LotusJump Blog

Search Engine Optimization is a significant way to measure and improve a webpage’s performance. By now, you are probably familiar with basic SEO techniques such as posting quality content, writing full-length articles, adding meta tags, title tags, etc. In reality, there are many different techniques that help users position their web pages ahead of other websites in search engines. During the initial stages of posting articles, quality and relevant content can draw traffic to one’s website; however, using advanced SEO techniques can help users drive traffic consistently for a long-lasting campaign. This article enumerates some of the advanced SEO tricks that would help bloggers to showcase their web pages to a broad spectrum of internet users.

Utilize Internal Linking

Providing internal links is one the easiest ways to rank higher in the search engines. In fact, internal
links help to popularize the other pages in your website which might have poor visibility through search
engines directly. Linking internally will also help you to list several links from your website in the search
pages, thereby increasing the chances for viewers to visit your contents. In addition, the use of anchor
tags in internal links boosts the search engine rankings as well.

Optimize Your Images

As images visually represent the content of a blog post, they too need proper keywords and tags. In fact,
about one-fifth of the daily users search for images related to their needs. You might have noticed the
name of certain images represented as image 1, image 2, DSC002, etc., which are the default names
assigned by the tools used to photograph them. Such default text should be renamed with words
relevant to your content. Only then, these images will be listed in the top pages of the search engines
when users search with keywords related to the content in your webpage.

Another common mistake that most bloggers commit is the use of blank spaces while naming their
images. A blank space in an image will be displayed as “%20″ which looks awkward, especially in the
address bar. Instead, use special characters like hyphens or plus signs for keyword spacing. If you are using
blogger to post your content, add ‘alt’ and ‘title’ attributes to the image tag through its HTML source
code.

Translate Feature

If you think that majority of the internet users make their searches in the international language, then
you are wrong. In fact, certain sources predict that more than 60 percent of the total users perform
their searches using languages other than English. Translating your content to other languages will open
up your web pages to a broad spectrum of visitors, not to mention there is less competition in foreign
search engines when compared to the conventional ones, thereby making it easier for your webpage to
climb higher in the search list.

Optimize keyword phrases

If you are familiar with the basics of SEO techniques, you should know the significance of keywords and where to include them on your site and in content. However, keyword phrases are mutually important as well.

The use of generalized keywords would drive a lot of traffic; but, as several blogs and web pages use
similar keywords, chances for your page to rise amidst the others are less likely. That’s when keyword
phrases help users to boost their content’s visibility and proceed forward in the ranking system as well.
Most content creators target users who make their searches with one or two words. But, you would be
much more successful if you target users who type 3 to 4 words to make their searches that are very
specific to their needs.

Utilize Free Resources

There are several analyzing programs available over the internet. In fact, some of the best tools are
available for free. To mention a few, Google Analytics & GoogSpy are some of the dedicated online services that collects information
about the popular keywords which are used in a popular search engine. Typing the words related
to a website would bring a list of keywords that the particular website bids on. In fact, users can get
information about the best keywords and keyword phrases that have high conversion rates. There are
several other free applications that would help you learn the practical keywords in use.

Examine Log Files

A casual glance at your server’s log files could provide you useful information about the keywords that are being used to find your website through search engines. If you find unfamiliar keywords in these files, optimizing them in your website will boost traffic further. This process should be done periodically to increase traffic consistently.

The above tips have the potential to help you boost your webpage’s ranking and traffic in search engines. However, don’t expect changes to happen overnight. Keep an eye out for potential areas to optimize your website and improve accordingly. After all, learning and implementing SEO techniques requires time and dedication for successful results.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology, health and parenting. Beside this she is fond of games and gadgets. These days she is busy in writing articles on nokia lumia 800 specifications and Andrew Lauren.

We’d like to thank ShopKirDeVries.com for taking the time to answer a few questions for this week’s Friday Spotlight. Kir DeVries is a unique gift store that specializes in selling products such as kitchenware, serveware,  lunch supplies, and wine totes. This online store has been around for a little over 3 years now and is excited to be featured in this week’s Spotlight.

1. What was the inspiration behind your company?

As a former niche brick and mortar store owner (and current foodie and wine aficionado) I was inspired to combine my skills and interests in the more flexible online e-commerce format. I believe very strongly in the homespun traditions of gatherings, dining and entertaining and wanted to provide a unique collection of goods to inspire people to enjoy entertaining at home.

2. What company achievement are you most proud of?

Kir DeVries has has evolved beautifully in our first three years of operation. As a bootstrapped company with a very limited marketing budget I am most proud of our exponential revenue growth year after year. It shows that we are really connecting with and serving our customers in a fun way that not only keeps them coming back but inspires them to spread the word about Kir.

3. Why do you think internet marketing for your business is so important?

Being an online retail site, we must constantly stay in our customers line of sight. So whether that is through SEO, banner adds or social media, it’s important to constantly remind shoppers of who we are and what we are doing in the medium in which they are spending most of their time.

