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Thoughts on SEO Keyword Research & Keyword Research Tools

Keyword Research and SEO

Too long since my last blog post. Blog Fail no more! Let’s roll.

Alright, the topic of this blog post is keyword research for organic search engine optimization. How totally basic could I get, right? I mean most SEO’s and other Internet marketing professionals know the importance of keyword research for SEO. To us, it’s a no-brainer! It’s usually the first step (if not one of the first steps) of conducting an SEO analysis.

SEOmoz has quickly become one of my favorite resources for all things SEO. Trust me, there are a TON of SEO related resources out there. In fact, too many to name in just one blog post! But what I like about SEOmoz is the fact that not only do they offer wonderful SEO tools (yes, the premium ones WILL cost you), but they are more than willing to share their wealth of information. They give everybody access to a variety of SEO articles – from SEO beginner’s guides all the way up to advanced SEO training, tips, and tutorials.

Another recent keyword research discovery tool is Raven SEO Tools. In addition to organic keyword research, they also assist in a variety of website optimization and online monitoring activities – including Social Media monitoring. That’s very important to me because, as an SEO consultant who is passionate about Social Media Marketing,  I consider monitoring Social Media an integral part of SEO research. Other marketing automation tools are now offering this as a very premium service, but I think Raven is probably one of the few truly seeing Social Media for its SEO value. That’s the same reason I like HubSpot. However, I think for most small businesses, HubSpot’s price range is not in the budget.

Whatever you choose to use, please remember the following about keyword research:

1. Keyword Relevance – Is the keyword or phrase even relevant to your business? If the keyword can answer a question about who you are and what you do, then it is relevant and should be used on your site and the web content.
2. Keyword Search Frequency – Are people actually searching for this keyword phrase in the search engines? So often when I’m doing keyword research, I find there are keywords that are very relevant to what a client does, but there are no search strings across the major search engines. While I don’t recommend NOT using the keyword, I suggest exploring other keywords that are relevant, yet have more actual searches.
3. Keyword Competition – How competitive is this field? Is it even a feasible target? Yes, competition matters. You need to realize that there are now over 50 billion (maybe more?) indexed pages on the web. You are competing with that many pages. You need to carefully choose your words;  But more than that, you need to choose where they are on your website – in page titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, anchor text, internal links, and those ever important backlinks.

Don’t take keyword research for granted. It’s probably the most important investment you’ll make in your SEO, Internet Marketing, or Web Development efforts. It comes down to this: know what your target market is searching for and make damn sure you get in front of them in their time of need. Whether it’s through organic or paid search means, make sure you know the market triggers. Thanks to the lovely search engines themselves, and the tools I noted above, there’s no guesswork anymore.

“Knowing is half the battle”, they say?

Let me help you with the keyword research battle. Contact me by Sunday, January 31st to conduct a keyword research analysis on your website FREE of charge.

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Philly Marketing Tip: Call To Action

Whether you’re creating an ad for a newspaper, designing a website, or embarking on a Social Media campaign, having an obvious and compelling call to action is critical.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but trust me I see failed opportunities encouraging action every day on the Internet.

What is a call to action? It’s the request you make for your target to act in some way. It could be encouragement to call a phone number for more information, request to fill out a contact form, an invitation to download a white paper or report, or simply a directive to BUY OR DONATE NOW!

Why are calls to action so important? Calls to action are your opportunity to ask your customer to DO SOMETHING. Additionally, it is an opportunity to capture their information and put them at the top of your sales funnel.

What are some good call to action techniques?

• Sweeten the deal. Offer some kind of incentive to act. This could be a discount or a free gift.
• Create a sense of urgency. Use language such as “For a limited time only!” or “Act now before this offer disappears!”
• Location! Location! Location! Make sure that the call to action is obvious and in a position where viewers will see it.
• Use contrast. The call to action should pop off the ad or page. The eye should be drawn to it within a few seconds.
• Repeat. Make sure you include a call to action on every webpage, blog post, or social media ad.

Calls to action are vital to your search engine optimization and social media marketing efforts. If you do not encourage your viewers to act, you will never know if your efforts are truly effective and measurable.

In short, use calls to action wherever and whenever possible. Be clear, concise, and consistent!

