1. Identify the goal of the content: One reason it takes us so long to write good content is because we don’t stop to decide what it is we want to say. What are you hoping your content will accomplish? Is the purpose of your article to explain how something works, put a customer on a determined conversion path, build brand trust? Whatever goal you’ve decided on, have it in mind before you start writing. Knowing your goal beforehand will help set the tone (and sometimes the filter) for everything that’s about to come next.

2. Decide on a hook: Every piece of content you write should have a hook. Just like in fishing, your hook is what you’re using to catch a reader in your net. Whether it’s a news hook, an attack hook, a humor hook ...]]> Before you start writing…

1. Identify the goal of the content: One reason it takes us so long to write good content is because we don’t stop to decide what it is we want to say. What are you hoping your content will accomplish? Is the purpose of your article to explain how something works, put a customer on a determined conversion path, build brand trust? Whatever goal you’ve decided on, have it in mind before you start writing. Knowing your goal beforehand will help set the tone (and sometimes the filter) for everything that’s about to come next.

2. Decide on a hook: Every piece of content you write should have a hook. Just like in fishing, your hook is what you’re using to catch a reader in your net. Whether it’s a news hook, an attack hook, a humor hook or an ego hook, you want to decide how you’re going to draw people in. Keeping the hook  in mind will help you frame your article and organize it in your head. It will also determine the writing style that you use. You wouldn’t write a news hook with the same juice you’d use to write an incentive hook.

3. Think like your reader: Before you put fingers to keyboard, get in the mindset of your audience because your content is for them. If you’re attempting to explain something, talk about it from their point of view. How deeply would they need something broken down? Which terms would they use? Where might they get confused? Put yourself in the place of your customers and write like they would. Don’t use your view of the world. You’re the expert. It’s tainted with jargon.

4. Get rid of distractions: Log out of Facebook. Close Twitter. Stay away from YouTube. While it’s easy to head to these sites during a brain lull, they’ll only make your content sound more fragmented and make you spend three times as long trying to write. When it’s time to write, turn them off.

When you’re writing… 

5. Only include what’s relevant: Do you still have the goal of your content fresh in your mind? Good. When you start writing, keep that goal in mind so that you only include information that supports your goal. Just because you know the whole alphabet about a subject doesn’t mean all of it belongs in one piece of content. For example, if you’re writing about how to make a good vanilla latte (my drug of choice), then you don’t need to include a five-page summary on the history of coffee, where the best beans are located, and how to brew the perfect cup. Leave the kitchen sink at home. The more irrelevant information you include, the further you take people away from your goal and the more you confuse them along the way.

6. Let yourself write: Stop me when this starts to sound familiar: You write a sentence. . . then you delete. You write three more and delete two. Then you get rid of a whole paragraph and pick at your title. Stop it! Writing and editing are two different stages of the content cycle, which means you shouldn’t attempt to do them simultaneously. When you sit down to write, just write; don’t self-edit. Focus on getting everything out that you want to say and putting it all down. Once it’s written down, then you can edit and make it sound cohesive. But the more time you spend self-editing as you’re writing, the longer and more fragmented your copy is going to sound.

7. Use short sentences: Short sentences are easier for writers to get out. They’re also easier for readers to take in. Stick with them and stop confusing people with overly complicated writing. Like short sentences, it’s that simple.8.

8. Use clear, direct titles: One of the best things you can do to improve your writing is learn to write killer titles. Direct titles aren’t always the most fun to write (who doesn’t love a good pun?), but they do the best job of telling readers and the search engines what your post is about. And that is your title’s main goal – to set up your content and make someone want to read it. Avoid getting so clever with your titles that you make it impossible for readers to predict what’s coming next or, even worse, set them up to be disappointed when your content isn’t about what they hoped it was. When all else fails, say what you mean. It’s true in life and in Web content.

9. Make it scannable: In our post on 4 things to consider when writing Web content, I encouraged readers to consider the medium when writing. Writing on the Web is different from other formats. Online, scannable content reigns supreme, as users still aren’t so great at reading on the Web. If there are five things you want readers to take away from your page, break them out into a numbered list and make it easy for users to grab on to them.  Lists, white space and short paragraphs are your best friends on the Web (other than links).

10.Use your voice: The quickest way to make your content unreadable is to remove yourself from it. In order for people to care, you have to give them a little bit of you. Voice an opinion, wear your heart on your sleeve, and write like it matters to you. It will take a little experimenting to find your blog but once you do it will make all the difference in engaging readers and bringing them into your site and your company.

