are people just like you probably reading a similar blog or article about search engine marketing right now. The only difference between the businesses that will be successful from it and the ones that won't be, is their inspiration to action. In the long run marketing your business with SEO and SEM equals long-term insurance for your business in terms of creating visibilty.