The 5 Pillars Of YouTube Video Optimization is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Check the competition.

You’ve spent time planning, shooting and editing your video; it’s been uploaded to YouTube and is looking great on your channel! Now – it’s time to sit back and watch the viewers flock to view it, right?

Not quite so fast! Video optimization is a key component of video marketing as you need to give your creations the maximum chance of appearing in YouTube search results.

Remember that YouTube is a “vertical” search engine, meaning a search engine that delivers results for one type of medium only– online video.

Therefore many of the rules of optimizing video are similar to the rules of on-page SEO for your website – much of the emphasis is on using the right keywords in the right places.

Here are five of the main guidelines to get your video ranking:

Select Keywords

Your keyword phrases may be the same as you have used for the on-page SEO of your website or they may have slight variations.

You need to consider what you are hoping people will search for when they find your video. Often on YouTube people are looking for educational or instructional videos that answer questions or solve problems and show people how to do something.

Title

Choose your title carefully – include a main keyword phrase in it but make sure that it does actually reflect the content of the video or people will just get frustrated and click away from your channel.

Description

In the description you expand on what the subject matter of the video is – not many people read the description because only the first line or two is shown and the rest is hidden until you reveal it.

Include your URL at the front of the description and at the end – there are few places on YouTube where you can include a clickable link so make sure you take the opportunity here.

Tags Section

In this section you want to consider again what people will be searching for when they find your video; these may be the same as your keyword phrases. If you tag your videos well you may appear in the “related” or “suggested” videos that YouTube displays to their users once a video has finished playing.

Check On The Competition

Understanding what the level of competition is, in your area of expertise, on your YouTube channel will tell you what you have to do to optimise it. In a non-competitive area following the above four guidelines may be enough to have you ranking well – because most people don’t optimise their videos; in a more competitive area, other strategies will be unnecessary.

We will take a look at some strategies for video optimization in a more competitive market in a separate blog post. In the meantime why not head over and take a look at our free Competition Crusher workshop by clicking here. You’ll find plenty more great tips like those above.

How Search Engines Work: SEO Demystified is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Any SEO expert who explains the main concepts of SEO in needlessly complicated language probably doesn’t want you to understand how search engines work; keeping it mystifying justifies his own existence!

We prefer to take another approach and that’s to strip SEO down to its basics so that a 12 year old child can understand it. Read on and you’ll see we’re not exaggerating.

The Google Algorithm – The Main Judge In A Gigantic Popularity Contest

You may hear the “Google Algorithm” mentioned as if it is some complicated system that it will take you years to understand.

In actual fact you can just think of the Google algorithm as the main judge in a gigantic worldwide popularity contest.

Search engines basically measure your popularity and they do this in the same way as humans do.

Measuring Popularity – Emulating The Human Way

When we create a research report how do we usually judge how much weight it carries?

I can go out and tell everyone that my report is the best around. That’s not going to carry much weight, though.

The most common way for the community as a whole to judge it is by how many times its referred to positively in other reports; the more leading publications that refer to a report the more authority it is seen to carry.

With search engines they try to emulate this and want to reward sites that are seen as having authority and standing in the community.

The logical way to do this for Google and the other search engines is to reward sites that have other sites linking to it – as they are the Internet’s form of references.

Not All Links Are Equal

Just as in the “real world” some people’s words carry more weight than others’, so it is with search engines.

Consider you are in a band and your gigs get reviewed; you might receive a good review from the local free newspaper which will do you some good; but if the editor of Rolling Stone was there and liked you and gave you a great reference how much more weight does that carry?

So it is with how search engines work – links from sites that are already considered an authority count for more than links from less reputable or renowned sites. It might be that one link from a leading site in the field counts for up to 10 other links.

Of course reputation and authority can take a while to build and is constantly changing – part of your job as a small online business owner is to steer your business into a position of credibility and authority, so that you are seen as an expert in your field and you get good rankings.

Variety Is Key

Just targeting authority links is not recommended as they are hard to gain, especially at first; it’s best to keep a wide variety of approaches going with your SEO so that you achieve good organic growth and move up the search engine rankings that way.

There you have it! Next time someone asks you “how do search engines work?” you can explain to them without sounding like a geek!

For most small businesses there’s probably no need to ever go much deeper than this. There are many other important matters to attend to with launching a new business – most of which are discussed in the Competition Crusher Workshop. Just click here to learn more about it.

Be enlightened with how search engines work.

The Basics Of On Page SEO – Part Two is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Make your site visitors feel at home.

In part one of this post we looked at the concept of on page SEO: what it is, how it differs from off page SEO and three of the first things you can be focusing on to get your website in good SEO shape.

In the first part we focused on “back end” optimization techniques; here we will focus more on what visitors and search engines “see” when they land on your website and how to go about optimising these pages with further techniques.

