Greatsol-SEO: Google Plus One: An Opinion

Greatsol-SEO: Google Plus One: An Opinion: "Google Plus One: An Opinion Facebook’s Like button has become an ubiquitous part of the web, and of course Google was not be far behind ..."

Google Plus One: An Opinion

Google Plus One: An Opinion



Facebook’s Like button has become an ubiquitous part of the web, and of course Google was not be far behind with its own version, the +1 button. Here's my take on +1.

+1 accretes the most detailed database in the history of the planet

Google’s +1 (pronounced as Plus One) is the Mountain View juggernaut’s latest socialization layer and it is meant as a shot across the Facebook bow to prove that “anything you can do we can do better.” The +1 is currently rolling out but is widely expected to be universal across the Googlegalaxy by this fall. Users who are currently duly enabled see a shadowed +1 symbol to the right of their search result title, just before the preview magnifying lens. Once you click on the +1, you have “+1’d” the link which will then be shown with a gray background, and another handful of bytes will be added to the most detailed database in the history of the planet.

Search for “cows in bikinis” to see which of your friends have an ungulate fetish

It doesn’t stop there as the +1 is essentially a social tool, so once you have selected a link to be +1’d you will see tiny thumbnails of the personal photos alongside the names of a couple of the members of your social network, plus the total number of your friends who have also +1’d it. This applies also if you have not +1’d the link yet but others of your circle have. Not only does this present a superlative voyeuristic opportunity (searching for “cows in bikinis” will reveal which of your friends have ungulate fetishes) but it also brings the day closer when we will all have webcams grafted to our foreheads so everyone we know can watch everything we do 24/7.

+1 marks the end of absolute SERPs as everyone will see different results

As with nearly everything else that issues from the Googleplex the +1 will influence SERPs as sites with a wealth of +1s within your clique will be promoted upwards. It is also obvious that +1 marks the end of absolute search position as all results will be sifted through your own personal social sieve and the rankings seen through any search entry will be significantly different for every user. Links will not be the only Google elements to be blessed with the +1 as all AdWords ads will also have their own +1 buttons. These ads will be present on all ads, there is no way for an advertiser to opt out, and any clicks on any ad’s +1 do not count as a paid click. Fortunately advertisers will be able to review their +1 statistics as will users of Google Webmaster Central for their organic search listings.

+1 may be Google’s first step towards an open version of Facebook

Google’s standard position is that they are not building a social network to confront Facebook, but only adding social layers onto their existing offerings. This policy seems one of “the lady doth protest too much” as it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in computer science and a crystal ball to see Google’s end game. Facebook is essentially an updated AOL: A hermetically sealed system which by its nature is essentially limited and limiting. By creating an “open” alternative in the next couple of years, Google would be able to easily claim the benevolent (?) dictatorship of the cyberuniverse title.

For now, the greatest impact of +1 may be its boost to the economies of Bangladesh and Cameroon, as it is inevitable that Black Hatters will be able to game the system by buying thousands of +1’s for a few dollars on freelancer sites… until Google’s Matt Cutts (a man who has more power over the world economy than any President) gets wise to that and fixes it… and then some way of gaming the fix is found… then Cutts fixes that… and so on until the end of time.



Read more:http://greatsol-seo-bingbeatsyahoo.blogspot.com/

7 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Help Your Business Grow

7 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Help Your Business Grow

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As organic SEO providers, content developers and all around nice girls, we get the chance to see websites of all shapes, sizes and industries. We see the best, the worst, and everything in between. Clients come in, talking about how badly they need SEO, SEM and/or content. The irony is, what they need the most – what they need first – is some good, old common sense.

With that in mind, we’ve created a list of things you can do to improve your online business without needing to know heavy duty coding or in depth SEO.

These are simple, common sense steps; most site owners will see some positive improvement, just by following the tips below:

Talk about them

If your usage of I, mine, me and we is more than your usage of you and your, shut up. Stop talking about you. You aren’t appealing to your visitors by boasting about your products, services or company. The content on your site (with the exception of a contact or about page) needs to be more about you than me.

