Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

Turkey Day SEO Tips

Thursday, November 24th, 2005

Tip - Make sure to take advantage of header tags by loading them with core keywords.
Ex. - Within my H1, H2, or H3 tags I attempt to always include “Alex McArthur” and other category keywords on this site.

Warning - Don’t use links within header tags. Matt Cutts, a google employee, warns against this practive.

Happy Turkey Day. Have a safe holiday.

What to do with SwapWay?

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2005

Within the past year I acquired the domain SwapWay.com. I just happened to come across it and liked it’s potential so I grabbed it. The name gives the impression of some sort of trading site so at the moment I am comtemplating that. However, I am open to any ideas. Do you have anything in mind?

Name Recognition:
I have come across numerous trading sites in my searches, but there are none marketed well enough to dominate the market (*Maybe this is a clue that there is no market whatsoever). Personally, I think SwapWay is a marketable name that is easily remembered. Would you disagree? If so, why?

The Marketplace:
Honestly, I have just begun to look into the trading market so my knowledge is limited. I don’t know how many people would be willing to trade online rather than sell items on ebay. Would you ever trade an item online?

Profit:
Presently, I imagine SwapWay’s business model focused on advertisments and add on features such as pictures showing the product or priority placement. The standard listings themselves would be free. I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of successful online ventures offer free services to appeal to the masses and keep them coming back.

Yes, I’m just babbling as I’m building this plan from scratch and at the moment have no direction. Any comments would be much appreciated.

Need to bump your search engine results?

Monday, November 21st, 2005

Search engine marketing has continued to be a hot topic over the past few years and won’t be slowing anytime soon. I come across tips and discussions constantly on page rank, reciprocal links, and back link strategies. What does it all mean and what should be given precedence?

SEO Misunderstandings

  1. I’ve improved my search engine results and now I can call it a day. Wrong. If you are committed to remaining at the top it is a never ending process. Internet marketing practices must be ever present in your plans for a successful online presence. This means monies should be allocated to your businesses budget and resources/employees assigned to the task.
  2. I can work the system with unapproved techniques. Wrong again. Yes, I’ll admit there are some minds out there that are able to crack the system successfully. You, however, are not one of them. You may be bright. You may even know of a proven black hat technique, but is it really worth it? Your business ethics will reflect upon your continued success and scars are very difficult to remove. Also, the threat of being banned from search engines altogether is real. Just stay away from link farms, spamming, etc.

Practical SEO Techniques

  1. What are the search engine results above you doing to stay ahead? Take a look at the source code of your competitors. Do they have specifice keywords spread more prevalently through their content? How many link backs do they have compared to your site? This research is extremely valuable as they are doing something more effectively than you.
  2. Submit to every directory you come across.
  3. Place your link on websites found in the same category of search engine directories.
  4. Choose your domain name wisely. This actually does not pull as much weight as many think so don’t stress too heavily. Your content and back links are much more important.
  5. Add fresh content frequently. This is key to your positioning. Update news on your industry or new clients. You get the idea.
  6. Don’t give up. Your results will improve with your continued effort.

Contact MidScape in the Utah area if you are looking for professional SEM services. Sorry, I’m forced to solicit our services at any opportunity. The SiteManagement package includes search engine marketing management.