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SEO Insider Tip: Building Back Links
There are alot of (suggested) techniques in getting your website ranked high on the major search engines. By far, one of the most effective methods is to create “backlinks” to your website.
Backlinks (or back-links) are incoming links to a website or web page. In the search engine optimization (SEO) world, the number of backlinks is one indication of the popularity or importance of that website or page (though other measures, such as PageRank, are likely to be more important). Outside of SEO, the backlinks of a webpage may be of significant personal, cultural or semantic interest: they indicate who is paying attention to that page.
Here is a great resource in building said backlinks:
SocialMarker is a new bookmarking tool that lets you use a singular service for submitting links to more than 2 dozen social bookmarking sites. This is a Firefox plug-in, so you’ll need to be using a Firefox browser in order to enjoy the benefits of SocialMarker.
Once you’ve added the SocialMarker submission button to your browser toolbar, you can use it whenever you come across something you’d like to bookmark online. Highlight some text on your desired webpage, and click the SocialMarker button. You’ll be taken to SocialMarker’s site, and there you can edit the description, tags, title, URL, etc. Choose which social bookmarking sites you’d like to send this too (they’re all chosen by default, so really you’ll need to de-select the ones you don’t want it sent to), and hit submit. There are also options for you to select the Best, or only the News social bookmarking sites.
Success Story Example:
We used this service and we were able to get 1st page ranking for one of our clients — www.saltoftheearthinc.com — for one of their highly sought after key terms: “westchester seawalls”.
Creating a Webdesign That Ends Up with “Inbound” Results ….
[This article could have instead been titled: "Building a website that not only looks good, but is found by your prospects on the major search engines, results in click-throughs to your site, and ultimately ends up with the prospect contacting you for more information about your products or services" .... but I don't know; it just seemed a little bit too long].
Interruption (or “Outbound”) Marketing vs. Permission (or “Inbound”) Marketing
A shift has occurred in business marketing. Traditionally, businesses market using such outlets as tradeshows, cold-calling and print advertising. This “interruption” marketing method (also called “outbound” marketing) is designed to spread the message as far and wide as possible, with the goal of reaching a few qualified individuals.
The problem interruption marketers face is that people are now overwhelmed with such outbound messages; and are getting better at blocking these interruption marketing messages by installing spam filters, using the internet to research products and services proactively, using caller ID, and other creative methods. For example, people are becoming more inclined to search the internet for product and services information before making the effort (and paying the expense) of going to a tradeshow.
Permission-Based or “Inbound” Marketing
Today, more people are beginning their product or services earch by heading to the internet first. This proactive step by comsumers means that businesses need to be “found” by these consumers when they conduct such a search.
Outbound – Interruption – Marketing: Tradeshows, print advertising, television & radio advertising, direct mail, unsolicited (and even solicited) email blasts, and telemarketing.
Inbound – Permission – Marketing: Search-engine marketing, use of social media outlets such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., and Blogging.
How is the webdesign philosophy impacted by which type of marketing is emphasized?
The easiest way to differentiate is that most “outbound” marketers are more concerned with how the website looks. “Inbound” marketers are more concerned with their website being found on the internet and visitors then contacting them.
Of course, we are concerned with a good-looking website and being found. However, we sincerely believe that all things being equal, more time should be spent on making the website “findable” then worrying if a shade of blue should be a little darker.
Spend Time and Money on a Strategy that Gets Visitors and Makes Them Stay Long Enough to Contact You.
This means that most people care about what you have to say then how you look. Again, we love building really nice looking websites – and that can go a long ways towards sealing the deal ….. but what good is that if your visitor leaves abruptly because you have nothing to say. If you have more content, on average you will have more website visitors and grow your business faster. A 100 page website will beat a 10 page website 90% of the time. And a 500 page website is even better. And if some of those web pages were written recently, that’s even better. So, build a strategy to continue to add more and more content to your website over time. Hint: Blogging makes creating content easy … if done right!
Enable Dynamic (or “Blogging”) Websites
A key to being able to develop effective content is to have a website that is dynamic. A dynamic website will allow you to create content-rich landing pages on-the-fly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Practically speaking, if you build a static website, you will have to contact your webdesigner every time you want to create a new webpage or edit an existing one. This can severly limit your effectiveness as you are dependent upon the turn-around speed of the webdesigner, as well as making quick edits of a draft. We are firm believers in providing websites that permit you to log into your website and create new (or edit existing) pages without knowing any coding.
