10 Super Smart Link Building Strategies

Tired of trying to build links the same old way? Here are some great tips to get you started on thinking out of the box in order to grab some precious links to your website:

1. Conduct a link audit. In order to figure out what's working with your link profile and what's not, it's often helpful to find out what your current link profile looks like. Plus, if you find lots of spammy links with their claws in your website, you can take this opportunity to remove them. Learn how to conduct a link audit here.
2. Create a page of resources. You can attract attention from websites you're interested in by adding them to a list of useful resources for your clients. Not only will your clients love that you're helping them out, but the sites you're linking to will see visits from your websites in their Analytics account and take notice. For example, you might create a list of the "Top Ten Dog Training Resources" or the "Top 15 Cooking Blogs."
3. Interview an industry expert. This is a great way to create linkbait - if you ask the right questions, people in your industry will definitely be curious to hear what this leader has to say. Post the interview on your website and share on social media.
4. Write a testimonial for a product your company uses. Submit the testimonial to the company - if it's published, you can make sure that your company website is linked where your name is mentioned.
5. Sign up for HARO. Help a Reporter Out is a website that helps connect reporters and sources. Patrol their emails daily and respond to any call for a source that fits in with your industry.
6. Donate to charities and nonprofits. You don't have to shell out the big bucks - donate $50 or $100 and ask for a link on their donators page.
7. Capitalize on local SEO. Make sure that your company is listed in Google Places and on Yelp. This way, it's easy for customers to find you and post reviews.
8. Submit articles and blog posts to syndication sites.  Make sure to include links wherever relevant. A good place to start is HubPages.
9. Take advantage of Google+ authorship. Yes, you can get your picture and G+ profile in the search results, and boost your SEO while you're at it. Find out how.
10. Use your Twitter profile for LinkBuilding. That's right - you can use your Twitter profile to build some juicy links. Learn more about that here.

Happy link hunting! 

The GPS of SEO for Panda and Penguin Updates

Was your website affected by either of the two major updates (called Panda and Penguin) that Google made to its search engine algorithm within the past year? If so, you may have become an unwilling expert in new search engine optimization (SEO) strategies out of necessity. Even if your website wasn’t hit with any penalties due to the updates, they have changed the way that we look at optimization.

We updated our ABC’s of SEO – Architecture, Backlinks and Content – with an additional set of guidelines to help your search engine optimization efforts meet the Panda and Penguin standards. Presenting the GPS of SEO:

Great Content = Google’s goal with Panda is quality over quantity. It is still important to post lots of fresh content, but it’s just as important that this content is valuable and incites people to share it, bookmark it, engage with it and spend time with it.

Panda = Advanced artificial intelligence programs reward well-designed, high-quality websites that are visually appealing as well as trustworthy. Basically, your website must be attractive on the inside and out. Luckily, tools like WordPress offer simple and quick solutions for posting a website that is both easy to use and easy on the eyes.

Social Signals = These are equivalent to virtual votes for a website or web page. Google used to use the number of links to determine the value or quality of a page, but it was too easy to simply buy links or use other unscrupulous methods to fake your links. Social signals are “Likes” (Facebook,) “Tweets” (Twitter) and “+1’s” (Google +.) These votes are much harder to fake and, thanks to the Penguin update, much more valuable than a link.

Following the GPS of SEO will help your website get “found” in the vast World Wide Web. Good Luck! 

One Key Takeaway for SEO in 2013

One word: Diversify.

Aside from the obvious importance of producing quality content, Dr. Pete’s blog post on SEOmoz highlights the word “diversify” as the #1 tip for SEO in 2013. Your marketing strategy has to include unique and quality content along with a rich mixture of tactics, or soon Google will catch up to your website.

What does he mean by diversify? Here is a breakdown:

1. Diversify Anchor Text
2. Diversify Your Links
3. Diversify Traffic Sources
4. Diversify Your Marketing
5. Diversify Your Point Of View

The SEO landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years. Some of the prior methods just don’t work as effectively nowadays. It is more important now than ever before to update your approach to present day SEO.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: Capture Queen ™

SEO Strategies for Search Engine Success

We’ve broken down the basic strategies of SEOto its simplest form – the ABC’s. Follow these guidelines and your website can have a chance at search engine success.

