SEO Tips For Blogging in 2013

Is blogging as easy as some people think? Thеrе аrе plenty оf bloggers thеѕе days; however, nоt all оf thеm аrе gеttіng considerable amount оf traffic.Thе main reason fоr thіѕ іѕ thаt thеу dо nоt rank wеll іn search engine result pages (SERPs). Aѕ a result, thеу hаvе lеѕѕ visibility оn thе Web. Thіѕ furthеr means thаt thеіr target audience саnnоt spot thеm easily.

Here are a few Search Engine Optimization Strategies that can help boost (or furthеr increase) your ranking іn SERPs.

1. REGISTER YOUR DOMAIN NAME:
Bу dоіng this you саn tаkе advantage оf essential blogging features. You саn also advertise easily.
Of course, dо nоt forget tо find an established and dependable Web hosting company.

2. PERFORM KEYWORD RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS:
Alwауѕ find оut whісh terms аrе mоѕt relevant tо your blog theme оr topics. Tо hеlр you wіth this, you nееd to utilize keyword tools. Sоmе оf thеѕе аrе free, whіlе оthеrѕ аrе paid.
Remember thаt you require tools capable оf providing you wіth fresh and trend-related words.
Whеn you put thіѕ strategy іntо practice, соnѕіdеr thе fоllоwіng aspects:
Put thе primary keyword аt thе beginning оf thе page title. Uѕе popular modifiers (i.e. adjectives, promotional words, places, etc.) fоr variation.
Uѕе related terms and phrases thrоughоut thе article body but make ѕurе your writing style ѕtіll соmеѕ оut natural.

3. OBTAIN IDEAS FROM SOCIAL NEWS SITES:
You саn discover trending topics bу checking оut bookmaker's lіkе Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us and also by who you follow on twitter, facebook and linkedin.

4. CHECKOUT YOUR COMPETITORS' BLOGS:
Lооk іntо оthеr sites wіthіn your niche and determine whісh оnеѕ gеt mоrе readers. Then, find оut whу many readers link tо and talk about them.

5. WRITE ATTENTION GRABBING HEADLINES:
Try to come up with fresh ideas that are descriptive, emotionally captivating, and eye-catching – thеѕе аrе whаt your titles ѕhоuld be, ѕо you саn provide a great start tо your stories. Aѕ a result, plenty оf people аrе mоrе lіkеlу tо choose your site whеn thеу ѕее іt іn SERPs.
Great titles саn bе іn thе form of a Question or Solutions to Problems.

6. CREATE CATEGORIES:
Whеn you do this, thе pages wіthіn еасh group wіll rank іn SERPs fоr thеіr keywords оr tags. Avoid uѕіng thе same category titles аѕ page tags tо kеер thеm frоm overlapping.

7. LINK TO PREVIOUS, SUCCEEDING AND RELATED POSTS:  
Dоіng thіѕ allows search engines tо crawl your site properly and index relevant content. It аlѕо helps your readers tо spot related topics.

8. USE WEB ANALYTICS: 
With thіѕ tool, you wіll knоw which readers are linking to your blog, your posts with the most links and search terms used to find your blog.

9. MAKE SURE YOU STAND OUT:
Write stories thаt you knоw wіll gеt people talking. Don't be afraid to stir up some controversy, Sоmе bloggers hаvе earned money and exposure by dоіng so. Thеn again, you hаvе tо prepare yourself fоr any negative feedback, whісh mау соmе your way.

10. LINK TO OTHER BLOGS:
Choose blogs thаt hаvе thе same interests оr biases аѕ you. You саn mention раrtісulаr posts and explain your reasons fоr approving оr disapproving thе writers’ views.

11. ENCOURAGE INTERACTION:
You саn organize contests оr polls оn your blog tо attract mоrе readers. You саn аlѕо start conversations оr аѕk fоr opinions оn thе hottest issues tо promote active participation.

12. BE CONSISTENT: 
You wіll earn greater trust whеn you hаvе strong beliefs and unswerving biases. Aѕ a result, оthеr people wіll wаnt tо share your viewpoints.

13. SUBMIT TO GENERAL DIRECTORIES:
Whеn your blog links арреаr оn leading sites, search engines wіll соnѕіdеr your site credible and worthy оf high ranking.

14. BUILD EXPOSURE AND CREDIT:
Thе mоrе users lооk uр оn you., thе mоrе you wіll obtain Google’s (and оthеr search engines) vote оf confidence.

