Mac Productions Online Marketing Strategy Consultants

13 Secrets to Long Tail Keyword Selection

seoXpert — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:52:26 +0000

Long Tail

The Long Tail

The phrase the Long Tail was first coined by Chris Anderson in his book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More (2006). I will not be discussing this here so if you want a quick update on all the various aspects and benefits of the “Long Tail” I strongly suggest you look here.

In SEO terms however this is an area that is often, surprisingly, overlooked as people chase after rankings for keywords with a high search volume. Whilst this may be important and beneficial for some industries and niches it is not always the best solution to producing traffic and sales for many niches.

Whilst Amazon is perhaps the best known example of this Long Tail sales strategy we should not forget the the banking and finance business where the most important shift in business model due to the Long Tail has come from the various forms of micro-finance developed. The banks that have followed this strategy of selling services to the low-frequency long tail of the sector have found that it can be a very profitable niche, and one long ignored by consumer banks, making it less competitive.

OK so how do we measure and apply the Long Tail to keywords and SEO?

This is a discussion that could take most of this page however I have been sent a video (see below) by Rand Fishkin (aka randfish) Co founder and CEO of SEO MOZ that illustrates this succinctly and I thought it would be more interesting for my readers to watch that rather than read another 1000 word diatribe. Additionally you could subscribe to Rand’s blog - Anyway without further ado here is the video:

Long Tail

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SEO Equalizer Software Discount

seoXpert — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:32:30 +0000

SEO Equalizer Discount

I’ve been getting tons of requests from clients and friends who say “Mac I love your affiliate methods, I love what you do, but honestly I don’t have the money to get started with paid traffic for affiliate marketing.

Well guess what, I totally understand that, I’ve been there, done that, when I first got started I had one option and one option only – that was SEO or I would starve. So I got really good at SEO and finding tools that would automate things for me. Now with that being said one of the best tools out there for automation is a program called SEO Equalizer. But it has a problem, first of all it is a bit like a stealth fighter and really is the best tool out there, but like I said it has a problem.

It sells every single day on Clickbank for $97 ($116 in UK) – see screenshot below.

I understand that if you’re getting started $97 is a hit to the wallet – totally understand that. So I talked to Jeff and to be honest I still don’t know how, I got him to reduce it down to almost next to nothing for all my readers. To find out more about this fantastic tool most affiliate gurus have been using I have a page dedicated to it here on this blog, it includes a couple of videos and also some words from Jeff Alderson the creator of SEO Equalizer, so go there now, trust me it will be worth it.

Get more info and see videos HERE or just hit the “Buy Now” button below, either way you won’t be disappointed at this once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a truly amazing SEO tool. Hey seriously don’t take my word for it, see what people like Howie Schwartz, Armand Morin and Dr. Joe Vitale are saying about this tool (without any discount) at: http://macproductions.com/seo-equalizer

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SEO Equalizer Discount

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3 Innovative Uses of Social Media

seoXpert — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 23:38:26 +0000

I am always delighted to see companies using social media in creative ways and look forward to the days when a company like LinkedIn figures out a way to become more fun. Maybe their IPO will encourage such a transition.

In the meantime I wanted to outline some other cool ways that some companies have been using social media to market their brands.

Burberry – Art of the Trench

Having worked in the fashion industry for over 25 years my personal favourite of these is of course

Burberry’s “Art of the Trench”. The sheer scale of this project is amazing and if you take the time to play around you’ll see what I mean. Not only are there hundreds of pictures of people in trench coats, many user-submitted, but when you click on an individual picture more interactive options become available. Change the sound track, vote for your favourite picture…

Intel – Museum of Me

OK so I hear you saying what about possibly the best known recent example and one tipped to win many awards – Intel’s “Museum of Me” – Ok you have to connect to this using your Facebook account but believe me the extra effort is well worth it. I won’t say any more except he hint is in the title.

