I have always been someone who likes to help people.  I didn’t plan on becoming an SEO Specialist, it just sort of happened.  SEO has allowed me to work with various companies. I get to meet new people, learn about their businesses and then share my knowledge of SEO.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to hire an SEO specialist who does things the “right way”.  You never know when Google or the other search engines are going to change their algorithms. If your seo company takes shortcuts or tries to use cheap tactics to gain rankings, your company may end up at the bottom of the heap. We all know, doing things the right way is usually a bit more time consuming, but it is so worth it!

Learn more about our Buffalo SEO Company

Now, are there companies out there who practice other forms of SEO, which are considered unethical? Yes.  Here are some unethical SEO and internet marketing techniques you should avoid:

• Page cloaking
• Spamming of the submission process
• Automatically generated doorway pages
• Keyword Stuffing
• Irrelevant Keywords
• Duplicate content on different pages or sites (mirror sites, etc)
• Misspelling of common words, or well-known brands/sites
• Data blogs with no unique content
• Code Swapping

I found a great article by Barry Hurd that explains these techniques in more detail.

So Why Do I Do It?

As silly as it sounds, for me it’s not all about the almighty dollar.  There is no satisfaction greater for me, then knowing (1) I didn’t soak anyone for their hard-earned money and (2) they are getting more business and are happy.

I think a responsible SEO Specialist doesn’t just leave their customers when their work is done. It’s important to follow up. Check in on them from time to time and see if they have any questions. They will love you for it.

Buffalo SEO Company Shares the SEO Basics

In the martial arts we learn the importance of the basics. You must have a strong foundation and continue to go back and work on that foundation. The same goes for search engine optimization.

So, what are the SEO basics?

SEO basics include keyword research, analyzing your competition, writing good content, tagging your site, link building and reviewing your analytics.

Keyword Research – An important part of search engine optimization is keyword research. You can use Google’s keyword tool and others on the web to determine the words people are typing into the search engines for your particular products or services.

Analyzing Your Competition – Competitive analysis is another investigative part of search engine optimization. Check out your competitors’ websites and compare their rankings to yours and review their keywords and placement on the search engines. You can then put together a game plan with the keyword research you have done and take advantage of their weaknesses.

Good content. Good content doesn’t mean you stuff your pages full of keyword phrases. You need to write for your audience in a way that makes sense and draws them in. Once you have written what you feel is good content, go back and tweak it. Add keywords where appropriate or simply rearrange a sentence here or there.

Custom Website Tagging. In addition to adding good content to your website, you need to pay attention to your title, description and keyword tags throughout your website. Although people argue that you only need to focus on the title tag, I feel you should focus on all of them. Just do it right to begin with.

Link Building – There are so many ways to build links: press releases, blog posts, social media, bookmarking and more. A great way to start is to create a blog. Not just to have one, but a blog you will be interested in contributing to. From there you can link to your website, social media sites and other blogs. WordPress is great and you can link to and will get links from other bloggers.

Website Analytics – Website analytics is a tracking system that collects data from visitors to your website. This data will help you learn more about where your visitors come from, what keywords they are really using to find you, what pages did they visit, how long did they stay and whether they converted into a sale or lead.　

The basics are the core of SEO. No one said it was easy. SEO takes hard work and focus, but I know you can do it! Our Buffalo SEO Company can help you if you need it.

In the meantime, have fun with it. In the end, your hard work will pay off.

Have a wonderful day.

You’re preaching to the choir on that one!

The number one comment I hear from people is…how do I find the time to blog?

The best advice I can give you is simply do the best you can.  I have my own Buffalo SEO Company and as you can see from my blog, I don’t blog every day or even every week.  Sometimes a month or longer will pass in between posts. Is that the ideal situation?  No.  However, posting from time to time is better than not posting at all.

Posting every day or at least once a week is ideal, but in the real world it doesn’t always work that way.  Is that frustrating?  You  bet.  If you are like me, you know what you have to do, but life has a way of spinning out of control.   Between a full time job, your own business, husband, 3 kids…I know you know what I’m talking about.

Here are some blogging tips I recommend:

1.  Post a blog as often as possible, it’s that simple.

2.  Post quality information that the search engines will like and that will compliment your website.

3.  Don’t stress out. Just do the best you can and remember to just have fun with it.

Blogging should be fun.  It shouldn’t be a chore. So when you have time to sit down and write, write.  Whether its once a day or once a month, just enjoy the process.

Simply put, if you want people to find you on the web, your sites need to be optimized. By sites I mean, in addition to your website, you should optimize your blogs, Facebook posts, Tweets, etc.

Search engine optimization (“SEO”) isn’t about just throwing up title tags and adding some keywords to your site. SEO is much more involved than many people realize.