Architecture – The way your website is designed, or coded, could mean the difference between success and absolute failure. For this, you need to think about the back end of the site. Is the html code easy for the search engine spiders to read? Are keywords part of your site’s navigation? Do you have a link to an HTML Site Map on each page? If the answer is no to any of these questions, then your website’s chances of being shown in a search engine result go down drastically. (Hint: If your website is a Flash design, it will not be easy for search engine spiders to read.)

Backlinks – Having links from other, quality websites to your site tells the search engines that there is something of value on your website. Creating compelling content, writing guest blog posts and getting “social signals” (likes, mentions and shares from social media sites) are just some of the ways to create backlinks. Get creative with it!

Content – As mentioned above, compelling content is a must for any website nowadays. The content must be relevant to your website, of course, and adding new content on a daily basis is highly recommended by Google.

True search engine optimization is actually a lot more complex, but putting a strong foundation in place for your website is a great way to start.

Google: The Next Crime-fighting Superhero?

As the latest Batman movie launches into theaters, Google's launching some crime-fighting plans of its own. Google's think tank, Google Ideas, recently announced plans for Google to use its internet superpowers to fight illegal trafficking on the web. The idea is for Google to use "technology to expose, map and disrupt illicit networks of drug smugglers, arms dealers and human traffickers,"according to Mashable. While Google didn't get specific about what technology it will use and how it will go about "disrupting" these illegal activities, we should be able to expect further details on it at Google's next conference.

This Google endeavor shows a privatization of crime-fighting and vigilantism that are nothing new in the comic book world, but not common to American corporations. Do you think that Google should keep its nose out of police activities, or do you applaud this search engine giant for taking a stand against a global issue?

5 SEO Tips for Your Business

You can only get the most out of your site if you boost your web presence through SEO. Here are some helpful tips for getting started:

1. Research top keywords for your industry and your site and get some statistics to help you decide which ones would be best for your optimization process. This helpful free Google tool is a great place to get started.
2. Include meta tags on each page for your site. You're going to want to make sure that you have a meta description, meta title, and meta keywords in the code for each page to help the search engines better index you. Having an H1and H2 with keywords in the title is also helpful.
3. Optimize your on-page copy by using keywords you have selected for your meta tags on each page. Be sure not to put too many keywords on one page - this keyword stuffing could get you in trouble with the search engines.
4. Build links to trusted websites and blogs. If you have partners who have websites, ask them to provide a link to your site. Offer to guest post on popular blogs to gain more backlinks as well.
5. Provide blog content on your own site and add more pages when you can so that there are more pages indexed by search engines. The more new, fresh content you can provide, the better. It's also a great opportunity to ask for guest posts on your blog from others in exchange for a guest post on their blog.

If you're itching for more tips, just check out this Soshable article.

Counting on Humor to Create Consumers

Have you ever heard of an "Explainer Video?"

Explainer videos or “explainers” are powerful marketing tools that deftly use humour to engage audiences while communicating a company’s value proposition. - Lumeo Inc press release

That's right - you can easily boost conversions, engage audiences, improve SEO, and kick off a viral marketing campaign with a video like this. 50% of internet users regularly watch humorous videos, and if you get creative with your content, yours could be one. To get some ideas, watch this fantastic commercial by the Dollar Shave Club and read this TechCrunch article for more ideas on how to get started.

I Have a Dog Grooming Business; Can I Work with Ten Golden Rules?

Before today, most small business owners who wished to work with an agency would hear an answer they didn’t like – either it was cost-prohibitive or the agency lacked the scalability to work with smaller accounts. As a sign of the times, Ten Golden Rules is changing all that with new online marketing packages specifically created for small and medium-sized businesses that want to harness the power of the Internet to grow their businesses.

As a business owner, finding time to keep up with the ever-changing world of Internet marketing can be challenging. From Social Media to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising to creating a competitive website, navigating the online world can be confusing if not a bit overwhelming. With these new services from Ten Golden Rules, you can now have access to the processes developed for larger companies, like hospitals and universities, without breaking your budget.

Simply visit the website and click on the service you’re most interested in. The entire process is automated for convenience and efficiency, and draws on almost a decade of knowledge from in-market testing and today’s best practices.

Do you do any of your own Internet marketing for your small or medium-sized business? Tell us about it in the comments below.

