Here is a scary question that may cause some upset, but it is still an important question that you should ask before hiring anyone who offers big promises about getting your Web site ranked for high visibility. Have you ever thought about asking to see the qualifications of your SEO team? Is there any evidence that they have ever been structurally trained in the skills they claim to have? SEO certification is two-fold.
1. Proper training in the full scope of search engine marketing skills and influences
followed by...
2. An examination to determine that the student is found to be competent in those skills and worthy of certification.
The question you might want to ask in performing due diligence is this:
"Tell me about where you were trained in search engine marketing skills and do you hold a certification of skills to show that you are up to date and competent for the current year?"
Okay, so what's so hard about asking this question? Don't be surprised if you catch a few people unawares.
It sounds like an easy enough question, but you might be surprised to find out how many people out there are talking the SEO talk, but have actually never been structurally educated or had any professionally training at all.
One common response is, "Oh, I am "self taught" and have known all about how to submit to search engines for years." A reply like this needs further questioning because anyone who thinks that top Web visibility comes from "submissions" is already considerably shy of understanding on how search engine marketing works. The fallacy of "submitting to thousands of search engines" to increase your traffic is one of the oldest cons that is still being practiced.
Or how about reply.."Sure, our people know all about how to work with Meta tags." Okay, but do they know that Meta tags are probably the least important influence in over 100 other elements that go into building true relevancy.
Also be aware that someone who answers by saying "We can guarantee to get you listed with every search engine out there including Google, MSN and Yahoo!" The catch here is of course anyone can get you "listed" but a reply like this does not say where you will be listed.
I spoke to someone using this ploy to take as much as $60,000 from a company but never had any intention or concern with getting the company any visibility. In the end of our conversation, I even got him to admit it to me. As it turns out, this individual did not even believe it was possible to get a top 10 ranking himself, yet he was taking the customer's money.
What's the scoop these days on SEO certification and how can you make an educated decision on hiring SEO help?
SEO certification - here are a few other tips to consider when looking for qualified SEO talent:
* Be extremely cautious of anyone who places great emphasis on "submissions." They've never been trained and do not understand search engine marketing if they place a lot of emphasis on submission services. Submitting to a "Directory" is still important, but there are good reasons why, you should NOT submit to search engines.
* Ask outright to see the individuals "SEO certification of skills." If they have one, take a good look at the company that delivered their certification training. Do a search to see if that training company's Web site can be found in top results for competitive SEO training phrases. For example if the training company only shows up in PPC advertising, how could they possibly be training others in gaining visibility in the organic results, if they cannot achieve it for themselves. The same with any company that uses unsolicited e-mail marketing to push their services. Think about it....if they were up to date in their skills, they would not be resorting to Spamming you.
* Beware of anyone who "guarantees" a number one ranking in Google or other search engines. These offers are designed to "look safe" and "sound safe" so that you * think* you cannot possibly lose out. A great deal of confidence is bolstered using superlative laden language that convinces you that there is no possible way you can lose. We have seen many people come to study in class to build genuine SEO and SEM skills (unfortunately after they trusted their Web site to the wrong people.) In some case their sites had been banned and then we've had to help them clean up the mess to get back into the search engine's good graces.
* Watch for hints in dialogue when someone speaks of knowing all the "tricks" to "outsmart the search engines."
SEO Professionals do not "outsmart" or "trick" the search engines at all. But they've been trained in how to create truly relevant, high quality content that ranks based on developing useful pages that deliver high value to the visitor and satisfy the reason why the visitor searched in the first place. Many bits of dialogue are quite telling, so listen carefully when someone is describing there services to you.
* As strange as it sounds, this industry is not JUST about top rankings. Ultimately, the goal is to gain top rankings but also you must understand how to compel visitors to respond. It's only when these two elements together are working that you'll produce your ultimate objective....to make sales, or earn money and profit from your Web site.
Even if your objective is not to make sales, you'll still need to be easily found and you'll need to compel your visitor to take some kind of action to fulfill whatever objective you have.
* Ask the company you are considering for hire, to provide you with a few business referrals where you can obtain a phone number and actually speak to a few of their clients. This can be someone who is in a different type of business and it can also be someone who can answer your questions in general.
Questions you might ask of their client: 1) In terms of percentage, how much has your company profited by using this service? 2) Are there any pages on your site that you wish might perform better? 3) Would you say that these SEO services have exceeded your original expectations? These types of questions will encourage the referral to reflect on their relationship while not sounding too threatening or prying.
* Don't feel that you literally have to become an SEO expert in order to get your Web site performing well. If you have no interest in building the skills, you can still get a solid education in all of the principles and techniques that will help you easily identify truth from error. This education can literally save you thousands of wasted dollars and get your project launched correctly the FIRST time.
* Watch out for so called "training companies" that may have a secondary agenda (other than teaching you the genuine SEO skills manually.) There are companies that say they will teach you the skills, but in the end, they are hoping to make learning "seem more difficult" in hopes of having you end up hiring THEM to do the work. Some schools give you some general knowledge but in the end, they want you to buy their special SEO tools like an up-sell.
What else can you watch for in "SEO Certification" values offered by various training companies?
* Find out if the SEO training company recognized by any established educational institutions?
For example, some training companies may be able to offer University CEUs (Continuing Education Units.)
This means that at least a University or governing authority has examined the curriculum and exams in detail and the company has had to comply to meet a certain standard in order for the University to stand behind them.