Metropolitan Police – Choose a Different Ending

The one that took me by surprise was the the interactive story “Choose a Different Ending” by the Metropolitan Police on YouTube. This is part of a campaign to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife. Aimed mainly at young people this is not only the perfect platform to use but also shows how social media can be used for social messages. Here as the story progresses viewers are given choices, each one leads to a new story and presumably a different ending (I did not try all 64 options).

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What Is Search Engine Optimization

seoXpert — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:00:16 +0000

Search Engine Optimization Explained

Search Engine Optimization is a process of choosing the most appropriate targeted keyword phrases related to your site and ensuring that this ranks your site highly in search engines so that when someone searches for specific phrases it returns your site on tops. It basically involves fine tuning the content of your site along with the HTML and Meta tags and also involves appropriate link building process. The most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, AOL and Ask Jeeves. Search engines keep their methods and ranking algorithms secret, to get credit for finding the most valuable search-results and to deter spam pages from clogging those results. A search engine may use hundreds of factors while ranking the listings where the factors themselves and the weight each carries may change continually. Algorithms can differ so widely that a webpage that ranks 1 in a particular search engine could rank 200 in another search engine. New sites need not be submitted to search engines to be listed. A simple link from a well established site will get the search engines to visit the new site and begin to spider its contents. It can take a few days to even weeks from the referring of a link from such an established site for all the main search engine spiders to commence visiting and indexing the new site.

If you are unable to research and choose keywords and work on your own search engine ranking, you may want to hire someone to work with you on these search engine optimization issues.

Search engine marketing and promotion companies, will look at the plan for your site and make recommendations to increase your search engine ranking and website traffic. If you wish, they will also provide ongoing consultation and reporting to monitor your website and make recommendations for editing and improvements to keep your site traffic flow and your search engine ranking high. Normally your search engine optimization experts work with your web designer to build an integrated plan right away so that all aspects of design are considered at the same time.
To Your Success

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Website as Storefronts

seoXpert — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:22:43 +0000

Ecommerce – Websites as Storefronts

A customer walks into the store, browses through products and shelves, picks up items, inspects, considers the prices, chooses a product and takes it to the cash register to pay. Now if you want to sell your products online, then your site must be enabled for e-commerce, where you must have the following features

You need to provide plenty of content and product description like sizes, dimensions, colors and comparisons with other similar products. It must allow the customer to choose a product, get a clear pricing and shipping costs on the product, complete the transaction and get an order number, and/or invoice confirmation via email. Allow your customer to choose a shipping method. You must tell the customer if the item is in stock or delivered against order. Ideally, you should have an email contact or live help if the customer has a question. Most importantly you must respond immediately If you want to provide your own live chat and help desk services on your website, specialized softwares are available for purchase. Be sure your customer service links are large and clearly marked, so your client does not have to dig around to find information. Provide an about us section or a section about your policies. If you have privacy statements and customer satisfaction policies, your customer will feel better about shopping in your store. You probably want to have customer quotes and references on the storefront page, as well, to let your prospective client know that others are happy with your service. Provide an FAQ with information about your return-back policies, guarantees, shipping prices and insurance charges if any. If you are so inclined, you can offer a print catalogue if the customer prefers to order one from your storefront and shop in the privacy of their homes. Do not annoy your customers by presenting products that are marked sold or pages that say under construction or coming soon. Do add new content frequently, so your returning customers will not be bored by seeing the same products they saw four months ago. If your site has got a date tag or has current references, be careful to change these references frequently so you dont give the perception that nobody is attending or reading your site.
To Your Success

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Web hosting Services and Domain Names

seoXpert — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:37:37 +0000

Web Hosting Services & Domain Names Explained

Choosing an appropriate domain name is very important. First and foremost, when it comes to domain names, try to stay away from the silly, stupid, ridiculous or clever. Keep your domain name simple and make it something your customers can remember if they lose the link to your business website.

Take note that, while your domain name on Geocities or AOL may seem like the least expensive way to go, it may also get you dropped from certain search engines. Some search engines ignore domain addresses that reside on these free servers or on the cheap servers.