Any website built today should have a blogging platform as a basic or add-on feature. Enabling websites to generate dynamic content through the use of such as platform will enable your content to be “pushed out” automatically to the major search engines, social bookmarking websites such as Technorati and Digg (just to name a few), as well as social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
Niche Building with Professional Blogs
It is apparent that the popularity of Professional Blogs has increased. Not only are there more and more individual and firm blogs appearing on an almost daily basis, but professions such as Accounting are taking hold of blogging and running with it.
Case Study on the Accounting Profession:
(I use Accounting as an example, but just insert your business or profession here)
Sites such as AccountingWEB.com have created specific areas of their website to feature guest or contributing blog authors which feature accounting/tax articles. AccountingWeb.com’s “Blogger Crew” features accountant blogs such as
Dave Burt’s “The Shirtsleeve Accountant’s Blog”, Jerry Davis’ “Construction Practice Insider”, and Michelle Golden’s “Golden Practices”.
This is a great example of how existing blog writers and their own content contribute to the fortune of another website while also reaping benefits of their own, including elevating themselves to the level of “expert”.
Take Jerry Davis’ “Construction Practice Insider”. This is a GREAT example of how and where a niche tax practice area can benefit from blogging. Not only does Jerry provide great content for AccountingWeb, but he also gathers exposure and expert status at the same time. Jerry also is able to have that same content appear on his own site Kirschner & Associates, P.C at the same time, getting more bang for the buck. His article “Quick Facts About the Construction Industry” is an example.
In fact, I love Jerry’s firm blog which beautifully states what I think should be the mission statement for every accounting/tax blog:
My name is Jerry Davis (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) and I am a partner in Kirschner & Associates, P.C. (PUT YOUR FIRM NAME HERE). We are a CPA firm in the Atlanta (PUT YOUR LOCATION HERE) area that specializes in the construction (PUT YOUR INDUSTRY HERE) industry. I have started this blog for the following reasons:
- share answers to frequently asked questions from our clients
- post things that I read and want to communicate to others
- link to information on the internet that will interest participants in the construction (PUT YOUR INDUSTRY HERE) industry
- Another example of this appears on CPA-Resource.com. Under the site’s Community section is a Blog Sub-Section, that features various accountant and tax pros (10 at this time). Each author provides well-written articles that, again, provide great content for CPA-Resource and give the blog author’s audience the sense that they know what they are talking about. Entries range from 1031 Exchange discussions to Depreciation Reductions. In some of the cases, the blog author cross-populates the content onto their own website.
Going back to Jerry: By providing fresh and relevant information, and without him saying so himself, Jerry has created the real perception that he is in fact an expert in construction tax accounting. If you notice, his blog entries are not necessarily long dissertations on obscure tax laws. Often they are short, perhaps two or three paragraphs. But he writes them, and he writes them consistently. By being consistent, the perception is also that he is vested in what he does; that he cares about the construction tax industry.
These are important lessons to be learned.
Is Your Website Still so 90′s ?
Most professional and business web sites still lack in design and content. Sites tend to be stale.
Content, if any, revolves around the business or firm, providing a lot of information about the business owner/ lawyer/ accountant/ professional, that probably only the business owner/ lawyer/ accountant/ professional and their mom read [ Hi Mom! ] , as opposed to focusing on the client and search engines.
Think about how you search — are you looking for certain credentials or are you trying to solve a problem or find an answer, perhaps in a certain geographic area?
Such Online Marketing is terribly outmoded. Clients don’t come back to websites to see if someone finished a certification program, if they were promoted or made partner. Delivery of eMails and eNewsletters can be caught in junk or spam folders.
Designed for Search Engine Performance (SEO)
By utilizing the power of well-structured Web 2.0 websites you can effectively boost the site’s code/content ratio. A webdesign uses this latest in search engine optimization technology to get you ranked high for your key search terms. In addition to creating a structure for you to add content on the fly, good webdesign functionality will allow the customization of keywords and terms into the generated pages of your professional webdesign.
Content Delivery Design
The heart of your site is Content. Sites that are consistently updated and provide fresh relevant content are visited more frequesntly by unique visitors and brings back returning ones.
