From the days when people gathered at night around a campfire to today’s world of high-tech social media, people love to share stories – and to hear stories from other people. It’s just part of being human – and sharing these stories bring people closer together.

In the past 20-plus years as a writer, I’ve interviewed plenty of people. In that time, I’ve noticed one consistency – that people don’t really know the value of their own stories, and that includes business success stories.

Successful business stories: a case study

Several years ago, I interviewed a man with a successful photography business who volunteered to tape school programs for free. This article was to appear in a newspaper. Norbert was clearly a kind and talented man who loved giving back to his community and, after I asked him multiple questions, he thought he’d shared all the important features of his business with me.

At the end of the call, I told Norbert I thought I detected a faint accent in his voice but then it would disappear. Was I correct? The story he told me in response was amazing. Tragic . . . but also triumphant!

Here are highlights:

• He was born to a wealthy doctor and his wife in Hungary.
• They lived in a 24-room mansion with servants taking care of their every need.
• When he was 10, Nazis captured their family and imprisoned them.
• His mother died in prison.
• Eventually, American soldiers burst into the prison and rescued them.
• A kind American soldier saw he was frightened and gave him a piece of bubble gum, something he’d never seen before.
• A family in America sponsored Norbert and his father so they could immigrate to America to begin new lives.
• His father’s medical credentials were not recognized in America so he turned to manual labor to support himself and Norbert.
• His father broke his back at work and lived the rest of his life in a nursing home.
• Norbert was 18 when that happened, a stranger in a new land, with the English language still challenging him.
• To survive, he turned to photography. He’d had a darkroom in his mansion and so he knew how to take pictures.
• And that, Norbert concluded, was that.

I was stunned. What an incredible story!

Once I found my ability to speak, I asked him if he’d simply shared his story with me as one human being to another or as an interviewee to a reporter. In other words, could I publish this story?

His response was even more startling. “You can,” he said, nonchalantly, adding, “if you think anyone would be interested.”

People really don’t always know the essence of their own successful business stories.

Norbert had lived with his own life story for so long that it just became part of him – and so he didn’t realize how astonishing it really was. The newspaper editor, though, certainly did – and he created this huge headline:

From Millions to Mayhem: the Norbert Wagner Story

Let The Search Guru help you share your own amazing business success stories – and let us contribute to your future triumphs.

You also have amazing stories to share but, in the hustle and bustle of your busy life, you may not have time to reflect upon how truly incredible your successful business stories are. Let The Search Guru help you share your stories – and boost your levels of success even higher.

Here are links to case studies of businesses that increased their success when they chose The Search Guru as their search engine optimization company:

• Bridal business case study
• Dental business case study
• Sports business case study
• Publishing/content business case study
• Retail business case study

Contact The Search Guru today to increase the number and scope of your successful business stories!

For the third year in a row, Level343.com has held a contest to determine the top women in SEO. Thirty women were nominated, with the general public voting for their choice – and our own Leslie Carruthers was chosen as one of the top ten women in SEO today.

Carruthers has notched ten years on her belt as a search engine optimization consultant and thirteen years in Internet marketing.

As the founder and president of The Search Guru, Carruthers has provided search solutions to mid-sized, large and enterprise-sized businesses that truly make a difference. See the home page for testimonials about how The Search Guru has helped companies achieve amazing results, as well as testimonials specifically about Leslie Carruthers’ expert search engine optimization knowledge.

Here is just one of them: “Leslie clearly demonstrates a rare combination of no-nonsense expertise and insight combined with passion and a gift for teaching that resonates in her message and throughout her organization.” (Gary G. Shoeniger, Co-founder/CEO of The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative)

Giving credit where credit is due: Carruthers was trained by Heather Lloyd-Martin, a woman recognized as a founder of search engine optimization copywriting – and the third highest ranked female SEO professional celebrated in the Level343.com awards, along with Disa Johnson, a leading technologist.

Ready for professional networking with Leslie?

Here’s how:

• Professional networking through LinkedIn
• Professional networking through Twitter
• Professional networking through Facebook

Congratulations to all of the rest of the winners! You are an outstanding group of professional women!

Today, many websites such as Wikipedia, Reddit, Flickr and Google are limiting access to their content in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

At the heart of each act is legislation that shifts the burden of enforcing copyright law to individual website owners. SOPA, specifically, would allow the U.S Department of Justice and copyright holders to seek court orders against any website accused of copyright infringement.

