WSI www Experts Trinidad and Tobago

The science of search is not really an exact science. There are factors that change and flow with time. One thing, however, is a constant. The keyword phrases you use could make, or break your SEO in Trinidad and Tobago.

The goal

Keywords or keyword phrases used in your online properties should be researched and tested. Determining which phrases are best is a bit like taking aim at a dartboard. It’s fair to say with some certainty that you will hit the board most of the time and score a few points. What everyone is aiming for, though, is that bulls-eye.

So just how can you score a bulls-eye with your keyword phrases? Where do they need to go? The process takes some research. You’ll also need to channel potential customers and conduct test searches of your own. Whatever tool you use to determine keywords, whether it’s Google Adwords or KeywordSpy, don’t stop there.

Tips

So often it’s the keywords with the highest search volume that grab attention of those wanting to improve SEO. But does high volume necessarily guarantee that they are relevant? Keep this information in mind when selecting keywords for your content:

•  High search volume also means high competition. It’s going to tough knocking older, more established businesses out of top page rankings. If you’re new, try some moderate volume search terms and then follow the rest of the ideas below.

•  People’s search habits may change over a period of time. Keep checking and make changes.One day the favored search term could be “heels”, but in time, that may shift to “platforms” or “stilettos”.

•  Long tail keywords will be more targeted. Casting a wide net is not always the best way to catch the fish. Get specific, and get the right consumer.

Once you’ve settled on some phrases, Search EngineLand recommends testing them out with a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. If you track the conversions from these words, you’ll have a better idea how close you are to finding the right words. Again, it’s the “not-so-exact” science of keywords for SEO.

Knowing where to place your keywords and what variations to use can also determine your success. Think in terms of product categories, and use phrases that are a natural fit to the page they are on.

Grab attention

Another “must” for improved SEO is to have unique description for display in a Google search. Often the display snippets you see are created by Google directly from the content on your site. Write an eye catching message with variations on keywords and phrases and you’re more likely to be noticed. Think of all words and word variants, phrases and descriptions that pull in your specific customer.

There is no definitive number, but sources at Google say there are roughly 1 billion searches conducted per day. They aren’t all be looking for you, but wouldn’t you like to get as many of those as are relevant?

Choosing the right keywords can unlock the door to more customers and conversions. If you’d like assistance form our experts on SEO in Trinidad and Tobago, contact us and we can work on keyword research and an online campaign for you.

Getting noticed by search engines takes work. The myriad of strategies that exist can leave your head spinning.  Obtaining links is one key to improving your (SEO) search engine optimization in Trinidad and Tobago. What is link building and why is it so helpful? In this post we will explain link building and provide some tactics you can use to get started on your link building journey.

What are links?

Links are connections to your web pages that help search engines rank your importance or relevance. They are also a practice that attracts potential customers to your site when they click on those links. There are natural link-building techniques, where people will share links to your content because it’s relevant, interesting and useful.

There are also paid strategies and outright requests for reciprocal linking. Think “I’ll link to you if you link to me.” This strategy, however, has lost favor a bit with the search engines. They figured out what’s going on and now “link swapping” is something you may want to avoid. Directories, have fallen a bit out of favor as well. It was just too easy and too crowded a space. There are still a few good directories left though, like Business.com and Dmoz.

Getting started

Before you begin the link building process, check your site to be certain that all internal links are in order and are relevant. You’ll want each link to be a legitimate passage to any page it takes you to within your site.

You’ll also want to get familiar with Google’s algorithm updates. These updates alter what the search engines look for when scanning sites. The rules are getting tighter on what is acceptable practice, and to what the bots will pay attention.

One way to create content that is linkable is to use latent semantic indexing. This method uses chosen keywords to enhance original keyword choices using similar terms.  Business2community explains that this allows for a domino-type effect where content can contain linked keywords out to other pages using the same words.

Blogging, social media, visuals, and educational materials can all be used to acquire links and help your SEO campaign. There are dozens of other strategies most of which are outlined by pointblankseo, that can be employed with mixed results. We boiled that down to the best, and easiest places to begin.