* Have a look at the SEO training company to see if they have ever delivered any training on behalf of one of the major search engines? Not too many training organizations have been approached or selected to deliver educational seminars on behalf of a major search engine, but there are some.
* Find out how long the SEO training company has been in business?
One of the very first and oldest SEO certification companies on the Internet is Online Web Training who, with their instructor led classes allows for a "certification of skills" document to be issued attesting to the truth that the individual has been instructed in either Basic SEO or Advanced SEO skills under the guidance of an instructor and then is examined and found to be competent in understanding the information and demonstrating the skills by passing an exam.
* Does the training organization offer an annual re-certification program to ensure that the SEO keeps their skills right up to date? SEO skills are only effective as long as they are right up to date. If the service you are considering for hire only has a certification dated for 2006 or earlier, just be mindful that a lot of changes happen regularly in this industry.
* Does the SEO training organization have a history of successful students that can demonstrate how their skills have impacted their Web site business or client's business?
* Does the SEO training company offer extended "mentoring programs for ongoing support."
* Does the SEO training company have convenient training locations on a localized level. The value of certification training that is delivered face to face and in person by a certified instructor, with hands-on instruction makes for the very best dynamics in SEO skill building, knowledge retention and includes mentoring right in a local community with no need to travel.
In summary:
The public has a right to know that it is possible to find and hire SEO professionals who not only have been structurally trained and certified in their SEO skills but, they'll want qualified talent that cares enough to keep their skills updated at least on a yearly basis.
Before you make your buying decision or enter into any agreement, it is up to you use wisdom and perform some due diligence to ensure that the SEO/SEM team you hire has got what it takes. Not just to improve your rankings, but to improve your conversions and improve your bottom line too.
I expect to hear some complaints about this article, from those who have never had any training before (there's a lot of them out there that like to use SEO as a buzz word.) But it is also a "heads up" and an opportunity to those who understand what is happening and want to prepare for it now.
SEO certification as a topic is here to stay and more and more we will see the public not jumping into the old time mistakes as they become more aware, more educated and execute much better judgment. The future belongs to the SEOs who build a solid, long term business and keep themselves up to date. The prize will be having clients that will stay with you for your whole life, because of the difference you make to their business. That's no different than any other real world business and the way it should be.
A smart, modern SEO service that has the goal of building "long term business relationships" and "clients for life" takes time to ensure they first have skilled people in place that can to genuinely help their future clients before taking any client's money. Business is about making money, but life is about helping people. If you focus on equipping yourself to "help people first" you'll never need to worry about making money.
Would you like a Free SEO Tip of the day sent to you each and every day by e-mail? It's free!
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/seo-certification-tips.html
Thursday, June 7, 2007
5 Simple Ways To attract new visitors by shifting Your Web topic focus.
Most SEO professionals learn about the value of writing "keyword rich" content that usefully relates to their product or service that they're offering online. If you sell insurance of some type you probably have thought of keyword phrases related to "insurance quotes." If you sell health products you have probably thought about attracting the more health conscious crowd to your Web site with vitamin or supplement related keyword phrases.
But here is a question....
How many of us really learn to explore the "search interests" of entirely new audiences for our Web site?
Okay, now think about "topic interests" which compliment your specific product or service, you may have a few ideas that come to mind but eventually you may feel the challenge. A certain feeling of limitation. Maybe you think that there are no other possibilities but let's talk about it for a bit.
For many folks here is what the main challenge is. It is in seeing beyond the product or service we are trying to offer and expanding our scope of research beyond our own objectives for our Web site. If I sell insurance, what else is there beside "insurance quotes?"
The challenge for most of us is that we can't "shift our focus" to something that does not seem to immediately serve our interest. If it does not make sense and tie in directly with the sales objectives for our Web site, why even bother exploring it, right?
Think about this. Many of us only tend to focus on the audience that we are "in the habit of serving" from recent and past experiences.
The truth is that we often may not give all future potential prospects our full availability (or visibility) because of the very narrow focus that our recent experience tends to limit us to. Now think about this for just a minute or two.
Do you just have one specific audience? There may be some who feel they have a product that only services one audience. In fact I know some who may be convinced of it. But with a little brainstorming and research, you can explore and find entirely new audiences that need your product or services. There are new audiences out there right now that are searching for your solution, but the only trouble is, you are not making it very easy for them to find you because the focus of your Web content may be far too narrow.
I'll bet that after reading this article you'll begin to explore new horizons. At least I hope you find it helpful. I'm going to share with you 5 simple tips to help you shift your focus and find multiple new audiences for your products or services online.
1. Shift your focus by stopping the hunt for "keywords" and start thinking about "behaviors."
Realize that people are using the Internet to perform research on topics that are "important to them" and "based on the conditions and circumstances in their lives." Stop thinking so mechanically about "what keywords people are putting into that search box in Google" and begin to understand that it is the conditions in the searchers life that are dictating how the searcher is using the Internet. It is fascinating research!
For Insurance Web sites - Perhaps all you've been thinking of is trying to optimize for a phrase like "insurance quotes."
Instead, you consider exploring other terms like VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) and ask yourself how this might fit into your Web. Ask yourself "Is it not likely, that people searching for a VIN number, probably own a vehicle?" Then why not create a helpful database to identify where those VIN numbers are located on various vehicles. (This is just meant to be a simple example, there are many other behaviors you can learn from.) But serve the needs of the searcher first and in the meantime, if they want an insurance quote, they can request it with the right type of compelling ad copy contained in the site. Trust me it works. Focus on satisfying the searchers needs before your own objective. That can be hard to do if you don't perform excellent research and stop relying on guess work.
