Image Optimization is Still Important to Your Site’s Traffic

 

Let’s be honest, there are a lot sexier forms of search engine optimization than image optimization. Content marketing, long-form posts, author rank and other newer, broader SEO tactics have captured the fancy of marketers and business owners. Even link building remains regarded as an effective, if often time-consuming, strategy.

Amidst all that, it’s easy to overlook image optimization. But that is a big mistake. Image pageviews are a huge but sometimes overlooked factor. In 2010, daily pageviews on Google Images topped 1 billion.
Image optimization is fairly easy to do, as long as you follow the right steps. Here’s how you can make it work for your company.

What is Image Optimization?
Image optimization is essentially coding your images so that they bring in the greatest possible amount of traffic. Search engines offer separate image searches, which is a great way to drive people to your site. But the Google and Bing bots can also crawl the tags on your images for regular searches, and so it pays to use lots of photos with descriptive text in every post.
There are three main best practices to keep in mind when optimizing your images. We’ll examine each one in detail, but for reference, they are:

• Picking a good file name
• Using alt text
• Reducing file size

If you pay close attention to all three things, your images should boost traffic to your blog. Now we’ll walk through each step to ensure you’re getting the picture.
Find the Right File Name
You might think of the file name as a simple descriptor you use to designate a file. But search engines consider it so much more. File names help clue them in to relevant pictures in a search. That’s why the worst thing you can do when you’re uploading a picture to your web site is to keep the random numbers or letters assigned to the picture on your phone (i.e., KM20413_003) as the file name. That tells the search engine nothing about what’s in the photo.

Instead, think about what keywords you’re targeting for the page and make one of them the name of your picture file. For instance, if you are selling a product for killing mosquitoes, your file name might be “bug zapper.” Before you decide on the name, you may want to do a search on the keyword you are targeting to see what images come up and what their file names are.
The greater the detail in your file name, the better, as you’ll show up in more specific searches. But don’t overwhelm one photo with five keywords. One detailed keyword is enough.

Use Alt Text Properly
Every image that you upload includes an alternative text attribute. This is separate from the file name, and it essentially identifies what the picture is. It’s the text that shows up on screen when a picture doesn’t load properly. In a guide on image optimization, WebpageFX gives some good background on alt text, which can be confusing if you’re not a technical web person.
Most content management systems have a place to add the alt text. When all is said and done, the HTML version will look like this: alt=”[your alt text here]“. This is where you become Google’s eyes. The search engine can’t recognize what an image looks like unless you tell it. So if you want your photo of a red bird to show up when someone searches “red bird,” you probably want your alt text to read alt=”red bird”.

Cut Down on File Size
Load time remains a major concern on the web. As sites have gotten faster, surfers’ attention span has simultaneously gotten shorter. Three seconds is about the maximum they are willing to wait for something to load. Plus, page load time is one of the factors Google considers in its algorithm. Don’t make your images part of the problem.
You will need to compress the size of your image before you load it to your site in order to keep your load time down and thus optimize the photo. While there is no set limit to aim for, keep common sense in mind – don’t fill your website with tons of 1mb photos, or loading will be a slow journey. Edit the image in photo editing software in order to downsize it; do not rely on your CMS’s reduction tool. Your photos will be crisper and load faster.

Making Image Optimization Work for You
Even with all the other new SEO tactics gaining traction every day, image optimization is still a very smart, proven way to boost traffic to your site. Don’t abandon it just because some other techniques have risen to prominence.


SEO Martian
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Search Engine Optimization for Businesses

  SEO Tips for Businesses

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. And the phrase improve your SEO strategy encompasses the actions taken to ensure your website can be found in a search engine like Google, Bing or Yahoo.

What does Social SEO mean?

