Tampa SEO Training Academy

Why Web Designers are like Interior Decorators

2009-09-03T16:05:00.006-04:00

I often say to students, clients, and prospects that a web designer is a lot like an interior decorator. The interior decorator will make your home look great and help you pick out beautiful furniture, create a color palette to paint your walls, and select all the accessories to make your house a home. In much the same way, a web designer can develop your website so it looks great and includes all the bells and whistles.

However, you would never talk to an interior decorator before you spoke with an architect or a contractor, would you? A Search Marketer is the “architect” you need to speak with before you design your website. They can help you not only design your site correctly but also help you develop your online strategy and build your brand.

Remember, it's not that the web designer is doing anything wrong or trying to hurt your chances at getting found. It's just that most web designers and programmers do not have the knowledge or the level of understanding regarding many critical SEO aspects and can inadvertently cause your site to do poorly in the Search Engines.

So here's a small bit of advice... don’t make the same mistake so many others do when it comes to their website. Talk to a reputable SEO company or get yourself educated before you decide to design or redesign a website for your business.

Steve Scott
Owner and Head Trainer
Tampa SEO Training Academy

Apple's iPhone vs. the Samsung Omnia

2009-05-16T01:19:00.007-04:00

With my T-Mobile contract up on my 2 year old Wing and the "ok" button hanging by some silicone threads, the time for a new phone is at hand. Time to start hunting for the latest smart phones, checking out new data plans, carriers, rates, coverage, etc! I liked my T-Mobile Wing but it was a little slow and the amount of on-board memory never really cut it for me.

To start my hunt, I'm off to my T-Mobile site, verizon's site, wirefly.com, cnet.com and on to youtube to listen to some reviews from phonedog.com.

OK... now of course the first phone I looked at was the iPhone, right?
It's all the rage right?
Seems like everyone has one right?

I've played around with the iPhone for hours at a time on occasion. In fact, a few family members had asked me if I could help them with their iPhone and I said sure.. I'll take a look. I loved it!

However, while the iPhone is a lot of fun and very very cool with some awesome apps available, there are just too many things NOT on the iPhone that I found on other phones.

Things like:
- video recording (that's a big one),
- a high mega pixel camera,
- removable SD cards,
- voice dialing (don't need, just like),
- block print recognizer (don't need, just like),
- copy/paste functionality
- PC synchronization with Outlook (way important),
- POP3 email account access (also way important),
- Ability to view/edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files,
- View PDF Documents,
- Business Card Scanner.

All are features I'd want for my phone. Apple's iPhone..., not so much!

Then I discovered the Samsung Omnia. It has all the features above and seems to have many of the iPhone's best features (minus those cool apps of course). Plus, the Omnia also has an FM tuner built right in. That's kinda cool. It also is getting pretty good user reviews too.

Battery life does seem to be an issue for some but I'm used to plugging in my Wing every night anyway. I'm also ok with my WiFi being off and prefer to turn it only when I need it. That saves lot's of battery juice.

I don't know if I like the idea of the stylus being attached by lanyard to the Omnia but, with the Wing, I usually use my fingers anyway . Being familiar with Windows Mobile 6.1 should make the transition to the Omnia relatively smooth.

For me, I think the Omnia might be a better fit. Just haven't used one before.

Have you ever seen or used one? What did you think?

Want to Tackle your Competition - Attend our Super Bowl of SEO Training Class

2009-01-19T18:02:00.002-05:00

Join us for the "Super Bowl of SEO" and meet a Super Bowl Champion too.

Kick off the New Year With a Winning Team, The Tampa SEO Training Academy!

This February, you'll have your chance to score the winning touchdown over your competition when you take our 2, 3, or 5 day SEO certification courses.

You'll also get a wonderful opportunity to meet with and hear from our special guest... Superbowl III Champion Earl Christy. Earl played on Joe Namath's Super Bowl winning Jets team and has some great stories to tell.

Let's face it, like the fierce competition found today in the NFL, competing on the web has also gotten harder and tougher. You can't simply throw a web page online and expect it to start getting visitors. It needs to be properly optimized and marketed using as many SEO strategies as possible.

At our SEO Training workshops, you'll learn the latest SEO and Internet Marketing insider-techniques that will shutout your competition and put you in the lead.

Don't Fumble this Awesome Opportunity Away... Register for the Super Bowl of SEO Workshop Now and SAVE 20%!

Simply visit http://www.tampa-seo.com/registration.html and use the promo code SEOBOWLBLG to save 20%.

This promo code is only good through January 28th.

Remember, our classes are taking place Feb 2nd - Feb 6th, and time is running out.

Course outlines can be seen here - http://www.tampa-seo.com/seo-course-outlines.html.

Or you can call our head trainer and SEO industry expert, Steve Scott, directly at 877-736-7361.

P.S. If you'd like to see what our past students have had to say, see our testimonial pages at http://www.tampa-seo.com/testimonials.html.

We are looking forward to seeing you Feb 2nd!

Tampa SEO Training Academy selected as Top 10 Best SEO Training & PPC Training Programs

2009-01-19T11:53:00.003-05:00

I am very pleased to announce that TopSEOs.com has named The Tampa SEO Training Academy to their list of the Best SEO Training & PPC Training Programs.

According to their press release:

"It is not easy to get on to this coveted list. In fact, the companies that appear qualify only after they go through a rigorous evaluation process."

The management and staff at the Tampa SEO Training Academy would like to thank TopSEOs.com for recognizing our SEO Training Programs as one of the best out there.

We always knew our training was top notch but it's always nice to hear someone else say it.

The "Super Bowl of SEO"

2009-01-05T22:54:00.001-05:00

Watch for the "Super Bowl of SEO" coming early February to Tampa. More details soon!

Build Relationships for SEO Success

2008-09-25T21:42:00.000-04:00

No matter what industry you're in, build relationships.

I'm referring to real, honest, long standing relationships built on a foundation of trust. Surround yourself with the very best in your industry.

No one can be the "best" at everything. No one can know everything. But with these relationships, you can pool your resources and keep yourself informed. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. By combining your strengths with others, you can help to offset your weaknesses.

But, be sure to build these relationships honestly and make absolutely sure that they're real. Otherwise, there will be no foundation at all if they aren't.

Social media sites such as Linked In, MySpace, & FaceBook are great places to start finding people in your industry. Make sure to establish a business account separate from your personal one.

Once you've established an account search for groups and people related to your industry and request to be their friend. Then make contact. Introduce yourself, and be active in the community you are a part of.

Social media sites like these may not pass to much in the way of page rank or link juice to your site but rather brand you and your business.

If done correctly you should see an increase in traffic to your site. You can see this through your analytics.

If you would like to receive more SEO Tips more often then check out www.tampa-seo.com and sign up for our SEO tip of the day.

K.I.S.S. - Keep your website simple for the search engines.

2008-09-19T16:01:00.008-04:00

The search engines love simplicity, so give it to them.

Two ways you can do this is by using CSS (cascading style sheets) or by creating a simplified version of your site with out all the bells and whistles.

CSS is a great way to get rid of unwanted code bloat. Code bloat is when you use inline and on page styling instead of putting it in an external style sheet. If your web site has too much in the way of code bloat then you may loose points from an SEO standpoint.

There are more than 60 things to do on each page of your site to fully optimize it. Code bloat is one of these elements. Reducing code bloat can increase your page load time, help you to better read and modify the code, keep your code more organized and help your rankings in the search engines.

More than likely code bloat is not that big of a deal from an SEO standpoint. It probably holds about as much weight as the keyword meta tag does.

However, if you have a competitive site that needs to rank for competitive keywords, you want to make sure you hit as many of those 60 on-site page elements as possible.

Remember, every little bit helps.

Invitation to the Tampa Search Engine Optimization MeetUp on October 2nd

2008-09-18T16:09:00.016-04:00

Have you ever noticed that even though there are tons of "Social Networking" sites, more often than not you never actually meet anyone face to face?