Before you publish…

11. Read your content aloud: If you want to improve your content, read it aloud to yourself before you publish it to the Web or hand it to a customer. If you stumble over something  or think you’re being too wordy, so will your reader, and it may turn them off. I never publish or commit to any piece of writing before I’ve read it aloud to myself several times. Once I can get through it without stammering, I trust that it’s “ready.”

12. Read backwards: If you often fall victim to typos and misspellings, then scan your copy backwards to allow your brain to see words out of context instead of subconsciously seeing “what you meant.”

To read the entire article click here:http://bit.ly/i4XgQf 

Barone, Lisa “12 Tips for Writing Better Content” http://smallbiztrends.com 2011. 3/4/2011 http://bit.ly/i4XgQf

Stop by our booth and leave your business card for a chance to win 500 Free Business Cards* , or the opportunity to win 1 year of Web Hosting  Free*! (some conditions apply!)

What we know Google is looking at with the Panda update:

- User comfort level in the trust area (think credit card/medicine comments)

- Is it considered authoritative (this would apply some indication of expertise on topics covered, I would think)

- Is the content quality good enough for print? (I’ve seen plenty of horrbile stuff printed)

- Are there too many ads? (How many are too many, and does the ad network matter?)

- We know Google has its definition of what could be considered low quality

- Google uses a “classifier” to draw a line in the sand

- We know that so far, Google has not used indications from the Chrome Extension (emphasis on so far. Google hinted in the past that this data could potentially be used to tweak the algorithm).

- Google ...]]> Here is some very informative information regarding the Google Panda Algorithm Update:

What we know Google is looking at with the Panda update:

- User comfort level in the trust area (think credit card/medicine comments)

- Is it considered authoritative (this would apply some indication of expertise on topics covered, I would think)

- Is the content quality good enough for print? (I’ve seen plenty of horrbile stuff printed)

- Are there too many ads? (How many are too many, and does the ad network matter?)

- We know Google has its definition of what could be considered low quality

- Google uses a “classifier” to draw a line in the sand

- We know that so far, Google has not used indications from the Chrome Extension (emphasis on so far. Google hinted in the past that this data could potentially be used to tweak the algorithm).

- Google looks at feedback, at least to some extent

- Based on comments from Cutts, Google will tell you why your site dropped (getting that communication flow going may not be the easiest thing to do, but I have personally witnessed Cutts sit down with someone at a conference and look at their site with them.)

- The algorithm can still be gamed. It can still be optimized for. (If you were hit by the update, there are things you can do to get back in Google’s good graces. In other words, you’re not necessarily banned just because of your brand.)

- Most of the changes in rankings will be done algorithmically, but Google will take manual action in some instances (see JC Penney)

-If you use any auto-generated content keep it separated from the original high quality stuff, and block it from search engines. Google’s John Mu said recently, “If you do have such high-quality, unique and compelling content, I’d recommend separating it from the auto-generated rest of the site, and making sure that  the auto-generated part is blocked from crawling and indexing, so that search engines can focus on what makes your site unique and valuable to users world-wide.”

To read more information about this update, click herehttp://bit.ly/GooglePandaUpdateInfo 

1.  Do a SEO Site Audit

2. Include Design Reviews To Develop A Search Engine Friendly Website

3. Determine Important Keyword Phrases

4. Use Important Keyword Phrases In The Site Design

5. Develop The Navigation And Linking Structure

6. Determine Which Pages Bring Traffic To The Live Site For Important Keyword Phrases

7. Review Incoming Links To The Site From Other Websites

8. Ensure That An Effective 404 Error Page Is Setup Before Launch

For a more in depth review of each of the topics, here is a great article: http://selnd.com/8stepstositeredesign . When you need help implementing all of these items, feel free to contact us ...]]> So, it’s been a few years since your website has been updated and you know it is time for redesign. You’re confused as to the steps you should take to make a new more SEO friendly website. Here are 8 tips to get you started:

1.  Do a SEO Site Audit

2. Include Design Reviews To Develop A Search Engine Friendly Website

3. Determine Important Keyword Phrases

4. Use Important Keyword Phrases In The Site Design

5. Develop The Navigation And Linking Structure

6. Determine Which Pages Bring Traffic To The Live Site For Important Keyword Phrases

7. Review Incoming Links To The Site From Other Websites

8. Ensure That An Effective 404 Error Page Is Setup Before Launch

For a more in depth review of each of the topics, here is a great article: http://selnd.com/8stepstositeredesign . When you need help implementing all of these items, feel free to contact us here at Bug Eyes Web!