Even if your site is recognized and considered by search engines, a professional domain name that uses your primary company name or associated words is likely to get more attention and be considered as a stable business by your prospective customers.

Purchasing domain names is not that expensive they cost about $10/year on average and there are many companies that can register the name for you, provided it is available and has not already been used by another company.

Using one of your keywords in your domain name can increase your score on some search engines. For example, solderingirons.com could be more effective as Electric-soldering-irons.com, if that domain name was available.

You might also choose to establish more than one domain name using keywords and then link your doorway domain sites to your primary site. But you will have to pay for each of the domain name and also the monthly hosting fees. It all depends on the type and size of your business and your competition.

Keep in mind that some search engines disregard doorway sites. So put at least a page of content on the doorway site with some useful information and then link it to your primary site. But dont design it as an empty page. The other reason being, you can have one, three, five, or even more email addresses that all contain your business name, and give your business a professional feel. When customers get emails from dominicstone@solderingirons.com they feel as if they are dealing with a stable, professional business operation.

No need for customers to understand how you manage all your email boxes on your domain. They just need to feel your business is dependable and reputable.

For more on Web hosting companies read this great post at Reputation-Guardian’s blog

To Your Success

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Web Hosting Companies

seoXpert — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:42:15 +0000

With thousands of web hosting companies in the market it can be difficult if not impossible to know which web site hosting companies truly provide an excellent hosting solution at an excellent price. When you have an established domain name with a good web hosting company, you can get reports on your traffic and which of your pages your customers are visiting most often, as well as many other statistics.

Your web host will charge you a fee for monthly service that ranges from 10 or 20 to the more expensive 50.00 per month. Plan to pay between 300 and 500 per year to your web host.

Always avoid free or very inexpensive web hosting services, because you may experience bouts of server downtimes and you are likely to have significant limitations in storage, number of email addresses, FTP upload etc.

Be sure your web host can accommodate e-commerce and storefronts, wireless capability, bogs, forums, chats, online interactive helps and anything else you want to add onto your site.

Estimate what your growth needs are and ensure that this web host can serve you as you grow. The last thing you want to do is change host mid way unless you absolutely have to do so.

Check your bandwidth capability to be sure that, if your website traffic grows rapidly, your customers will not have to wait to download or view information. Three things to look for in a web hosting company are

1. Excellent Customer Support Your hosting provider should be there for you 24/7 and give you instant access to the technicians you need to solve your problem. Ask them how long it takes for them to typically respond to your problem. A good test is to call them in the mid night to check if you get to a live, level 3 support.

2. A Sound Infrastructure Check whether they offer a multi-homed network powered by multiple bandwidth providers to ensure redundancy. Some offer a 100 guarantee on its network availability or network uptime.

3. Financial Stability If youre running very critical operations, you cant afford to be with a hosting company that may not be in business in a few months.

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Use Keywords In Page Titles

seoXpert — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:21:48 +0000

It is recommended to use keywords in page titles itself. This title tag is different from a Meta tag, but its worth considering it in relation to them. Whatever text one places in the title tag (between the title and /title portions) will appear in the title bar of browsers when they view the web page. Some browsers also append whatever you put in the title tag by adding their own name, as for example Microsofts Internet Explorer or OPERA.

The actual text you use in the title tag is one of the most important factors in how a search engine may decide to rank your web page. In addition, all major web crawlers will use the text of your title tag as the text they use for the title of your page in your listings.

If you have designed your website as a series of websites or linked pages and not just a single Home Page, you must bear in mind that each page of your website must be search engine optimized. The title of each page i.e. the keywords you use on that page and the phrases you use in the content will draw traffic to your site.

The unique combination of these words and phrases and content will draw customers using different search engine terms and techniques, so be sure you capture all the keywords and phrases you need for each product, service or information page.

The most common mistake made by small business owners when they first design their website is to place their business name or firm name in every title of every page. Actually most of your prospective customers do not bother to know the name of your firm until after they have looked at your site and decided it is worth book marking.