Aftеr gоіng thrоugh thеse SEO tips, you might have noticed thаt ѕоmе оf thеm require some expertise. Thеn again, you hаvе nоthіng tо worry about. You dо nоt acquire success wіthіn a day оf blogging.
Thе mоrе you gеt thе hang оf it, thе easier іt wіll bе fоr you tо gеt thаt top position іn SERPs.

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Local-Mobile Ads: Search Behavioral Targeting Provides Biggest Lift

Close to 95% of national advertiser campaigns now use some form of location targeting in mobile, says xAd in its 2012 year-in-review report. The study notes that locally-targeted campaigns performed significantly better than industry standard metrics. Among the available audience targeting tactics, search behavioral targeting providing the biggest lift, at 60%. Close behind, place-based targeting showed a 55% lift over the benchmark.                                             

Throughout 2012, though, place-based targeting (targeting users that are in or around specific places of business) was the most popular form of audience targeting, leveraged in 67% of campaigns. Comparatively fewer used search behavioral targeting (20%), although it grew 212% between Q1 and Q4, faster than any other form.

The study reveals that advertisers became much more sophisticated during the year: the percentage of campaigns using standard geo-targeting (zip, city, DMA) dropped from 64% in Q1 to just 13% in Q4. At the same time, the proportion using geo-precision (such as geo-fencing and geo-specific behavior targeting) tripled from 27% to 81%. Verve Mobile noted a similar trend in its year-in-review study.

Other Findings:

• Restaurants were the top search category for 2012, followed by travel, health and beauty, retail, and professional services.
• The top advertising categories for the year were telecom, financial services/insurance, and travel.
• New York was the top city for mobile search activity, though the South led regionally with 4 of the top 10. And while San Francisco was the most targeted city for mobile ads (in terms of impressions served), the South and the Midwest tied for regional honors.

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Loyalty Rewards Kiosk’s helping The Growth of Local Businesses

The new software is a fully automated Text Message based Customer Loyalty Program that links the use of mobile phones and tablets in order to grow local businesses enabling business owners to effortlessly build 

their SMS contact list on the fly whilst their customers go about their business as usual.

Business owners are able to instantly reward their customers for their visit to their business, or for any purchases that they have made on the day.

 When the dreaded "slow business times" come business owners can send SMS / Text messages to all their customers in just seconds to "call" them back to the business for any offer, sale or event that they run for them.





 Loyalty Rewards Kiosk’s puts the business growth in tablets that can be used in any type of business that primarily relies on walk-in-customers. With a Loyalty Rewards Kiosk the use of tablet PCs in business receives a money making element. So now it's not only cool and fun to use a tablet PC - now it is an intrinsic part of a business strategy to use a tablet that in some industries will make it an absolute necessity to tie the use of tablets into the sales process.

My NYRewards is a New York based company whose clients have had great success with this customer loyalty rewards kiosk program. Here's one case study from Central Park Auto Wash in Yonkers, NY.

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Successful Mobile Search leads to visits and sales

Over 50% of local searches are performed using mobile phones and 70% of these result in an action within one hour. This means a phone call, visit or purchase.

The introduction of Google+Local means that a listing here can rate a local business above most national brands.

85% of Smartphone users have searched for local businesses.  We can help you make you more visible to this new source of business which has grown by 400% since 2010. 

So, sign up for Google+Local, make your site visible and get noticed by new customers.


What's different about mobile search?

Consumers use mobile search differently from static searches.  They are looking to satisfy an immediate need from a business near to them.  They want to find a coffee or a hotel or a bar or a salon which will provide them with what they are looking for right now.
Research suggests that they do not spend a long time browsing but they do like a rich visual experience. They do not waste time with websites which are difficult to read or navigate or which are too cluttered.
 They are in a hurry. After locating a business on their phones 40% visited in person.
This gives you a fantastic opportunity if you have the simple tools to take advantage of it.

Google+ Local

Google is leading mobile search with the introduction of Google+ Local which is a free directory of local businesses. You just need to sign up.

The Vital Difference

What is so important is that Google are now placing Google+ Local listings on the first page of their search results.
Google + Local results are placed even higher on mobile phone searches giving a clear advantage to local businesses.

                                           
                                           Social Recommendation

Brands know social recommendations such as 'tweets' and Facebook 'likes' drive sales. Google+ Local search ranking are partly determined by these recommendations.