In keeping with the idea of actually being "Social" and meeting new people, the Tampa SEO Training Academy is pleased to announce that we have taken over as the organizer of the Tampa SEO and Internet Marketing Meetup Group on Meetup.com.

MeetUp.com is a social media site that can help introduce you to other people in your area that have the same interests as you. With groups ranging from dog trainers to entrepreneurs to working moms or sports nuts, everyone can find other "people in their neighborhood" to meet.

The Tampa SEO and Internet Marketing Meetup.com group is dedicated to bringing together and educating people from all over the Tampa area who have any interest at all in Search Engine Optimization or Internet Marketing. Beginners and Experts alike are encouraged to attend and participate.

Our next SEO Group MeetUp will be held on October 2nd starting at 6pm.

Topics to be discussed will include:

Got a problem or need some answers? - Ask anything!!!
Thoughts on Google Chrome.
What's your favorite on-page SEO tactic?
What's your favorite off-page SEO tactic?
Favorite Linking Techniques
Social Media Monitization
Open Discussion.

We will be meeting at Peabody's Billiards and Games which is located just off I-75. It's also just a short drive from the Bearrs exit on I-275. Peabody's management has promised us our own room in the Palms and said they would also offer us a drink and food special. They also have wireless access.

Obviously, no single location will be convenient for everyone to attend. However, we'll only be doing Meetup's once a month. So... if you have any interest at all in SEO and Internet Marketing or if you've never attended a Meetup before, try to make it out on the 2nd. I encourage you to give it a shot.

Just visit the following Meetup URL to RSVP - Yes, Maybe, or No:
http://seo.meetup.com...

Either way, by becoming a Meetup member you'll be notified of upcoming Tampa SEO Meetups and other events and you can search for Meetup Groups about other areas that interest you. Best of all, you'll actually meet real live people from the Tampa area who share the same interests as you.

I look forward to Meeting up with you!

Steve Scott
President
Tampa SEO Training Academy

Increase your rankings with link building

2008-09-15T09:44:00.004-04:00

Your Expanded SEO tip for today.

Get creative with your link building strategies. If you have a travel site, what about creating a special area where your clients can post stories, coloring sheets, and pictures of their recent
trip? Don't you imagine your clients would then link to the page devoted just to them? As a bonus, you're also building valuable content for your site.

Link building is vital to getting rankings in the search engines. You need to be doing a little each day. Whether you are adding your site to a directory or requesting a link from someone related to your industry, you need to be doing something in the area of link building weekly if not daily.

Let's say you just add 2 links a day to your site. Let's then say you only build links 5 days a week since your probably off on the weekends. :) That's 10 links a week and 520 links a year. This number doesn't include the links you will build by implementing a strategic article and press release campaign as well as anything you may be getting from your social media efforts.

Now you may be thinking 520 links in a year isn't a lot, but this method looks natural to the search engines which will keep you from getting any unwanted flags or bans by them.

If you would like to receive more SEO Tips more often then check out www.tampa-seo.com and sign up for our SEO tip of the day.

Google Chrome - New Web Browser from the Search Powerhouse

2008-09-02T15:46:00.003-04:00

Guess what folks.. Google has entered the browser business with what they call "a fresh take on the browser". Its name is Google Chrome and you can download it here.

Basically, Google decided to design a new kind of browser from the ground up using only the best features and tools you want.

As stated in a release on Google's Blog, posted by Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management, and Linus Upson, Engineering Director,

"To most people, it isn't the browser that matters. It's only a tool to run the important stuff -- the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go."

That sounds like my kinda browser! It actually reminded me of my days at General Re Financial Products when we were using Lotus Notes as our pseudo-desktop for email, work-flow apps, and more.

Based on what I'm reading, Google is positioning Chrome as a new kind of online operating system where potentially you'll only need a dumb terminal to connect to the web and have everything you need at you disposal once connected.

The official launch of Chrome is not until tomorrow. Apparently, the only reason for the announcement is someone unintentionally

"hit 'send' a bit early on a comic book introducing our new open source browser, Google Chrome.".

Chrome is a totally open source browser that uses multiple process in an effort to keep memory under control and keep the whole browser running nice an smooth. It even has a "task-manager" type tool to see which website is hogging the most memory.

IN typical Google fashion, they are using a comic book to explain what they've come up with. You can check that out here! At one point while reading through the comic the word WOW came out of my mouth. This sounds like a very interesting development from Google.

As for me, I've just finish the download and I'm about to install it. I'll let you know what I think about Chrome soon.

The gauntlet has been thrown! Does that spell doom for for IE, Firefox and others?

Why don't you let me know what you think!

Creating Effective "Calls to Actions" for your web pages

2008-08-26T11:40:00.006-04:00

For effective search engine marketing, you need more than just top rankings. It's not going to matter where you rank if you are not converting sales, so remember to include strong calls to action to compel a response from the reader.

But also remember that people often get accustomed to the same type of terminology if it is repeated over and over again.

Practice coming up with new ways to describe a "call to action" so that it still delivers value, but does not get ignored.

The same is true when describing a special bonus or a guarantee. Work to make your "calls to action" memorable. Make them stand out on the page.

A good rule of thumb to remember is this; use 2 calls to action on each page. One should be above the fold and then again below the fold at the bottom of the page.

Not too long ago I wrote a post on using a "call to action" on your pages. It's a great read and gets into a lot more detail about how and where to use a "call to action".

If you would like to get the SEO Tip of the Day please sign up at our website http://www.tampa-seo.com/.

Stay tuned, more expanded SEO Tips are on the way.

Internal Linking Strategies for your website?

2008-08-21T10:59:00.005-04:00

Are you using link text that contains your keyword phrase on each
page of your website?

In other words, if your Web page is optimized for
"Natrual Detoxing Body Wraps" are you using Natural Detoxing Body Wraps as
link text somewhere on the page?

What could you be linking to?

An additional page on your Web site with more information about
natural detoxing body wraps
A product page where you're selling natural detoxing body wraps
A page containing pictures of people using natural detoxing body wraps
Yes, you could be linking to another site, but only if you want to send your customers to another Web site.

linking your website's pages to each other is one of the primary SEO elements needed on each of your pages. Using keywords when linking from one page in your site to another gives you even more of an edge in the search engines. It is also one of the 60 onsite elements that needs to be done to fully optimize your web page.

One of the reason for using internal linking is so the search engine spiders can crawl deeper into your site. You are also passing page rank to the pages you are linking to. Each link shares page rank, so if you have 10 links on a page going out to other pages within your site, each link is passing 10% page rank to the page it links to. It is a good idea not to go over board with your links in your content because the spiders consider the navigational links when dividing page rank. As a rule of thumb you shouldn't have more than 100 links on a page.

There is also a practice known as page sculpting that uses no follow tags to limit spidering but that is for another post.

To sum it all up, make sure your website's pages link to each other via links contained within the content and be sure to use your researched keywords whereever possible as your the link text.

Stuffed with Spam... Some Keyword No No's

2008-08-20T12:14:00.007-04:00

Spam refers to any strategy that is designed to "cheat" the search engines into giving you a higher ranking than your page deserves. Many websites employ spammy techniques without realizing they are doing it.

For instance, look closely at the "Head" section of your Web page. If you see meta tags like subject, author, copyright, and publisher you should be aware that they are NOT meant to be used as places to stuff keywords. This is spam.

Never put keywords into these tags in an attempt to influence ranking. You are actually better off getting rid of the tags altogether. They're not needed on your pages, (even if you're using them correctly.) As a matter of fact, there are several places you DON'T want to stuff your keywords on a web page.

Here are some rules to keep in mind for keyword placement:

Don't put too many keywords in your meta tags - Keyword stuffing is when you place several keywords in one area. Each pages should focus on 1 to 2 keywords. The content on that pages needs to relate to those keywords. Putting several keywords in a title tag or description tag takes the focus off of the main keyword you want to be found for. You should actually have no more than 12 to 15 keywords in your keyword meta tag and this is the only place where that many keywords should go at one time.

