Easy enough. It just takes time & planning to manage your approach.

In-Bound Link Building is Important for SEO Success. Whether Your Business is Local (Reno), Regional or International, search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing use this seemingly simple search engine ranking parameter as an indication your website’s relative popularity. This in turn influences the search engines decision in rating your relevance for search queries and ultimately affects your search engine ranking or opportunities for first page display.

In-Bound Link Bottom Line: If you don’t have inbound links and your competitors do, then to put it bluntly,  you will not rank as well as them. (Want to learn about the top Search Engine Ranking Factors… then go here >)

Here Are 2 Things To NOT Do For Building In-Bound Links

It all makes sense if you think about it or understand the industry and the sophistication of Search Engine ranking algorhythms (Here is a link to an older March 2007 article but the thrust is a solid foundational concept for this).

It really boils down to 2 things of what not to do for inbound link building:

1. Don’t Use Link Farms (See This Wikipedia Page for more information about Link Farms). According to Google, “a site that participates in a link farm may have its search rankings penalized”, and “Links from related sites carry more weight than those from irrelevant sites”.
2. Try not to use Off-Topic Links (Relevant On-Topic Links build credibility in the eyes of Search Engines… And yes, they do know.)

Six Basic Strategies for In-Bound Link Building

Anyone and everyone with a website should make some effort to include these 6 Link Building strategies if you are serious about top performance for Search Engine Ranking.

1. Make More Content! – Search Engines need content in order to deliver relevant and current results to search queries. Better results from search engines mean more people will use them. This in turn makes them a better platform for advertising dollars (This is America after all). The bottom line is search engines need the new content just as much as you need to generate it, distribute it and have it link back to you. The solution is to write articles, publish them online (on a relevant blog site or an ezine or article website – There are tons of them out there such as articlebase.com).
2. Social Media – Serious about in-bound links? Then get serious about social media. There are lots of ways to leverage this. If you don’t know how, take a class, talk to some social media guru, or just dive in. Be conscious of the appropriate linking patterns and partners out there and be careful you don’t spend too much time doing this. It can be a real time sink. Think of it as something to adopt over time and that you will keep up with. It is better to do a little dribble consistently then do a lot and then burn out and drop off the map… especially as far as Search Engines are concerned.
3. Relevant Online Directories – Online Directories are a great place for links. That’s what they are for… listing websites. Some are free and some are pay. Do what you can to get in them and have a budget (time and $$$) that makes sense for you. Here are the biggies: DMOZ (can take a while to get listed), Yahoo (Expensive). Some other well known online directories include: Business.com, BestOfTheWeb.com, GoGuides.com and MassiveLinks.com. There are many others that have narrow niche appeal. The best approach is to identify the best ranked ones and then submit your listing to them. Rinse and repeat.
4. Online Video – First a quick question… Do you know what the worlds second most used search engine is? If you guessed YouTube you guessed right. So Videos can get you inbound links, visibility and some brand or service awareness. If you get it right it can even go “viral”! There are tons of video sites out there (YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo to name a few). If you do video then distribute them to different sources and watch and compare results and see which ones work best for you. And be sure to have some fun along the way. (Note: Professional Video production can be quite costly. You need to balance quality and budget to get the most bang for your video buck. And don’t forget, there is always the webcam on your local computer approach if you are on a shoestring.)
5. Online Classifieds – Yep, this often overlooked little gem will get you inbound links. Think CraigsList.org or any of the other online classifieds (some are free and some are pay). And who knows.. besides the link you get, maybe someone will buy what you are selling!
6. Online Press Releases – Huh? That’s right.. you can distribute your own online press releases. (But I recommend hitting your local news outlets first so they can get the “scoop” before it hits the big ol’ web. It’s a professional courtesy thing.) This is a great way to get in-bound links. You can use the paid versions such as as PRweb.com or go for the free ones such as PRlog.com. As with all things online there are lots of options so be sure to compare apples to apples when it comes to getting your press release sent out online.