Launch Campaigns for Your 10 Domains

You were able to purchase a keyword specific domain. Congratulations! You were able to nab 10 of them you say? Awesome, hope you have great content going up on those and using them in ways to target different users. Now your executives want to use the domains to dominate all of the ad positions. Easy right? Just use the new shiny domains and one account each.

Not right. It is against Google guidelines to serve multiple ads for one business.  The actual words they use for what is NOT allowed is:

This is what caused so many affiliates to lose ...]]> It can be fairly easy to be banned from Google AdWords, here are some tips to help you avoid this!

Launch Campaigns for Your 10 Domains

You were able to purchase a keyword specific domain. Congratulations! You were able to nab 10 of them you say? Awesome, hope you have great content going up on those and using them in ways to target different users. Now your executives want to use the domains to dominate all of the ad positions. Easy right? Just use the new shiny domains and one account each.

Not right. It is against Google guidelines to serve multiple ads for one business.  The actual words they use for what is NOT allowed is:

• Ads across multiple accounts for the same or similar businesses
• Ads across multiple accounts triggered by the same or similar keywords

This is what caused so many affiliates to lose their accounts a few years back. All they were doing was placing users to the main company site after a redirect on their site, or to a thin landing page that pushed user information to the same company. Both instances were bad user experiences for consumers.

Pretend to be Someone Else

Imitation is a form of flattery. Well not for Google.

You think you are the best, and want to tell searchers that you are better than XYZ. That belief is subjective and doesn’t fly in advertising.

In the same light as the last point, if you are trying to pass off as a competitor, you can be banned. In AdWords, you can bid on competitor names, but cannot use their name in the ad.

Keep in mind that this means any competitor names need to be in their own ad group. The ads cannot have dynamic keyword insertion in them. Make sure you aren’t inadvertently violating guidelines.

Sell Free Items

I cheated on this one; I looked at the guidelines for inspiration. If you want to be banned, you can always get inspiration for things to sell from conferences and the schwag they give away there. Those awesome pens … people want those, right? You can make a killing!

No. AdWords is not your ticket to a million dollars by using the funds of others. Cutting corners will mean being cut out of the program.

Infect user’s machines

The “end all, be all” of ways to get banned – hurt consumers in some way, or their machines. The ultimate in black ninja tactics. The next time you are in that bad of a mood, just step away from the computer.

For more information, check out this great article:http://bit.ly/fjsz8Z

When you need help with Google AdWords contact us: http://bit.ly/contactbugeyes

2. Install Analytics, Setup Your Goals

3. Fix Canonical URL Issues

4. Add Your Robots.txt File

5. Submit XML Sitemap 

6. Setup Your Local Business Listings

7. Add 301 Redirects

For more detailed information, check out this article:  http://bit.ly/7basicSEOsteps

When you are ready to proceed with these steps, feel free to contact us:  http://bit.ly/contactbugeyes

The ruling was done in an appeals court in the case between Network Automation and Advanced Systems Concepts. Both companies sell scheduling and management software and Network Automation purchased the keyword “ActiveBatch,” a trademarked product of Advanced Systems Concepts on the Google and Bing search ad networks. Advanced Systems Concepts sued Network Automation and won in court, but that was overturned in appeals court.

The reason the appeals court overturned the original decision was because the lower court did not take into account the landing page nor the ads being sectioned off and labeled as ads. Due to those facts, the appeals court felt there was no confusion as to the ad.

I should note that both Google AdWords and now even Microsoft ...]]> PaidContent.org reports a California federal court ruled that it is allowed to bid on a competitor’s name for search ads.

The ruling was done in an appeals court in the case between Network Automation and Advanced Systems Concepts. Both companies sell scheduling and management software and Network Automation purchased the keyword “ActiveBatch,” a trademarked product of Advanced Systems Concepts on the Google and Bing search ad networks. Advanced Systems Concepts sued Network Automation and won in court, but that was overturned in appeals court.

The reason the appeals court overturned the original decision was because the lower court did not take into account the landing page nor the ads being sectioned off and labeled as ads. Due to those facts, the appeals court felt there was no confusion as to the ad.

I should note that both Google AdWords and now even Microsoft adCenter share the same trademark rules, allowing advertisers to bid on trademark keywords, in many cases. Plus, advertisers can use the trademarked text in their ad, again – in many cases.

You can read Google’s official AdWords trademark policy as well. For the full court ruling, see this PDF document, courtesy of Gary Price.

1. Maximize your AdSense coverage In order to maximize your earnings, place three AdSense ad units and three link units on each of your pages. The more ads you display, the more opportunities you have for your users to engage with them.