1. Blogging

A relevant blog builds internally, and works when you link out to other pages, or attract links from other sites to your blog. This happens naturally when you post something interesting, new, controversial, or extremely helpful. People will want to link to you as an authority, or to help back up their own opinion or assertion.

Your blog should be set up to an RSS feed so that people can easily access your updated content. There are services, like Feedburner (which has moved to Google) that can provide a custom RSS feed and management tools. Feedburner also offers helpful analysis from stats collected by the tool.

2. Social Media

Social links are viewed differently by search engines, but they do get noticed, so it is a strategic SEO move to include linkable content in your social postings.

Using profiles for linking:

Using your social media profile effectively can be a link building strategy that goes hand-in-hand with others. Include a link in the Web and the Bio fields of your Twitter profile. As long as they’re in both, people can link to you no matter which profile comes up in their search. Here’s a handy list from Kristi Hines at SEOgadget, of 15 websites that will automatically link to your Twitter profile.

Social Bookmarking:

This strategy will have some moderate success, but is a good place to begin. When people can link to you and “keep” and display that link (think Pinterest) it provides great opportunities. If you really want your blog to be seen, check  this list of top social bookmarking sites, like Digg and Reddit.

3. Visuals

People love visuals. They will attract more clicks than text, so providing visuals is another effective SEO link building strategy. Design charts and graphs based on helpful industry information you have. If it’s valid, people will want to use it and will then link back to you, especially if you ask that they do so. The same can be said for infographics.

4. Educational material

Provide links to your white papers, glossaries or even printable versions of “how to” guides. Case studies also generate interest, so make it possible for people to link to those materials.

Some other strategies you may want to explore include exporting backlinks  and broken link building.

In all of these strategies, be sure to use keywords that have been well -researched. That way, you will be targeting potential customers more acurately.

The final link

You’ll notice all the links to relevant and trusted information throughout this blog. By creating helpful material, those sites prompted linking opportunities. This shows the power of generating useful content as a link building strategy. Other tactics can provide benefits as well, you just need to know all of the options and how best to use them.

If you’d like help with your link building strategy, or have any other needs for SEO in Trinidad and Tobago, contact us and we can work with you.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in Trinidad and Tobago is not as simple as you may think.  OK, so perhaps you didn’t think it was simple, but just need to know what is involved. Keeping pace with all the challenges to successful SEO requires knowing what is important to you (your goals) and which elements you’ll need to include.

SEO is not just about keywords and links. There’s so much more to pay attention to. While achieving a high ranking in the SERP’s (search engine results pages) is a must, consider that click through rates (CTR’s) are equally important. Landing at the top of the page is great, but if people don’t actually visit your site, you aren’t making the most of the process.

Getting to the top & getting visits

There are several challenges to improving your search rankings. Some of them are more “behind the scenes” efforts. Others are more visible. What’s most vital is maximizing both elements through selecting keywords and creating descriptions that most accurately reflect what your site is about.

Achieving a top 5 ranking is nothing if people don’t click because you’re not at all relevant to their search. They also won’t click if you haven’t taken the time to write interesting or compelling text that will make them want to see more.

The tools

There are many tools in the box to help sites reach that desired high ranking. Here’s a brief overview of what’s involved in SEO in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Meta”

Some may say these efforts at meta tag optimization is less important than it used to be. This thought centers around the fact that Google no longer uses metadata for site rankings. But other search engines do, so don’t completely ignore this. Google does use meta descriptions to hone in on the relevant information on your site. Make certain you are “feeding” the engine the important information so it doesn’t hand pick it on it’s own.

The information about your site that is found in your meta keywords, and other information helps those engines identify what your site is about. That way, your site will come up in the SERP’s if it’s relevant  to the phrases used in the search.

Snippets source or machine code that clarify word meanings. These lines of text are helpful to users in a search because they help them see if the page is useful to them and their query. Search engines need to understand the page content in order to create these snippets. See Google webmaster tools on creating rich snippets.

