Archive for the ‘Search Engine Optimization (SEO)’ Category
Friday, July 16th, 2010
 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we´re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
Linking your site to other sites around the Web is a fundamental part of the way the Internet works. In fact, that’s the reason we call it the World Wide Web. Now, the Search Engine giants like Google and Yahoo! are well aware of how this works. In fact, how your site connects to the rest of the Web is fundamental in how your page gets recognized. Here are some tips when dealing with Link Directories, aka collections of links to sites on the Internet.
The big thing to look out for right off the bat is the PageRank (PR) of the directory. This is especially important for Google. PageRank is Google’s way of ranking how websites are connected to others. The PR scale is 1-10 and the higher the number is better. You can check the PR of websites by either getting an add-on for your web browser or by searching the Web for a tool to help you do so.
Another thing to consider when choosing a directory is the pay structure. Depending on your marketing budget and the value you place on link directories, this will affect your decision to varying degrees. Many offer free links by simply placing a link back to their site on your homepage. Depending on your business, this may or may not be a good choice for you. The other option is to pay for inclusion, which will result in faster approval, but also cost you money. Again, you want to be sure of your marketing strategy here.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Tags: Internet Marketing, Links, seo, web
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we´re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
How do the big search engines see your websites content?
Google, and most search engines, use robots to sort through your page for content. These are not actual robots, but computer programs with a single purpose, to crawl your website. Crawling means taking the time to read all the code that makes up your page. This is largely HTML, but other code like Flash is partially recognized. What is important here is tight design to aid the robots in reading your site. You can also assist them via scripting, but that is something best saved for professionals like your SEO specialist.
Is Flash a factor?
Yes. Google can read a little bit of Flash, but HTML and other standard code is where they get most of their data. Be careful when using Flash, as overuse will result in difficulties with PageRank and other methods of promotion. The same goes with splash pages, or intro pages, for your website. That may have been cool in the 1990s, but today people want to get to your content as soon as possible. There’s no need to make a separate page to welcome them.
How do images come into play?
Without ALT tags for your images search engines won’t know what to do with them. As clever as Google’s robots are, they aren’t discerning all the contents of your pictures. The “ALT” tag allows for users to put captions in the code for their images. This way, if there are visitors to the site who are visually impaired, they will still know what is going on on your page.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Tags: content, Google, HTML, Internet Marketing, Popularity, Robots, seo
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Web Development | No Comments »
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we´re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
Congratulations on building a website/having someone build it for you! You’re starting out online and your website design is fantastic. You have awesome content, animated menus, and links to social media. Now, that’s all well and good, but who is going to see it? Ah, the age-old problem of promotion. Well, there are several search engines out there that will pick up your site if linked properly. Today, let’s talk about Alexa.
Alexa is a powerful search engine that works based on how many pages they archive, as well as how many people visit the site. So yes, traffic is important. The way Alexa tracks traffic is interesting. Aside from looking at how a site is linked to others, the Alexa Toolbar is something Alexa uses to track the popularity of a website.
This leads to an interesting idea that Alexa uses a form of social media to determine your website’s popularity. The cool part is that people can help to promote your website without having to do anything but visit it. The downside is that they need the Alexa Toolbar to do this.
Now, they do get their data from this tool as well as searches, but it is also a combination of what they call “reach”. Reach means that they see how many visits your website gets. They give the example of Yahoo on their FAQ section. Essentially, since 28% of users on the Internet go to Yahoo, its reach is 28%.
Alexa is not to be overlooked when promoting your website. As with other promotion means, a link on your homepage will definitely help. Also, make sure to use the Alexa toolbar while browsing the web, since it will help Alexa get a better look at your favorite sites.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Maryland
Tags: Alexa - Alexa.com, internet, marketing, page rank, ranking, seo, seo tools, website
Posted in Alexa - Alexa.com | No Comments »
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we´re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
You´ve got a website. Congratulations! Now it´s time to put some content on there. You know that the more you have, the better your site will do online. This is a mixture of Google´s PageRank system, pages indexed by sites like Yahoo! and Alexa, as well as the actual content on your page. This is where a lot of people are tempted to build giant sites that are really just the same page or two duplicated over and over again. This is a terrible idea.