For Travel Web sites - Perhaps you've continually focused on keyword phrases involving "travel" or "cheap airfares." You think to yourself that this is all there is. Expand you scope of research and begin to explore other topics and alternatives that can bring you a whole new world of travelers (who are not necessarily looking for the cheapest flights.) What else might they be looking for? Think behavior. One of the things travelers might like to search for are "Things to do in Toronto" or Things to do in Alaska or wherever their destination is. They might be looking for directions or maps or even reviews on entertainment. By creating alternatively focused content that is researched and well written, you will attract people to your travel center that you would otherwise completely miss.
For Solutions based Web sites that are selling a product or service. If you selling an SEO tool that is made for the Webmaster community, that's great. But what about the other businesses that could benefit from your tool? You won't attract them with a bunch of SEO related jargon. Let's say you are trying to attract people to your health product? Okay, so it's a new vitamin supplement that helps provide some kind of solution (let's say it helps fight off symptoms of depression.) Is your only buying audience the "heath food" conscious crowd? Not at all. You might want to explore the search habits of those who are going through some trauma in their life. Mortgage foreclosure, relationship breakups or even those who have recently been downsized from their job. Don't you think these people might have the use for a health product that helps fight depression?
If you are a Real Estate agent who is convinced that the only valuable search terms that are available are MLS Listings or other industry related jargon, listed to this short interview on "Keyword Forensics" which includes many tips for Real Estate Agents.
There are nearly always more than one audience for your product or service or information. Sometimes multiple audiences that could benefit from what you have to offer. Want to read more about expanding your research capabilities based on user search behavior? Read this article by Robin Nobles called: An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker that is easier too.
2. Shift your focus by exploring complimentary products and services through affiliate marketing.
If you are already attracting a specific type of visitor to your Web site to purchase your product or service, then the competition may not always be your enemy. Watch for products and services that are complimentary to what you offer through a generous affiliate program.
Did you know you can be earning additional income streams by simple adding useful content and links to your Web site? You promote complimentary products in exchange for an affiliate commission.
Check out the Kolimbo Network. Its free and it connects you with literally hundreds of merchants who are willing to send you a check for promoting their products and services.
3. Shift your focus by learning to explore hot topics of interest through Wordtracker.com
Did you know that you can use Wordtracker as your window on the world of search behavior? I'll keep this short.
It's much more than keyword research. Its about exploring the hidden evidence that 99% of most Webmasters miss. Be sure to read up on our various free Wordtracker articles here. Listen to a few Wordtracker Magic audio tips here.
4. Shift your focus in creating a brand new Blog on a specific topic.
Blogs are nearly like living breathing entities with bloggers discussing every topic under the sun. Have you thought about starting your own blog and getting some discussion going. Choose a topic based on an interest you have and on a topic that has some purpose. Ideally you want to Blog about a topic that you have some experience in and are knowledgeable about. Choose a topic that you feel you have some original views about. But then shift the focus to make it interesting and different than what your competitors are doing. Read the article Blogs with a purpose.
5. Learn how to explore peoples interests and then try shifting the focus of your message to an opposite approach.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to always consider taking a reverse approach or a look at an old topic through a new angle or view. People are interested in a wide array of topics but don't just explore the obvious ones. Always see if a reverse spin might make a better story or deliver a truth that people have not considered before.
What are topics of interest? It might be fashion, crafts, sports, classic movies, biographies around someone's life. It might be something around reading interests or writing interests or perhaps the study of electronics or something like singing, movie direction or piloting an aircraft. Whatever your topic of interest, try to apply a reverse approach to see if it makes better reading or will attract that new audience.
If you are writing content on the top tips for successful Bass fishing, what would happen if instead, you identified and wrote about the 10 most common mistakes made by new Bass fisherman. If you are writing content on any subject always consider looking at the possibilities of writing from either an opposite or a different point of view to deliver your message.
In summary:
Learning to shift your focus from the natural approach to provide content with a slightly different focus will also attract a slightly different audience. Maybe an entirely new audience or several new audiences that will ultimately translate into new business for you.
But it will never happen unless you provide content that reaches beyond your own selling objectives or your Web site's initial reason for existing. You have to be willing to explore data and consider taking an entirely new creative shift from time to time which usually means accurately understanding what your marketplace is doing. Not by guessing but through genuine research of accurate data. Of course none of us ever say that we are guessing, but that is exactly what you are doing when you let your focus remain limited to the one audience that we are " in the habit of serving" from our past experience instead of exploring the wealth of data and research intelligence that is available to us today.
Be encouraged and remember that IF your Web site is a great success.....keep doing what you are doing.
But if you are not experiencing success, it may be time to try a whole new approach.
If you want to experience top visibility on the major search engines, higher conversion ratios with fresh multiple new audiences, we teach the full scope of SEO skills at our hands-on SEO Mastery Workshop and Mentoring program.
Future dates and locations are here.
Recent student success stories and comments are here.
About John Alexander
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses. John is author of an e-book called Wordtracker Magic and has taught SEO skills to people from 87 different countries world wide. John's articles can be read in publications like REALTOR Magazine, Search Engine Guide, WEBpro News and many others.
But here is a question....