4. Would you like to share a creative marketing tip for other small business owners?

One marketing strategy that has been working out surprisingly well for me is simply to ask my customers for help in spreading the word. With every customer service or follow up email I ask the customer to spread the word in a way that is unique to him or her. For example if someone bought a certain brand of product I’ll put a PS on the email that says “oh also remind your friends to like our facebook page so they can help pick our next round of Shinzi Katoh products”.  They are excited to be engaged and more than happy to help!

Thanks Shop Kir DeVries for letting us spotlight you this week! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!

We’d like to thank Policehow.com for taking the time to answer a few questions for this week’s Friday Spotlight. Policehow is a career-helper website that teaches people interested in law enforcement jobs the types of things (such as education, experience, useful skills, etc.) they should be working towards in order to successfully land that type of job. Policehow has been around for almost 2 years now and is excited to be featured in this week’s Spotlight.

1. What was the inspiration behind your company?

Ever since I was little I have always wanted to become either an FBI agent or a policeman. Just the thought of being able to run around chasing  bad guys and help make the community a safer place sounded like a dream come true. So I told myself that if I was serious about landing a job in law enforcement, I had better find out everything there was to know about getting hired. I figured since there was going to be a lot of research involved on this topic, why not record this helpful information and share it with others on the web.

2. What company achievement are you most proud of?

I think it’s always nice getting emails from people interested in a law enforcement career expressing thanks towards my site for guiding them in the right direction. As far as a marketing achievement I am most proud of… ranking on my primary targeted search term “how to become a police officer”, which is currently in the 5th position of Google (thanks to LotusJump and it’s endless list of SEO tasks). Ranking this well for any keyword is awesome and drives a significant amount of traffic to my site. I am excited to start using LotusJump for my newly launched sites, FirefighterHow & FBIhow.com, in hopes of achieving the same kind of results.

3. Why do you think internet marketing for your business is so important?

Internet marketing is the key to success for any website; without SEO or other marketing efforts, no one will be visiting your site, and that tends to make it irrelevant. The way to move up on the search engine rankings and get more people visiting your website is to continually build high quality links, and fortunately for me, LotusJump makes that part easy.

4. Would you like to share a creative marketing tip for other small business owners?

I think one great way to gain more valuable links from related industries is to simply ask other website moderators if they would be willing to link to your site. When you send them an email, be sure to thank them for their site or a post you enjoyed, point out something you liked or learned by visiting their site, and then ask if they wouldn’t mind linking to your site. Be willing to link back to their site as well so they don’t think you are trying to get something for nothing. This link building technique has helped me to acquire tons of valuable links which have helped pushed my rankings to the top.

Thanks PoliceHow.com for letting us spotlight you this week! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!

While there is some controversy over whether Facebook is an effective way to build awareness, market, and interact with your target market, it’s definitely a cost-effective marketing option you may want to consider.  As with any other social media platforms, there are some obvious and some not-so-obvious do’s and don’ts when it comes to having a business on Facebook.  While the following tips won’t apply to everyone, they’re worth considering and, if applicable, applying to your own business practices on Facebook

• Remember, your Facebook page should be reserved for talking about your business, products and services. Avoid mixing your personal life with business on your business Facebook page – it’s just not professional.
• If you’re going to do it, do it right. Your Facebook page should be a way for you to interact with current and potential clients. If you’re not regularly checking and updating your page, you probably shouldn’t have made it to begin with.
• Facebook can be a great way to assist in your company’s online reputation management. Facebook pages and profiles are now indexed and tend to rank highly in the search engines, so the chance of your business’ Facebook page ranking on your business name and keywords are pretty good.
  
• Keep your Facebook page clean. Don’t join irrelevant, potentially offensive, questionably or controversial groups. You never know who many be looking at your profile and you don’t want to run the risk of putting your company in a negative due to a group that you’re associated with.
• Participate in the conversation. Remember, there are a handful of your current and potential customers that spend a good amount of time on Facebook. The fact that you’re there and interacting with them will impress them. Build relationships carefully and strategically and you’ll most likely see these individuals drive new traffic to your actual site.

One of the first steps to launching a successful SEO campaign is choosing the right keywords or keyword phrases.  Don’t let this task haunt you - there are a myriad of tools out there designed to help you discover which keywords get the most traffic, plus keywords aren’t permanent… more on that in a bit!

Where do I start?

Brainstorm.  Before you start exploring keyword research tools, take a few minutes to brainstorm what someone might search to find your products or services.  What keywords or phrases accurately describe what can be found on your site?  Do you have any pages geared specifically for a certain product, service, or keyword?  (Keep in mind, most people who are searching for your products or services may not be as knowledgeable about industry specific terms so try to think outside the box… what would someone most likely be searching?)

Now what?