Oh, and to practice what I preach. For a limited time, I will review and assess your calls to action at no charge! Contact me by Wednesday, January 13th at 12:00PM for your FREE call to action evaluation.

Will SEO for Food?

Why yes, yes I would!

Let’s face it, SEO has become a fiercely competitive space. It seems there’s a new SEO consultant or SEO firm springing up every day. Each one claiming to be experts and better than everybody else. In fact, here in Philadelphia, there’s probably several dozen SEO companies. I don’t know, I haven’t exactly counted.

I will Google “Philadelphia SEO” from time to time to see who the top names are. It usually doesn’t change too much. SEER Interactive shows up in every Philadelphia related SEO search I can think of. As they should. They know what they hell they’re doing.

I show up on page 3 for “Philly SEO”. Not bad I guess, considering it’s not a keyword I’m actively seeking to rank for. I am, however, on page 1 for “Philadelphia Internet Marketing” which is a keyword I always set out to rank for. Because it more accurately describes what I do. I am not just an SEO in Philadelphia. I eat, breathe, and sleep all things Internet Marketing. SEO is just a small, albeit a very important, part of successful Internet Marketing.

Everybody measures success differently – and that’s a topic for another blog post.

But the true measure of my success as an Internet marketer or SEO, is my client’s success. If they’re not successful, I’m not successful. And I take that very seriously. Even if it has to mean I’ll SEO for food.

Need SEO in Philadelphia? Got Food? Contact me today.

Philly Marketing Camp coming in April 2010

Marketing Camp Philly is in the works!

Marketing Camp Philly is a convergence of marketing minds from various disciplines to share, collaborate, and communicate knowledge, theory, and best practices.

Marketing Camp Philly is meant to create and develop thought leaders in Philadelphia to grow and cultivate the creative class in the region.

I’m happy to be helping plan & promote what will be a great unconference for marketers & others in the Philadelphia area.

Sign up HERE if you’re interested in helping plan, promote, volunteer, or speak at this event.

Team and a Dream Launches SociallySourced™ for Smart Crowdsourcing

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Team and a Dream, an interactive marketing agency, will launch a new offering for creating Social Media strategies called SociallySourced™. The offering will be launched as part of the event Entrepreneur 2.0: Social Media Strategies for Startups at the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship, Drexel University, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 1, 2009.

Workshop leaders Skip Shuda and Marilyn Moran will lead the pilot launch of SociallySourced™, a proprietary methodology that draws on the expertise of a diverse panel of social media experts, to create an Social Media Action Plan for a Baiada Center company.  Program Director Bechara Jaoudeh indicated that GreenKonnect, a search engine for the green building industry, will be the first company to receive a Social Media Action Plan that is SociallySourced.

“We are excited to help cause-based organizations understand and use the tremendous marketing benefits that social media offers,” said Jaoudeh.  “And, as a company, we’re especially excited to debut our new methodology for developing innovative social media strategies. We think it’s going to be an effective model for many different kinds of companies.”

Advanced registration is required and is available at http://www.lebow.drexel.edu/Centers/Baiada/Calendar

WHAT: Entrepreneur 2.0: Social Media Strategies for Startups Workshop
WHEN: Tuesday, December 1
TIME: 5 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship
(Drexel University’s Main Campus)
3225 Arch Street, Ground Floor, Room G-55

ABOUT WORKSHOP LEADERS:

Skip Shuda, Co-founder & CEO, Team and a Dream
Skip has a passion for working with Internet startups and using his experience, lessons and tools to assist fellow entrepreneurs.  As CEO of Team and a Dream, he helps accelerate the launch of web businesses by focusing on the creation and deployment of strong eBusiness models.  The company also provides social media marketing, market and competitive assessments and Internet marketing strategies.

Skip is an active participant and speaker in the Philadelphia entrepreneurial community.  In addition, he teaches at the Wharton Small Business Development Center and consults with the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA.

Marilyn Moran, Internet Marketing Strategist, Team and a Dream
Marilyn is a passionate and experienced internet marketing and social media consultant. Prior to working with Team and a Dream, she managed Internet marketing, web development, and social media solutions at several interactive agencies. Her knowledge and creative approaches to using the social tools for marketing have made her an authority in this emerging field.