Don't put keywords in the alt tags - Alt tags should be used to describe your image. They also display descriptive information about the image when you roll over it with your mouse. In addition, people with handicaps that require the computer to read the contents of a page to them. Since the whole idea of having a website is to give your reader the information they want, a bunch of keywords isn't going to help. The search engines know this and consider atl tags stuffed with keywords to be spam.

Don't put keywords in your content haphazardly - Too often I am reading content on a web page and it's a little off due to the copywriter throwing keywords in the content just to make sure they get in there. You have to think of your content as king. Content should read well with a flow that keeps the reader wanting to read more.
Don't put a bunch of keywords at the bottom of your pages - This is a big no no and will get you flagged. Often, I scroll to the bottom of a page and see a huge paragraph of keywords. Not only is this monster list of keywords there, it's in an almost unreadable font and color. This is spamming and keyword stuffing and will get you in trouble.

If you are not sure if you are stuffing or spamming, look at it like this... If you have to ask yourself, is what I am about to do considered "black hat" or are you thinking you could trick the search engines to get higher rankings, than you probably are spamming. They may not catch on right away but they will eventually and the end result could be disasterous.

If you would like more SEO tips, sign up for our SEO tip of the day or subscribe to this blog so you can get the more expanded tips. We also offer SEO training, course information and training locations if you would like to expand your SEO knowledge and skill set.

Keyword Rich Spider Food... What are you feeding your spiders?

2008-08-18T12:30:00.006-04:00

Without following every single link on your site, how can you be sure that your pages are simply not found by the search engines?
It's a good idea to include a link to your sitemap on each new high performance page you create. A great place for a site map is in the bottom navigation of every page of your site.

A site map is a super important piece of the SEO pie for your online marketing efforts. If you do not have one you are missing on a lot of opportunity for the search engine robots to index every page of your site. Think of your site map as spider food. We don't just want to feed our search engine spiders but we want to give them high quality nutrition. A simple site map that just lists the names of each page in your site isn't enough quality spider food. You need one with more "MEAT". You need a site map that is high in keyword rich text. Below is an example of a good site map and a not so good site map.

Not enough spider food:

Great Spider food:

If you noticed, there is a lot more detail in the site map on the right. This is the way your site map should be set up. We have created a page here that has the title, description and keyword meta tag for each page of the site. This is great spider food.

If you don't want to do this by hand we have an awesome program that we use called Site Map Pro. This neat little tool creates your entire sitemap in a few seconds and is easy to use. Check it out if you want to give the search engine spiders more food from your site.

Your next SEO tip will be coming soon. If you would like to create a more seo friendly site map try out this technique.

Writing Good SEO Friendly Content... Are you doing it?

2008-08-15T11:58:00.003-04:00

Are you working on some new Web content for the search engines this
week? Here are 3 elements to keep in mind:

1. Create content that is original and genuinely useful to your
visitors. Content is King so if your not a good writer your best best is to invest into a copy writer that is familiar with SEO.

2. Create high quality content that engages the visitor serves a
purpose.

3. Give your readers answers to their query's as well as link your content to other relevant pages within your site as well as out to other sites.
4. Remember the H1 tag or heading of a page needs to make your reader want to read the first paragraph and the first paragraph should make your reader want to move on to the second and so on.
5. Keep your paragraphs in small bite size portions. Most people skim the web and don't want to read long bulky paragraphs.

For more ideas, remember to read:
20 Ideas for creating traffic rich, search engine friendly pages
http://www. searchengineworkshops. com/articles/20ideas. html

If you would like more SEO tips, visit www. tampa-seo. com to sign up for the tip of the day.

The Tampa SEO Training Academy - Training That Takes You To The Top!

Optimizing for Google Local! Does Your Business Show Up

2008-07-15T14:34:00.011-04:00

Search Engine News came out with their monthly report of the latest SEO news. I found one topic of particular interest so I thought I would share it with you... Google Local!

A lot of us don’t think about Google Local being something that we have control over. I talk to a lot of people who think their listing just magically appears in the local 10-box. This is going to be a comprehensive overview about how to optimize for Google local as well as Yahoo and MSN.

The Google 10-box typically appears when a searcher adds a geographical location to the beginning or end of their search. Here's an example of a what a Google 10-box looks like. It appeared when I searched for "it works tampa" (without the quotes).

So what does all this mean for you? Let's take a look...

Facts about Local Search

30% to 40% of search is local. What that means is 30% - 40% of people doing searches are adding a geographical location such as a city, state, zip code, county, etc. to their search query. Google, in turn, wants to interpret those local searches correctly and bring back the most relevant information to the user.
The Google Local Algorithm is different from the regular search results you typically get. If your company is in a competitive market then the 10-box is going to show up. If your industry is not competitive the 10 box more than likely will not show or perhaps the old list of 3 results will be returned.
What is relevant in maps is not always relevant to the blended search results. The algorithm is based on the actual facts that they have about your business. Google also bases their results on the "trust" they have in the information about your site. They trust some sources over others.
Searches in Google Maps return local business listings and not your website. It’s not about your website but your Google Local profile. However, if you're in a competitive industry then Google will use the strength of your website to boost rankings. The proper optimization of your website for local terms will boost trust in the info you have listed in your Google maps listings. In other words, you need to have your site optimized correctly so your Google local profile will have more relevance.
It is possible to rank well in maps without having a site. http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml There is an article here that will help you learn more about ranking and local search. (Local Search Ranking Factors Survey)
You must have a listing to get in the local listings of any of the major search engines. If you don’t find a listing, create one. If you do find one you need to claim it and verify it immediately. Accuracy is important to the Google local algorithm. When you are done setting up your local account use the phone verification process for the fastest way to get into the local listings. Once you go through the phone verification process, Google will usually update your changes in a day or two. It could take weeks if you do it by mail.
Categories: A new feature in Google local is to create your own category. Be sure to categorize yourself when setting up your profile. If you don’t, Google will do it for you. Hint: Don’t let Google control aspects of your online business that you can handle yourself.

If your best key phrases don’t match any of the categories listed, then by all means create your own so that you can better target your audience. This is a very good tactic for when the categories don’t match what you do. More than likely your competition has not added their own information to your researched category.
Hint: You should be using keywords and phrases that have actually been researched to better target your market. Don’t just guess at your keywords!
Descriptions: Optimize your descriptions. This is important, think of this as your FREE maps ad. You want to use your main keyword phrase and any complimentary terms in this description. Your business listing is going to get indexed by spiders that are hungry for information about you. Use your main key phrase, location terms and make this appealing by giving it a strong call to action. For example, “Call now for your free quote.” Basically, what ever action you want them to take, put it in the description.
Hint: Use testimonials in your descriptions.
Maximizing your Optimization: Enhance your listing as much as possible. The type of information that a searcher is looking for is exactly what you are able to put in your profile. Add as much info as allowed. There are places to put your hours of operation, brands, services, special offers, and other convenience factors that a searcher might want to know about you. You can also put coupons and discount offers here. It is recommended that you make up some kind of coupon just so you can take advantage of this area. There are a lot of sites out there that are compiling coupon info.
Hint: Be creative and use your researched keyword phrases.
Give yourself attributes: You can also be very creative here. You can put brands, products, services, locations and more. Look at how others are doing it to get good examples. This gives more information to your visitor. The attributes feed into Google base so you should be using your researched keywords here as well.
Hint: The attributes list in alphabetical order so keep that in mind.
Add photos and videos here: Take control over what people see about you by uploading your own images and videos. Choose photos wisely. Your logo is a good start. Make sure your images are clear and if there is text in the image, make sure you can read it. You have the option of uploading 10 images and 5 videos so take advantage of it if you can. Google will pull photos from random places where the algorithm thinks it applies. This could be a big mess so maintain control here.
Hint: Refer to previous hint on not letting Google control aspects you have control over.
You want to make sure you’re standardizing the info that appears across the web so Google will see it as relevant. Make sure your company name and address match the phone book listing which is highly trusted by the search engines. Standardize your information by going to the source. Big data aggregators compile, verify and classify information about local businesses and provide it to Google maps. Check and correct your listings at these sources. If you don’t, their data can make your listing info revert or drop off. Hint: A good one to start with is the Local business listing guide by ecommerce optimization.
Ratings and reviews: These are very important. People want to see what experience other customers have had so they can better decide what company to buy from. High ratings equals high click through rates. Searchers have the ability to sort listings by their ratings.
Hint: encourage your customers to rate your site, your service or their experiences with your company.

