Video on the internet is far from new, but most internet marketers have problems getting their videos to be noticed. Uploading videos on YouTube can be effective, especially because Google gives YouTube preferential treatment, but you can increase conversions by bypassing YouTube or other video sharing sites and have Google index your video directly. YouTube is designed to have to user stay on the site as long as possible, while you want the user to get on your site as quickly as possible. Just like a sitemap for a webpage,  Google video sitemaps tell Google exactly what and where the file is. Google uses that information to index videos for video search. The sitemap is just a text file that gives Google the information on how to classify and pull up your video in search.

Clicking on the video will take the user directly to your website. This gives the user one less click to have to go through to get to your site compared to going through Google search, to a video sharing website to your site. Creating a video marketing campaign through video sharing sites is still effective, but the point of this article is using Google as the index. Video marketing is a potentially very profitable enterprise because the competition in videos is much smaller than in websites in general.

The sitemap allows you to tell Googlebot the duration, title, and description that goes along with each video. It is much easier for Googlebot to read text and almost impossible for it to figure out what a video contains otherwise. Almost all types of video except live streaming video are supported. You will use text tags tell where your landing page is, post the video’s URL, specify a video player if necessary, give a thumbnail, and set the duration. The sitemap is added through Google Webmaster Tools and is limited to 50,000 videos. Most Denver internet marketing companies are not near the 50,000 limit yet, but having a large number of quality videos is a good idea, because then Google will start trusting you as an internet video producer.

Instead of a sitemap, you can also use an mRSS feed. RSS 2.0 allows for better video support and may be easier to make than a sitemap. mRSS is older so most browsers and software support this coding. Once your sitemap is uploaded, you can log onto Google Analytics and track the exposure of your video. Creating video costs more than other content so you will want to be able to see what works well and understand what your ROI is. A Denver SEO company would track this by setting up 301 redirects from a unique url within your site for the video you submitted to see which visitors came from where. Without the sitemap uploaded, it is impossible to see if searches came from Google organic or video search.

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Link Building is Key for SEO

I don’t know about you but my life revolves around building links.  The more links I can get for a website the better chance I have of being listed on the first page of the major search engines.  With the number of people switching their methods of how they find information, getting on the first page of Google is a great way to gain new business. Our Denver SEO company manages several Colorado companies’ search engine optimization (SEO) campaign.  It is our job to handle the link building strategies, make sure traffic is growing and that their online visibility dominates their competition.  Since link building is so crucial I thought I would give a few tips for finding quality links for your website.

1.)    Relevance is Important:  Have you ever been on a website and noticed links for something completely different from the page content or theme of the website?  Chances are you did not click on them because you were not interested in a different subject. (EX –> you did not visit a website about power tools hoping to find information about real estate) Google’s main purpose is to provide accurate search results to keep the web surfers using their search engine.  That being said, we have found that we get more “link juice” from links that are relevant content.  It makes sense right?  If Google’s goal is providing accurate search results, links from sites that are not relevant should not be rewarded as much as those that are from related sources.  Although Google does not come out and say it, our SEO company has found the more links we can get from relevant sites or pieces of content, the better our ranking in the SERPs.

2.)    Make Sure You’re Being Followed:  If you are new to the SEO world you might be shocked to find out that there are links that Google will completely ignore.  There is actually a tag a web developer can include on the link that tells the “Google bots” to skip over the link.  In a search engine optimization campaign it is important to know the difference between a do-follow and no-follow link.  If you spend countless hours building links that are not being scanned by the Google bots you just wasted a bunch of your time.  There are a few ways to tell if a link is a no-follow link.  Check out the source code for the rel=“nofollow” tag or just simply download a toolbar application that will highlight no-follow tagged links.

3.)    The Name of the Game is Numbers: Building backlinks is a numbers game, the more you get the better off you are.  Link building is an ongoing process; if you stop you will fall in the rankings.  Many people find this out the hard way and have to put even more time into their project than they would have had to if they continued to work on it.

