Bill McRea

In many ways the world of seo has shifted with all of the upheaval caused by the Panda updates and the new demands of the “Google Freshness” update. But even as many things change other things remain the same. An emphasis on the basic principles of SEO   provides a solid foundation over time.

Let’s take a look at our five SEO power tips that will help your website attract a ton of organic search engine traffic in 2012:

1. Actually create your own seo strategy

Do you have a solid SEO strategy in place that takes into consideration the specifics of your business, industry and niche? Does your plan involve some kind of schedule for the many tasks that need to be completed in order to implement it? It would benefit you greatly to set aside some time and map out a basic SEO strategy for your websites including a list of weekly and monthly tasks.

2. Create a content development strategy

One of the biggest takeaways from the Google Panda updates of last year was the increasing emphasis on the relevance, quality and freshness of the content for your websites. So, even if you’re not going to be the one who will actually be creating the content that you post on your sites, you’ve got to get a handle on what kinds of content you’ll be using, how often you will be posting it, and who will be creating it. Between writing fresh articles, creating videos, writing and submitting press releases, posting in forums and recording audio programs, content creation is a huge part of an information Marketing business. Having a strategy will help you to be more efficient and consistent when it comes to creating enough fresh content to keep both the search engines and your audience happy.

3. Use keyword research tools

Do you still do your keyword research by hand? Now is the time to really start putting a lot more emphasis on keyword research. Try out the various keyword research tools and don’t be squeamish about investing in a solid keyword research tool. Finding the right long tail keyword phrases to target can make all of the difference to your seo strategy.

4. Use WordPress

It’s not just that I’m biased because I happen to love WordPress, but I recommend it because it’s got so many SEO features already built in. You can also easily boost the SEO factor of your WordPress blog by adding some free plugins. It’s been proven that search engines love blogs, so why wouldn’t you add one to your static website?

5. Focus on acquiring quality backlinks

Did you catch the emphasis on the word quality when it comes to back links? You want to acquire as many high pr, relevant back links as possible in order to help boost your site’s page rank. This will take either a nice chunk of your time, or you will have to choose a paid backlinking service depending on your budget.

So, there you have five tips to get you started. Map out your plan and then work your plan consistently and you will start to see results.

Using smart SEO strategies is one way to get lots of traffic to your websites. Visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today where you will discover many more tips for growing your online business.

If you are a website owner or a blogger who is not also an seo wizard, you might occasionally feel a little bit overwhelmed when you think about all of the things you have to learn about getting the right traffic to your website. But with all of the upheaval that the Google updates have caused, there are three simple factors that you can address on your website that will help improve your website’s Search Engine Optimization so that you can start attracting more free, organic search engine traffic.

 1. The importance of a website’s perceived value

Never before has it been quite as important for you to become known as a trusted authority in your market, but your website must reflect the value that you offer. Focusing on providing a unique, relevant, visitor experience with content that is valuable and compelling encourages users to interact with your content, and even share it with their friends. Invest the energy and resources into creating an enriching experience for your users that will boost your website’s perceived value both in the eyes of visitors and search engines.

 2. Social Signal

According to seomoz.com, social signal is a critical factor in SEO in this post-Panda environment. Including links to your active social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, etc. help search Google determine how connected you are, and what kind of authority you have within your topic/ industry or niche.

The Marketing consulting website, corprominence.com, describes social signals in this way, “The extent to which your brand is able to create connections and expand its network is determined by the extent to which it creates active social signals. An active signal is a two-way connection based on an exchange of value.”

Source: corprominence.com/social-signal

 3. Leverage effective on-page SEO

A properly optimized, keyword rich and relevant page title is one of the key on-page SEO elements on your website. You’re not likely to rank for a particular keyword phrase if it’s not found in the title tag on that page. Pay attention also to the meta-description tag. This snippet of text that shows up beneath your search engine listing should be written in tight, concise, compelling copy with a call to action that entices searchers to click on your link.

The world of search engine optimization is always changing. If you are a website owner you’ve got no choice but to stay abreast of the changes so that your business will continue to grow and flourish.

Some of you might be saying that you’ve heard these things before, but are you implementing them on your site? Sometimes the simplest solution can generate unexpected results, but you’ve got to take the time to put the solution into practice.

Before you make the above-mentioned changes to your website, do a quick snapshot analytics report so that you can review it 30 days and then 60 days after you make the changes and see if they generated some positive results for you.

For more valuable SEO tips and other strategies for building and growing your online business, visit http://www.mcreasite.com/blog today.

You’ve heard about the power of writing and submitting press releases. They are a powerful way to generate web traffic to your website or blog, and they are also an effective way to get media attention for your event. In this article we will focus on how you can leverage your press releases to get a ton of backlinks from authority sites that will help boost your SEO, increase your exposure online, and get the best kind of traffic–targeted traffic to your website.

What I am going to reveal in this article is how you can set up your own system–a press release submission process that you can use time and time again to keep a healthy flow of traffic, leads and attention to you, your products and services. Let’s dive right in.

At this point I am pointing you to what to do with your press release once it’s already written. You can either write it yourself, or hire a professional to write one for you. If you are just looking to use this approach for traffic generation, then you can write the press release yourself if you follow a proven press release template. If you are promoting a book, a major event or product launch where you are looking for media attention, don’t hesitate to hire a professional. The investment in a quality press release will pay off in dividends.

Since Google’s Panda update earlier this year, content producers are learning that the most powerful links tend to be those that are contextual, such as the anchor text links that you will embed in your press release. Make sure that your release is keyword optimized without stuffing or overdoing it.

