SEO – Cityline Search Engine Optimization Program

Posted on January 28, 2012 by admin

SEO is the process of getting a website to do better on the search engine rankings. Clients come to us all the time, wanting to do better on Google. “Hi, I want to be ranked #1 on Google”. Great, give me 2 days and I’ll get you there…. Doesn’t work that way. There are several steps to moving up in the website rankings. Our abbreviated approach is as follows:

We can do a search to see who’s at the top of the search engines – anyone can do that. But why are they there? What do they have in common? That requires more work. Google looks at 200+ variables when determining where to put your website. Some of these may include the use of titles, or quantity of text on a page, images, or maybe video content… We don’t know what they are. Only Google knows that.
SEO table
Having said that, no website is perfect. That’s great news for the small business looking to do well on Google. So this means that your website just has to be less imperfect than the others out there to do do better on Google.

So step 1 to our approach is to analyze the top sites. See what they are all doing the same to rank highly on Google – then do the same. Then areas where they differ, we can determine where we can improve. Once we’ve made our site better, then we should do well.

Sounds easy, right. Well it’s not! There are several external factors in determining the website positions. This includes in a big part the links to your website. Developing Links is not a simple task and takes work. It requires writing of articles, getting people to like your articles and as a courtesy link back to you. The more links, and the better the page ranks, the better you’ll do.

Step 2 is to build links back to your site – involve you and contribute to creating these links including for social media, blog articles, press releases. It’s a tailored program for each company…

This is just a simplified view of the main steps of our search engine optimization program. Give us a call for more information.

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Tracking Search Engine Rankings the Easy Way

Posted on October 4, 2011 by admin

OK – I’ve always promoted doing things the right way. I figured determining positions on Google is best done manually. That way you know it’s done right. Well, I came across Advanced Website Rankings and now am using this instead. So below is my little blurb on it’s features. For a company that does SEO, such as Cityline Websites, it saves a tonne of time and does so much more than I can realistically do.

Please read on…

Make SEO Tracking & Reporting Easy with AWR
Websites today have to do more than look good. Website ranking success is comprised of specific, critical components that ensure the site is found by the right people during relevant organic searches. We have made it a priority to educate ourselves and stay at the forefront of cutting edge website and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, opportunities and tools. Advanced Web Ranking is SEO Software helping us do just this.

As an SEO and Website company, SEO work can often seem a bit nebulous to clients. The challenge is then placed on the company to provide measurable results to indicate the success of their client’s SEO Internet Campaign. Often this entails manually generating reports, pulling data from multiple sources. This is time consuming and often does not allow for an optimal, professional presentation. And most clients today are relying on their SEO Company to deliver results. They don’t have much time for website management and are leaving it to the experts to deliver the results – they don’t want to have to pore through numbers to figure out if those results were delivered.

Advanced Web Ranking provides the resources to deliver timely, detail rich, professional looking reports to your clients. It also provides SEO companies with tools and information to make intelligent adjustments to their client’s SEO campaigns and websites. Some of the features AWR offers include: The ability to import your existing Keyword list, as well as a Keyword Research and Analysis tools. Identifying the words used most often in searches for your business type ensure the best chance of being found during search engine searches.

Once you have collected the data through auto generated dates, you have the flexibility to Export, Upload through Ftp or Print Reports. You can even set up auto emails to generate for each client.
Along with results for all the major search engines, AWR offers the ability to track Google Maps and Yahoo Local search engines, allowing you to see results specific to a city or region.
In addition to capturing and reporting SEO information, AWR offers Project Management. This is an especially handy way to track all relevant job information in one location. You can set up proxy projects for clients in different regions so you can view the same results they see in their local browser. This enhances your ability to accurately serve clients you may have out of your immediate area.

Often I have clients that the entire purpose of their website is to do better than a particular competitor. AWR allows you to track all the results for your competitor as well. Then you can graph the results and prove you are the SEO master.

For the complex options and data AWR provides, you would think it might be complex to manage. This is not the case. AWR has great online tutorials and help database that make it easy to begin successfully using their product. And if you get stuck, their support team is ready to help.

So this sounds a bit like a shameless plug, but when I like something, I talk it up. Check it out at http://www.advancedwebranking.com/

AWR offers a Free trial. This gives you a chance to see for yourself why your clients will benefit from the information and resources provided by Advanced Web Ranking.