4.)    Keywords Are the Key:  If you want to get ahead in the game, make sure you are using your keywords in the links you are creating.  If you are trying to rank for a search term lik “Denver real estate agent” and you do not have any links to your site with that keyword phrase, it will be near impossible to rank well for that term.  A link that has anchor text is much more valuable that the simple www.yoursite.com because you are not telling the search engines or your readers what your site is about.

Hopefully this will help you when thinking about search engine optimization and has helped you understand the value of link building.  Remember, onsite optimization will only take you so far in the search engines.  If you want to show up for competitive keywords, make sure you are using a link building strategy.  If you follow these four tips, you should see a major improvement in your rankings in just a few months.  If you need more help with your search engine optimization campaign, please contact us at our Denver SEO firm (303) 999-7963

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Are your visitors the kind that just look through your “medicine cabinet”? Maybe you are inviting the wrong guests to your website?

By: Cade Lee

All too often I hear feedback from website owners and business owners about getting the “wrong kind of lead” from their website. In otherwords, the visitors they are getting to the site are not their “ideal” prospect or customer. I would take this a step further and probably guess that their conversion rate is very low and that they are getting the “shoppers” that are browsing every site known to man for their particular search. While “shoppers” are important to every business it is definitely not the ideal customer any business longs for. So how do you bring the kind of visitors that you want?

Although things are changing in the search algorithms and the major search engines are providing more relevant results than ever before, there are still irrelevant results on the 1st page of search engine results for thousands of searches. This is not because Google, Bing or Yahoo do not have excellent algorithms or fantastic results for the searches being performed through their search engines. This is simply because they cannot read the thoughts or intentions of those inputting the keywords into their search engines. So, for that person who is looking for a local plumber in Denver, if they were to search for “plumber” odds are pretty good that the only relevant sites they will find will be in the pay per click or “sp

onsored links” section. They will not find too many “local” results in the search engine results or the organic listings. The searcher will find national companies or even a Wikipedia article, but they will not find a local company for their plumbing needs.

Google is already attempting to change this by providing results according to IP or the searchers location, but you can imagine what a chore it is to have to differentiate those search terms that would be more likely to engage with local business versus those that do not.

So in the meantime, what will you do with your internet marketing campaign? How can you attract those visitors that are looking for your services and products? The answer  is to go for more specific key word phrases in your search engine optimization campaign. So for example, let’s take a printing business in Denver. This printer is putting together an internet marketing campaign in Denver as this is their primary target audience for business. Since I am using a real life example, I can tell you that this specific company wanted to first go for the search term “printing”. Since they had a limited budget (like any other company) and finite resources, this term did not make too much sense. Granted,

Are you focusing on the right kind of traffic

if they could obtain organic results in a very short time frame (which would not be likely) they could compete with the likes of Vista Print and other major companies who are getting tons of business from their efforts I am sure. The thing is, they have a limited budget and time is of the essence. The local printing company in Denver would like to secure  more leads online, and most importantly get in front of prospects that are ready to buy now!

So with that being said, some of the more effective keywords for this Denver Internet Marketing campaign that they might approach would be “Rush Print Job Denver” or “Fast print turnaround denver”, maybe even “24 hour printing in Denver”. These are terms that potential customers might actually use and the good news is that they are not as competitive as many other search terms within that industry. Now, I am not saying that this customer did not benefit from showing up for other more generic terms like “Denver Printing Company” or “Brochure Printing Denver”. It is important to obtain some other local keywords as well; however the customers that were ready to order definitely used more specific keyword phrases than the average “shopping” prospect who was researching their choices online.

As you are wandering through your analytics, and researching your keywords, don’t forget to pay attention to those keyword phrases at the bottom of the list. Make certain to look for the keywords in your internet marketing campaign that have attracted visitors with a low bounce rate. Your chances of conversion are higher with those individuals. If we take a look at our Denver Printer example and their Denver Internet Marketing Campaign, we have well over 12 months of analytics to review. Within those results, in the keywords used to get on their site, if we review the less used search terms that have a low bounce rate and good “length of time” for their visit, we will wind up with some keywords that we may have not considered previously.