Under SOPA, websites that support and facilitate user-generated / uploaded content would be responsible for all content displayed on their sites. This is especially problematic for large sites like Facebook, with hundreds of millions of users, worldwide.

The bill would also bar search engines from linking to sites accused of copyright infringement and would require Internet service providers to block access to those sites altogether.

While almost everyone can agree that online piracy is wrong and that Congress / the Senate are doing the right thing, many, including Google, say they are going about it the wrong way. Specific actions for specific types of infringement, many agree, would be more appropriate.

The infographic above from Google shows the growth of opposition to SOPA / PIPA

While SOPA has officially been delayed, PIPA still threatens Internet liberty. The Senate will vote on PIPA on January 24, 2012.

If would like to join Google, Wikipedia, Reddit and dozens of other sites in their cause to help limit censorship on the Internet, please complete the online petition to stop SOPA / PIPA today and let our lawmakers know that another solution must exist.

In an era where technology advances at lightning speed and pop culture icons come and go nearly as fast, it’s amazing how resolutions continue to focus on the same themes. The wish to improve in certain areas seems nearly universal.

To get a countdown of the top ten New Year’s resolutions for 2012, check out this cool presentation by Empowered Presentations.

Which of these appear on your New Year’s resolution list? What resolutions of yours don’t appear on the list – and might in fact be unique to you?

From the top ten New Year’s resolutions list for 2012, it’s number 8 that resonates with us at The Search Guru: helping others in their dreams.

According to this presentation, only 3% of people ever reach their goals . . . wow. That’s not enough!

WebMD has a great article on reaching goals – and it’s not limited to health-related goals. So, we recommend that you read that article for useful insight.

If your goals include increasing online visibility, site traffic, sales and conversions – then consider The Search Guru as your search engine optimization consultant.

Take a look at the testimonials found on the left side of the home page – and these are just some of the clients who we have helped to reach their goals.

So, in 2012:

• Dream big
• Commit yourself to achieving that dream
• Choose The Search Guru as your search engine optimization consultant

2011 has been an interesting year in search, to say the least. One of the most important lessons of 2011, thanks to Google’s Panda algorithm, is that a site’s content must be both unique and worth reading. Sites can no longer get by with low-value content, such as pages with lists of links. Duplicate content is a big no-no, whether repeated on other pages of a site or elsewhere on the web. Now, these types of low-value pages can drag down the quality of an entire site, even if there is worthwhile content on other pages of the site.

Effective SEO strategies for 2012: Value counts big time, so either beef up or get rid of your site’s weak pages to stay in Google’s good graces.

Mobile web optimization

Mobile usage is booming and yet studies show that only 33% of advertisers have a mobile optimized website. Although most smartphones today can render full-sized websites on a small phone screen, it is necessary to determine whether users can effectively navigate a full site on a phone, or whether a mobile-friendly version is needed. Either way, be sure to optimize the site for mobile keyphrases.

Mobile SEO strategies for 2012: Mobile is here and taking off fast. Take time to get your mobile web optimization strategy in place and reap the benefits of this fast-growing market.

Local search engine optimization

Local search goes hand in hand with mobile. Mobile users accessing local content has risen steadily since January 2010, according to the Local Search Association. Consistency and diligence are the keys to a successful local search strategy; ensure that your company’s NAP (name/address/phone) is consistent and that you claim all of your local business profiles at Google Places and other sites.

Local SEO strategies for 2012: It is now more important than ever to submit, claim and/or correct your business profile on local search sites. Get more tips for local search engine optimization here.

Marketing with social media

Social media continues to grow with no end in sight. Participation on social media sites is crucial for building brand awareness, loyalty and trust, in addition to boosting rankings and driving traffic to your site. eMarketer proclaims that 88% of U.S. companies with more than 100 employees will use social media for marketing by 2012.

Social SEO strategies for 2012: Get out there! Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube are just some of the sites you should be leveraging for marketing with social media in 2012. Read more information on social media management tools and social media best practices.

We wish you a joyous and prosperous holiday season! To celebrate, here are some of our favorite Happy Thanksgiving quotes, along with a free gift for you.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” (Thornton Wilder)

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” (Irv Kupcinet)

“Thanksgiving Day is one day that is purely American.” (O. Henry)

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” (William Arthur Ward)

“Some complain that roses have thorns – others rejoice that thorns have roses.” (Unknown)

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” (W. J. Cameron)

“If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” (Gerald Good)

What are some of your favorite Happy Thanksgiving quotes?