There are many reasons why you should not simply bombard a web server with the same pages. First, no one is going to like your website. I know that search engines are important, but they are not the be-all/end-all of the Internet. The fact of the matter is, PEOPLE are going to look at your website. If they hate it because it´s 1,000 page of the same thing, no one will ever come back. In fact, they´ll likely tell their friends to steer clear of your site.
Second, search engines are not stupid. Think about it. You´re relying on software to make your website more popular; do you think they don´t know what´s going on? I can answer that: they do. Google, like all search engines, searches the text on your page. Therefore, they have checks in place to make sure that your content is not duplicated. Avoid duplication when building your site. The big guys know what you´re up to.
That´s all for this week. Check back again next week for more tips on web development and SEO.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Maryland
Tags: content, engines, Google, internet, marketing, page, search, search engines, seo, site, website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
There is a theory floating around the Internet about something called “poison keywords” for SEO. In essence, poison keywords are words or series of words that have been flagged by search engines as unacceptable. This is not based on the level of propriety, but rather on what they keywords intend to do.
The biggest example of a poison keyword, according to some online discussion, is using “search engine” as a tag for your website. Search engines like Google and Yahoo know what people are onto when they use those tags. Essentially, people are looking to get free page views based on keywords that don’t accurately define their site.
Another supposed poison keyword is “forum”. This seems to be mostly speculation. I haven’t found any evidence to support the idea yet. Most SEO professionals I’ve read say that it is nonsense. Mostly this idea comes from software giving you tips on your meta data.
That’s all for this week, folks. Check back with us next week! Also, feel free to stop by our new location at 406 Main Street, Reisterstown, MD! We’ll be there tomorrow.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Maryland
Tags: Internet Marketing, keywords, seo
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Knowing Your Target Audience In Your Store and Online
Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
While we here at Internet Beacon specialize in Internet Marketing, what we don’t specialize in is each individual client’s target market. That it not to say we can’t help you with this area. It does mean that if you already know your target market, working together goes faster and smoother. To this end, here are some tips on how to get to know your target market.
First, see who buys your products. This sounds easier than it is, but it is important. If you have a storefront, keep track of who comes in. Then, note who buys things and who browses. If you have a large amount of teenagers coming in to buy things, then you need to make sure you are reaching that market. If your store specifically caters to a particular crowd, like stay-at-home moms, take steps to ensure they are being targeted by your marketing. This will extend to your presence online as well.
Second, tailor your website to reflect not only your business’ offerings, but also the type of clientele you are trying to reach. If your store sells extreme sports merchandise, your website needs to show this. Don’t use boring colors or plain advertisements. This is an area in which we can assist you. We will meet with you and get your feedback on how you want your website to look. From there, we go to work using your specifications. Remember, getting your target demographic to notice you means getting to know them, even if it isn’t something that interests you.
At the end of the day, you are responsible for getting people in the door. This doesn’t mean you have to do it on your own, though. Feel free to give us a call at the Internet Beacon to help you start marketing your business online.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Maryland
Tags: internet, Internet Marketing, market, marketing, online, seo, store, target, target audience, target market, website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing Plan, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, keywords are a big part of SEO. They help to identify your site to search engines, and give them something to associate with the web address. For this reason, they are one of the building blocks of SEO. Here are some tips for choosing the keywords you want to use.
Be Accurate
Accuracy is important here. If you are a florist in Baltimore, pick keywords that match your business. Keywords like “flowers Baltimore”, “Baltimore Florist”, etc will be perfect here. They accurately describe what you do and where you do it. If you chose something like “local business Baltimore”, then you will most likely see negative results. That’s because, while you ARE a local business in Baltimore, so is EVERYONE ELSE in Baltimore. You’ve cast too wide a net, and therefore will get lost among the other companies.
