SEO Tips for People Who Aren't Dummies!

(PRWEB) October 5, 2005

In the world of marketing online, one topic comes up over and over with great frequency: site rankings. It can sometimes seem to be the 'holy grail' in the highly competitive world of online marketing, where search engines rule supreme. The reality is that unless you have deep pockets indeed, SEO optimization in the long run will be more affordable than simply buying placement with click campaigns and advertisements.

This is the good news. The bad news is that the process is slow, and it can take months (and months and months) of dedicated effort to achieve decent rankings (one reason you don't want to abandon those paid campaigns while optimizing your site). But it is well worth the time and effort in the long run, since it addresses the one issue that is foremost when marketing your product and services online: people use search engines such as Google and MSN to do their looking. And search engine listings that are highly ranked consistently outperform 'paid listings'.

So how do you get your site listed and ranked highly? Does it take dedicating your life fulltime to this effort, or specialized knowledge? The answer is "yes" and "no". It can help tremendously to hire the assistance of a firm that specializes in SEO (and, in fact, this is highly recommended). They can give you professional guidance in this arena, and steer you away from common mistakes.

But for those with a limited budget (which is most of us, nowadays, it seems) it's also possible to do your own site optimization, and work on a long-term campaign to help your site rise. It isn't easy (unlike those ads and books online that promise overnight success with no effort), but by rolling up your shirtsleeves and diving in, you can learn a tremendous amount, and help your site get found when people type in your products into a search engine.

TIP TWO: SELECT YOUR KEYWORDS CAREFULLY

Search engine keywords are what lead people (as in potential customers) who type in phrases in their favorite search engine to your site. When they go onto Google, Excite, or other search engines and directories, and are looking for a specific item, keywords are the ones that they type in during their search.

To market effectively to them, you will need to think like them (this is the basis of all excellent marketing). You will want to determine:

What phrases people type in when looking for your product, service, or content during their online searches (including the most common

misspellings, by the way). Not sure? Try looking at your web stats for your site. You should see an extremely valuable area called "search strings", with a list of words underneath it.

These search strings are the phrases that actually brought people to your web site. Which ones were the most popular? You'll want to note these. But you'll want to add more.

Sit down for a minute, and think of every possible phrase people might use for searching for your product. At this point, don't edit yourself, just let the words flow and write them down. If you sell used Chevrolets in Alexandria, VA, you might come up with "used cars, used Chevrolets, vintage cars, reconditioned cars, Chevrolet dealers, Alexandria VA car dealers, Alexandria VA used cars", as just a start.

By now, you should have a list. Go through it again, and decide which ones seem the most focused for your product or service. You want search engine keywords that will bring targeted customers to your site, who are interested in doing business with you, and the right keywords can help accomplish this. Be specific and relevant in your choices. Then, alphabetize your list, since some search engines and directories list pages alphabetically; so use your best phrases in alphabetical order whenever possible for better optimization.

Next, analyze which keyword phrases are realistic for obtaining high rankings. While you may sell used autos, and want to get top rankings for that term, 'used autos' is an extremely popular and general phrase, and odds are, difficult to get good rankings for. But if you sell used Chevrolets in Alexandria, Virginia, then it's realistic to hope for high rankings for search engine phrases for 'Alexandria used Chevrolets'. You'll also get a more targeted audience (think 'more likely to buy from me'), since most of your customers will probably come from your locale).

At this point, you should have a list of keywords. If you have a very short one, or are having trouble thinking of some, you can gain access to professional software at minimal cost. Just start a Google adwords campaign, or a CPC campaign on Overture. Each of these sites have "keyword suggestion" tools that will give you several keywords based on your product or service, and will include the relative popularity of each one.

TIP THREE: PLACE KEYWORDS CAREFULLY

Once you have your keywords, you'll want to use them in the right places. The goal is to help search engines find your site for those phrases, so you will want to place them in spots the engines look closely at. These include the page Title, inside the meta tags, inside the heading tag, in the domain name (more about this in a later lesson), and the keyword tags.