How many of us really learn to explore the "search interests" of entirely new audiences for our Web site?
Okay, now think about "topic interests" which compliment your specific product or service, you may have a few ideas that come to mind but eventually you may feel the challenge. A certain feeling of limitation. Maybe you think that there are no other possibilities but let's talk about it for a bit.
For many folks here is what the main challenge is. It is in seeing beyond the product or service we are trying to offer and expanding our scope of research beyond our own objectives for our Web site. If I sell insurance, what else is there beside "insurance quotes?"
The challenge for most of us is that we can't "shift our focus" to something that does not seem to immediately serve our interest. If it does not make sense and tie in directly with the sales objectives for our Web site, why even bother exploring it, right?
Think about this. Many of us only tend to focus on the audience that we are "in the habit of serving" from recent and past experiences.
The truth is that we often may not give all future potential prospects our full availability (or visibility) because of the very narrow focus that our recent experience tends to limit us to. Now think about this for just a minute or two.
Do you just have one specific audience? There may be some who feel they have a product that only services one audience. In fact I know some who may be convinced of it. But with a little brainstorming and research, you can explore and find entirely new audiences that need your product or services. There are new audiences out there right now that are searching for your solution, but the only trouble is, you are not making it very easy for them to find you because the focus of your Web content may be far too narrow.
I'll bet that after reading this article you'll begin to explore new horizons. At least I hope you find it helpful. I'm going to share with you 5 simple tips to help you shift your focus and find multiple new audiences for your products or services online.
1. Shift your focus by stopping the hunt for "keywords" and start thinking about "behaviors."
Realize that people are using the Internet to perform research on topics that are "important to them" and "based on the conditions and circumstances in their lives." Stop thinking so mechanically about "what keywords people are putting into that search box in Google" and begin to understand that it is the conditions in the searchers life that are dictating how the searcher is using the Internet. It is fascinating research!
For Insurance Web sites - Perhaps all you've been thinking of is trying to optimize for a phrase like "insurance quotes."
Instead, you consider exploring other terms like VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) and ask yourself how this might fit into your Web. Ask yourself "Is it not likely, that people searching for a VIN number, probably own a vehicle?" Then why not create a helpful database to identify where those VIN numbers are located on various vehicles. (This is just meant to be a simple example, there are many other behaviors you can learn from.) But serve the needs of the searcher first and in the meantime, if they want an insurance quote, they can request it with the right type of compelling ad copy contained in the site. Trust me it works. Focus on satisfying the searchers needs before your own objective. That can be hard to do if you don't perform excellent research and stop relying on guess work.
For Travel Web sites - Perhaps you've continually focused on keyword phrases involving "travel" or "cheap airfares." You think to yourself that this is all there is. Expand you scope of research and begin to explore other topics and alternatives that can bring you a whole new world of travelers (who are not necessarily looking for the cheapest flights.) What else might they be looking for? Think behavior. One of the things travelers might like to search for are "Things to do in Toronto" or Things to do in Alaska or wherever their destination is. They might be looking for directions or maps or even reviews on entertainment. By creating alternatively focused content that is researched and well written, you will attract people to your travel center that you would otherwise completely miss.
For Solutions based Web sites that are selling a product or service. If you selling an SEO tool that is made for the Webmaster community, that's great. But what about the other businesses that could benefit from your tool? You won't attract them with a bunch of SEO related jargon. Let's say you are trying to attract people to your health product? Okay, so it's a new vitamin supplement that helps provide some kind of solution (let's say it helps fight off symptoms of depression.) Is your only buying audience the "heath food" conscious crowd? Not at all. You might want to explore the search habits of those who are going through some trauma in their life. Mortgage foreclosure, relationship breakups or even those who have recently been downsized from their job. Don't you think these people might have the use for a health product that helps fight depression?
If you are a Real Estate agent who is convinced that the only valuable search terms that are available are MLS Listings or other industry related jargon, listed to this short interview on "Keyword Forensics" which includes many tips for Real Estate Agents.
There are nearly always more than one audience for your product or service or information. Sometimes multiple audiences that could benefit from what you have to offer. Want to read more about expanding your research capabilities based on user search behavior? Read this article by Robin Nobles called: An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker that is easier too.
2. Shift your focus by exploring complimentary products and services through affiliate marketing.
If you are already attracting a specific type of visitor to your Web site to purchase your product or service, then the competition may not always be your enemy. Watch for products and services that are complimentary to what you offer through a generous affiliate program.
Did you know you can be earning additional income streams by simple adding useful content and links to your Web site? You promote complimentary products in exchange for an affiliate commission.
Check out the Kolimbo Network. Its free and it connects you with literally hundreds of merchants who are willing to send you a check for promoting their products and services.
3. Shift your focus by learning to explore hot topics of interest through Wordtracker.com
Did you know that you can use Wordtracker as your window on the world of search behavior? I'll keep this short.
It's much more than keyword research. Its about exploring the hidden evidence that 99% of most Webmasters miss. Be sure to read up on our various free Wordtracker articles here. Listen to a few Wordtracker Magic audio tips here.
4. Shift your focus in creating a brand new Blog on a specific topic.
Blogs are nearly like living breathing entities with bloggers discussing every topic under the sun. Have you thought about starting your own blog and getting some discussion going. Choose a topic based on an interest you have and on a topic that has some purpose. Ideally you want to Blog about a topic that you have some experience in and are knowledgeable about. Choose a topic that you feel you have some original views about. But then shift the focus to make it interesting and different than what your competitors are doing. Read the article Blogs with a purpose.