Up to 50% of all social recommendations now come from mobile devices. Your App allows one- touch access to social media to fully exploit its potential.

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Facebook Released Timeline For Business Pages Today!

Top Highlights of the Facebook Timeline for Business Pages:

Cover Photo: here is your billboard. Use the photo (851 x  315px) to engage users and present images with which they will positively respond

Pinned Posts: You can choose a post to be listed at the top of your timeline for up to 7 days. Use this post to express your weekly specials, your unique selling proposition, etc. Make it interesting.

Photos and Videos: These are now more prominent than the standard profile photos. Photos and Videos increase engagement among readers, so make them interesting and relevant to your audience.

Milestones: Create full width posts (photos can be 843 x 403px) for important events, achievements, and happenings in your business. Did you win an award, honor your 1,000th customer, open a new location? Create a milestone for it.

Apps: Page width for Apps can now be adjusted between the standard 520px to the expanded 810px.

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EMBRACING NEW TECHNOLOGY

Want to reach a broader audience, engage your current customers, and boost your profit in 2012?
Embracing new technology might be just what you need! QR codes aren’t exactly new, but they might be to you. And using them in your marketing efforts can help you reach customers in a unique and exciting way.
Whether it’s a new social networking site that pops up in 2012, another change to Google’s search algorithm, or new software that can enhance a users’ mobile site experience, don’t ignore the new technology the new year brings with it.
Instead, try some of it out to find what works for you. Adapt with the changing technology and your business will stay current and relevant to your target audience.
Tell us what marketipng strategies you're planning to use in2012

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2012 MARKETING TRENDS PREDICTIONS

Here are seven marketing trends we predict will define 2012:

1. Bottoms-Up: Customers First  2012 is the year  where customers will be showered by perks from the businesses they interact with. 
Also, consumers will reward brands that show more humanity owning up to mistakes and engaging in a two-way conversation with their customers rather than the traditional one-way monologue from the business spokesperson.
Takeaway: Your brand must rethink their sales, service and marketing strategies.

2. Continued Rise of the Mobile
We’ve explored a great many reasons your business should be thinking about mobile in our previous post: Is Your Business Marketing On The Move? If Not You Better Get Mobile. We should also note here, however, that technology will be pushing mobile one step further into a cash-less ecosystem of payment via that mobile tech.
Takeaway: Get a mobile website for your business and look into other mobile marketing methods.

3. Gamification of  Marketing Campaigns
Can you share, get points or unlock badges for it? These and other gamification aspects are the new motivators for customers who are increasingly engaged by interactive campaigns and purchasing models. Zynga is the go-to model for gamification ideas.
Takeaway: Study business models that include gamification, such as Getglue and Foursquare, and consider how these techniques could be applied to your business campaigns.

4. Social Business
Consumers will look to their social networks first to find out information about products and services. More tools for the measurement of social analytics will be released, and brands must use these tools to better understand their consumers. These insights will lead to the establishment of better connections with customers of all income levels.
Takeaway: Are you on the social networks? Do you know what is being said about your business? Get your social savvy on.

5. Mass Customization
Individuals are choosing their own content on their own terms. They will use technology even more to customize products for themselves and to manage their health and lifestyles. Consumers will also participate in surveys and campaigns as well to offer their own in-put about the direction that businesses take and the products they offer.
Takeaway: Reconsider your products and/or services. What level of customization do they offer? And what can you do to ensure more customized engagement with your clientele?

6. Channel Experimentation
Businesses like retailers will continue to experiment with their format, such as incorporating food trucks, pop-up stores and flash sales. Marketers and social strategists will see what kind of analytics they can collect through their various platforms and what sorts of content generate sales. Competition will encourage businesses to push the boundaries when it comes to promotions and campaigns.
Takeaway: As a business you must think outside the box. Now is the time to embrace new and innovative ideas.

7. Businesses Score Through Co-Promotion
Your business will do best to cultivate the co-promotion model. It’s social business on a business to business level where customers and clients will be influenced by recommendations and referrals.
Takeaway: Begin growing your network now, and support surrounding businesses to encourage overall community success.

Though the challenges to business in 2012 will be daunting, the progressive business will take social objectives mainstream and tie them to their overall business objectives. Engagement will be defined not by facilitated conversation, but the consumer’s overall takeaway value and the actions that result.

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