As a free gift, to express how thankful we are for all of you, here is a whitepaper on effective SEO strategies for the short- and mid-term.

Get your copy of short- and mid-term effective SEO strategies today!

A Twitter party is an online gathering of individuals at a specific time, but from no specific place. Party attendees can join a Twitter party from the bedroom, living room, restaurant, bar or even airplane … anywhere with an Internet connection.

Twitter parties are hosted on the Twitter platform. The only thing you need to attend Twitter parties is a Twitter account. Don’t have an account? Sign up here.

Why do I need to have a Twitter party?

Twitter parties are used to support real-life events. Specifically, Twitter parties are used to support tent pole events within an organization. Tent pole events are those events on a calendar that you know are coming like Election Day, Valentine’s Day, movie premieres, book releases and product releases.

For example, a tent pole event for a record store might be the release of a new Justin Bieber album. The record store could have a party the evening of the release and give away a signed photo to one attendee.

Twitter parties are great, inexpensive ways to connect the excitement of a larger event to your business.

How do I have a Twitter party?

Here is a step-by-step guide on having a party of your very own:

1. Create an invitation by announcing your upcoming party in a new blog post. Be sure to include relevant information.

• WHEN: Nov. 1, 2011 – 8pm ET, 7pm CT, 6pm MT, 5pm PT
• WHO: Your Party Host @thesearchguru
• WHAT: Our SEO party on Twitter
• HOW TO JOIN: Follow #tsgparty or click this link on Nov. 1 at 8pm ET: http://Twitter.com/#!/search/%23tsgparty
• PRIZES: One free gift session award to one lucky attendee
• RSVP: By leaving a comment on this post belowShare with a friend! Tweet this:Learn how to Tweet like a Pro! Everything you ever wanted to know about Twitter on #tsgparty 11/1 8pm ET – RSVP here http://link.to/post

2. Promote your party by updating your Facebook and tweeting a link to the blog post.

3. Reach out to co-sponsors for prizes and offer to add their logos, offers or links to your original post.

4. Promote your party each time you successfully add a sponsor or prize. Also, thank your sponsors by including their @usernames in the tweet or Facebook account name in your Facebook updates.

5. Promote your party one day before the event, on the day of the event, 1hour prior to the event and 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.

6. When the party starts, acknowledge and thank each attendee for coming.

How do I join a Twitter party?

Learning how to join a Twitter party requires that you first be familiar with Twitter and hashtags.

Hashtags look like this: #hashtag. They are typically one to two words preceded by the pound sign. Twitter users developed this unique system to find each other when tweeting about the same thing.

For example, George Lucas and Jon Stewart recently appeared together at various speaking engagements about Star Wars. Seats to the event were first come, first served, so the line to get in to the venue began over 12 hours in advance and became quite long, quite quickly. Twitter users invented the hashtag #lucasline to talk to one other and pass the time with thoughts, stories and amusing comments.

Hashtags work in conjunction with search.Twitter.com. By going to Twitter’s search page and entering the #hashtag of the party you want to join, you can see the stream of tweets relating to the party.

When the party time arrives, join the conversation by searching for the party #hashtag and simply saying hello to the party organizer with an @reply. Congratulations! You’ve just joined your first party on Twitter.

Still wondering how to join a Twitter party or how Twitter parties can work for your business? Contact The Search Guru today or leave your question in the comments below.

There is no one right way to create pay per click ads but there are best practices that you should follow. Our philosophy is that there are 5 elements that are crucial when creating an ad; you need to include:

• the top keyword from the ad group for relevancy
• a strong call to action (buy, shop, sign up and so forth)
• a benefit and/or feature that reveals why people should become a customer of yours
• an offer; this could be free shipping, a sales price or some other perk for shopping. If you are not an e-commerce site, the offer could be a free gift or a free demo.
• the relevant destination URL

When creating pay per click ads, it’s important to search your keywords to see what your competitors’ ads are saying – so you can be different.

Come up with something original that will grab searchers’ attention away from all the other ads that look similar to one another. Avoid repeating the same thing over and over and be sure to clearly describe what the searcher can expect if they click.

Be sure to test elements within your copy in your pay per click campaign to move the needle in terms of click through rate.

