Content Based SEO

If you are reading this blog post you have more than likely been on the internet for years and encountered, if not been part of, some stupid internet mistakes. In the spirit of Halloween I think we can be a little irreverent today. I’m willing to be the first one  to risk the ridicule that may come with my mistakes. Take a look at my top three stupid  mistakes. There are more but I do have some sense of preservation and dignity still intact.

1. Putting my youngest son on my Facebook page. He’s 23. He’s a college student. He’s a fun loving kid. Need I say more? I immediately regretted being his “friend”. Did I really want to see what he was posting on his page? Nnno! To his credit nothing unseemly has come across the news feed. But then again, perhaps he has taken my suggestion to have two Facebook pages. One for his friends where he can be as raunchy as he likes and one for me and other parents that tells us about how he just returned from church and charity work.
2. A friend of mine, who displays artwork for sale at her business, posted images of the artwork on her blog. There was one particularly ugly piece of work that was centered around a 3D toilet paper roll. I commented on her blog and asked her if she really thought someone would buy it. Her comment back to me was short and not so sweet. She had already bought it.
3. Email and the deadly auto-populate address was my demise on one particular email. I was sending an email to a colleague about one of our clients. To put it bluntly, it was a rather sarcastic and critical review of a presentation they had given. When I went to the address bar I accidently inserted the email address of one of their associates instead of my intended recipient. I confidently pushed send and at that moment saw the wrong email address. No taking that back. Nothing was ever said but it still haunts and humiliates me.

I’ve told you mine, now you tell me yours. Comment here with your stupid internet mistakes. It may make me feel better to know I’m not the only one.

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Real Estate Brokers, now more than ever, need to raise the bar on their marketing efforts. Content based SEO (search engine optimization) is taking the forefront with internet marketing strategies. Traditional efforts of advertising are just not doing the trick anymore. The Yellow Pages, newspaper advertising, and print publications are not producing satisfactory results. Internet marketing has become a crucial and essential tool for real estate brokers.

Listing Ads: Look Beyond for Real Results

Real estate brokers are at the top of the list for using internet marketing. Most brokers have their listings on line and hope that someone sees them and responds. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Slapping some listings on a website and hoping someone sees them is not enough. Authority needs to be shown. What makes you different than the other thousands of real estate brokers? Let the world wide web know that you have knowledge about the industry above and beyond the average. Savvy brokers are using content based internet marketing to increase website traffic, leads, and sales.

Content Based SEO to Increase Awareness

Content based internet marketing is a proven, legitimate and ethical way to increase targeted website traffic. It is an efficient and cost-effective way to find new and loyal clients. Content in the form of articles, web 2.0 pages and social media are excellent tools for brokers. Not only does this create backlinks to the website but it increases the website’s organic ranking.

Real Estate Blogs

Every broker should have a blog. Sounds easy enough but it doesn’t stop at just having a blog. Continual posting everyday or at least several times a week is mandatory. The broker becomes the authority and go-to source for real estate information. While you are building trust with your followers you are also finding targeted leads looking for real estate services. The links in the blog will point to the Broker or Agent website’s home page and deeper links into specific site pages.

Internet Marketing: Brand Recognition and Trust

Internet marketing in the form of smart, informative content for real estate brokers and agents will build  brand recognition, gain trust, and turn leads into prospects and prospects into sales. Getting a step above the competition in the tight real estate market is essential to success. Get the word out, not just about your listings, but about your authority.

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Recipe Searchers Head for the Internet instead of Magazines

This excerpt from the PBS website is just another example how content based SEO is making an enormous dent in how businesses relate to their clients. Looks like Gourmet Magazine didn’t jump on board soon enough.

Did the Web Kill Gourmet Magazine? | PBS

The murder happened in the kitchen with a laptop.

That possible explanation for the death of Gourmet magazine sounds like a solution from the game Clue. The 68-year-old food magazine met its end this month when publisher Condé Nast cut it and two other magazines. Some blamed Gourmet’s demise on the Internet and its theft of the print audience. It’s easy to see why.

For foodies, the attraction of thousands of food websites is powerful. Many home cooks now carefully position a laptop in the kitchen, keeping it safe from crumbs and splashes, instead of a magazine recipe. The loss of Gourmet, which was seen as a prestigious title, means that other food magazines may now feel a greater sense of insecurity.

But the threat to food titles goes beyond the mere existence of the web; it also comes from magazines’ challenges in the changing game of branding.

Getting to Know You

It might be tempting for some to blame the thousands of food bloggers for distracting audiences from print media.

There’s a food blogger for every ethnic specialty, dietary concern or locality. Bloggers offer personal connections, unique voices, and a passion for their subject that print magazines may not provide. Narrow expectations from readers and advertisers can limit print magazine content, while bloggers are more free to explore topics in frequent posts.

Read more here:  MediaShift . Did the Web Kill Gourmet Magazine? | PBS.

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Google has made a big announcement today in the Google blog that Similar Images will now be a permanent feature in Google Images. They have graduated from Google Labs to be another full-fledged member of the Google repertoire.

