When it Comes to Inbound Links,
Be Like Honest Abe
If you are confused by the volume of ideas floating around the web and marketing agencies about building inbound links to improve your page rank, remember this one, simple rule:
"If the method you are using to build your search visibility seems too good to be true, it probably is."
In other words, there are no real shortcuts to creating good search visibility and building your page rank with Google. If you get a quick boost from a new SEO method that seems too easy and convenient, raise red flag! Google's ability to analyze the web, and improve the efficiency of their page rank algorithm, is deep and powerful. Quick fix marketing strategies that do not deliver authentic content are quickly sniffed out and punished.
A good example is "reciprocal link building". This method is one where a website offers to link to you, if you link to them. While this seems like a reasonable way to get an inbound link to your site, it is a low quality link. It is sort of cancelled out by the reciprocal back link.
The massive growth of link exchange schemes, where requests go out to website owners for the sake of cross-linking, disregards the quality of the links.
For Google that has become a red flag that not only scores low, but can actually generate negative scores - damaging your page rank.
Similary, when multiple links are purchased, without close regard for the relavency of the link, this can damage your page rank.
Watch out for schemes that seem to easy. They can be costly to your website. A good rule of thumn is to think clearly and honestly about your strategy. If Abe were a young marketing exec, what would he do?
July 26, 2010
Steady Maintenance Wins the Long-Term Fight
for Search Visibility on Web.
Get it Done Right!
While many businesses seek new ways to invigorate their marketing and boost sales, they sometimes forget the importance of the slow and steady maintenance of their website. Keeping design and technology up-to-date is part of the challenge. Steady additions of new content on a regular schedule is also critical. Top this off with a sensible social media campaign, and your company's website will flourish in a crowded market.
With consistent maintenance, businesses strengthen their online presence by offering quality content to visitors, and gain more traction with the search engines.
It is important that website owners understand the importance proper maintenance. Poorly written HTML, bad linking and poor tagging, can actually have a negative effect on results. Get it done right!
Does your business have a sensible social media budget?
Social Media is a powerful driving force in the market. Your sales will be effected by your social media strategy. A great website is a good start. But, it must be coupled with a plan to connect your company to your customers. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Blogs, Clever sounding ideas abound. But will work for your company?
September 29
, 2009
Does your business have a sensible social media budget?
Social Media is a powerful driving force in the market. Your sales will be effected by your social media strategy. A great website is a good start. But, it must be coupled with a plan to connect your company to your customers. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Blogs, Clever sounding ideas abound. But will work for your company?
December 07,
2009
Your SEO Program Can Bomb with Advice of Web "Experts"
While Social Media surges forward connecting people around the world, and gathering essential marketing data on its users, business owners are eager to capitalize on this growing feature of the global, commercial landscape.
A rush is on. Experts are appearing from every corner of the marketing world. "Instant results on Google anyone?"
Quick and easy solutions are a red flag and should be greeted with skepticism by business owners and web managers. Doing the job right requires a thoughtful analysis of your business goals and the application of a streamlined, cost-effective and powerful web marketing strategy. Attempting quick and easy methods to "trick" Google, Yahoo and Bing to rank your site well can result in a world of pain. You can shell-out to get found online, and found out that you are invisible online, or in some cases - blacklisted online.
There are rules on the web. Break them, and the search engines will punish you. Following search engine rules and doing it well will get your found for your key search phrases. Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) require technical know-how and marketing know-how. Starting out with a SEO or SEM campaign can be confusing. Some basics items should be put in place first to set the foundation for future success.
To avoid wasting money on your organic SEO campaign, contact an experienced web marketing and development team. An understanding of the technology, current trends and business processes are critical elements to your web marketing strategy. Discussing these items with your SEO team will reveal information to help you illuminate the way forward.
Building a website and launching a web marketing campaign requires a expert developer not an expert salesman.
Does your business have a sensible social media budget?
Social Media is a powerful driving force in the market. Your sales will be effected by your social media strategy. A great website is a good start. But, it must be coupled with a plan to connect your company to your customers. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Blogs, Clever sounding ideas abound. But will work for your company?
August 26
, 2009
Not Convinced By Social Media Hype?
Things may be changing faster than you think in the sphere of global communications. The United States is at the forefront of these changes, and they are happening fast. Consider this fact:
In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing
email addresses to incoming freshmen.
What does this mean? Gen Y and X already consider email passé. They connect more with social media. See this fact, and more, in the excellent video...
Social Media Revolution
August 01
, 2009
SEO Campaigns: Don't Forget the Great Content.
By now, most website owners and managers realize the benefits of engaging in sustained, organic search engine optimization techniques. They want people to find their websites. However, once visitors arrive to their sites, what happens next? Are they engaged enough with your content to convert to customers?
Before the rush to connect with every possible relationship in Facebook and generate every possible inbound link, websites used to focus on creating quality content to wow visitors and reinforce their brand image. This aspect of running a website must not be neglected. Google, Yahoo, Bing and others are still seeking out quality content for their customers. If the site is just a shell, with traffic generated from a hard-fought campaign of creating inbound links, your visitors will not stay around long. The efforts will be for not.