Remember: Pay attention to your own industry. What works for one type of business doesn’t always carry over to another. Google may be the top search engine but it’s not the only search engine. Take the time to complete the local profiles for Yahoo and MSN as well.

I only like Name Brands

2008-06-26T15:10:00.007-04:00

Have you ever Googled your name?

I am heavily into the social media sites these days and have several accounts for our company. One of the reasons for having social media accounts are to set up a way to brand your company and to create company awareness. Social sites give you the opportunity to set up a profile, tell everyone what you do and the products and services you offer, and then make friends that are interested in your niche.

In the process of branding our company, I started thinking why not brand myself professionally.

I thought…

Why would I want to brand my self as an expert in my field?

What’s the benefit of branding my self professionally?

Will I be hassled by every sales person who is looking for prospects?

Does anybody even care who I am?

I then went and looked up the definition of Branding and found this from Telecom Marketing.

"Branding - A traditional advertising method used to create a response from a target audience based on cumulative impressions and positive reinforcement. The ads are aimed at increased product or company name awareness leading to lifelong customer purchasing."

Ok, so I knew I wanted to create a response from my target audience. Who Wouldn’t? I not only wanted to increase my company’s name awareness, but my own as well. And, most of all, I would like life long customer and partner relationships for myself and my company.

If any of you read Jeffrey Gitomer you will know that he says...

“Make a sale and you will make commission but make a friend and you will make a fortune.”

Friendships last so much longer than a cold call from a sales rep that doesn’t care if he ever speaks to you again.

So why would I want to brand myself as an expert in my field?

You want to perfect your A.C.T:

Awareness - about you, your accomplishments and your company

Confidence - that you & your company are the right choice for your client

Trust - that you will take care of their business needs like they were your own

This should carry over into the relationships you currently have as well as the ones you cultivate in the future. You also want to make it easy for people to see who you are and what you do.

What is the benefit of branding myself professionally?

There are many reasons to brand your self professionally. One of the most important reasons is to let people know what you have achieved in your career. You never really know who may be looking. People have gotten jobs, landed accounts, made deals and gained contacts and friends just by having a LinkedIn profile.

Will I be hassled by every sales person in the world because my information can easily be found?

Well, that depends on how you look at it. Honestly, any opportunity to make a new connection is an opportunity to generate some revenue. If someone calls to sell me something I take control of the conversation by asking questions. everybody likes to talk about themselves or their company, particularly sales people.

Before you know it I have established a relationship with that person. I may not need their products or services but I may be calling that company back to sell them mine. Now I have a point of contact that knows me and has talked to me.

Does anybody even care who I am?

YES! You would be surprised at who is looking for your profile. I have been on the phone calling on potential clients and they would be online looking me up as I tell them who I am and what I want. As they read about me they could see that I was established and have my A.C.T together.

So, Where do you start?

You brand yourself in much the same way you brand your company. You set up profiles about you and what you like and what you do or have done.

Recommended Sites to start on: (My name has appeared on the first 2 pages of Google for each of these accounts at one time or another)

YouTube

Squidoo

Digg

MySpace

Facebook

Stumble Upon

Blog

Flickr

You don’t have to be on all of them but find the ones you like best and use them. You could even go as far as to get your own http://www.yourname.com/ (if its available)

LinkedIn is a great way to start. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site launched in May 2003 mainly used for professional networking. As of December 2007, its site traffic was 3.2 million visitors per month, growing at an annual growth rate of about 485%.As of May 2008, it had more than 20 million registered users,spanning 150 industries. (Wikipedia)

Wow, what an opportunity to meet people in your industry. If you don’t have an account already, go get one now. If you do have one, make sure you are updating it regularly with the most relevant information about you. It’s like you are creating your own online resume for the world to see. Careers have been started just by connections that liked what they saw.

Flickr is important too. This site enables you to put pictures of you, your company and your products onto a page and then link them back to your Blog, MySpace, Facebook, Squidoo or other social sites. It also provides a valuable back link from Yahoo. Not to mention, everyone likes to look at pictures

Blogs are awesome and you can talk about anything you want. However, they need to be maintained on a regular basis to be effective. In most cases you don't even need to have a website. You can have your Blog be your main source of content about your company and then link all the other sites back to the Blog. Thus, driving traffic and increasing sales.

YouTube is one of the hottest social sites out there and can be very effective in your marketing efforts. If you have video you need to have it here.

Squidoo is a site where you can create a page for free on any topic you want. Even if it's all about YOU, it doesn't matter.

MySpace and Facebook - If you want to brand yourself as an expert in your field, keep these very professional. Limit your friends to other industry professionals. Join groups related to your industry and make sure your privacy settings do not allow others to leave comments or become friends without your approval.

Digg and Stumble Upon are social news and bookmarking sites. People will be able to see what you thought was cool or not. This gives people a more personal look into what you are all about.

Because I regularly update, add content and leave comments with links back to these accounts, I rank in Google for these sites. For instance, when I search for my name in Google (when I am not logged in - Gotta love personalized search) my company comes up first, then my Linked In profile. When I search in Yahoo! My Blogger profile comes up first. And in MSN Linked In is second. Now, since Google has gone all personalized I had to check outside my IP address. So I called a friend and asked her to do a search for me. Linked In again was number 1 in Google.

What have I learned?

The point is, if anyone wants to find out more information about me they can easily find it. They can see my likes, interests, accomplishments, work history, recommendations from others and more. But most importantly, these people can easily contact me through these sites. Just remember what you put out can be seen by everyone so be careful and keep it professional.

So..., go ahead and try it. Make "YOU" a brand.

After all, everybody likes NAME BRANDS!

Guess What?

2008-05-29T08:00:00.007-04:00

"I think my customers are typing _______ into Google to find me." If the answer to this question was the deciding factor for the keywords you chose than you may want to start over.

Keyword research is the first and most important thing when starting any online marketing plan. It is also the best way to target your buying audience. So, why do so many people GUESS? about their keywords?

People often guess because it's the easiest thing to do:

Because they don't know what they don't know (they didn't know they could research them)

"Who knows my business better than me!"

"When I type in my company name I come up first."

"If I were a customer this is what I would type in?"

These are all good reasons to "think" this is the way you are being found. The problem is that guessing is the basis for the decision. You can not take the chance of missing your target audience based on a guess. That is why keyword research is so vital to any online marketing strategies.

The best way to start any keyword research is a seed list. Now, even though I just said not to guess at your keywords, this is the only time it is ok. This list is just to give us an idea of where to start.

For example, if I am a granite & marble distributor my seed list might look like this:

Granite
Marble
Granite for sale
Granite Distributor
Marble Wholesaler
Marble and Granite

This is a good start but not well targeted. My best recommendation is to take your seed list and run it in a good keyword research tool. There are many tools out on the market these days designed for keyword research.

We mostly use Word Tracker. So far, we have had a really high success rate with that tool. However, I am not opposed to using other great tools like Keyword Discovery. Both of these tools are paid tools. Word Tracker is less expensive than Keyword Discovery and for the most part works really well for our clients. But, Word Tracker only gives you the past 90 days of search info. Keyword Discovery offers 1 year of data. If I sell seasonal items or need to research what was being searched this time last year then Keyword discovery is going to be the tool I use. I also like to cross reference my research from Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery against Google Suggests and Yahoo so I can hone in on my target market even more.

