SEO Denver

Key Components of a Low Cost SEO Strategy

With a stagnant GDP and significant economic growth apparently a long way off, the need to control business costs is more important than ever. Still, companies must make sales and reach new customers to remain in business.  Marketing on a shoe-string is a key element to the survival of many small businesses.

Search Engine Marketing or Optimization (SEO) allows even small organizations with limited websites to compete for business with major, multinational corporations for new business.  Tapping into that revenue stream though, can be a challenge.  Meeting this challenge can be expensive.  However, there are three fairly simple components of a small business SEO effort that can win sales and earn new revenue.  Best of all, these are not expensive undertakings and can – if needed – be done either by a low cost consultant or by the web page owner.

The four main areas SEO consultants focus on are:

• Keyword Setting
• Link Setting
• Page Modifications

Using the following techniques, a small business enterprise can also compete with major companies for new revenue using the internet.  Be advised though, that this effort can take 90 days at least to get started.

Keyword Setting:  It is important to find a keyword phrase for which major competitors may not have focused on.  Terms like “mortgage loans” are likely to be hard-fought over by huge companies.  Small enterprises should focus on unique product characteristics as well the local geographic area in which they are located.  This narrows the search, but also provides relevancy to those looking for services in their area.  Instead of “mortgage loans” the enterprise might come up with something like “zero point mortgages Cleveland.”  This allows the use of a product characteristic plus the geographic area. 

Identifying keyword phrases that may attract traffic may be found in the free suite of Google Webmaster Tools.   Check the adword tool selection “Opportunities” bar as well.  Other good and free keyword tools also exist, so before settling on a single keyword phrase, look at all possibilities.

Link Setting:  Link setting is probably the most time consuming part of gaining traffic for the small business page.  As entrepreneurs are typically time-constrained, it is important to find quick ways to build links.  Link building tools exist, but rarely set the good quality links needed to improve search engine page rank.  The best link setting processes involve asking those in your niche community to set a link to the page if they find it valuable. 
Article marketing and distribution seems to be the best way to build reputation and back links.  Several article marketing sites exist that can help build links.  Unfortunately, this process does require writing short articles, but the value gained – particularly for new websites – can be significant.  A good article marketing program that will help build articles and distribute them for you is Unique Article Wizard. There is a fee involved, but this system also allows purchase of custom-written articles at a fairly low cost. 

Page Modifications:  SEO experts can help in setting up a page to attract traffic via the internet.  When building or modifying an existing page, remember that the search engines will look at the entire page for significant words.  Using keywords in the page title, in the headlines and again in the text builds strength for these keywords and makes it more likely that the search engines will find the page when users search using the keywords. 

Pages should be modified once per week or so to keep the content fresh.  As more content on a particular page offers more opportunity for the search engines to recognize different words, don’t limit the page to one or two paragraphs.  It is okay to produce a longer page. 

Of course SEO Consultants are always available for a fee to help as well.  Many of these are expensive, but occasionally, one can be found that offers a small business enterprise package of SEO services.  Whether a consultant is engaged or the web site owner undertakes the SEO effort himself, a search engine optimization effort can yield significant new revenue.

SEO Consultants of Denver offer low and reduced cost SEO services to new and emerging businesses to help them build strong revenue pipelines and establish additional sales relationships. Search Engine Optimization does not have to cost a great deal, so read on to find out more. 

For more information on Low Cost SEO strategies, click on the Contact Us tab above and send us a note!

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Low Cost SEO Strategies

A couple simple strategies can enable companies to implement a Low Cost SEO program to attract internet traffic and increase sales.  Worldwide corporations invest heavily in making sure their web pages appear as results on “Google” searches and now smaller organizations can use similar methodologies to compete for attention and sales on the internet.

An organization’s website need not be fancy, contain expensive flash elements or even be visually extravagant to compete for sales.  Of course SEO Consultants can turn most pages into income producers, but these can charge thousands for each month of service.   There are three simple strategies though, if enacted by the website owner, can greatly reduce the costs associated with optimizing the company web page.

Businesses of all types can use these methods.  Local organizations such as “Denver Graphic Designers,” financial consultants such as “Water Utility Consultants” and even “SEO Consultants in Denver” can use these methods to lower SEO costs and still compete for new business on the internet using their company’s web site.

