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Editors note: This post continues our weekly primer in SEO, touching on all of the foundational aspects. In the end, youll be able to practice SEO more confidently and converse about its challenges and opportunities. The list of posts in the series is below, at the conclusion of this piece.

Businesses put off search engine optimization because, frequently, they dont know where to start. The planning phase figuring out whom to trust your natural search performance with, and how to staff and manage it isnearly as daunting as understanding SEO itself.

First, step back. Before you worry about how to run a successful SEO program, determine your SEO goals. Focus on what you needto accomplish before determining how to accomplish it. Dont skip this step.

Smart goals are always specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-based. The worst goal, and the most common, is drive more SEO traffic. When? How much more? How will you know when youve accomplished the goal?

Focus on what you need to accomplish before determining how to accomplish it.

A well-constructed goal could be any of the following.

When you know what your goals are, its easier to measure the impact that you want SEO to have in your overall marketing mix. If SEO is a large revenue driver, or you want it to be, assign more resources to it.

SEO isnt pay-for-performance, such as paid search. But theres a direct relationship between the time and money you spend on SEO and what you get out of it. If SEO is just a minor part of your other marketing initiatives and youre not trying to grow its performance, a small budget with a consultant could be all you need.

If SEO is more than a sideline, consider whether you want someone on staff to manage it. On the plus side, an employee can embed herself into the inner workings of your other marketing and development teams, where she can have more impact.

Modern SEO depends on influencing decisions of others marketing strategy, user experience, design, copy writing, PR, social, development. An agency or consultant will have a harder time establishing these relationships and wont otherwise be privy to the hallway conversations that someone in your own employ is.

On the minus side, an employee requires a salary and benefits. She is, theoretically, more permanent than agencies and consultants. Youre relying on the knowledge of a single person to drive all aspects of SEO and keep up on all of its news and changes.

Modern SEO depends on influencing decisions of others marketing strategy, user experience, design, copy writing, PR, social, development.

An SEO employee, too, will need the support of other internal teams. Many of the elements that impact SEO performance are technical or related to design and user experience. To improve search rankings, the employee will need the cooperation of those teams.

Consultants dont require benefits. But retaining a single consultant means youre still relying on one person to understand and implement it all. Some consultants are certainly capable its not uncommon for SEO experts to tire of an agency environment and hang out their own shingle. Regardless, finding the right consultant should be done by someone who is already experienced in SEO.

In addition, seasoned consultants are more expensive, at least on an hourly basis. But their work can result in far more sales and profits than a novice.

You can manage the cost of consultants by contracting for fewer hours. But always remember that your cost is proportional to their level of expertise and the amount of time they can spend with your program. Youll want to ensure that youre buying enough time and expertise to make a material difference to your SEO performance.

An SEO agency can draw on the expertise of multiple people with diverse skill sets. You may not interface with those resources directly, but theyre available to your agency team for consultation.

Hiring an agency also has the benefit of vetting. In a reputable SEO agency, someone with SEO expertise interviewed and hired the team youll be working with. That provides some assurance that youll receive meaningful expertise.

But the cost of an agency will almost assuredly be higher than a freelance consultant. Importantly, remember that the people pitching the work likely will not be the same people actually doing the work. Make sure to meet the consultants youll be working with, not just the sales team.

Importantly, remember that the people pitching the work likely will not be the same people actually doing the work.

Another option is to start with a consultant or agency that takes an educational approach to SEO. This can help you learn enough to eventually hire an employee, and also provide guidance for that employee during her transition, training, and beyond. This option combines the benefit of an in-house person and the expanded expertise of an agency.

Regardless of staffing employee, consultant, or agency during the hiring process ask about the candidates processes for making SEO recommendations and seeing them through to implementation. Youll need someone who can speak equally well with creative, development, and strategic marketing personnel. Look for an SEO resource whocan explain how search engines work and what she can do to influence those results. And youll need someone with intelligence, the ability to self-direct, and the burning desire to solve complex puzzles.

The best time to start is now if you want to see results soon. SEO takes time. Its dependent on gaining relevance and authority, which is largely based on how other sites link to and mention your site. You can typically measure SEO performance six to 12 months after planning and implementing changes.

In many cases, the biggest SEO improvements will come from a large capital project like a redesign. If youre planning a redesign or re-platform, get your SEO resource involved immediately.

