Posts Tagged ‘seo’
Description of ‘seo’ Tag:
Friday, February 4th, 2011
 With SEO some primary goals include creating good content, increasing viewer usability, and promoting a website’s popularity, however there are certain practices out there that we avoid. These avoided practices are orchestrated to quickly or prematurely inflate rankings and take advantage of the factors that search engines utilize when ranking sites. These techniques are often referred to as Black Hat Techniques.
While folks assume there are benefits of using such techniques, there are also major downsides. After using Black Hat techniques a website may temporarily hold a high rank, it will most likely not last very long. Some of the other immediate negative consequences include a site being banned, having penalties against it, and could result in web pages being wiped of their search rank value.
Although search engines devote resources and effort to putting a stop to these methods some still exist. Search engines have worked consistently to ensure that white hat methods remain dominant and discourage the use of black hat tactics.
There are quite a few SEO methods out there that can inadvertently land a website in the search engine dog house. Whether a site is flagged, given the penalties, banned, or you just want to know what to avoid here is a brief list of some of the Black Hat SEO methods to avoid as they could cause issues for a web site.
Cloaking is used to deceive the search engines, what a user sees is different compared to what a search engine robot (bot) would find. Although a site that is utilizing a cloaking technique is open to a penalty, or could be banned there are a few acceptable cloaking techniques called White Hat Cloaking.
Manipulative linking occurs in various forms and exploits search engine link popularity. A common method is using link farms, which is where a group of sites hyperlink to all other sites in the group and the process is generally automated. Some other examples of manipulative linking… Read the rest
Tags: black hat SEO, engine, internet, method, search, search engine, seo
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 31st, 2010
 Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place.
For many people, remaining connected is very important and allows them to maximize their potential. The technology of Smartphone’s enables this connection to reach the next level. Now virtually everything an individual can do from their home or office can be accomplished with a mobile device.
The technology that connects us is ever changing but the reason for this connection remains the same. To learn, experience, share, grow and of course simplify our lives. A Smartphone is a perfect example of making our lives easier. Sure Internet, Email, Texting and Video Chatting in the palm of our hands are all great features but the real highlight is the development of Mobile Applications. There are masses of Apps out there for everything and I mean everything. If you need to learn a language, calculate a tip, make an appointment, find a restaurant, use a flashlight, or navigate directions a Smartphone application has you covered. Small gadgets like these are awesome but what are even more impressive are the Apps that make your work routine easier or more convenient when not in your office.
This is why I put together a list of the top ten mobile Apps for SEO professionals. The Apps detailed below are useful tools that simplify daily tasks for Search Engine Optimization and provide individuals with up-to-date information on their accounts. Apps such as these conveniently allow for the management of their clients, their websites, and crucial statistics. You never know when you may need the data available regardless of if it’s to convey it to a client or only to double check a figure. Mobile Apps like these prevent this issue by keeping a detailed record available to you anywhere and at anytime. Each of the links below provides a description of the application. The Apps range in price from… Read the rest
Tags: Apps, internet, Mobile, Mobile SEO, seo, Smartphone
Posted in Internet Marketing, Mobile Web, Search Engine Optimization SEO | No Comments »
Friday, December 10th, 2010
hypothetical Google plus one logo
Hey everyone it Dustin again and thank you for visiting our Blog.
By now most of us are using or are familiar with Twitter and Facebook but have yet to hear about Google’s new social network venture. The question is can another social network establish itself amongst the ranks of Facebook, Twitter, others? These social network giants leave little to no room for any new entries but that isn’t stopping nor discouraging Google. The talk is that Google has once again been working on its very own social networking site for some time now. They had previously announced it as code named Emerald Sea however they seem to now be playing with the title Google Plus One or Google+1.
Google’s previous attempts to enter social networking include Google Me and Google Buzz. These setbacks however have done little in the way to dishearten Google. Scarce details are available. On top of that hose details out there is mainly in the blogosphere and aren’t exactly concrete. But if anyone can find a home in the social network market it would be Google which is already a giant in its own right. I’m actually kind of surprised Google hasn’t successfully created a social media network already.