There are three essential elements to the Low Cost SEO strategy:
·    Web Page Optimization
·    GeoArea Localization
·    Product or Service Specialization

Optimization:  This strategy involves selecting appropriate keywords and keyword phrases that describe the organization, the product and the value offered.  The keyword phrases should be included on each web page in the page title area, the headers and within the content or body of text.  If the site has yet to be posted, the keywords should be incorporated into the URL for the site as well.  Selection of these keywords must take into consideration the Localization and Specialization strategies.

Localization:   An essential element for small businesses that are competing with larger organizations, localization calls for the inclusion of a geographic search term or identifier.  This identifying phrase is usually the city or regional name in which the product or service is primarily offered.  Going ‘head to head’ with major corporations such as Toshiba or Citibank is possible if companies narrow their area of focus down to a city or local area.  Using the Toshiba example, optimizing the web page on a term like “laptop computers” probably won’t allow the company to compete for placement on the search engines.  However, a search term like “laptop computers in Atlanta” will probably work better.   As most major companies do not compete well on a local level, smaller enterprises should make use of a geographic identifier within their keyword string.

Specialization:  Along the same lines as localization, including a term that describes the value or other key element of the service offering can also help smaller companies compete well on the internet.  Terms such as “Low Cost” or “High Performance” help differentiate your page from others and provide useful information to the search engines about the company and the web page.    Again, large corporations tend to compete poorly on a local level, so there could be great opportunities for an enterprising business to use specialized terms to compete. 

Putting localization and specialization efforts together can further define your page in such a way that the search engines will understand exactly what your page is about and where to appropriately display it as a search result.   Keyword phrases such as “low cost computers” certainly describes a store selling computers at a discount.  However by adding in the geographic term – in this case “low cost computers in Dayton” the keyword phrase describes the company’s business, a feature (low cost) and where the product or service is available. 

Putting these strategies into action can require a big investment of time though.  And most entrepreneurs have far too little time to do their existing work.  Consultants can help for a fee of course, but by understanding the first few elements of SEO, the business owner may be able to provide some of the research and guidance to lower his costs prior to engaging the consultant.    Consultants are also useful for coaching members of the organization in subsequent tasks like link building to keep the page optimized over time.

Marketing or selling via the internet has grown into a very useful and powerful revenue generation model because customers engaged in a purchasing decision will frequently utilize the internet search engines to provide information to the buying decision.  Companies that optimize their pages and use other SEO strategies can reach these potential clients just as the customer is collecting data to help him make an informed purchase.     SEO strategies also allow smaller enterprises to win new business over larger competitors. 

The single greatest challenge for all businesses is growing the revenue base and making sales.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows business organizations of all sizes to reach out to prospective customers via the internet at the point in the buying process when consumers are seeking information about an upcoming purchase.  A business website that appears as a result of a Google search for product information can greatly improve that businesses’ chances of earning a new customer.

Actually optimizing the business web page can be a daunting task however.   Hiring an SEO consultant can get the job done, but can also cost real dollars a start up or new business may not have.  Even if the enterprise chooses to bring in an SEO consultant or coordinator, the business owner should understand the basic methods that person will be using to bring the business page to the top of the search engine results.

Although complex methodologies exist for SEO, there really are essentially five simple, effective and efficient methods.   These methods have been successfully employed by SEO Consultants in Denver and have delivered solid results.

On Page Modifications – Finding or identifying meaningful words and phrases that describe the business and page content that consumers would also use in searching for information is a difficult chore.  However identification of these terms and phrases (keywords) is essential as these are the terms that the search engines will use to understand what the business website is about.

When these phrases are identified, they should be used in the title, headlines and text of the web page.  Use of these phrases in the content body though, should not be overdone.  Overuse of these terms can be viewed negatively by search engines, so the web author should only use the keyword terms in a form that they would normally be used in conversation. 

As finding these terms can be a challenge, the web owner should invest some time in learning keyword techniques. Several free keyword tools are available to help, including Google’s Adwords tool.  In the end though, effective terms and keyword phrases are discovered by understanding elements of the customer’s behavior and language use. 

