Free SEO Tools at FoundPages

With SEO and SEM becoming more common and understood, there appears to be an upsurge in interest in tools for improving Google PageRank and traffic. For most websites, most visitors come via search engines (even if they know your name) than any other way. Something we don't promote but you should use are the free SEO tools available on this website.

Use it freely, as there is no cost, but keep in mind that they are tools. Tools that can help you analyze and measure your current situation, but they don't improve your website - only you can do that! There are many other resources on this website to help you with doing that.

One of the easiest things, is to update your website regularly. Updating content and adding more pages will get your website noticed by search engine crawlers, and new pages will add to the number of pages you will get indexed by the search engines. You don't need specialists to do this, and no one knows your business better than you do.

The pages don't have to be about your product or service. For example, if you sell cargo nets (like one of our customers), it can be about the legislation and laws surrounding the requirements. Or a page on how to install it properly on a truck. All this can get indexed, and help you with the 'long tail' in search. Just remember to add unique tags to them, and to add the page to the sitemap.

The long tail refers the keywords that are not searched a lot, but the many searches for various unique phrases that are very detailed and relevant for a searcher. For example, 'cargo net law' is a long tail search, that would bring visitors interested in cargo nets regulations, that then might interested in purchasing a cargo net that complies.

I'll have more on the SEO tools in the next few blogs, on what the benchmarks mean and how to improve them. These tools should be part of every online marketer's toolkit today. If you are a small to medium size business (SMB), you ignore search engine marketing metrics at your own peril.

Labels: FoundPages, free seo tools, Google rankings, online marketing, SMB

posted by Fred @ 3:14 PM

                         

Ever Dance the Google Dance?

For those who know Google well like us, the Google Dance is not a dance at all. It's when Google changes their ranking algorithm significantly to try to get better search results on a Google search. Google calls it 'improving the users experience'. This comes along only 1-3 times a year and is referred to as the Google Dance and is not advertised in advance.

As a result, it's common to see a dramatic loss of search engine traffic if it is not adjusted for. For companies like www.Answers.com, this meant a loss of over 28% of their 3 million visitors a month. That's 840,000 visitors or about 30,000 per day, so you can see how this can be a really big deal for some companies. Assuming that each search visitor is worth at least 50 cents per, that can add up to a lot of money if it lasts a month or more.

As we like to say around here, Google keyword rankings are not a god-given right, and are not static. So once we get you there, that doesn't it will stay unless we continually monitor and make adjustment when necessary. SEO (search engine optimization) is not a one-time event but an ongoing process, across all the search engines, not just Google.

The algorithm changes actually happen throughout the year, but the term Google Dance is reserved for the bigger changes. The small changes will move your listing a page or two whereas GD can put you on the 10th page or worse. Keep in mind, it can also move your listing up as well. I sometimes think this is Google's way of leveling the playing field every now and again. Not necessarily a bad thing...

BTW, there really is a Google 'dance'. I've been to it, and the Googlers really dance at the Googleplex. Free food and drink (of course) abound, but with entertainment like arcade games, volleyball, live music etc. Takes place in August usually...

Labels: Google dance, Google rankings, search engine traffic, SEO

posted by Fred @ 2:05 PM