 Keywords – consider what should go on each page… start out with broader terms, then work your way to the more specific on your home page. Don’t use the same ones throughout, instead select words that relate to the page, and can target a wider range of searches.

 Site navigation: Use keywords for determining page names and categories, and use them for page links. Make your site easier to navigate for the user, and employ keywords that will bring searchers to the appropriate page.

Video: Again, the use of the right keywords here is crucial. Syndicate your videos for a broad reach. The more you give the search engines to find, as long as it is quality, relevant work, the better off you’ll be.

 Social Media: It’s become an absolute necessity to be involved in social media for your SEO in Trinidad and Tobago. Aside from giving you better visibility, increased customer connection, and forum for relationship management, social media posts, if done thoughtfully, can boost your SEO. Using keywords and visuals gets you noticed by the search engines. Having your content shared and spread across the internet also improves your rankings.

 Quality content: There’s a lot of talk about quality content these days. Cranking out keyword stuffed articles and blogs, and poorly produced videos are not going to be rewarded by search engines. Being innovative, informative, and knowledgeable will.

Don’t just think of content as blogging. Videos, e-books, and reviews are all a part of the content realm.

 Keeping up with Google:  Google, while not the only game in town, is certainly the largest player. Watch for updates  regarding changes in their practices. Certain penalties and “regulations” can catch you off guard if you’re not working your SEO in Trinidad and Tobago properly. Check their site for the  “free weekly SEO news” for the latest information.

Finally

Overcoming the challenges of SEO in Trinidad and Tobago requires patience and effort. As frustrating as it may be, pulling your page up in the rankings does take time. It also takes using every strategy available, and maintaining those efforts. Coordinating your SEO efforts across all of these tools and tactics are what constitute good SEO practices. Doing it ethically will keep your site out of trouble.

Performers like an audience. Businesses like customers. No one wants to linger in the land of the unnoticed. This is why social media optimization (SMO) and search engine optimization (SEO) in Trinidad and Tobago are vital to your success.

Companies spend time, and often make a large investments in their brick and mortar shops or offices. More effort is pumped into developing a product or service that is highly marketable. There is even a lot of work put into marketing and advertising that should draw in customers regularly.

Tapping into the new behavior

In this day and age, however, even that isn’t enough. Think about it. You may be able to pull in some random visitors – think right place, right time. You may even get response from some ads you’ve spread about in local papers, magazines, even on TV and radio. But these actions are often hit or miss. People just don’t spend as much time reading papers or listening to radio. Where are they spending time?

They are online (see these facts from mindjumpers). There’s little doubt that today’s consumer behaves very differently. They use search engines, read blogs and reviews, and follow recommendations from trusted sources via social media. So being found doesn’t simply mean someone finding your store front as they walk down the street, or scan a phone book.

The importance of being found today hinges on efforts made to optimize your social media properties and search engine rankings. This is where employing good, ethical SMO and SEO in Trinidad and Tobago can help your business.

We’ve already talked about the way consumers behave. This leaves little room for doubt that a high ranking on a search engine page is your aim. If they can’t find you through search, all the well designed products and marketing won’t bring in the customers you need. To rank high in search, you need to develop several tools, or properties. You need to create opportunities for those search engines to discover you.

The website

First, your site needs to be easy to navigate, have a look that reflects your style, or industry, and that has content that can aid in search rankings. Page content and blogs using relevant keywords will attract the attention of search engines. Links and optimization of content also work to get you noticed.

You can read more about this in our recent post “3 Ways to Get More Out of Blogging For SEO in Trinidad and Tobago”

You also want to include RSS feeds, an easy bookmarking option, and even video. All work together to pull in more attention from those search crawlers, propelling your site higher in rankings.

Social Media

A social media presence is increasingly important to your rankings. Search engines use recommendations and likes to rank pages. The more you are talked about, referenced, and visible, the higher your rankings can climb. Going viral can create a buzz, and a flood of online activity that will grab the attention of search spiders.

A strong social media presence can also spread your message to audiences that may not be seeing your ads placed in traditional media.

