The Maine SEO Blog

I realized how lately I’ve been writing a lot about topics that, while related to SEO, aren’t necessarily discussing what I would call more traditional optimizing techniques. The reason? It’s not just about SEO anymore.

Yes, you should optimize your site. But going are the days where that is enough. Not only is SEO an ongoing process, but so are other types of web marketing outlets – and those are exactly the places you need to invest your time in order to even hope to succeed in the search engines.

Video

Let’s not beat around the bush. It’s all about YouTube. Sure there are a ton of other video outlets, but YouTube is the best out there. With its easy-to-use interface, it also provides easy-to-embed options (AKA no code knowledge necessary).

Better yet, views from your site or blog add to the total views on YouTube. Why does that matter? The more views a video has, the higher it will rank in Google’s search – and with universal search, that’s just one more way to rank. Not to mention, it’s an easy way to optimize for smart phones.

Photos and Images

Can you say alt tags? Search engines can read, but they can’t see very well. So we have to help them out a little. But when you do it right, and create great keyword rich descriptions for them, images are another way to rank in the search engines.

Social Media

Pretty shortly, if you’re not using any sort of social media outlet for your business, you’re going to be behind the game. Not only is social media a great way to share links and increase buzz, but it also humanizes your business and can almost be used as a PR medium. Plus, while it would really only affect searches for your company name, your social media profiles typically rank extremely well.

Here are some of my quick guides to where you should be, why you should be there, and what to do once you’re there:

• Facebook: Why it’s for your business
• LinkedIn: How to leverage your account
• Twitter
  - A guide to get started
  - What you should tweet about for business

Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking is great way to make things go hot. While there’s no SEO power to sites like Digg, Sphinn, Delicious, Reddit, StumbleUpon, etc., the traffic you get from just being “sphunn”, “stumbled”, “dugg”, or the like is entirely worth it.

Nicki Hicks
How are you working toward better online visibility?

I don’t expect clients to entirely understand search engine optimization when they come to us – or really even know what it is at all. And in all honesty, that’s fine, because that’s why I have a job. (Thanks for that.) 

But, after reading this perhaps you’ll know a lot more and be that much the wiser when you talk to your Search Marketer.

1. How bad is it to use white on white and write in a bunch of keywords?

Umm really bad. Probably as bad as you can get actually. In the olden days (probably all of 10 – 12 years ago), you could possibly get away with stuffing keywords. Today? Not so much.

2. I know SEO is important, so I’m going to do it this once and get it done with It’s a one-step process, right?

Sorry, no such luck. We’ll talk about it a little more later, but with search moving toward other venues like social media, local reviews, RSS, blogging, and other modern forms of web marketing, there’s no way you can do it once and be done. SEO requires constant massaging and experimentation.

3. What are these meta-keywords I keep hearing about? Can you make me a huge list of them?

Well I could. But it probably wouldn’t do a whole lot.

The thing with meta-keywords is 1) only Yahoo uses them and 2) if you use too many, they’ll hurt you. So, what do I suggest? Using a small group of focused keywords for each page if you’re intent on using them. And remember – even though Yahoo uses them, they don’t have much weight at all.

4. I just don’t have time for social media. Plus, I can get away without doing it.

Again, it’s really not an option any more. Soon, folks who haven’t hopped on the social media bandwagon are going to be struggling to catch up with the rest of the crowd.

So…create a LinkedIn account, get yourself on Facebook, and – if you’re feeling really socially frisky - join Twitter!

5. I’ve heard about this nofollow thing. Do I need to do that to all of my outgoing links?

Nofollowing links is sometimes a good strategy. But that doesn’t mean you should do it to every single outgoing link. 

Nor is it PageRank sculpting. To demonstrate that point, I like this short, sweet description by @Halfdeck.

(more…)

Not every business is suited to be on Facebook. For example, we would suggest a law firm client of ours actually avoid being on Facebook. In that case, LinkedIn or specialty social networks are the better option.