 Here are six uncomplicated Social SEO tips you can easily start implementing today:

1. Optimize your social media profiles

The key to an SEO friendly social media profile is to be descriptive as possible.  Always fill out the ‘About’ or ‘Information’ sections of any social media platform. Use words or phrases that describe your business and are also terms individuals would use to search for your business.
For example, to optimize your Facebook Page for local searches, it is very important to include your address, city, state, and zip. Always include links from your social channels back to your business’s website (and links from your website to your social channels).

Insider Tip: The “Category” field is often over looked on Facebook Pages but is important for Facebook mobile searches. Check to make sure your business is listed as the correct category while editing your basic information.

2. Optimize your social media content/updates

To optimize your social content, always include some of the relevant search keywords you determined for your business in your Facebook updates, tweets, pin descriptions, etc. It’s important to remember to share content from your website or blog socially to give it an SEO boost too. Sharing new content on Twitter is especially important because it helps Google index it faster (indexing means Google adds this URL to their database).

Insider Tip: Use your business’s name in your social posts. This helps Google associate the keywords you use to describe your business with your business’s name.

3. Build links by making your content shareable

A key factor in SEO is link building. Simply put, this means having good website to website relationships through links. When you have more quality sites linking to your website (inbound) and you are linking to other quality websites (outbound) the more authoritative Google determines your website to be. More authority equals a higher SERP rank.
Likes, comments, +1s, repins, retweets, etc., all play into the weight given to your links. If you create content people want to share, you can create more inbound links. “Content” doesn’t always have to be as elaborate as a blog post or whitepaper, content can also refer to tweets or Facebook posts as well. By posting engaging social content, you’re improving your SEO value. To review: Quality content equals more shares equals more links equals better SEO value. Simple right?

Insider Tip: A more advanced way to increase shares is to add social share buttons to individual pieces of content on your website or blog.

4. Use Pinterest

An easy way to create shareable content is by using Pinterest. Pinterest is great for link building and improving your keyword strategy. Google indexes pages from websites with heavy traffic faster and higher in a SERP. You can increase your content’s visibility in SERPs by adding keywords within the title of a Pinterest board, the board’s description, and you even have up to 500 characters to describe an individual pin so you’ll want to include keywords there as well.
Additionally, you can customize the pin’s link and point people back to your website or blog—further increasing the opportunity for your content to rank higher in a SERP. From an SEO perspective, Pinterest allows you to do a few things that other networks don’t, so take advantage of it.

Insider Tip: Google prefers high-resolution images, so use high-quality images on Pinterest whenever possible.

5. Sign up for Google+ and spend 10-minutes a day on it

No one loves Google+ more than Google. Sign up for a Google+ Business Page and complete as many fields as you can in the “About” section using keywords that describe your business. Google also allows you to add several customized links within your profile, you can use this as an opportunity to link back to your website, blog, and additional social channels. By spending 10-minutes a day sharing your content to your Google+ page, you’ll be more likely to appear within Google’s SERP. There are more reasons you should care about Google+ if you’re a Solution Provider.

6. Create a Google+ Local listing

According to Google, 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. In order to perform well in local search results it’s critical that you optimize your Google+ Local listing (formally known as Google Places). A Local Google+ page is different from a Google+ Business Page because it allows customers to easily connect with that business’s physical location. Update the details about your business—address, phone number, hours, etc.—and you’re good to go!

SEO Martian
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Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

 Are you using the most effective SEO Tools?

Utilizing the various functions that Google Webmaster Tools has to offer is a surefire way to help keep your website running like a well-oiled machine. Two tools our SEO team uses on a regular basis and finds to be extremely beneficial are the Crawl Errors report and Sitemap submission tool.

Amongst the toolkit is the Fetch as Google option, which also gives users an opportunity to submit their URL to the index. Surprisingly, this tool is often under-utilized by bloggers, webmasters, and SEO strategists. This is a convenient way to speed things up considerably if you have new content that you'd like to be discovered and found in the SERPs.