As we mentioned before there are a handful of tools out there that will help you with your keyword research.  Our favorite is the Google Adword tool which allows you to type in the keywords that you brainstormed and see just how many people are searching for those terms.  Not only will this tool tell you how many people are searching the term you typed  in, but it will also give you an idea of how many people are searching related terms and it will even give you suggested terms that you may not have previously thought of.  Keywords with higher search volume will take longer to rank on, so we recommend choosing one high search volume term and two “tail terms” (think specific) that may not receive as much search volume, but which you’ll be able to rank on quicker.

I want to change my keywords, how do I do that?

Not to fear, choosing your keywords is not a permanent decision.  Go to Settings in your LotusJump account and select My Domain and Search Terms.  Click Edit and then you’ll have the ability to change your keywords.  Remember, it takes time to rank, so be patient!  It’s not a good idea to change keywords often too often.

Writing articles is one of the best ways to share what you know and to get your name out there at the same time.  Sharing valuable information with readers will help you establish yourself as a knowledgeable source on certain matters and will give credibility and strength to your own website.

Writing original articles can have great SEO benefits as well.  When you leave natural, contextual links back to your site within an article, you are showing the search engines that your site is relevant to what is being said in the article.  If search engines are frequently seeing links to your site surrounded by relevant and accurate content, they’ll give greater authority to your website in regards to those keywords.

Now the real question: What do you write about?

Answer: Anything!

• Are there any current events that can relate to your business?
• Do you have any upcoming company events?
• Are there any community events that you could tie into your services?
• Do you have a flagship product that you could spotlight?
• Search for your keywords on other article submission sites and see what other people are writing about.
• Anything with a human interest angle - bizarre, interesting, heartwarming, out of the ordinary.
• Set Google alerts for your keywords and company name and monitor what’s going on in regards to your business, products, or field of work…write about it!

And Remember….

• Keep a pad of paper handy for those moments where you read something, hear something, or see something that would be good to write about - you’ll be surprised how quickly your list will grow!

When using LotusJump you’ll find that there are a myriad of content building sites suggested as outlets for the original content you create.  While we have a handful of favorites, a useful and easy to use content building site is Knol.  Knol is a Google project that launched a few years ago and consists of user-written articles on a range of topics.   It’s almost like Google’s version of Wikipedia, but with an option for contributors to allow, or not allow, the public to edit their page.

Knols can be on just about anything - create a company profile, an article about your services, a topic relevant to your industry… the sky is the limit.  You can work off a previously created template, or get creative and start from scratch.  Once you’ve written your Knol make sure to add pictures, links and charts to make it even more enjoyable for your readers and then publish your page for all to view.

Writing your own Knol entry is easy and can be fun- especially when you’re writing about something that you enjoy!  So, what are you waiting for? Write your own Knol today!

The incredible power and influence that is now attainable through Twitter is helping connect individuals around the world and is giving businesses opportunities never before thought possible.

However, with power, comes responsibility.

Like with anything that you do online, you’re not invisible. What you do, say, and post is available for just about anyone to see. Forever. Even in the last few months, there have been several cases of “tweets” that, while seemingly harmless, have caused an eruption of social media mayhem. (Read more about the PC Magazine and Ketchum incidents)

So, without further adieu…

Our Top 5 Twitterquette (Twitter + Etiquette) Tips:

1. Give props where deserved. Instead of just copying what someone else has said, re-tweeting gives them credit for coming up with something tweet-worthy and exposes them to a whole new audience.So next time someone tweets something you love, do them a favor and RT … they’ll do the same for you in the future.

2. Keep private conversations private. Instead of holding a meaningless conversation with your buddy via 20 @s, consider DMing (Direct Messaging) instead. Which brings us to our next point…

3. Don’t over-tweet.While there isn’t a definitive number of how many tweets is too many tweets, use your head.  Twitter is considered “micro-blogging”, but there are only so many people who care about every “micro” thing you do (i.e bathroom breaks, laundry, what you ate for lunch …*yawn*).

4. Learn to be concise. You only have 140 characters! (The character count even turns red when you’re about to reach your max) No one likes a ……
(…see what we mean? No one likes a half-tweet!)

5. And remember, EVERYTHING you tweet is HIGHLY visible.Don’t say something that you wouldn’t want your mom, boss, future employer, ex or even posterity to someday read.

Setting and achieving your goals on LotusJump is now easier than ever!  If you haven’t seen the lastest reporting tool that is now available, it’s definitely something you want to check out!

See just how many tasks you’ve completed since beginning site optimization with LotusJump.

A detailed list of completed tasks shows you what types of tasks you’ve completed, what keyword you targeted and when the task was completed.

This diagram shows how many backlinks your website has and tracks progression over time.

Want to know what type of linkbuilding efforts your competitors are doing? This graph shows not only the growth of your website’s backlink profile, but the backlink profiles of your competitors.

So, how can you use the reporting tool to your advantage?

Start setting goals.  It feels good to be able to SEE how you’re progressing, so be realistic in how many you’d like to complete and then hold yourself to it.  Heck,  you can even reward yourself with a little something special when you reach your goal at the end of the month.