You will also want to sprinkle them liberally throughout the content (text) of your site, with special consideration for the top of your page and its first paragraphs. This is especially important on your home (index page), which is the one that most search engines will cache when spidering through. And please, have some real content on your page, and not just a list of keywords, or your site could go down in its rankings. Search engines do rank according to content relevancy, and the site that says "Our dealership provides quality used Chevrolet cars, reconditioned to meet our customer's needs," (with at least 100 words of good, relevant content) will always rank higher than the site that says, "cars, cars, cars, buy quality used Chevrolet cars, quality used cars are here". In addition, you won't drive away customers offended by poor quality writing and obvious over-usage of marketing phrases.

But you do want to maintain a certain ratio of keyword density in your text; a keyword density of 5 to 7% is usually recommended. If you don't feel comfortable writing copy using keywords, a professional copywriter who specializes in online writing can help you.

THREE COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Mistake #1: One common error that many people make is to forget to place ALT tags for their graphics. You may have a beautiful logo or graphic on your web site, but if you don't have an alt tag, the search engines can't "read it". Be sure to place keywords there, and to label graphics with names that reflect keywords.

Mistake #2: Always have text on your site. When creating your site, search engines depend upon text to decide what your site is about. The more relevant the text, the better. The spiders and bots can't "read" graphics as mentioned above. Don't just make the text for the site one big graphic, as some firms do. The search engines will skip over the graphic, and assume you have no content at all.

Mistake #3: Finally, please don't spam (by trying to 'hide' your keywords by using a font the same color as the background, or repeating keyword phrases over and over in the title and meta tags). Search engines are now excellent at finding those who try to break the rules (and their technology for doing so is getting more sophisticated all the time), and will drop spammers from their indexes like a hot potato. So play by the rules, and when in doubt, ask an ethical SEO firm for advice, or visit one of the many excellent forums online (such as Jill Whalen's High Rankings Search Engine Forums).

Your site will rise more quickly, and enjoy higher rankings, if you follow these tips and their advice. And your traffic will increase, at no cost to you!

About the Author

Philip Lim is the editor of http://www.Catasult.com which provides valuable tips and advice on web promotion and internet marketing from linking strategies to search engine industry news, internet marketing articles and more.

###

Satire for the PEOPLE! "Outrageous Accusations and Damnable Lies" Available on CreateSpace and Amazon

Elkridge, MD (PRWEB) February 10, 2011

Has all the conservative hate speech on the radio and Fox News led to the recent wave of right wing terror and the senseless attack against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords?

Would that be an Outrageous Accusation and Damnable Lie?

In his new book, "Outrageous Accusations and Damnable Lies", available through his website as well as through CreateSpace and Amazon) Author Bill Schmalfeldt examines the things conservatives say and compares their words to violent actions taken by unbalanced people. Was the attack on the Arkansas Congresswoman a "Second Amendment Solution" of the sort called for by Nevada Senatorial candidate Sharon Angle in the last election cycle?

In the preface to his book, the 56-year-old Elkridge, Md. man, who has been fighting Parkinson's disease for 11 years, says: "I enjoy writing. At this point in my progressive decline, its still something I can do fairly well. And I particularly enjoy writing satire. Particularly political satire. Particularly satire that perforates the smug attitude of the American Conservative mindset. I find fault with almost everyone! (Makes me a fun guy to hang out with!) The "religiofascist" and the assured atheist are just as likely to suffer under my keyboard. Anyone who thinks he or she knows ANYTHING for an absolute certainty and beyond questioning is a target. If you read an essay here that annoys or inflames you good. Read the next essay. You might like that one. Or, at any rate, youll have something to think about."

On his web site, Schmalfeldt offers some excerpts from his new book.

From the essay, Its Not the Crosshairs, its the Constant Calls for Violence. (p. 23)

Humorologist Izzy Gesell Shows How the Power of Humor Helps People Cope with Cancer - New Movie 50/50 Addresses Similar Theme: What is the Role of Humor in Cancer?

Northampton, Massachusetts (PRWEB) September 22, 2011

Humorologist/motivational speaker Izzy Gesells new workshop, The Heart Behind the Chart: The Importance of Humor for Cancer Survivors, Friends, Family & Caregivers, helps patients and their family, friends and co-workers understand that the diagnosis of a serious disease should not mean the death of a sense of humor. In his hilarious, heartwarming and hope-filled programs, sponsored by hospitals and caregiver organizations, Gesell makes the case for the powerful role of humor in dealing with cancer.