Adding the Fetch as Google tool to your arsenal of marketing tricks will help put your new content in front of Google searchers much faster. Include this step on your checklist when creating content and make a habit of implementing it to get found sooner.

Every time you publish a web page and blog post, it should be Fetched right away. Then you can feel free to sit back and watch your desired search engine results quickly appear.

SEO Martian
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Top 5 Online Marketing tips for 2014

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The Top 5 Online Marketing Trends For 2014

The Internet has drastically altered the way in which information is shared, and has had a profound impact on marketing. Over the past few years, there has been more of a shift toward inbound techniques, while many outbound tactics have become antiquated. More businesses are finding success publishing original content rather than embedding advertisements within external content, because of the additional benefits these tactics offer, such as branding and audience growth.
With these trends in mind, let’s discuss my predictions for the top online marketing trends of 2014.

1.      Content Marketing Will be Bigger Than Ever

One of the main ways that companies are establishing authority and gaining trust with consumers is by consistently creating valuable content through a variety of channels. This typically involves relevant industry information that provides insight or entertainment to an audience. Doing so allows a company to steadily build rapport with its demographic and develop a loyal following. According to many top SEO Experts, the top B2B content marketing strategies are social media, articles on a business’s website, eNewsletters, case studies, videos and articles on other websites.
By using one or more of these channels, businesses are able to build a positive reputation within their industry. This trend suggests that marketing to the masses through techniques like television ads and radio ads are becoming less effective. Instead, it’s better to concentrate on inbound marketing, by producing valuable, engaging content designed for a specific audience.

2.      Social Media Marketing Will Require More Diversity
Just a few years ago, businesses were limited with regard to the social media networks they could implement into their marketing campaigns, with the biggies including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Now, it seems like new social media sites are appearing all the time. While some never really get off the ground, others like Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr and Instagram have surged in popularity and have provided businesses with a plethora of new options that allow them to produce engaging content in a variety of media forms and build their audiences across more channels than ever before.
Consequently, it has become common for businesses to branch out and experiment with multiple networks with the aim of reaching the maximum amount of consumers. This diversification seems to prove fruitful for many companies because it often builds brand equity by making it easier for consumers to recognize a particular brand.

3.      Image-Centric Content Will Rule
As consumers are hit with an increasing number of advertisements, it’s becoming more important to make content easily and quickly digestible. If you look at the social media sites I mentioned previously that are on the rise, three of the four have a common characteristic…they place an emphasis on images. The rapid rise to success of Buzzfeed and Pinterest are testaments to the power and viral potential of image-based content.
Successful blog posts that receive the most social shares also usually have a common characteristic: they pepper in some well-placed pictures to break content up and emphasize certain points. Another example is infographics, which combine images with a minimal amount of text to explain a topic and provide statistical information or data from research studies.
While I doubt that traditional text-based content will ever completely go out of style, it’s pretty clear that incorporating images is beneficial to a marketing campaign.
For more information about using Image-based social media networks in your online marketing initiative, I recommend the following articles:

4.      Mobile-Friendly Content Will Be Necessary
Due to the widespread (and quickly growing) use of smartphones and tablets, it’s necessary for companies to create content that’s accessible to mobile users. According to Forbes, “87% of connected devices sales by 2017 will be tablets and smartphones.” Whether it’s creating an alternate mobile version of a website or utilizing responsive web design, it’s important to provide a positive experience to users that are browsing via a mobile device.
Otherwise, it’s easy to lose customers to competitors who have adapted to this trend. As the shift from traditional PCs and laptops to mobile devices continues, businesses that aren’t onboard are likely to suffer.

5.      SEO and Social Signals Will Become Even More Intertwined
Although social signals still don’t typically carry the same weight as traditional inbound links, it’s pretty undeniable that they play a role in organic search rankings these days. After all, they’re one of the three pillars of SEO. Since the goal of Google and other search engines is to provide users with the most relevant and highest quality content possible, it makes sense why they would factor in the number of social shares that a blog post, article or product page receives.