I know that everyone these days is in search of something for nothing. So this is to those of you who are too cheap to buy your keyword research tools. You get what you pay for! In my opinion, this is the most important step in your online marketing efforts. It should be done at the drawing board phase of planning your business. Don't be cheap about it. Ok, enough about that.

Here are some benefits to doing keyword research:

You will find words and phrases you never imagined people were searching for
You will be able to find words and phrases that are highly searched with low competition
You will find more high performing topics that are of use to your specific audience
You can study your buying audiences search behavior
You can pick up extra traffic by targeting common misspells
You will be one step ahead of your competition who is not researching keywords

The key is to stay organized and choose the words that best fit what your content is about. Write for the human reader. No search engine has ever bought from a website. So don't add your keywords to your content unless it makes sense. I could actually go on for days about this but I can't, so you'll have to attend one of our SEO Training Courses to find out more.

The moral of the story is STOP GUESSING ABOUT KEYWORDS and do the research. Do it first before anything else. Research your competition, your seed list and your long tail phrases. Find out exactly what people are looking for and then properly implement those keywords into your site. Put your site out for indexing and you will see the difference.

Until next time...

URGENT! READ THIS RIGHT NOW!

2008-05-19T13:22:00.002-04:00

URGENT! READ THIS RIGHT NOW!

Often we catch our reader’s attention with catchy titles and headlines. We want to reel them into our content, hoping they like what we have to offer and then buy something. Then we leave them hanging because we didn't keep their attention with a "Call to Action".

The title I used here is a pretty strong statement and if you clicked the title to find out why you should read this right now than I have made my point. What I was trying to achieve with this title is to create a sense of urgency to my readers or those who just happen to see this and curiosity got the best of them.

There are many things to consider when implementing SEO into your online efforts but there is one that you can't neglect and that is the "Call to Action". You can use a call to action anywhere it's appropriate just as I did here. But, one of the best places for one is at the end of your content. I also recommend one above the fold as well.

For example, let's say I've been looking at your site and I'm not sure but I think I want to buy. But, there is nothing compelling me to take action. Now this may sound a little crazy but a call to action here may be the final straw on the proverbial camel's back for me. If there is nothing there to encourage me to make a decision, than I will most likely to not commit to the purchase. The reality is, if that call to action is a deciding factor for me then it is a deciding factor for someone else too.

Let's say I have just read a page of your website and I really am interested in what you are offering. Oh no! There is no call to action, contact information or a link to the contact information; therefore I am left to look around your site for the "Contact Us" link. You see, I don't like it if it's not made as simple as possible for me. No matter how hard I try to resist I am a product of the "microwave generation" and I want everything RIGHT NOW!

When there is a call to action, and it contains or links to contact information, I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that I can quickly and easily get to what I want. (Your products or services)
Each page should have its own unique call to action. It is even better if the link to contact you is part of that call to action. Taking it one step further, you should have the main keyword you are using on that page as a part of that link.

For example, this is the call to action on our home page.

This one is on our web design pros page.

Notice how each call to action is a little different? This is to ensure we don't cross the duplicate content line.

So, to pull it all together, you want to:
Create a sense of urgency for your viewers to take action, preferably at the beginning, middle and end of your content.
After you have created this need you want to direct them where to go by providing them with a simple and easy way to get there.
You want to guide them effortlessly on their online journey by providing them with a call to action.
The call to action links to the place where you want your potential buyer to be when they make the final decision to purchase something.
The call to action will contain your main keyword for that page, preferably within the link text.

I hope this was a helpful post. Please feel free to leave a comment and share your experiences with using a "call to action" on your web pages.

Notice how I was subtle with my call here. That is because this is a blog post and some social media outlets, such as blogs, shouldn't be used as a sales tool but as a means to share, connect and contribute with an online community.

Check this out If you are at all interested in learning more about SEO and Internet Marketing

Can I afford to be CHEAP about my Internet Marketing?

2008-04-03T14:20:00.006-04:00

So..., what do you think?
Can you really afford to be cheap about your website or your Internet Marketing budget?

If you are a small business owner thinking of investing in your website, then this is a question that I'm sure has crossed your mind. Many times, I tell potential clients the price tag on a search engine optimization package and they are shocked at the numbers. They immediately reply with something along the lines of, "I don't have that kind of money to put into a website".

The problem with thinking this way is that you are seeing your company website as an expense instead of the huge profit center it can actually be. If that's all your website means to you, then you really need to rethink a few things.

So what do we know?

Look, we all know a website is a fantastic way of reaching a huge audience, where you can display images and detailed descriptions of your products and services. We also know that the Internet is the single most utilized tool for finding out information to date. However, as many have found out, having a "if you build it, they will come" attitide toward your site does not work on the internet unless it is carefully planned and executed.

While extremely popular years ago, few people still go to the Yellow Pages to find what they are looking for. Less and less routinely call 411 and pay .50 to find out a phone number and many don't wait around for the 6 o'clock news to hear the latest headlines. These days, we go to the internet!At home, at work, on our phones, even on our TV's we're browsing the wonder that is the world wide web. With that in mind, and knowing that the use of the internet will only continue to grow, why would you discount your website as one of the best and most economical way to get the word out about your products or services?

As a business owner, you have probably invested a good deal of money on traditional means of push marketing. You have business cards and brochures, sent out mailers or placed a listing in the Yellow Pages. Maybe you are running some newspaper or magazine ads, perhaps a TV commercial, or even a billboard or two. And, like most business owners, you have a website.

Also like most business owners, it's likely you've invested heavily in traditional marketing channels but have not spent much on your internet marketing initiatives. However, if your website can attract the eyes of visitors from all over the world, then why aren't you putting your marketing dollars there? Remember, it's not just a website anymore, it's an online business that, when developed correctly, can grow your business to entirely new levels!

Sure, you can have a website built for $500. But, what are you really getting for that? I can tell you what you are not going to get... that's a fully customized and targeted internet business that has been designed from the ground up to generate revenue.

Consider this. You could easily pay 6 to 12 thousand dollars or more for a decent sized Yellow Page ad, right. However, once your ad has been printed you can't change it. You can't run a special on your ad during different times of the year. You can't add new product lines or change a phone number or your email address. In fact, you can't update it at all. So, if the add isn't really working for you, it's just too bad until next year.

Additionally, the various "Yellow Colored Books" only go out to a local community, limiting your exposure and your potential to be found. If you want to be in a larger geographic area, you have to pay for more books. And, let's not forget, every year you'll have to pay thousands of dollars again just to be listed in a book that may never be opened.

Why Should I care?

So tell me, if the Internet gives you access to all the information and knowledge available about Search Engine Optimization and it wont cost you that much to obtain that knowledge, then why should you pay an Internet Marketing firm to do it for you?

Great question! The answer is simple.
This is not just your website; this is your window to the world!
Why take chances?

If you are a small business owner, you're probably putting all you efforts into making your business a success. You probably work many longs hours making sure things run just right. You simply don't have the time to learn the little details of marketing your website and prefer to hire the right company to take care of it for you. If this sounds familiar, then you simply CANNOT afford to be cheap about your Internet marketing campaign.

Now you may be asking yourself, where do I start? How do I find the right SEO/Internet Marketing firm?

Those are good questions. The best thing I can tell you is this; don't fall for the gimmicks or the charlatans that say they will get you found on the first page of the search engines for $50 a month. Avoid the emails claiming they'll submit your website to 2,000 search engines every month for $49.

LIES! LIES! LIES!