Read the entire SEO How-to series:

Originally posted here:
SEO How-to, Part 3: Staffing and Planning | Practical Ecommerce - Practical Ecommerce

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As digital marketers trying to keep up with clients, constant changes in technology, and life in general, how do we keep ourselves from burning out?Kathleen Garvin of The Penny Hoarder and Amanda Russell of Ghergich & Co. join former SEJ FeaturesEditor Danielle Antoszto share their insights on how to avoid burnout. Kathleen, Mandy, and Danielle also discuss how technology has affected the way we work and share tips and tools to disconnect.

Mandy:I think part of the big change, part of the switch thats happened in the past decade or so is that theres so little privacy with the internet and with social media. Not only do your employers know more of whats going on with your life but you know more of whats going on in your friends lives and you get that life ADHD a little bit,where youre like, Well, Im working this job but the grass looks greener over here. Maybe I need to try that out. I think that helps to propel us toward this burning out feeling where everybody else seems happier than you areor yourenot as successful or what have you. I know I look around a lot and I see my colleagues and my coworkers and theyre doing these amazing things, and I wonder if thats something I should be doing. AmI doing things correctly?

I would have loved to find a company where I could stay for 40 years and feel like Ive really made a contribution.Yet I do this job hopping thing because I keep thinking, The next step, the next step, the next one is going to be the right one. It keeps life interesting but I know, too, that employers look at it and theyre just, Well, how long are you going to stay with us? What should we expect from you?

Mandy:When I started working for Ghergich, it was a completely different ball game. Im working from home, I can do whatever. I can work in my pajamas, I can roll over, open my laptop, and answer emails while Im still in bed. That has been a freedom that I never knew was possible. It allowed me to take this opportunity and work remotely and Im not taking vacation time. I work 9 to 5 then I go out and explore and do things on the weekends.

That has been huge for me. Its only because of the internet and being connected, and my employers knowing that, If we need Mandy, we can just message her and its fine.It can be 8 p.m. but if we absolutely need her, shes there, even though shes in Mexico. You have to take the bad with the good. The bad is that, I see all my friends who are doing these amazing things and I want to be successful or, just like we said, grass is greener. But then, I get to follow my dream and my love of travel while still working and thats pretty freaking fantastic.

Kathleen:Sure, I think you hit the nail on the head about taking the good with the bad. I think you have to. The internet does give us so many possibilities to work remotely or work a completely internet-based job which is great and is something that I think our generation might be the first ones who fully take advantage of. I feel like its something you hear a lot more of, you see more people doing it.

Kathleen: In my work, in addition to email, we use Slack. Slack is pretty much the primary conversation driver and we try to email as little as possible. I think Slack is good but we also work in an open office space so you can go up and go over to the person to ask them a question which is great.

I dont thinkI really found any tools that help in terms of increasing my productivity. Its just been for me to know when to stop myself or maybe even just be alone with my thoughts. We are used to being in line now at the store. Anything else where your first reaction is to take out your phone and go on Instagram or something else, or text somebody, I try to be more mindful of that as well. I can be alone. I dont need to be on my phone and again, take a breather, take a break. I will say that I dont get any push notifications on my iPhone.

Mandy:Ive struggled a while with fear of missing out the FOMO phenomenon. Something thats helped me more so than apps or whatever else is forcing myself to just leave my phone somewhere.

There are a lot of apps out there that make it easier to communicate, whether its WhatsApp or Slack or Skype. Those help a lot but making sure that I really disconnect and teach myself not to worry about missing that amazing post. Its going to be okay, it really will be.

Kathleen:Exactly. Behavior modification, where you change the way you operate and you change the way people expect you to communicate with them. I think it alsodepends on your team. Do you have a boss who, no matter what, is going to expect you to answer your phone or be available at certain times of night when you should be off the clock?Thats difficult. But assuming you had control over your schedule,I think theresabsolutely nothing wrong with changing your habits, changing your behavior, and training people to let them know when they can communicate with you and that you are not dead if it takes you tenminutes to respond to their message.

Kathleen: Definitely take some time off. Even if you dont physically go anywhere, just have a mental health day. Use your time off wisely. Make sure you plan breaks for yourself. I was reading an article yesterday,it was an interview with Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx.She said that as soon as you can afford to, hire your weaknesses.Hiring a VA is smart andif you can afford to, definitely do that to offload work and help clear some space to help you relax a bit, prioritize, and put your energy towards things that matter.

Taketime off social media to give yourself a break and let yourself recharge. One app that everyone at work was talking about that I finally downloaded this weekend was the Calm app. Its guided meditation and sleep stories.All of these things rolled into one I think are important for personal happiness and career success.

