Achieving powerful SEO results on a budget

Posted by Rob Fleming on May 29th, 2008
2008
May 29

Find out how to achieve powerful SEO results on a budget

The struggle to achieve prominent placement on the major search engines can be an overwhelming task, and even seasoned SEO professionals can sometimes run into a brick wall when it comes to pushing past competitors in the race for top 10 on the SERPs.

Gaining top placement once your blog has been deployed isn’t as hard or complicated as many SEO professionals would like you to think, and as long as you have applied the common SEO best practices in the building of your site everything else is daily maintenance. If you’re unsure on whether your site meets the basics, then it may be a good idea to do a little research on the subject. Keep in mind that while there are literally thousands of websites with information on the subject of Search Engine Optimization, your time will be better spent in comparing the common list of things you should not do when applying SEO standards to your site. Once you are confident that your site is ready, your next steps will be defining your game plan and putting your plan into action.

There are 4 things that must be part of your plan of action; consistency, fresh content, uniqueness, and promotion.

Consistency is a key factor in building a reputation for your site. Even if your site is only 1 day old and doesn’t have any real readers, creating and managing your site with a publishing schedule or calendar will give your site a professional appearance when it begins to build traffic from readers. Your publishing schedule should be based on a set time line of research, writing and publishing. Create a working schedule and stick to it. To make things easy come up with some relevant topics and start from there; use project or task calendar to track your progress and make notes for all of your current and future articles.

The continual building of fresh content for your site will separate it from the competition by offering more useful information for potential readers to choose from. Write about what you know. Your experience and knowledge on a topic or subject will inject authority in your content and help make your site and articles stand out. The amount of relevant content that is published, and indexed on the major search engines will make your site stand out because each article will be listed in SERPs as an individual listing or sub-listing based on its keywords or topic. All of your articles you use catchy keyword based titles, and the first paragraph in your article should  include that keyword or phrase. Best practices recommend a keywords density of 5%, and your article should be written to appeal to human readers not the search engine robots. Many writers pound keywords into their articles in an effort to make them seem more relevant to the search engines and forget that how their human readers will find them useful. By balancing both keyword density and human readability you are actually providing well rounded content that will be viewed as relevant to both the search engines and potential readers.

In order to make your site continue to stand out on the SERPs your site needs uniqueness. Don’t confuse this with just site design or layout. The uniqueness that will capture interest is how your content is useful to its potential readers, and how this content (or article) is presented. Providing your readers with valuable resources and links within your articles or content is one sure way to build uniqueness for your site. Look at your site from your potential readers point of view and always consider their needs. You should never use a "Cut & Paste" approach to writing content for your site. There are many sites that merely copy content from other sites without publishing any original content. Readers and the search engines will spot this right away and then your site is just another "filler" site on the Internet. Developing original relevant content can be time consuming and tedious if writing does not come easy to you, if this is the case you may want to consider hiring a writer to develop articles for you. There are many low cost alternatives; look for college students who are journalism or creative writing majors or investigate online outsourcing site, or involve family and friends who have experience in writing.

Gaining prominent exposure on the major search engines is almost a Catch 22 endeavor; it takes exposure to get rankings, and it takes rankings to get exposure… and on and on it goes. If no one knows about your website, then it is almost like it doesn’t even exists! One of the easiest things you can do in gaining exposure to your site is by posting comments on related blogs and forums. There are many popular sites that allow links or trackbacks when posting replies or comments. Make your comments useful to both the readers of the site and its author by providing a personal view or additional information on the topic and include a link to other valuable resources and information that are relevant, and above all don’t make multiple comments about the same topic unless there are replies to the original comment, and never spam when making comments that is the easiest way to get banned from the site and give your site a negative reputation. Another useful technique is to download free e-books and offer them via a download from your site. Make sure that you do not violate any copyright or download laws that may be associated with them. There are many sites that offer free e-book that you may download and offer to your readers. Write a shout summary about each e-book with a link to download it. Another useful angle on this would to build a newsletter and offer the e-books in exchange for joining your newsletter.

Once you begin remember to always be consistent, creative, relevant, and useful. Keep a steady flow of content on your site, and watch your top competitors for changes that may affect your site, and focus on keeping your site unique. Don’t be afraid to try new things and if you find that they don’t work, just move on with what is working and soon you will see the rewards for your efforts in the form of listings on the search engines.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Seeing the signs and getting help

Posted by Rob Fleming on May 16th, 2008
2008
May 16

Drugs and alcohol abuse claim 100,000 lived every yearAlcohol abuse causes over 100,000 deaths in the United States and Canada each year. It is the drug most commonly abused by children ages 12 to 17. Alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in teenagers. People who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, have poor grades or job performance, use tobacco products, and experiment with illegal drugs. Alcohol and drug use may be an unconscious attempt at self-treatment for another problem, such as depression.
-1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.
-599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol.
-More than 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
-More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. These figures are almost tripled for drug abuse. and every year they go up.

