Title Keywords

The title of your article should include the most important keywords that describe your business. You should think about this like the title of your website. (See our previous post “10 ways to make your website more search engine friendly”). When people are looking for information that your article contains what will they search for?

Headers and Body Text Keywords

The keywords in your headings and body text should sound natural. Write them without thinking about the keywords. Then, after you have finished, go back and add the keywords where they make sense.

Industry jargon is generally something to avoid. It really depends on who you want to market your article to. Unless your article is geared towards industry professionals or business to business clients, don’t use terms that are too technical. They won’t rank well on the search engines and you will have lost a good chance to use a more popular keyword.

Synonyms

When you are thinking about your most important keywords – think about their synonyms as well. Don’t stuff your article with the same keyword over and over… it won’t read well or help your ranking.

Anchor text

Anchor text is hyper linked text. Make sure that several important key phrases are linked to your homepage or related internal pages.

Posting and URLs

Post your article on your website and if possible give it a separate page with a keyword rich URL. This will help your article rank in the search engines and it can build links for you website.

Submit

Submit your article to a few free article websites. Please see a list on our previous post “10 free ways to promote your website”.

Don’t write a press release

People are much more receptive to useful information than a sales pitch. Write about a new technology, a theory, the newest players in your field, a critique of software you use or an evaluation of a new online tool. Give information that highlights you as an expert in the business field without actually saying it.

Credit Experts

Flattery goes a long way! If there is a non competing experts in the field – use a quote from them or give a link to their website. Then, tell them about it. They might link to your article or your site!

Contact Information

Make sure you include your name, your website, and your contact information at the bottom of the page.

Proofread and Proofread Again

If your article is not professional people will not take you seriously. Send it out to a few grammar-enlightened friends. Send it to someone who doesn’t know a lot about your business to make sure it is clear. It will be your first impression to a lot of people – so make it count!

For search engine optimization advice or help writing your business articles contact Jared Chelf at jared@couleecreative.com or call 608.498.4781.

The main goal of a search engine and its rankings is to provide users with the best possible array of websites and information so that each user can easily find what they are looking for. Here are 10 tips to make sure you can rank well in Google, Yahoo and MSN!

1.) Titles

The title of your website should be a few keywords that explain your business. (La Crosse Web Designs is our main title). Search engines take the words in the title into account when deciding where you will rank for a search term (like “La Crosse Web Design”) so it should contain words that you want people to find you on. You should descriptively title all of your internal pages as well.

2.) Content

The majority of your web page content should be text because search engines can read text easier than images, Flash or JavaScript. You want to make sure they can easily read all of your content because it directly relates to how your website will rank for a search term. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t use flash or images or JavaScript, just use it sparingly!
Look at our homepage. There is a small bit of JavaScript at the top. It looks nice, its grabs your attention, but it isn’t slowing the load time of the website.

3.) Unique content

Search engines love unique content. Why? Unique content (text that isn’t found anywhere else on the web) gives search engines the opportunity to provide more variety and better choices when displaying search results. They love it so much that when you do the opposite – i.e. duplicate content – your ranking can drop or be black listed.

4.) Updated Content

Updating your content often tells a search engine that you are constantly providing new information to internet users. If the search engine reads something new on your page each time it visits, it starts to read your page more often. Every time it reads your site, you gain trust and authority with the search engine which helps you rank higher!
Frequently updated content can be achieved by having a news section, a blog, a message board, etc.

5.) Loading Times

Flash and JavaScript can really slow down a website’s loading time. You’ve been to those sites – you get to the page and it takes 5 minutes to get anything up on screen and you have to watch an annoying loading animation. Just like you, the search engine doesn’t want to wait around and will leave without reading your site.

6.) Website Architecture

Website architecture is how you set up your website for navigation. How do people get from your homepage to your internal pages? A website’s architecture should be simple to use for your user and for the search engines. Search engines will read all of your pages if each page is easy to get to through internal links.