Mandy:Just being honest with yourself and doing what you can to pinpoint exactly what is causing the burnout. Because I know for me, whenever Im having a bad week or I feel like I just dont want to work anymore, I dont feel like getting up for work. Whatever the case may be, theres generally one specific reason. Either I need a vacation or I hate doing this task and wish I could delegate it. Once Ive pinpointed it then I need to act on it to take care of it. To get it off my plate, to get it off my mind. If the burnout feeling is still there, then I need to see what else is going on.

Think you have what it takes to be a Marketing Nerd? If so,message Kelsey Joneson Twitter, or email her at kelsey[at] searchenginejournal.com.

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How to Avoid Digital Burnout [PODCAST] - Search Engine Journal

SEO Bootcamp has not disappointed. Its like drinking from a fire hose. All of the information Ive gotten has been incredibility valuable and worth wild.

(PRWEB) February 09, 2017

Web Savvy Marketing today announced its next SEO training workshop will take place this May in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The SEO Bootcamp workshop is three full days of SEO education and training provided by SEO expert Rebecca Gill.

SEO Bootcamp is designed to reorient a website owners thinking about search engine optimization by moving them away from quick schemes or reliance on outside SEO consultants. The SEO training, co-working, and one-on-one coaching sessions are designed to teach students how to execute SEO best practices in a structured and methodical manner.

Workshop attendees will walk away with a complete SEO plan that utilizes a proven methodology for obtaining website traffic that converts into tangible ROI. The workshops schedule will cover the following SEO topics:

Prior SEO Bootcamp students have provided very positive feedback including:

Joe Skilton, a small business owner, says, SEO Bootcamp has not disappointed. Its like drinking from a fire hose. All of the information Ive gotten has been incredibly valuable and worthwhile. And not just the nitty gritty on how to optimize your website, but also the overall process which has really helped clarify the good advice Ive gotten from other sources but didnt know how to quite put it together the right away.

Sara Dunn, a WordPress consultant and marketer, says, Buckle your seatbelt and get ready for drill sergeant Rebecca! Its a ton of information but its really about doing SEO right. Youll finally learn the things you need to know so youre not making mistakes or using outdated information.

To learn more about the May session of SEO Bootcamp, visit the website at https://www.seobootcamp.com.

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SEO Bootcamp is Coming to Oklahoma City - PR Web (press release)

Your website may be the slickest, most beautifully-designed thing in the world, but without a strong approach to search engine optimisation (SEO), its virtually useless, because no one will be able to find it.

A website with good SEO will appear higher up on a list of search engine results. For small business owners who have little or no technological know-how, trying to get it right can be an intimidating prospect. But not having the tools or training doesnt mean that you cant get higher up the Google results page.

Start simple, says Ross Dempsey, head of digital at marketing agency, Digital Impact. Begin with whats called on-page SEO the main elements of a web page that search engines look at to understand what its about. Getting this right is a good first step to making a site rank higher in search results.

First, he says, make sure that the title of a web page (the headline that users see on a search results page) accurately describes what it is. Second, keep the web address (the URL) short and punchy. And finally, try to use target keywords the words that people type into the search box to find your business in the first 100 words on a page.

SEO can help you generate traffic, but dont forget to give people a great experience once they arrive at your websitePaddy Moogan, Aira

But watch those keywords. Trying to rank for competitive phrasesis a common mistake, says Charles Travers, consultant at Kent-based SEO agency, Finetune Digital.

If youre a small insurance company, you dont want to try to rank nationally for the car insurance search term, he says. There are enormous companies spending a lot of money there. For smaller players, its a losing battle.

Instead, focus on keywords and phrases with less competition, he adds. These could be longer, but more specific phrases cheap car insurance breakdown cover, for example.

Paddy Moogan, co-founder of digital marketing agency, Aira, says that creating content that draws lots of links from other websites is one of the easiest way to achieve a better SEO score. The more external websites that link to content on your site, the more a search engine such as Google will trust it and the more likely that your SEO ranking will improve.

The focus should be on the quality and relevance of the linking site, he says. If youre getting links through from a sports nutrition blog and youre a plumber, Google may see this as manipulative and it could cause more harm than good when it comes to your rankings.

To ensure your SEO efforts are working, monitor your traffic using tools such as Google Analytics and use Googles Search Console to see the keywords that people are using to find your website, says Mr Moogan.

The bottom line? Its about the customer, he adds. SEO can help you generate traffic, but dont forget to give people a great experience once they arrive at your website.

Read the original:
SEO tips for small businesses - Telegraph.co.uk

If youre an SEO company or someone who is just really good at SEO, I want to save you some time and let you know you may find this article a little too basic.

If youre a local business who is confused by SEO and looking for some simple advice that works, this article was written specifically for you.

