MaineBusiness.com

The Press Herald Tackles Search Engine Optimization

I had mixed feelings about an article in today's Press Herald called: Searching for Room Near the Top, by Tom Bell, and not because he didn't contact MaineToday's Internet marketing blogger (me) for an interview. Sniff. It was a well researched and written article, and like any article that appears in the mainstream media, it was meant to play to a wide audience.

However, I'm concerned that it will get a bunch of small businesses here in Maine fired up about spending money on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) without a plan on what to do with that traffic.

One of the things I tell anyone who attends one of the Search Engine Marketing seminars I put on from time to time is that search engines are like a hose, but if your Web site is a leaky bucket, it doesn't make a difference how high the hose is on.

Search engine optimization is probably the most well-known aspect of Web marketing, but if you spend all of your Web marketing budget on SEO, you'll miss out on other important components of a Web marketing campaign, such as email marketing, business blogging and a Web site that can convert visitors into customers.

So yes, absolutely SEO is essential to the success of your Web site. But if you don't have a plan to handle that increased visibility all the traffic in the world won't save your business.

For more on this, check out Holistic Web Marketing: An Integrated Approach to Online Success.

A few items I would have liked to see mentioned in the article:

• Onsite content is only half the battle; you need to get quality incoming links to succeed.
• Blogs are great ways of increasing your visibility at the search engines.
• The links from other sites and intrasite links (links from one page to another) should be keyword rich; in other words, don't just say "click here", say, "Web marketing for small business" (or whatever your customers would search for.)

<shameless plug>

Google Analytics for Online Success! is the upcoming Working Lunch Seminar at flyte. Learn how to determine your traffic levels, what search engines are sending you traffic, where people are leaving your site, and which Web sites and search engines are giving you the best quality visitors.

Date: Wednesday, July 11th
Time: Noon - 1:30pm
Cost: $50 (lunch included)

Seating is limited to just 10 people, so register today or just learn more!

</shameless plug>

Rich Brooks
Maine SEO (See?)

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