Off Page Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be misunderstood but there is a methodology, even some would say, a science but it is, most of all, a process . You need to understand that an SEO project should include efforts in the two primary areas that contribute to a site’s search rankings by search engine algorithms:

1. On-Page SEO Factors: What search engine crawlers can discern from the content and structure of your site.
2. Off-Page SEO Factors: What search engines can determine about the linking structure of other sites, and the sites inter-related to those sites, in relation to your site.

On Page factors include optimising your site with original content, placing keywords related to your page in the Meta tags and good internal structure. SEO for off page factors have a wider definition but can be grouped together under one word: linking.

Google Ranking factors for Off Page Search Engine Optimisation.

Before I discussed some of the off page SEO tactics, you must first understand the factors that Google thinks is necessary to rank your website.

1. Number and quality of backlinks is very important. Google show you only a limited number of link (use this command link:www.yourwebsite.com to find competitor links). MSN show you more and Yahoo show you the most links of all the search engines.
2. Speed of acquiring links. Too fast seems artificial so to it slowly or you might get penalised.
3. Anchor text of the backlink must be relevant to the page linked to.
4. The age of the backlink is very critical; an older link shows stability of the website. However frequently changing the anchor text can damage your ranking.
5. Backlinks from directories like DMOZ, YAHOO, LOOK SMART can boost you rankings and provide good link juice.

The above are some of the most important factors Google tracks for ranking your website.

Off-Page Search Engine Optimisation

But where can you get good links from that Google will recognize. Here are some examples:

1. Social Networking Sites

Social Networking means getting involved with social media sites and is the fundamental step with which you begin to advertise your product or service, market awareness of your brand and build your online reputation within your niche. You need to sign up to the most popular social networking sites, such as; Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, etc., and create yourself a profile of your own.

2. Blogging

Blogging is one of the best ways to promote your website. Most blogs will give you a follow link that transfer link value as opposed to a no-follow link that doesn’t give you any link value. By writing a blog for your website, you give a reason for visitors to keep returning to your site and keep up to date with your latest posts. It also helps search engines to crawl your site more frequently, as they have to update your latest blog post entries, which ultimately helps you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). You need to produce and include lots of unique content for your blog, such as; Infographics, Top Lists, How To…Tutorials, and Viral Videos.

3. Blog Marketing

Post comments on other blogs within the same niche as yours, which allow you to add a link in the comments section. These links can then be crawled by search engines, helping to point them towards your site. These blogs are commonly referred to as “Do-Follow” Blogs (Just like ours, where you can comment below!).

4. Forum Marketing

Find forums online that are related to your sites niche and get involved within that community. Reply to threads, answer peoples questions, offer advice, etc. This all helps to build up your reputation as someone who is an expert within that niche. Try to use “Do-Follow” Forums so that you can include a link to your site within your signature, which helps search engines crawl your site.

5. Search Engine Submission

Search engines will eventually find your site online, but that can take a while. To speed everything up, you should submit your website to the most popular search engines like Google. Use Google Webmasters Tools and the functionality under the Heath section as “Fetch as GoogleBot.

6. Directory Submission

You should submit to general directories like DMOZ and Yahoo, but for maximum effect, you are better off submitting to niche directories as well. The results take longer to appear but they do appear eventually.

7. Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking is another great way of promoting your website. Submit your latest blog posts and pages to the most popular bookmarking sites, like StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious, Reddit, etc. Search engines really like these types of sites because the content on these sites is updated very frequently.

8. Link Baiting

Link baiting is another popular way of promoting your site. If you produce a really popular unique post for your site, then other people may want to link to it. If you have post the article on your website then that article will draw traffic.

9. Photo Sharing

If you have used any of your own photos or images on your site, then you can share them on many of the major photo sharing websites like Flickr, Picasa, and Photo Bucket. Other people will be able to see them and comment on them, hopefully following a link to your site.

10. Video Marketing

Just like photo sharing, if you have any videos that you have used on your site, then you can submit them to sites like; YouTube, Vimeo, etc. allowing people to find your content in other ways.

11. Business Reviews

Write reviews about others businesses or ask your friends/clients to write a review of your business in major business review sites like RateitAll, Shvoong, Kaboodle, and Stylefeeder.