5. Learn how to explore peoples interests and then try shifting the focus of your message to an opposite approach.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to always consider taking a reverse approach or a look at an old topic through a new angle or view. People are interested in a wide array of topics but don't just explore the obvious ones. Always see if a reverse spin might make a better story or deliver a truth that people have not considered before.
What are topics of interest? It might be fashion, crafts, sports, classic movies, biographies around someone's life. It might be something around reading interests or writing interests or perhaps the study of electronics or something like singing, movie direction or piloting an aircraft. Whatever your topic of interest, try to apply a reverse approach to see if it makes better reading or will attract that new audience.
If you are writing content on the top tips for successful Bass fishing, what would happen if instead, you identified and wrote about the 10 most common mistakes made by new Bass fisherman. If you are writing content on any subject always consider looking at the possibilities of writing from either an opposite or a different point of view to deliver your message.
In summary:
Learning to shift your focus from the natural approach to provide content with a slightly different focus will also attract a slightly different audience. Maybe an entirely new audience or several new audiences that will ultimately translate into new business for you.
But it will never happen unless you provide content that reaches beyond your own selling objectives or your Web site's initial reason for existing. You have to be willing to explore data and consider taking an entirely new creative shift from time to time which usually means accurately understanding what your marketplace is doing. Not by guessing but through genuine research of accurate data. Of course none of us ever say that we are guessing, but that is exactly what you are doing when you let your focus remain limited to the one audience that we are " in the habit of serving" from our past experience instead of exploring the wealth of data and research intelligence that is available to us today.
Be encouraged and remember that IF your Web site is a great success.....keep doing what you are doing.
But if you are not experiencing success, it may be time to try a whole new approach.
If you want to experience top visibility on the major search engines, higher conversion ratios with fresh multiple new audiences, we teach the full scope of SEO skills at our hands-on SEO Mastery Workshop and Mentoring program.
Future dates and locations are here.
Recent student success stories and comments are here.
About John Alexander
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses. John is author of an e-book called Wordtracker Magic and has taught SEO skills to people from 87 different countries world wide. John's articles can be read in publications like REALTOR Magazine, Search Engine Guide, WEBpro News and many others.
Reigning Keywords – A Quantum Leap in Learning to Explore Legitimate Data
When it comes to exploring keyword data, the common term used by many search engine marketers is “keyword research.”
For the sake of explaining this article, I am choosing to use different terminology than you may have read in other articles about SEO or SEM. So let’s cut back on the dialogue about traditional keyword research and instead, let’s talk about learning how to quickly tap into legitimate data and quickly explore it for the best “behaviourally related” search trends.
In a minute, I’m going to give you a few keyword observations based on exploring data over a period of the last year. And then I’m going to give you a few keyword tips that I hope you’ll find useful when you are looking for new options to attract visitors to your Web site, regardless of what the topic is or what business you are in.
When exploring data for behavior related keyword phrases that are being used in a specific cluster, try and condition yourself to think of how certain words might represent a trend (where more than one person is searching for the same thing.) Much of the time, a grouping of words together in a cluster can reveal exactly what the search was searching for in more depth than you might expect.
Music Store Example:
A music store that sells musical instruments may be limited to only considering the products that they sell such as brass instruments, guitars, woodwinds and percussion. While you guitar sales are down, you are trying to attract more traffic by focusing on your own “guesswork” more than actually researching data based on behaviour. The question is, how can you attract more amateur or professional guitarists when you are competing for identical keywords that the whole music is competing for? Sure there are ways, but would it not also make sense to explore data that you are not currently “thinking” about because it is totally hidden to many researchers.
Our minds are dictating to us the “keywords” that make sense and are related to specific brands or makes of guitars. You begin to think outside the box and say to yourself, okay, let’s explore some guitar related accessories, guitar strings and other things.
That is great, but there is even more than most people realize if they explore other data. Consider the following keyword phrase as “behaviourally related.”
“songs to print for guitar”
Now think about that phrase. What does it tell us?
Do you think it is safe to say that the person who is searching with this exact data is probably a guitar player? How competitive is the phrase for that exact sequence of words? Do you want to find out? Just enter it into Google’s search box but include it inside quotes “songs to print for guitar.”
At the time I wrote this article, there were 224 competing pages for it so it is easy to grab the ranking for.
So what about the searchers who are using this phrase? They are looking for songs that they can print. The trouble is, you sell musical instruments NOT songs, right.
Look at it this way……On the Web today, you do not even have to stock a product in order to sell it or to fulfil orders and to earn an affiliate commission from a partner who is willing to sell the music through an affiliate program. Therefore, if you wanted to set up additional resources on your Web site with pages focused on this behaviour, you could attract more guitarists who, while they are visiting, decide they need a new reverb unit or a set of strings for their guitar.
Other Observations for a music related store:
* "printable oboe music" KEI 81.0
* "diagram of oboe reed" KEI 144.0
* "Trumpet Valves Notes" KEI 676.0
* "history of the bass flute" KEI 529.0
* "free saxophone carols" KEI 784.0
* "Free Printable Music Sheets for Trumpets" KEI 1156.0
What other resources have you not thought about researching that could attract in more of your ideal buying audience?
By exploring legitimate data as opposed to guessing at words your brain tells you must relate, there is a whole world of possibilities for attracting multiple audiences to you Web based resource center.