Hope that helps! This is the basic approach that we offer clients as starting points for their in-bound link building campaign. And if you want to share a reciprocal link with us, just send us a note or give us a call, and we will see what we can do!

Who doesn’t… but what you need to know is that having a “cool blog design” is no longer enough.

An Optimized Wordpress Blog Design needs to capture visitors, show value, sell products or services, capture leads and keep up with the latest web technologies.

In the old days of the web… having a website… any website, whether a traditional static website filled with words, or a site of pretty pictures or even Flash animations was enough. It had the “wow” factor… All just because you had the site.

No more… Websites have become a very sophisticated platforms that are an important part of the promotional and marketing effort. The artifacts of yesteryear,  such as the notoriously expensive, sales-rep hyped, and ineffective Yellow Page Ads or other less-than-targeted marketing vehicles and publications are becoming increasingly less effective. This is especially true for businesses who are forward thinking in their promotional approach, or have more sophisticated audiences they need to communicate with.

What’s the solution? First let’s look at what a website needs to do and fast-forward to today’s website demands before we decide.

1. A website needs to be able to be found by people who are searching for your product or service (Think Search Engine Optimized or Local SEO)
2. Once they see your listing on Google (Hopefully first the page of Google or other search engine) it needs to be somewhat compelling in order for people to click on the link
3. The website needs to be inviting once they get there and give them relevant options for interaction, sales or sign-ups
4. Convey a sense of credibility and sophistication
5. Provide a comfortable experience that delivers value
6. Has ways for you to engage and track visitors

A tall order for any website no matter how big your budget is. Once you start considering the cost of website design, maintenance, updating and modification, content generation, software upgrades and you have the potential for a hornet’s nest of expense, complexity and less than optimal results.

Enter the Humble Wordpress Blogging Platform

The coolest, least expensive, most powerful, and highly customizable blog design platform that any business could hope for.

Wordpress levels the playing field of the World Wide Web. The technology that Wordpress uses, used to cost 10’s of thousands of dollars. But thanks to the Wordpress and the Open Source community that supports it, Wordpress has made the old expensive web paradigm a thing of the past. The powerful technology that is built into Wordpress is free! And the plug-ins that support it… they are free too or are offered at a very low or modest cost.

A well executed Wordpress Blog Design is the answer for what small businesses need to succeed on the web whether the need is superior design, uber-optimized SEO, or super-charged local search engine optimization.

In short, a well executed and well designed Wordpress Blog embodies what the internet was designed for… optimized search engine results through relevant content generation.

If you need more information about how a Wordpress Blog Design can help your business, you can give us a call (775.322.3663). But watch out, we love Wordpress, so don’t be surprised if we talk your ear off.

Soles4Souls has a simple concept: we get shoes and give them away.

In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, Wayne Elsey, the Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls® Inc., felt compelled to do something. Like many of us, he did not know what to do. He was at home one night, watching TV and he saw a picture of a single shoe washing up on the beach. That triggered a few calls to some other executives in the footwear industry and the subsequent donation of a quarter of a million shoes to victims in the devastated countries.

A year later when Katrina hit, Wayne called the same group of friends, and they sent over a million pairs of shoes down to the gulf coast communities affected by the hurricane. In all honesty, he admits that he did not expect such an immediate and successful turnout. This left him wondering, why not start a non-profit and do this all the time? One year later, Soles4Souls was formally created.

It has been that simple: changing the world one pair at a time.

Soles4Souls receives large donations from footwear companies, retailers, churches, nonprofit ministries, civic groups, schools, and individuals and saw that this could become a full time organization. That’s why Soles4Souls was created – to facilitate the donations from these groups to the people who desperately need footwear.

Support Soles4Souls with a donation, shoe drive, sponsorship of simply give $5.00 for 5 pairs of shoes for 5 people.

The local Reno Business Climate is great place for getting connected to people as well as potential customers and clients

There are so many talented Reno-based Marketing Professionals here in the Truckee Meadows and Lake Tahoe Area, it is enough to make your head spin! Every day I read about the successes, the insights and the fantastic creative ideas that pour out from this community of local marketing and design professionals. It is truly awe-inspiring, and just like the “Energizer Bunny®”*… It just keeps going!

And with all that professional-marketing-horsepower, there are some things, and themes that just keep coming up over and over that are particularly helpful to local Reno area business owners. And while not every Reno Business is the same, there are certain things that most of them can do to promote themselves locally, that and are tried-and-true marketing and publicity opportunities, and are proven processes that work for the local audience. Why do they work? Because we all live, eat and breath here… right here in this valley and the surrounding mountains. So people we meet become the friends we make and are often the same as the future business partners we engage.

Here are my top 10 Reno Marketing Tips that won’t cost much except for time and maybe some membership or entry fees:

1. Networking in Reno Rocks! (This town has so many networking opportunities, it could easily be a full-time job attending them all! Try out the local Sparks Chamber, Reno Sparks Chamber, BizTalk Blender, American Marketing Association Meetings, LeTip, BNI, eWomen, etc… all are great and very active with lots of opportunities for connecting. And there are lots of local trade shows too to attend!)
2. Get Involved with Social Media: Share ideas, join the conversation… it can be overwhelming and even addictive, but taken in moderation there is lots to be gained in knowledge and even promotion opportunities.
3. Give or Attend Marketing Talks and Classes (or other relevant topics of interest to you)
4. Start a Blog (Let the world know about your local Reno business and what you can deliver)
5. Write Local Press Releases (Tell the world about your successes)
6. Write Local and Relevant Articles (Talk about your area of expertise. Become the “known” local expert… lots of people have!
7. Collaborate with other businesses for joint promotions or marketing brainstorming.. heck, you can even start your own Mastermind Marketing Group or Professional Trade Group
8. Ask for Referrals (Ask your friends, clients and peers… don’t go overboard, but do ask! Incentive Programs for the referral are a nice touch too.)
9. Be Helpful… Whenever you meeting a potential customer or client, offer something. A referral to information, a resource for them, relevant news, a good book or even a place to have lunch. See how you can give before you ask for something. (Pick a local charity, serve on the board, volunteer, donate time and/or money, help plan and coordinate events.)
10. Show Up! No one will know of you unless you get out there and get seen. That goes for for any marketing or promotional effort. Hiding under the rock or “being too busy to promote your business” will only bite you in the rear end in the long run and won’t contribute to your success and certainly won’t help people understand how wonderful you are or the expertise you can offer.

Now go forth and market, meet, greet, and enjoy your new friends you will meet along the way!

If you want more marketing tips, local networking tips or even have some tips you want to share… give us a call (775.322.3663) or send us an email… We’d love to hear from you.

Quite a distinctive moniker don’t you think? It brings up all manner of fun interpretations. And with that, there comes many potential spin-offs for all kinds of industries.

All you have to do is fill in the blank… “Reno: The Biggest Little <fill in the blank>”

And in this Reno-centric mini-blog post about marketing, I am going to list ten of the fun marketing-related phrases I have heard over time. Here goes:

1. Reno: The Biggest Little Marketing Metropolis
2. Reno: The Biggest Little Social Media Savvy Area
3. Reno: The Biggest Little Networking Community
4. Reno: The Biggest Little Web Design Town
5. Reno: The Biggest Little PR Haven
6. Reno: The Biggest Little Copywriting Culture
7. Reno: The Biggest Little Promotional City
8. Reno: The Biggest Little Traditional Media City
9. Reno: Home of the The Biggest Little Advertising Agency (or Agencies since since there are some many per-capita)
10. Reno: The Biggest Little Center for SEO & SEM

Reno Has It: Tremendous Marketing, Web Design, Graphic Design Copywriting & Professional Promotion Opportunities… all right here in the “Biggest Little City”

Maybe not all that interesting to some folks… but what I do think it represents, is the idea that this area (Reno, Sparks, Truckee Meadows, Lake Tahoe) has tremendous talent and so many marketing and creative professionals for web design, graphic design, promotion, copywriting and even professional sales, all in a relatively small geographic area.

A real smorgasbord of options for local business no matter their size or budget.

Reno is definitely the place to be if you are looking for lots of options when it comes to finding a professional, or team of professionals, to help promote a business either online or with traditional media.

Reno: The Biggest Little City for Marketing Opportunities (and some of the nicest people you could want to meet).

(A special heart-felt kudos to all the amazing marketing minds and creative souls out there who really do make business sing… It is a wonder to behold all this talent!)

It’s Not That Hard If You Understand a Few Basic SEO Ingredients

The Conclusion to the 5 Most Important Tips for the Do-It-Yourself SEO-preneur or Small Business Owner

• For this mini-article, we will look at 5 areas of basic SEO concepts (Conclusion below: ). These are important to business who wants a local, top-performing search engine presence. By faithfully following this approach you will improve your Search Engine Rankings giving you superior Local Search Engine Results.

The final Tips and Summary: Top Ranking Search Engine Results Are What You Want

There are lots of SEO tips and tools to keep everything moving forward for real-world and effective search engine ranking results.

If you can incorporate these basic principles I have outlined in the previous blog posts, build on them over time, consistently implement the strategies (schedule it), and use the Right SEO Technology and you will achieve Dominance in the Local Search Engine Results.

I have seen these principles prove themselves time and again and am amazed at how fast local businesses can get to the first page of Google by following the tips I outlined. Often within 1,2 or 3 months for some basic keywords. Then just use the formula for other keywords and over time you will climb the ranks.

As my final piece of “Great SEO Tips for Small Businesses” I give you the following list of more actionable items.

• Register with local search engines, local directories and social media portals (Think Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, Ask, Local.com and TrueLocal and many others. They all want your info so they can give the best results to the people who use their service and so they can sell more advertising!) Also be sure to use Craig’s list, Insdier pages and many other local sales and review directories.
• Put your business name and local terms in you page titles — (not non-descript terms such as “Home page”,  “About”, “Welcome” , etc. My example is Integris Marketing | Reno Marketing Firm | Reno Graphic Design
• Now do the same thing with your HI and H2 tags (especially using the local terms)
• Then do the same thing with your body copy (more local terms with the service or product offered)
• Put a Google or Yahoo or Mapquest generated map on your website with your street address… really super for local search results (just go to Google maps
• How’s your InfoUSA listing? Or Dun & Bradstreet? Go check to make sure they are current and have your correct address, web link, etc.
• Local News? Well you can’t compete with local papers or local info or entertainment portals, but you can add local content that is relevant to your business or your favorite causes. If you have a local mailing address where your business lives.. add that too! (On every page is a great way to go)
• I’ve said it before and I will say it again and again.. Add a blog (One that you control on your web domain and where you can 100% control all page content. So stay away from the free blogs…even blogger)
• Get “Local Inbound Links”! Search engines are using this kind of ranking criteria as an ever-more important element in local search results. So get into “legitimate” local directories in every way you can… Make sure they don’t just list your web site but also link with keywords for services you offer if you can.

OK… so that should be enough for most local businesses to cling to the top of the local search results. Want more success? Get your Google, Yahoo and Bing business listings, run some online display ads and you will have 3 or more places where you show up on the first page of Google… not bad for a small business these days, especially considering that over 65% of buyers look for local resources online (and some say the number is as high as 90% of all buyers use online search for local results).

*Reno SEO Expert. A paid professional who can provide measurable results and demonstrate ROI for promised SEO services and also be able to share success stories for past clients they have worked with.

It’s Not That Hard If You Understand a Few Basic SEO Ingredients

The 5 Most Important Tips for the Do-It-Yourself SEO-preneur or Small Business Owner

For this mini-article, we will look at 5 areas of basic SEO concepts (Tip 5 below). These are important to business who wants a local, top-performing search engine presence. By faithfully following this approach you will improve your Search Engine Rankings giving you superior Local Search Engine Results.

Tip 5 of 6) Time  and Commitment yields the best local search engine results:

It seems like all things in life take persistence and local search engine results are no different.

When it comes to improving your local search ranking or even regional search engine results, you need what I call the “Time-Drive Machine” and the “SEO Ranking Equation” to succeed.

Part “fire in the belly” and part commitment to your business or endeavor, you need to combine these 2 elements or passion and commitment to make progress and achieve a degree of success with local search engine marketing (SEM) to achieve local search engine ranking results. This is true whether you live and work in Reno, Nevada as I do, or want to attract local customers in your community in Seattle, Susanville or Salem…  the same principles apply.

I have this little silly equation I like to use to demonstrate my point: C+Tx$=R (Commitment plus Time multiplied by Ratio of Resources equals Results). As you can see see it all adds up to results. The questions is how much time and commitment do you have? If you don’t have a lot Time but a solid Commitment then you need more Resources. If you have few Resources but a little Time and lots of Commitment you can still get Results, especially over a longer period (1 hour a week = 52 hours a year… you can get a lot done in 52 hours!).

So it’s pretty easy. Just like walking but you have to take each step to get to your destination.

Coming next: “Conclusion: Top Ranking Local Search Engine Results Are What You Want”. Date for next post will be June, 2010 (Assuming we don’t have any more health or business challenges that impede our flow… Keeping it positive.)

*Reno SEO Expert. A paid professional who can provide measurable results and demonstrate ROI for promised SEO services and also be able to share success stories for past clients they have worked with.

For More Information, please contact:

Blair O’Neil

775-322-3663

Blair@IntegrisMarketing.com

Integris Marketing Wins Girl Scout Web Contract

Integris Marketing of Reno was chosen to redesign and rebuild the Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada (GSSN) Web site. The rebuild includes a web-based content management system that will allow GSSN staff to update their new site in-house.

The new GSSN.org site will serve the organization’s 6,800 girl members and 1,900 adult volunteers, as well as provide information for the community about upcoming events, fundraising efforts, and training opportunities.

Integris Marketing, which serves the regional area of Reno, Sparks, northern Nevada, as well as national clients, is a full-service marketing agency, providing Web design, e-commerce systems, Web and print marketing, branding, public relations, and graphic design. It is owned and operated by design artist Blair O’Neil and business strategist Jenna O’Neil.

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Integris Marketing was founded by Blair O’Neil, designer and owner of O’Neil Design Group, with Jenna O’Neil, a certified business and personal coach. With more than 25 years in the business, Integris Marketing provides an integrated strategy that includes Web, print, broadcast and trade show media.
For more information about Integris Marketing, please contact Blair O’Neil at 775-322-3663 or via email, Blair@IntegrisMarketing.com, and see the company Website at www.integrismarketing.com

It’s Not That Hard If You Understand a Few Basic SEO Ingredients

The 5 Most Important Tips for the Do-It-Yourself SEO-preneur or Small Business Owner

For this mini-article, we will look at 5 areas of basic SEO concepts (Tip 4 below). These are important to business who wants a local, top-performing search engine presence. By faithfully following this approach you will improve your Search Engine Rankings giving you superior Local Search Engine Results.

Tip 4 of 5) Knowledge, Research, Curiosity and patience:

This aspect of Local Search Engine Ranking is partly a thinking exercise and partly a research effort. To get started just ask yourself, “What are the different things people might type in to find my services online.” Then make a list of those terms. Even though Google and Bing are aware of your location it helps if you tell them you are looking for local results so be sure to include “Reno” or “Sparks” or “Truckee Meadows” with your keyword phrases if you are searching in this area for best local search engine results.

Next see what happens when you search using your keywords list you just made. Make lots of tabs and notes and visit the top-ranking sites that came in from your search (just look at the top 3 or so) and see what you can gleen from their site.

Learn from these top performers. If you know how, and I recommend you learn the basics of how, look at the source code of the top-performing websites and get an idea of the keywords, header tags and meta-descriptions they are using. Look at how their information is organized on the page, look at how many words are on the page and what words are at the top middle and bottom. Get curious and take the Sherlock Holmes approach. You will be amazed at what you will learn if you look closely enough. Then take notes that you can use to implement their success tactics.

And if see something you don’t understand… look it up or hire a SEO consultant (Yes, we do that too!) to help you understand what you are up against.

Now this is a simplistic overview but it will yield results for any competitive local market. But you have to invest the necessary time and you have to commit to making incremental progress.

So get started, be patient and watch your results. I guarantee you will make headway if you incorporate this approach.

One note of caution. Older websites and domains have quite a bit of advantage here. All things being equal, Search Engines will give older sites a higher ranking. So in order to overcome this you have to be better on your subjective quality score.

Coming next: “Time and Commitment”. Date for next post will be March 12, 2010

*Reno SEO Expert. A paid professional who can provide measurable results and demonstrate ROI for promised SEO services and also be able to share success stories for past clients they have worked with.

It’s Not That Hard If You Understand a Few Basic SEO Ingredients

The 5 Most Important Tips for the Do-It-Yourself SEO-preneur or Small Business Owner

For this mini-article, we will look at 5 areas of basic SEO concepts. These are important to business who wants a local, top-performing search engine presence. By faithfully following this approach you will improve your Search Engine Rankings giving you superior Local Search Engine Results.

Tip 2 of 5) SEO Strategy:

The BEST and LOWEST COST SEO Technology for Small Businesses

In a word: WordPress. Our website is built on it (and so is this blog) and as of this writing (March 8, 2010) we are at 38 days of being live and we are quickly eclipsing several local firms who have been around for years. And if we can do this so can you! We went from no-where’s-ville to actually getting page 1 Google ranking for several primary and secondary keyword phrases… And we are just getting started.

Why WordPress? Because it works. Not only as a base package but also because there are a slew of 3rd party plugins that will Super-charge your Local SEO Performance unlike those low-cost “website builders” or “website generators” out there with all sorts of marketing hype attached to them. The problem is they all stink from the perspective of SEO (IMHO). They just under-deliver when it comes to SEO because they are not built on a strong understanding of what it takes to succeed with top-ranking SEO Performance.

But just because WordPress is “Free”, be sure to NOT use the “free WordPress themes” out there, but instead, opt for professional themes that are designed to be optimized for SEO. These are built with better code and also don’t have the built-in back-links to nefarious websites that can get you black-listed in Google (Not a good thing). Also be sure to include a solid set of 3rd party plug-ins or choose a WordPress template  that is already set up to optimize your site for the leading search engines, most notably, Google and Bing.

And remember, search engines are the friend of local businesses and should be apart of your online marketing strategy, no matter if you are in Reno, Sparks, Tahoe or New York City. Most people use the internet to find local businesses they can buy from.

So whether you are on a budget and just getting started, or if you are an established business with a strong website, WordPress, if set-up and managed consistently, can help you with your local search engine rankings. I like to think of blogs, and in particular, Wordpress Blogs, as today’s digital business card for your growing enterprise.

Coming next: “Knowledge, Research & Curiosity: Learn about your competitors”. Date for next post will be March 10, 2010

*Reno SEO Expert. A paid professional who can provide measurable results and demonstrate ROI for promised SEO services and also be able to share success stories for past clients they have worked with.