By all means, you want to focus on major search terms and long tail keywords, but while you are doing this in your campaign, you will come across “odd” terms used by some of your visitors. Make certain to leverage this information and get in front of those searchers that have already proven a low bounce rate. These visitors usually spend more time on your site and even better yet, they are more inclined to convert into business!

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Blogging is an integral part of your SEO Campaign

By: Cade Lee

It seems that every time the topic of blogging comes up, customers ask us, “Why is a Blog important?” If I were to ask them if they wanted to originate business online, they would undoubtedly answer “Yes”. If I asked any prospective customer if they wanted to be on the first page of Google, I know I would get the same positive response. Everyone would like to attract attention online which is exactly why it makes it that much more difficult for anyone to draw a crowd online. There are several strategies of course to bring in the crowds; some of them are not the most ethical or considerate to say the least.

Many website owners and SEO professionals alike will try all sorts of gimmicks and tricks to obtain a page one ranking. I cannot say that we haven’t attempted everything to obtain a page one ranking as well. I think any good SEO company will need to experiment as much as possible (not with client projects), to understand the algorithms and search engine rankings better. So, with everyone vying for the 1^st page of Google or any one of the other major search engines, what can really differentiate you from the pack?

Over and over again, our blog has been one of the most important resources and reasons that we continue to be on the 1^st page of Google for relevant search terms to our site. We have had many comments on our blog, some positive and other’s negative. Overall it was comments we were looking for to begin with. We wanted to be noticed and we were able to do that most efficiently with our blog.

It was our intent to draw traffic to our site by providing quality, informative and useful content on our blog. I wished that I could say that we started publishing our blog and it brought in a flood of traffic to the site that was simply just not the case. Here were some of the best methods we used to attract attention with our blog:

1. Build useful applications or programs: I already know what you are thinking, “I am not a programmer and I would not know where to begin”. I understand this as we felt much the same way. The thing is that you have access to something in your arsenal, something that someone else would find useful. In our case it was a simple toolbar that we had created to help us keep track of SEO sites, resources and blogs. We distributed this toolbar to as many freeware or shareware sites that we could. We hosted the program on our site, so as we attracted visitors to the software, we were able to bring many new visitors to our site.
   
2. Providing Resources: By providing good and useful information online you are able to prove yourself as a trusted advisor. We have many clients that are in the “services” industry and over time we have had heard the same objection over and over again. “If I provide information for free to the public, what reason would they have to come and see me”. Granted there are a group of “do-it-yourselfers” that will take whatever information you can give them and run with it, these are usually not the customers that a “services” company would be looking for to begin with.
   
3. Create Unique and Useful Content: Following a most recent event or providing timely content can be very useful for readers of your blog. Whether you are utilizing creative content or image, even video, make certain that your blog stands out with originality. This is difficult to do. Often times, for us we will come up with an idea or theme for a new post or blog after we have read the thousands of e-mails that we get every day. Giving our opinion on a certain technique or software that we have been solicited for makes for interesting and useful content. At the end of the day you will just want to make certain that you spend time here making your presence different.
   
4. Covering an unpopular topic or controversial opinion: We had completed a blog article, “Do you need a web designer?”, you could imagine that many web developers and designers were very interested in what we had to say. The article title might have been a little misleading as we were not recommending that a company “not work” with a developer or designer, we were simply making the point that most designers do not take search engine optimization into consideration when creating a website. What could you do to make your title more alluring?
   
5. Utilize Anchor Text inside your blog. As you go through your content, make certain to link appropriate text to resources that would be useful for your audience. This is a good time to link to your site as well. So for example, throughout our blog you will notice that we utilize “Denver SEO“, Denver SEO Company“,”SEO Company” or “Denver Internet Marketing”. These obviously are some of the keywords that we would hope to appear on the 1^st page of Google for. You do not want to “keyword stuff” or spam throughout your blog, but using some keywords sparingly can definitely help and boost your rankings. Make certain that you use “alt text” when utilizing anchor text in your blogs as this can add some benefit to your SEO.
   

