Creating optimized content that pleases both the search engine spiders and the human visitors is a major part of search engine optimization; however, it is only part of the battle when it comes to conquering the search engine results pages.  This is because once you write that copy, compose that perfect blog post, or shoot that amazing video, you have to promote it.

You already know how important proper keyword selection is for your search engine optimization and search engine marketing strategies, however, once you have your keywords selected you need to know how to use them - and most importantly, how to use them often but without “keyword stuffing” or other tactics that are not human-friendly.

Keyword selection is one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization - in fact, it can make or break your search engine marketing efforts.  While choosing keywords that are accurately reflect your business (and your location, if applicable) is certainly essential, it is important that your keywords also reflect the terms that people use to search for what your company offers.  In other words, keyword research is really market research.  Here are the five steps to keyword greatness:

There are an insanely high number of social media sites out there - just keeping up with all the new developments in that sphere can be a daunting prospect. However, the content and user information on most of these sites shows up in the SERPs; for instance, if you search my first name, my LinkedIn profile is on the first page. Something similar happens for your business if you use your company name in any of your social media profiles. Furthermore, placing links to your website on social media sites is a key component of a solid search engine optimization strategy.

Nowadays, it seems like there is a social network for every possible niche or topic area, from getting a good night’s sleep to online marketing and SEO.  Accordingly, there is probably one that is related to your business - and participating in a niche social media site is a great way to drive traffic to your own website or blog.  A key part of our SEO company’s overall strategy involves researching each client’s market, including any relevant niche social bookmarking or networking sites.  Here are a few tips for taking advantage of these genre sites:

Although press releases are typically considered more of a traditional marketing tool than a search engine optimization technique, sending and submitting optimized press releases can be a great link-building tactic and provide a nice boost to your website’s rankings - and you never know, they might lead to your company news getting picked up by media outlets, news feeds, and other websites. Writing and submitting optimized press releases is one of the many techniques that SEOGroup employs; in fact, we wouldn’t be a complete SEO company if we didn’t.

When you are looking for information about a specific product, service, or company, chances are the first thing you do is search for it online; basically, all information-seeking roads lead to Google. It goes to follow that the SERPs (the search engine results pages) are one of the most likely places for new customers and clients to discover your business. Therefore, you need to not only get your company on page#1 of the results (and this Chicago SEO company can help you with that), you need to make sure that what your visitors find on the SERPs presents your brand in the best possible light - it is not all that different from PR.

There is a new article in USA Today that features five SEO tips straight from the horse’s mouth, or Google’s Matt Cutts. While his suggestions (start a blog, use social media, etc.) seemed a little basic to us (but then again, we are an established Chicago SEO company), they are great for small business owners or others who are just getting started on the web.

Although the article (and accompanying video) goes more in depth, Matt gave USA Today’s reporter five pieces of advice.

Some search engine optimization companies consider the challenges of reaching page#1 to be akin to a war: them versus Google (and Yahoo, MSN, and the rest). So if you think of it that way, then how would Machiavelli, one of the great writers on the philosophy of on war and politics, approach SEO?

The concept of linkbait is simple - linkbait is a post, video clip, podcast, or article created specifically for a particular audience or niche (or social media) that has some kind of clever hook or unique angle that encourages other bloggers to write about it and link to it, resulting in more traffic and a higher position in the SERPs. Obviously, creating compelling linkbait can be excellent for your website’s search engine optimization. However, while the concept itself is simple, writing quality linkbait is something that is easier said than done, even for an experienced SEO company or consultant.

There are six main types of linkbait:

1. Useful Resources/Tools

2. Humor/Entertainment

3. Breaking News/Scoops

4. Shock Value

5. Research & Analysis

6. Controversy