I believe the key to quality SEO includes competitive analysis and keyword research. Having your site optimized does you little good if the keywords you have chosen aren’t being used by your potential customers.

You also need to know what your competition is up to. How are their rankings? What are they focusing on? Are they blogging? If so, what are they blogging about? Are they on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Make sure you are not just playing follow the leader. You need to have your own thoughts and ideas.

If you are unsure where to start, have a brainstorming session. Sit down by yourself or with others and just open the door to ideas. Throw it all out there. Once you have some exciting avenues you want to tackle, start doing some research.

Google keyword tool is a great place to get a grasp of the value of the keywords you are targeting. You may even find some hidden jewels with low competition and high search volume.

Type your chosen keywords in Google and see who comes up. Understand your competitors online may be a completely different cast of characters than you are used to. Review their sites and you will get a good idea of what they are thinking and may also shed some light on areas you can focus on for your own site.

Once you’ve done your research, start writing. Just write from your gut and keep those keywords on hand to reference. You don’t want to overload your content with keywords. Just be natural and it will flow together.

Have fun and if you need help, we are an experienced Buffalo SEO Company and will be happy to help.

A blog is a place you can go to share your thoughts, teach others how to do things, and even rant about your latest pet peeve.  The hope is that people will find your blog interesting and bookmark it or pass it on by tweeting it, etc.

Here are the steps I usually take when writing a blog.

1.  Write from your gut.  When you start writing a blog, just write how you feel. Put down what your thinking. Don’t worry about perfection at this point, this is meant to be a rough draft.

2. Review your post.  Once you have your rough draft, go through the blog and clean it up and add keywords where appropriate.  Example… I have a Buffalo SEO Company.  My goal is to capture the attention of people who may be looking for my services. So I want to try to incorporate that keyword into various blog posts I write.

3. Link your keywords. Once you have incorporated the keywords into your blog, you want to link them to the page on your website the deals with your focus.  Example, if I am referring to my Buffalo SEO Company, I will link this to my SEO page, which focuses on how our company can help with SEO services.  My advice, however, is to be consistent.  If you start linking a specific keyword to one page, don’t then start linking that same keyword to a different page.  This could make things confusing for the search engines and could effect your rankings.

4. Tags and Categories. You are going to want to post your tags and select your categories.  Choose the category that reflects the overall feel of the blog post.  Example, this post is not only about learning how to post a blog, but I also reference my Buffalo SEO Company.  So, my categories will be both Buffalo SEO Company and Blogging Tips.  Tags should reflect those keywords that you believe are important.  I will choose buffalo seo company, posting a blog, blogging tips, writing a blog, etc.  These keywords can be found in the content of this blog post.

Finally, once you publish your blog, spread the news.  Share your blog post on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for starters.  I’ll get to bookmarking another time.

Blogging is fun.  It allows you to share your knowledge, emotions, experiences and more with others.  Oh…and did I mention that WordPress is FREE!

Have a wonderful 4th of July everyone.  Be safe and have fun.

As a Buffalo SEO company, we understand many small business owners are hesitant and unsure about SEO and internet marketing.

When we are asked to provide our small business clients with SEO and internet marketing services, we often suggest they take babysteps. You don’t have to dive into everything all at once.

Here’s what you could do.

• Have your website optimized and monitor it’s success/failures. A good Buffalo SEO company will sit down with you and make sure they understand what your goals are.
• Once you are happy with the work your SEO company has provided and are seeing results, take the next step. Start a blog or begin a social media campaign.

It’s basically up to you how you would like to progress. They key is hiring a good Buffalo SEO Company that will continue to move you in the right direction.

Don’t get me wrong, if you want to get things rockin right away, that’s great.  Our concern, however, is that you are confident and secure with where your hard earned money is going.  If you are going to spend money to get more business, then before moving forward, make sure you are seeing a return on your investment.

Over the years I have been approached by many companies who, in one way or another, claim to be the “Magic Fairy”.  They claim if you come on board with them, they will guarantee you number one organic placement for a specific keyword in Google.

Really?  My reply is usually, “No thanks, but feel free to tell the Magic Fairy to pay me a visit when she has a chance.”

I cannot stress enough that SEO is not a magic trick.  You know that, right?  The Magic Fairy is not going to suddenly make your SEO world perfect and move your listing to the top of Google.

Often times a salesman will take it a step further and stress that they are different than other companies, which is fine. I’m here to tell you that anyone who comes to you and guarantees organic rankings is just blowing smoke up your rear-end.

So, what are a couple of things to watch out for?