Be Specific, but not TOO Specific
Specificity is your friend when choosing keywords. However, if you over-specify, you will likely get lost I the crowd. A great way to think about this is trying to imagine what your potential customers will search for online. If you a store that specializes in comic books from the 1930s and 1940s, then something specific like “Golden Age comic books” would work well for you since it is a specific niche you are filling. However, that same keyword will not bring in people looking for regular comics. As you can see, this part is tricky.
When choosing keywords, make sure you talk to your SEO professional about how you want to describe your business online. They can often make good suggestions, as they’ve been in the Internet Marketing game for a while, but only you know how you want clients to see you. That’s it for this week! Come back next time for more SEO tips.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Maryland
Tags: business, choosing, internet, keywords, search, seo
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page, SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. This week I’d like to give you five tips for growing your business using the Internet.
Perception is Everything
This is true in all walks of life, but especially on the Internet. People don’t get to see the person running the website. All they see is the site itself. If it looks like it was made using a basic text editor by someone’s cousin, that is the impression they get. They don’t notice the actual business as much. For this reason, it is important to have your website designed by a professional. My advice is to start small, and then branch out as necessary. Not every site needs a flashy intro, but they all need to look professional.
Preserve and Optimize your Advertising Budget
Getting your name out there can be challenging on the World Wide Web. It may seem like you are up against anyone and everyone. In some sense, you are. You are up against them for people’s time. So make sure you are taking the right steps to ensure that potential customers see your website before others. To this end, make sure a portion of your advertising budget goes towards Internet Marketing. This is a more and more important part of today’s economy, and you don’t want to miss it.
Build Relationships
While it’s true that your goal is to succeed as a business, few, if any, people can do it alone. This is why it is important to get to know the competition. They may not be as bad as you think. Many might be just like you, trying to get a leg up in an increasingly more competitive market. You may find allies here instead of enemies. Try joining an online association related to your field. This may help more than you might expect.
Assemble a Toolkit
In the same way that you need to gather your tools together when building a house, you need to have tools set aside for your business. On the Internet, this means tools that will get you plugged into what’s happening online. Three great, free, tools are Facebook, Twitter, and Digg. Facebook, as most of you know, is a social networking site allowing people of all ages to connect with each other. Make a page for your business here to spread awareness of it. Twitter is a micro-blogging service. It’s great for short posts and linking to others’ posts. Make an account and join the online discussion. Digg is a link sharing website. Share articles that interest you and others and comment on pertinent works. Intelligent contribution goes a long way.
Deliver Content
Make sure your website is more than just an online business card. That may have worked in the past, but now people expect more. Try serving up interesting content to keep them coming back. This could be a blog, quick tips, or any one of a million other options. This will be specific to your business.
Well, that’s all for this week. Come back next week for the second half of our series on building your business using the Internet.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Tags: business, internet, Internet Marketing, marketing, seo, website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We’re a Search Engine Optimization(SEO) firm located in Finksburg, MD. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page and our blog post on SEO.
This week, I’d like to talk about making your website SEO friendly.
Avoid the Photo Album
Unless, of course, you’re hosting a photo album. What I mean here is that while graphics and picture can add a lot to your website, be careful when using them in place of text. Search engines like Google don’t pick up what is inside the image. If it is an important piece of information for your site (i.e. a keyword, area of focus), try using text to represent it. This way you don’t miss out on getting noticed.
Make Sense
I’ve talked about this before, but making sure your content makes sense goes a long way towards successful SEO. A part of our work involves making sure things like keyword density are where they should be. If instead of three solid paragraphs of information, say company history, you have ten two sentence groupings, it will be harder to work with your site. This could involve a large amount of proposed rewrites, which takes more time.
