When you consider the most cost effective investment for your website, you should consider Organic SEO

So you want to make more money from your website? Who Doesn't want more hits from their website from Google?

When you consider the most cost effective investment for your website, you should consider Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Organic Search Engine Optimization is the science of getting your web site to appear in the natural results of the Search Engine for your keyword phrase. I am not referring to the "sponsor links" at the top of the page or on the right side. Those folks could have opened up shop last night in their bathrobe, sent Google a few hundred dollars, and "POOF" they are suddenly at the top... NO- I am talking about really understanding how Google works and "playing nice with Google." Fargo Moorhead is wide open for this chance.

Yes there is an investment with an Organic SEO Firm like Oreginal Designs of Fargo ND, but it is usually a fraction of what you might spend on "Pay Per Click"... All of our clients tell us that it is well worth the money, once their phone starts ringing!

When considering hiring an Oreginal Designs SEO firm, there are many things to consider. For one, you must like the style of the web designs they have in their portfolio page. 2ndly, they must listen to you and your vision of what you are trying to accomplish with the website. I could go on and on with many other priorities that our customers have told us, but I am going to cut to the chase... Lastly, you need to see proof of their successful SEO campaigns with many, many Google 1st page landings for their clients. Have them show you the Google Search Results- that is the only proof you need!

If they can't produce the results, they are just another salesman blowing smoke... We have all been approached by these guys; even I have! If you are in need of more traffic to your website, let us help you... We have been studying Google for years and our phones ring every single day with clients who find us all over the world! We won't be pushy like the other guys, after all, we are too busy with designing websites for SEO in fargo North Dakota...

Statistical SEO

One of the things still missing today within the SEO community is a strong understanding of quantitative analysis and econometrics along with the actual desire to publish a paper within a constantly changing field. SEO is heavily focused on marketing (as it should be), but the idea of figuring out what works, by how much, and for how long seems to be sorely lacking.

In my view, statistical SEO is an open area that can be filled through a kind of econometric SEO, to help reduce the pervasiveness of common myths and rumors that often seem to spring up out of sites such as WebMasterWorld where anything that can go wrong is some kind of penalty rather than actually quantitatively testing what may have occurred.

You will see within this blog various ideas and concepts that will be driven not just out of a marketing perspective but also from a statistically-minded person probably in the forms of equations like the following:

OrgTraf_it = α + β₁*SERP_it + β₂*SEO_it + β₃*(SEO*PPC)_it + … + uit

And coming from the school I learned econometrics from, as far as I am concerned, if the econometrics formula for SEO is not using panel data, then there is no purpose in running the statistical regression for causal purposes. So please remember, correlations do not equal causation!

Therefore, when trying to figure out the right ways to get more traffic and what areas to invest in the most time, only truly statistical SEO analysis can figure out that to a more hard science.

SEO Science

Search Engine Optimization is still in the early stages of turning hypotheses and theories into a form of science. SEO science in my opinion delve beyond just purely stating what has happened or taking guesses, but rather using complicated econometric formulas for regression analysis via panel data. Of course, the idea of running econometric analysis appeals to a very niche audience as correlations and marketing proofs are usually preferred (and in most cases is all that is needed).

Nonetheless, there are consistent thoughts and ideas inside the SEO world on what works for proper optimization and on what search engine itself. What interests me most is algorithmically figuring out what kind of factor affects search engines the most when you can hold other values constant and by what percent. It is within the analytical area of SEO that interests me and not just the marketing and strategy approach (which obviously are just as important).

Effective analysis of the science of SEO would have to take in a large amount of factors that could influence Google, not to mention the areas where Google manually changes its algorithm (a large error factor). Various blackhat and grayhat techniques in heavy traffic and niche markets could easily create a large statistical error, but even more importantly, the constant changes in search engine algorithms would make econometric analysis a limited benefit if not re-analyzed every algorithm update.

Fear not, however, as this has never prevented people from doing time-series analysis for the stock markets and successfully predicting, albeit briefly, where to put one’s money.

