You may not have to hire a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant if you know some basic SEO tips for your online business. The subject can seem intimidating at first, but keep the main purpose in mind: To rank higher in search engines. The more you know about SEO the better you’ll be able to serve your clients who may look to you as a resource. You’ll also boost your search rankings, which translates into more revenue for your business. Here are 4 tips that you can use today to improve your online business.
SEO Tip #1 – Choose 5 Years or More for Your Domain Name
It’s cheap to register domain names on an annual basis. If you’re a new business, it can be tempting to go for the $9 a year deal. The problem is that you’ll be making a big mistake. One of the basic SEO tips for online business that you should use is to register your domain name for at least five years. It sends a signal to the search engine that yours is not a fly-by-night operation, and that you intend to be around for the long haul. The search engines like that stability because yours is less likely to be a spam site.
SEO Tip #2 – Select Keywords to Target
Visitors to your website will arrive as a result of keywords and phrases they search for. Your goal is to choose a few keywords to target so that they can find you. Those keywords should be in your web copy, articles and blog posts and even in the URLs for your web pages. For example, if you want to target the keywords “Atlanta web designer,” then you need to include those keywords on various web pages and in articles.
SEO Tip #3 – Create Relationships
Implementing SEO tips for your online business involves the use and manipulation of technology, and it involves algorithms and other technical know-how. There is a human side to SEO that you should be aware of and capitalize on. You should make an effort to create relationships with other website owners, so that they will consider linking to your website. You’ll want to target websites that rank higher than yours, that are relevant and ones that are considered the authority in your industry. Don’t pay someone to get them to link to your website, because you will get blacklisted by the search engines. Get to know the website owners and make the content that you want them to link to valuable to their visitors. These links are referred to as inbound links, and the more you have, the more that search engines will reward you.
SEO Tip #4 – Don’t Act Like a Spammer
Spammers make it difficult for legitimate business owners to rank well in the search engines. If search engines have an inkling that you are one, they will ban your site or lower your rankings. One common technique used by spammers that you should stay away from is setting up numerous domain names and redirecting them to another website. The search engines may think that you’re really a spammer if you engage in this practice. Think of a solid domain name, stick to it, and work on targeting keywords on your other web pages and the associated URLs.
These SEO tips for your online business are a good start. Learn as much as you can about the tips and tricks so that you can drive more traffic to your website.
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A proofreader can make web copy shine, and clients will take your web design business seriously as a result. It never hurts to have a second pair of eyes review your work for grammatical and spelling errors. It’s easy to miss errors when you’ve spent hours working on a website. Hiring a proofreader can pay dividends, and here are 8 reasons why:
Reason #1 – Retain Clients
Some of your clients may jump ship because you’ve made a poor first impression. Web copy that contains errors will make you appear untrained and unprofessional. It’s hard to get clients, so if you can keep more when you hire a proofreader, it’s worth the cost.
Reason #2 – It’s Better than Spell Check
You might think that you can get away with using spell check in your word processor, but it does miss some things. For example, a common error is to interchange “you’re” with “your.” The spell checker may not pick up on that mistake, but a proofreader will.
Reason #3 – Save Time Learning Rules
When you hire a proofreader, you expect them to know the various rules of grammar. For example, a proofreader should know the rules about when to use commas in a list or before the word “because.” The time it would take you to research and learn those rules yourself could be time better spent on web design.
Reason #4 – Improve Your Writing
A proofreader will suggest ways to improve how sentences are worded. It will result in quality work for your clients. Working with a proofreader will also improve your writing after some time.
Reason #5 – Everything is in Cyberspace
Once you publish content online, it stays in cyberspace. Clients doing research on your company and looking for some of your sample work may come upon it. The last thing you want is for them to find poorly written web copy. You can avoid losing prospective clients when you hire a proofreader to make sure that everything you publish online is your best work.
Reason #6 – Spare Yourself the Pain
If writing and editing is not your strong suit, you can spare yourself some of the pain by hiring a proofreader. It can be frustrating to review content multiple times to ensure accuracy because it’s not the work that you’re accustomed to. A proofreader is used to it, and many even enjoy it.
Reason #7 – Outshine the Competition
The truth is that too many web designers publish work that contains spelling and grammatical errors. Prospective clients do take note of that and will pass them by. When they come across your work that contains quality writing, they will be more likely to hire you. It’s a simple step you can take to beat out the competition.
Reason #8 – Don’t Frustrate Customers
A typo on web copy can frustrate the customers of your clients. It’s easy to transpose digits in a telephone number or write the wrong email address that can result in lost business to the clients you’re designing the website for. A proofreader can verify contact information to make sure that it’s accurate.
Before you hire a proofreader, compare their prices as well as their experience. Try to find someone who charges a flat rate so that you know how much to budget.
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This guide starts right at the very bottom, assuming no knowledge at all, and walks you through all basic aspects in 30 illustrated pages.
Photoshop can be quite difficult, if you throw yourself at it without preparation. You’ve probably got no clue how everyone gets that wizardry done! Don’t despair, check out An Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop. Among other things this guide shows you how to cut out items, remove the background from an image, make an image black and white, add a fake tattoo, crop and merge images, whiten teeth with the dodge tool, remove red eyes, work with gradients, create a water-like image reflection and more. Also with this free guide you will also receive daily updates on new cool websites and programs in your email for free courtesy of MakeUseOf.