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6 Reasons to use Mini-sites in your SEO Program

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin

Mini-sites…

Huh? What is a mini-site?

There are variations on the concept of what a mini-site and why use them. My definition of a mini-site is a website that supplements your main site, but focuses on a single topic – whether it be a product or service you offer or other single concept. I would recommend more than one page for this – 5 content pages if you can.

Why Use a Mini-Site or Multiple Mini-sites?

Well, the website community needs more money. That’s true, but us web people need to justify the existence of these extra websites. Here are the reasons why the use of mini-sites are beneficial to you as the customer (or if you are a web developer, the reasons why you should talk your clients into using mini-sites).

1) More Information on a Product
With a mini-site you can promote your single product or service without worrying about diluting the emphasis of your main website. For instance, if you come out with a new widget, you may want to get the word out, producing lots of info on this widget on multiple pages, but don’t want people coming to your main site thinking you only sell this new item.

2) More Exposure on Google
Google looks for websites with a focus. If you supply 5 different services, it may be a good idea to have a separate site, really nailing down one (or more) services you’d like to promote. Chances are your single service will do better on Google than your main site. And… It means you will have two links to your service for people to click (and one less competitor). I have clients who receive more hits on their mini-sites than their main site.

3) Higher Conversion Rates
If I’m a potential customer looking for service A, I want someone who’s really good at it. Going to a company’s main site, who has 10 different services, it looks like they don’t specialize in what I’m looking for – so I move on. If I find a website where a company only supplies service A, then I’m giving them a call. This has been proven time and time again.

4) Eggs in multiple baskets
An example for this point. I have a client that has several mini-sites who has all his marketing online. He provides many services to clients. One day my client updates his site with some content Google doesn’t like and his website rankings tank. Luckily, his mini-sites maintain the traffic until we determine and fixed the issue.

5) Safer to Try New Ideas
A mini-site allows you to change things up, to create something fun, or something more edgy. You wouldn’t want your corporate site to test your newest advertising concept – because if it fails, you’ve taken a big bite out of your bottom line. Use a mini-site to do this. If it fails, your corporate image isn’t ruined.

6) Speed & Flexibility
This is more for the larger corporate sites, but there are some principle that apply to smaller companies. If you are a big company and have a traditional corporate site lined with red tape, the chances of getting a new ad live quickly are between slim and none. Mini-sites allow you to be nimble with content creation and editing. And if you need to pull down the site, you don’t have to call your boss’s boss to get the process expedited before you get fired.

Wrap Up
Well there’s 6 reasons to give your client as to why they need to do a mini-site (or multiple mini-sites). If you have a list of services, they can all use the same template to save money. If it’s the newest advertising campaign, you may want to change things up according to current trends and what you are selling. Good luck.

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Why you need up to date equipment & software

Posted on August 13, 2011 by admin

Web designers …. Should you always have up to date software and computer?

My answer to this is “yes” (but within reason).

Is it to impress your clients, to show them that you have a better computer than them, that you are smarter, or that your skill level for web design is so high that you require the best? No. Is it because it makes you feel better that you have the newest software and therefore your designs will be better? Maybe, but that’s only a marginal reason to have the latest and greatest.

The best, most logical reason to have a newer computer, or newer software, or a bigger monitor for your website design business is financial. Take a monitor for instance. I purchased a 27″ monitor that I’ve coupled with my laptop monitor. The monitor cost me about $375. I used to own a 21″ monitor. The amount on the new screen is significantly more than the older screen. I can see more of my website designs, layout, or web programming than before. There is less moving windows around. I figure maybe I save 3 minutes a day. Doesn’t sound like much, but do the math. If I have a charge out rate of say $75 / hr, I am saving $3.75 per day. In 100 days (about 4.5 months) my monitored is paid for. Any longer I keep my monitor, I am saving cash.

The same argument can be said for having a faster computer or an updated version of your favourite design software. If it saves you time, it saves you money. Do the math. If you find it will save you money, then it’s worth it.

Besides, it’s all a write-off so the savings are even more.

Running a business is all about efficiency. The more efficient you are, the more business you can do and the more successful you can be. Just make sure to justify the cost.

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