Summary

So, do you want to be the street performer who is noticed and appreciated by passers-by, or do you want to be the headlining act in a highly publicized show? Taking advantage of the way consumers behave online is the key to gaining a broader audience. Using social media optimization, and search engine optimization in Trinidad and Tobago is not a “maybe” proposition. It is a must. That is, of course, only if you want to be noticed.

There’s no doubt that new, relevant content is the way to get noticed. There’s more to driving up your SEO in Trinidad and Tobago than posting any  blog, though. There are several elements you need to have to really make blogging for SEO work for you.

From writing the blog using pertinent keywords, to getting links, to setting your site to attract frequent spider visits, creating blog content can do a lot to help your rankings improve.

Along with improving rankings, a well crafted blog can boost your company’s reputation through mentions, links, and shout-outs on social media. Make no mistake, blogging is a marketer’s choice for SEO. In fact, eMarketer cites an SEOMoz survey showing that it ranked the highest (73%) for types of inbound content produced by online marketers worldwide this year.

 Getting Started

Step one:

You’ll need to do a little research on the keywords you’ll use in your blog. Selecting the words with the highest numbers in search won’t necessarily garner you more reads. You could become the little fish in the big pond. Try finding keyword phrases that have a moderate search number, or that are more specialized. These could actually yield more “serious” visits.

Typically, people entering 4 word phrases in their queries have a higher conversion rate. They really know what they’re looking for and need to find it specifically. Two, and three word phrases are still going to bring viewers, just make certain they have high traffic, but lower competition.

Step two:

Now, you’ll need to work on writing a blog that is interesting, relevant, helpful, or entertaining. In other words, don’t simply write to improve SEO. Have other motives in mind when you’re in the creative stage.

To be interesting, relevant, helpful, or entertaining, you need to understand your niche, know your audience, and think from their perspective. What do they want to read, or need to learn? How can you drive discussion, invite comment, or provide something new to your audience?

Step three:

Now comes the technical part. Improving rankings through clicks from organic search alone is difficult, and can take a long time. There are also ways to attract more attention from the search engines. Spiders, or crawlers, are programs that prowl the internet looking for content and add it to search engines. These crawlers work through connections, or links.

These links are created when another site links back to you. The more often that happens, the more often the spiders will come visit, thus increasing your presence in search engine indexes.

Getting those links requires that your content be worthy of being cited, or referenced. It also means creating links to your site on other properties. You can also submit pages directly to a search engine to request a spider visit. Wendy Boswell, a web research guide at about.com,  suggests submitting content to a human edited  directory -Yahoo is one- and other spiders will find it and add it to their database.

Wrap up:

Using a blog to improve your SEO in Trinidad and Tobago is well worth the effort. If your blog is well written, you can gain a reputation as a leader in your industry, or at least draw some attention by being useful to readers.

You can also gain attention from the search engines with well chosen keywords and links. Who knows, perhaps your blog will be re-tweeted or shared on social media, helping to further your reach, and your visibility in a crowded arena.

Let us know what you think.

There’s a lot to manage when it comes to improved SEO in Trinidad and Tobago. Talk with us, and we can help you figure out the best course of action for your business.

Improving your SEO (search engine optimization) in Trinidad and Tobago is likely at the top of your marketing list. After all, being found is the primary step to getting business in the online world. Much of SEO seems to be performed behind the scenes, and involves some technical know-how. An important piece of the puzzle, though, is right up front.

The content you place on your website needs to be optimized, or created with the best chance of getting noticed. To do that, there are several tools and strategies you can use. Developing a solid content marketing strategy should become your first priority. Once a successful plan is in place for content, search should fall into place.

What is content

The Content Marketing Institute describes optimized content marketing as: “deliberately producing optimized content based on keyword phrases that are driving organic search traffic and conversions.”

They add “ “Then delivering that optimized content to them in a relevant and compelling way to grow your business by socializing the content through your organization’s social network.”

In other words, discover the best keyword phrases, create content using those phrases, then help push the message about the content via social media marketing. Content includes:

•   website content
•   blogs
•   white papers
•   how-to-guides
•   news
•   case studies
•   press releases
•   events

The basics for SEO in Trinidad and Tobago

You may be wondering how to determine the best keyword phrases, and how to best use them in your content. One helpful tool you can use is Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Simply type in a phrase you want to work from, and it will show you the number of searches for that phrase, along with the competition.