Fargo SEO: SEO Lessons, Search Engine Optimization, Traffic Generation

How To Easily Get Free Traffic To Your Website
By: jim christl, in SEO Lessons, Search Engine Optimization, Traffic Generation

I see posts in forums just about everyday from somebody new wondering how they can get free traffic to their website or how they can get high search engine rankings.

They want to know all the magical little “secrets” to getting tons of traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

I used to reply to all of these forums posts with my answer, but it always seemed that someone would pop up the very next day asking the same question, so I’m going to cover some very simple things you can do to get traffic to your website right here in my blog instead.

But here’s the key…

You ready?

You sure? You might not want to hear this.

Okay, if you’re really sure…

The key to building up massive amounts of free search engine traffic is to take ACTION.

It’s not some silly little automated system that just sucks up your money, or the latest search engine “loophole” for you to exploit that will actually accomplish the opposite of what you want.

The key is to take action so if you’re expecting to sit on your butt and traffic will magically appear, then free search engine traffic isn’t for you. It’s great traffic to get, but it takes a little bit of work to get it.

Okay, if I’ve got you convinced that taking action is what it’s going to take to get a lot of free search engine traffic, let me give you some simple actions you can take.

Daily Actions

Here are some actions you can take on a daily basis, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to do this all within 15 minutes. Some things you could do: make a post everyday in a niche related to your website with a simple link in your signature linking back to your website; make a post on your website’s blog; you could also comment on other people’s blogs leaving helpful feedback or commentary and also including a link back to your site.

Obviously, that’s not an all inclusive list of things you can do to build traffic on a daily basis, but it should help you get the wheels turning in your head to come up with even more ways.

Weekly Actions

For your weekly actions, you could take an hour or two out of one day and get these done. You could write an article or two on a topic related to your website, and submit it to popular article directories like EzineArticles. You could also submit your website to 5-10 directories. There are literally thousands of directories out there. You could even record a video and put it up on Youtube and other video sharing sites, and drive traffic to your site with video.

Monthly Actions

Every month you could take an hour or two to write and distribute a press release. Press releases are actually easy to write, and a good press release can drive a ton of traffic to your website in addition to getting you a lot of high quality links.

So there you have it, some simple actions you can take on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Just make sure you pick something you can do on a consistent basis and watch your website traffic keep on going up right along with it.

Want more strategies like this to get more traffic to your website? Then be sure to sign up for my printed monthly newsletter about traffic generation - Traffic Transformation Monthly. Every month I’ll send you some of my best strategies for getting more visitors and on how to convert those visitors into buyers.
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Fargo SEO: Search Engine Optimization

How To Identify Hidden Website Defects That Are Costing You Business - Conversion Rate Optimization

Web analytics: Hitting the bullseye, or 8 degrees off?
One of the most powerful and yet overlooked areas of Internet marketing is web analytics. No other marketing tool can provide such detail and accuracy about your strategic marketing objectives. Web analytics tools show smart marketers what works and what doesn’t, so that time and resources are spent on top-performing keywords, ads and landing pages.

Some key performance indicators to track:

* Conversion rate: the probability of web visitors turning into qualified leads
* Percent of new (or unique) visitors to your website
* Ratio of new to returning visitors on your site
* Amount of time a visitor remains on your site during an average visit
* Page "stickiness:" the landing pages' probability to successfully retain a visitor

When you make a strategic change to your website or ad campaign, evaluate how it impacts these key performance indicators, and then adjust your materials accordingly. It’s often surprising what a big difference a few seemingly minor "tweaks" can make to a campaign’s performance.

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Fargo SEO: Search Engine Optimization

Four Myths of SEO

Ready to tame search engine spiders? The first task is to find out what doesn't work:

Myth #1: Brute force will get the job done.Nope. This isn't 1999. Just repeating a bunch of hidden keywords on your page or in your meta tags no longer fools any major search engine. The algorithms that propel search engine software have gotten far, far more sophisticated, and pulling cheap shenanigans is more likely to hurt your position than help it. (Yes, you read that right. Multiple repeating keywords can actually lower your score, the way owning 16 credit cards can depress your credit rating.)