If your company could use a free examination of your current Search Engine Status give SEO Martian a call. Our analysis is free and our rates are very affordable.

SEO Martian
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Best Website Marketing Search Phrases

Choosing the Best Search Phrases For SEO Purposes

Every day, millions of searches are conducted on popular search engines like Google and Yahoo! by people from all parts of the globe. So as a website owner, it is crucial that you determine the proper keyword or search phrases to target in order to achieve best possible search engine and directory rankings. Also, this is necessary too to increase the chances of being 'clicked' first by the users.

Take note that websites have different niches and also have varying goals for search engine optimization. There are some sites that want any and all traffic that they can achieve and can be optimized by using common search phrases. The broad search optimization strategy is best for a website that has broad interest like directory or websites that display advertisements.

Also, there are some business websites that contain highly specific keywords. The broad search optimization can be an obstacle in marketing strategy because it only generates a large volume of low-quality inquiries. As an owner of a business website, you need to focus on desirable traffic that can generate better quality sales leads hence ensuring the success of your business. In other words, you need to “drill down” to a particular specialty within the broader category which is likened to the structure of directories. You need to concentrate more on the specific terms.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WE OFFER A FREE EVALUATION OF YOUR WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Choosing the right keywords and phrases for your website is critical. Your targeted keywords must be able to land in the first page of search engines and drive the right amount of traffic to your website. Meanwhile, wrong keywords only attract visitors who are not interested to the products you are offering. In choosing the right keyword for your website, there are some important rules to be followed to determine the right combination of keywords that would lead you to your prospected clients.

• Select the keywords that fully represent what your website is all about. Think about the products and services that are most profitable and have strong sales. In most cases 80% of the sales and sales leads are generated by 20% of the keywords and search.

• Use online tools to help you determine the right keyword variations and search frequency. You can try visiting the Google’s AdWords suggestion tool or the Yahoo! Search Marketing's search term suggestion tool.

• It is also important that you use WordTracker. This comes with a small fee but this is very helpful in finding your niche keywords. With its many benefits, you will consider the WordTracker as your worthy investment.

• Pay-per-click programs of Yahoo! and Google are also very beneficial when looking for the right keywords. They will help you generate search terms based on specific keyword relationships and show how often they are searched by people.

• Geographics are also a big help. If your products are local or regional, you can include your state or city within your search phrases.

• It would also help if you know your competition. Find your top competitors and try to visit their website for specific keywords and search phrases. You need to look at their META keywords to know the keywords that are important to them.

If you are interested in promoting your website but just don't have the time please give us a call. We have been in this busines for over 6 years and we have seen many changes. What works today may change tomorrow.

SEO Martian
1-888-861-6330
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ask for Mike I am not really a Martian

Search Engine Marketing Blogging for Dollars

By now most of us have heard that blogging is one of the best things we can do to drive traffic to our small business websites and increase the awareness of our brands. In fact, here’s a great post from Phil Mershon (Social Media Examiner) that gives statistics on the impact that frequent blogging can make on website traffic as well as customer leads.

However, we speak and work with many small businesses in industries that, on the surface, don’t seem to be very “bloggable”. Plumbing companies, for instance. After giving tips about leaky faucets or the best temperature setting for a hot water heater, what is there to write about? That’s a great question, but it’s also taking a narrow approach.

When a small business begins to blog, the primary goals for having the blog are usually increased awareness, website traffic and, hopefully, leads. The content that a small business posts on a blog needs to be something that people are likely to read. If nothing else, it needs to be something that people will “skim” and associate with your company name and brand. Many small business owners believe that any blog posts from the company have to be very industry-specific. However, this is not the case. If you’re a plumbing company, you can post content about a wide range of helpful topics, with the operative word being “helpful”.