Write actionable page titles

Learn, Find, Discover, Buy – these words are actionable. You can do something with them. When writing page titles (the ones that show up in the SERPs), tell your potential visitor what they’re going to do on that page. In other words, make the page title more than just “Products” or “Services”.

Write descriptive descriptions

You sell products? What kind? How will they help me? What can I do with them? Do they have a unique feature or benefit I’d be interested in? Answer at least one who, what, when, where, why question.

Be concise

You have a short amount of time to grab your visitor’s/ potential visitor’s attention in the SERPs and on the page. Don’t waste time with meme and flowery marketing lingo. If your description, title, headlines and first paragraph are full of sales talk and not much information, clean it up.

Be precise

The vaguer the information you offer is, the vaguer your visitors will feel about acting on that information. For example, don’t try to sneak up on them with your calls to action. You have: headline, content, sales call out. Each of these points needs to be to the point.

Allow open communication

If you’re selling services and/or products, your visitors need some way to be able to communicate. The less lines you have open, the less the chances of them trying. With this in mind, if you have a business phone number, make sure it’s on your site. The same with your physical and email addresses. If you use social media, don’t hide the icons and links; add them where they’re visible. Make connecting with your business easier.

Check your speed

You’d be amazed at how much a fast site time can increase visitor retention, referral and return. With several options out there to help you optimize your site code and speed, there’s no excuse for a slow site.

Conclusion

The above tips aren’t the end-all-be-all of converting sites. They leave out SEO, social marketing and content development. Why? The foundation of any type of online marketing campaign is the site itself.

Before you look for an organic SEO provider, social media guru or creative content developer, take the common sense approach. Apply these tips and start a positive, forward momentum for your online business.

What tips would you add to the list?

Read more: http://greatsol-seo-bingbeatsyahoo.blogspot.com/

Greatsol-SEO Presents Local SEO: Staying Ahead of the Pack

Local SEO: Staying Ahead of the Pack

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Last year was huge for local SEO as Google started to mess around with how they presented the local search results but how they determined local intent. As a lover of all things local this was an exciting time  – and as more businesses become aware of the importance of Local SEO it is crucial that you get that competitive edge. What follows is basically a small but essential list of the cool tools, essential reads and best blogs for keeping pace with this critical part of SEO.

If you don't have Local SEO down as part of your 'must-do' list you are going to fall behind…

Local SEO Tools

There are loads of new and exciting tools that have started to appear over the last year or so, here are my favourites:

Whitespark Local Citation Finder

This great little tool does exactly what it says on the tin – helps you find local citations. If you didn't know local citations are the new links!!! Sign up and you can use the tool in limited form for free – and to be fair if you are doing this just for your own business that may be all you need. You get the option to search by both phone number and keyword and it throws lots of opportunity your way and cuts out the process of having to search manually. Saving time = more citations.

The Local Search Toolkit

Without going in to too much detail (you can find a detailed review of the tool here) this nifty little tool analyses the other businesses that feature in Google Places results for your given keywords. So not only do you get a bunch of citation sites for helping you move up the rankings you also get the business name (who's cheating with keywords?), the title tag of the home page (what are they focusing on?), citations, reviews, photos, videos, is it verified and how far is it from the city centre. Essentially you get a shed load of data that you can export into excel and figure out your plan – nice!

Not satisfied yet? Then check out…

BrightLocal

The new kids on the block…but definitely worthy of inclusion here. BrightLocal offer some great tools, with the promise of more in the future. They have a great local rank checker – which when I tested it seemed to be fairly accurate. The reports look like they are going to be pretty comprehensive (I am waiting for the white labelling to be honest -due soon!) Helpfully thought BrightLocal have a great image right there on their site that shows you what its all about:

Check the full details out here. BrightLocal have also got an awesome little widget that helps all you local businesses get reviews on the important third party sites that Google is looking at. With their link building plan already in place (nice work guys) BrightLocal are giving away a widget that businesses not only want but need (a lesson in link building). Take the widget and put it on your site so people can access the review sites that you need the reviews on:

Expands to:

The great thing about this widget is that you can customise so the customers that are reviewing your business only go to the sites that you want them to!

