Google PageRank Checker – Check Google Page Rank of any Web Page

Posted by Steinar on Apr 5, 2010 in Blog, Marketing | 0 comments

Google PageRank is a factor that many consider important to search engine optimization and how your site ranks in Google search results.  Here’s a site that lets you quickly check:

Google PageRank Checker – Check Google page rank of any web pages.

How to increase your PageRank?  Well, that’s one of the great mysteries.  Here’s how Google explains it:

PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves “important” weigh more heavily and help to make other pages “important”.

How to properly tag your images for search engine optimization

Posted by Steinar on Mar 17, 2010 in Blog, Marketing | 0 comments

Tagging your images for search engine optimization is a great tactic to drive more targeted traffic to your site.

If your site is being indexed by Google, chances are your images will be indexed as well. I suggest you sign up for Google Webmaster Tools (free) just to make sure Google know you want your images indexed.

First, I tend to only use one image per blog post, so the optimization settings are pretty simple and only take about 10 seconds.

Once you’ve inserted your image you want to set the Title, Alt and Description tags to include your keywords or at least some description that relates to the topic of your content. Some content publishing systems, like WordPress, allow you to right-click and set the tags, but you might have to look at the HTML in some cases.

For example, if I’m blogging about “homemade fishing lures”, my optimized code would look like this:

<img src=”homemadefishinlures.png” title=”homemade fishing lures” alt=”homemade fishing lures” description=”homemade fishing lures”>

Easy right? Give it a shot and track your image related traffic in Google Analytics.

What do you think? Do you tag your images for search engine optimization?

3 Lessons on Blogging this Week

Posted by Steinar on Mar 6, 2010 in Blog, Marketing | 0 comments

I had a great week meeting with several clients, all of whom are new to blogging or have a blog but still have yet to find their rhythm. It is not surprising that many people think blogging is either nerve-racking, a waste of time or difficult in terms of finding something to say. Add in the concept of SEO and people really start to shut down.

So, in my discussions there are three main lessons I reinforced with my clients:

1) Start small. It’s not necessary to write every day and your posts don’t need to be very long. Find your voice over time and see blogging as a journey.

2) Get over your fear. People may agree or disagree with what you have to say, but if you’re honest it’s unlikely that people will criticize you. Of course, depending on the subject and tone of your post this may vary. The point is, if you’re new to blogging don’t be afraid to get started and put your ideas out there. You may learn something in the process and meet new people as well.

3) Be optimistic and keep a postive mental attitude. I hear so many excuses why people don’t want to blog. For me it’s about helping others and reinforcing the learning I’ve had in my journey. No one likes a complainer so, look on the bright side and people are more likely to continue reading your blog and engage with you along the way.

That’s it – something to chew on for a couple days.

What do you think? Are these lessons you can relate to?

Optimize your WordPress Blog for SEO and User Experience – Joost de Valk (Video)

Posted by Steinar on Jan 2, 2010 in Blog, Marketing | 0 comments

Another great video from Joost de Valk “Yoast”, including some useful advice on strategies to optimize your WordPress blog for SEO and user experience.

In particular, Yoast shares some very helpful hints for Analytics, Automation, RSS, Commenting and Plugins.  Hope you enjoy.

What tips do you have to share to optimize your WordPress blog for SEO and user experience?

Drive More Traffic to Your Blog and Engage Readers (Audio)

Posted by Steinar on Dec 1, 2009 in Blog, Marketing | 0 comments

In this audio post I’ll touch on a few techniques to drive more traffic to your blog and engage readers in a more meaningful way.
 
002-more-blog-followers.mp3

Topics Covered:
• Creating unique and compelling content
• Search Engine Optimization and long-tail keywords
• Commenting on third-party websites
• Leveraging Social Media

How are you attracting more readers? Which tactics are getting the best results?