If you feel it is  too much work or you just don't have the time to blog consistently, hiring an SEO company like SEO Martian is a cost effective way to get  the job done. It's all about getting more business than the competition.

SEO Martia Toll Free call and FREE website analysis

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By now most of us have heard that blogging is one of the best things we can do to drive traffic to our small business websites and increase the awareness of our brands. In fact, here’s a great post from Phil Mershon (Social Media Examiner) that gives statistics on the impact that frequent blogging can make on website traffic as well as customer leads.
However, we speak and work with many small businesses in industries that, on the surface, don’t seem to be very “bloggable”. Plumbing companies, for instance. After giving tips about leaky faucets or the best temperature setting for a hot water heater, what is there to write about? That’s a great question, but it’s also taking a narrow approach.
When a small business begins to blog, the primary goals for having the blog are usually increased awareness, website traffic and, hopefully, leads. The content that a small business posts on a blog needs to be something that people are likely to read. If nothing else, it needs to be something that people will “skim” and associate with your company name and brand. Many small business owners believe that any blog posts from the company have to be very industry-specific. However, this is not the case. If you’re a plumbing company, you can post content about a wide range of helpful topics, with the operative word being “helpful”. As an example of what can be done with a seemingly “unbloggable” industry, here are some interesting ideas I found while perusing plumbing company blogs:
- See more at: http://www.mediavinemarketing.com/blog-but-were-a-plumbing-company/#sthash.5OMy1TH9.dpuf

By now most of us have heard that blogging is one of the best things we can do to drive traffic to our small business websites and increase the awareness of our brands. In fact, here’s a great post from Phil Mershon (Social Media Examiner) that gives statistics on the impact that frequent blogging can make on website traffic as well as customer leads.
However, we speak and work with many small businesses in industries that, on the surface, don’t seem to be very “bloggable”. Plumbing companies, for instance. After giving tips about leaky faucets or the best temperature setting for a hot water heater, what is there to write about? That’s a great question, but it’s also taking a narrow approach.
When a small business begins to blog, the primary goals for having the blog are usually increased awareness, website traffic and, hopefully, leads. The content that a small business posts on a blog needs to be something that people are likely to read. If nothing else, it needs to be something that people will “skim” and associate with your company name and brand. Many small business owners believe that any blog posts from the company have to be very industry-specific. However, this is not the case. If you’re a plumbing company, you can post content about a wide range of helpful topics, with the operative word being “helpful”. As an example of what can be done with a seemingly “unbloggable” industry, here are some interesting ideas I found while perusing plumbing company blogs:
- See more at: http://www.mediavinemarketing.com/blog-but-were-a-plumbing-company/#sthash.5OMy1TH9.dpuf

By now most of us have heard that blogging is one of the best things we can do to drive traffic to our small business websites and increase the awareness of our brands. In fact, here’s a great post from Phil Mershon (Social Media Examiner) that gives statistics on the impact that frequent blogging can make on website traffic as well as customer leads.
However, we speak and work with many small businesses in industries that, on the surface, don’t seem to be very “bloggable”. Plumbing companies, for instance. After giving tips about leaky faucets or the best temperature setting for a hot water heater, what is there to write about? That’s a great question, but it’s also taking a narrow approach.
When a small business begins to blog, the primary goals for having the blog are usually increased awareness, website traffic and, hopefully, leads. The content that a small business posts on a blog needs to be something that people are likely to read. If nothing else, it needs to be something that people will “skim” and associate with your company name and brand. Many small business owners believe that any blog posts from the company have to be very industry-specific. However, this is not the case. If you’re a plumbing company, you can post content about a wide range of helpful topics, with the operative word being “helpful”. As an example of what can be done with a seemingly “unbloggable” industry, here are some interesting ideas I found while perusing plumbing company blogs:
- See more at: http://www.mediavinemarketing.com/blog-but-were-a-plumbing-company/#sthash.5OMy1TH9.dpuf