12. Local Listings

Depending on your site’s niche, you might find that listing in local directories may be useful. You may have a website promoting your local business, therefore instead of going global and facing huge competition, listing your website locally, so that search engines can easily view your website and fetch the content, will be much better. This will help you to reach a targeted audience. Submit your website to sites like; Google Local, Maps, Yahoo Local, telephone Advertising Directories.

13. Article Submission

If you write your articles yourself, then you can submit them to popular article directory sites like; Ezine Articles, Go Articles, Now Public, etc. This can help drive traffic to your site, whilst you can also gain some links to your site from other people (though it’s usually a slower process).

Want To Learn More About SEO?

Then watch the video to grasp the essentials of search engine optimisation.  Alternately you can email me Minke Oving SEO and Online Reputation Manager at SEO Synovation.

We at SEO Synovation have a passion to help small and medium sized organisations reach their goals. Call us now.

Inbound Marketing – Guest Blogging and Article Writing

Inbound marketing makes it easy for your website to be found and a decent tactic to achieve this is through correct link building is guest blogging and article writing one of many channels of Inbound Marketing

Guest Blogging and Article Writing

Since Panda and Penguin algorithm updates the search engine optimisation of on page factors are still very important but must be part of a wider content distribution and inbound marketing strategy – more off page optimisation is needed.

Search engines after Panda and Penguin are better at distinguishing tricks like keyword stuffing and punish you for them. Poor and poorly written content, imperfect site optimisation and improper linking are degradable offences in Google eyes. This has been true for a long time and the SEO business has reacted favourably and most reputable companies follow the on page recommendations well.

Off Page Factors Have Gained Prominence

Many webmasters having optimised their websites for on page factors turn their attention to off-page factors to gain relevant links – many choose guest blogging as a means to acquiring relevant links to their websites.

Link Building

There are as many ways to get links but in the aftermath of Panda and Penguin submitting guest articles or guest blogging is slowly becoming best practice. The trend is driven by a desire to follow the pack. Guest blog posts, all by themselves, do increase rankings.

Guest Blogging – writing blogs or articles for other sites

The strength in guest blogging to blogs or websites that have a decent following is that the posts are read immediately and it can be launched without delay avoiding the embarrassment of blog posts that no one comments on. However, the guest-blog-only strategy has two fatal weaknesses:

• There is an obviously fixed ratio of one linking domain per article placed,
• You reach rapidly diminishing returns.

 Furthermore, using the ideal blog to post is difficult to find. They are a scarce resource. You can post to lesser blogs but expect lesser returns.

Content Strategy

A pure content strategy can be frustrating simply because the results and rewards are slow to be recognised. The best strategy is to create great content and to distribute it using all the marketing channels available: that means using inbound marketing as depicted in this info graphic – courtesy of Hubspot:

  

With great content, your guest posts will be more effective. So will your email marketing campaigns, paid search traffic, and referral traffic. We can think of content as a multiplier that adds to almost any other marketing tactic.

The advantages of unique content happen with guest posting or article writing are:

• Bloggers will be more likely to accept posts and talk about/to you if your target site has its own credible content.  
• Users from the host blog will share and re-share your content if your site offers something they can be excited about. 
• People will want to link to you.

 Make Content a Pre-Requisite 

Where are we headed, and what should we do next?

You should not publish and wait. Building relevant links through blogging and guest blogging matters. You must engage in other channels to distribute your unique content. Use all the channels in the info graphic that’s appropriate to your business and raise your precious content out of obscurity.

SEO is growing, link building is essential and inbound marketing is thriving. The Search engine optimisation industry is moving towards sustainability growth and capable of providing solutions, recommendations and results that are going to have a far bigger impact than raising the rankings for a couple tracked keywords.

It seems highly unlikely that Google will penalize guest posts or articles writing or for that matter any form of distributing good relevant content. After all distributing good content does increase users experience.

About the Author

Minke Oving is an Online Reputation expert at SEO Synovation and guest blogger for a number of clients.

She is a regular contributor to this blog and can be contact at m.oving@kpnmail.nl

Driving the Right Traffic to Your Website is the Key To Success

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the difference between website traffic versus targeted traffic and provides tips on web design and web marketing. It is often manifested that lower volumes of traffic in uncompetitive markets have higher conversion rates than in higher traffic markets. Less is more in some circumstances if you focus your marketing on targeted traffic and excellent webpage design. You'll quickly appreciate that the hits your getting on your website they'll be potential customers and, more importantly, convert to sales.

