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Video SEO best practices are something that a majority of websites could use but often put-off because of cost and time. But website owners can actually leverage some or all of video SEO best practices without spending a lot and without having to invest too much time. In fact, just the presence of one video can significantly increase traffic, so long as it follows video SEO best practices. And by indulging key aspects of video SEO best practices, a site can turn casual visitors into repeat customers as well as build a larger audience.

Video SEO Best Practices Effects

A frill to some, but invaluable to others, video has tremendous search engine optimization potential. It’s those site owners who fundamentally understand video SEO best practices which reap the benefits of this audio-visual element:

• Sticky positioning. Videos often out perform text, still images and audio. It’s because videos are interactive and can provide more insight into a particular product or service than plain text and images.
• Upsell capabilities. Another benefit of video SEO best practices is TOS or Time On Site. Visitors will stay on a site longer if video is present. What’s more, because of their ability to more clearly convey a message, they are natural “upsellers”.
• Traffic boosting. If proper video SEO best practices are utilized, search engines will return results that include videos because it’s such a popular medium, according to Businessweek.

The Most Advantageous Video SEO Best Practices

We are starting to look at video sitemaps more and more and I think that if you have a video site and you haven’t made a video sitemap, I would definitely recommend it. …If you make video, if you are a site owner, or a publisher, please start exploring video sitemaps. –Matt Cutts, Google Head Webspam Engineer

Lastly, anotherof many video SEO best practices is to publish your multimedia alone. That is, just one video on a page. This way, the URL is appended directly to a single video. Don’t stick several videos on one page, it will be counterproductive to using it in the first place.

If you’d like to learn more about search engine optimization and using video SEO best practices, then contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll be happy to explain how to properly use video and other elements to get your site to rank higher in search results.

Social media expert or phony? SEO companies abound these days. And with business owners having to attend to their company affairs, it’s only reasonable to farm out the workload to an “expert” optimization company. After all, it’s pragmatic. There simply isn’t enough time in the day to tend to business and learn search optimization. Not to mention all the incidentals that come with it, like social media marketing.

But how is it you know that your SEOer is the real deal? Aside from testimonials on their website from other customers, what can you use to qualify a social media expert? Especially before your business commits to a long term social media marketing contract?

What Makes a Social Media Expert

Aside from the obvious definition, a social media expert is a person or team who are intimately familiar with not only social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, but who can readily identify and target certain demographics for maximum social media optimization. It’s simply not enough to just know how to customize a profile, but how to build an audience. And that’s the ultimate goal of a social media expert. A person or team who builds a loyal following around a brand.

In fact, this person or team ought to be successful enough at social media optimization that it becomes a significant metric in your analytics or what is known as “referral traffic”. It’s the proof that people are finding and following your business from social media optimization.

Social Media Expert Qualifications

When trying to find an individual or firm which offers social media marketing, there are certain red flags you should look for. Some of them are patently obvious, while others are a bit more subtle. Here are some things you ought to take notice of when hiring a social media marketing firm:

1. The “social media expert” has little to no following of his or her own.
2. He or she likes to use buzz words but never really explains what they mean. Failure to break down esoteric language and not taking time to discuss the ins-and-outs of social media optimization is a big red flag.
3. Their Twitter and Facebook pages are littered with “auto links”. These are easy to identify because they will appear on the profile with just a link. Conspicuously absence will be discussions and replies.
4. There isn’t a concerted effort to tag social media with other metrics or incorporate it into calls to action. If a supposed social media expert treats social platforms as islands in the breeze, it’s a bad sign.
5. The social media optimization firm doesn’t understand or explain how it will incorporate social media into other marketing endeavors like webinars, television, print and radio advertising, email and live events.
6. He or she can’t integrate social media training into your company’s employee learning procedures. If you’re striving for a large audience, there’s just no way one so-called social media expert can handle it alone.

Like hiring any other professional, take the time to do your homework before signing on with a social media marketing company. Check out their clientele. Are they building a community for other businesses? Check potential social media optimization firms with the Better Business Bureau. And get recommendations from fellow business owners. If a social media expert gives you a list of references, follow up and phone them.

If your business needs more visibility and wants professional search engine optimization services, then contact us for a free consultation. We’ll take the time to answer your questions and discuss how we can craft and execute a campaign that’s right for your business.

Most people don’t think of Microsoft as an Internet browser provider. In fact, when they do think of Microsoft, they think of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and the new Windows 7.  So I am here to tell you that Microsoft is hard at work on their new browser, conveniently named Internet Explorer 9.  A recent blog post from Microsoft hints at the fact that some serious work is being done on Internet Explorer 9, which is great because we need something to get Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) out of the internet!    IE9 is bound to be very competitive in the open source world that Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox have long dominated.  Plus Internet Explorer 9 will reach out to the new standards such as HTML 5.  But at this point in the game can Internet Explorer 9 challenge Firefox and Chrome?

MSDN points out:

“Because some browsers run on many different operating systems, there can be a tendency to use a ‘least common denominator’ approach to implementing HTML5. By using more of the underlying operating system, and taking advantage of the power of the whole PC, IE9 enables developers to do more with HTML5. Running through Windows, instead of just on Windows, makes a big difference; the web runs more like a native application.”

I say to Microsoft, “Words are easier said than done!” – I really think that Microsoft is on the right track this time though, I mean, they have taken a beating when it came to Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 in regards to web development, and the whole website designer community.  I mean, a website designer must code their work to be compatible with IE6 and IE7 – how convenient!

Microsoft does have a preview page that you can visit using your current internet browser. On that page you will be confronted with a page that looks like this:

As you can see on this screenshot there is a ton of information featuring Microsoft’s new browser. Microsoft is not cutting any corners in the development of Internet Explorer 9 and I think that it will definitely be worth the upgrade when it becomes available.

Don’t forget, upgrading your browser is very important when it comes to security and also compatibility. With the release of CSS3 and HTML5 you should definitely not be using Internet Explorer 6, or you will be missing out on a lot of the internet.

Crafting a social media strategy might not seem difficult, but without an effective plan, it can leave a business spinning its wheels. To get the most out of social media marketing, a company must put together a template. Once organized, a mere 6 hours per week following a well-crafted social media strategy generated a demonstrable increase in site traffic among 78 percent of marketers surveyed conducted by Social Media Examiner in 2011.

Social Media Strategy Strategizing

The first rule of thumb in developing a social media template is to keep it simple. Chances of reaching more people with targeted focus greatly improve outcomes. Rather than casting a wide net, it’s best to narrow the field and become a big fish in a little pond. This will cause credibility to grow. Consequently, your business is seen as an authority rather than just one among many.

Get In Front of Your Audience

The conventional wisdom since social media came onto the scene as a real marketing tool was to be everywhere. The thought was as long as a business is ubiquitous, it would pay-off. Now, experts on social media stratgey say it only pays off to be where your customers are. Once there, make an effort to give them what they most want.

• Choose social sites which your audience uses. Pinterest is great for retailers but not attorneys and CPAs.
• Share links and information which your audience will appreciate.
• Don’t deluge your audience only with links back to your site.

Broadcast Your Social Media Profiles

Backlink Your Social Media Presence

When using off-page techniques as part of your social media strategy, spread inbound links across your web-presence spectrum. In other words, use some instances to point to your social profiles exclusively (or at least above-the-fold). It helps to create a large presence in the minds of your existing audience as well as help to attract more followers.

Take Time to Take Time

The paradox of the Internet is anyone can can retrieve information on-demand. Search engine optimization doesn’t work that quickly and neither does social media marketing. It takes weeks or months to see the needle move. What’s more, it requires sticktoitiveness.

• Define your target audience
• Cater to that audience
• Be consistent and respond accordingly to changes
• Don’t give up too early in the going. Stay with it to get results
• Design unique profiles to stand out from your competition
• Be willing to restructure your social media strategy if necessary

If you want to learn more about developing a social media strategy, then contact us for a free, expert consultation. We can craft a plan specifically for your business. We’ll help you to gain an edge over your competition and make your social media marketing worthwhile.

Website SEO is shrouded in mystery to most people. What it is and how it works is too complicated, too technical and too confusing to make it worth while to learn. So, businesses hire Website SEO services to do the work for them.  And many Website SEO companies do the job they are hired to do, at least until there’s a mishap of some sort.

There are cases when the Website SEO specialist is doing everything he or she can to get results, but your site might be undermining those efforts and all the money your spending is for naught. And it doesn’t make any sense to spend money that doesn’t return on the investment. Every business owner knows the only time a loss of ROI is acceptable is when it’s purposeful, like a dedicated loss-leader.

Otherwise, it’s not good practice to put money into an effort which brings only minimal or no results. And that’s what your site might be doing to sabotage your search engine optimization campaign.

Understanding a Search Engine’s Optimization Standards

Both Google and Bing publish guidelines for optimization. What might surprise you is they’re not that much different. Both advise businesses to build a search friendly site, complete with some technical standards and plenty of quality content.

Unfortunately, many small businesses fall into the trap of choosing the keywords based on volume — thinking the ones that provide the most traffic will be the best investment. But what you really want is to focus on the keywords that will bring you the most business, even if they bring a small amount of traffic. —Inc.com

However, many companies try to concentrate their efforts in just one or two areas. As the nearby blockquote points, out choosing keywords by popularity is, well, a popular or preferred method. And while it seems logical, it really isn’t a very good practice. Targeting your audience and narrowing your scope does far more than casting a wide net, hoping it will catch the attention of many more consumers.

Why you should pay attention to your Website SEO

In other words, if your Website SEO optimization isn’t focused, you’re essentially spending more time and effort getting less results. It’s far better to put into action some Website SEO marketing that’s specifically designed to capture customers who will repeatedly purchase your products and services.

And that’s precisely the way search engines want you to operate. It wants you to speak directly to your industry niche and become a reliable, authoritative source of information. If you do, you’ll naturally climb higher in organic ranking.

Working with a Website SEO Service

If you’ve found an affordable Website SEO, then you ought to make their job a bit easier–after all, it’s only in your best interests to do so. Website SEO companies are constantly fighting the battle against algorithmic changes, keeping up with the latest trends, and tweaking their efforts to do the most good.

But if your site has one or more of these deficiencies, it’s probably posing too much of a problem for your Website SEO to overcome. Remember, optimization is much, much more than just getting links to your site. So, let’s take a look at some common problems:

• Buying links to gain more traffic. If you’ve engaged in this practice and haven’t told your  Website SEO service, then you are hurting your organic rank in a serious way. Google is very staunch in its stand to eradicate link networks and other low quality sites.
• Publishing bad content or adding copy for the sake of it. If you’ve heard Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt’s latest statements, or the search engine’s Chief Webspam Engineer, Matt Cutts comments, you’d know that content has to be of high quality and engaging or it won’t help your site whatsoever.
• Slow load time or persistent downtime. You site has to load quickly to meet one of the 200 ranking signals in Google’s arsenal. In addition, if your site is down often due to server issues, it’s sabotaging your Website SEO.
• No redirects or server communication problems. These also a big ones. If you don’t include 301 redirects for content you’ve moved from one place to another or do not customize your 404’s, you’re harming your optimization.
• Poor internal link structure. This is a real no-no in the world of search optimization. But if your site has bad internal linking, it won’t fare well in its organic rank. You’ve got to diversify and clean up any existing problems in order to get the most out of internal links.