By now most of us have heard that blogging is one of the best things we can do to drive traffic to our small business websites and increase the awareness of our brands. In fact, here’s a great post from Phil Mershon (Social Media Examiner) that gives statistics on the impact that frequent blogging can make on website traffic as well as customer leads.
However, we speak and work with many small businesses in industries that, on the surface, don’t seem to be very “bloggable”. Plumbing companies, for instance. After giving tips about leaky faucets or the best temperature setting for a hot water heater, what is there to write about? That’s a great question, but it’s also taking a narrow approach.
When a small business begins to blog, the primary goals for having the blog are usually increased awareness, website traffic and, hopefully, leads. The content that a small business posts on a blog needs to be something that people are likely to read. If nothing else, it needs to be something that people will “skim” and associate with your company name and brand. Many small business owners believe that any blog posts from the company have to be very industry-specific. However, this is not the case. If you’re a plumbing company, you can post content about a wide range of helpful topics, with the operative word being “helpful”. As an example of what can be done with a seemingly “unbloggable” industry, here are some interesting ideas I found while perusing plumbing company blogs:
- See more at: http://www.mediavinemarketing.com/blog-but-were-a-plumbing-company/#sthash.5OMy1TH9.dpuf

By now most of us have heard that blogging is one of the best things we can do to drive traffic to our small business websites and increase the awareness of our brands. In fact, here’s a great post from Phil Mershon (Social Media Examiner) that gives statistics on the impact that frequent blogging can make on website traffic as well as customer leads.
However, we speak and work with many small businesses in industries that, on the surface, don’t seem to be very “bloggable”. Plumbing companies, for instance. After giving tips about leaky faucets or the best temperature setting for a hot water heater, what is there to write about? That’s a great question, but it’s also taking a narrow approach.
When a small business begins to blog, the primary goals for having the blog are usually increased awareness, website traffic and, hopefully, leads. The content that a small business posts on a blog needs to be something that people are likely to read. If nothing else, it needs to be something that people will “skim” and associate with your company name and brand. Many small business owners believe that any blog posts from the company have to be very industry-specific. However, this is not the case. If you’re a plumbing company, you can post content about a wide range of helpful topics, with the operative word being “helpful”. As an example of what can be done with a seemingly “unbloggable” industry, here are some interesting ideas I found while perusing plumbing company blogs:
- See more at: http://www.mediavinemarketing.com/blog-but-were-a-plumbing-company/#sthash.5OMy1TH9.dpuf

Internet Marketing SEO Tips SEO Martian

 

Internet Marketing, SEO, SEM 2 Top Tips

1)   Write blog articles that build “authority” and “trust,” two things that search engines look for most.

In order to build “authority” and “trust,” it’s important to blog as often as possible. Our recommendation is to blog daily, but we know that’s virtually impossible when you run a business, so try to blog at least twice a month. But the more frequently you blog, the better it is for SEO. Remember, “authority” and “trust.”Think of one person whom you consider a trusted authority figure. I bet you’ve listened to what they have to say, and I bet you just didn’t trust them after you met them for the first time. Your blog is no different, readers must be interested in what you have to say.

2)   Connect your blog to your personal Facebook page or your business page on Facebook.

Then every blog post will be shared with your Facebook fans.  The hope is that they will like what you’re writing, and share it with their friends. This helps build authority and trust.  I recommend connecting your blog to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr. As well as any other Social Media or high authority sites you are connected too. It’s important to get the most social exposure you can when blogging. When readers share your articles, it shows search engines that you’re a trusted authority.

These are just some if the things you can do for yourself and your business to build a reputationas a n expert in your industry.

If you don't have the time or if you do not consider your self technically savvy we would be more than happy to help.

SEO Martian can research and post blogs for you, it's all part of our combination SEO SEM and Internet Marketing Services. At only 79.00 per week we guarantee results

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Our SEO Services are out of this universe