Outside of music related products, what types of printable material might be useful to research for your own Web site? Is your focus a little to narrow on only one or two products you sell, or are there other things you could be taking advantage of?
* “free logic problems to print”
* “make print crossword puzzles”
* “free crosswords to print”
In Conclusion:
People are using the Internet to research all types of information. One of the biggest tips you can follow to separate you from your competition, is to allow yourself some freedom to explore alternative data (other than) the first “keywords” that pop into your mind. Those first keywords are often the most competitive ones that everyone else (including your competition) is fixated on.
If you want to tap into the niche phrases quicker, simply expand and explore a bigger circumference when it comes to topical data and tune into the less evident keyword phrases that are also indicative of the searcher’s real life circumstances. These are the ultimate phrases that often tell a story or relay a reason why the searcher is searching in the first place.
Let’s look at a few interesting high KEI phrases that were rooted out over 2006 - 2007.
General observations over the last year that have been both interesting and telling:
It seems people like to draw things:
"Drawings of Angels" KEI 69.4
"Learn How to Draw Dragons" KEI 149.0
"How to Draw Flames" KEI 159.9
"Mythical Dragon Drawings" KEI 232.3
"Grim Reaper Drawings" KEI 514.7
"Drawings of the Phoenix Bird" KEI 698.0
"Drawings of the Grim Reaper" KEI 1571.7
"Drawings of Angel Wings" KEI 1608.0
"Hydraulic Pump Drawings" KEI 3669.0
"Pneumatic Drawing Symbols" KEI 5700.2
"Mechanical Drawing of a Backhoe" KEI 18,881.0
Of course there are “price” related searches galore with many interesting trends and high KEI:
"current prices on antique guns" KEI 185.0
"average price for diamond necklaces" KEI 363.0
"HP Laserjet C7115X print cartridge best price" KEI 385.0
"best inkjet paper prices" KEI 392.0
"mens bracelets for cheap prices" KEI 392.0
"compare prices for samsung camcorder battery" KEI 432.0
"antique motorcycle price list" KEI 552.3
antique compass prices KEI 576.0
"kenmore washer and dryer prices" KEI 600.0
"best prices on italian charm bracelet" KEI 648.0
"bamboo flooring discount prices" KEI 705.0
"best price on GE appliances" KEI 936.0
"truck tires low prices" KEI 705.0
"solar water heater price" KEI 1,013.0
prices of napkins KEI 1444.0
"price guide for antique clocks" KEI 1568.0
"price on antique victorian rocking chair" KEI 2,116.0
"cheap prices on italian gold bracelet" KEI 2,500.0
"price guides to antique dishes" KEI 2500.0
Then we come to a few humorous type questions that people enter into the search engines:
"how many zeros in a vigintillion"
"how many transistors are in a new cpu"
"How many episodes did the 1954 TV Series, Lassie air"
"How Many Weeks Pregnant Am I"
"how many calories do i need"
"how many leather panels does a soccer ball have"
"how many muscles does a cat have"
"How many teeth does a mosquito have"
"how many stitches does a baseball have"
and
"How many ridges around the edge does a US dime have"
Tips for Expanding Your Ability to Research Keyword Data Beyond Average Limitations
If you are not familiar with exploring Wordtracker data, watch this short video first:
1. Don't just only consider researching keywords that initially jump out at you.
These are the logical keywords that everyone will target first. Give yourself permission to explore the less logical and even boring little words (that most people take for granted as having no value.) In some of the most common phrase clusters and expressions will you find great trails of gold.
2. Learn how to pay attention to your customers when they dialogue with you about what is important to them.
We often communicate differently when we talk than when we write our Web content. Sometimes there is very revealing things in words that we would never consider exploring the data on. Take time to test all of your ideas based on actual communications with your clients.
3. Think of "keywords" nearly as though they were "topics of interest" and consider which topics might have more appeal to your audience.
4. Remember that there is no such thing as exploring a wrong word. The biggest challenge most people have is that they never take time to explore anything beyond the words that "make sense" to them. If you think like everyone else thinks you will discover exactly what everyone else has discovered. Learn how to explore alternatives and synonyms that others have not EVER bothered to check and you will discover things that have not been discovered by many.
5. Be prepared to get back into the correct mindset the next time you use Wordtracker, because it does take a little practice not to fall back into the same old mindset a few days later.
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/reigning-keywords.html
For the sake of explaining this article, I am choosing to use different terminology than you may have read in other articles about SEO or SEM. So let’s cut back on the dialogue about traditional keyword research and instead, let’s talk about learning how to quickly tap into legitimate data and quickly explore it for the best “behaviourally related” search trends.
In a minute, I’m going to give you a few keyword observations based on exploring data over a period of the last year. And then I’m going to give you a few keyword tips that I hope you’ll find useful when you are looking for new options to attract visitors to your Web site, regardless of what the topic is or what business you are in.
When exploring data for behavior related keyword phrases that are being used in a specific cluster, try and condition yourself to think of how certain words might represent a trend (where more than one person is searching for the same thing.) Much of the time, a grouping of words together in a cluster can reveal exactly what the search was searching for in more depth than you might expect.