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents Ten Things You Need to Know About Google+

This Wednesday Webinar, presented by Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules.com and Founder of the InternetMarketingClub.org, will explain the "Ten Things You Need to Know About Google+."

The webinar will cover how to create your own Google Plus for Business page, how G+ is affecting SEO, information about circles, groups, hangouts, etc., and the first mover advantage.

If the last thing you needed was ANOTHER social network, Jay will show you how deal with it in this webinar.

This free webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 12:30pm EST - 1:30pm EST. To register, and for more information, please visit: Ten Things You Need to Know About Google+.

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents Ten Leading SEO Strategies and Tactics

This Wednesday Webinar, presented by Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules.com, will provide Ten Leading Strategies and Tactics for Natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

This webinar will cover how to read the minds of prospective consumers, how to use tools to measure how Google reads your site, website build best practices for SEO , keyword research, link building, meta tags and the new Google Panda update.

This free webinar will take place Wednesday, September 28, 2011 from 12:30pm EDT – 1:30pm EDT. To register and for more information please visit: Ten Leading SEO Strategies and Tactics

The Intersection of Search and Social Media

Last night I attended the South Florida Interactive Marketing Association's monthly meeting event. The speaker was Brett Tabke who is the founder and CEO of Webmaster World and Chairman of PubCon. What a wonderful opportunity to hear first-hand commentary from one of the web's most well-respected contributors. Here are just a few snippets I found interesting:

Google Places: With the resurgence of small to medium sized business investing in online marketing, a Google Places listing is carrying more weight in SEO. Location data is important to Google.

Sentiment: Positive sentiment has meaning. Earlier this year Google purchased sentiment analysis start-up fflick and we're seeing the results on the SERP. Popular sites with positive sentiment are reaping the rewards.

Purchase Data: 90% of all purchases are made within a 90-mile radius of the consumer's home. This means only 10% of all purchases are made online. If we're researching online and buying in brick and mortar stores then as online marketers, we've only scratched the surface with a 10% market penetration.

Google Factoid: The search engine knows A LOT about you. Consider that over 70% of business are using Google Analytics and you know the Google data collection is incredible. How incredible? Google can even detect your level of education just by the typing speed of your search query says Tabke.

Social Graph: We've seen the launch of Google+1 and we know Klout scores have an impact. Targeting your results to your personal social graph is smart since 78% of us trust recommendations from friends vs advertisers.

Tablet Boom: 1 in 3 people use a tablet more than they watch TV. No wonder Time-Warner is launching an app to make it easier to watch TV on your iPad. Tabke reports that 28% of people say their tablet is their primary computer. They are so easy to use they are making huge strides in the senior market. The power of tablets lies in the apps. Tabke's prediction? Look for tablet apps to encroach on web use and users to search for information within the walls of an app. How does that impact YOUR search strategy?

This is only a small sample of Tabke's presentation. I think I just may need to attend Pubcon this year.

Google Places: 5 Reasons To Claim Your Listing

Google Places is a great way for your local business to harness the power of the web. Your free web listing includes a business address, hours of operation, email, web address, photos, videos and even customer reviews.

1) It's Good SEO

Your Google Places listing is just one piece of your SEO puzzle considering that these listings usually appear at the top of local search queries such as "best italian food". Having your local business appear at the top of the results for your location and category is a good thing. Your Google Places listing also gets you a red push pin on Google Maps allowing users to click on the push pin to see more information about your business.

2) One Word: Mobile

According to the Official Google blog, by the end of 2011, over one billion people will be connected to the web via a mobile device and over 50% of Americans will own a smart phone. Users who find your listing can click to call instantly or get turn by turn directions via Google Maps.

3) Social Rules

Your listing will usually have a star rating and a link to customer reviews. What better way to encourage someone to visit your business? Everyone is talking about it and the news is good!

4) Video

Video is playing a very important role in online marketing these days. Google Places will allow you to post up to 5 videos (and 10 photos) for free. Testimonials, reviews, tours of the business and interviews with your staff are all great ways to invite new customers to check you out.

5) Analytics

In addition to Google Analytics, your page account collects important data about who's looking for you such as top search queries and clicks to your site. It's not as robust as Google Analytics but useful nonetheless.

Have you claimed your Google Places listing? Get to it!