If your current SEO company is not doing this for you, then you might want to take a more active role in your search engine optimization. Your blog or blogs will have a lot to do with your campaign, so make certain that you invest the time necessary to differentiate your blog and make it useful.

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) entails a maelstrom of techniques and tactics with the end goal being to improve the ranking of a particular website in the search results of major search engines. Denver SEO can be broken down into two main categories, on site SEO and off site SEO.

On site SEO relies upon excellent content first and foremost. Content must be on topic, relevant, and contain a 5% – 8% keyword (words or phrases) density. This means that for every 100 words of content, five to eight keywords should be used. The keywords that will be used must be carefully researched using tools such as the free Google AdWords keyword tool. When choosing keywords, it is important to remember to think like the customer. What will they be searching for? These same keywords should also be embedded into the website source code via Meta, Title and Heading tags. This will help ensure a high page ranking for these search terms.

Also, the website should be organized with a clear hierarchical structure. Creating a site map will significantly enhance site structure and ability to be scanned by search engines. This will allow search engines to more efficiently scan the target website. The most important information on a given website should be placed at or near the top of the page. This will make it easier for search engines to find the content that you want them to find. Use text instead of images; search engines can only scan text, so all important information must be included in text. This should be done even if the message(s) being conveyed are duplicated in images, banners, etc.

Of even greater importance is off site SEO. This includes back linking to highly ranked sites. For example, you can submit articles to free online repositories with links to your target website embedded in the text. The Google search engine will interpret a page with many back links to highly ranked pages as being of greater importance, and will therefore increase its page ranking. Another tactic is to submit entries to a highly ranked online blog, with excellent content, important keywords and back links where possible. Furthermore, you can join appropriate, and highly ranked, online forums and post useful content with a signature containing a back link to the target website. You should submit your website to the major search engines’ web indices. This will speed up and enhance the optimization process greatly.

SEO is a multifaceted endeavor, and requires ongoing maintenance and tuning. There are many competent companies that are dedicated to carrying out SEO campaigns. If page ranking is extremely important to you, consider outsourcing the project to a professional Denver SEO company.

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can serve as the linchpin to your overall marketing plan for your business.  Gone are the days when all you needed was an ad in the local phone book.  The most efficient way to drive leads to your business is through Internet marketing.  You need more than just a website, though.

A website that has not been optimized for search engine results pages (SERPs) will only serve as a digital business card.  Nobody will find it unless they know about it and where to look.  Your competition will quickly surpass such an outmoded approach.  You need to hire a Denver SEO consultant to help get your website seen by those searching for the products and/or services that your business offers.

A competent SEO company will offer a full-service approach to Internet marketing, in order to ensure that your SEO campaign is in fact successful.  You will need to start out by looking for a Denver SEO company on the Internet.  Here’s a good tip: if you search for SEO company, SEO consultant, SEO, Internet marketing, etc. the company you end up choosing should appear near the top of the SERPs.  The reason:  if a particular Denver Internet marketing company can’t get their own site near the top of the SERPs, they probably can’t do it for you, either.

Once you have chosen a particular SEO company, carefully examine the SEO consultant with whom you are to be partnered.  Do they act in a professional manner?  How much experience with Internet marketing do they have?  Can they provide examples and references to demonstrate that they have a track record of success?  Do they have as many questions for you as you do for them?  A good SEO consultant will begin by trying to understand your business and the goals you have for it.  This will aid them in one of the early steps in SEO, keyword research.

Do not settle for a mediocre SEO company.  Don’t shop by price alone.  Remember, you get what you pay for.  The success of your business depends on you choosing the best Internet marketing company possible.

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denver internet marketing,denver SEO,denver web development

Denver Web Development is absolutely key in helping to produce awareness, traffic, and sales for your company or product.  Just like traditional marketing campaigns, there are many specific skills required to be effective in your Denver Internet Marketing plan.  These skills include but are not limited to link building, web design, Denver search-engine-optimization, HTML writing, blogging, and social networking.  Techniques and trends are constantly changing as well, and it is important to utilize the experience and knowledge of a Denver SEO Firm or Internet Marketing Company.