Also, because some ads are paid on a cost-per-impression (CPM) basis, you will often be paid just for displaying the ads, regardless whether a user clicks on them.

2. Place your ads above the fold Ads that appear higher on the page perform the best. Place your ads so users can see them without scrolling down ...]]> “Whenever we meet with publishers, we hear one question over and over again: “How can I use AdSense more effectively to increase my earnings?” We’ve written up our top tips here and encourage you to experiment with them and see how they impact your earnings. Happy testing!

1. Maximize your AdSense coverage
In order to maximize your earnings, place three AdSense ad units and three link units on each of your pages. The more ads you display, the more opportunities you have for your users to engage with them.

Also, because some ads are paid on a cost-per-impression (CPM) basis, you will often be paid just for displaying the ads, regardless whether a user clicks on them.

2. Place your ads above the fold
Ads that appear higher on the page perform the best. Place your ads so users can see them without scrolling down the page. The more a user has to scroll before finding your ads, the less likely they are to see them and to click on them.

3. Use the best performing ad units
Our advertisers’ preferred ad units are the Leaderboard (728×90), the Medium Rectangle (300×250) and the Wide Skyscraper (160×600). By using these popular ad units, you’ll be tapping into a larger pool of competing ads. More ad inventory leads to more competition in the ad auction and ultimately results in higher RPMs for our publishers.

4. Show text and image ads
Check your ad units and make sure that you’ve opted-in to displaying text and image ads. By diversifying your ads, you’re able to increase the available inventory for your site. With most text ads paid on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis and most image ads paid on a cost-per-impression (CPM) ad, you can let AdSense determine which ads will maximize your earnings.

5. Complement your content with your ads
Your AdSense ads should fit seamlessly within your site to improve your users’ experience. Blend the color of your ads to match the rest of your site and remove the borders around your ad units to help your ads complement your content and enhance your site.

Bonus Tip: Opt-in to Placement Targeting
Set up Custom Channels in your AdSense account and opt-in to Placement Targeting. Placement targeting allows our advertisers to bid on a specific ad or group of ad placements on your site. Advertisers are usually willing to bid more for targeted units.”

For more information check out this article: http://zd.net/top5adsensetips

When you need help with any of these steps feel free to contact us: http://bit.ly/contactbugeyes

Most importantly, local SEO/Google Places SEO or e-commerce SEO/Google Shopping SEO play a major role for many businesses today. Local businesses that also have an online shop need both.

On the other end of the SEO process there is landing page optimisation or conversion optimisation. An SEO process without it is not really complete.

That’s still not enough though, as without king content there is nothing to get linked to on your site or to rank for in Google, so a decent SEO process entails a content strategy. This might include:

To spread these you need social media outreach ...]]>

In 2011, it’s not that simple anymore. Depending on what niche or industry you are working in or rather what kind of site and business model you have, SEO can be a lot of things. SEO can or even has to consist of more disciplines.

Most importantly, local SEO/Google Places SEO or e-commerce SEO/Google Shopping SEO play a major role for many businesses today. Local businesses that also have an online shop need both.

On the other end of the SEO process there is landing page optimisation or conversion optimisation. An SEO process without it is not really complete.

That’s still not enough though, as without king content there is nothing to get linked to on your site or to rank for in Google, so a decent SEO process entails a content strategy. This might include:

• blogging
• infographics
• videos.

To spread these you need social media outreach and participation, as content does not spread by itself without some traction on social media. So a typical SEO process might look something like this:

1. Market and keyword research
2. Local SEO/Google Places optimisation
3. On-page optimisation
4. E-commerce SEO/Google Shopping optimisation
5. Content strategy (planning, creation, optimisation, promotion)
6. Social media outreach & participation
7. Landing page optimisation/Conversion optimisation
8. Website analytics and monitoring

These steps have to be undertaken for more and more sites. Even sites that aren’t considered e-commerce often use check-out forms or shopping carts. Many businesses that are not local by definition also have real-life brick and mortar storefronts or offices. So Google Places and Google Shopping SEO is not rare either.

Even video SEO for YouTube and beyond is mainstream now. There is also mobile SEO to make sure your visitors can reach your site using their smartphones or tablets.

Already overwhelmed? You don’t need to be. You still can stick to the old SEO model and succeed to some extent, but you can gain even more by expanding your SEO strategy to include all of the above mentioned disciplines

For more detailed information feel free to read the complete article: http://bit.ly/whatsSEO

When it’s time to take a deeper look into SEO, please contact us for assistance: http://bit.ly/contactbugeyes