In addition to this they are also planning to launch some more local SEO tools soon – CitationBurst, DirectoryRunner, LocalSEO Check Up and ReviewFlow…keep your eyes on these guys, they are going to blow up big time in Local SEO in the next year or so.

You have the Local SEO tools, but tools are useless without the correct knowledge – so here are some great resources for you to get to grips with to prepare you for your Local SEO campaigns:

Local SEO Blogs

Blumenthals Blog – Packed with great information and tips that you won't find elsewhere.

Local Search Optimization

David Mihm's Blog

Some Great Local SEO Posts

Local SEO – A Beginners Guide – A great primer of you are just starting out. Brief to the point and covering all the beginners stuff that you need to know.

36 Must Read Local SEO Resources – Proof that content curation gets links. A great one stop resource for all things local.

Making the Most out of Google Places – The best guide to Google Places that I didn't write myself.

35 Local Link Opportunities You Missed – We often forget about local links when conducting local campaign. Brain gone dry? Check in here!

Thinking Outside The Box

Rand Fishkin – Google Places Citations: 5 More Tactics to Earn Links for Your Local Business

Mike Belasco, Darren Shaw and Mary Bowling – Dissecting Local SEO Via Competitive Analysis

If You Only Ever Read One Local SEO Resource…Make It:

Local Search Ranking Factors – By David Mihm and a whole bunch of other great SEO people.

Greatsol-SEO

Google Penny Bank

Optimizing aspects of your page for the search engines is a lot like putting change in the penny bank. A quarter, nickel, dime, or penny isn’t going to make you rich by any means. But think about how much money you would have if you saved every bit of change you had over a year. It would be quite a bit, right?  Similarly, simply making a change or two to help with on-page optimization does not equate to strong organic rankings. But, if you make sure to follow the best practices on every page of your site, you will reap significant rewards over time.

***Disclaimer*** These are general rules of thumb. Universal truths in SEO are few and far between. 

Proper Title Tag

Make sure the title tag you are using includes the main keywords you are trying to rank for. Your page title should be limited to 70 characters, although there’s a strong argument for exceeding this in certain cases. While some people have a tendency to put every keyword they can imagine in the title tag, this is generally not a good idea. Besides, you should only be targeting one primary keyword (and derivatives of that keyword) per page in the first place. It should also be noted that there has been quite a bit of research indicating that the more words or characters used in a title tag, the more it dilutes the power of that title tag. In other words, keep it short and to the point. And don’t try to stuff the title tag full of keywords.

Content

 

There a couple rules most people follow regarding content and on-page optimization. First, try to include the keyword in the first sentence, of the first paragraph. Second, don’t feel the need to put the keyword in the content a million times like this. The search engines are remarkably intelligent, and if anything, keyword stuffing raises a red flag. Instead, use an LSI tool (or a thesaurus) to replace repeated use of your keyword with synonyms or other phrases that make the content appear more relevant to the search engines.  Also, I generally try to make my content at least 500 words (and sometimes much longer). Think about it from a search engine’s perspective. If a site has more content on it, it’s often a fair assumption that it provides a comprehensive discussion of the topic as hand. 

Internal Linking

Proper internal linking allows you to correlate specific pages with specific subjects and keywords. Let’s say you have a website about coffee. It’s usually a good idea to try to rank subpages for related terms rather than trying to rank your home page for every single term you want to rank for. If you want want to rank for “espresso”, create a page about espresso and link most (or all) of your other pages containing the words espresso to the page about about espresso. Likewise, if you want to rank for “cappuccino”, create a page that discusses cappuccino and link the word “cappuccino” to that page across your site.