Lastly, and this is another huge problem, if your site is Flash dependent or has a lot of PDFs and Excel spreadsheets, it’s going to be a battle for your Website SEO. Flash is a hole in the internet and PDFs and Excel spreadsheets have to be added to your site’s robots.txt files.

If your site has any of the problems listed above or is doing everything right but still not gaining traffic through organic search, then contact us for a free consultation. We can analyze your site and devised a strategy that gets more traffic and more conversions.

Yes, there are still people who prefer to use Internet Explorer 6. If you do use this browser, please email me so I can….uhh…provide you with a “special link” to update your computer…lol…. Seriously though, here are some bugs that will help you get over your Internet Explorer Icon blue’s….

The Box Model

This is perhaps the most common and frustrating bug of all in IE 6 and below. Let’s say you declare a box like this:

div#box {
   width: 100px;
   border: 2px solid black;
   padding: 10px;
}

IE 6 will calculate the width of the box to be 100px.
Modern browsers will calculate the width of the box to be 124px.

This kind of discrepancy can cause HUGE layout problems. I even think the IE version makes a little bit more sense logically, but that is not how the spec was written. IE 6 can actually get it right if you are in standards-compliant mode, which is rare these days as just using an HTML 4.0 transitional doctype will trigger quirks mode and the box model problem.

I generally work around this issue by just not using padding on boxes I am using for layout. If that box has some text inside it in a <p> element, I’ll apply the padding it needs directly to that p element. Just side-steps the issue, but it works.

The Double Margin Bug

Using our box example from above, let’s say we need that floated to the right:

div#box {
   float: right;
   margin-right: 20px;
}

IE 6 will double the 20px to 40px. Again, causing potentially huge layout borks. The commonly thrown-around “fix” for this is to add “display: inline;” to the div. I’m not sure how this “fix” got so much traction, but its a bit impractical. We can’t set static widths on inline elements, now can we?

I also like to side-step this bug whenever possible. If you really need to push that box away from the right side of it’s parent element, you can likely do so by adding padding to the parent element, which is more likely to keep your grid consistent anyway. Also don’t forget about padding. This bug does not affect padding, so you can offen get away with adding padding to the side you need an achieve the same result.

No Min Widths / Min Height

Setting min-width and min-height on elements is such a natural and logical thing that it makes me tear up sometimes thinking I can’t count on them. IE 6 doesn’t just get it wrong, it just completely ignores them. Min-height is incredibly useful for something like a footer. Say your footer needs to be at least 100px tall because you are using a background image down there, but you don’t want to set a static height because you want it to grow nicely if, say, the text size is bumped up significantly. Min-height is perfect for this, but using it alone will get you no height whatsoever from IE 6. In a bizarre twist of luck, IE 6 treats the regular height property like modern browsers treat min-height, so you can use a “hack” to fix it. I call it a “hack”, because I don’t really consider it a hack since it validates just fine.

Stepdown

Normally when floating objects you can count on them lining up vertically until they break. That is, you could if you weren’t using IE 6. IE 6 appends a line break effect after each floated block element which will cause “stepdown”. The fix here is to make sure the line-height in the parent element is set to zero (0), or that the elements being floated are inline elements.

No Hover States

Most modern browsers support hover states on just about any element, but not IE 6. IE 6 only support the hover pseudo-class on anchor (<a>) elements, and even then you don’t get them if your anchor doesn’t have a href attribute. The solution here is to use a proprietary fix, or just deal with not having hover states on everything you want.

No Alpha Transparent PNG Support

*Update: I was totally wrong about the Microsoft thing, no idea how that got in my head. Tom Boutell actually developed the PNG format.

—————————-

Kind of funny that Microsoft themselves developed the PNG format, but their own browser doesn’t natively support it (until IE 7)*. I have a whole roundup of different fixes for this. Do remember that regular non-alpha transparent PNG files work fine without any fix in IE 6, and are often better than their GIF sisters.