Music Store Example:
A music store that sells musical instruments may be limited to only considering the products that they sell such as brass instruments, guitars, woodwinds and percussion. While you guitar sales are down, you are trying to attract more traffic by focusing on your own “guesswork” more than actually researching data based on behaviour. The question is, how can you attract more amateur or professional guitarists when you are competing for identical keywords that the whole music is competing for? Sure there are ways, but would it not also make sense to explore data that you are not currently “thinking” about because it is totally hidden to many researchers.
Our minds are dictating to us the “keywords” that make sense and are related to specific brands or makes of guitars. You begin to think outside the box and say to yourself, okay, let’s explore some guitar related accessories, guitar strings and other things.
That is great, but there is even more than most people realize if they explore other data. Consider the following keyword phrase as “behaviourally related.”
“songs to print for guitar”
Now think about that phrase. What does it tell us?
Do you think it is safe to say that the person who is searching with this exact data is probably a guitar player? How competitive is the phrase for that exact sequence of words? Do you want to find out? Just enter it into Google’s search box but include it inside quotes “songs to print for guitar.”
At the time I wrote this article, there were 224 competing pages for it so it is easy to grab the ranking for.
So what about the searchers who are using this phrase? They are looking for songs that they can print. The trouble is, you sell musical instruments NOT songs, right.
Look at it this way……On the Web today, you do not even have to stock a product in order to sell it or to fulfil orders and to earn an affiliate commission from a partner who is willing to sell the music through an affiliate program. Therefore, if you wanted to set up additional resources on your Web site with pages focused on this behaviour, you could attract more guitarists who, while they are visiting, decide they need a new reverb unit or a set of strings for their guitar.
Other Observations for a music related store:
* "printable oboe music" KEI 81.0
* "diagram of oboe reed" KEI 144.0
* "Trumpet Valves Notes" KEI 676.0
* "history of the bass flute" KEI 529.0
* "free saxophone carols" KEI 784.0
* "Free Printable Music Sheets for Trumpets" KEI 1156.0
What other resources have you not thought about researching that could attract in more of your ideal buying audience?
By exploring legitimate data as opposed to guessing at words your brain tells you must relate, there is a whole world of possibilities for attracting multiple audiences to you Web based resource center.
Outside of music related products, what types of printable material might be useful to research for your own Web site? Is your focus a little to narrow on only one or two products you sell, or are there other things you could be taking advantage of?
* “free logic problems to print”
* “make print crossword puzzles”
* “free crosswords to print”
In Conclusion:
People are using the Internet to research all types of information. One of the biggest tips you can follow to separate you from your competition, is to allow yourself some freedom to explore alternative data (other than) the first “keywords” that pop into your mind. Those first keywords are often the most competitive ones that everyone else (including your competition) is fixated on.
If you want to tap into the niche phrases quicker, simply expand and explore a bigger circumference when it comes to topical data and tune into the less evident keyword phrases that are also indicative of the searcher’s real life circumstances. These are the ultimate phrases that often tell a story or relay a reason why the searcher is searching in the first place.
Let’s look at a few interesting high KEI phrases that were rooted out over 2006 - 2007.
General observations over the last year that have been both interesting and telling:
It seems people like to draw things:
"Drawings of Angels" KEI 69.4
"Learn How to Draw Dragons" KEI 149.0
"How to Draw Flames" KEI 159.9
"Mythical Dragon Drawings" KEI 232.3
"Grim Reaper Drawings" KEI 514.7
"Drawings of the Phoenix Bird" KEI 698.0
"Drawings of the Grim Reaper" KEI 1571.7
"Drawings of Angel Wings" KEI 1608.0
"Hydraulic Pump Drawings" KEI 3669.0
"Pneumatic Drawing Symbols" KEI 5700.2
"Mechanical Drawing of a Backhoe" KEI 18,881.0
Of course there are “price” related searches galore with many interesting trends and high KEI:
"current prices on antique guns" KEI 185.0
"average price for diamond necklaces" KEI 363.0
"HP Laserjet C7115X print cartridge best price" KEI 385.0
"best inkjet paper prices" KEI 392.0
"mens bracelets for cheap prices" KEI 392.0
"compare prices for samsung camcorder battery" KEI 432.0
"antique motorcycle price list" KEI 552.3
antique compass prices KEI 576.0
"kenmore washer and dryer prices" KEI 600.0
"best prices on italian charm bracelet" KEI 648.0
"bamboo flooring discount prices" KEI 705.0
"best price on GE appliances" KEI 936.0
"truck tires low prices" KEI 705.0
"solar water heater price" KEI 1,013.0
prices of napkins KEI 1444.0
"price guide for antique clocks" KEI 1568.0
"price on antique victorian rocking chair" KEI 2,116.0
"cheap prices on italian gold bracelet" KEI 2,500.0
"price guides to antique dishes" KEI 2500.0
Then we come to a few humorous type questions that people enter into the search engines:
"how many zeros in a vigintillion"
"how many transistors are in a new cpu"
"How many episodes did the 1954 TV Series, Lassie air"
"How Many Weeks Pregnant Am I"
"how many calories do i need"
"how many leather panels does a soccer ball have"
"how many muscles does a cat have"
"How many teeth does a mosquito have"
"how many stitches does a baseball have"
and
"How many ridges around the edge does a US dime have"
Tips for Expanding Your Ability to Research Keyword Data Beyond Average Limitations
If you are not familiar with exploring Wordtracker data, watch this short video first:
1. Don't just only consider researching keywords that initially jump out at you.
These are the logical keywords that everyone will target first. Give yourself permission to explore the less logical and even boring little words (that most people take for granted as having no value.) In some of the most common phrase clusters and expressions will you find great trails of gold.