All you'll wind up with is a mailbox full of junk mail and a thinner wallet. The people with these offers have no clue about Internet Marketing and are just after your money. Run from anyone who tells you they can guarantee you the number 1 spot in Google. Only Google decides who will be number one based on over 200 factors that continually change and evolve. No one can honestly promise you #1 rankings, only the methods used to try to get them.

What you need to do is find an Internet Marketing company with a reputation for delivering results.

If you visit an Internet Marketing firm's site, do they have a client listing or a testimonials page where you can see for yourself what they have done for others? Are they willing to give you references? Go ahead and ask for some. The good firms will normally have no issue at all giving you several names. If the Internet marketing company you're considering can't show you real results for their current client’s or for themselves then it may be time to move on to the next guy.

There are many other factors to think about when choosing the right SEO firm including:

Experience and background
Ability to show top search results for current clients

Customer service and support

Staff Certified as Search Engine Marketers
Initial costs and fees

Don't get caught up with appearances either. You don't need to hire a huge firm with dozens of employees to get the best internet marketing programs available. A smaller experienced firm is more hands-on, can get you the same results if not better, and will probably cost you less, too.

A Good SEO Firm Should

Explain the wide variety of options available and how they can best be used to fit your needs.
Get to know you, your business and your products as if they were their own.
Be willing to talk with you and walk you through the entire SEO process.
Become a partner in your success and not be some invisible entity that "takes over" your website.
Be knowledgeable on the latest SEO and Internet Marketing techniques to develop and map out an online marketing strategy for you that will succeed.
Be informative by letting you know your progress each step of the way as well as any potential issues that may turn up.
Help you reach your Internet marketing goals by using all SEO avenues available to you.

In a nutshell...

Remember to stop thinking of your website as just a website or an online brochure and start using it to reach your full potential. Your website should be viewed as a serious profit center for your business and most certainly should be included at the top of your marketing budget.

So what are you waiting for? Start using your website as a means to reach targeted markets that will continually produce income for your business. If you do, you will quickly realize that you just can't afford to be cheap about your Internet Marketing!

Handling Negative Consumer Comments

2008-03-01T21:15:00.014-05:00

I was reading a blog post today on Search Engine Land dealing with negative reviews. With all that is offered on the web today, you have to be able to take the good with the bad.

In a lot of ways the internet has opened doors and windows of opportunity to businesses all over the world. Today, businesses have a much greater ability to share what they have to offer to a wider audience then ever before. But with that opportunity comes the option for people to exercise their freedoms and speak openly about your products and services.

I have been finding that businesses that have an online presence have not fully embraced the idea of implementing certain forms of user generated content on their site, such as a forum or a blog. Many use the excuse that they don’t want to give consumers the opportunity to leave negative feed back about their products or services. But, I have to ask why?

Whether you like it or not, your buying audience is talking online every day and they hold all the power. The online shoppers of today are sharing what they like and what they don’t like on message boards, blogs, forums and more. At no other time in history has the consumer had as much power as they do now. Today's consumer does all the work. They are in control from their first preliminary search query to the blurb they left on their blog about how they felt about their experience shopping with you. And, all this can be completed in one sitting. WOW! Think of the implications of that!

If you didn’t already know, a person is more likely to go out of their way to let others know about a bad experience they had then they are a good one. If a customer has a bad experience with a company, either online or in a physical store, they are going to talk about it.

Before the internet, word of mouth was the only way individuals could make their displeasure known. Now, with the proliferation of the internet word of mouth magnified by millions. Hundreds of thousands of people now have the opportunity to read a negative comment about your services. And from that, they may make a decision on whether or not to purchase your products or the next guy's.

With that in mind, we have to think carefully about how we are going to react to negative comments that will certainly be left by un-happy customers.

Now, you could:

Ignore the Problem: You could simply not respond at all. However, that's like taking the ostrich approach and sticking your head in the sand, missing the world because you are too scared to surface and handle confrontation. Not only can this lead to a large loss in business and a damaged reputation but it's a weak business practice that will most certainly never result in happy repeat customers. And isn't that what we all want?

The Defense Rests: Defending your company’s bad business habits or mistakes, whether major or minor, can prove to be a costly mistake too. Tone is often hard to judge when written and can be taken defensively by the already annoyed customer. The only response you are likely to get is an angry one. Again, this will result in loss of repeat business and a possible bad rep.

The customer is ALWAYS right! We have all heard that before, right. The thing about though is it’s true. The customer is always right and nobody is perfect. So own up to your mistakes and do your best to rectify the situation so you keep them coming back.

Businesses make mistakes all the time and a good shopper knows this. The problem comes when the mistake is handled poorly. If you ignore the issue or become defensive you have lost the sale and probably any repeat business from that customer. You also take a chance on this disgruntled customer sharing their experience with others, and they will. So, why take a chance in today's connected world?

So, what should you do when faced with negative comments or complaints?

The first thing you should do is apologize or recognize the error! There is nothing wrong with recognizing the mistake and acknowledging it took place.

Next, you should see how you can quickly rectify the situation. Yes, that bad comment is out there for everyone to see but so is your response.

If you handle your response well it can show other potential customers that you care and you have the customer’s best interest at heart. They like it when you care.

It also shows you’re involved with your customer base. Just because you’re doing business online doesn’t mean you can’t see eye to eye. If you make yourself available to your buying public you can't go wrong. You can achieve this by utilizing some of the social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, a blog and forums.

If you ask me. the web is just another way to provide great customer service and support for your products. Remember, good customer service keeps people coming back. Just because they are shopping online doesn’t mean you can’t treat them like they were standing right in front of you.

I'm Really Loving the Power of Squidoo

2008-02-10T19:40:00.002-05:00

I've been doing a lot of research lately on web 2.0 and the whole social media experience. Through my efforts, I stumbled upon Squidoo. Squidoo is a part of the web 2.0 revolution but with a kick.

See, on Squidoo you are able to basically customize your own web page, with your own content and the ability to sell your own products. You can also make money through the ads that run on your lense. It is really simple. Squidoo does it all for you.

Check out the Academy's lense to see what I'm talking about.

SEO courses get more diversified! GREAT!

2008-02-10T18:26:00.003-05:00

In today's busy world it is sometimes hard to get away from the office for 2, 3, or especially 5 days. Since we started offering search engine optimization training, our students and potential students have been asking if we had smaller class modules. It quickly became apparent thata demand for shorter more highly focused courses began to grow.

Well, Great News!

The Tampa SEO Training Academy will soon be offering individualized course modules. These individualized classes will range from 3 hours to 1 full day and can be held day or evening just about anywhere.

The course materials will include:

Introduction to Blogging
Harnessing the Power of Social Media Optimization
On-Site Optimization
Off-Site Optimization
Marketing Your Business on the Web

These courses are designed to better fit into your busy lifestyle and still keep up with the latest SEO and SEM practices.

Like I said, these are still in the works and will be available soon to the Tampa Bay Area. Keep reading and I will let you know as soon they are available.

Happy Students at the Tampa SEO Training Academy

2008-01-27T02:21:00.000-05:00

There's nothing I like better then to hear from past participants of our SEO Training Courses. I thought I'd share a few recent thoughts here:

"In this era of ever-changing search engine dynamics, the detailed, up-to-the-minute information that the Tampa SEO Training Academy offers is absolutely indispensable!"
-- Michael Malizola

Thanks Mike... so glad you enjoyed it.

Here's another.

Hey, Steve,

I don't know if you remember me or not - I took your class at the end of March - beginning of April 2007. I was working for abccompany.com at that time, and they just wouldn't listen to my recommendations, so I left.

Best thing I ever did.

Anyway, I thought you might like to see this - I applied what I learned in your class, and after living in Cincinnati for 3-1/2 months, I am #1 out of 10,100,000 on
Yahoo for "UI SEO": and #1 of 563,000 on Google for "UI SEO":

It translated into $30K more a year for me.

So, Thanks Steve!

-- Donald Demrow

Boy Don, I wish I'd gotten as good a return on investment on all the classes I've taken over the years as you appear to have received in mine. Congratulations on your success now in and the future. Keep up the great work!!!