This video better explains website architecture:

7.) Make a sitemap

A sitemap is like a map of your website. It guides the search engine through all of your website’s pages. It can help search engines read pages that they might not have seen otherwise.
You can create a free one here: www.xml-sitemaps.com/

8.) www and non www URLs

Sometimes websites have two URL’s for the same site. For example, www.couleecreative.com or http://couleecreative.com. Even though the web pages look exactly the same search engines see these as separate websites. As mentioned before, duplicate content can get you in trouble with search engines because they may think you are trying to manipulate the rankings. To remedy this situation you have to create a 301 or 302 redirect.

9.) Create a link network

Create a link network with related businesses and websites. It not only helps your ranking within a search engine and/or drive traffic to your site – it can lead the search engines to read your page more often (because the crawler finds you through another website). This leads to a greater trust and authority which can result in a better ranking.

10.) Don’t try to fool a search engine

Using hidden text, hidden links, keyword stuffing, etc. is manipulating search engine rankings. It’s a waste of your time and it can get you blacklisted from search results. Seriously, don’t do it – search engines are smarter than you think!

Coulee Creative creates and maintains search engine friendly sites to ensure search engine success! If you want more information about how to make your website search engine friendly, contact Jared Chelf at jared@couleecreative.com or visit our website at http://couleecreative.com

1.) Start a blog.

A blog should be about your business but personal and unique. Write about your day to day experiences, something new you learned, funny business stories or frustrating business stories. The most important thing is to provide interesting content that entice people to follow you.
www.blogger.com
www.wordpress.com
Check out our previous entry about blogs in the La Crosse area.

2.) Write something!

Write a press release about your business, an article about your business field or a “how to” article. Include important keywords and a hyperlink to your website.
www.24-7 press release.com
www.1888pressrelease.com
www.ezinearticles.com
www.web-articles.info
www.ehow.com

3.) Exchange links with other businesses.

Ask other businesses with websites to link to you and you can link to them. This is most effective when the business is in a related field but does not compete with you. For instance, if you sell dog supplies you could ask for a link exchange with a local groomer.

4.) Submit your business

Submit your business to Local Google, Local Yahoo and Local MSN.
This is an easy way to be on the first page of Google, Yahoo or MSN (Bing). It only takes a few minutes and verification from the search engine.
www.google.com/local/add
http://listings.local.yahoo.com/
https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx

5.) Participate in forums.

Become an active participant in a forum that is related to your field. Spend a half hour a day (or every 2 days) starting threads and commenting on discussions with your URL in your signature. With active participation, you become a trusted expert in the forum – which can lead to networking and customers!

6.) Make a video and upload it.

The video can be silly or serious – but make sure it is related to your business. Upload it to different video submission sites. The title of your video should be words that people are actually searching for. For example, if you have a video on how to use a dog harness – using the title “Sarah’s fantabulous voyage through space and time using a dog harness” would probably get fewer hits than “How to use a dog harness”.
www.tubemogul.com (allows you to upload your video to many different video submission sites)

7.) Talk to the media.

Suggesting stories (or forwarding your press releases and articles) about your business field to a local journalist can often get you free press. Politely hint that you are available for an interview!

8.) Submit your services to free classifieds.

www.craigslist.com
www.olx.com
www.wi-classifieds.com
http://lacrosse.oodle.com/

9.) Offer something of value

Offer something of value: a tool, information, a report, or a newsletter for free.
Create something of value that your potential or current customers would find useful and then provide it for free! If you continue to offer free information or tools, people will return to your site and maybe even mention it to their friends or colleagues.
For example, if you sell heartworm medicine for dogs, offer a free calendar that will remind the pet owner when to give the medicine. Or, offer a monthly newsletter that has the latest tips to keep your pet healthy and happy.

10.) Add your website URL to everything

Add your website URL to every marketing piece you have. Simply add your URL to the marketing strategies you are currently doing. Put the URL on your blog, articles and press releases, forum signature, video description, classified ads, free tools, newsletters, receipts, signs, packaging, voice mail, uniforms, pens, stationary, etc. and watch your website traffic grow!

Interested in online marketing but don’t have the time? Coulee Creative has created successful newsletters, blogs, and other internet marketing strategies for many clients. Our expert marketing team is ready to make your business grow.

Contact Jared Chelf at jared@couleecreative.com or call 608.498.4781

Good blogs are hard to come by. Blogs that highlight events or people in our community are even harder to find, so Coulee Creative has done the work for you! Here is a list of the top forums and blogs from the La Crosse, Wisconsin area.