1. Your Web Page Copy – Keyword Focus

What you actually do with your keywords in the web copy of the relevant pages of your website is equally as important as your page titles and descriptions.

Each page should be focused on 1 or 2 keywords, no more. For instance you can have a main keyword phrase like “Melbourne SEO Services” and then a variation or two such as “SEO services” and “search engine optimisation services” which you can also include in your copy.

2. Keyword Frequency/Density/ Placement

Use the same keyword phrase at least 2 or 3 times on the page. Your web texts should be at least 300 words long and you might want to include your keyword phrase around 3 times in every 500 words – once in the first paragraph, once in the last paragraph and perhaps once in the middle section.

3. Added Extras

A few other places to focus on web page optimization are the H1 tags (headings) on your website, plus using bolded text, italics and also making sure your image tags include keywords. It’s even better if you get your keywords into the URLs of your pages ( eg. www.yourdomain/keyword.html)

4. Keep It Natural And Readable

What many website owners get wrong is focusing too much on pleasing the “bots” and not enough on pleasing their visitors. It’s humans who open their wallets and buy goods and services from you, so you need to keep all of your content interesting, informative and relevant; weave in your keywords, but keep it readable. The search engine rankings will follow if you are providing relevant and interesting content for your customers as you will normally be well rewarded for natural SEO.

5. Do All This Even If You Have Video

With the huge popularity of online video these days, it’s tempting to cut a few corners; please note that you should still create texts with your keywords, even if you have video as your main focal point. Search engine robots cannot read video, so always add a short text summary of what’s in your video on the page.

Most of the above on page SEO methods are not too time consuming; some may take a little practice to get right but, for a small investment of time, the benefits can be great: most small businesses don’t need to use 100% of the SEO techniques to get to Number 1 on Google because it’s not that competitive – completing 80% will get most businesses there and that’s why we’ve given you some of the main approaches in these two articles.

For further excellent tips and advice for your new online business, head on over for a free viewing of the Competition Crusher workshop here: www.crusherworkshop.com.

The Basics Of On Page SEO – Part One is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Learning the basics is vital in mastering SEO.

The beauty of on page SEO is that you can do it once and it can last for the life of your website. That makes it doubly important for you to get it right first time, so that you can forget about it, let it do its job and concentrate on your off page SEO, which is more time consuming.

Below we take you through what you need to know.

What Is On Page SEO?

On page SEO essentially tells the search engines what’s on your website pages. You are making it easy for the search engine web crawlers to find and index your pages and associate them with the right keywords, so that you have a good chance of being listed high in the search results for those keywords. That brings you traffic and, hopefully, sales.

That’s why it’s important. Now what is the right way to go about it?

Fundamentals

1. Know Your Market

It’s fundamental to the success of your business to know what you want to be ranked at the top of the search results for. Everything starts from there – get into the mind of your ideal customer, who will type in a search term; your on-page SEO efforts are geared towards making your page number 1 in the search results for that and similar terms he/she may enter.

For example we want to be top for “Melbourne SEO services”…type it into Google and you’ll see where we rank! Part of the reason why we’re there is because we’ve spent time getting our on page SEO right.

2. Create Unique Page Titles

Every page on your site should have a separate and well written title. If you go to Google search results for a popular search term you will see blue-coloured links listed, which are the titles of the web pages in question.

With page titles being featured so prominently in search results it’s important that you write them well, including a keyword you are targeting.

Our home title page is “#1 Melbourne SEO Services Company” which includes our company name and keyword.

3. Meta Descriptions And Keywords

These are the descriptive texts listed underneath the blue title page links in search engine results. They should be well-written, keyword rich and no more than 160 characters long.

The description for Melbourne SEO Services is:

“Want your website to be in position #1 on Google? Melbourne SEO Services will show you how with their transparent 4 stage search engine optimisation …”

Again, we have spent time to think about what people wanting SEO services want to read – being at Number 1 on Google is everybody’s SEO dream, so including this in the description increases the likelihood of them clicking on our link.

On page SEO, when done correctly, sells your website even before anyone visits; and then, once it’s up, it can continue to work for you until you change your website. So it’s well worth putting time and effort into. We’ll give you some more tips in Part 2 of this post.

In addition to these SEO tips, there’s a whole host of great information in the Competition Crusher workshop, if you are starting an online business. Simply click here to learn more about it.

4 Best Approaches To Natural Link Building For Your Website is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Natural link building should be at the forefront of every webmaster’s SEO campaign because it’s the surest way to get your website ranking with the search engines.

There’s no need to overly complicate matters.

Your on-page SEO should be aimed at letting the search engines know what’s on a page; your off-page SEO, which will take up 80 to 85% of your time after setting your website up, needs to gather backlinks naturally, so that you prove to the search engines you are an authority in your field.