—————————-

In conclusion:

There are ways to get around these bugs, and it will take time to work out the kinks.  The best method, however, is to just update your browser! PLEASE
Browser Links:

Internet Explorer 8 (Vista / 7)

IE8 For Windows XP Users

Mozilla Firefox

Google Chrome

The SEO playing field is about to change. Permanently. And while that might be good news for the vast majority of site owners, it’s outright bad news for some. In mid-March, a pay-for-play blog backlinking site, BuildMyRank.com was shoved off Google’s search index. The search giant leveled the SEO playing field once again, as it did with the Panda Update, putting sites which attempt to manipulate search results out of business. During the Panda roll out, many article directories simply disappeared from search results. And now, BuildMyRank is a self-confessed victim of it’s own slipshod optimization practices.

The SEO Playing Field Revisited

Search engines, by they Google, Bing, Ask or AOL, are always looking to sell their product: search. Since these entities control the gateway to the Internet, occasionally leveling the SEO playing field is absolutely necessary. That is to say, weeding out sites which don’t truly conform to their parameters. While it might sound like a type of soft tyranny, it’s actually trying to get the SEO playing field in a condition which is most conducive to user search. Another way of putting it: grocery shoppers open egg cartons to check for broken shells.

Why the SEO Playing Field is Being Reevaluated

The SEO playing field is being reevaluated because the search engines are always trying to improve the service they provide users: accurate, relevant search results. Users simply won’t use or continue to use an engine which produces poor search results–to wit, Cuil.com. Cuil–the product of ex-Googlers–claimed it had indexed approximately 120 billion pages when it launched in 2008. By 2010, the search engine was shut down. It seems a large index without any semblance of relevancy, isn’t what Internet users are looking for. The SEO playing field was self-regulated in this instance, with market forces leading the way.

The Aftermath and a Way Forward

So having the SEO playing field leveled now and again is cold hard reality. It cannot be denied that it’s completely necessary to improve search. But the lessons learned from a newly landscaped SEO playing field are priceless. A veritable gold mind of how search is evolving. Those who practice SEO now know certain techniques will no longer produce positive results. Paying a blog network a fee to distribute content with backlinks is just trying to game the system. Only those who practice responsible SEO and learn from the mistakes of others as well as look at emerging trends will remain unphased.

Thus, the way forward is just as has it’s been in the past: doing what’s right and within a reasonable means. While algorithms will undoubtedly change time and again, there will be ample warning, either explicit or implied. Sites like BuildMyRank.com will come and go, walking a tightrope all the while. But site owners who play by the rules and actually put in the investment, will see their rankings inch upward. Simply put, there are no magic bullets. No quick fixes. As in life, so goes it in the world of search. And those defy will be ejected from the SEO playing field.

Have you decided to try today’s biggest blogging platform? This article will inform you about how to get the most out of WordPress. Continue to read to find out how this tool can make blogging easier for you.

If your post has a long title, clean up its permalink. For instance, “Ten Ways Smart Parents Can Tame Their Children” would come across as a cumbersome, long URL. Rather, seek out keywords in the long URL and create a shorter permalink for it.

Use Alt and Title when you are using WordPress. when uploading an image to a post. This lets you add some phrases for SEO and it lets your readers know what the image is.

It is easy to use WordPress to add video blogging to the website. This will require you to make special preparations, but it will be worth the effort. Most Internet surfers respond to visuals. One powerful tool is video because it can convey messages more clearly than the written word.

Have a plan before you begin publishing. With a schedule you’ll be motivated to keep posting. You can even create a week’s worth of content all at once and tell WordPress when to post it to your blog.

Do you have a lot of people who comment on your posts? If so, weeding through all the comments may be difficult for you and for other visitors. Add a plugin that will add page numbers to this section. It will make your site more organized.

Your search engine ranking can be improved by taking a few moments to enhance your pictures when you upload them. Make sure that your title tags are clearly indicated. When visitors pin your images to sites like Pinterest, the title you gave is what will be represented on their screen.