Google Images Refined

What does this mean for us as image searchers? I decided to search Google Images for “dogs”. Think that is a big category? You bet. There are over 57 million images! The results produce images of different dogs, advertising images, and even an image of a hot dog. Wanting to narrow things down a little I pick my favorite image, two labs in a field, and click beneath it where it says “Find Similar Images”.  Now my search is a bit refined showing labs and other sporting dogs in outdoor scenes. No more hot dogs, or advertising images. My results have also been narrowed down to 620 images.

Google is rolling this out gradually and searches will be able to be refined even further to narrow results to just exactly what you are looking for. Some of you may be able to do this now but I don’t think it is working for everyone at this time. Google is continually striving to make our searches easier and faster to find the exact information we need. Three cheers for Google,their search engine, and their extraordinary technicians!

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Bloggers want Answers to how the FTC Guides Affect Them

Internet marketers, social media buffs, and everyday bloggers want answers.  Concern over the new FTC rules has them wondering if their content based SEO strategies need to change.

Instead of going through a long and detailed explanation let’s go right to the horse’s mouth and see what Mary Engle, Associate Director – Bureau of Consumer Protection, has to say. “What do the Endorsement Guides mean for bloggers?” http://www.ftc.gov/multimedia/video/business/endorsement-guides/endorse_mary-q3.shtm

What’s Happening in Business in Las Vegas

The Las Vegas CEO CFO Group held its monthly meeting yesterday at McCormick and Schmicks. The topic was “Nevada Economic Summit: Lawyer, Accountant and Lender”. The panel was comprised of some leading Las Vegas figures, Greg Garman, Managing Partner at Gordon Silver, Mike Shustek, founder of Vestin Group, and Bill Wells, Managing Partner of RSM McGladery.

Around 75 attendees, including Frank Spady of Ranking Edge, were at this lunch meeting and listened to the three executives speak of the economic issues facing Las Vegas. Discussions ranged from unemployment to lenders and construction. Most members agreed that the recession in Las Vegas is not anywhere near the end.

The Las Vegas Review Journal covered this summit meeting and reported on the discussions with an article by reporter John G. Edwards.

America has outsourced work to foreign companies for many years now. This trend has grown significantly since the 1990s. Businesses looking for ways to save overhead and production costs jumped on the foreign bandwagon in a big way. This trend has not come without problems and intense criticism. Outsourcing to other countries eliminates the lack of a deep understanding, by Americans, of the local market of the customer.

Customer Service Complaints

How many times have you called a customer service line and not been able to understand the person you are speaking with? It’s a common and frustrating problem. Many businesses have outsourced their call centers to other countries. Often times issues are not resolved because of the language barrier. Therefore a second problem and complaint was created and the original never resolved. Communication with consumers is a major problem. 

Writers: Mistakes with Outsourcing

In the content based internet marketing world some companies are choosing to use writers from other countries. Pricing is considerably less but so is the quality. The cultural differences definitely affect the finished products and subpar material is created. Colloquialisms are not understood and writing becomes sometimes wordy and difficult to comprehend. Other common mistakes are improper use of pronouns and adverbs. We have heard about problems with plagiarism and refusal to edit work and take negative feedback.

Bringing Back Jobs to the U.S.

As complaints mount some large companies are feeling the pinch and bringing back their jobs to the United States. In recent years companies like Dell and Citigroup have seen the light and lessened or eliminated their outsourcing. The realization that customer service is about relationships may just be a turning point for the many U.S. citizens in need of work.

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One of the questions that I get asked most frequently regarding content based SEO is, “how can I think of more things to write about?” As blogs and social media become more popular it is a valid question. Sometimes writer’s block sets in and there seems no way out of it. Organic ranking depends heavily on written material so let’s get rid of that block.

Writing is like Having a Conversation

During your day you most certainly had conversations with someone somewhere. If you hibernated all day and spoke to no one you were more than likely at least on your computer and sent or read some emails. Use these communications as tools for writing ideas.

Think about who you talked to and what your conversation was about. If your business is selling widgets, did you talk to someone about your new and improved widget? Did you tell someone about the new colors of your widgets or how one of your clients used a widget to promote their business? Write about it. It’s amazing how you can take one little, seemingly insignificant subject, and turn it into 400 words of content.

Top Ten Lists

A popular topic for writing are the top ten lists. Coming up with a top ten list is easier than you think. As a matter of fact, it does not need to be top ten, even a top three, five, or whatever your number is, will work.  Each list entry can have a brief description and before you know it you have your new written content.

Here’s my top ten list of top ten list possibilities!

1. Top ten reasons to use a widget
2. Top ten colors of widgets
3. Top ten mistakes a widget user makes
4. Top ten links about widgets
5. Top ten widget testimonials
6. Top ten books about widgets
7. Top ten widget users
8. Top ten quotes about widgets
9. Top ten places to use a widget
10. Top ten most popular widgets

Have a Sense of Humor

Writing does not always have to be serious. You may engage more readers and traffic if you write with a sense of humor. What did you laugh about today? Create an article about it and let your readers enjoy your experience. Sarcasm is not always a bad thing, and used with taste your readers will smile while perusing your content. In today’s day and age a smile is worth a thousand words! It just may bring your readers back for more.

Writer’s Block be Gone

Take a few of these ideas and expand on them. Don’t forget your keywords and headings and start writing. Before you know it your next article, blog post, or web 2.0 page is done, complete, and out on the world wide web.

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