To learn more about Team and a Dream, please visit http://www.teamandadream.com. For media inquiries, please contact Marilyn Moran marilyn (at) teamandadream (dot) com.

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SociallySourced is a registered trademark of Team and a Dream.

A New Partnership for Smart Internet Marketing Success

Philadelphia Internet Marketing Company

Marilyn Marketing has partnered with Philadelphia Internet Marketing Company Team and a Dream. Based in the Philadelphia suburbs, Team and a Dream provides high-level Internet marketing consulting to startups, small- and medium-sized businesses. We consult and develop solutions in the following areas: brand positioning, inbound marketing, natural search engine marketing, pay per click marketing (Google Adwords), email marketing, social media marketing, and lead generation marketing.

I’m proud to be partnered with such a smart and fast-growing company. Contact us at Team and a Dream to learn how we can push your Internet marketing efforts to the next level!

P.S.: You can still email me at phillymarketing (at) gmail (dot) com.

Philly Social Media Club July 2009 Meeting

Topic: The Benefits of Having a Corporate Mullet

Time: 6:30-8:00
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Location: Red Tettemer
Register at: http://smcphillyjuly.eventbrite.com/ (UPDATE: SOLD OUT! Post message on Facebook group for consideration)
Speaker: Duncan Alney of Firebelly Marketing

It’s true…the mullet is back in fashion! Didn’t you hear the latest from Glamour, er, Business Week?

Come on, how can you not have an affinity for something that’s ‘business in the front and party in the back?!’

Duncan Alney from Firebelly and the Indianapolis Social Media Club will join us to discuss the importance of socializing your business online (the party) while balancing the importance of business protocol in some social media situations (the business).

Duncan is flying in from Indiana to join us, so please give him a warm Philly welcome!

Philly Twitter-LinkedIn Workshop

Last Tuesday, I participated in a workshop at Temple University’s Center City campus that focused specifically on Twitter and LinkedIn. I presented the Twitter portion, while Ed Callahan spoke of LinkedIn.  We had about 35 people attend the workshop. I found that to be a very comfortable number of attendees.  With a show of hands, we asked the audience who was currently participating on Twitter and LinkedIn.  Far more people were on LinkedIn than Twitter. Most of the people who said they were on Twitter were relative newbies.

My presentation was geared for the small business owner who is just getting started. I focused on the basics of setting up a good profile, Twitter search, etiquette, and viable reasons for using Twitter for business. There were many questions from “Should I put my email address in my profile?” to “How do I get more followers?” It’s clearly evident that small and medium-sized business owners and executives know they need to leverage Twitter as a business tool, and there is still a lot of confusion on how to use it effectively.

I’ll tell you what I tell everyone before they embark on a marketing strategy: know your goals. Develop obtainable objectives around those goals. Then brainstorm and experiment on the tactics and actionable items that may accomplish those goals.

Let’s face it, the major goal of any business or company is to increase revenue, right? But increasing revenue can only take place if you have qualified sales leads. So, an example of a sales-driven objective and some action items could be:

Objective:
Increase prospective client & qualifed lead pipeline

Venue:
Twitter

Tactics:

• Create search-friendly profile and tweets
• Download/use desktop or mobile phone-friendly Twitter client
• Use Twitter search for specified and relevant keywords
• Manually follow and monitor appropriate Twitter users
• Follow thought leaders in your industry or area of expertise
• Review daily Twitter stream
• Tweet daily
  • Share relevant links and information about your industry or area of expertise
  • Join relevant conversations
  • Engage Twitter followers: ask questions! give answers!
  • Respond to replies or direct messages
• Promote your product or service moderately
• Monitor and analyze traffic to website

Your social media mileage is going to vary. What works for someone else, may not work for you. Test often, but always keep your objectives in mind. Revise & refine as you need to. Twitter, or any social media for that matter, is not a sales & marketing cure all, nor should it replace other, successful methods you’re currently using. They are one of many tools you may use in your business-building efforts.

Click Here for more information about the Twitter-LinkedIn Workshop. Contact info@teamandadream.com if you wish to discuss setting up a social media consult or social media coaching session with me.