SEMbyDesign

January 27, 2009

SEO In Omaha – do businesses see the value in being found?

Filed under: Building a web site,Content Development,Marketing Your Site,Optimization,Uncategorized — Tags: , , — admin @ 9:16 pm

I have been working with several businesses in Omaha who have hired me for my online marketing expertise, either in the PPC arena, or for SEO services. Several things amaze me when I speak to new clients – usually, they don’t understand the value of the SEO process, since oftentimes it involves changes to their website. The average business owner does not understand the on or off site processes.

On site processes to SEO:

  • Tags, Titles and code changes
  • Content, copy and key words
  • links and urls

Off site Processes for SEO:

  • Backlinks
  • Directory Listings
  • Blog comments

These processes should both have attention paid to them as they are important to the overall site optimization.

All of these, of course, take time and energy to accomplish, and I always say you should put at least half of your online budget towards some form of SEO. It takes time and skill to get your site found on the net. Please call me if I can be of assistance in your SEO program. Steve 402-210-3283

January 1, 2009

Setting Marketing Goals for 2009

Filed under: Content Development,Marketing Your Site,Optimization,Traffic Building — Tags: , , — admin @ 11:35 am

Hope you all had a great year on, and off the web! If you have not already stopped to reflect on 2008 and ponder some goals for 2009, it’s not too late. You should write a quick plan for each web site you own and plan to dedicate time to seeing the plan through. I am doing it today, even though I have significant work that needs to be completed for clients. I feel that this activity is an important part of my online success for the year. Also, I want to put many of the things I have learned, and the ideas that Chris – a colleague of mine at CGMTechnologies.com – have come up with, to work. We are truly motivated to lose the day job, and help others along the way do the same thing.

If you are an internet marketer, or you have a brick and mortar store, setting these goals is good – they help you evaluate where you wish to focus your resources.

If you have a desire to learn Adwords, need someone to help you implement an SEO strategy or need consulting to help make any of your goals happen, I am in Omaha, and happy to help. As you think about your marketing for 2009, think of a a few outside the box strategies – here are a few that I am thinking of for the new year:

  • Opt-in Text Messaging.
  • YouTube videos – I can help you produce these and place them on video submission sites.
  • Content Writing for SEO for local businesses.
  • Directory submission for local businesses.

Call me if you would like info on how any of these strategies can work for you – on or off the web. Steve 402-210-3283

November 9, 2008

Convergence: Technology, Marketing, and Sales

Filed under: Content Development,Marketing Your Site — admin @ 10:30 pm

Like many small business owners, I want to succeed. I have to be nimble, and change with the times. If you are a small business owner who refuses to change their marketing plan with the times, you will be left in the cold. Technology and marketing have collided head on. The 2 together are here to stay. That is where SEMbyDesign can help – we are experts in Web Marketing, content writing, blog marketing, video for web promotion, and tailoring plans that will help you long term as your web presence grows with your brick-and-mortar business.

The thought of putting together all of this content for the web is daunting to most people, and understanding the things that you need to help you succeed on-line are often difficult. The younger generation is in tune with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube – the convergence of marketing with technology at it’s height. There is a lot of opportunity for getting your word out about your newest product, your best service, or your latest business venture. You need to include the web in your plans for communication. Let the experts at SEMbyDesign help!

In Omaha, we are only a call away: 402-210-3283 – Steve

November 4, 2008

So, Any back link is a good link? Beware of bad neighborhoods!

Filed under: Content Development,Traffic Building — admin @ 4:15 pm

I write a lot about back links in this blog, because they are vital to your ranking. However, it may surprise you that not all links are good. Google can penalize you for your link being in a “bad neighborhood”. You can actually lose page rank when you link to too many lesser ranked sites, sites with content that has little to do with your content, or even paid linking.

So, as you attempt to get those back links, be careful, do your research and then look for the links!

If you need assistance with this, we have lots and lots of creative marketing ideas for how to garner those links. Just give us a call!

October 24, 2008

Marketing for Joe the Plumber

Filed under: Building a web site,Content Development — Tags: — admin @ 9:56 am

We have all heard it – marketing is expensive. But what is the cost of not marketing – inevitably, it is failure. But you have to do market (online or offline) in a manner that can be measured against results. Lets take a Plumber, for instance. Suppose we launch an adwords campaign for Joe that consists of a $300 per month spend, and he can attribute 600 additional hits to his web site. how does this translate into business? Hopefully, he is asking the question: How did you hear about my business? This is key to tracking the profit on the service related business. It is a whole lot more apparent on an ecommerce application where you can track the click all the way to the ‘thank you for your order’ page of your site.