Why The Natural Approach?

We stress that natural link building is the way to go, because the search engines like websites that replicate nature – they are set up to reward organic growth rather than forced, manufactured growth; and they can clamp down heavily on any websites they deem to step out of line – as many have found, during the Google “Panda updates”, which we mentioned recently.

Fitting In To The Google Model

Google lives and dies by providing the best, most relevant search results. If it can’t do this, then people become unhappy with their search results, they move elsewhere and that means they no longer control all those pairs of eyes and therefore cannot command the same advertising revenue (which makes up 90% of their business.)

The whole Google model is built on accuracy of search results, so it’s no surprise that they protect their “turf” by penalising sites that are deemed to be “gaming” the system.

In light of this, maybe you would like to reconsider your policy of outsourcing your link-building to a contractor, who you’ve asked to create as many links as possible for your site.

So How To Take The Natural Approach?

You may want to consider incorporating the following into your link building campaign, so that your links appear to be more naturally generated:

1. A variety of Sources – get back-links from many different sources; there are directory links, reciprocal links, article directory links, guest blogging links and so on. Use every link-building resource available to you.
2. Links to All Pages Of Your Site – make sure that the links that are set up to point to all pages of your site, not just the Home Page. It’s not natural that everyone would link to the Home Page so link to blog articles, product pages, information pages and so on. These are often called “deep links”.
3. Vary the Anchor Text – the “anchor text” is the wording used for the actual link (in blue usually) that people click on to be taken to your website. This may be a simple URL or may include some of your keywords – keep it varied, as it tells the search engine that your site is relevant for a variety of keywords, not just one phrase.
4. Add Links Over Time – it’s not natural to have all your links in place overnight. Adding them gradually will appear to be more organic and is more likely to be rewarded by high rankings down the track. This means that you should have an ongoing SEO link building campaign that looks at the long-term rather than just instant results.

Just following the four approaches above should see your small business ranking well for your keywords because MOST businesses are not doing this. Depending on the level of competition in your sector you can see your website rise quickly to the top.

Apart from advice on natural link building there are plenty more small online business tips for SEO in the Competition Crusher Workshop at www.crusherworkshop.com. You can watch it all for FREE by clicking on the link!

Natural link building is vital to follow the Google model.

Two Search Engine Ranking Factors You May Overlook is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

We all know that the likes of keyword optimisation and backlinks are major search engine ranking factors for your website, but there are a couple of others that you may not have considered. We look at these below.

1. Website Commenting

The trend of commenting on articles or features posted on your website or on your YouTube channel has stemmed from the popularity of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, which give everyone a “voice.”

It is arguable that this has minimal impact on search engine ranking currently, but there is little doubt that it will have a big role in the future – so it’s a good idea to get ready for it now.

Google’s release of the Google Plus social network earlier this year proved that it is well aware of the importance of social media to the Internet as a whole; whether it takes a big chunk of the social media “pie” or not, it shows that it is prepared to admit that social does count.

Anything that is deemed to matter when it comes to online content will need to be taken into account by search engines eventually, because they are in the business of providing the most relevant results to its users – that’s how Google made its name; to retain that name they know that social factors will need to be included in future search results.

Currently Google’s business model is built around their visitors having a problem they wish to solve and Facebook is built around social interaction and having a voice. The two are now converging very rapidly.

So, consider commenting as one of the search engine ranking factors of the future. Attracting lots of comments should indicate that you are popular, relevant, authoritative and “hot” property.

2. Regularity Of Content

The subject of posting regular content may not be so much an SEO question as one of creating a website that provides a useful and informative service to your visitors.

It is possible to have a well-optimised site that retains its ranking for certain keywords without adding extra content in years.

However, as a general rule, the more pages your site has (optimised for keywords, of course) the better it does with ranking.

There is a saying that the more pages you have, the more tickets you have in the “search engine lottery” and it’s not a bad mantra to live by for your website. The biggest sites with most pages tend to win the day every time.

Of course the added benefit of having regular, up-to-date content is that you can provide valuable information for your visitors – this can keep your visitors returning to your site and may get them talking about you on social networks.

See – there’s social media, rearing its head again! It’s going to be an important factor for the future.

Melbourne SEO Services likes to keep you up to date with what’s happening in the world of online search and pass on how you can adjust your website to any changes. If you’re just starting out with online marketing check out the FREE-to-watch Competition Crusher Workshop at www.crusherworkshop.com for loads more tips and information.

Use search ranking factors to your advantage.

Internet Marketing Products – Which Ones Can You Trust? is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

I know sometimes it’s hard to know who you can trust and who to avoid online. Sure there’s loads of good internet marketing products and services online but how do you know which ones are good and which ones are the scams?

