Strategies for Top 10 rankings on Bing

There’s no denying that the launch of Bing.com has definitely improved Microsoft’s position in terms of search market share. So now the big question remains - “How do I rank higher on Bing.com and drive more qualified traffic to my website?”

While the jury is still out on any definitive strategies there are some growing trends and support for the tactics detailed below:

• Backlinks: While still used in the Bing algorithm, backlinks counts for top 10 sites are lower than on Google possibly suggesting less importance.
• Anchor Text: Get your anchor text right because it appears that Bing focuses more heavily on links with relevant anchor text.
• On-page Optimization: A lot of SEO experts suggest that Bing weighs more heavily towards on-page optimization than off-page optimization. I’m not totally convinced this is true or if it is, will remain the case but if it is keywords, title tags and internal link anchor text will add significant benefits.
• Age & Authority: It appears that Bing places a higher weighting on site/domain age and authority than Google. Again a factor that is surely not sustainable given the importance of social media and blogs in terms of relevant results.

For more information on achieving front page rankings on the major search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing contact the Search Engine Optimization experts of Houston, Texas at (281) 362-9855 today!

How to Analyze a Competitor’s Website

If analyzed properly your competitors' websites can give you all sorts of information that you can use to increase the traffic and the search engine rankings of your site.

Identifying the Leaders

First, start off by identifying your major competitors. A good place to do this is in the Yahoo directory. It is also a good idea to review the websites of major players in similar industries in order to get a better view of your website as it is perceived by others. Be sure to check some of the larger corporations and identify any innovative approaches and new products they may have to offer.

Sites like Quantcast can tell you which companies get the most traffic, and you can get relative traffic stats using Alexa which gives you a rough idea of where your competitors are in the ranking order.

The next step is to research your top 5 or 10 competitors very closely. There is a lot that you can learn by looking at their websites and analyzing them.

These are the things that you should look for:

1. Check out their products or services and note anything that’s different from what you offer.

2. Look for gaps that you could fill.

3. Think about the look, feel and functionality of their websites compared to yours.

4. Check the advertising campaigns and offers they run.

5. Look at their strengths and weaknesses, from the customer’s point of view. 6. See if you can figure out the strategy they are using.

For more information on competitor analysis or local SEO & Internet Marketing call (281) 362-9855 or contact the Houston SEO experts at Magnetiks Search Marketing today!

SEO Tips – Link building: a treasure chest of SEO Gold

If you’re looking for a great SEO tip that will help you attract targeted traffic to your website then you definitely want to invest into an on-going link building in order to increase your website ranking.

What are SEO backlinks?

Backlinks are links that point to your website and originate from other websites. They can be in the form of your complete URL (e.g. http://www.yourdomain.com/link-to-you.html), or a more SEO friendlier method such as an anchor text link (e.g. Search Engine Optimization Houston, Texas).

Backlinks are important but why?

The number of backlinks, or inbound links your website has is factored in to the equation search engines use to assess and rank your website. The more inbound links you have, the greater the reputation your site is considered to possess. This can lead to an increase in your search engine rankings as well as your Google Page Rank.

Ok, now I know why but how do I get other sites to link to mine?

There are any number of different ways to acquire inbound links for your website, a few examples include:

1.    Forums - Most forums provide their users with a signature box, this signature box allows you attach links and/or images to everything you post. You can also place links in your comments. Some forums require you to make a certain number of posts before you can place anchor links or links in general in your signature box and/ or comments. However, Do not spam the forum, you will get kicked off by the administrators.

2.    Article marketing – most article submission sites allow the author to place a link or two in the article body.

3.    Social media - On all social media sites you can put at least 1 url on your profile, Some allow you to put as many as you want. Again don’t over do it or you’ll be seen as a spammer. The content which you produce within social media also has areas where you can put your links.

There are many more ways to get your inbound links including blog posting and commenting, etc.

