Understanding Organic SEO & Getting Results

Every business needs a strong online presence in order to flourish in today's business climate. But a great product line and a well constructed website aren’t enough to get your business at the top of Google search results. So, how do you master the mysterious world of organic search engine optimization (or, SEO)? With a good strategy and a few tricks.

SEO is the method of how search engines, like Google or Bing, rank web sites.

It used to be that search engines would use the frequency of keywords as a primary method for how to rank sites, but that led to a lot of useless web site babble and inaccurate search results. Which is why Its no longer as simple as how often a keyword or phrase is stuffed within a page or post; Google has gotten more sophisticated than that, taking all manner of factors into account.

Now, how often your site is linked, how often your pages are shared on social media (like Facebook or Google+), keywords in the page titles and meta descriptions are the kinds of factors weighed and measured in Google's ever-evolving analytics algorithm.

This is where the Organic SEO comes in.

How you employ those factors and how well the information you present on your site is received by the public determines your search engine ranking; below, of course, the paid advertisers which claim the top 3 or 4 spots on any given page of search results.

What this means for any business, from startup to the well established, is that in order to score the top (unpaid) spot, your company should:

• Present relevant, well written information on your web site that your client base can use and will be interested in sharing with others
• Carefully consider page titles so that they incorporate keywords important to your audience
• Establish and maintain a social media presence through popular sharing sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Post frequent, informative blog posts on your web site; this not only offers your client base information to share with others interested in your product or services but also refreshes content on your site regularly, something search engines like

Of course, all of that is essentially a full time job in-and-of-itself. Working it into an already demanding schedule is nearly impossible, which is why so many companies start out with good intentions and end up abandoning their Facebook page or letting their blogs lie fallow after a couple of great posts.

This leaves companies with essentially two options: bring a social media, web site guru on staff and task them with keeping your company at the top of search engine lists or outsource it. Either way, when you have someone assigned to updating your webpage, maintaining your blog, and managing your social media accounts, you can get on with the business of running a business.

AI Software offers a variety of services that will keep your company at the top of the heap—from web development to social media management. We use a unique blend of traditional SEO and mini-sites (links within your site) to improve your ranking.

To find out today what we can do to help you stand out from the crowd, contact us today by filling out this form (https://www.aisoftware.us/form.aspx?ID=1002) or giving us a call at 866.987.8889.

Also, keep up to date with us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/aisoftwareinc) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/aisoftwareinc) for more info and tips on how to keep up with the rapidly developing world of technology.

A Rough Guide To Social Media Marketing

A Rough Guide To Social Media Marketing

Facebook… Twitter… LinkedIn… Google+... Does this list look like a random list of letters from a bowl of alphabet soup? Then chances are, you’re not taking total advantage of today’s unique business and marketing environment.

Many businesses are not effectively using social media, which is the new word-of-mouth advertising. Social media marketing provides a face in a sea of anonymous information, giving you a leg up on your competition, helping you to reach new customers and keep in contact with established clients.

Below is a basic rundown of the most popular social networks. Use it to help you decide where to expand and explore. Some experts claim that you should stick to one network where you feel comfortable and build your presence, but our research has shown that a combination of networks is the most effective, for reaching the widest amount of potential customers.

Facebook

Facebook is a great place to start. It has the most monthly users (more than 1.19 billion as of June 2013). Facebook pages and posts are “liked” (or seen and given a virtual “thumbs up”) over 4.5 billion times a day and customers are more likely to purchase products they have “liked.” Facebook is also the most common network for news and information spread among family and friends.

Twitter

Twitter is the go-to source for news, updates and social interaction. It adds a voice and a personality to your brand. Twitter features a younger demographic than Facebook, between 18 - 49, and it’s on the rise. Twitter’s users increased by 40% in the second half of 2012 alone. 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter, and shoppers have reported they are more likely to visit brand sites when exposed to brand tweets. Twitter is also useful for finding connections, using the # function.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the premier virtual business marketplace. It’s useful for building business contacts, promoting brand authority and legitimacy and building customer advocacy. LinkedIn has over 238 million users in over 200 countries, many of which (30 million) are recent college graduates; ideal for when you’re looking to hire. Business leads are three times as likely to convert as on Facebook or Twitter. LinkedIn is also great for networking by utilizing the many interest groups available.

Google+

Google+ is definitely the new kid on the block. It was started in 2011 and has the least members of all the major social networks, at 300 million. But this is really just an opportunity in disguise. The Google+ market isn’t as flooded and there is room to capture attention and build valuable connections with potential clients. Google+ has a higher percentage of male users than the other Social Networks, which makes it a useful place to spread technology news and the handy inclusion of “circles” gives you more control over who gets to see what. As an added bonus, posts that have been given the “+1” show up higher in the search result pages of Google, which is a major win in the online marketing game.

Of course there are a lot of other venues, including YouTube and Pinterest, as well as scheduling, promoting, tagging and engaging with other users to consider in your grand plan. But this will get you started and once you jump in, you’ll see how useful social marketing can be.

If it turns out that social media marketing isn’t your forte, we have over a decade of experience to draw on. Contact us today, to see how we can help grow your company.