1. http://lacrossechat.madmooseforum.com/

From the blog: “WELCOME to our 100% FREE, FUN, UNIQUE forum! STATS: 19,800+ POSTS & 220+ MEMBERS! Love to share your opinions? Want to have some fun? Want to read what others are saying?”

Why you should join: La Crosse Chat is strictly a forum with topics about La Crosse, sports, puzzles, politics, computers, religion and more. Come here to respectfully discuss heated topics, talk with neighbors and former Wisconsinites, and happenings around the Coulee Region.

2. http://thebubbler.com

From the blog: “Our goal at theBubbler.com is to provide convenient, efficient, family-friendly, and FUN Wisconsin-based information. We endeavor to promote Wisconsin businesses, organizations, people, and places with passion and commitment.”
Why you should join: The Bubbler is a fun filled information source for Wisconsin. There are games, forums, classifieds, stores, polls, adoptable pets, sports, weather…. you get the point. There is no shortage of things to do and see on this site.

3. http://couleeregiononline.com/blog

From the blog: “Coulee Region ONLINE is a community discussion and information site for southwestern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota covering communities such as La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, Winona, Viroqua, and many more.”
Why you should follow: Not only is Coulee Region Online a blog, it’s a forum, an event page, a community meeting place, a restaurant and shopping guide, a place to meet your neighbors, and a place to share your videos or photos! There is something for everyone here – even if you aren’t into blogs.

4. http://music.blogs.wkbt.com/

From the blog: “Music-Live-Reviews is a blog about as its name implies.  Look to here for entries about featured music, live shows in the immediate area of La Crosse and the Midwest, and reviews of albums and concerts.  Feel free to leave comments to any and all posts.  Leave your thoughts on a particular topic, reviews of your own albums and concerts, or anything else about music.”

Why you should follow: The Music-Live-Reviews blog is more than music reviews and upcoming concerts.  There are also posts about musicians you have never heard of and thought provoking music theories.  It promises to expand your music library, and it delivers.

5. http://art.blogs.wkbt.com/

From the blog: “Welcome to Coulee Region Art, an art blog promoting art and art related news in the 7-Rivers Region.  My name is Jeff Guin and I am the primary author for this blog site, although my main job at WKBT is as a Control Operator pushing buttons behind the scenes.  I am a practicing potter when I’m not pushing buttons in the control room and have a great interest in all forms of art.  We have a lot of art and a lot of artists right here in the Coulee Region and I thought this blog was the perfect opportunity to learn more about it for myself, and at the same time share all the information I gather with anybody and everybody wishing to read about it.  I hope all who visit this sight not only find it informative but also enjoy the visual beauty of the artwork created by the artists.”

Why you should follow: Coulee Region Art has upcoming art events in the La Crosse area and interviews from local artists. There are various types of art and art forms that are shown on the site – as well as samples of artists work. To keep up with the artist community in the coulee region, you will need to check this blog.

6. http://www.byriverside.com

From the blog: “By Riverside is an experiment: a combination of on-line and off-line community.  A few times every week, I’ll be interviewing people that I meet in and around the Riverside Park area and sharing their stories.  My hope is that between those I interview and community members who come across the site in other ways, there will be enough interest to keep people coming back to meet other members of the La Crosse community.  If you’re reading this, you’ve obviously discovered the site somehow–so I encourage you to check out the profiles, start discussions in the comments, and to come back frequently.  And tell your friends!”

Why you should follow:  By Riverside captures events and people at Riverside Park through photos. The park is such a central part of life in La Crosse and it is fun to get a small glimpse of our friends, neighbors, and strangers enjoying it.

7. http://doreen-clemons.tumblr.com

From the blog: “Thoughts on computers, companies, and the equally puzzling humans who interact with them”

Why you should follow: Views from the Bridge covers a wide range of topics – from PETA to the President. It is intellectual, witty and fun. She updates often, so make sure to check back to get the latest thoughts.

8. http://www.rivervalleyblogs.com

From the blog: “Rivervalleyblogs.com is the home for Web-only content created by River Valley Newspaper Group staffers. Visitors to the site are welcome to post public comments about articles or make suggestions for content they would like to read.”