Tip: Google loves it when you place your links in content that is relevant to the page your link leads to. For example if you are blogging about Local SEO Internet Marketing it would benefit you more if your link was to point to a part of your site which was also about Local SEO Internet Marketing. This isn’t essential but it does help.

Looking for more information on inbound links? Call (281) 362-9855 and ask the SEO Houston experts at Magnetiks Search Marketing.

Using Internet marketing strategies to achieve branding goals

Internet marketing is all about measureable results, not generic branding concepts. With that being said, if you have a branding goal in mind there is an effective Internet marketing strategy you can pursue.

Branding refers to the notion of creating an identity for your product or name brand with consumers. The classic example, of course, is Coca Cola. Being first on the market, they have created such a strong brand name that many people use the word “coke” instead of soda even when they prefer a different brand. In the world of traditional marketing, everyone respects the marketing team that can accomplish this level of branding.

The Internet, however, is a different media and a similar strategy would fail miserably if followed on the Internet.

The Internet is such a large entity that branding can be expensive and difficult unless you are the first major player in a niche. For example, EBay and Amazon were the first major players in their fields and to this day that has given them a huge advantage over competitors that followed after them. Unless you are coming to a field with a lot of money and no current dominant competitors, your branding goal is going to be met with limited success at best.

However, if you plan to stick with your branding goal, the most cost effective and ultimately successful Internet marketing strategy at your disposal is a search engine optimization or organic SEO campaign.

Search engine optimization is simply a dedicated effort to get the pages on your website ranked in the top 10 listings on the major search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing for the keyword phrases your prospects use to find the services or products you provide in your business area. To meet your branding goal, you first need to identify all the phrases your potential customers use to find the services or products you provide, then create optimized web pages for each of these phrases and get those pages ranked in the search results.

This strategy has two benefits:

•    It will produce free traffic to your site.

•    Your branding goal is met because the site appears in all the top 10 rankings for your selected keyword phrases. This creates both brand recognition and credibility.

For more information on how our Internet marketing strategy can help you meet the branding goals for your Houston, Texas business call Magnetiks Search Marketing today at (281) 362-9855 today!

Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI)

One of the keys to achieving high placement in the organic search engine results is the Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI) of the keywords you are trying to rank for. Calculating KEI values provides a system for evaluating the effectiveness of keyword phrases. Keywords and keyword phrases with a high KEI increase the probability of obtaining high rankings.
 
What does all of this mean?
 
Keyword phrases with KEI values above 400 are worth their weight in gold. Phrases with a KEI of 4 isn’t bad but we recommend that sufficient KEI research be done to achieve a list of long- keyword phrases with a KEI value above of 20 or greater..
 
The larger task is one of implementation.
 
After completing KEI research and arming yourself with quality keyword phrases the question with existing sites is how many pages will be edited? At a minimum I recommend the home page and all pages that link from it. If all of the 11 tags and attributes to which Google pays the most attention to need to be edited then this could easily average an hour if not two hours per page. At what point does that become too expensive?
 
Implementing best practice Search Engine Optimization or SEO on a new page or as the website is developed only requires only 20-30 minutes per page. Obviously, it's more cost effective to implement KEI research during the initial site build rather than having to retrofit later, especially if the tags and attributes weren't included with the initial page build.

Magnetiks Search Marketing effectively implements KEI research into the Internet Marketing Strategy of our clients, for more information, contact the SEO experts of Houston, Texas at (281) 362-9855 today!

Simple SEO Tips for Twitter

We have compiled these Twitter SEO tips that will help you to drive more traffic to your website and increase your website’s search engine visibility.

1. Username: one of the most important aspects of Twitter is branding your username. Choose the user name wisely and avoid using numbers and “_” to avoid looking non-web savvy. Also, since people search using keywords, inserting them into your user name is always a good idea.

2. Biography: If you will be using this Twitter account for business, avoid putting too much personal information on your bio page. While your potential customers will want to know a little about your reputation they will be more interested in what do you do than who you are. Make every word count.