Some details speculate that the Google plus one would be like Twitters Retweet Button or could be as simple as a toolbar. Social media and networking sites are huge undertakings which need to be managed constantly to take on a life of their own. In my opinion a toolbar would be the wrong way to go. If Google is going to compete against twitter and Facebook then it’s going to take more than a tool bar across Google’s existing applications. It’s hard to get a clear picture so far but I’m sure users don’t need any more toolbars, plus a toolbar would do little to distinguish Google from the existing social networking sites. I just don’t see a toolbar standing up against the full fledged competitors. What do you think? Would you… Read the rest
Tags: Blog Hints, Facebook, Google, networking, seo, social, Twitter
Posted in Social Networking | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 19th, 2010
 Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place
Alright, people. You need hits on your website and there are ways to get it. SEO, like most things, has two sides. Classic programming lingo refers to these as White Hat and Black Hat. The former is the kind of SEO that a reputable firm will offer you. However, there are plenty of companies that will push your website using the latter’s illicit tactics. Here are three Black Hat techniques to avoid
Article Spinning
Article Spinning takes several forms. One of them is respinning articles from either your own blog or someone else’s blog. You take bits and pieces and change them to make it seem like they’re different. This gets around the duplication rule, but means that you’re offering up no new content. You’re tricking people into finding your site, but what happens when they get there?
Keyword Stuffing
This one is an old tactic that is starting to disappear. Essentially, search engines would use keywords plugged into your META description to help find the site. The only problem is that people were jamming their description full of words that might not even apply to their site. This made for inaccurate search results and irritated web users.
Spamdexing
This is one of the worst offenders, in my opinion. Spamdexing happens when you fill a website with repeated keywords and phrases to the point where it becomes ridiculous. Paragraphs make little sense and the whole text body is designed to be a cheap marketing tool that only serves to frustrate the visitors.
All in all, Black Hat tactics are not worth the price. Sure you might get a brief spike in traffic, but once the search engines catch you, it’s over. Your site gets blacklisted and now you aren’t getting any hits at all. This is all on top of the sloppy mess of a website you’ll be running.
-Josh
InternetBeacon
Tags: Black Hat, Internet Marketing, seo, Tips
Posted in Search Engine Optimization SEO | No Comments »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place. If you’ve used any Microsoft backed site in the past two years or so, you’ve no doubt had to install their Silverlight plug-in.
Your business has a slogan, right? Perhaps it’s in your company’s name. Why do you do that? So you can help tell people about your business before they even enter your office. You let the client know that you’re “Best Local Movers” by making that your company name. Well, SEO works off of this. You want clients to find you based on words that describe your business. Qualitative statements are nice, but accurate objective words are better.
When choosing keywords to describe your business, think about your prospective clients. Are they looking for “cleaners” or are they looking for “Reisterstown Cleaners”. Be descriptive and informative. Make sure you use words that tell people about your business. Geographic locations are good. Another consideration should be specific niche markets. Make sure that instead of “Cleaners” you use “Carpet Cleaners”.
Remember, people find you on the Internet based on what YOU tell them. They do the search, but you are the ones to tell them what words match you. Take time and consider how you want to be found. Last tip: don’t use too much marketing speak. You don’t want to come across cheesy or, worse, false.
-Josh
InternetBeacon.com
Tags: internet, keywords, marketing, seo
Posted in Search Engine Optimization SEO | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 29th, 2010
 Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place.
Everyone will tell you that the mobile web is the future. Devices like iPhones and tablet PCs are giving people more and more access to the Internet on the go. However, these devices are not always equipped with what they need to view the Web as you do on a home PC. To this end, a lot of websites will make a mobile version of their site. Here are some questions to ask yourself about whether or not YOU need one.
Does your current layout rely on Flash or some other plug-in?
Flash is great for everything from online videos to creating a stylish menu. However, if you only use Flash for your site, then people with smartphones and some tablets won’t be able to read it. This denies them access to your page, and denies you a chance at their business.
Do you deliver content that could be viewed on the go?
Blogs are a great example of this. Lots of us commute long distances to work. If you’re on the train or in a carpool, you might want to check the news or read your favorite blogs while you wait. Blogs that are text and images can translate well into a mobile version and can offer you another outlet for your audience.
Do users need to interact with your site regularly?
If you provide a forum or interactive service, you might want to consider making a mobile version. For the most part, this isn’t a huge consideration, but if your interactivity is dependent on Flash or Silverlight, you are preventing users from contributing when they can.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Tags: internet, Mobile, seo, web, Web design
Posted in Web Development | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
 Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place.
Keeping people coming to your site is key in this industry. You don’t want them to visit once and then forget about you. That doesn’t do you any favors and it keeps your website from gaining influence on the web. Now, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is something we here at the Internet Beacon specialize in. However, once you get people to your site, you need to give them a reason to keep coming back. Now, this where your content comes into play. The only thing is, don’t let your content get stale. There are three major forms of communication used today in the blogosphere.