It is important to set goals, and plan a complete strategy for building a valuable website and increasing the traffic to that website.  In addition to a clear website with substantial, valid content, you need to drive the site to towards the top of search engine results for targeted keywords.  This intricate, time-consuming process is called search-engine-optimization, or SEO.  A good internet marketing company will also handle Denver SEO for your business.  It is best to let experts execute SEO for you, because the ranking algorithms and industry trends are constantly evolving and changing.  A Denver SEO Company will keep up with the pulse of the industry, staying on top of all the new tips and tricks.

Denver Internet Marketing is paramount to staying on the cutting edge of any industry.  Create a strong, reliable Internet presence while at the same time being highly visible on local and global search engines.  Customize your plan to cater to your target audience, increasing your chances for sales, leads, and referrals.  The days of Yellow Pages are over, and you need to keep your business ahead of the curve by working with a Denver Internet Marketing Firm.  No matter what your industry, help yourself and take the right step towards a successful future.

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Choosing an effective and reliable SEO company can be quite difficult, especially with the rise of its popularity and the vast amount of businesses offering SEO services in the past 2 years.  Search Engine Optimization is one of the biggest investments you will make into establishing your companies online presence which makes it even more imperative you make the right choice when hiring an SEO company.  It goes without saying that hiring the wrong SEO consultant will not only cost you a lot of money but it could also cost you your domain getting dropped or delisted by Google if the company breaks the rules and uses black hat tactics.

Here are some questions to ask to help you make the important decision of hiring the best SEO company for your company, business or website.  Each SEO company has something special to offer so finding the right fit will help ensure a successful and pleasant SEO campaign.

How long have they been established? Along with most things in life, the longer you have been doing something; normally the better you are at it.  When you try to market a website in the top search engines, you have to be able to adapt to the changes they are making in their algorithm and how they rank sites.  If a company has been doing SEO for more than a few years they have had to deal with the changes made and should be able to show you how they’ve adapted.

If possible, take into account how long the SEO company has been established, the chances are if its been around for a few years they will be well up to date with the latest strategies and have a decent history and background.

Can they provide testimonials & recommendations? Any good company, regardless of the industry, should be able to provide a handful of testimonials and recommendations from their previous projects.  Now remember they are going to give you their favorite customers if not friend’s phone numbers so it is important to ask these questions:

“How long did it take to see results on the search engines for your campaign”?  This will give you a good indication of how the time and effort the company operates at.  A good SEO company should be able to show results inside of the first 30 days.  They will not be dramatic results but any SEO consultant will tell you they have the ability to influence a websites ranking in a months time.

“Why did you hire this SEO company”?  Asking this will let you know if they hired because of a previous relationship, price or even their internet marketing strategies.

“Did they do more for you other than just get you to the top of SERPS?  A good SEO company will do more than just get you to the top of Google for “Denver Attorney”.  If the company knows anything about internet marketing they understand that today’s searchers are researching companies and individuals before they make decisions.  An SEO company should be working on video and article optimization to help build credibility for your company as well.

Do they make any “too good to be true” claims? Any SEO company that makes a guarantee is simply not worth working with.  As an SEO consultant, I personally know I cannot guarantee anything because I do not have direct control of a websites ranking.  Just like a weatherman gives an educated guess about the 7 day forecast, an SEO consultant will give you an educated guess as to where they can get you placed on the search engines.  The only guarantee most of us can offer is to work hard and within the rules.

“Do they enjoy your line of business”? This might seem like a silly question to ask but it actually can be a good indication whether the SEO company is right for you.  As an SEO consultant, I can say from tons of experience it is everything in the world to be passionate about an SEO campaign we are working on.  The amount of time and energy put into a campaign is enough to drive you crazy if you do not like talking or writing about a particular industry.  Make sure to find someone who is at least interested in the services you provide or products you offer, it might help make the SEO campaign be more effective.

Although these are just a few questions to ask, it should help give you an idea if the SEO company is a good fit for you and your business.  If you have any other questions about hiring an SEO company, please don’t hesitate to email me at nick@thisisiniquitous.com or give me a call (303) 999-7963.  I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

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