3. Website Address: Do not forget to fill in your company’s website URL. People might want to visit your website based on what you tweet about your products and services.

4. Keyword Tweets: Providing well thought out keyword rich tweets is highly recommended. Google and Bing display tweets in their search results and publishing keyword rich tweets will not only boost your rankings but you might even receive some traffic via twitter.

5. Tweet, tweet and re-tweet: Re-tweeting another person’s tweets helps you to create a new relationship. However there is no guarantee that the people whose tweets you re-tweeted will return the favor.

6. Follow others and get others to follow you: Having a targeted group who follow you and a group that you follow helps you to keep in touch with the needs of your target market and up to date on the latest trends in your industry. It will also help you to cultivate a better public image for your company.

For more information on Twitter and Social Media Marketing in Houston, Texas contact Magnetiks Search Marketing or call (281) 362-9855 today!

Google’s New Local Listing Ads

Google is currently limited Beta testing local listing ads in San Diego and San Francisco. For these cities, Local Listing Ads are available for businesses with verified free listings in Google Local Business Center under a limited set of categories.

The New Local Listing Ads are designed for small local businesses. They are to be an economical, low maintenance, ad solution with a flat monthly fee. By creating or claiming your business listing on Google Maps, a service we offer, through your Local Business Center your business can be promoted through Local Listing Ads.

Your business information and the descriptive category that you choose are used to create targeted ads that are displayed on Google.com and Google Maps to consumers in your local area when they search for businesses like yours. These ads require no management of ad creative, keywords, bidding or budget management and according to Google, are the easiest way to advertise your business to local customers. When you select a standard category that best describes your business, Google will determine the cost that ensures your ad is seen by the highest number of people looking for businesses similar to yours in your location.

This fee will vary by the business location and category. Google gives you the opportunity to confirm the flat monthly fee and has thus far stated that this fee will not be changed frequently and that you can be notified of changes 30 days in advance via your email and your LBC account messages.

In addition to providing you with full performance reporting on your Local Listing Ads clicks, and driving instructions requests, Google is also planning to offer fee call tracking for your Local Listing ads so you know when and how often your ads make your phone ring.

These calls will have a short announcement stating “this caller brought to you by Google” before the forwarded call is put through.

For more information on Google Maps Local SEO in Houston, Texas as well as how Magnetiks Search Marketing can help you increase the online presence of your business, contact us or call (281) 362-9855 today!

Benefits of Sitemaps

Many SEO tips are out there that can help you optimize your website but one of the most underestimated of these tips is sitemap generation. A Sitemap, as the name implies, is just a map of your site showing its structure broken down into sections and the links between them. Sitemaps are a way of making the navigation of your site easier for both the search engines and the users. While robots.txt are used to tell the search engines which part or parts of your website to be excluded from indexing, your sitemap is used to tell the search engines where you'd like them to go.

Sitemaps have always been a part of best Web design practices but now that the search engines have adopted them, sitemaps are now even more important. It is important to note that Yahoo! and Bing still support the standard html format sitemaps, however, Google now uses special Extendible Markup Language, or XML sitemaps that is different from the html sitemap for human users. With that being said, for SEO purposes you can’t just only use the conventional sitemap if you want your site to be successful.

Being said, I want to clarify that having two sitemaps is not regarded as duplicate content. In Google Webmaster tools help it explicitly states that you will never be penalized by Google for using sitemaps.

Why Use a Sitemap

Not only do sitemaps provide easier navigation and better search engine visibility, but they also immediately inform search engines about any changes on your website. Now we all know the search engines won’t immediately swoop right in to index the changes but we do know that the changes will be indexed much faster than if you did not have a sitemap.