Audio – Listen Up
Today’s Internet user is doing multiple things at once. They might be shopping while listening to the news. Or checking their bank account while playing their favorite music. The common thread here is that the audio provides the user with content, without demanding their absolute attention. Providing content like podcasts or even streaming sound clips can get your audience’s interest, while still giving them freedom.
Video – Catch their Eye
Now, if you really want someone’s attention, video is a great way to do it. Video allows for massive amounts of data to be exchanged. The combination of audible and visual means creates an opportunity to share tons of information with your users. Some great video ideas are reviews or answers to popular questions about your products/services.
Written Word – Worth “X” Amount of Pictures
Ah, the classic standby. Text was the first form of communication on the Web and is easiest to post. A solid blog or post can inform users of your products and services, all while representing it an easy to handle format. PC processing power doesn’t come into play and text is easily managed on mobile devices as well.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Tags: content, Presentation, Repeat Customers, seo, Video
Posted in Browser, Search Engine Optimization SEO, Web Development | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 15th, 2010
 Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place.
When you think of social media, what comes to mind? Well, for most people, it’s Twitter and Facebook. While the latter has been around for a few years more than the former, Twitter has rapidly made a name for itself. Now that Twitter has become such a huge part of social media, the question that arises is where does Twitter place in the ad game? Apparently, very high.
According to recent studies, Twitter ads are doing exceptionally better than Facebook ads. Specifically, the average amount of links clicked on Twitter is 19 per user whereas Facebook comes in at a measly 3. But why? A good guess is that Twitter is simply easier to use. It allows for quicker communication, despite that communication being limited to 140 characters. Another reason could be URL shrinkers. They make the links easier to post and quicker to access.
The take away here is that Twitter is currently outpacing Facebook for shared links. This means that if you want to get people clicking links to your site, Twitter is the place to be. Make your tweets fun, interesting, and relevant and you should have no problem getting people to notice them.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Internet Marketing Maryland
Tags: Facebook, marketing, seo, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Advertising, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
 Hello there! Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s awesome weblog. If you’re here for SEO tips for small businesses, you’ve come to the right place.
Marketing is something that all businesses need. Whether you use flyers to notify people of your awesome new lemonade stand or skywriting to attract people to the sweet new laser tag center you’ve opened, you need to get people to notice your business. Here at the Internet Beacon, we specialize in Internet Marketing. Now, that means we focus on how to get people to see your website. From there, we then need to convert them to leads. Post Click Marketing comes into play here.
PCM is an emerging trend in Internet Marketing that focuses on turning those visitors into valuable customers. This is done through constant analysis of site visitor data. There are several ways to do this. Keywords are a great place to start. You can track who is coming to your site and, importantly, what keywords they are using to find it. This lets you know how your SEO is working and what needs to be tweaked.
Another focal point of PCM is
Marketing is something that all businesses need. Whether you use flyers to notify people of your awesome new lemonade stand or skywriting to attract people to the sweet new laser tag center you’ve opened, you need to get people to notice your business. Here at the Internet Beacon, we specialize in Internet Marketing. Now, that means we focus on how to get people to see your website. From there, we then need to convert them to leads. Post Click Marketing comes into play here.
PCM is an emerging trend in Internet Marketing that focuses on turning those visitors into valuable customers. This is done through constant analysis of site visitor data. There are several ways to do this. Keywords are a great place to start. You can track who is coming to your site and, importantly, what keywords they are using to find it. This lets you know how your SEO is… Read the rest
Tags: get people, Internet Marketing, marketing, PCM, seo, Small Business
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
 Hello and welcome to the Internet Beacon! We’re an SEO firm in Maryland.
There are a lot of ways to make advertising work for your website. You can go with banner ads, simple links to sponsors, or a lot of other options. One of the most controversial forms of advertising on webpages is the in-text ad method.
In-Text ads are essentially links generated based on keywords that appear in your page. They are typically double-underlined and when a user rolls their mouse over them, a tiny pop-up appears with an advertisement relating to that word.
Users are divided on how they feel about this form of advertising. While it does not always seem as intrusive as banner ads, with their occasional flashing and bright colors, they can also be frustrating when simply trying to read an article. Imagine trying to read a book and every time you come across the word “ship”, it shows a little picture of a ship and lists places to buy them. It would drive you mad.
No one expects websites to be used for free. Whether you use a membership format or support our site through ads, you have to pay the bills somehow. However, there are ways to balance your need for income with your need to keep readers coming back.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
for More info on SEO, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. SEO in MD, improve search engine results
Tags: ads, advertising, Banners, Internet Marketing, seo
Posted in Advertising, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO | No Comments »
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