Security is an important measure that you will want to consider. Keep your password to yourself. In addition, just use plugins from reputable sites and always read reviews. Otherwise, you are vulnerable to hackers and malware.

Make sure that your media library isn’t disorganized. It may be tempting to just upload images directly into the library, but things can become chaotic really quick. Create folders designated for images at each step of the way. You can then find pictures you wish to use later much easier.

Using WordPress for a blogging tool isn’t that hard when you are knowledgeable about what you you have at your arsenal. Remember the great points in this article and have the best possible experience with WordPress. By applying these tips to your own blog, you’re sure to see some great results.

The process of tailoring your website with keywords for the purpose of improved search engine results rankings is called search engine optimization. It’s one of the best ways to assure your website’s success. Some people treat SEO as rarefied knowledge that no ordinary person can learn. Do not listen to this advice.

Once you’ve selected the keywords you’ll be using on your site, you should add them to the title of your website. When people locate your page through a search engine, they will see this title, so make it relevant to your site. By having a more generic word in the title, searchers who aren’t aware of your company’s name will still visit your website to find what they are looking for.

To boost website traffic, check your content and try improving it. Unless the content is good, no one will stick around on your site; so, create great content!

Generate a keyword-oriented site map for added SEO optimization. Site maps allow easy navigation through your site, letting users get where they’re going in one or two clicks. Search engines use them in order to put websites in a higher position on the search lists, because the ease of access is an important facet in their ratings.

You might think it is obvious, though you definitely need to make sure your site is registered with key search engines. Some folks think this is automatically done for them. Once in awhile, check in to be sure you find your site easily. Your website may not come up as the most popular page but if it isn’t coming up at all then it has no chance to rise.

Video Sitemap

Use videos along with a video sitemap for increasing your SEO. Videos can create a personal touch on your site. Post them on your site and label them with the proper keywords. After you get a video sitemap you can use the tools for webmasters at Google so your URL gets submitted to the account you have. Next, post the video on YouTube, Metacafe, Yahoo and other video websites. After that, just wait for more business to come through.

While it is a field of great complexity with room for full-time professionals, search engine optimization need not be a closed book to the novice. You can perform effective SEO on your own by learning simple methods, such as the ones just given to you in the above article. Improved website traffic might be closer than you think!

One of the most popular places on the web for blogs is WordPress. The many options and ease of use allows everyone to develop the website or blog they desire. Keep reading to learn more.

Choose an interesting and unusual design for your WordPress blog. While using something that others already have up is simple, it doesn’t create a great first impression of your site. Make a site that’s as unique as your business.

If your title is long, clean up your post’s permalink. For instance, an overbearing or difficult URL would be along the lines of “Top Tips For Parents of Unruly Children.” Instead, try making the permalink “tips-parents-uncontrollable-children” or something comparable based on the SEO keywords.

Devote some time to learning about the various options and tools that you have at your fingertips when you use WordPress for blogging. For example, if you click on the KITCHEN SINK button, you will get lots of extra choices in importing and formatting that can really make your posts unique.Additionally, you will probably notice the SCREEN OPTIONS tab on your admin pages. Use this for many formatting options.

Be sure to use Title & Alt. when uploading post images. Such areas provide a chance to add additional SEO phrases, and they show viewers who have not enabled images to see what they are missing.

WordPress allows for simple video blogging. While you may need to prepare a little more, that makes things worth it. Many online users are visual. Using video is a powerful tool because it allows you to express your thoughts visually.

Create a schedule for posting. If you are aware of your posting time, your motivation will increase. You can make your posts all at once and schedule them to upload at a specified time.

WordPress can be easy and a lot of fun. Create awesome websites with little effort once you get used to it. If you desire, you can learn more advanced skills to make your website truly robust. WordPress changes every day, so monitor developments to learn how they might help your site.