However, there are other factors to consider when writing content – like the fact that a human being may actually read it. And it goes beyond just appealing to the reader, there are some significant SEO benefits to engaging readers and keeping them on your site.

Take this example from SEOmoz. The had one writer produce two different articles; each article was on the same topic and included about the same number of words, but one article earned 378 links and averaged a viewing time of 5:41 while the other earned six links and people stayed on the page, on average, for less than 90 seconds.

They went on to explain the differences between the articles – how they used pictures, headlines, bullet points, etc. There would have been a little difference in how these respective articles were read by the search engines, but a huge difference in how they were read by people.

So what does all of this mean? Yes, it does take more time to make an article look nice and attract (and keep) a reader’s attention. But wouldn’t you rather have the 378 links than you would the six links? Wouldn’t you rather have people reading through your whole article and then sharing it with others?

You may have been able to write an additional two or three so-so articles with the extra time you put into creating a top quality article, but you certainly wouldn’t be getting three to four times the benefit. And while article marketing still has its benefits, Google’s Panda Update still leaves the future a bit uncertain for that method.

So take the time to create quality articles that don’t just make the robots happy, but the people too.

Image by Max Klingensmith

A few weeks ago, J.C. Penney got busted by Google for some shady linking strategies they were using to improve their search results. The SEO firm they had hired (and have since fired) was allegedly paying websites to link back to JCPenney.com using specific anchor text.

Well, Overstock.com and Forbes.com have been the next in what could end up being a long line of websites who will be changing their seedy ways.

Overstock.com apparently went about it a little different – and perhaps less deceitful – way. Instead of outright paying websites to link to their home page using specific anchor text, they offered discounts on Overstock.com for people who linked – specifically from .edu sites.

While all the details aren’t completely clear, Forbes.com was apparently manipulating Google’s PageRank algorithms. This may be residual from a year or two ago from when they were previously busted, but regardless they’ve since remedied the situation.

And while I must applaud Overstock, Forbes, and J.C. Penney for their efforts (they are, after all, businesses trying to bring in revenue) even though they didn’t break any laws or do anything immoral, they have to know they’re at the mercy of Google’s (sometimes arbitrary) rules. These companies, I’m sure, have large advertising/marketing departments which, I’m sure, did their research and realized they were taking a calculated risk. But they had to have realized it was only a matter of time before they got caught.

So what lessons are there to be learned for the small business owner or e-commerce business? Well, you may not have the luxury of a recognizable brand or a marketing division to take a lot of risks; however, this shouldn’t keep you from trying new things. You should certainly avoid those tactics that you know are going to get you caught, but Search Engine Optimization is a growing industry with a lot of testing and experimentation.

So don’t break the rules and don’t get Google mad at you, but don’t be afraid to try some new things and get your hands dirty.

Image by qthrul

Adsense is an online advertising application run by Google, Inc. It helps website and blog owners monetize their content and is one of Google’s most profitable ventures. But what is it?

To put it simply, Adsense is a program in which website and blog owners give certain spaces on their pages for ads to be displayed. Then, Google determines what ads would be most relevant to the site’s content and provides text, image or video ads in the designated space. In most cases, site owners are paid every time a visitor clicks on an ad.

Because of that payment plan, some people try to take advantage of the system using click fraud and other deceptive means. But Google has a set of rules that participants in the program must adhere to or risk being disqualified from the program. Here are a few guidelines to help you avoid violating Google’s policies.

1. Never click on your own ads. Even if you legitimately want to visit a site that is advertised on your site through Adsense, don’t click on it. Type the url of the ad directly into the address bar instead. Clicking on your own ads can qualify as click fraud even no matter what your motivation is.
2. Don’t ask anyone to click on your ads, directly or indirectly. Anything that can be considered “encouragement” is prohibited. Users are to click on Google ads only because they are genuinely interested in the site being advertized, never to make money for your site or to receive any sort of reward. It is acceptable to label ads as “Sponsored Links” or “Advertisements,” but anything along the lines of “Click My Ads” is in violation of policy.
3. Place ads carefully. You should never do anything to trick people into clicking on ads. Make sure they are located away from interactive elements and are not placed under headings that could confuse users. Using your site’s design, layout, images or other elements to mislead visitors into clicking on ads is prohibited by Google policy.
4. Know Where Your Site Is Promoted. Websites that use Adsense are not to be promoted in pop-up ads or other prohibited media. Google has specific guidelines for landing pages, and familiarizing yourself with these policies can help you stay out of trouble and be successful.

There are two different kinds of keywords you can use when optimizing your website: short tail and long tail. Short tail keywords have broad application and are highly competitive – such as “gift baskets.” Due to their familiarity, short tail keywords are searched for much more than long tail keywords. An example of a less-competitive, long tail equivalent to “gift baskets” might be “happy birthday gift baskets.” 

So if long tail keywords don’t get searched for nearly as much as short tail, why would anybody use them? First of all, long tail keywords aren’t as competitive, so you have a realistic chance of making the first page of results on Google and other search engines. Depending on the competition, you may even be able to crack the top five, which would be difficult with a short tail keyword like “gift baskets.” This search result positioning is incredibly valuable for internet marketers and is a great tradeoff for short tail keywords, which ultimately get more searches. 