Know Your Site
Using keywords is an important part of SEO. However, you must use the right keywords. If your site is about selling your organic fruit directly to customers, then words like “banana” and “kiwi” will likely come up a lot. However, if you sell bulldog themed neckties, odds are these do not fit. This is important. Part of how your site is ranked is based on the text, so make sure it is relevant.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for stopping by! We’ll see you next week.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Baltimore
SEO Maryland
Tags: Blog Hints, friendly, seo
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Welcome to the Internet Beacon blog. My name is Josh. The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Finksburg, MD. SEO is a form of Internet Marketing. What we do is work with you to get your website among the top ranked results for select keywords related to your business. For a more detailed explanation, check out our SEO Answers page and our blog post on SEO.
Today I’d like to talk about avoiding SEO companies that promise the world. What I mean by this is someone who will tell you that they can get your website on the top ten results on Google inside of a week or two; or that they know the “secret” of SEO. The truth is SEO takes a lot of time and work if done properly. If not, you may have just thrown hundreds of dollars away. Here are three things to watch out for when choosing an SEO company.
1) The Promise
You’ve met with the young, fashionable director of SEO at “Marketing, Inc Corporation International” about doing SEO for your small business. He threw around a lot of cool buzzwords and told you that, for a small fee, your site will be the most popular location on the Internet. For the most part, this is obviously an attempt to get your money. Let me say this clearly, it is not possible to become, overnight, the hottest thing on the Internet. Thank this guy for his time and move on.
2) The Secret
The website you’ve discovered has finally “found the secret to SEO”. They can’t tell you how, but they have mastered this process. All they need is your money and they will make your site an Internet phenomenon. This is a lie. There is no secret to SEO. It is a process like anything else. Good SEO takes time and, only after that time, will results begin to surface.
3) The Quick Fix (That Lasts!)
Some SEO providers will tell you that all you need is their one time service to meet your SEO needs. After that, your site will never need updating to hold it’s place in the top ten. Again, this is false. A good SEO provider will be honest with you and let you know that, like most other services, it requires maintenance. An SEO company that tells you a quick fix can keep your site popular forever is lying to you. They are either willfully false or ignorant. Neither are characteristics you want in a business partner.
That’s all for this week. Hopefully you know a little more about how SEO works and can begin looking for a company to assist you. As always, feel free to check out our website for more information!
-Josh
InternetBeacon.com
Baltimore SEO
Maryland SEO
Tags: Blog Hints, internet, search engine optimization, seo, site, time, website
Posted in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | No Comments »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
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Hey, everyone. Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We’re a Search Engine Optimization firm located in Finksburg, Maryland. In my previous posts, I’ve talked a little bit about helpful tips for using your computer and the Internet in general. Today, I’d like to get into what we really do here at the Internet Beacon.
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The proper term for our business is SEO, meaning Search Engine Optimization. But what does that really mean? Well, our goal is to engineer your website so that when someone searches for a business that does what you do in your locality, your company will be among the first results. It’s one of many forms of Internet Marketing. At first, it can seem slightly complicated. Knowing the ins and outs of how search engines, like Google, come up with their results is part of our job. We do a lot of behind the scenes work to get the job done.
Part of getting the job done involves checking keyword density. Keyword density is exactly what it sounds like. We make sure that keywords related to your company, let’s say “roofing Maryland” if you are a roofing company, appear prominently on your site. Part of this task is also making sure that it works organically on your site. You would get nowhere by having a paragraph comprised solely of “roofing Maryland”. Search engines know shortcuts like that are cheap and you can actually get your site penalized!
That’s just part of what we do for you here at the Internet Beacon. There are a lot of other methods for getting your business out there, but I could go on for pages and pages about them. Suffice it to say we worry about this stuff so you don’t! Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll see you next week.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Baltimore SEO
Maryland SEO
Tags: internet beacon, Internet Marketing, search engine optimization, seo
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) | 1 Comment »
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Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we´re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