Off Page Optimization – The term ‘Off Page’ refers to the part of the SEO effort that takes place outside of the business owner’s website and refers mostly to efforts to let readers and internet users know that the page exists and provides good content.  There are four pieces to the ‘Off Page’ process:

• Blogging
• Article Marketing
• Site Submission
• Direct Outreach

Blogging – Information gained by reading blogs in the business subject area is valuable. Setting a link back to the business website by commenting on other blogs is also quite valuable.  These links are viewed as ‘votes’ for the business website.  To enhance the value the business gets from leaving a blog comment, label the link you leave (usually by using this in the Username portion of the comment form) using one of your short keyword terms.

Articles – Article composition unfortunately takes time.  However by embedding a link to the website within the content of the article, the business can build a network of back links by distributing these articles to article directories.  Compositions need not be terribly long – the baseline for acceptance in most directories is 500 words or so. 

Site Submission – Most search engines including Google, allow the website owner to submit the website to its search engine directly.  This generally causes the search engine to send out a ‘robot’ or crawler to review the business page and to validate its content.  For newer and start-up business sites, this can provide a head-start and get your site into prospective customer’s view sooner.

Direct Outreach – Asking other website owners or webmasters to set a link to your business page is a common and highly useful way of increasing the number of links that point to the business web page.   This usually requires offering something of value in return for this favor though.  In most cases, unique content or articles that the business doesn’t distribute anywhere else can be offered in exchange for the favor.  This effort requires investing in building new relationships within the business niche and can take time to manage. 

Of course other SEO techniques and social networking tactics exist to enhance the ability of small businesses to use the internet to attract new business.  But these five SEO methods can get a new business started down the road to earning more revenue using the internet.

SEO Consultants in Denver provide web marketing assistance to enterprises of all sizes by improving local market share and increasing revenue.  SEO Consultants Denver helps enterprises generate traffic to company websites and to convert readers into customers.

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Why Start Up Business Needs Web Marketing

The current recession has inspired many displaced workers to become entrepreneurs!  Although in the long run, this is a good thing, it can be terribly difficult to get a new business off the ground – especially in marketing a new good or service.

Still, individuals and businesses are always looking for products and services that can add value to their enterprise by either helping them improve internal efficiencies (save money) or earn more income.  An entrepreneur offering a new service or product that provides either of these benefits stands a reasonable chance for success.

As most new enterprises are cash-constrained, how does a new business find ways to market or sell its products?  The first and most obvious answer is through interpersonal networking and direct sales.  Individuals with experience in a certain industry may have a ready network of contacts.  Others though, may have to generate contacts from scratch.  This is where the internet and world-wide web can help.

Internet Marketing – Of course the internet is accessible from anywhere via Wi-Fi and mobile networks.  This allows communication with potential prospects at the moment a particular consumer need is recognized.  Mobile internet allows consumers access to purchase information for spur-of-the-moment buying decisions. 

Although these purchases tend to be of the smaller variety, the internet is highly utilized for pre-purchase research for large ticket items.  A good rule of thumb is that the higher the purchase price, the more research a prospect engages in prior to buying.  An internet web page is perfect for this purpose as it can offer answers to customer FAQs, reinforce the enterprise value proposition and serve as an on-line sales force without the cost of a sales staff.  For these reasons, a small business web page is essential to the success of any new enterprise.

So what then are the key elements in building a small business website?  The top two considerations are:

• Design
• Search Engine Optimization or SEO

Design – Customers look at a business website to determine if the organization is capable of handling their needs, delivering the promised value and is trustworthy.  These are three big hurdles.  Still, there are a couple ways to get started that won’t drain the capital accounts. 

A new enterprise can hire a web page designed for them – which shouldn’t be terribly expensive.  Or for those on a very tight budget, templates can be found for free that can simply be downloaded and installed at no charge.  The main challenge to downloading a free template though, is that one should consider how things like business cards and brochures will work with the website. 

Can point of presentation pieces be made visually compatible with a free website?  For newer businesses starting on a shoestring, this is a minor concern, but once the business gets up and running, the operator should combine all elements of his/her graphic  design to work together to present a consistent company identification. 