OK, so you’ve got your press release written. Now you need to develop a list of press release submission sites to submit to. Here is a link to a, “List of 54 Websites for Free Press Release Distribution Service,” http://bit.ly/vkUNRe

Take the time to go through a few of the sites on this list and create a profile for the ones you want to use. I recommend creating a spreadsheet with the URLs, usernames and email addresses that you used to create your accounts and keep it handy when you are submitting your press releases.

Here are some tips about press releases and SEO:

• Research and write a focused, newsworthy press release. This is not a sales or Marketing piece, rather you need to communicate accurate information that is not promotional.

• Take a look at your analytics service before you start submitting press releases so that you can make a note of the changes after you begin your campaign.

• For best results strike a balance between submitting to paid PR submission services and free ones. You know your budget best, but aim to submit a quality press release to a paid submission service at least once per month.

• Don’t spam the free PR sites with too many PRs at once from the same domain.

Create a calendar and come up with a list of topics in advance so that when it comes time to write your press releases you will be prepared. Refer to your spreadsheet to save time, and submit them often and mix it up between the paid and free sites and you should see a nice flow of targeted traffic and leads from these high page rank authority sites to your website quickly.

If you like these tips on submitting a press release for SEO purposes, you should visit http://mcreasite.com/blog for more information about Internet Marketing.

Quora.com is a social media site that is based on asking and answering questions on basically any topic you can think of. I find myself describing it as a mashup of Yahoo questions, but with the professionalism of LinkedIn. Quora is growing in popularity thanks to a mention earlier this year by Robert Scoble.

Quora can be used for research, but for the purposes of this article we are going to focus on using it to grow your network and establish your credibility in your niche or topic.

There are several other question and answer websites out there, but one of the things that makes Quora more appealing is the caliber of the community and therefore the answers you’ll find there. The site is frequented by many, high-powered Silicon Valley types as well as journalists, entrepreneurs and small business people. So, while you are going about establishing yourself you can also network with fellow experts who are willing to share their knowledge.

I am not going to cover how to use the site. You can sign up using either your Facebook or Twitter account. As soon as you join you will be brought to your first question, which is, “How do I get started using Quora?” Go through that and follow the prompts and you will see how easy it is to get started.

As you will learn in the initial tutorials, you can follow topics, people and questions. You will want to take the time to learn about how to make the best use of the site by reading good answers, good questions and watching how the people in specific fields and topics use Quora.

• How to establish credibility as a topic expert on Quora:

One cool feature of quora is that is policed by users and administrators. New users must take a short quiz before they can post anything on the site, and other users of the site can recommend edits to your answers. Your fellow members on the site scour it daily to keep it clean, civil and accurate. So, if you are thinking that it would be a good place for blatant self-promotion, think again. Users can down vote your answers and even edit them. Taking the time to provide thoughtful questions and answers that add value will reflect better on you than simply trying to promote yourself and your business directly.

Get in there and create your profile and bio for the topics that you are expert in and then take the time to form relationships. Follow people that you know and admire, read and comment on their stuff and then start answering questions and contributing value.

• How to grow your network using Quora

Make sure that your profile is filled out completely first. If you joined quora by linking with your Twitter or Facebook account, your friends on those social media sites who are already on quora will be notified that you are now on Quora too and they will most likely follow you back.

As you share your knowledge and expertise on Quora, people will start following you and commenting on your stuff. Be sure to read the community guidelines and follow them to avoid potential embarrassment later. You can create and share content, but don’t spam your links.

Think of Quora as a platform for building your brand, meeting colleagues and potential customers and expanding your network. Go first, provide value and your network and popularity will grow organically.

To learn more about social media marketing, be sure to visit, http://mcreasite.com/blog to discover lots of ideas for using Internet Marketing to grow your online business.

If your website caters to a local clientele then you are definitely leaving money on the table if you have not optimized your google places listing. Let’s face it. When people in your local area are searching for what you have to offer, such as, “Springfield cupcakes,” you want your business to pop up as close to the top of the listings as possible. Your Google Places listing is free. It comes with a detailed map of your location, a satellite and sometimes even a street level view of your business location, so why not take advantage of it?

One of the other benefits of optimizing your Google Places listing is that it helps boost your visibility on Google, and if you get a good spot on Google places your listing might even end up above the ones that appear in the organic search results.

Add Your Listing to Google Places

Go to, google.com/local/add/businessCenter and add or claim your new listing. Follow the steps to verify your listing.

Optimize your Google Places Listing:

• Be sure to fill out your business profile completely. Be sure to use lots of relevant keywords without spamming the page. Use plenty of appropriate geo-local keywords such as your city name, zip code, neighborhood name + your keyword, and your business category + location such as: “cupcakes, Springfield.”

• Get as many reviews as you can. Ask your favorite customers to visit your listing and leave a review and rating. The more reviews and ratings you get the higher your listing will appear in local search results. Avoid posting a bunch of reviews at once as this does not really look natural. Add them one or two at a time slowly over time.

• List your business in other local Online business directories as well, and link these to your Google places listing to help boost your profile.

• You can add up to ten photos and five videos to your page. You can add coupons and even use a QR code.

Another strategy for optimizing your listing is to take a peek at the top three of your local competitors that are above you in the listings. View their profile and see what they are doing. Take note of them and do the same things on your profile and watch your profile move up in the local search engine results.

But one of the most important things that you can do to grab more notice both by your potential customers and by the search engines is to get listed in as many online directories as possible such as Yelp.com, CitySearch.com, Yahoo! Local, and SuperPages.com to name just a few of the dozens of directory sites where you can get a local listing.

Optimizing your Google places listing makes it simple for your customers to find you, it will also send lots of targeted traffic to your website, and help boost your website’s seo at the same time.

Optimizing your Google places listing is just one way to generate traffic and interest to your website and local business. For more tips on how to grow your business online, visit, http://mcreasite.com/blog today.