Search Engine Optimization

Do you know how your website is performing?

Is your website mobile optimized? Is it easy to navigate and user friendly? Can your website be found by search engines? Take this 3 minute Website Performance Survey to find out. At the end of the survey, add your details, including your web address, and we will provide you with a 15-minute website assessment to … Read moreDo you know how your website is performing?

In SEO, what's the difference between a 60 character page title and a 160 character description (other than 100 characters)?

This morning, I was asked by a client with a WordPress website that uses an SEO plugin: “What’s the difference between a 60 word [I think he meant character] page title and a 160 word [again I think he meant character] description (other than 100 words [characters])? Are they both just a collection of phrases from the website to draw people in?” An example would be useful if that won’t take you more than a couple of minutes… [of course it’s going to take more than a couple of minutes!]

Following was my answer which I thought might be of use to other people wondering what the difference  between and purpose of the title field and the description field in a WordPress SEO plugin is. [Edited slightly and using examples from my own and other websites to keep my client anonymous.]

[Note: The label used in the SEO plugin for the “meta description” field is “description” but I am of course referring to the meta description everywhere I use just description.]

The short answer: Yes, the purpose of the Title and Description of a web page is to improve search engine optimization as well as to draw people to the site. The title is obvious, the description is a synopsis of the content.

Read moreIn SEO, what's the difference between a 60 character page title and a 160 character description (other than 100 characters)?

Comparison: Facebook vs Your Website

Facebook screenshot of my "Your business is always open when you have a website" postWhy you should not rely solely on Facebook (insert any other social media) to promote your business instead of your website

Last week, I created a graphic and posted a message on my Facebook business page stating that “Your business is always open when you have a website! Don’t have one? I know just the gal who can help!”

I also shared it on my own timeline, knowing that the reach on my Facebook business page was very low.

My intention was to hopefully receive a few likes and possibly a share or two from anyone who saw the graphic and that it would ultimately lead to new business from someone needing a website.

Shortly, I received a notification that someone had replied to my post. Excited, I logged in to see who it was and what they had written. However, I was amazed to read the following response:

“my FB business page is always open …I never use my webpage”

I was flabbergasted. “I never use my webpage”?

“What a waste of an investment, what a waste of prime real estate for speaking to her audience,” I thought. After some careful consideration, I crafted the following short response:

Read moreComparison: Facebook vs Your Website

3 reasons why you should update your website’s content regularly

How often do you update your website’s content?

When was the last time you updated your website’s content? Not since it was first published several years ago? A couple of years ago? Last year? Six months ago?

3 reasons why it matters

I recommend you update your content at least once every couple of months, but once a month or more often would be even better. Here are 3 reasons why updating your content regularly matters.

Read more3 reasons why you should update your website’s content regularly

How we help improve Search Engine Optimization on your website

Whether you choose to hire a SEO specialist, do all the research yourself and enlist in the help of a web content writer, or do all the research and write the content yourself, our goal, when we design, redesign or make updates to your website is to improve search engine optimization on your website so … Read moreHow we help improve Search Engine Optimization on your website

10 quick and easy ways to update your web content

One of the best ways to keep your website fresh and interesting for your loyal visitors is to add new web content. Not only will it encourage them to keep coming back on a regular basis but it will help your website stay at (or close to) the top of Google search results pages (provided you are using the right keywords in your content).

The type of website you have—static or content managed—and how much time you have available, will determine whether you can add or change content on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. I recommend changing your content at least monthly, but if your time or budget is limited, choose things that are quick and easy to change or add.

Below are 10 quick and easy ways to update your web content you might want to try.

Read more10 quick and easy ways to update your web content

Online Visibility Audit

When I create websites for my clients I usually index them with the major search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo. I also add the web address to AboutUs.org which is a wiki providing information on websites. But it is more than just a “whois” look-up.

It provides a title, page description, tags and a snapshot of the home page. Now, with the added features of the “Online Visibility Audit” I can check the online visibility of my clients’ websites with regard to their keywords as soon as they are published to ensure we have done everything possible to improve page ranking.

Want to know how your website’s home page appears to both search engines and visitors?

Do an online visibility audit at www.aboutus.org

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Google Insights

There’s more to Google Analytics than meets the eye!

In my last article I mentioned the cool FREE tools Google has on offer to help small business owners become more visible on the internet.

Amongst the free tools is Google Analytics which, as you probably know if you own a website, is great for analyzing statistics on visitors and the keywords they used to get there.

But did you know that you can now find out what the World is searching?

Underneath the Analytics report for your keywords your visitors used, there is a link to “Google Insights” where you can find out how many searches for those same keywords have been made around the world during a given period. But more than that, “Google Insights” is another free tool, which in Google’s words, you can use to “compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties.”

How is this useful? you’re probably wondering.

Read moreGoogle Insights

Free Google Tools

Have you tried any of these Free Google Tools?

Everyone knows just how powerful a search engine Google is. But did you know there several other free Google Tools you can use to enhance your website presence and improve your search rank?

You can find pretty much anything you’re looking for these days. Whether you’re curious about who your favourite singer or actor is currently dating (or breaking up with), you want to know why you have some ailment or other, or you’re desperately looking for a local business to fix your plumbing, heating or air conditioning in a hurry, 99 times out of 100, Google will find tons of websites with answers to your problems. Which one you visit will depend on a variety of things… attention grabbing heading, interesting description, and of course relevancy.

How does it find these websites?

In brief, Google “spiders” crawl the internet looking for key phrases on web pages, starting with the homepage, and depending on the relevance of those key phrases, as well as a number of other factors, it will rank your website accordingly. How often Google’s spiders crawl through your website depends on several criteria, not least how well your site has been “search engine optimized”.

If your site has good internal SEO, that is fantastic. But did you know there are a number of Free Google Tools that will not only let Google know you exist, but may also improve search engine optimization and visitor conversions?

Here are five free Google tools that you can use for your own website:

  1. Submit your content to Google
  2. Map your business with Google Maps
  3. Analyze your website traffic with Google Analytics
  4. Create better conversions with Website Optimizer
  5. Add events to Google Calendar

Read moreFree Google Tools