2. Learn how to pay attention to your customers when they dialogue with you about what is important to them.
We often communicate differently when we talk than when we write our Web content. Sometimes there is very revealing things in words that we would never consider exploring the data on. Take time to test all of your ideas based on actual communications with your clients.
3. Think of "keywords" nearly as though they were "topics of interest" and consider which topics might have more appeal to your audience.
4. Remember that there is no such thing as exploring a wrong word. The biggest challenge most people have is that they never take time to explore anything beyond the words that "make sense" to them. If you think like everyone else thinks you will discover exactly what everyone else has discovered. Learn how to explore alternatives and synonyms that others have not EVER bothered to check and you will discover things that have not been discovered by many.
5. Be prepared to get back into the correct mindset the next time you use Wordtracker, because it does take a little practice not to fall back into the same old mindset a few days later.
http://www.searchengineworkshops.com/articles/reigning-keywords.html
Investing Information Web Site ETFSpot.com Launched to Provide Comprehensive Investment Information for Exchange Traded Funds
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) June 7, 2007 -- The ETFSpot.com Beta Web site has been launched to help investors make more informed investing choices when investing with exchange-traded funds by providing innovative one-screen views of popular exchange traded fund lists, ETF101 quick references, daily technical multi-charts, performance and relative-market ratings, forums – as well as the Web site’s Top 10 ETF funds list.
“Exchange-traded funds are providing never-before-seen opportunities for investors by giving them control and flexibility over their investing to maximize investment returns in both bull and bear markets,” said Pravi Rottla, of IRASpot.com LLC. “The Web site provides comprehensive information to help educate individual investors and investment professionals when investing and trading using exchange-traded funds.”
Using exchange-traded funds, investors can now participate in fixed-income, commodity and currency markets with the same ease and familiarity as investing and trading with stocks. The Web site provides investors with daily insight and coverage of exchange traded funds from all asset classes – stocks, global equities, commodities, bonds and forex categories.
Daily coverage of the overall market landscape across major asset classes is now made quick and easy with the launch of the “ETFSpot.com Top 10 ETF List”. Digging deeper into the Web site’s category pages, users can study and spot possible investing opportunities within each market segment and asset class.
Both individual investors and experienced traders alike can get a quick start at the Web site’s exchange-traded fund search and explore portal. Popular exchange-traded fund lists and 101 lists are located at each of our market-segment pages, providing handy and quick references.
Active investors can get further daily insight by reviewing the detailed technical analysis-based exchange-traded fund charts, performance and relative ratings – all within an innovative “one-screen” look-and-feel interface. “Spot-the-trend” tab enables users to quickly compare performance of various exchange-traded funds across different time frames within each market segment. News view allows the users to keep up with the latest news and blogs.
Stock investors, too, can learn and benefit by developing strategies based on exchange-traded fund market and sector trends. The Web site’s complex analytics generate combined stocks and exchange-traded fund views and relative performance ratings for tickers typed in our quote box, thus helping investors spot similar, high-performing stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The Web site welcomes individual investors and investment professionals to become part of the community by participating in the Web site’s forums. Active investors can check out recent blog “Top ten things that every active ETF investor needs to know”.
Disclaimer: All information provided by our Web sites is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be used for making investing or trading decisions. Please see terms and conditions at etfspot.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Exchange-Traded_Funds/Investing_ETF/prweb531742.htm
“Exchange-traded funds are providing never-before-seen opportunities for investors by giving them control and flexibility over their investing to maximize investment returns in both bull and bear markets,” said Pravi Rottla, of IRASpot.com LLC. “The Web site provides comprehensive information to help educate individual investors and investment professionals when investing and trading using exchange-traded funds.”
Using exchange-traded funds, investors can now participate in fixed-income, commodity and currency markets with the same ease and familiarity as investing and trading with stocks. The Web site provides investors with daily insight and coverage of exchange traded funds from all asset classes – stocks, global equities, commodities, bonds and forex categories.
Daily coverage of the overall market landscape across major asset classes is now made quick and easy with the launch of the “ETFSpot.com Top 10 ETF List”. Digging deeper into the Web site’s category pages, users can study and spot possible investing opportunities within each market segment and asset class.
Both individual investors and experienced traders alike can get a quick start at the Web site’s exchange-traded fund search and explore portal. Popular exchange-traded fund lists and 101 lists are located at each of our market-segment pages, providing handy and quick references.
Active investors can get further daily insight by reviewing the detailed technical analysis-based exchange-traded fund charts, performance and relative ratings – all within an innovative “one-screen” look-and-feel interface. “Spot-the-trend” tab enables users to quickly compare performance of various exchange-traded funds across different time frames within each market segment. News view allows the users to keep up with the latest news and blogs.
Stock investors, too, can learn and benefit by developing strategies based on exchange-traded fund market and sector trends. The Web site’s complex analytics generate combined stocks and exchange-traded fund views and relative performance ratings for tickers typed in our quote box, thus helping investors spot similar, high-performing stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The Web site welcomes individual investors and investment professionals to become part of the community by participating in the Web site’s forums. Active investors can check out recent blog “Top ten things that every active ETF investor needs to know”.
Disclaimer: All information provided by our Web sites is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be used for making investing or trading decisions. Please see terms and conditions at etfspot.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Exchange-Traded_Funds/Investing_ETF/prweb531742.htm
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