Because long tail keywords are more specific, they generally convert at a high rate. For example, if an internet marketer worked day and night and was able to rank on the first page of search results for “gift baskets,” they would be seen by an enormous number of people each day. But many of the people would be looking for a specific kind of gift basket, which the marketer may not offer. When someone searches for “happy birthday gift basket,” they know exactly what they want and are likely to make a purchase if you offer a good selection of related products.

Is it possible that less is more? In the case of traffic for your site, the answer is yes! Rather than focusing on getting massive amounts of traffic, PMI Coaching recommends that you shift gears and focus instead on attracting qualified traffic. Here’s the difference: general traffic includes all kinds of people, most of which have no interest in your products or services. Qualified traffic, on the other hand, is comprised solely of those who are potential customers and familiar with your niche. By seeking qualified traffic, you’ll make more sales and enjoy overall customer satisfaction. Your visitors will appreciate the relevancy of your site to their search or need, and leave happy.

The good news is that contextualized advertising has made it easier to attract qualified traffic than ever before. In its simplest form, contextualized advertising is advertising that is specifically geared toward individual users based on their preferences and online history. For example, if you search for the phrase “bass fishing” on Google, the ads you see displayed on the page will be based on that term in order to provide you with ads that stand a good chance of appealing to you. In this case, the ads on the page might be for a new Abu Garcia bass reel, a Rapala crankbait or even a new bass boat. For more information on how contextualized advertising works, refer to this article.

Social media services like Facebook also play a strong role in attracting qualified traffic by providing incredibly accurate targeting tools. For example, if you were selling jazz music collectibles, you could type in the names of artists like Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane into the keyword box provided. Facebook would then target their users who have these words appearing in their profiles or group lists. Facebook would also suggest related keywords for you to use. In the case of this jazz music example, Facebook might suggest other famous jazz musicians whose names appear on users’ pages, such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. In addition to providing you with keywords, Facebook also has ten elements which allow you to target your marketing: location, age, birthday, sex, education, workplace, relationship, interested in, languages and connections. A successfully targeted ad uses a combination of five or six of these elements to find the most likely potential customers.

Remember, getting thousands of random people to visit your site is not going to result in the conversions you want. Success comes by bringing the right people to the right part of your site. By utilizing contextualized advertising and the advantages of social media, you can operate within your niche and find people who are happy to buy from you.

As blogs and websites become increasingly user friendly, more people are able to upload and manage their own images without the assistance of a web designer. This is particularly handy for entrepreneurs because it allows them to personally update their blogs or websites quickly and accurately. The most common question is no longer how to upload an image, but rather where to find the images to use.

There are numerous sources available, with many requiring registration or payment of some kind. Before using an image from any collection or website you should always read the fine print. Make sure that you are familiar with its specific terms and limits. Here are some suggestions from Professional Marketing International for the best places to find a broad range of suitable images.

Free Stock Image Collections: The images available from these collections are largely free, but you should still take the time to carefully read the terms for each site.

• FreeFoto.com
• openphoto.net
• stock.xchng

Creative Commons: This is a great place to start. The search functions are easy to use and the images are sometimes free. Check out the following sites to get started.

• Creative Commons Website
• Google Creative Commons Search
• Yahoo Creative Commons Search
• everystockphoto.com

Commercial Image Collections: These websites all provide top quality images. Because they are top tier, they require registration or payment.

• iStockphoto
• gettyimages
• clipart.com
• BIGSTOCK

Simply put, webmaster tools are a set of tools designed to assist site owners with the management and promotion of their site. These tools help you develop a sitemap, list external links, see what keyword searches lead to the site and track other site statistics. Two of the most common webmaster tool providers are Google and Bing. Both of these services are free and quite easy to use. Due to increasing competition, they have broadened their product selection and improved their performance.

Google webmaster tools have a solid reputation among website owners. They make is easy to track your site’s performance and searchability. By offering Google search-related information, these tools provide many benefits to entrepreneurs. Most importantly, you can find out what keywords are relevant to your site, which assists you in optimizing it for greater traffic. Check out the Google webmaster center here.

Bing launched its webmaster tools a little late in the game, but they offer a fine selection of functions. Like Google, the Bing tools allow you to add a site map. New features also include geographic targeting and top search queries. Bing’s tools make it possible to monitor multiple sites and can be an excellent choice for many site owners. Check out the Bing webmaster center here.

Webmaster tools are essential to efficiently running your site. The tool kits offered by Google and Bing are both provide excellent options. Professional Marketing International recommends you take the time to research these tool providers before you decide which is best for your site.

In simple terms, affiliate websites are where you promote the products or services of other people for a profit. For example, if you decided to create a blog about something that interests you, you could promote for others on that blog. Let’s say you chose to blog about events in your local community. It would make perfect sense to include links to local businesses on your page, and therefore drive traffic (paying customers) to that businesses website.

However, as the Professional Marketing International coaches will tell you, there is one thing you must be absolutely sure of if you’re going to promote a business. You need to be certain that business has an affiliate marketing program set up which will reward you for the customers you send their way! An easy way to do this is by setting up a Google adsense account. Google has affiliate marketing dialed in, so running with them would be a wise move. Besides, if you’re going to be a true entrepreneur, Google should be a very close friend!

Making money with affiliates really is an incredibly simple process. It can sometimes be a little tricky to get started if you don’t know what you’re doing, so by making an initial investment in a PMI internet consultant, you will more than make up for it in the long run with your affiliate business.