Over the years we’ve worked with hundreds of providers in the online space and we had to discover this using the trial and error method. Now with all this knowledge under our belt…

We’ve just launched an interesting side project I think you might find very useful. It’s only in the early days of its development but I wanted you to see it first and let me know what you think.

Watch this short one minute video to see what it’s all about: www.daveapproved.com

By the way, If you’ve used any of the services listed on “Dave Approved” I’d love to see your comments and ratings for the services.

SEO Solutions Aren’t Free – They Take Time & Money is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Anything in life worth doing takes time & effort.

I hear people all the time, in forums and on blog posts, saying that SEO is free. Sadly this couldn’t be further from the truth.

People seem to get confused when they compare SEO solutions and PPC. They think SEO might be free since you don’t have to send a cheque to Google, but the fact is, it still takes time and money to learn and implement. Sure it represents the best ROI for your marketing dollars but it’s far from free.

So what’s the best way get started?

There are few different ways SEO can be done, 1.) You can learn it yourself; 2.) Hire your own team member to do it; 3.) You can leave it to the professionals – like us

Whichever way you look at it, SEO takes a lot of time and effort to stay on the cutting edge. The search engines are constantly changing; every week there seems to be new changes to the algorithm. You need to absorb yourself in the SEO space to stay on top.

Another bit of advice, don’t let SEO fall into the hands of your IT department. Typically web designers only think about making a site look “pretty” and don’t give SEO techniques a second thought. It’s important to recognize that, sure you can have a good looking site but unless you’re getting visitors to it, it’s not worth anything. Obviously SEO is key.

Your SEOers should be able to talk to the web designer to make sure the site is appropriately set up with the right URL structures, that it’s spiderable, that there isn’t too much Flash and that you can edit title tag and meta description… that’s just about it. That’s the extent to which the SEOer needs to chat with the web designer. SEO really is a job unto itself.

Another warning: Even though SEO represents the best ROI for your marketing dollars, and I know this might sound funny coming from an SEO company, don’t use SEO solutions exclusively. You should integrate it with other advertising methods too. The fact is, if you want to build a business that lasts, you need more than one channel of driving traffic.

If you’d like to find out more about our unique approach, go ahead, visit our Youtube channel or contact us today.

When Should You Start SEO? is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

Take the right first steps from the very beginning or you'll regret it.

Have you asked yourself, “When is the right time to start SEO implementation and how do I apply it to my website?”

Sadly, most companies ask this at the wrong time and it ends up costing them big. They see SEO as a stand alone activity that is somehow separate from the setup of their website. Truth is, SEO needs to be taken into account right from the outset.

When taking SEO into consideration it will shape certain decisions you make. It will affect the way the URL and links are structured, what type of extension you’re using, how you’re placing the keywords and what CMS you choose. It will affect the way you setup your site with the actual keyword structure, starting off with your most competitive phrase on your homepage, then your category words on your first tier pages and then, deeper in your site, less competitive keywords.

SEO is very much built into the web design and it’s not something you can bolt on after the fact. Leaving it till later will cost you time and money, especially if you make some big mistakes early on.

Moreover, the more pages you have on your website, the more important it is to start SEO upfront. A great example, being any e-commerce web store, SEO is critical to be done correctly from the beginning. Trying to change the URL structure after you’ve loaded all the products in, after the pages have been indexed, is a nightmare!

All this can be avoided if SEO steps are followed when they should be, which is right from the start. If you need some help to get started give us a call and we’ll make sure you start off on the right foot.

Online Marketing Strategy – Start With SEO is a post from: #1 Melbourne SEO Services Company

You've got to start with a good first strategy.

When you first get introduced to internet marketing, you’ll hear terms like SEM, SEO, social media marketing, brand marketing and pay per click. The fact is, there are many facets to online marketing and SEO is just one of many.

A popular misconception is that SEO is a subset of social media. This is really incorrect. It’s a standalone activity. Social media is all about engaging your community, building up awareness and having people interact with you on Facebook and Twitter; it’s all about community. SEO is about building back links to get you rankings in the organic search.

SEO and social media can help each other as parts of a bigger online marketing strategy. Once you build up a good SEO campaign, you’ll get more attention, people will start to come to your website and then you can continue to communicate with them in your social media space.

So where do you start?

We believe SEO is a great place to start because it builds on itself. In contrast to other marketing methods which require constant work, SEO is like a snowball that just keeps growing. Once you start to gain #1 positions for certain keywords, that filters onto other pages and keywords – and once it starts, it’s hard to switch it off!

Just remember, SEO is great, but it shouldn’t be all you’re doing online. It’s not wise to rely on just one method to drive traffic to your website. SEO needs to be only one part of an online marketing campaign.

To have us help you build a bullet proof online marketing strategy, give us a call.