• Unreasonable pressure. Anyone who pressures you to give them an answer or the deal will not be there in the morning is full of bologna.  If the deal is there today, then it will be there tomorrow.  If for some reason it’s not, then they are not the company for you. Their deadline isn’t your deadline.
• Misleading traffic reports.  Ask them to provide you with proof of their success.  This can be in the form of how their rankings have increased other clients sales/leads.  I would caution that if they only provide you with the number of visitors, this can be misleading.  Example, say they give you stats that say when they started with Company X, they were getting 1,000 visitors a month and now they are getting 3,000.  That’s great, but where are they coming from and are they staying or bouncing off right away. There is much more to it than that.

Bottom line, follow your gut.  If it sounds too good to be true it usually is.  If you are uncertain, err on the side of caution and wait.  You’ve worked hard for your money.  Waiting a couple of days and doing a little research is well worth it.

Remember..there is no SEO Magic Fairy.

Is your SEO company leading the way, or are you trying to play catch up by following the crowd?

To be a leading seo company, you need to understand what your clients want.  What are their goals?  What is their reputation?  Do they need a new image?   Are they looking for leads or sales?  There are so many questions to ask and the key is to listen to the answers and draft out a game plan.

By leading the way, an SEO Company will research their client’s competition, analyze data and then put together a plan for success.  It’s not just about optimizing a website.  It’s about the big picture. It’s not about copying what your competition is doing, its about analyzing it and then incorporating the right moves into your clients plan.

Being a true leader in the seo arena means being honest and having integrity. No SEO company likes it when their client’s rankings aren’t as high as they’d like them to be, or that they haven’t received the number of leads they had hoped for. The worst thing any SEO company could do is lie to your clients about it.  Be honest, always.  Work with your clients to make things better.

SEO is not an exact science and there is no guarantee. If, however, you do things the “right way”, it will all come together in time and your clients will appreciate you and they will be clients for years to come.

As a Buffalo SEO Company, I feel we not only have the obligation to provide exceptional service to our clients, but we need to share our knowledge along the way.

Embrace learning and pay it forward.  By attending webinars and reading as much as you can online, you not only make yourself more valuable, but you make your clients more valuable as well.

People want to learn, and if you take the time to share with them the best practices for them to be successful, they will appreciate it, and in turn, they will embrace learning.

The better educated my clients are, the more successful they will become.  In addition, they will take an active role in their internet marketing and seo practices. Pretty cool.

Fuel the Web is not only a Buffalo SEO Company, but we are a Buffalo Web Design Company as well. We believe in doing things the right way and are excited with each knock on our door. If you need a new website or your website optimized, we are here to help you.

Many people in the Buffalo community are just learning the jargon surrounding internet marketing.  I’m sure this is the case in other cities as well. I am often asked, “what exactly is an internet marketing specialist?” Well I’m here to help you understand the difference between someone who claims to be one and someone who actually is an internet marketing specialist.

I have attended meetings as both an observer and internet marketing consultant and I can tell you that there are some companies out there that are so full of bologna, they should own a deli. As soon as I start asking questions, it is unbelievable how quiet a room can get. It’s pretty cool actually.

A true internet marketing specialist will sit down with you to discuss what your current game plan is and will discuss what is and is not working.  They will discuss with you the traffic reports (analytics) connected with your website, online phone book traffic, and other directories you may pay to be listed with.  Please note, analytics is the key to knowing whether a marketing strategy is or is not working. If your present internet marketing company isn’t sharing that information with you, I would question them and get your traffic reports as soon as possible.

Finally, after analyzing all the data, doing some competitive research and listening to your needs, the internet marketing company or person you have selected will sit down with you and discuss your options.

As a Buffalo SEO and internet marketing specialist, I believe 100% in being honest with my clients.  I explain to my clients that search engine optimization (“SEO”) is a process which takes some time. Search marketing includes blogging, social media, press releases, SEO, PPC and more.  An good internet marketing specialist will help you understand these various avenues and help you develop a presence in each or a portion depending on your needs.

A few red flags to look for:

1. If a company is trying to convince you to begin a pay per click (“PPC”) campaign, but not willing or unable to provide you with the keyword research surrounding the keywords they are recommending.

2. If the company doesn’t explain to you what the pros and cons of content marketing are. Content marketing places your ads on various websites across the web and the cost can ad up quickly. Often times, the clicks result in people bouncing off immediately, which isn’t going to help you.  It may not be in your best interest to use content marketing.

3. If a company is trying to get you to list in their directory, but is either unwilling or unable to provide you with the traffic reports and various information related to the importance of that page or category.

4. If a company says to you that they can get you ranked number 1 in the organic listings on various search engines. Don’t buy into it.  It takes time and effort to increase your rankings across the web.  There is no guarantee you will be number 1.

Hope this helps some of you who are interested in learning what an internet marketing specialist is and how we can help you.