Search Engine Optimization – SEO   SEO is the process of creating a web page that will be found by Google and the other search engines when users search for information about your product or service.  A web page that only your existing customers and friends know about is only so useful.  A web page that appears when customers need your product and are looking for information to support their buying decision is a powerful sales tool.

SEO and web page design do need to work together for a new venture to maximize return on the web marketing effort.  Time spent researching SEO can pay off quickly for a new business owner.  Optimizing a web page – or making that page more likely to appear as a result on a Google search – can be fairly simple, but may require setting up the page and URL in a certain fashion.  Of course hiring an SEO and Web Marketing consultant can be an efficient way to gain this information, but it does require spending real money. 

Web and Internet Marketing is perhaps the single most important marketing effort a new enterprise can undertake to reach new customers.  Time spent researching Search Engine Optimization and Web Design can make the difference between rapid success and slow, difficult growth.

SEO Consultants Denver assist Colorado businesses achieve higher income and enjoy greater revenues using the latest in internet and SEO methodologies.  Contact us today to find out how Search Engine Optimization can bring in more sales – even during difficult economic times.  Contact us today for more information!  Click on the “Contact Us” tab above or call Matt at 303.506.1158 in Denver.  We look forward to speaking with you soon!

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Building More Links Using a Deep Linking Strategy

One of the more common bits of knowledge in the SEO business is the high degree of importance placed on external links that point to your page.  The more links directing internet users to your page, the more ‘votes’ or strength your page enjoys with respect to the search engines.  The more ‘votes’, the better your page ranking on search engine results. 

There are many ways to set those links however, and some methods have proven highly effective in both directing new reader traffic your way, but also in improving your placement on search results.  Setting these links either in blog comments or articles marketed to directories and other blog sites requires some thought.  Most SEO efforts focus on setting links to the main landing page, but miss huge opportunities to focus link attention elsewhere in their web environment.
 
Deep Linking
Links set directly to product pages or pages other than the main organizational landing page are frequently termed “deep links.”  Product pages within a web environment typically focus on one product or service or group of common products or services.  Optimizing that individual page for its own set of keywords relevant to the need-serving characteristics of that product can offer the company greater exposure on the search engines.

A company selling motor scooter parts might have a product line for accessory items like helmets or ‘scooter’ clothing.  A web page within the scooter web environment might highlight these items on a separate product page.  This product page could be optimized for ‘scooter helmets’ or other specific terms, leaving the main page to focus on bigger terms – something like ‘scooter parts in Seattle.’ 

Advantages of Deep Linking
In an effort to increase the number of links pointing to the site, many operators keep their focus on attracting traffic to the main landing page.  Deep linking one’s pages though, can offer multiple additional opportunities to attract traffic and to have the search engines look at some of your pages individually.  Search engines like sites with a depth of knowledge and significant page volume.  So the product page meets two SEO objectives:  it expands site volume, and provides opportunity for specific in-bound page optimization and link building.

Deep linking also enables the web operator to highlight other keywords with directly focused content.  Newer companies will frequently identify a few smaller product niches, exploit them, generate some traffic and link strength to the product page first.  Once some traffic is generated, then attention is given to more competitive keyword phrases.  This approach is backwards from conventional wisdom, but has worked on occasion.

Setting Anchor Text for a Deep Link
Building traffic to a specific product page is no different than the standard SEO effort.  Identify meaningful keywords, optimize the page for those keywords in the title and keyword strings, and then generate external link strength.  Keywords for specific product pages will be significantly different from the main landing page.  As all web page titles should be different anyway, this has to be done anyway.  Then simply set your keywords in the keyword file and base your page headers using those keywords as well.  

When blogging or embedding links in articles, use those same keywords to label the link.  In other words,  a link similar to “scooter safety helmets” that pointed to the scooter safety helmet page that contained the “scooter safety helmet” phrase in the page header and within the content, will help search engines understand that the page has information on scooter safety helmets. 

Deep Linking to product pages when building external links either via blogging or embedding them in relevant articles is a necessary part of an effective Search Engine strategy.   Most article directories allow setting a couple of links within your article, so there is usually opportunity to link to both the main page as well as one or two product pages.     Don’t miss the opportunity to earn a little extra link strength to other parts of the web environment you’ve worked so hard to develop!