I specialize in marketing your web site, and I especially prefer local businesses where I can sit down and determine the best strategy with you, for your business. If you would like to see more, MessageDirect.info has a portfolio, or contact me directly at sm (at) messagedirect (.) info!

September 3, 2008

Valuable WordPress Manual for Newbies

Filed under: Building a web site,Content Development — Tags: , — admin @ 10:55 am

So you want to start a blog – perhaps I have recommended one for search engine optimization, perhaps you want to do it yourself, or you are not sure where to begin. Certainly I recommend WordPress, whether I set it up, or you want to do it yourself, for several reasons. One is that it is pretty good with the search engines, and it is relatively easy to customize and update.

One of my customers decided that they wanted to attempt it themselves so I recommended this e-book, Sites that Soar, an ebook — written by an artist. Written by Aisling D’Art – it makes the task of setting up, configuring, and customizing a new wordpress website less intimidating.

If you have problems you can always hire me! I love to help make your ideas come to life on the web!

August 21, 2008

DoFollow Commenting – how it can help your site

Filed under: Content Development — Tags: , — admin @ 7:43 pm

I have discussed commenting on blogs in the past. I have promoted making sure the blog you are leaving comments on is DoFollow. So, I have opted to make my blog a DoFollow blog. Now, this is not JUST a DoFollow blog, I have installed a little plugin that makes this blog dofollow after a commenter leaves 3 comments. This will hopefully encourage good comments. I would love to have more comments, and you the commenter would love the backlinks! So, happy commenting! In the next few weeks I will also introduce a contest for commenting.

Happy Thursday! SEM

July 28, 2008

Practice what I preach

Filed under: Content Development,Work From Home — Tags: — admin @ 3:56 pm

Most of my clients ask me what the best way is to get traffic to their site at some point or another. For some, I know blogging will do them a great deal of good. I recommend that they 1. Start a blog and 2. Post diligently in their blog 3-5 times a week. Now, if you will notice, it has been seemingly quite a while since my last post…almost a week. Yikes! Here I am telling people what they need to do and not practicing it.

So, a friend of mine from CGMTechnologies.com, who has many similar ideas came up with something that I am going to try to do – maybe it is second nature to most, but for me it is going to take some discipline. Chris has proposed a 30 day challenge to set aside a certain amount of time daily towards the goal of becoming financially successful on the web(a different definition for everyone – to some this may be a little extra cash, while to others, it may be a part time job or even full time). You will read more on this in the coming weeks as Chris defines the parameters of the challenge.

In the mean time – -Get out and blog your behind off! SEM

July 3, 2008

Article Submission For Traffic

Filed under: Content Development,Marketing Your Site — Tags: , , — admin @ 7:20 am

Often, I will recommend article submission as a way for my clients to send traffic to their web site. A couple of well written articles can provide you with great backlinks and some traffic directly from the article site. The basic premise behind this is that someone who wants the content that you have written will copy it, leaving the link to your site intact (per the terms of the site you submitted your article to). This places your link on other sites of like content, which is helpful in the Search Engine Optimization process. This is a win/win situation for both sites…you get backlinks, and they get content.

Several sites that provide submission services are available and they are usually free. I like ezinearticles.com – they seem to be the highest quality, and all articles are human reviewed before releasing them to be read by the public.

Don’t forget that you should re-write the article if you are submitting to more than one service, or taking it from your blog.

June 17, 2008

Optimize Your Site With Content

Filed under: Content Development — Tags: — admin @ 7:22 pm

There are 3 basic website monetizing strategies. When I consult with someone, I usually recommend one or a combination of 2. What most people don’t understand are the basic principals of monetizing their site. So, today we will discuss the topic: Content.

I get a lot of questions about why a particular site ‘doesn’t even show up in a Google Search – what can I do?’

Well the short answer, that usually causes the deer in the headlight look is ‘Content, Content, Content’ It is really a simple equation – Content = Traffic = $$$$$. Let’s first define content: content is text of a readable size and contrast on a site that fits the context of the site as a whole that can be indexed by major search engines – now, this is my opinion, of course and could be debated, but should fit in most cases. What content is NOT: Content is not the background code used to render the web page by a browser OR Flash files or any other kind of jpeg, gif or graphics file, in and of itself. A page that contains text embedded in a jpeg and nothing else may look great to a human, but there is nothing there for the search engine to grab. Search Engines CAN NOT read or index graphics or flash.

Now, what is the meat of the content. I tell all my clients that THEY are the expert content provider on their web site. Only they can write the material that their site will be found on. If your sites topic is Real Estate, adding real estate articles to the site will give it the material it needs to be indexed by Search Engines. If the owner of the site does not have the time to provide the material, then content is best purchased to help with search engine optimization.

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