If the search number is good, but the competition is fierce, try thinking of a related phrase that still explains your point, but is not quite as common. There may be fewer people using that phrase, but with lower competition, you’re more likely to be found on page one. Isn’t that the point of SEO in Trinidad and Tobago?

Use the keyword phrase naturally and thoughtfully throughout your content. You specifically want to place it in the following strategic manner:

•   The title
•   The first sentence
•   In one heading
•   The page URL
•   In metadata description

Your overall frequency of use should be anywhere from 1-3 percent.

Spreading your content via social channels

Search engines give weight to social signals in their organic search algorithms. Sharing, and creating relationships equals relevance. Relevance is a big factor for SEO in Trinidad and Tobago.

Once you’ve posted a blog on your website, or submitted a press release, you want to spread the word. Linking your content to social media will attract viewers to you. Establish your presence on various channels. Then tweet, post, and share your content, using the keyword phrase, and watch your content spread, and your search results improve.

Metadata, backlinks, and other strategies are the necessary ‘workhorse’ for quality SEO in Trinidad and Tobago. But optimizing content and spreading it along social media is the necessary show horse for getting you noticed.

Do you have a strategy for your SEO? Contact us today and discover the best way to get noticed.

It’s good to have a plan for things. When you go shopping, you make a list. When you look to renovate your home, you lay out an order for the tasks and who is responsible. The same thing applies to improving your SEO in Trinidad and Tobago.

In a blog post earlier this month we talked about why you should have an integrated blog on your company website. There’s more. This is one of those undertakings where you’ll want to lay out a plan rather than just jumping in, and MarketingProfs agrees.

Developing a strategy for your content requires some analysis. We suggest going back to the 5 questions every good reporter should ask.

•   Who are you targeting
•   What do they want to hear
•   How do you want to come across
•   Where will you get the word out
•   When will you publish content

Know your audience (Who)

This can’t be emphasized enough. The answer to this question shouldn’t be too broad. Really try to hone in on the specifics of the people you want to reach, and more importantly, the people who may be looking for you.

Provide something valuable (What)

Once you’ve established who should be reading your content, consider what it is they need to know about you and what you offer. Do they need to be educated about your business, or are they looking for details about services?

You  may sell all sorts of  kitchen goods, but your audience is predominantly looking for small appliances.  Try addressing various topics to help them make purchasing decisions for those items. Think about topics on maintenance, or great blender or microwave recipes.

Reveal a personality (How)

When writing content, gear it towards a particular “voice”. Do you want to come across as authoritative, helpful, or entertaining? Imagine what readers will think of your business based on the way your content speaks to them, is this the image you want to project?

Promote your content (Where)

Will you be posting a blog to your site and hoping an audience will find you through organic search? Establish some promotional tactics to help. Use social media to lead people to your blog, post videos to accomplish the same. Blog and video syndication will also boost exposure.

Lay out a plan for all of the above (When)

Determine if you need to post several times a week, weekly, or a couple of times a month. You’ll then need to coordinate when, where, and what. The best way to do this is through an editorial calendar. Take in information such as questions people are asking you, topics that are trending, or new developments in your business. Then lay out topics and accompanying social media posts on a calendar.

This is especially helpful in avoiding “writer’s block” or, if more than one person from your company is contributing to content.

Finally

Once you have a plan of action for improving SEO in Trinidad and Tobago through content, maintaining your company blog will be less of a chore, and  more of an enjoyable activity. One thing though, if you feel your plan is not quite on track, make adjustments.

You can determine the results of your efforts through Google Analytics, or KISSmetrics. These tools can track visits to your site so you can see what content garnered the most views. Polling current visitors is another good way to determine content.

Do you have a plan for your integrated blog? We can help you develop a strategy for content and social media, simply contact us today, and don’t forget to ask for a copy of Hubspot’s ebook: Ultimate Blogging For Business Guide.