This is the first of several articles on SEO written for small local business. Theres a ton of really good SEO training out there. But most of it is catch all training that is often too general.

My goal with these articles is to help the Main Street businesses out there who serve their local community. So if youre an attorney, dentist, moving company, accountant, restaurant or businesses like them; read on. This was meant for you.

SEO That Gets You Customers Starts Here

The secret to the success of your Search Engine Optimization and entire search marketing strategy begins with keyword selection.

Commonly known as keyword research, this is pivotal to get right. If you get it wrong, everything you do later will either not work effectively or flat out not work at all.

If you plan to do your own SEO, getting help with keyword research can be money well spent. You really need to have this done well.

Ive had the opportunity to perform a keyword audit on many websites. And one of the most common things I find is that businesses are just targeting the wrong keywords.

SEO Is Not Easy

If youre doing your own SEO or even hiring an SEO company to do it for you, one thing you will learn is it is time-consuming and can be technically difficult.

Googles algorithm has changed dramatically in the past few years. The Algorithm is a complex system that decides in real time what the search results will be. It sifts through mountains of data and matches sites that are stored in Googles database, also called the Index, to they keyword. It then presents the results in order of what it believes the importance to be.

First, you need to make sure that your website is in the Index for the keyword you want to appear in search results for. Then you need to make sure your website is the most relevant and authoritative of all the other sites competing for the same keyword. No small task.

But To Make It More Difficult

They update their algorithm all the time and it makes it much harder to do SEO. You have to stay one step ahead of the ever changing way Google makes its decisions.

Not only does Google change, users change too. Users are more sophisticated. They cant be fooled into clicking on a search result simply because its on the first page. So how you display in the search results is more important than ever. And your content needs to be better than ever so that when they do click, they want to continue reading it.

And to make it even worse there are more competitors vying for the same keywords than ever. And new competition joins in all the time. Just think about how much local competition you have. They all probably have websites and are trying to be on page 1 of Google just like you.

Webcast, February 16th: Build Your Growth Roadmap in a Day

Google makes changes, your prospects behavior changes, your competitive landscape changes.

What has not changed is:

1: Theres still only a limited number of spots on page 1 of Google. So you need to be smarter and work harder than everyone else. If you dont, you cant compete. And

2: Search runs off keywords. Whether these are typed or spoken, the search engine still needs keywords to understand what it is the person searching wants.

While theyre getting much better at deciding what they want, Google still needs a question asked first in order to give you an answer. And this is the best way to think about your keywords. Think of them as questions your prospective customers are asking.

Things like:

Who are the best IT professional in New York

Or

I need a commercial mover in Danbury CT

Or

Find Stamford CT Dentist reviews

These are keywords. And to compete on the search engines, this is your first and most important step to success: identify the best keywords.

This Is The Best Way To Find Great Keywords

Before you begin, create a spreadsheet to dump these keywords into as you uncover them. Dont worry about organizing it. Dont worry about whether you have duplicate keywords. Just brain dump them into this spreadsheet.

Step 1: Ask

Forget fancy techniques. Forget keyword tools. Forget anything you may have learned and start here first.

Start with your customers. Go ask every single one of them how they found you. If they say Google, ask what they typed.

If they didnt find you on the search engines, ask them what they would have typed to find you.

Ask everyone you meet for the next 2 weeks what keyword theyd use if they were looking for your service. Ask your friends, family, customers, random strangers, people in your business community, competitors. Ask anyone and everyone.

Step 2: What you do

List all your services. If you are an IT Solutions Provider, you might list things like:

Make sure to put all these services into your spreadsheet.

Step 3: Solutions

List all the problems your products or services solve:

Once again, list all these solutions to your prospect and customer problems into your keyword research spreadsheet. Youve now got something really cooking here

Heres What To Do Next

There is a lot more to proper SEO than I am covering here. The goal of this article is to give you a great start to easy keyword research without overwhelming you.

From here, you can take this list and dig deeper into keyword research. You can discover more keywords based off of the list you just created. You can research what your competitors are doing. You can uncover the possible search volume and competitiveness of these keywords.

Or you can just start creating useful content for your website or blog that answers these questions. Even without worrying about things like keyword density, title tags, meta descriptions and all the other little SEO nuances, you can create powerful content with this data.

If you create content from here, just speak to your customer, keep it very simple (no techie talk) and make it at least 500 words. If you do that, youre going to do more for your SEO than most.

In upcoming articles, I will share ways to refine your research and organize your strategy for solid SEO. So come back next week after youve spent time asking and placing what you find in your spreadsheet.

Continue reading here:
A Simple Keyword Research Technique For Small Business SEO - Business 2 Community