It’s worth noting that there is such as thing as an over optimization penalty. So don’t go put words in content just to link them to the phrases you want to rank for. As with most things regarding SEO, try to be (or at least make it look) as natural as possible.

Alt Tags

 

Everyone loves pictures so make sure to include them in your blog or site. However, make use of these images for SEO  value by providing alt tags that match that page’s targeted keyword.

But remember, the alt text still needs to describe the image. The best approach is to pretend that someone will be viewing your page with a text browser, so they’ll see the alt tags, not the images themselves.

Furthermore, it’s a good idea to name the file with your keyword. For example, if the page was about “coffee beans”, then name the first image “coffeebeans.jpg”, the second image “coffeetbeans2.jpg”, and so on.  

H1 Tags

The H1 tag should also include the keyword phrase you are targeting. This is just another indicator telling the search engine what the page is about. A lot of people make the mistake of putting more than one H1 tag on a page. Don’t do this. It can confuse the search engines and dilute whatever power the H1 tag may have. (Be particularly careful with WordPress sites. They are notorious for creating multiple H1 tags.)

Meta Descriptions

While meta descriptions may have used to influence rankings, it’s my belief they have little impact on search engine rankings. That being said, this article is intended to discuss things you can do to increase your site’s ranking. Writing proper meta descriptions can have a strong impact on your organic CTR, so make sure to take you time writing them.  When writing meta-descriptions, think of them as an opportunity to entice searchers to click on your site…a “salesy” snippet if you will. So, while meta descriptions may not have a direct impact on your rankings, they can effect your traffic. Remember that only 250 characters are displayed in the search engine results. Yoast’s SEO for WordPress tool does an excellent job of letting you preview what your meta description will look like in the SERPs, so give it a shot if you’re using WordPress.

Meta Keywords

Anyone who’s spent time working on a site or blog realizes that your time is truly an investment. Not this that this is a novel concept, but spending time to optimize your meta keywords is a monumental waist of time. Some would argue that some search engines, aka Yahoo, give meta-keywords some algorithmic weight. But with Bings acquisition of Yahoo, this is no longer the case. Others argue that using keywords tells your competitors what keywords your trying to rank for, but anybody who has some idea of how to perform competitive analysis will tell you that you can figure out what keywords a page is targeting in about 30 seconds, without the use of meta keywords. So, unless you want to waste your time (and money), don’t spend time working on meta keywords. This time can be used much better doing almost any other SEO activity.

On-page optimization isn’t going to dramatically boost your site in the SERPs, but it can prevent you form ranking #3 versus #1. SEO is numbers game. The more things you do right, the higher chances your site has of getting good rankings. However, often times the things that you can do to help your sites rankings are external, i.e. links. Don’t be like the kid who breaks his penny bank open every month to buy a new baseball card. Be like this guy who cashed in over $13,000 in pennies.

Available Positions at Greatsol-SEO.com

Available Positions at Greatsol-SEO.com

We’re looking for bright minds that are ready to strap it in and go to work. The combination of skill and dedication is what makes us good at what we do. It’s what has propelled hundreds of clients to the top of the search engines, and continues to do so.
You will work hard. But if you want to play hard, we do that, too. From whitewater rafting trips, parties and contests to office ping-pong, air hockey and arcade games, there are plenty of opportunities to let off steam and refresh your mind.
If you have a geeky zeal for all things search related, and you don’t mind co-workers sporting flip-flops in the summer, then you’ll fit right in. If you’re looking for SEO jobs, SEO careers, and a bright future in the Internet marketing industry, send us your resume today.

Positions currently available:

CTO

Account Executive

SEO Manager

Search Engine Optimization Speacialist

Sales Representative

Web Designer

Web Developer

To apply for any of these jobs:
Send your resume and cover letter to jobs@greatsol-seo.com. Include the job title in the subject line.