These strategies include testing:

• a registered trademark symbol if there are lots of resellers and you are the OEM
• a vanity URL to increase relevancy
• the placement of offers in the headline versus in the description line
• ad extensions that allow people to find out even more about the business, such as products, sitelinks, phone numbers or locations

The possibilities are limitless! Still wondering how to write ad copy for your pay per click campaign? Contact The Search Guru today.

It’s a great question to ask, because strategically generating your keyword list is important. Not only are you paying for these keywords, but you are also using them to drive traffic to your site in hopes that the visitor will be taking the desired action. It is crucial that you do not bid on keywords that are not relevant to your business because they will carry a high cost and they will not grow your business.

Best keyword research tool choices for your pay per click campaign:

The best resources to find keywords are your own site, the AdWords keyword tool, Google Analytics and, my favorite, “search complete.” Here are more details about these recommended keyword research tool options:

• Your site is full of relevant keywords that you should add to your list: branded terms; terms used to describe your business, and the brands and products you carry; specific product lines within those brands; and so forth.
• The AdWords keyword tool is a free tool that is in the AdWords interface that can help you develop keywords and show you what kind of traffic to expect on those keywords. Entering in a generic term or a simple brand term will bring back a long list of suggested keywords. Only take those keywords that are relevant to your business or products you sell.
• Also be on the lookout for keywords you do not want in your campaigns. These keywords will be useful when creating your negative keyword list. Another place to get keyword ideas is Google Analytics. Look at the keywords that drove traffic organically to your site and see if you want to add them to your campaigns. Cut out anything that didn’t get at least a few visits because they probably aren’t worthwhile.
• The final keyword research tool suggestion is to use the search complete feature in Google. Navigate to Google.com and begin typing in a brand or product that you are researching. Google will suggest keywords that are closely related to what you are typing in an attempt to complete your query. Those can be very valuable keywords to put in your campaigns.

Next steps in your pay per click campaign:

Take all of these ideas and start creating keyword lists in Excel. Group the keywords in logical groups called Ad Groups. This will better help you manage your keywords and write relevant ads.

Need more help with your pay per click campaign? Contact The Search Guru today!

The first step in setting up AdWords campaigns is to create an AdWords account. If you already have an email you use for Gmail, Google Analytics and other Google products, you can use that account.

There are a few best practices for setting up pay per click advertisement campaigns. If you are only marketing one product, such as leads, you will only need one campaign. If you plan on bidding on brand terms, we recommend having a separate brand campaign so that you can manage it separately.

If you have multiple products, though, then strategically create each individual pay per click campaign.

Some of the common ways to organize pay per click advertisement strategies is by product or product type (i.e., jeans, shoes), by brand (i.e., Kleenex, Puffs), by location (i.e., multiple locations, international businesses) or by importance (i.e., high volume keywords, low volume keywords).

There are many different ways you can formulate your plan for campaigns so do what makes the most sense for your business. Once you have created your pay per click advertisement campaigns, it is important to ask yourself questions about how you want your ads to be seen.

Pay per click ads by location:

Are you a local business? Target locally. Do you operate in only certain states? Block the states you don’t do business in.

Pay per click ads by language:

If your site is in English and your ads are in English, you must target English. Targeting Portuguese will not translate your ads; instead, it will show English ads to Portuguese speakers, which will not be very successful for you.

Pay per click ads by network:

You can run on Google.com, Google Partners and the Display Network. We recommend targeting Google.com and the Google Partners together and running in the Display Network separately.

Pay per click ads by device:

If you do not have a good mobile site or do not desire to show ads to mobile users, block those devices.

Pay per click ads by bidding options:

This is going to be dependent on how much time and effort you can put towards your Adwords campaigns. Manual CPC is for advertisers that want to adjust bids manually and be more hands on. The other types of bidding are based on your conversion data. This option puts your success in Google’s hands. There have been successes and failures with this type of bidding option but typically it works well for advertisers that get more than a handful of conversions per day.

Recommendations for the delivery method and scheduling of your pay per click campaign:

We recommend standard if your budget is low and you cannot be aggressive. Accelerated will show your ads more frequently and will more than likely require more budget. The scheduling feature is where you can day-part your campaigns based on business hours or best converting days of the week if your pay per click advertisement budget is limited.

Contact The Search Guru today if you need help with your pay per click campaign!