One of the most powerful tools available today is the use of the internet to build and grow your business. But like any powerful tool, understanding how the tool works and its capabilities are vital for its success. In the wrong hands or when used by someone lacking the needed skill, the results can be disastrous. The very same principal applies to Search Engine and Social Media Techniques.

The team at Valeo Marketing is on the cutting edge of the latest developments within the Social Media and Search Engine market. By staying up to date and informed on the most current trends and applications, Valeo Marketing can transform your online marketing efforts into a formidable online presence.

With attention to detail and customer service beyond what you expect, the team at Valeo Marketing applies proven techniques utilizing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) procedures. Understanding the importance of using the right Key words, providing the most relevant information and knowing the best way to receive optimal exposure on the web, the team can help your business navigate through the channels to bring you visibility and business growth online call 800.647.4552 or contact us.

If you aren’t satisfied with the results your online efforts are bringing, or especially if you currently don’t have any online efforts, it’s time to contact the Team at Valeo Marketing. Let their expertise, knowledge and professionalism help your business realize its full potential.

Image by Mike Rohde via Flickr

We consult with clients all the time on optimizing their web sites, creating new and fresh content and tips on making their web sites “sticky” and encouraging visitors to return to them time and time again. One of the best ways to accomplish all of these goals is to write a blog.

I know, you just asked yourself what in the world you have to write about. And, how will you ever find time to write a blog? Well, it’s truly as easy as this blog post by Jim Osterman makes it out to be. Just write it.

Sure, you’re first few posts may be short. They may not offer a lot of depthor comment-inspiring content, but they are a start. And, once you begin to blog, it will become easier and easier. You’ll then start reading other blogs; you’ll find out what others in your industry are saying; and then you can write about or disagree with their ideas. Other blogs are a great way to find inspiration, and there’s no easier way to find content and writing ideas. Before you know it, people will be visiting your site to see what you’re writing and reading about. They will see you as a leader in your industry.

So take our advice, and that of Jim Osterman. Just write!

Now that you’re ready to blog, read more blog tips:

Related articles:

• The 3 Main Pillars Of Blogging (shoutmeloud.com)
• The Benefits Of Business Blogging (slideshare.net)

Firstly, thank you to James Hutto, not only for following us on Twitter but accepting our invitation to contribute to this blog.

Leading on from this, I’ll be discussing how utilising your blog can help you network with those within the same industry, as well as increase the success of your SEO campaign.

Many people know that a blog is a vital tool to have within a website, but are not using it to its full potential. A blog offers various opportunities for a business to succeed within the World Wide Web, if used in conjunction with other elements of SEO. Content is still King and what better way to voice ideas, opinions and strategies than using your own website to do so.

Blogging has mixed reviews. There are many people that have been contributing to their blog for a long while without as much as a single comment. Then, there are those blogs that seem to have numerous visits and are highly regarded as being a useful source to find out the latest information and goings on in specific areas of interest.

So what makes a good blog and how can it improve online relationships with both people and Search Engines?

Get It Out There:

Blogging is no good on its own. As with all aspect of SEO, you need various components to comprise a successful campaign. To get the readers you need to find them, and once you’ve got them you need to keep them. But how is this possible?

Well with social media for one. The most obvious place to find people is on some of the most highly populated websites; Twitter, Facebook and You Tube. Regardless of the industry there are people that always want to know more authoritative figures, but haven’t got the time to go searching. Make yourself visible by posting your information and highlighting news that you’re proud of.

There are various online tools that can link from your blog to your Twitter then to your Facebook so at the click of one button you’re covering all bases. Once you’ve got people visiting your blog, the hardest battle is won.

Keep Content Current:

Search Engines are fickle, they get bored and when something better comes along they are likely to choose that over something that isn’t reinventing itself. Search Engines want to see websites producing fresh content, taking the time to build links and spread themselves across the world wide web.

A blog is the perfect platform for reinventing a website, as it offers the opportunity to add fresh content on a regular basis.

The only rule that you should follow to ensure that your blog is successful, is related to the content that you are adding to it.