CTO

Overview:
The CTO reports to the President and CEO and is responsible for establishing the company’s technical vision and leading all aspects of the company’s technology development. The CTO is the company top technology executive, playing an integral role in the company’s strategic direction, development, and future growth.
Responsibilities:

• Lead the execution of technology strategy for technology platforms, partnerships, and external relationships.
• Build and manage a top-flight technology team and oversee research and development, as well as project management.
• Provide visible leadership for the company within the technology community.
• Anticipate and react to major technology changes to ensure the maintenance of company leadership in the competitive landscape.
• Establish technical standards and ensure adherence to them for project development and company operations.
• Evaluate and identify appropriate technology platforms (including web application frameworks and the deployment stack) for delivering the company’s services.
• Participate as a member of the senior management team in establishing governance processes of direction and control to ensure that objectives are achieved, risks are managed appropriately and the organization’s resources are used responsibly, particularly in the areas of software development, office networks and computers, and telecommunications.
• Collaborate with the appropriate departments to assess and recommend technologies that support company organizational needs.
• Manage the set up, deployment, and troubleshooting of internal communication systems and IT.
• Communicate the company’s technology strategy to investors, management, staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders.

Qualifications:

• At least 5 years previous experience, with 2 in an executive-level position.
• 2+ years experience in web application development.
• Technical expertise in web systems architecture, design and development.
• Familiarity with technical requirements of Internet marketing and search engine optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret technology and market trends as a foundation for technology and product roadmaps.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Degree in Engineering or Computer Science required, MBA preferred.

Account Executive

Overview:
The Account Executive is responsible for the collaboration, high-level management, retention and satisfaction related to individual client campaigns. The Account Executive will be the liaison between the client and the company for the lifetime of the account and will be responsible for the collaboration of the account as a whole (oftentimes, multiple services are provided to each client). This position is full-time.
Responsibilities:

• Perform extensive research on each client’s niche and industry to have the knowledge necessary to professionally manage the relationship
• Provide clients with regular updates on their account progress
• Address and resolve client concerns
• Collaborate with the service managers associated with the account to ensure the project is progressing in a timely manner
• Frequent client communication to assess and increase client satisfaction, strengthen relationships, discuss reports, strategy, and past, current, and future work
• Manage multiple client accounts
• Responsible for liaising between clients and internal service managers to coordinate the client account as a whole
• Ensure that all account projects and tasks are effective, completed on time, on budget, and to the client’s satisfaction
• Arrange and head up both internal and client meetings
• Assist in up selling other products and services to your clients when appropriate

Qualifications:

• 1+ years experience in client relationship management
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work well in a team environment
• Analytical thinker
• Self motivated and able to multi-task on multiple projects simultaneously
• Works well under pressure and deadlines
• Internet marketing experience is a plus

SEO Manager

Overview:

The SEO Account Manager is given tasks related to all aspects of Internet marketing. You will work with the Director of SEO to perform competitive analysis, keyword research, create reports, find link opportunities and give advice to companies on how to improve their current marketing strategy.
Responsibilities:

• Keyword research
• Competitive market analysis
• Write new website content
• Optimization of website content & code
• Collaborate with clients to research and maintain target keyword phrases
• Provide answers to questions related to organic search programs
• Manage clients’ natural search marketing programs to generate maximum traffic through improved organic search engine visibility
• Continually gain more search engine optimization knowledge and share new strategies with clients
• Analysis of web analytics reports

Qualifications:

• Internet research skills
• Online research skills
• Prior SEO account management experience
• Quick learner – self motivated and able to multi-task on multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Experience with Google analytics
• Bachelors degree preferred

Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Overview:
The SEO specialist is given tasks related to all aspects of internet marketing. You will perform competitive analysis, keyword research, create reports, find link opportunities and give advice to companies on how to improve their current marketing strategy. This is a full or part-time position.
Responsibilities:

