Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

Yeah, sorry to say it, but please — don’t get hung up on your rankings. Just because you are number one in Google for your search doesn’t mean you’re number one in Google for your customer’s search.

As I mentioned in my post on personalized search, Google customizes your search results based on your search history.  Test it yourself. Google something. Now find a friend and Google the same thing on her computer. Most likely your results are different… unless you’re both in the same field and mostly do the same searches.

The point is (and I do generally have one) — your site content has to sell your product, whether you show up above the fold or below in the rankings. If the 5 sites above you don’t help a searcher solve his or her problem and you DO, you get the sale…and the 5 competitors get the honor of “being ranked top 5″ Great. Let them take that to the bank while you close another sale.

Stacey Morgan Smith is the director of search engine optimization for Northern Virginia Internet Marketing Company NetStrategies. With over 14 years’ experience as an editor and proofreader, she brings a different viewpoint to SEO. Along with the rest of the NetStrategies team, she can help you increase your leads from search!

This week, our internet marketing staff in Northern Virginia offers insight into how to use video analytics to check your performance on Youtube and Tubemogul.

Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

Monday afternoon I left the “SEO track” and visited the Analytics room at SMXEast in New York. I spend a lot of time looking at my customers’ analytics to plan the next steps in their SEO, so I attended the the “Actionable SEO Insights from Analytics Data” session. Read More »

Learn Social Media with Laurie Dunlop

Everything is measurable in Internet marketing. That’s the mantra my company NetStrategies stands by! Analytics is the tool by which we measure. In following the data, a smart content writer can determine what a target audience does and does not respond to. The data helps you understand who your visitors are, where they come from, and where they exit during the buy-in process.
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Stacey Morgan Smith joins us from Northern Virginia to discuss the importance of keywords within your search engine optimization.

Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

When you are writing for your Web site, use keywords that your customers use to reach the most searchers.

Use your customers’ search terms. You may sell ”vegetable-tanned cowhide foot coverings,” “green groundcover seed,” or ”one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments”, but what if your customers are searching for organic leather shoes, grass seed, and purple coats? Until you’ve built up brand recognition, you may need to change the way you talk about your product or service.

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