But for those businesses where Facebook is a right outlet, there are many very cool aspects.

Be a business, look like a person.

With Facebook’s most recent redesign, business pages now look a lot more like personal pages. That means that people can write on your wall and “like” things.

Furthermore, you can write on your wall – or update your status to keep people interested in the know.

Have a blog? Blogposts are easy to incorporate with notes. You can also insert links and embed video and photos.

Fans galore.

Create a fan base for your business. Fans then receive updates you make to your page.

That includes sending blast emails to all of your fans. But be careful – don’t send too many emails – you don’t want to lose your fans!

Join/form groups.

Groups are a great way for business to bring in new fans, increase awareness for events, and simply overall awareness of your business.

Other cool Facebook features

Others see friends are fans – they, in turn, become fans. Seems obvious, but this is how your business can become viral.

Your page is indexed – it may not necessarily be what everyone is searching for; but it’s just another opportunity to rank at the search engines.

So again, Facebook isn’t for every business. But maybe it’s for yours – and maybe you’ll even get new business from it.

Nicki Hicks
Add me as a friend on Facebook

Step 1: Build out your profile

Add a picture of yourself. I would suggest going with something somewhat more conservative than what you’d use for Facebook or Twitter: a nice picture of yourself so people know who you are!

Include job information and descriptions. LinkedIn likes to have at least three jobs, one being current; but you can list as many as you like! Also, be sure to have extensive descriptions – think of your LinkedIn profile as your virtual resume.

Customize, customize, customize! You can create up to three links to your website/blog, and customize the anchor text. Also, be sure to customize your profile URL with your name.

It’s OK to be personal. Include some personal details, like your hobbies; you never know – you could easily make your next networking contact that way!

Step 2: Start connecting

Connect to everyone you already know who is on LinkedIn, invite people who aren’t there yet to. Convince your coworkers to create profiles, to even further build out your network.

Once you’ve built up your contacts, why not ask for a recommendation? Give your profile an extra boost or vote of confidence by acquiring recommendations from your colleagues, clients, you name it.

Step 3: Join groups

There’s a LinkedIn group for everyone. From the big to the small, there’s something for you. Within groups, add to or start a discussion – a great way to start a good conversation amongst group members and get questions answered.

Groups also have jobs areas – which is one of the reasons LinkedIn is such a great resource for job seekers. If you start joining groups your area of expertise, be sure to keep checking back at the job boards.

Step 4: Answer (and ask) questions

The Answers section of LinkedIn works much like the discussion board of Groups. By either answering or even strategically asking questions, you establish yourself as the expert.

Step 5: Rinse and repeat

For the most part, you can set up your LinkedIn profile and let it be. But, be sure to keep checking back in the Answers section to see if you can’t be a resource. Also, don’t let your status go unnoticed. Make sure you update every so often.

You’ll recieve weekly emails about LinkedIn activity within your Groups and Connections, so make sure you give them a good skim and watch for any opportunities!

Nicki Hicks
Connect with me on LinkedIn

Twitter is a useful resource that can be used for nearly every business in nearly any industry.  One of the most common questions I get is “How do I use Twitter?”

For starters…

Have a personality. People love knowing there is a real live person behind the face of a company – which is one of the reasons why Twitter is so successful. You can be sarcastic, witty, and funny or serious, helpful, and professional or thought provoking and conversational…whatever you are!

Share what you’re doing – and why not incorporate other media like video or images? Engaging followers via video is just another cool way to create a conversation.

Create special Twitter contests - using coupons, codes, or whatever pertains to your line of business. Customers will be happy to save money simply by paying attention to their Twitter feeds!

Pose a question. Not only will you get answers faster than searching for them, questions help engage your followers!

Provide quick and effective customer service. Twips will love the fact that they can get a quick question answered by you – especially in a large corporation like LL Bean:

Give advice. Everyone appreciates a free tip from the experts.

Watch what people are saying about you with Twitter Search.