• Keyword research
• Competitive market analysis
• Write new website content
• Optimization of website content & code
• Link recruitment
• Analysis of web analytics reports

Qualifications:

• Internet research skills
• Web development experience is a plus
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Experience with Internet Marketing is a plus

Sales Representative

Overview:
The Sales Representative will be responsible for contacting and following up with potential clients for search engine optimization and marketing services. We provide well-qualified leads from the website and other sources. We are looking for someone with proven success in consultative sales. Generous commission structure makes this a very lucrative position if you work hard and bring in new business. Search engine marketing is something that every business needs, and most business owners and marketers are becoming aware of this need. We back up our promises with real results for our search marketing clients. This is a full or part-time position.
Responsibilities:

• Developing lead generation channels and following up with leads
• Preparing sales proposals and marketing collateral
• Increasing market share by introducing company products as business solutions
• Providing account management
• Participating in trade shows, exhibits, and open houses to promote company image/services

Qualifications:

• At least 1 year of successful sales experience
• Understanding of Internet marketing
• Superior knowledge of sales techniques including cold-calling, networking, lead generation
• Strong written and verbal communications skills
• Ability to close the deal

Web Designer

Overview:
SEO Web Designers are given tasks related to all aspects of website design. You will work with the VP of Web Development to perform needs assessments, wire framing, brand development, web design, user interface design, and give advice to companies on how to improve their web presence. SEO Web Designers are finishers; you are expected to get things done on time and on budget.
Responsibilities:

• Perform needs assessments
• Information architecture
• Wire framing
• Brand development
• Website design
• User Interface (UI) design
• Collaborate with web developers to produce XHTML/CSS
• Working knowledge of XHTML/CSS and best practices
• Working knowledge of industry CMS tools such as WordPress, Joomla
• Collaborate with clients and account managers to research and develop website design strategies
• Provide answers to questions related to web design, usability, and effectiveness
• Continually gain more web design knowledge and share new strategies with clients and staff

Qualifications:

• Online research skills
• Prior search-friendly web design experience
• Quick learner – self motivated and able to multi-task on multiple projects simultaneously
• Finisher – get things done on time and on budget
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Excellent industry software skills; Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, In Design, etc.
• Bachelors degree preferred

Web Developer

Overview:
SEO Web Developers are given tasks related to all aspects of website development. You will work with the VP of Web Development to build search-friendly, WC3 compliant websites; including creating XHTML/CSS templates from PSDs, WordPress themes and other CMS installs, shopping cart integrations, and quality assurance testing. SEO Web Developers must excel at custom PHP programming, Java/JSP, and have systems experience with data management, and web scripting. Additionally, SEO Web Developers stay current on technology and are able to give advice to companies on how to improve their current web presence. SEO Web Developers are finishers; you are expected to get things done on time and on budget.
Responsibilities:

• Perform needs assessments
• User Interface (UI) design
• Collaborate with web designers to produce XHTML/CSS; Splice PSDs
• Extensive knowledge of XHTML/CSS and best practices
• Extensive knowledge of industry CMS tools such as Word Press
• Extensive knowledge of industry shopping cart tools such as X-Cart and Magento
• Extensive knowledge of PHP and MySQL
• Working knowledge of Java/JSP a plus
• Experience with XML/web services/APIs
• Systems experience with data management, web scripting/scraping
• Quality assurance testing, cross-browser compatibility testing
• Collaborate with clients and account managers to research and develop website development strategies
• Provide answers to questions related to web development , usability, and effectiveness
• Continually gain more web development knowledge and share new strategies with clients and staff

Qualifications:

• Online research skills
• Prior search-friendly web development experience a plus
• Quick learner
• Self motivated; able to multi-task on multiple projects simultaneously
• Finisher; able to get things done on time and on budget
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Excellent coding and integration abilities
• Bachelors degree preferred

To apply for any of these jobs:
Send your resume and cover letter to jobs@greatsol-seo.com. Include the job title in the subject line.