Internet Business Blog

Caption: This picture has nothing to do with this post ;).

Spreading the Love

Here’s a list of products, blogs posts, and forum discussions that I find find worthy of some “link love”. It’s been awhile since I have done one of these posts and I’m incredibly busy re-vamping some client work today so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity!

CS Cart is my shopping cart solution of choice. I always recommend this product to clients, and they’re always happy with the end result.

Bloggers are uneasy this week because Technorati CEO David Sifry is stepping down. We all knew that Technorati was going through some rough times but this was totally unexpected and very unfortunate. Hopefully they are able to turn things around.

Myspace is a company run by tech bullies. It’s no big deal though, just switch to Facebook.

There was a man who had successfully filed a patent on taking bets over the internet (eh?) and Bodog couldn’t defend because they are offshore and not a US company. This guy was awarded default judgment of $50 million AND Bodog.com.

Sarah from BlueJar.com posts the Top 7 Signs That You Are a Web Stats Obsessed Whore!

Michael Gray posted his now infamous “google is evil“ MS Powerpoint presentation for those of us who couldn’t make the SES conference. The presentation was specifically centered around paid links and Gray nails it!

Here’s an excellent discussion about Internal Anchor Text.

Glen Allsopp analyzed StumbleUpon’s Top 50 Stumblers. You can tell that he spent a ton of time on this blog entry and the quality in doing so really shows. In fact, his entire blog is really good and I highly recommend it as a daily read.

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Rapid Growth

Whether you know me personally or just casually read my blog, you probably know that I’m always stressing the importance of creating the perfect title tag for every page, and what it can do to help rank you higher in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). What better way to drive this point home than by showing you two good old fashioned screen shots of effective title tags in action.

Before One week ago - Prior to creating the perfect title tag.
Rank: Page #2 in Google, slot #11

…

After Today – Reaping the benefits.
Rank: Page #1 in Google, slot #5

As you can see by the screen shots above, this blog is quickly moving up in the ranks and I haven’t done any further “On-Site SEO” during this time. I have a little bit of “Off-Site SEO” by submitting this blog to a couple of directories but nothing significant enough to accomplish this sort of SERP escalation in such a short amount of time.

How I Did It

I owe my recent SERP success to using long tail keywords in my title tags. Time after time, project after project, they remain to be a very successful method. In fact, I was able to acquire enormous success in ecommerce by using such techniques.

Long tail keywords can be described as 3-6 words grouped together which are very specific to the product, service, or information which you are promoting or selling. The best part about long tail keywords is the fact that they will pick up traffic for not only the full, exact phrase – but all of the other keywords in between as well. Many top search engine authorities will agree that nearly 60% to 80% of all internet searches are unique in nature, and not the vague one or two keyword phrases like one might imagine. This makes long tail keywords a very hot technique that must be capitalized on.

Previous Title: Paul Bradish - Internet Business for the Masses.

This is still a decent title tag, as it is the official name for my blog. The problem is that it won’t rank well since no one likely searches “Internet Business for the Masses”. It’s true that this is a long tail keyword, but it isn’t focusing on the right keywords!

New Title: Internet Business Blog by Paul Bradish

Using the long tail method mentioned earlier I was able to create a vastly superior title tag. “Internet Business Blog” is a desirable phrase in the SERPs and at this point is worth owning. I will now also greatly improve my chances for ranking with the terms: Internet Blog, Business Blog, Paul Blog, Bradish Blog, and of course – Paul Bradish (which I am #1).

This isn’t Keyword Suffing!

I hope that this blog entry encourages others to update their title tags as well. Due to the ever changing nature of search engine optimization, I feel that it’s important to note that long tail and keyword stuffing are not the same thing - and under nearly all circumstances keyword stuffing is not going to help. In fact, keyword stuffing will eventually penalize your blog or website and you may even be black listed from the major search engines.

You’re Opinion?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this subject. What sort of experience have you had using long tail keywords in your title tags? Do you encourage others to use them as well?

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For an internet business the “about us” page often displays boring mission statements and monotonous company history as if they were written for a paper resume or an investor relations packet. Though this may appear fine from an initial business perspective, internet relations has revolutionized in the past few years and potential customers expect a more personable experience.

Far too often these about us pages are slapped together quickly or overlooked altogether which can ultimately lead to a loss of sales due to the customer’s inability to connect with the brand or business. I’ve written this blog entry as a way to shed some light on a new approach of writing such pages, and sincerely hope that you find this information helpful.

How We Can Help You

Businesses love to talk about themselves. Thus, most business related about us pages tend to focus specifically on the technical business write up. This means that why the consumer (or surfer) should visit, use, promote, or purchase from their site instead of a competitor’s is often left behind. With your “about us” page, try to center in on telling the visitor how you can help them and what they have to look forward to or gain by using your service or purchasing your product. This method works much better than simply boasting about your business accomplishments.

Our Customers

Usually referred to as testimonials, an “Our Customers” section on your about us page can display bits and pieces or even full reviews from previously satisfied customers. This re-assurance from a trustworthy testimonial source is a huge plus and can mean the difference between a potential customer leaving your site prematurely and one who follows through and completes an order. It should be noted however that testimonials making outrageous claims can diminish credibility or sometimes erase it altogether. Another thing, do not under any circumstances write your own testimonials. Not only is it an extremely phony practice, many potential customers are savvy and will be able to spot a fake.

Meet the Team

If you happen to be a smaller business, it is well worth your time to have a section specifically dedicated to your team. This can be a great approach to increasing a trusting relationship with the customer. Customers love to know precisely who they are buying from – and they also like to know the person (or people) at the other end. This section brings much credibility to the ecommerce site, especially if you or your employees have experience, pictures, and/or awards to display. The internet is a very anonymous and fraudulent place; assure your customers that you are very real and very trustworthy by showing them who you are.

In Conclusion

I highly suggest that you take the time to re-evaluate your current “About Us” page and opt to go what I call a “Why Choose Us” page instead. In my experience, a proper WCU page will accomplish three major goals:

1. Increase conversion rates
2. Increase visitor loyalty
3. Increase overall satisfaction

In short: Instead of creating a “what we think of ourselves” page, try to think along the lines of: “why you, the customer, should choose us” instead. Don’t be surprised if your first timer conversions rates rise, and your customer loyalty soars!

What are your thoughts on the subject? Does your about us page need to be re-done?

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