• Having no value proposition – in other words, earning the top spot not because you actually belong there and are better than the competition. You can wind up making people angry when you don’t live up to that “number 1” slot.
• Segmented approach – not making sure your SEO related goals align with your company’s overall objectives. Leaving out segments of your business from the SEO campaign you’re constantly updating is not effective strategy.
• Getting caught in trends – focusing too much on tricks to boost rankings, rather than innovating and creating messaging that works to not only draw customers, but keep them.

It’s all business. Well, at least LinkedIn started that way. When people think about LinkedIn, they typically think about creating connections for job hunting purposes, for now, or in the future. More and more, though, LinkedIn has become an effective social media marketing tool. It can provide a means to share your links, help your search engine optimization (SEO) and share content with a like-minded, or targeted audience.

The basics
Launched nearly 9 years ago, with more than 135 million users globally, LinkedIn is considered one of the top 5 social media sites. Typically interaction on the site is business related. Users create profiles about their current and past employment, skills, and business interests. The site also offers avenues for people to engage in conversation around topics of interest, and to get feedback and business expertise from other connections and members.

Special features
There are several special features on the site, LinkedIn Answers allows users to ask questions of the LinkedIn community. In December, LinkedIn Polls was rolled out to groups. The LinkedIn application platform provides a connection to WordPress, TypePad, and Tripit, allowing members to post blogs in their profile.

Opportunities

Links

Interest groups are largely employment related, though there’s a wide range of topics centered around professional and career issues. It’s in these groups that lies link–building capabilities. Anyone can set up a group on LinkedIn to generate interaction among professionals. But be aware that there are a lot of Groups on the site, hundreds of thousands of them. If you can build a niche group of influencers and niche professionals, there could be benefits to your business. These people will likely pass on quality content to others in their sphere of influence.

Make your Trinidad and Tobago group stand out from the others by choosing an area that is specific, out-of-the-box, or at least not similar to others in your field. By starting a group, you are that group’s manager and because of the credibility that brings you, you are afforded more control in displaying your links, and hopefully those links will be spread. Socialmediatoday advises using a LinkedIn group 4 ways to draw more people to your site.

• Place your website link in the “about this group” section
• Send a weekly message to the group with a relevant link
• Add your site to the RSS feed in the News Section
• Begin a discussion and include your link.

Blogs/reviews
Drawing attention to your site by getting people to write about you is another means of building up your SEO.  Blogs are increasingly seen as trustworthy sources of reviews and opinions, particularly if they are from industry bloggers with a solid reputation. But how do you get someone to highlight you in their blog?

Mashable backs using LinkedIn to identify, and to contact these writers. Rather than going to standard search to find a blogger site, they suggest conducting a search on LinkedIn. While the search will be narrower, this could be a good thing, filtering out less business oriented results. Use keywords to find relevant matches, and target by location. Read their blogs and determine the ones you like.

Once you’ve gotten a list of people that could be helpful, be aware that contacting people you aren’t connected to on LinkedIn can be a challenge, especially if they are not a 2nd degree connection (someone connected to one of your connections.) Since many of them are likely to have a Twitter account, look them up by searching their “Name + Twitter” and try contacting them. Let them know you have read their blogs, and invite them to email you about an idea.

If you can provide a fresh idea, or a great angle for some content they can write about you, they may consider you and your business for a blog post.

The result
Social Media Marketing in Trinidad and Tobago is not always straight-forward and simplistic. It’s not just about creating fans, followers, and connections. It’s about discovering ways to leverage the social channels to improve your visibility and reputation. LinkedIn isn’t as dry as it may seem. While it may not have the customer-focused element, or obvious promotional opportunities as Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, it can become an effective tool for spreading your offerings through influential people that could have just the connections you want.

Want to know how to better utilize LinkedIn Mobile? Read these tips from Marketing Profs.

Are you using LinkedIn effectively? If you’re interested in a copy of Hub Spot’s eBook “How to Generate Leads Using LinkedIn“ Contact us and we can also help you come up with a strategy for your social media marketing.