Driving Traffic To Your Website

Driving traffic to your website traffic is the single most important factor when it comes to the success of a website but what kind of traffic do you need: traffic that converts to sales and income. Although it's true that a constant stream of traffic is the lifeblood of a website, the quality of the traffic is far more important than the quantity.

Getting Traffic

The success of any website depends upon getting the right traffic and getting visitors that are looking for the products or information you have available on your site. The most common ways to drive traffic to your website and promote your product or service are:

1. SEO. Optimise existing website and website pages with keywords or keyword phrases that users are searching the web with.

2. Guest Blogging. Participate in blogs to positively promote the brand

3. Social Networking. Engage in social networks to positively promote the product or service.

4. Video Marketing. Create a video to promote your services on YouTube.

5. Informational Marketing. Create presentations and post them on Slideshare.

6. Image/ Info graphic Marketing. Create images and post them on image sharing website like Flicjkr to promote the product.

7. Article Marketing. Write articles detailing the performance of the product.

8. Link Building. Create linking strategy and obtain links to increase visibility of product and brand

9. Public Relations Marketing. Create press releases to increase visibility of product and brand and decrease the effects of negative comments.

10. Blogging. Engage bloggers to promote your product or services.

It’s exciting seeing high volumes of traffic getting to your website but if your visitors are looking for something other than what you are offering, for the most part, your website traffic is not reaching the business goals.

Prerequisites to Targeted Traffic

It’s not only necessary having a great website design, compelling copy, the lowest prices and fantastic special offers but all your efforts will be useless unless your website is drawing traffic that is interested in buying from you.

What you need are visitors specifically interested in your product or service -- you need targeted traffic. Before you start promoting your website using the ten most commons ways of getting traffic you should learn about the inhibitors to increasing conversions.

Inhibitors to Increase Conversions.

Moments of disorientation (two or three seconds) where users need to know where they are and have they clicked on the right website. You tell them by providing a title, description, heading and sub-heading that satisfies their need.

Moments of conversation (one or two seconds) where users need to know the benefits what can I do on this page. You tell them with calls to actions – contact us by email or subscribe to our newsletter.

Moments of Exchange (two or three seconds) where users are looking for the benfits of your product or service. You tell them by provided a bullt points list of benefits.

Objectives of Your Webpage

Most successful websites are tightly focused on their niche market and their marketing tactics are focused on driving people to their site that are looking for what they offer – that’s the power of targeted traffic.

The objective of the home page is NOT to get visitors to it but to get visitors through it to visit the inner pages of a website. There are three categories of objectives of a home page:

a. The primary object of the home page is to meet the key performance indicators of the business. These are generally long term and connected to the business model and marketing plan.

b. The major objectives of a home page are just as important but are not primary. They are usually long term in nature and may or may not be connected to the business plan.

c. Minor objectives of a home page are those which are functions of the website – site navigation, legal disclaimers etc.

Web pages need to be designed to fulfil each objective.

Tips for Targeted Traffic

Here are a few tips to help you prepare your website for targeted traffic:

a. Design your website to promote one particular product or service as your main item.

b. Determine the type of audience that will be interested in your product or service and adjust your website to be attractive to them. Insert keywords phrases in appropriated places.

c. Establish the items or services that are related to what you're promoting on your website. provide and or offer link building exchange facility to benefit a fuller user experience.

d. Offer free content to engage the visitor. Provide a stream of content, that your visitors will find useful, on your website and add new content and information often. Email strategy will invite your visitors back to your site to see the new material you're constantly adding.

e. Keep in mind, a website that's focused on a particular niche item or service lends itself to targeted traffic simply because there is something specific to target and the more targeted traffic your site receives, the more productive your site will be.

f. There are only three ways to increase business:

• Get more customers. Follow tips a – e and 1 -10 above
• Get customers to but more often from you. On first visit get their email address by offering something valuable they want.
• Get customers to increase the average sale value at time of purchasing. At point of sale offer discounted value items. Say ,for examples, others also have bought this product and offer it at a discount.

For more website traffic and web marketing tips visit www.seosynovation.com or http://seosynovation.blogspot.com

Author Bio

Vincent Sandford of SEO Synovation is the author of numerous articles and blogs on search engine optimisation, online reputation management, web marketing, wine and real estate. He has a passion for website marketing and helping professionals, small and medium businesses grow. Learn what Vincent can do for your website by visiting http://www.sesynovation.com