Finally, here's another one from Alvaro,

"When I came in I knew only keyword metatag. Now I have tons of information to help the company an also tons of ideas to tackle. Thanks Steve, superior training! Great material. Light bulbs galore.
-- Alvero J.

It's so nice to know that our SEO Training workshops

are making a difference in peoples lives. Professional SEO training will open exciting new doors for you too, but don't just take our word for it, read what our students have to say!

Talk to you soon.

Steve

Plaxo Pulse is my new favorite toy!

2008-01-25T17:17:00.000-05:00

I recently signed up with Plaxo and it's new Pulse Social Networking tool. While I'm still new with Plaxo and Pulse I've am investigating it's potential. There are a few things I really like about Pulse so far.

First, it allows you to synchronize all your email boxes from things like Outlook, LinkedIn, AOL, Yahoo, and many others. Even on multiple computers or with multiple email clients. It lets you keep one up-to-date address book that you can access no matter where you are. This includes the ability to sync up those contacts with your phone.

You can then easily "connect" with the people in your address books or invite them to join Plaxo . As your connections make changes to their own profile those changes are visible to all their connections including you. In addition, you can also hook into your blogs, photo sharing sites, your Facebook account, Digg account, MySpace, YouTube and many, many more.

Now, anytime you publish content at any of those venues, it is filtered into your Pulse account where all your connections can see it. You also have the ability to send a message to all your contacts (with the option to email them or just display on Pulse), post a poll, add a video, join groups, lot's more too.

It was really pretty easy to get things running and so far I'm pretty impressed.

Here's a link to some of the things it does:http://www.plaxo.com/premium?src=corp_nav

Here's another link to a Plaxo Q&A page
http://support3.plaxo.com/al/12/1/article.asp?aid=1394&bt=4

Let me know what you think.

Is Big business going to be able to keep up?

2008-01-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

I read the latest post Seth Godin wrote entitled "How much for digital". This whole concept poses a fairly new question for big business. How will these million and billion dollar companies make a smooth transition to an online market, if they haven't already? If someone can come in and sell the same product you offer at a lower price to a mass audience, what do you do to stay afloat, especially in the movie rental business? Not only is it cheap to rent movies online but you can get them for free if you know how.

We specialize in getting people found on the major search engines either by teaching them in our SEO certification courses or by taking them on for full service SEO and internet marketing implementation. As I read this post I started thinking about how we are going to take our existing clients and new clients to the next level on the web. How are we going to keep up with the latest trends and behaviors? How are we going to transition not only our clients but our selves to this ever evolving place called the internet? How are we going to teach this to our students to make them understand it's importance?

I also watched Meatball Sundae, which is a seminar Seth offered just the other day. If you haven't seen it you should. He answered a lot of my questions. The truth is, if you are an internet marketer you have to stay on top of the latest trends in order to effectively market your self and your clients. I feel we are transitioning into a more "user specific" age where it is more important to target the individual and their needs than the masses as a group or demographic. People want to see what other "real" people have to say, whether it is about products, services or the whole experience, it doesn't matter.

Web 2.0 offers a way for you to accomplish this in addition to traditional SEO techniques. We have now implemented the web 2.0 experience into our product line. Actually we always offered it; I guess we just expanded on it to better fit the changing currents.

So to answer my own question YES! Big business can keep up they just have to be willing to diversify. Change is inevitable and fast in the world of technology, if the big dogs don't follow along they will be the ones left on the porch.

Nikki

How to Utilize Social Media Marketing (SMM/SMO) for small businesses!

2008-01-17T12:27:00.000-05:00

Lately, it seems there is an explosion of social media marketing (SMM/SMO) on the scene. More and more, you will notice your search results are peppered with Digg, Blogger, MySpace, YouTube and many more. Utilizing this opportunity is a great way to get found in the search engines. This is gaining popularity mainly due to the fact that real people want to know what other real people are saying. It's like one large reality show with unlimited possibilities.

Where do I start?
We decided, not too long ago, that we should really start practicing what we preach in our "hands on" SEO certification courses. So I started right away. First, I joined the major social media opportunities such as Digg, Linked In, MySpace and many others. We of course have the Tampa SEO Training Academy blog on Google Blogger since it gets spidered daily.

This step can be time consuming but is well worth your time investment. Once they are set up, you just sit back, relax and write your blog, dig sites you like even your own sites, stumble upon pages you find cool or informational and share it with others.

Google makes a lot of things easy for you and for free too. So I recommend using Google alerts to alert you when the pages you put out get found. Make friends with as many REAL people who are related to your industry as possible. Every day, add new friends, if you can. The larger your friends list or contacts, the greater chance you have to get your info seen and shared. This is extremely important for raising brand recognition for your company as well.

Writing your Content?

When I begin to write, the first thing I do is start with the keyword research. I find a term that I would like to be found for and focus my content on that key word or phrase. Today's word is Social Media Marketing. As you can see, I have use plenty of keyword rich terms. I made sure to use the term in my title which is also important. I have also sprinkled in some other keywords that pertain to my subject to give it that much more relevance. My links point to relevant sites about the link text especially my own. Since the content needs to be genuine, I write about what I know to be true by my own research and experience. Google likes this.

How do I find the time?
OK, so if you’re wondering when I have time to write and digg and stumble upon, I don't. If you are a larger company you may have the resources to hire a copywriter to write your own web 2.0 material. However, if you are small company or a one man shop you have to utilize your time wisely. So, the search engines don't like duplicate content, right? Well, here is how to get around that... You could write a generic post with everything you want to say in it.

Make your links SEO friendly. Make sure your content is relevant and compelling. Copy it and paste it into each of your social media opportunities and then tweak it. Change things around a bit. You should change 20% at the least, just enough not to be considered duplicate content. Then publish it for indexing. Depending on how fast you write, this all could take up to an hour or two after you set up your accounts.

Ultimately, you have to make the time, but trust me, it won't be a waste. All together, after every thing is set up, I spend about 2 hours a day maintaining it all. This includes updating photos, blogs, myspace and linkedin, as well as participating and sharing.

Make yourself popular!
On all of your blogs you should have the links to all of your social media endeavors so people have the option of sharing it with others. Click here for the code and tutorial to add the Chicklets feature to your blog. You can also customize the code if you know how, to include your LinkedIn account if you have one. If you can't or don't know how to modify the code then you can manually add a LinkedIn button at the end of each post (this is best for blogs).

Participation is the key to making social media marketing work. Say you are searching the internet and find something you really like, you should SHARE IT! If there is no button to share the page then submit it yourself. Digg is good for this technique because it's easy and fast to do. You can also submit or Digg your own stuff as well. You can send out shouts to all your friends so they can see what you like and get friends to dig your stuff or recommend you in your LinkedIn account. Basically, you should try and take full advantage of what these sites have to offer and you will see results.

Not only will you build brand recognition for your company, but for yourself. People get to see you’re a real person who wants to share valuable knowledge.

When will I get found?
We didn't worry about getting found right away, just post your info on a consistent basis and try to follow the SEO tips above. Personally, I started at the beginning of 08. I have spent a few hours each day building my network and writing for the blogs. The blog is already coming up on the first page in Google, Digg, MySpace and LinkedIn. (YEA!!) Some things take longer than others. Remember, it takes time to establish yourself in an online community. So, stay consistent and you should do just fine.

Will it drain my budget?
Aside from taking up some of your time, the answer is no. All of these web 2.0 or social media sites are free. They just require your time and opinion. Actually, people who blog a lot are starting to turn it into a way to make some good money. If your blog is being found and people are reading it heavily on a regular basis you could really make some good money via paid advertising such as Google Adsense. But that is a whole other topic. Maybe that will be a good topic for my next post.

