search engine marketing (sem) for start-ups: how to get prospects to visit your website
TRANSCRIPT
Local, Global and Green ConferenceUniversity of Illinois – ChicagoMarch 28, 2009
Presenter: Rey VillarOnline Marketing ManagerNorvax/GoHealth
Search Engine Marketing: an internet marketing approach that promotes website traffic and online sales — by increasing visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Paid placement (pay per click)
Contextual banner advertising
Paid index inclusion
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Successful SEO begins with an understanding of the Google search engine
Web crawlers
Indexing the Internet
Secret algorithms constantly being tweaked
Primacy of keywords and links
Google is focused on the user experience…and they reward websites that share that philosophy
1. Onsite: Build Your Site for SEO
2. Onsite: Keyword Targeting
3. Onsite: Keyword Placement
4. Offsite: Get Free Links
5. Beware Google Hell
Positive Influences on Page RankLarger site sizes…but smaller file sizesOlder site ages…but fresher content updates
Add a site map Internal links that workCohesive page themesNo copyright violationsGive people a reason to visit
Determine Your Target KeywordsGet keyword ideas at: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Check out the competition at: www.spyfu.com and http://adlab.msn.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/OCI.aspx
Prioritize your keywordsPay attention to local keywordsConsider modifiers and word variations
Put Keywords in Tags
Title URL Description Header (H1 and H2) Emphasized text Picture Alt Link Anchor
Prominent placement
Think like an online shopper
Don’t bother with keyword stuffing
Write copy for your prospects and clients — not the web crawler
Relevant links rank best
Some links are worthless
Many links are bad for you
Trade Links With…
Friends and family
Vendors
Local businesses
Clients
Clubs and alumni groups
Professional associations
Member organizations
Work To Get Links With…
Your own blogArticles (EzineArticles, ArticlesFactory, Buzzle, ArticleDashboard, BusinessKnowHow, ArticleBiz, SearchGuild, Self-Growth, SearchWarp…)
Free Classified Ads (CraigsList)Press releasesBusinesses directories
Quality Links at a Price
BBB accreditation
PRweb
Paid directories
Sponsored organizations
You risk banishment from SERP pages
Avoid link farms
Avoid “black hat” tactics
The best approach — create websites with your customer in mind!
1. Commit to a customer focus
2. Determine what kind of help you need
3. Update your website structure
4. Brainstorm keywords
5. Strategically place priority keywords
6. Dedicate 2 hours a week to getting free links
7. Set up a budget for PPC?
Local, Global and Green ConferenceUniversity of Illinois – ChicagoMarch 28, 2009
Presenter: Rey VillarOnline Marketing ManagerNorvax/GoHealth