Myth #2: Traffic is everything. Many people believe that search engines measure popularity by the number of clickthroughs, and so they "click themselves" repeatedly in order to boost their position in the pecking order. They're wasting their time. Spiders and 'bots don't care about traffic.

Myth #3: "I can buy a cheap and easy solution from those nice (and numerous) people who sent me an e-mail out of the blue." Oy. Forget it. Don't fall for one of those phony-baloney "We'll submit your URL to all major search engines" spammers. It's a ripoff—you're paying good money for a clerical job. Even if you did it yourself, you run the very real risk of getting positioned far lower. It's a little like membership at Augusta National ... if you say you want it, you're disqualified. Key search engines regard repetitive submissions as a sign of desperation. (Robots smell fear.)

Myth #4: "But a Search Engine Optimization service guaranteed that they'd get me a top 10 spot on Google!" And would you like some North Dakota real estate, too? Guaranteeing "top position" is a sure sign that you're dealing with a snake-oil salesman (well, besides his business card from "Billy and Earl's No-Frills SEO and 24-Hour Home Construction"). The scam goes like this: they guarantee top position ... but they pick the search term, which is so specific to you that only your mom would be likely to use it. Sure, you'd own a (very very narrow) category, but that's like being, as they say, the tallest building in Fargo.

Smarter Spiders

SEO is a more technically complex field than it's ever been. The shortcuts to great search-engine positions have long since been spotted and crushed underfoot by the search-engine companies themselves. (It's not nice to fool Mother Google.) Rising high has a lot to do with

... how you write the HTML code to satisfy the spiders who crawl your site looking for content.

... how well you avoid the "trip wires" that send spiders away.

... where on the page certain keywords appear.

... how you use JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets.

... where your formatting instructions occur in relation to your text. If you depend on a wysiwyg code-writing program (Front Page, GoLive, etc., software we used to use in the good ol' days of 2003) you almost certainly will get a much lower score from the 'bots. Sorry.

Thank goodness we have a team of people in place who monitor the battlefield day and night. Search Engine Optimization is not something you can take an hour out one time to work on and then forget. To make matters even more complex, all major search engines change their algorithms from time to time. Eternal vigilance is the price of high Googleosity.

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Unlocking the Secrets of SEO
How Search Engine Optimization can bring business to your (virtual) door
There is a downside to creating a massively successful brand. To wit: We xerox documents and sneeze into a kleenex while rollerblading down the street, without a second thought about the authenticity of those branded products. The latest victim (?) of this phenomenon is Google. The verb form "to google," meaning to look something up on a search engine, was once the province of hipsters with ironic Mr. Bubble t-shirts and unfortunate ideas about facial hair. Now it's everywhere.

The Yellow Pages, by contrast, are now in the Living Dead category, feeble but still faintly visible, like air quotes, pagers and Regis Philbin. Today, looking for a new product or service means turning to a search engine (Google, Yahoo, or the seven dwarfs). People under the age of Medicare expect more complete information than that offered by a mere phone book.
There is a downside to creating a massively successful brand. To wit: We xerox documents and sneeze into a kleenex while rollerblading down the street, without a second thought about the authenticity of those branded products. The latest victim (?) of this phenomenon is Google. The verb form "to google," meaning to look something up on a search engine, was once the province of hipsters with ironic Mr. Bubble t-shirts and unfortunate ideas about facial hair. Now it's everywhere.

The Yellow Pages, by contrast, are now in the Living Dead category, feeble but still faintly visible, like air quotes, pagers and Regis Philbin. Today, looking for a new product or service means turning to a search engine (Google, Yahoo, or the seven dwarfs). People under the age of Medicare expect more complete information than that offered by a mere phone book.

Yahoo brings eager new prospects to your website For commodities like books or tickets or music, this can lead to a quick sale. For considered purchases, where you compete on more than price, it is the prospect's first research step to create a selection set, e.g., they enter search term ____________ (your category), and then examine ________, ________, and ________, three links to sites that seem appealing on page one of search engine results. One or more of these websites will be examined to see if it can clearly satisfy the need.