Why you should follow: River Valley Blog allows you to read more from your favorite journalists around the Coulee Region. The website has blogs from 12 different journalists so you are sure to find something that interests you.

9. http://devinssinglelife.blogspot.com/

From the blog: “The Single Life: Bikes Beer Breathing and Bikes”

Why you should follow: The Single Life has tales of biking (the bicycle kind) and enjoying the great outdoors. There are great photos of bike trails around the country and stories of bumps, broken bikes, and well, beer.

10. http://rockinlisa.blogspot.com/

From the blog: “This blog is a source for music lovers to congregate, share their thoughts, and express their undying passion for music. Stay tuned for pictures, polls, interviews, videos, and much, much more!”

Why you should follow: Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy has a lot to say about her favorite genre of music – the 80s. With posts such as “David Lee Roth Picture of the Week”, local music guide and reviews, and contests such as “Ultimate Dream Band” – you are sure to be entertained.

Interested in creating your own blog? Coulee Creative can help you create, design and market your blog. Call us at (608) 498-4781 or email contact@couleecreative.com

Mike Orduna, more commonly known by the name “Fatoe”, is a 33 year old artist that resides in Los Angeles. His artwork is the envy of designers and artists around the globe, myself included.

In an age where everything is crafted on a computer, it’s nice to see an artist combining his Photoshop talents with paper and ink. Anyone can replicate a style of work, but few like Fatoe can create a unique style altogether.

View his portfolio | Fatoe.com

A few of my favorites

No, not the kind that circulate air. I’m talking about Social Media: Facebook fans.  Twitter followers.  Views on YouTube.  What was once for college students posting photos from last weekend’s soiree or teenagers crazy over Ashton Kutcher’s latest tweet, is now one of the biggest marketing tools available worldwide.

Traditional media is still powerful, however TV, radio and print advertising are  becoming less effective and less efficient every day.  Recent statistics are staggering in the proof that social media is shifting the way we consume media.  For example, 70% of 18-34 year-olds have watched TV on the web, and 25% of all Americans have watched a short video on their phone…in the past month, leaving TV advertisements out cold.

If that’s not enough to get your attention, try this on:

If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 4th largest.

1. China
2. India
3. United States
4. Facebook

However, more significant than just sheer numbers is the way that social media allows the unique opportunity for a business to have a direct relationship with their customers.  Where we used feel like we were pushing our message out at consumers, we can now listen and learn about how they feel about our brand, build a relationship and with it, brand loyalty, and speak to customers in real time.

So, you want to have fans…what’s next?

Keep in mind that there are thousands of social platforms available and that not all of them will be right for your brand.  Before you create a facebook page or set up a Twitter account, take some time to devise a strategy.  You need to set clear objectives for your social marketing program, just like you would with any other advertising, and measurements of success.

In a recent business facebook page that I’ve set up, one of my goals is to create favorability or purchase intent.  For example, I post a coupon on the page for 20% off a product, this weekend only.  I measure the success by engagement with the consumer – Customer A “liked” it and Customer B posted a comment, and even better, by seeing Customer C walk in the store with the facebook page printed out to make sure they get that discount.  I know that this facebook page makes sense for this business because it meets my goals and I am pleased with the success.

Next, you want to think about how this social networking opportunity will showcase your strengths.  What is your company good at and how can you share that?  Don’t forget that you must abide by social media rules.  Study the medium before you jump in and learn the language.  Decide how your brand will present itself and choose the voice that will enable you to best engage with your audience.  Speaking like a marketer on facebook won’t get you more fans, talking like a friend will.

Finally, what value are you providing your customer? Consider what your audience will expect from you in a social media setting.  Exclusive deals, first-to-know opportunities, asking for feedback and then responding to customers are a few of the intangible goods and services you should provide.

Most important, when considering social media, remember that a good social media program requires an on-going conversation.  Build the relationship with your customers in the mediums that fit your company best, and do it often.

Coulee Creative can help your business with social networking sites such as Facebook. If you want more information, contact Jared Chelf at jared@couleecreative.com or visit our website at http://couleecreative.com