SEO Made Easy: Let the Search Engines Know Your Page is Relevant

This article is part of a series by Jonathan Leger, the famous Internet Marketeer. In this part 3 of 5, Leger focuses on search engine ‘communication’.

He says:

“In parts one and two of this five part tutorial, I discussed how to select and analyze the keywords that you should try and rank your page for. In this article I’ll discuss how to format your page in such a way that the search engines know it is relevant to your chosen keywords. This process is known as “on-page optimization”.

Step 3: On-Page Optimization

There are two kinds of search engine optimization: on-page and off-page. On-page optimization is the stuff you do to your actual web page that will help it get ranked. Off-page optimization means stuff that isn’t on the page that affects your ranking (namely, in-bound links). Both are important. For Yahoo and MSN, on-page is more important than it is for Google. Google relies more heavily on links than the other big two, though Yahoo and MSN also weight links heavily.

In this case, I wanted to optimize the home page of the feline photos blog for the phrase “cat pictures”. This is how I normally do this:

1. Make sure the domain name contains the keywords.

2. Make the title of the page my exact keywords I am targeting, capitalized appropriately.

3. Make the very first text on the page the keywords in an H1 (header) tag.

4. Put an introductory paragraph that uses the keywords right after the H1 tag.

5. If I have a lot of text on the page, break it up with H2 tags that contain variations of my keywords.

Unfortunately, catpictures.blogspot.com was not available, so I couldn’t do #1. Since competition for “cat pictures” was somewhat light, I knew that I could get by without worrying about it. But if you are targeting more competitive keywords, make sure that your domain name (or subdomain name) contains the exact phrase you want to rank for. This especially helps for MSN.

Also, I didn’t do number five for my feline photos blog, because being a picture gallery there wasn’t that much text on the page. But I’ll give you more detail on how that works in case your page does have a lot of text.

Let’s say that I have an article on pontoon boats that I want to rank for the phrase “pontoon boats”. This is what I would do for the on-page optimization: Try and get a domain name with the words “pontoon boats” in it (www.pontoonboats.com would be perfect). If there isn’t anything available, then setup a subdomain for it (pontoonboats.mydomain.com).

Make the page title “Pontoon Boats”, put the H1 tag at the beginning of the text as “Pontoon Boats”, then break up the article with H2 subheadings like “Maintaining Pontoon Boats”, “Pontoon Boats for Fishing”, “Are Pontoon Boats Fast?”, etc. You don’t want your subheadings to be exactly your keywords like the main H1 heading and the title, but you want the subheadings to contain your keywords.

That’s really all I do with on-page optimization, and as I said before, if the competition is light I don’t always do all five of those things.

There are other things that search engine marketers focus on and spend a lot of time with (things like keyword density and image alt tag density, etc.), but since I don’t try to rank for fiercely competitive keywords I don’t usually bother with all of that. I leave the ranking of really tough keywords to the serious SEO gurus, because to me it’s just too much dang work.

To me, ranking for really competitive keywords is like owning a boat: it requires far too much time, money and effort to maintain to be worth the end result (going to the lake three times a year–sorry boat owners!).

No thanks. I’ll rank for moderately competitive keywords and only have to do a little bit of maintenance every now and again, and by multiplying that effort I’ll earn 10 times the advertising revenue that I would if I focused on one tough set of keywords.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve got your page properly optimized for your chosen keywords, it’s time to get to the “hard” part: getting in-bound links to your site. I quote “hard” because it’s not really difficult, just tedious. However, in the last part of this tutorial I will show you a tool that makes all of the work of gathering in-bound links much, much easier.”

about the author

Jonathan Leger is the creator of the first commercial AdSense Tracker script packages available, which has grown into the widely-popular product set, AdSenseGold.com

The full 5 part SEO tutorial is also available in an ebook which you can download from:
http://AdSenseGold.com/downloads/AdSenseSEO.pdf

Related Articles

Site Search Tags:

.

Subscribe

If you like this post then please subscribe to my full feed RSS. You can also Subscribe to My Personal CMO .com by Email

Share and Enjoy:

May 23 2008 | SEO, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »

Niche Marketing Explained

An article geared towards non-marketing people:

One of the latest buzz phrases in the online business world is “niche marketing.” You have probably read that niche marketing is highly important on the Internet. If you are wondering what all this talk is about, I am going to try to explain what niche marketing means.

I have read that if you build an online business then you will have millions of potential customers. While in theory this may be true, you will have a hard time finding products that appeal to all web surfers. Your online business will be better served by matching a product with a group of potential customers that are interested in that product.

“Niche marketing” is a close relative to the phrase “target marketing.” Target marketing is usually used in discussions where it is assumed that you already have a product and you are researching which group of potential customers to whom it would be most profitable to “target” your marketing efforts. Niche marketing is usually discussed in situations where you do not yet have a product. You find a hot niche market then find a product to market to that specific group of potential customers.

A niche market is simply a group of people with a common interest. A common interest might be a hobby, or a problem, or social background. There are many more examples of areas where groups of people have something in common. For example, there are many people that have chronic lower back pain. There are many more people that do not. The people that do have this problem all share a common interest. This would be a great example of a niche market. Instead of finding a product that appeals to everyone that suffers from any type of chronic pain, you specifically target only those that suffer from chronic lower back pain.

As you research the Internet for marketing ideas, you will find the phrase “niche marketing” used quite frequently. Hopefully you now understand what is meant by “niche marketing.”

By Kevin Moon

about the author

These tips and many more plus over 12 hours of Internet marketing videos - absolutley FREE - are available at http://www.internetprofitmentor.com.

Related Articles

Site Search Tags:

.

