Which SEO Services Are Right For You? There is no question that the right SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) services can substantially increase relevant traffic to your site and consequently lead to increased sales. Whether your organization deals in the sale of products, services or information the volume of traffic that a search engine directs to your site translates to more potential sales. However, traffic volume alone is not necessarily your company’s best ROI (Return On Investment). It is crucial that you attract people who have an interest in the product, service or information that you offer. The key words and phrases that potential customers use in any search will determine what sites the search engine directs them to. The goal is to increase your site’s ranking with these search engines in order to gain exposure and attract the right people to your specific market. The best SEO campaigns will incorporate a number of services based on each client’s needs. The first step that must be taken is to determine which key words and phrases potential customers use when searching for the products or services that you provide. A professional SEO Site Audit will reveal what keyword messaging and site modifications are needed for search engines to direct traffic to your site. This phase is crucial in that it gives you the tools necessary to develop a successful campaign to increase both relevant traffic and increased search engine positioning. Once this analysis phase is complete, professional SEO technicians can prepare and make any changes that are required. The right SEO service provider will be able to either work with your existing Web Developer or if required implement the work needed on their behalf. This next step is also extremely important as your site must remain current by regularly making any adjustments necessary in order to maintain an active and productive search engine audience. It is important to understand that every company and every website is different which means that your service provider must be able to customize an SEO campaign that is specific to your industry and to your organization. They must have in place experienced professionals that can provide such services as Copy Writing , Back-linking strategies , etc and be able to work closely with your own web designers if and when needed. Since growing your business means targeting new leads and increasing your exposure to potential customers, the right SEO service professional must be able to produce a healthy ROI and be prepared to work with you for the long term. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Post this to MySpace S ...

Assessing SEO Marketing Campaigns With so many companies offering SEO Marketing Plans guaranteeing a boost in traffic and sales, it can be hard to determine which really is the best and most efficient plan for your particular needs. There are several common factors that most experts agree are keys to a successful SEO Marketing Campaign. Certainly one of the points that seasoned professionals do agree on is that when it comes to clear, identifiable results there is no such thing as a “One Size Fits All” SEO plan. The first thing that any reputable SEO marketing firm will do is to analyze your website as well as the fundamentals of your business. (i.e. the products and/or services you offer) Your company’s website contains many key areas that can affect how successful any campaign will ultimately be. In order for your site to be “Search Engine Friendly” it must be analyzed for things such as: Overall professional appearance Relevant and useful information Ease of moving from page to page Quality content Contact information and a privacy policy Unique Branding These and other critical areas will be looked at and recommendations are then made with regard to any changes that will bring it up to standards that search engines will recognize. Together with synchronizing your website with the products/services you offer along with quality and trustworthy content, your company’s ongoing reputation must be addressed. In the context of SEO marketing, there are 2 key factors that must be taken into account. The first is Reputation Management followed by Brand Protection . All of these issues, along with others, are critical areas that must be rectified in order to achieve a healthy ROI (Return on Investment). No one single action can address all these areas and each SEO plan must be tailored to the specific needs of your business. Each one has an important role in helping you take your company to the next level while building a solid reputation and protecting your company’s Brand. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on Facebook Post this to MySpace Sphinn this on Sphinn ...

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing both Ken Walker and Victoria Edwards of Linkshare. Victoria works at Linkshare as an SEO/Internet Marketing Specialist and Ken is the Web Producer and Dean of LinkShare University. How did both of you get started in the Internet Marketing industry? Ken: I bought a book on HTML 1.0 for $14 in 1995. With it I co-founded a website development company out of my apartment. We started partnering with several advertising agencies, becoming their outsourced web team. We started adding SEO and other marketing services and within a few years grew to become one of the premier Internet Marketing firms in the Tampa Bay area and serviced both top national and international companies. I came to LinkShare through a chain of acquisitions. Victoria: In 2006 I was hired by a custom fixture company to assist with their marketing efforts. Realizing they had a website, but no real valuable content or ease of navigation, I decided to take it upon myself and redesign the site. Not knowing how to redesign a site, I began doing research and stumbled across HubSpot, which had a great CMS which was easy for the non coder to work with. I redesigned the site and through HubSpot’s methodology, began learning SEO and social media. Realizing SEO and especially social media was my passion; I began researching it on my own after work hours. Knowing I needed to be in the industry in order to learn more and to succeed with what I loved to do, I found LinkShare, one of few companies in Tampa who had Internet Marketing as a position. What are the benefits of using an agency for Internet Marketing, versus doing it in-house? Ken: Agencies build teams with advanced skills and specific expertise. They can leverage these teams for clients who often do not have the resources to build them in-house. I’ve always believed companies should focus on their core competencies. Their marketing departments should be looking at crafting and maintaining the company brand and maximizing their customer’s positive experience with that brand. By leveraging the expertise of outside agencies to assist in strategy and implementation, they get the benefit of advanced industry experiences while still focusing on the customer. For example, when we work with companies in areas such as social media, we provide the strategy, guidance and expertise but we always involve the company in the implementation. Social media requires ongoing customer contact. I believe it’s important for companies to maintain ownership of that customer interaction. It’s the single most important thing any company can do. Victoria: Hiring an agency will be of great benefit because SEO and Social Media require a lot of time and effort. While agencies should not be the voice of the company they’re working for, they should be able to provide the appropriate key performance indicators and education. Being in the Internet Marketing indu ...