How Twitter Helps Search

Create links back to blogposts, articles, or your website!

Rank in Google for your Twitter account.

Create buzz with retweets (RT) and more tweets.

The reality is Twitter can be effective for nearly every business owner.  The idea is to engage your customers with your personality, business, and what you offer that differentiates you.

Nicki Hicks
Maine Tweeting for Business

We just wrapped the third of three True North Hospitality Partners SEO Projects: for the Inn at Ocean’s Edge – a gorgeous inn in Midcoast Maine (the other two properties were Migis Lodge and the Black Point Inn).  As another resort on the ocean, we used many of the same techniques as the Black Point Inn.

Additionally, the three properties are doing a tremendous job with their Web marketing strategy.  Not only do they have blogs for all three properties, where you can stay up-to-date with everything that’s happening: Inn at Ocean’s Edge, Migis Lodge, and the Black Point Inn; but they’ve also made an appearance many of the major social media networks!  Facebook and Twitter are just two:

Facebook

• Become a fan of the Inn at Ocean’s Edge
• Become a fan of the Black Point Inn
• Join the Migis Lodge Guestbook

Twitter

Taking Twitter by storm, many of the staff members are starting to take part in the addictive nature of tweeting!

• Follow MigisLodge – the official account for Migis Lodge in South Casco, ME
• Follow JedPorta – Jed Porta, GM at Migis Lodge
• Follow innatoceansedge – the official account for the Inn at Ocean’s Edge in Lincolnvile, ME
• Follow DiningatTheEdge – The Edge Restaurant, at the Inn at Ocean’s Edge
• Follow olgago – Olga Gourianov, the Inn Keeper at the Inn at Ocean’s Edge
• Follow BlackPointInn – the official account for the Black Point Inn in Scarborough, ME

Join, follow, and become fans of the whole gang at True North Hospitality Partners; and see what hotels and resorts in Maine are all about!

Nicki Hicks
Maine Social Media and SEO

Yesterday, I attended another MarketingProf’s webinar, this time with Sandy Carter; the Vice President, SOA & WebSphere Marketing, Strategy and Channels for IBM.  As this post’s title suggests, it was all about adding Social Media to your Marketing Mix, which is obviously quickly becoming critical for every company, no matter what business you’re in.

Here are some of my notes from the seminar:

• We’re moving out of Web 1.0 (accessing info, purchasing online) to Web 2.0 (share, collaborate, experience, participate, co-create). We’re also moving to Marketing 2.0 (Better ROI, Better Collaboration, and Better Results!)
• Sandy’s Marketing 2.0 “Cookbook” – ANGELS:

1. Analyze Market
   - Identify key websites/blogs where conversations are happening
   - Develop a repeatable, systematic, and focused process
   - Segment by “digital citizens” and “non-digital citizens”
   - Develop “social sweet spot”
2. Nail strategy and story
   - Use social media to demonstrate strategy
   - Explore how you will operate differently as orchestrator not owner
   - Look for opportunities to put a human face to your brand
   - Develop strategy with authenticity!
3. Go to market (socially)
   - Develop wheel of influence: what does yours look like?
   - Use Social Media to define and develop your value proposition
   - Embrace co-creation
   - Execute so that influencers feel touched individually
4. Energize channel and community
   - What are your goals?
   - Never stop learning! Drive education to your organization
   - Experiment, and see what works
   - Start by adding to what you already do; go at your own pace
   - Listen. Constantly.
5. Leads and Revenue (Measurement)
   - Select the right set of metrics – both qualitative AND quantitative
   - Build marketing dashboard including all of your metrics, NOT just ROI
   - Design dashboard to be relevant to business
   - Track whats valuable not just measurable
6. Scream! (Get your message out there)
   - Add Marketing 2.0 tactics which accent your Marketing 1.0 (Traditional) tactics

• Sandy’s 5 Marketing 2.0 “To-Do’s”:

1. Keep your eyes on profit generation.
2. Remember that marketing is about intimate relationships.
3. Leverage the power of Marketing 2.0.
4. Understand the value of the influencer.
5. Tune your Marketing Mix.