Laughter and happiness are important factors in the attempt to achieve and maintain a healthy personal and professional life, explains Gesell, who is also co-author of "Cancer and the Healing Power of Play: A Prescription for Living Joyously with Presence, Acceptance, and Trust" (G & T Press, 2008). A cancer diagnosis affects more than the disease's host. Friends, family and caregivers are all included in the new world disorder. In my workshop I give all the stakeholders permission to laugh in the face of crisis and tragedy.

In fact, Gesell points out that the new movie, 50/50, confronts similar issues. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, whose best friend (played by Seth Rogen) attempts to mask his discomfort with Adams cancer diagnosis with somewhat inappropriate humor. Much of the movies comedy plays off of how people react to Adams illness. Just as screenwriter Will Reiser based 50/50 on his own experience in 2005 after he was diagnosed with a tumor in his spine; when Gesell was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001, he was forced to take his own advice about the spirit-strengthening power of humor.

Instead of allowing inconsiderate and inappropriate comments to bother him, Gesell found it helpful to use such statements in funny ways. He gives an example of people who often mixed up the words prostate (the male gland) and prostrate (to lie face down). After a number of times correcting them, he decided to see what would happen if I had my prostrate out. Id say, Yes I did, now I cant lie down. Humor takes a what if situation and extrapolates it, Gesell explains. He also liked to find funny ways to transform annoying platitudes, such as Theres a silver lining in every cloud. In this case, he realized the silver lining of cancer was that he could get away with certain behaviors that would otherwise result in negative consequences. If I was late for an appointment or forgot to call someone back, cancer was a great excuse, he says.

Gesell believes humor is greatly misunderstood, which causes people to feel afraid to talk about happy things in front of a person facing a serious illness or other crisis. In his workshops, Gesell teaches how humor works, so anyone can bring more joy and happiness into their lives, no matter what the situation. Its immensely helpful to understand when humor is appropriate, and how we can use and understand humor to deal with things we cant control, he explains. Humor, one of our most under-utilized personal resources, can boost morale, facilitate communication, stimulate creativity and help manage stress. It also can help us survive the unknown, deal with fear, and bring joyful moments to enhance the quality of life, however long that life is. I truly believe there is a way for everyone not just Hollywood actors and screenwriters to inject humor into the subject of cancer.

Gesell teaches audiences how to bring humor into their life on a daily basis. For instance, three of his basic tips for families and survivors include:

1. Pay attention when laughter comes naturally, when something unexpectedly funny happens.

2. Whether you are the patient or the patients friend or family member, figure out what makes you laugh. Pay attention to things you find funny and use those things as a go-to source. If youre going to visit someone who is seriously ill and you know shes a big Steve Correll fan, you might bring a DVD of television series, The Office.

3. Use symbols and momentos in evident ways. For instance, Gesell used to wear Groucho glasses on stage when he performed stand-up comedy, because at the time he had a moustache that, with his own glasses, made him look like he was wearing Groucho glasses. When I had cancer and was in the hospital, someone brought me Groucho glasses. This greatly boosted my spirits every time I looked at them on my hospital night table, recalls Gesell.

Izzy Gesell M.ED, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is an organizational alchemist who helps people navigate their internal logjams and emerge more confident, spontaneous and effective. Through keynotes, breakouts, coaching and facilitated sessions, Gesell offers imaginative, intuitive and immediately useful insights and programs. He delivers meaningful material in an enjoyable way. Among the first to use Improv Theater concepts as tools for personal and organizational learning, he is the author of Playing Along: Group Learning Activities Borrowed From Improvisation Theater, a co-author of Humor Me: Americas Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter, a co-author of Cancer and the Healing Power of Play and a contributor of a chapter on improvisation as a facilitation tool in the IAF Group Facilitators Handbook. Clients include NASA, American Institute of Architects, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Cargill and many regional and national associations. Gesell was raised in Brooklyn NY. A former stand-up comic and special education teacher, he earned a BA in Psychology, an MS in Education and a P. thats 1/3 of a PhD and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

# # #

More On Line Movies Press Releases