Internet Marketing Tips, Tools and Strategies

It has been said repeatedly that content on your website is the best way to improve your Google rank.

This is still very true but there are a few things you need to do to your copy in order to make it work for you once it is on your website.

1. Review your content and incorporate keywords

Before writing and posting your copy you should have done significant keyword research. Once you have these keywords you need to make sure they are being used correctly. You should be highlighting key words in your title, subtitles, link copy, URL and tags.

You also want to make sure keywords are being used correctly with attention to grammar and spelling. This attention to keyword detail will benefit your search engine optimization efforts. It will improve Google's rank of your website for those keyword search results.

2. Improve the quality of your external links

The second major factor in the way that Google evaluates your search engine optimization is dependent on your external links. By definition these are links to your website from outside sources. Examples of this may be another blog linking to a post of yours or a media outlet who wrote an article about you linking back to your site. Due to the integrity of these links it is not as easy to control as keyword usage within your copy.

The goal of these links should be utilizing your keywords in the links from other people's sites. The quality of the site that is recommending you will also improve the value of that link. A form of links called "deep linking" happens when a number of their website pages link to several of yours is also beneficial. Even links to your site from others social media pages will improve your Google rank.

The best way to monitor the links to your site is to make yourself aware of your referring sites and market yourself in a way that entices bloggers and webpage owners to send their visitors to your site.

With the introduction of Google's new Google Places system for local search they are also launching Google Boost.

Google Boost is currently only being offered in Chicago, San Francisco and Houston but they are hoping to launch more cities soon.

The purpose behind Google Boost is to add paid advertisements to help support your Places listing. Your ad appears on Google and Google Maps. You set the budget for your ad campaign and Google decides which search keywords will call up your ad. They make this decision from the information you give them about what categories your ad falls under. Google Boosts works like pay-per-click so you only pay when someone actually clicks directly on your ad.

Here is a list of the content you will need to include in your Google Boost Ad:
1. Business name
2. Contact information - phone number, address, email
3. Description
4. Highlight from your Place listing with the star rating and reviews
5. Link back to your Google Places page

Local search is very important for small business success. Utilizing Google's new system is a great way to bring your business front and center when people nearby are searching for your products and services.

In Google's most recent deveopment they have brought our attention to the fact that many Google searchs revolve around local services, retail locations, restaurants etc. Bottom line, people are regularly searching for things nearby.

In the past Google would show a map with 7 local results. This information would appear with the organic search results. This system has been redesigned and the map results are showing up in the right hand sidebar where you typically see pay-per-click ads. They have also added more prominence to online reviews and ratings for these businesses.

Due to the change in the map and results location PPC ads that would typically be at the top right have been moved down the page decreasing their success rate.

Google's new tool takes the step towards making Google your online Yellow Pages. With consumers trending towards finding businesses online it is more important than ever to have a solid online presence. A business that has not been practicing long term search engine optimization and does not have a strong website are likely to feel negative effects from this new Google feature.

Websites that appear in the number one spot in the organic search results as well having a Google Map Listing will show up on page one with the map listing. In the past map listings may not have shown on Google's page one results. Solid SEO will bring these two items together.

This change in layout and map function make it more important than ever to increase your organic search standings. You can't count on your PPC ad when it is moved to a less visible location on the page.

Make sure you educate yourself on Google's "Place Search" and utilize the feature to make it work for your business.