Continue to focus on creating good content and adding it on a regular basis. If it is user-generated in part that is great. But deliver something that stands apart and informs or entertains your visitors. In our view content is still king and will pay divenends in the long run.
July 21
, 2009
Getting Your Website Found in a Crowded Market
The World Wide Web is blowing up faster than the US national debt. Abundant, engaging content pours onto the web from large site like youTube, faceBook and Google, as smaller companies enteri the market and push-in for elbow room. How do you and your web team compete?
The answer my friend, is not blowing in the wind. Defined goals and sensible, sustained web marketing strategies will bring your company improved sales. The tactics will differ for each company, strategy will not. The critical thing is to measure your results.
Colophon New Media offer Organic Traction - tailored service that works directly with you and your company goals.
January 28
, 2009
Something to Cheer About
2008, with its ups and downs - and more downs, is behind us. Time to look forward to what is ahead and examine the positive innovations in web trends and technologies that are emerging from markets in crisis.
The economic downturn of 2008 has had a negative impact on many sectors of business. Websites that were well designed with the needs of their users in mind help businesses weather rough patches and fuel business growth in more robust economic times.
In contrast, websites that are added to a business as an after thought or because the website is seen as something that is needed as a standard part of marketing, do little to help businesses.
The good news of the current economic situation is that businesses will start to approach website development projects from a more customer-centered approach, they will be implementing new, effective technologies, and they will be reaping the benefits of new laws that make business development costs advantageuos at tax time.
1) More Customer-Centered Websites
In a steep downturn only quality well run business can survive. The same is true with websites. Real estate websites offer a good example of how a crowded market is quickly thinned in a down market.
With the collapse of the real estate markets, many real-estate websites and services went bust. This is because most were poorly conceived and sloppily executed. Websites for real estate marketing and sales constituted a large part of the world wide web.
2) New and More Effective Web Technologies
When times tighten, people expect results from technology. Websites and applications are sometimes loaded with extras that do not help people achieve their tasks. Bells and whistles like this die of attrition as more straight-forward, hard-working apps take their place on center stage.
3) Tax Benefits for Business Development
While nothing is yet set in stone, it is likely that there will be further tax benefits for business development expenditures. The web is a cost-effective sales and marketing medium, made more so by the tax benefits on these expenditures.
December 05
, 2008
Organic Search Optimization Saves the Internet
As the size and scope of the Internet grow so will the capacity for smart search algorithms, like the ones used by Google and Yahoo to create a better web dominated by high quality websites that deliver the goods, services or research that we were searching for.
Paid web advertisements crowd screen real estate and make it harder for users to find high quality web content. When you go to Google, Yahoo, MSN or other search tools, and do a search, it is likely that the page returned to you will include a number of paid advertisements placed on the page according to how they relate to your search. Often these prominent ads lead you to websites with low quality content. Not what you were looking for. By contrast, if you click on the search listings that are at the top of the organic results, you are likely to find high quality content. The websites found at the top of the organic search results represent sites that a majority of users felt were high quality.
Organic search is inherently democratic and will help us maintain an efficient and useful web.
December 01, 2008
New YouTube Video of Colophon Client Mary Goodman
As part of the the project development process, Colophon New Media, the production department behind Organic Traction's process has recently posted this MSNBC clip of Mary Goodman appearing on their program "Your Business".
November 24, 2008
The Benefits of an Organic Diet
Wholesome and deliciously valuable, organic search techniques fuel a healthy web marketing campaign. Paid placement efforts are effective and can give your brand a strong jolt, but, a long term diet of pay-per-click can lead to budgetary fatigue. Lifelong health and prosperity relies on great content that web users love.
November 19, 2008
When you check your web stats
do feel like this guy? Get Help >
Why Search Engine Optimization?
Getting found for your target search terms on the major search engines is critical to a successful web marketing campaign. Organic Traction works with your company to identify your search market, gain organic traction, and bring targeted visitors to your website.
Our goal is your improved ROI.
Who Will Benefit From an Organic Traction Program?
If you are a website owner or manager and feel that your site is lost out on the Internet, then Organic Traction is the right service for your company. Many well designed and attractive websites are invisible to search engines. Organic Traction helps you get a grip on your Internet search market.
A good example is "reciprocal link building". This method is one where a website offers to link to you, if you link to them. While this seems like a reasonable way to get an inbound link to your site, it is a low quality link. It is sort of cancelled out by the reciprocal back link. 
While Social Media surges forward connecting people around the world, and gathering essential marketing data on its users, business owners are eager to capitalize on this growing feature of the global, commercial landscape.
Before the rush to connect with every possible relationship in 
2008, with its ups and downs - and more downs, is behind us. Time to look forward to what is ahead and examine the positive innovations in web trends and technologies that are emerging from markets in crisis.