Seeing the signs

Parents and loved ones never see the signs until it is too late. Have you noticed any of the follwing:
School work has declined; grades suddenly slipping or dropping dramatically
Missing school (skipping secretly or too "tired" or "sick" to go)
Mood changes (irritable, crying jags)
Dropping out of usual activities (music, sports, hobbies)
Physical appearance changing (poor hygiene, unusual style changes)
Friends suddenly change; doesn’t introduce new friends
Money or valuables missing from parents’ purse, from home
Furtive or secretive behavior (e.g., bedroom door locked and takes long time to answer)
Hostile, aggressive outbursts
Seems to have "lost" motivation
Forgetfulness
Unusual sleeping habits (changing over time or dramatic change)
Depressed
Anxious
My child just doesn’t seem "right"

The good news

Beacuse of national health goverment focus, finding and getting treatment family, friends, and co-workers who suffer from  drug and alcohol abuse is only a phone call away, or in most cases as close as your computer, and with insurance now covering the costs for drug and alcohol treatment the burden has been lessened. There are many different treatment options out there, for those in the Southern California i urge you to visit Step Up Recovery. Located in the heart of Orange County, California, Step Up Recovery’s residential atmosphere provides a non-institutional environment in which men find recovery. You will live in a large, comfortable home in the charming Old Towne neighborhood in the City of Orange where our 30, 60, and 90-day Extended Care Treatment Programs will help you chart a new course into a clean and sober lifestyle. STEP-UP RECOVERY is a licensed 30 to 90-day extended care drug and alcohol addiction treatment center designed exclusively for men. Offering an integrative treatment approach to men of all races and all walks of life, focusing on men’s issues and emphasizing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth.

Visit Step Up Recovery @ www.stepuprecovery.com or call them at 714-771-4522

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Best Christmas present ever: Buying a Home in Boyne City

Posted by Rob Fleming on Nov 25th, 2007
2007
Nov 25

The best christmas present ever! Buying a new home in Boyne CityThe Holiday season is once again upon us here is Boyne City, and if ever was a time to purchase a new home now is defiantly the time!

Buying real estate in Boyne City could never be easier and affordable with the market taking a turn, buying a home in Boyne City is now a buyers market!!! The figures from N.A.R. show that the average price of a home in the Boyne City area is $155,700.00 and there are many homes closer to the $100,000.00 range which are perfect for those looking to buy their first home, and those seeking vacation homes and rental properties. And Just because prices are lower doesn’t mean you will be getting less home for your money. With the market moving in favor of the buyer, people buying real estate in Boyne City are now getting more home for their money! Isn’t that the perfect Christmas present?

With competition high among Boyne City real estate agents it could a bit confusing finding the right real estate agent to help you purchase your new Boyne City home. Visit Boyne City Realty. Boyne City Realty was developed to help the REALTORS® working for Pat O’Brien & Associates showcase their properties and homes for sale. One the best features of the new site are the helpful buying and selling tips and links to important information for finding and getting a home loan.

Getting the most home for your money and securing the right home loan are the most important things when it comes to buying a new home and you can rest assured that the real estate agents  at Boyne City Realty will help you every step of the way in finding and buying a home in the Boyne City area.  Boyne City Realty serves the the following area: Boyne City, Boyne Falls, East Jordan, Lake Charlevoix, Charlevoix, Walloon Lake, Ellsworth, the Chain ‘O Lakes area, and Petoskey.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

2007
Nov 21

The city of San Francisco has tentatively approved a program to provide identification cards to illegal immigrants, transgender people and other residents who may be unable or unwilling to get a state-issued driver’s license.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says he plans to sign the proposed bill that was voted 10-1 last Tuesday by the City’s board of supervisors to approve the program. Next week the board will take a final vote, which is considered a formality.

The ID card program was modeled after a New Haven Connecticut that was launched last summer. The program is designed to help residents without ID’s feel safe when dealing the police and access services.

Similar programs have been proposed in Miami, and New York City, but to date San Francisco is the biggest city to adopted one.

San Francisco’s card program was created by City supervisor Tom Ammiano, after the U.S. congress failed to adopt immigration reform this summer and following a series of INS immigration raids in the bay area.

"Our city just can’t stand by while our federal government takes no action to address the safety needs of our community," he said. "If our friends and neighbors are not fully able to participate with us in civic life, we all lose in the end Said City supervisor Ammiano."

The real question isn’t amount of positive impact this ID card program will have on San Francisco’s "Legal" residents, but rather the negative impact that giving legitimacy to illegal aliens who are actually in this country illegally will financially place upon "legal" tax paying citizens. Additionally what amount of the obvious financial burden will be absorbed or subsidized with Federal dollars. 

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the ID legislation would make San Francisco the largest U.S. city to issue municipal identification, and could cost the city between $1.07 million and $2.86 million over the first three years. Most of that cost would be for staff to process the cards.

In an article published today by Fire Society, Rick Oltman, national spokesman for Californians for Population Stabilization said "At a time [when] we need all levels of government working together to help enforce the nation’s laws, we have cities like San Francisco that feel that they know better what’s better for the city and the country," he says. "And that is to reward illegal aliens, which is basically encouraging more people to come." The San Francisco Chronicle points out that under the city’s status as a "sanctuary city," no municipal government personnel or resources can be used to assist federal immigration officials in arresting and deporting illegal aliens.

What pipe dream is the San Francisco Board of Supervisors thinking of when they cast their 10 to 1 vote last Tuesday to move forward and approve such a program that is sure to place additional burden on city resources and cost tax payers more money as the city doles out rewards to illegal aliens.

Government agencies and nonprofit groups that receive city funds would be required to accept the cards as valid identification and proof of residency except for hiring or other areas where doing so conflicts with federal or state laws.

My hat is off to the San Francisco Mayor and the Board of Supervisors for creating job security for the city’s police and other citywide agencies with this new gesture to not follow Federal regulations regarding illegal immigrates and giving them a big step towards remaining in our country illegally and placing more burdens on “legal” citizens who will actually the ones who will be paying for this nightmare to come!

Hey while you’re at it Mr. Mayor, maybe you can organize a lottery that will give away a free new home and car to illegal immigrates!

Tags: , , , ,

Next »

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting