Former Blog of Eric S. Townsend » search engine optimization (seo)

Bolster Expertise and Credibility with LinkedIn

etownsend — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:21:17 +0000

are you among the 27 million with a profile at linkedin.com? if you’re not, then you should be! forget over-investing in twitter and most other social media websites. time is limited. few websites help to reinforce your expertise and build credibility better than linkedin. here are 10 reasons why: 1. easy way to convey a one-page snapshot of your credentials; 2. recommendations area shows how others value your work — and are written/submitted by the referral (not created by the beneficiary and green-lighted by the referral); 3. your recommendations of others show what you value in others; 4. sync with your blog to broadcast latest posts; 5. higher value linkback(s) to three of your website(s), given linkedin’s solid page rank; 6. each link can include a descriptive tag that boosts seo value; 7. visitors stay an average of 7.3 minutes; 8. “visitors of this profile also visited…” functionality provides a glimpse into visitors’ intentions; 9. groups provide an insight into your interests — and feeds deliver poignant topics by email that keep you on your feet; 10. ability to embed animated presentations of your work.

New York Times Educates on Google Tools

etownsend — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:52:57 +0000

when you’re in the business of providing complex marketing like search engine optimization (seo), it’s easy to overlook the basics — like the fact that many people don’t know even the baseline tricks that google has to offer. thanks to lelei lelaulu for pointing me towards a new york times article that shows off google’s many bells and whistles. if you’re a google newbie or someone who hasn’t fully explored what it can do, then hit the above link!

Townsend Named Marketing Lead for Product

etownsend — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:49:11 +0000

clever sport llc of chicago, illinois has named eric s. townsend as marketing executive for the launch of a golf training aid called the putting answer. among responsibilities, townsend will shore up product development, branding, broad spectrum marketing, relationship-building, and advertising. the team is led by founder/inventor monroe hart, a 25-year instructor and professional golfer. the putting answer is set to lock horns with and rival a successful brand called z factor perfect putting machine — widely called “the most complete putting training system ever developed” by leading golf sources. the putting answer is poised to overtake z factor due to greater ease of use, a more comprehensive system, improved durability, a more refined look and feel, and increased portability. click to enlarge the below and see for yourself!

Search Engine Minimization

etownsend — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:31:20 +0000

my phone is blowing up with folks wanting more visitors at their websites. there are a few things to consider as the catch-all “seo” leaves your tongue. 1) everyone wants more online visitors, which makes the marketplace very competitive, which means it’s not silver bullet marketing; 2) the best in seo simply gets you “on the grid” — which means people will find you somewhere along the results returned by google but not in the top 5 positions where over 75% of traffic gravitates; 3) seo can only succeed where real research in engaged — meaning that it takes a smart, intuitive marketer to navigate google data, to separate the real opportunities from millions of searches and to leverage that knowledge for results at your website; 4) seo means search engine optimization, which is misleading — it should be “search engine minimization” since it’s the least you can do for your website to get into the game (too many think it’s ALL they need to do); 5) the real difference is made with search engine marketing (sem) where you commit a budget to an ongoing campaign of measures that raise your optimized website in the rankings. a pro can prioritize which measures bring the greatest return in the near-term.

“Saving” Today Can Cost You Tomorrow

etownsend — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:25:50 +0000

to my small business comrades, it’s time to get real. in fact, to all business owners — listen up! there’s a mantra that i’m asking you to internalize. “saving” today can cost you tomorrow. going d.i.y. almost always costs more than paying specialized experts. there are things you do well and others that you do not. know your limits. understand the risks of under-investing. procrastinating and/or slapping a patch to a problem invites damages to mount or compound. relying on your own perspective, ideas and knowledge of the market can cause you to appear amateur and/or miss opportunities — often by a substantial margin. business leaders often struggle to fully understand consumers. it’s a common trap that prevents what’s possible from being realized. don’t fall into it!

New Website/SEO — Dad’s Tree Service

etownsend — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:59:28 +0000

designed and launched a new website for leading arborist, dads tree service. ron kronz and his family have been in business for a quarter of a century in springfield virginia. they offer a wide variety of tree services that include tree fertilization, trimming and removal. kronz is also a notable saxophonist who has toured the world with local legend bobby parker. i came to work for dads upon realizing that the company had a long and successful history but zero profile on google. i performed a basic re-design, search engine optimization and offered consultation on how to market the website for greater results. they’re currently netting between 10 and 14 leads a week through their website for leading local searches like “tree service alexandria va” and a host of others.

Authority Marketing

etownsend — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:42:50 +0000

i’m not talking about promoting your local police organization here. authority marketing is walking the walk. marketing without authority is blowing hot air. so, how do you achieve authority? research. writing. publishing. relevance. credibility. consistency. 1) research — don’t jump to conclusions on efforts…circle the subject, learn something new every day, then proceed; 2) writing — putting words to paper helps to form, anchor and mature thoughts; 3) publishing — blogging, article marketing and more put your authority to the test by interacting with audiences and forcing you to defend your ideas and knowledge; 4) relevance — much like the factors that google uses to rank websites, make sure what you’re saying and doing has momentum, is in the news, has significant interest, etc; 5) credibility — search for consensus (especially pros who also speak on your subject matter) and pursue third party endorsements (testimonials, panel invites, etc); 6) consistency — stay on subject(s) for a prolonged period of time (establish longevity, focus, commitment, passion, etc), though it’s not necessary to hold the same perspective(s) and opinions (showing a progression in thought is positive in that it communicates consideration, balance, flexibility, humility, maturity, etc).

New Website/SEO — Basement Detective

etownsend — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:53:11 +0000

went live with the basement detective website recently. they are a northern virginia contractor providing basement waterproofing, remodeling, sump pump systems and mold removal. the page ranks highly for a host of local searches in its industry. they are solidly in the mix with businesses that are up to 50 years old.

“The Year in Pictures” Feature Now Available

etownsend — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:06:37 +0000

“the year in pictures” feature is now available for viewing. to receive a guided tour with anecdotes, please call (202) 494-4326 or email eric.s.townsend@gmail.com. i’d be happy to share a few stories as i outline my services offering.

What Website Shoppers Don’t Know Hurts Them!

etownsend — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:11:36 +0000

are you or someone you know shopping to have a website developed? i had an interesting chat today with a partner about a proposal that went south. while you can’t win them all, it looks like there were a few simple misunderstandings that may have led the end client to pass. what they don’t know could end up hurting them! 1 — website design doesn’t usually include search engine optimization (seo). the former is creative, the latter is marketing/sales. 2 — search engine friendly doesn’t mean search engine optimized. it means the website is ready for a real investment, which is what what the seo represents. 3 — a one-time seo investment doesn’t keep you at the top of rankings. google “robots” regularly track what your website is doing (or not doing) and your rankings move accordingly. sounds sci-fi but it’s true. 4 — a “no hostages” approach to website design means a client can muck up a project that launched beautifully using the content management tools they were provided. there’s nothing the designer can do about that! look to the screenshot from launch and converse with the designer about concerns.