Subscribe

If you like this post then please subscribe to my full feed RSS. You can also Subscribe to My Personal CMO .com by Email

Share and Enjoy:

May 03 2008 | Brand Positioning and Niche Marketing | No Comments »

Marketing During a Recession - part 2

Contuation of part 1 of the article:

There are also opportunities to re-invigorate your brand. Use this occasion to re-educate your employees on the value of brand loyalty and how it helps to sustain sales during slower economic times. Tylenol did just this, and then translated its internal commitment into its external marketing. The company developed a campaign that highlighted its employees touting the brand and their loyalty to the company.

You can also re-focus your brand to appeal to a broader or new audience. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty took the unattainable, unrealistic expectations of beauty that society places on women and said “You are beautiful just as you are.” To support this campaign, Dove encouraged all women to recognize their own real beauty - just as they are. The campaign engaged the audience by allowing them to share their story, create their own campaigns for real beauty, participate in contests, and participate on blogs among other things. As a result, the audience helped to sell the Dove brand.

Remember, eventually the economy will rebound. Consistent marketing during a recession not only helps maintain momentum, but also is likely to leave an indelible imprint on your target audience’s memory, making them more likely to return in a more stable economy. Those that forgo or reduce their marketing efforts in a downturn have a much harder time recovering once the economy turns around.

Make Lemonade Out of Lemons

Your current marketing plan should account for economic downturns. And, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. You must evaluate your company’s brand equity in the market and the value of your products/services to determine the approach that is best for you. But here are a few strategies to consider:

  1. Echo the concerns of your audience. Then show them how your product/service can alleviate those fears. Your audience will want assurances that your product/service will provide strong benefits and good value before they buy. Plagued with lackluster sales, Quaker Oats repositioned its product to speak to the early 90’s recession. First, they hired grandfatherly, trustworthy actor Wilford Brimley as their spokesperson. Then they stressed that oats were an inexpensive form of protein, with a bowl costing as little as nine cents. Sales grew as a result.

  2. Focus on a niche audience. Figure out which segment of your target market needs you the most. These buyers will be more receptive to your message. Find ways to offer additional value, whether through add-on or expanded services. This not only can help you win their business, but it instills a sense of trust and loyalty because you are exhibiting flexibility in a tough business environment.

  3. Tap an untapped market. We continue to operate on a more global scale every day. Seek out previously untapped markets, particularly those overseas. As countries like China continue to gain a foothold in the economy, two things will happen: Spending will increase and they will purchase more western products and services. Use this opportunity to get a head start on your competition.

  4. Prove your indispensability to customers. Just because you’ve built it doesn’t mean they’ll come. Nowadays, businesses must prove their value to customers, particularly during a recession. Back up your value with strong case studies, examples of how your target’s clients will benefit from your services/products and statistics that point to success for clients. Good brand exudes value; thereby reinforcing loyalty in customers.

  5. Tug at prospects’ heartstrings. It’s not a fluke that successful campaigns tap into consumers’ brand loyalty and emotions. Fast food chain Wendy’s acknowledged that the 90’s recession was difficult, but that you could still eat well at their establishment. Hamburgers were made of freshly ground beef and made to order. The bountiful and healthy salad bar was an all-you-can-eat value. Sales remained steady for them during that period of economically tough times. Though very effective, you must ensure that your message is genuine, mirrors the beliefs and behaviors of your target audience and is easy to retell. Why? Because a highly visual, emotionally-charged message is more likely to have a ripple effect as your customers spread awareness of the brand. In essence, your customers and prospects turn into a marketing vehicle for you.

  6. Bridge the communication gap. Technology has overshadowed the importance of the human touch in business. No matter how great technical advances are, they cannot replace the power of human connections. Leverage this idea and drop in to meet face-to-face with your customers and qualified leads. Ask them about their current obstacles and concerns and how you can help them. Really listening and helping customers solve their issues goes a long way to maintaining momentum in the marketplace.

  7. Look at your product/service in a new way. Your offerings may have had a successful run in the past. In economic slumps, you cannot rely on a “same old, same old” attitude. Reexamine your product/service to find fresh ways it can be used or benefit the buyer. During the 1990-91 recession, Kraft Foods touted its A-1 Steak Sauce as a great enhancement to hamburgers and not just sirloin steak. A good move, since consumers were less likely to be eating filet mignon and more likely to be dining on ground beef during that time period.

  8. Funnel expenses into products/services that thrive during a recession. During that same recession, Dow Chemical Company moved its marketing dollars from Glass Plus cleaner to Ziploc freezer bags, a new product line at the time. The company emphasized the product’s ability to maintain freshness in leftovers stored in these bags. Again, a smart move as more consumers were spending less and wasting less.

Carefully evaluating your business and implementing strategic branding and marketing initiatives can help you sustain profitability when times get tough. In fact, if you build and promote your brand properly, you can even grow it despite the grim forecasts.

Recessionary Times Call for Proactive Measures

In tough times, it is essential to foster trust between you and your customer, to understand their values and behaviors, and to stay in front of them with a message that addresses their concerns. Continue to build and manage your brand value in the market and your business will be able to weather any economic downturn.

The possibility of a recession can lead many to be reactive. Instead, take a proactive approach and identify ways to leverage this as an opportunity for your brand. By doing so, your organization will come out stronger, and quite possibly with a few new customers.

By Laura Pasternak

Laura Pasternak is President of MarketPoint, LLC, a brand management firm that helps businesses improve results by identifying, integrating and managing customer-driven brand equities and strategies. Visit http://www.yourmarketpoint.com or call 1.866.21POINT toll-free to learn more.

Related Articles

Site Search Tags:

.

Subscribe

If you like this post then please subscribe to my full feed RSS. You can also Subscribe to My Personal CMO .com by Email

Share and Enjoy:

April 02 2008 | Business Strategy & Transformation | No Comments »

« PrevNext »