Make sure it’s recent, exciting and new. You blog doesn’t have to be stuffy, in fact it should be chatty and engage readers. Writing industry based content that is exciting will attract those with the power to influence your company, who will help spread the word within a community. This type of exposure isn’t possible with old copy that people have read about before.

Don’t Focus On A Time Limit:

It is healthy to set goals for a business and do everything to reach them. However getting a blog noticed and building up an authority can take a long time, it’s virtually impossible to put any timing together.

Instead of focussing on what isn’t being achieved, spend time planning what else could be done to improve the blogs authority. This may include increasing how many posts are being submitted, researching further afield or even requesting guest posts from other people to share their thoughts.

This brings me conveniently to how networking can enhance your blogging practices.

Networking for Blogging.

Networking provides the perfect opportunity to discuss elements of your business with others within the same industry. But why stop at tweets or comments? Surely the point of making friends, and followers is to engage in their recent activity and share ideas.

Blogging can strike conversations and with news that is well written, people will soon be keen to learn more about your company. Urge people to contact you and offer your services through your social media. It is called ‘networking’ for a reason and your news and updates are the perfect conversation starter.

It also opens up doors for people to contribute to your website and with so many different opinions on SEO it’s easy to see why blogging is crucial for any SEO campaign.

Improving your SEO is about engaging with those that can potentially help your business grow. Don’t focus on what your website isn’t providing but rather the people that can help get you where you want to be.

A blog holds more cards than perhaps many website owners realise. If you don’t currently have one it’s a must before continuing with your SEO campaign and if you’ve neglected yours recently, then ensure you get back writing, it’s a sure fire way to help expose your business and gain those all important contacts.

I’ve talked to or heard of a variety of people lately who are offering Internet marketing services to their clients due to the tremendous demand that has developed in recent years.  What’s always funny/sad/disapppointing is how many consultants are out there giving just plain bad advice to their clients – and charging them for it!

There are plenty of great articles about Hiring a search engine marketing company so, at the very least, do your homework and ask a lot of questions if you’re looking to hire. Here are some basic things you need to understand:

Marketing to search engines is an absolutely crucial piece of being successful online, but there is much more to search engine marketing (or even just SEO) than doing some keyword research and then changing page titles, meta, content, and ALT tags. Thinking that these efforts alone will drive massive change in your rankings is foolish, at best. It can be very costly and even damaging to your site’s effectiveness in the worst cases.

Search engines have evolved a lot over the past decade; they simple have to.  Google’s search market share is somewhere around 65% according to Comscore, and considering that Google’s market capital is $153.4 billion as of October 5 2009, let’s just suffice it to say that they have a vested interest in you and I continuing to use their engine.  What does that mean for us?  Well, we all find what we’re looking for in pretty short order on Google.com, right?  If you didn’t, then you would probably begin using another search engine, which is why Google has to keep their results accurate.  In order to do that, they have to figure out ways to rank more than 127 billion web pages by relevance.

What’s that got to do with search engine marketing?  Ask yourself this:  do you really think that some minimal effort and changing up the language and some tags on your site is going to put you at the top of those 127 billion for your market or industry?

Search engine marketing goes well beyond just “SEO” that inexperienced internet marketers (read: web designers who decided to call themselves internet marketers because they knew they were missing opportunities) will tell you is going to influence your rankings.  The fact of the matter is, truly marketing to search engines is a long-term plan that will involve content creation and syndication, social bookmarking, developing a robust link profile, and much more.

Don’t let that discourage you!  If you’re thinking about ways to drive more traffic to your site, this is still #1 on the list. Traffic that comes from search engines has a much higher potential for conversion than many other methods.

Here’s how it works – a great graphic from the brilliant minds over at SEOmoz.org:

Seems straight-forward, right?  Well, in the most basic terms – it is!  Of course, it helps if you have the experience to know what works and what doesn’t.  Here are some guides to help you get started:

• Learn Why SEO Is Essential To Increase Site Visitor Numbers (ronmedlin.com)
• 7 Secrets To Successful Keyword Research (slideshare.net)
• Use The Right Search Engine Optimization Company (webmanmarketing.com)