The fresh relevant content should be information of help to your target audience. It should not be about the business owner/ lawyer/ accountant/ professional’s education and the awards the firm has received.
The majority of people coming to a web site are looking for practical information and not a biography on a person. A good website design makes sure they get that.
Web 2.0: Utilizing LinkedIn ‘Answers’ to Create Buzz and Expert Status
LinkedIn Answers lets you tap the knowledge of your professional network. It also allows you to answer questions, and in the words of LinkedIn “By providing the best answers to questions, you earn expertise.”
One of the goals for any professional (e.g., accountants and lawyers, architects to some degree) in any online marketing campaign should be to gain Read more
New Launch: GreenDoorEscape.com
Objectives: Create a Flash-Friendly website demonstrating a licensed massage therapist’s services, pricing and products for sale. Intuitive interface lets prospective (and current) customers easily see the services and pricing list, as well as directions and a list of CDs created by the site’s owner. Read more
New Launch: SaltoftheEarthInc.com
Visit the Website
Key Elements:
- Keyword research and analysis.
- Web-Branding, portfolio viewer, news and article system.
- Category and tag creator … blog development utility.
- Dedicated hosting, visitor statistics and search engine optimization. Salt of the Earth provides unique, custom, safe and enduring seawalls (construction and repair), as well as structural and decorative landscape masonry and general landscaping services. Their goal here was to relay their expertise and provide an opportunity to showcase their work.
“salt of the earth”
-noun
those who are decent, dependable and unpretentious those of great worth and reliability basic, fundamental goodness
New Launch: Genesis Global Recruiting
Genesis Global Recruiting, Inc. Redesigns Website Using Atticus’ Proprietary Software and Unique Website Design Capabilities
Visit the Website
Objectives:
Genesis Global Recruiting, Inc., a prominent national executive and legal recruiting firm wanted a unique and stylish site that would accurately portray their company atmosphere and philosophy. The site needed to include:
- High-quality Flash technology.
- A powerful and versatile Content Resource Management [CRM] database-structure.
- A Candidate database
- Content Management System for selected Management Staff to add/delete and edit Section news, articles and announcements.
- Cutting-Edge Search Engine Optimization.
- Branded Twitter Page.
- Branded Facebook Page.
- Branded LinkedIn page.
As part of the redesign, RNR constructed a custom-made Content Management System providing Genesis Global with the ability to make additions, modifications and deletions to the Web site without knowledge of html and with 24/7/365 accessibility.
These tools was custom-developed to meet Genesis Global’s short and long-term maintenance needs.
Contact Us at 561-445-9481 and one of our consultants will be glad to assist you.
Solkoff Legal PA
Solkoff Legal, P.A., Hires Atticus Media to Differentiate Their Firm from the Online Clutter :
Objectives:
Solkoff Legal, P.A. needed a site that accomplished several key goals. The site’s design needed to appeal to the firm’s niche practice area, elder law. by providing fresh and intensive site content. Its site navigation system needed to clearly show potential clients, both the lay person and other attorneys the firm’s commitment to and knowledge of their practice areas. New information and firm announcements needed prominence on the site’s main page. Reviews occurred throughout the design process to ensure that we achieved each of the goals set forth. Among other site functions, the firm wanted:
- Smooth and crisp site interface
- Content Management System for selected staff to add/delete and edit firm news, articles and announcements.
- Atticus developed a browser-based Content Management System for the firm that is accessible externally through a single password-protected area of the site. The System provides the firm with the ability to maintain its site content – including adding, deleting and modifying news, articles and other information.
- The Secure Headlines tool enables the firm to keep the relevant sections of the home page, attorney biography and practice area pages fresh and provides more detailed links to further information about these topics.
- The interface allows the firm the ability to make additions, modifications and deletions to these pages of the Web site without knowledge of html and with 24/7/365 accessibility.
Contact Us at 561-445-9481 and one of our consultants will be glad to assist you
WeLearnByDoing.com
>> Visit WeLearnByDoing.com <<
WeLearnByDoing.com is a website designed for a Music Therapist who has also produced his own library of children’s songs.
The site features a high-end blog platform that is search-engine friendly and delivers fresh and new content to the site’s subscribers on an automated basis. In addition, we installed a secure shopping cart environment that features the musician’s CD collection.