If your site is new, or if you have a significant number of new (or recently updated pages), then using a sitemap can be vital to your success. Although you can still go without a sitemap, it is likely that soon sitemaps will become the standard way of submitting a site to search engines. Though it is certain that spiders will continue to index the Web and sitemaps will not make the standard crawling procedures obsolete, it is logical to say that the importance of sitemaps will continue to increase.

Keep in mind that using sitemaps may not produce huge advantages right away but as the search engines improve their sitemap indexing algorithms, it is expected that more and more sites will be indexed fast through the use of sitemaps.

Magnetiks Search Marketing, The SEO experts in Houston, Texas, specializes in Website optimization from small and medium sized businesses. We utilize SEO best practices including sitemap generation and submission. For more information on turning your business website into your best online sales person call 281-362-9855 today!

How to Decide on Directory for Submission

Thousands of directories are available for submitting your website to but which ones are the best for you? Directory submission can be a cost effective way to build one way links from thematic categories on high quality websites and obtain links from relevant content but you have to keep a few things in mind when looking for directories to submit to.
There are hundreds of directories, and you will have to spend a lot of time when submitting but you will always get the best value for your time and money if you think quality as opposed to quantity. Now you might be wondering what makes a directory a quality directory and how do you decide?

The following are few points which can assist you in determining whether or not a directory can be considered a quality directory.

1. Page rank. While the value of page rank as a factor in website rankings has significantly diminished; a directory with good Page rank of its homepage and some inner pages can be used as an initial indicator.

2. Directory Structure. Directories with structured categories containing a moderate selection of business verticals and geographical regions will create more thematic and relevant links.

3. Domain age. Search engine do give more relevancy to older directories and consider those directories that have trusted. Links from these directories will most likely help your website rankings.

4. Number of pages indexed. If the directory itself cannot be indexed by the search engines for whatever reason, then how is a link from them valuable to you?

5. Traffic. Although they can provide you with a little traffic, Directory submission is primarily used to enhance search engine rankings by providing quality one-way or reciprocal links to your website.

6. Link Longevity. How long will your listing be active? Are they offering a permanent link, an annual or a link for few months?

7. SEO friendly? Any directory you submit to should be SEO friendly, providing a static link; not a dynamic one.  It should also provide a direct link to the landing page you choose using anchor text.

8. Paid Directory. If it is a paid directory then cost must be considered whether it is annual or lifetime.
9. Niche Directories. Niche directories are very good because they provide relevant thematic links. For Example, if your website is related to the home remodeling industry then you would submit to home remodeling niche directories.

Let Magnetiks Search Marketing handle your directory submission as part of an overall SEO Marketing plan that will help grow your business. Call (281) 362-9855 today!

Leveraging the power of your Blog

To search engines, Blogs are like daily snippets of information that are updated on a frequent basis and therefore get a lot of preference in the search results. So from this, how do you leverage the power of your blog?

Blogs aren't too much different than websites in that they increase the Search Engine Optimization, or Organic SEO efforts of a website. A Blog’s power comes from the frequency of the postings. If the search engine spiders see a pattern of frequent or regular postings, they will be more active on indexing that site. Since blogs are typically a few pages long, you only need to establish a few rules that will be applied site wide:

• Utilize a title that grabs the users attention – This is also known as link baiting - your title should entice the user into reading more
• Try to use keywords for your blog in the title - while it may be hard to do this all the time, by keeping the title and topic related your blog will always be relevant
• Make use of H1 tags - All blog editors allow the use of custom templates, so make sure you stylize your blog title in H1 tags
• Link to other blogs - Find other relevant blogs that your readers may find interesting and ask for a reciprocal link in return

• Remember your archives - You may end up posting a topic that’s not hot at the moment, but if it comes up later you need to make sure your readers can find that posting

As I’ve already stated, frequent postings are vital to the success of a blog. A couple paragraphs and a few resource links is enough, you don’t have to write up an article every time. To learn more about blogs or to utilize Magnetiks Search Marketing for all of your blogging needs, contact us or call (281) 362-9855