In an ideal world, we can pretend rational decision makers study three to five competitors in a selection set, fill out little charts of benefits with check marks and numerical scores, and add up the results. Dream on, pal. What really happens here on the planet Earth: the first site that seems like a fit gets clicked on. That website gets examined for suitability; if it passes muster, case closed, research stops. Being third in most selection sets is worth very little, since two competitors have to fail before you even get examined. If you show up 57th on Google? You're toast.

Once you get into a selection set, you've got a chance at a prospect knocking at your virtual front door who is pre-sold, knowledgeable, and eager to buy. If you're not in that set, the opportunity is lost; the odds that they'll conduct the initial search again are slim. The key questions: Does your visibility help or hurt your chances of getting in that pool of finalists? Can people who aren't specifically looking for you still find you when they're searching your category? Or are you just invisible?
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Self-Googling Is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of

Fargo SEO: Search Engine Optimization

Have you ever typed your own name into an Internet search engine such as Yahoo or MSN to see what people are saying about you? Don't worry, it's (more or less) normal.

But what seems a bit narcissistic in your personal life is just smart business when trying to build a brand. Try this little exercise: start searching, not for your company, but for your category. (If you make widgets in Oreginal Designs, do searches for "Oreginal Designs widget," "widgets," "low-carb widgets," and so on.) Where do you appear in the results? Are you in the first two results? The top ten? The top 1000? It doesn't take much insight into surfer psychology to realize that the top five results are going to get a lot more clicks than results seventy-five through eighty. Is where you are the place where you want to be?
We'll take that as a No.

So. How did the web sites near the top get there? And more important, how do you get there? Welcome to the wonderful world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) where smart strategies plus hard work and clean code take you higher.

We know. We did it.

We have risen spectacularly, as you can see. Searches with a million results still found us high on Google's first page (the magical "top 30") ... and OreginalDesigns.com even reached the Holy Grail Top 5 on a number of relevant search terms. Feast your eyes on this:
Yahoo brings eager new prospects to your website For commodities like books or tickets or music, this can lead to a quick sale. For considered purchases, where you compete on more than price, it is the prospect's first research step to create a selection set, e.g., they enter search term ____________ (your category), and then examine ________, ________, and ________, three links to sites that seem appealing on page one of search engine results. One or more of these websites will be examined to see if it can clearly satisfy the need.

In an ideal world, we can pretend rational decision makers study three to five competitors in a selection set, fill out little charts of benefits with check marks and numerical scores, and add up the results. Dream on, pal. What really happens here on the planet Earth: the first site that seems like a fit gets clicked on. That website gets examined for suitability; if it passes muster, case closed, research stops. Being third in most selection sets is worth very little, since two competitors have to fail before you even get examined. If you show up 57th on Google? You're toast.

Once you get into a selection set, you've got a chance at a prospect knocking at your virtual front door who is pre-sold, knowledgeable, and eager to buy. If you're not in that set, the opportunity is lost; the odds that they'll conduct the initial search again are slim. The key questions: Does your visibility help or hurt your chances of getting in that pool of finalists? Can people who aren't specifically looking for you still find you when they're searching your category? Or are you just invisible?
Self-Googling Is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of

Have you ever typed your own name into an Internet search engine such as Yahoo or MSN to see what people are saying about you? Don't worry, it's (more or less) normal.

But what seems a bit narcissistic in your personal life is just smart business when trying to build a brand. Try this little exercise: start searching, not for your company, but for your category. (If you make widgets in OreginalDesigns.com, do searches for "OreginalDesigns.com widget," "widgets," "low-carb widgets," and so on.) Where do you appear in the results? Are you in the first two results? The top ten? The top 1000? It doesn't take much insight into surfer psychology to realize that the top five results are going to get a lot more clicks than results seventy-five through eighty. Is where you are the place where you want to be?

We'll take that as a No.

So. How did the web sites near the top get there? And more important, how do you get there? Welcome to the wonderful world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) where smart strategies plus hard work and clean code take you higher.
We know. We did it.

We have risen spectacularly, as you can see. Searches with a million results still found us high on Google's first page (the magical "top 30") ... and OreginalDesigns.com even reached the Holy Grail Top 5 on a number of relevant search terms. Feast your eyes on this:

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