REMEMBER!
Post responsibly! Don't be spammy or you will get buried. Also, each social media site has it's own set of rules so read them so you don't get yourself kicked off. To make sure you are utilizing these sites correctly with proper SEO techniques sign up for our Free SEO tip of the Day.

Until next time...

Nikki Patrick

Last Chance for 2007 SEO Class Pricing on Jan 28th – Feb 1st

2008-01-15T11:57:00.000-05:00

Last Chance for 2007 SEO Class Pricing on Jan 28th – Feb 1st
Register NOW and Save Up To $400.00 on SEO Certification Courses

If you've been searching for a way to learn the latest Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing techniques or need to learn how you can take your business to the next level, our "stress free" hands-on SEO Training courses are just perfect for you.

Select from our:

Call 813-235-6855 and mention this email or register online at http://www.tampa-seo.com/registration.html and use promo code LASTCHANCE07GB. Save up to $400 on 2008 pricing on our up-coming class Jan. 28th through Feb. 1st.

SEO Training for the new & experienced

2008-01-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

The Tampa SEO Training Academy is growing by leaps and bounds and expects to double in the next year. The Training Academy offers hands on SEO certification courses every six weeks. These classes are broken down in to a 2 day basic, 3 day advanced and 5 day mastery courses that teaches the latest "white hat" SEO techniques for you to grow a successful online business.

More and more people are searching on the Internet for products and services than any where else. Traditional means of push marketing are falling to the way-side while Internet traffic is increasing by tremendous numbers. Wouldn't it make sense to turn your website into a profit center instead of an expense. As a business owner you want to stay away from self-diagnosing your marketing needs and find out how to really reach your target market.

The academy will teach you how to use industry tools like Wordtracker and Web Position to accurately pick keywords and track your web sites traffic. We also breakdown the free services Google offers to help maintain your site. We get heavily into how to properly research your keywords as well as behavioral research to better target your online customers.

We actually have a lot of students that are business owners come and take the class and realize it is a lot of work. They either want us to do the optimization for them or for us to consult with their current web team.

We are also striving to ultimately become the training arm for large web firms in the local Tampa area and around the world. We have students come from all over including Scotland and Costa Rica.

Actually, I should also mention that time is running out for the 2007 class pricing. You can save up to $400. There will be another post that will explain this in more detail.

Until next time... :)

Free SEO and Internet Marketing Seminar Coming Up

2008-01-09T20:52:00.001-05:00

The Tampa SEO Training Academy has announced the first of a new series of FREE Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization presentations entitled "Marketing Your Business on the Web: The Importance of Search Engine Optimization to your Online Success". The sessions are being presented by experienced SEO educator and industry veteran Steve Scott, owner of the Tampa SEO Training Academy.

Steve, who has been optimizing web sites for over 10 years now recently stated, "Too many people have no-clue what Internet Marketing or Search Engine Optimization really is let alone how to do it effectively. These free programs will give participants a much better understanding of who is really searching online and an overview of how to create or adapt any web site to capture the potential of all that search engine traffic."

The idea for the free sessions dawned on Scott while he was reviewing the outlines for the 2, 3, & 5 Day Certification courses his SEO Training Academy provides. "We needed a way to open people's minds to the potential and the possibilities that Internet Marketing and SEO offers. Many business owners have no idea of the power that SEO can have to their online success."

The seminar covers:
· Who is on the web now?
· Exploring Search Engine Usage, shopping influences and functionality
· Keyword forensics and research
· Company/Domain name selection
· Picking the right web host
· Designing and redesigning your site
· What can help or hurt you in the search engines
· Off-site optimization and on-site optimization
· Quality link building
· Proper pay per-click set up
· Tracking and maintaining your web site

So far, offering the free SEO seminar is working out pretty well from both a marketing and educational stand point.

We currently work with the local art and design colleges like the International Academy of Design and Technology and The Art Institute. They are happy to provide rooms for us to hold the seminars in and we are happy to have students hearing about SEO, sometimes, for the first time. In addition, we offer a discount to all students who take the full 40 hour course.

I recently graduated from IADT and I thought it was a great school. I majored in graphic and web design with a focus in animation. When I got the job with Starship Computer Services I hardly even knew what SEO was. After I took the course however, my eyes were opened to a whole new world of internet marketing. I not only learned how to implement SEO using white hat techniques, I learned what not to do too. If you aren't doing it right you can really hurt yourself and your business in the search engines.

Owner Steve Scott feels it is extremely important to think about optimization for your site even before designing it. "Hiring a web designer before thinking about SEO is a lot like hiring an interior decorator for your new home before talking to a contractor or an architect. Sure your place will look fantastic but, if it all comes crumbling down around you because of a poor foundation or weak design it won't really matter how nice it looked, right? Many web designers have limited or no knowledge of what makes a web site 'search engine friendly' and can often destroy your sites chances of ever being found on the search engines without even realizing it. Others think they know it but are misinformed."

You should check out www.tampa-seo.com for more information about the Academy's SEO training courses or to sign up for their Free SEO Tip of the Day.

You could also call us at (877) 736-7361. Ask for Nikki or Steve, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

New facility for the Tampa SEO Training Academy in 2008

2008-01-09T20:18:00.000-05:00

The Tampa SEO Training Academy is Tampa's premier search engine optimization training facility. We offer hands on training and SEO certification courses in the Tampa Bay area. However, students have come to us from around the country and even the world.

We are located in Tampa so you can expect to enjoy beautiful warm sunny days as well comfortable nights out on the town. The classes run from 9 to 5 all week so you'll be in the cool AC for the hottest parts of the day.

Tampa is full of history and culture with beautiful beaches and exciting night life. Since we understand that most professionals have to wear business attire for work, our classes are totally casual. Basically, as long as you wear clothes your good. We break for lunch for an hour where you can enjoy dining out and shopping at 2 major malls that are really close by. If you choose to wait until after the class to have fun there are tuns of great things to do.

Previously located in historic Ybor City the Tampa SEO Training Academy has moved to a new state of the art facility in the Westshore area located just south of the Tampa International Airport.

Our new address is
5404 Cypress Center Drive, Suite 125
Tampa, FL 33609

Our SEO Training facility offers:

State-of-the-art computer classrooms
Individual Computer workstations
17" LCD flat-screen monitors
T1 internet connectivity & free wireless internet connectivity
Kitchen & break room
Free breakfast & coffee
Free afternoon snacks
Popular on-site deli
Located in Tampa Bay's business district
Free parking
Campus-like office park among grand oaks and colorful landscaping
Westshore location offers easy access to Pinellas & Hillsborough counties
10 minutes from downtown Tampa Bay

If you want to Learn the right way to market your business on the web with all white hat techniques then the Tampa SEO Training Academy is for you.

Contact Us Today to register for our next class on January 28th - February 1st. Don't worry if you can't make that one we hold them every six weeks.

2008 Calendar Dates Selected for SEO Training

2007-10-26T16:52:00.000-04:00

January 28 – February 1
March 10 – 14
April 21 – 25
June 9 – 13
July 21 – 25
September 8 – 12
October 27 – 31
December 15 – 19

The Tampa SEO Training Academy enters the Blogosphere... FINALLY!

2007-10-26T13:47:00.000-04:00

Hey there friendly neighborhood search,

I've finally gotten off my lazy butt and set up a blog for the Tampa SEO Training Academy. I figured it's time I started practicing what I preach for this site. Of course I still need to work my regular look and feel into it but at least it will work for now.

Currently a few new things are going on.

First of all... well... hey... we got a blog up. Cool!

About to put up some new dates on the calendar for 2008. See current SEO Training Course calendar here.

I also recently put out a press release for a Free Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Presentation. The free session is called "Marketing Your Business on the Web: The Importance of Search Engine Search Engine Optimization Your Online Success". RSVP for this special Internet Marketing event here... More about that soon.

Finally folks... the demand for these SEO Training Workshops across the country has been amazing and prices are heading up for 2008. Book early for our November or December SEO Certification Courses.