Nicki Hicks
Maine Social Media Optimization (SMO)

This afternoon around 3:30pm EST, US Airways Flight 1529 from NYC to Charlotte made an emergency landing in the Hudson River after the plane hit a flock of birds.  Thankfully, everyone is safe.

But that’s not the story I’d like to cover.  (For like @streko points out, we’re all tweeting reporters.)

I saw, just seconds after the crash landing, my TweetDeck light up with plane crash tweets faster than I could possibly read.  One of the links posted was to MSNBC streaming their live broadcast which, as I watched, showed a photo (which ended up being a twitpic) and the photographer and now famous Tweeter being interviewed (@jkrums).

Even though bad news typically spreads faster than good, the implication is huge for driving traffic to your website.  For the question “What are you doing?” often turns into “What are you reading?”  While Twitter links pass no link juice, you can see from this instance alone, that posting links for the buzz alone is well worth the effort.

Nicki Hicks
I find things out faster from Twitter than from CNN

My boss has recently been interested in the benefits of using LinkedIn – his most recent blogpost being about the advantages for small business people and entrepreneurs using LinkedIn.  In addition, I recieved an email from LinkedIn this morning about their newest addition: LinkedIn Applications.  So, I figured it’s high time I do a little investigatory work myself…

The first thing I noticed – while Facebook profiles will, more often than not, outrank it; searches for people with LinkedIn profiles will rank incredibly high (usually the first page).  My profile, for instance, is the fourth result in a search for my name, the fifth being a SERP for my name in LinkedIn:

So…what does that mean?  In all honesty, not all the much.  I mean how many people search for my name other than me?  The catch: searching for your friends, colleagues, classmates, or even businesses.  Say I was searching for the Via Group – an advertising firm right here in Portland.  (Admittedly, they just connected with me on LinkedIn.  But let’s say for the sake of argument I was searching for them.)  Their LinkedIn profile is ranked eighth in a search for “via group”.

Pretty powerful.  Another cool thing about LinkedIn?  They follow THREE of your links! (Most social media sites will usually give you an area to add links for your business, blog, what have you; but will nofollow them.)  For example, my Facebook links are nofollowed (SeoQuake will strikethrough nofollowed links):

Conversely, my LinkedIn profile not only follows my links, but also allows me to choose my own anchor text – even more powerful:

Moral of the story: If you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile (whether personal or business), get one!  And while you’re at it, follow me -

Nicki Hicks
Find me on LinkedIn

Social media has a thing or two to say about politics and the two major presidential candidates’ stake in the race.  Putting aside Facebook, MySpace, and other indicators of who is winning the internet war, Twitter has proven to be an interesting gauge of this race.

Obviously Obama’s staff stays far more up-to-date on his Twitter profile.  Not only that, but take a look at the difference in followers.  Needless to say, I think this proves a fundamental difference between Democrats, Republicans, and their web use (or maybe just Twitter use).

Nevertheless, a cool tool called twInfluence shows exactly how much influence a Twitterer (or is it Tweeter?) has on fellow Twits/Tweetees (sorry, getting carried away with all of the names I can make).  BarackObama is #1 on this list, while JohnMcCain doesn’t show up in the top 50.

At first, this doesn’t seem all that fantastic or interesting.  You may be thinking: “So what, Obama supporters like Twitter more. Big deal.”  The interesting part comes in when Googling both of their names (and by the way, I turned off my personalized settings when I made these searches).

Barack’s profile turns up #10:

McCain’s profile took a little longer to find, down on the 5th page, #58:

Oh wait a second.  That’s not John McCain’s official Twitter account.  Guess I have to keep looking…oh here it is! 8th page, #82:

Whether Twitter has a significant role in this race, I highly doubt it.  However, search may very well have a large part in it:

Nicki Hicks
Vote for Twitter