So, while you want your business name in the title of the home page, it is probably a waste of valuable keywords and space to put it in the title line of every page on your site. Why not consider putting keywords in the title so that your page will display closer to the top of the search engine listing.

Dedicating first three positions for keywords in title avoiding the stop words like and, at and the like is crucial in search engine optimization.
To Your Success

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Tools to monitor your website

seoXpert — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:52:46 +0000

You cant just put your website on the net with right keywords and all the right touches and expect your traffic and ranking will remain constant. As the web is an ever changing landscape, you have to keep track of your own web results like what is happening with the competition and also the best and highest ranked sites. There are many useful tools to help you find out what exactly is happening.

1. A tool which you can use to test your own website links or other websites for broken links http//home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html

2. With this tool you can check search engines for the number of back links to your URL i.e. other web pages linking to your site http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/backlinks/

3. It sometimes becomes important to know where the servers of your hosting company are physically located. Because, some search engines like Google have the ability to filter search results based on their physical location called geotargeting. This could be used to determine why your site is showing in only a certain country. This link can also be used to research the country location of a particular competitors website http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/website-country/

4. In order to track the location of the visitor or a customer to your website http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/geovisitors/

5. In order to check the Yahoo web ranking of yours or your competitors website use http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/webrank/

6. Here is a link to check the web ranking of a website using a Mac or Apple computer http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/pagerank-mac/

7. You need a Google AdSense account for using this. This link provides you with charts and reports which will help you analyze traffic, clicks, and results from your AdSense advertising http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/adsense-charts/

8. If you have an AdSense account, you can analyze your website address or another website address to see what Google ads will be displayed when the customer selects certain website names or keywords http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/adsense-sandbox/

9. This link will take you to a cooperative advertising network where you can join to display and share your ads with other website owners http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/ad-network/

10. You can add the Search Functionality on your website which uses Google. This works only if your site is listed in the Google Index. http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/search/

11. Here are some links to free website counters which you can use on your website to track your traffic and hits

http//www.digitalpoint.com/tools/counter/

http//www.amazingcounters.com/refgad033

http//www.cyber-counter.com/signup.php

http//www.statcounter.com/free_hit_counter.html

http//www.free-counters.net/
To Your Success

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Tips to Increase Ranking and Website Traffic

seoXpert — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:54:31 +0000

It is worth cataloguing the basic principles to be enforced to increase website traffic and search engine rankings.

Create a site with valuable content, products or services. Place primary and secondary keywords within the first 25 words in your page content and spread them evenly throughout the document. Research and use the right keywords/phrases to attract your target customers. Use your keywords in the right fields and references within your web page. Like Title, META tags, Headers, etc. Keep your site design simple so that your customers can navigate easily between web pages, find what they want and buy products and services. Submit your web pages i.e. every web page and not just the home page, to the most popular search engines and directory services. Hire someone to do so, if required. Be sure this is a manual submission. Do not engage an automated submission service. Keep track of changes in search engine algorithms and processes and accordingly modify your web pages so your search engine ranking remains high. Use online tools and utilities to keep track of how your website is doing. Monitor your competitors and the top ranked websites to see what they are doing right in the way of design, navigation, content, keywords, etc. Use reports and logs from your web hosting company to see where your traffic is coming from. Analyze your visitor location and their incoming sources whether search engines or links from other sites and the keywords they used to find you. Make your customer visit easy and give them plenty of ways to remember you in the form of newsletters, free reports, reduction coupons etc. Demonstrate your industry and product or service expertise by writing and submitting articles for your website or for article banks so you are perceived as an expert in your field. When selling products online, use simple payment and shipment methods to make your customers experience fast and easy. When not sure, hire professionals. Though it may seem costly, but it is a lot less expensive than spending your money on a website which no one visits. Don’t look at your website as a static brochure. Treat it as a dynamic, ever-changing sales tool and location, just like your real store to which your customers with the same seriousness.
To Your Success