Here is the Riddle - fill in the ( ):
A (first type of business, product or service) and a (second type of business, product or service) want you to link to their websites, unless you are a (the one thing they could have in common) salesman, I'm willing to bet they don't belong on your website.

I am looking for the best examples of two completely unrelated businesses and one thing they could have in common.  You can use play on words, or the same word with two different meanings for what they might have in common.  Keep it fairly clean please.  You don't need to know anything about SEO to participate!

What You Win:

1. Bragging Rights
2. Your business or website profiled in our newsletter and social media
3. $20.00 OFF any service with MC Design & Services, LLC!

See below an example from my article "A Message From Google You Don't Want to Get". 

Sorry, I just couldn't' resist the play on words.  Panda is the name that has been given to Google's release of changes to its algorithms to measure relevant searches last year, with updates still ongoing.  Below is a graphic that explains the timeline. (Thanks to Search Engine Land for allowing me to share it!)

Sites that farm content or reproduce content that can be found on other sites on the web are the target of this change.  Many sites took a hit earlier this year and had to scramble to improve their content or find other methods like subdomains to fight back after impact. Examples are Ask.com, EHow.com and HubPages.com.   The main take away from this, and what I have been stressing to my own clients this year, is that quality, original-to-you content is so important.  

I thought you might like to know what Google is looking for so you can evaluate your own website's content up against THE PANDA BEAR!

This is that soft and cuddly animal talking now...
"Our site quality algorithms are aimed at helping people find "high-quality" sites by reducing the rankings of low-quality content. The recent "Panda" change tackles the difficult task of algorithmically assessing website quality. Taking a step back, we wanted to explain some of the ideas and research that drive the development of our algorithms.

Below are some questions that one could use to assess the "quality" of a page or an article. These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves as we write algorithms that attempt to assess site quality. Think of it as our take at encoding what we think our users want.

Of course, we aren't disclosing the actual ranking signals used in our algorithms because we don't want folks to game our search results; but if you want to step into Google's mindset, the questions below provide some guidance on how we've been looking at the issue:

• Would you trust the information presented in this article?
• Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
• Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
• Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
• Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
• Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
• Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
• Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
• How much quality control is done on content?
• Does the article describe both sides of a story?
• Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
• Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
• Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
• Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
• Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
• Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
• Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
• Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

Writing an algorithm to assess page or site quality is a much harder task, but we hope the questions above give some insight into how we try to write algorithms that distinguish higher-quality sites from lower-quality sites."

I call it soft and cuddly because I am for this!  I want to know the authority of the author and where the content I am reading came from, otherwise I don't feel like I can trust it.  And the same can be said for your own company's content.  If someone else wrote if for you and the same exact information can be found on your competitor's website, what will compel your potential customers to choose you over them?

As always if you would like help with your search engine ranking and need an affordable solution MC Design & Services, LLC is here to help!  Contact Us.

There are a lot of abbreviations thrown around about how to get your website noticed.  The two main things you will hear that you need are SEO and/or SEM. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably.  But, they are not the same thing.

Here is an explanation of what they are:
 
SEO - Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is the employment of techniques to get your website found on search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo...even Facebook) on the top of the first page of organic links.

What are organic links do you ask?  Using Google as an example, they are all the links that come up as results to a search query just under the paid Google Ads on the top of the page.
Ex: If you were a plumber in Lansing, MI and someone in your area needed to find a plumber, they would go to Google or Bing, type in "plumber Lansing, MI" or "fix broken pipe Lansing, MI" and you would want your website or business information to come up in the links that are provided by the search engine.

Not all search engines operate the same, having assistance from someone who understands the elements your website needs for each of the "heavy hitting" search engines will help your standing.

SEM - Search Engine Marketing or Online Marketing
Search Engine Marketing is paid advertising such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc. OR campaigns to get attention or a buzz going about your business, which may have more to do with social networks (also search engines in their own right).

A lot of money can be thrown away on these kinds of ads.  Having someone who understands how search engines operate and determine what is a relevant result for a search, and how the average Joe tries to find information will save you money and time.  It also helps to know where to place these ads and what method of display is best for your audience.

Creating a buzz or following for your business takes creativity and knowing the current trends in the plugged in world. Social Networks are a good tool for this.

At MC Design & Services, LLC we will always recommend you pay close attention to your SEO standing.  We can help you decide whether dollars spent on SEM are necessary and how big that budget really needs to be.  From our experience we have seen clients benefit from our SEO service to the point that they no longer needed print or online ads.

Contact Us Today for a FREE Consultation! 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the employment of techniques to get your website found on search engines (google, bing, yahoo).
So how do you know if you need it?
Have you ever googled your business?
Do you come up on the first page by typing in your name and location?
If you do, congratulations, you have achieved the first and easiest step.  Now how will someone find you if they do not know your name?  Try googling your services or products you offer and the area you serve (the towns that you do business in).
Does your website come up at all or even close to the first page?  If not, you want to consider getting help.

With our SEO service we consider all avenues that people search, not just search engines, but whatever is generating the most searches at the time.  We analyze your website to make sure there is nothing about your website that is hindering the search engines from reading it, or visitors from staying once they get there.
Our team uses many techniques to get your website's message and links out on the world wide web.  We will consult you on what you can do to improve the situation, you can choose to do it yourself or have us do it for you.
The best part is that we are extremely affordable and know how to get results on the budget that you choose.

*Ask how to get some of your money back from advertising vouchers.

I recently had my first successful yard sale.  I got to thinking what did I do right this time that caused me to be in the black instead of slightly in the red as in previous years.  And then I realized it was the same principles that draw visitors/customers to a website.
 
1.  Affordable Advertising where people interested will see it.  I only paid 5.00 for advertising on my local newspaper's website and rest was done by posting on FREE yard sale sites and craig's list.
The same can be done for your website, pay only for advertising that will reach your target audience, where they will be looking (if you are a locally run business - advertise on your local community's websites).  And take advantage of all the free advertising available.
i.e. - facebook, twitter, social networks (more searches are done on social networds then google and bing) and websites that make sense for your business that offer free listing.  Don't post everywhere and anywhere - this is a red flag to search engines and could cost you ranking.

2.  Catch the eye of traffic.  For my yard sale, which was on a day when many others in my area were having sales, I posted signs on all the corners leading to my house.  In big bold, letters my signs read 25 cents & baby, because I wanted people coming to my sale who would say to themselves "it's only 25 cents so I'll buy a lot" and I also had big baby items to sell.  While I got a couple jokesters who were looking for the baby I was selling for 25 cents, almost everyone who came to my sale were people looking for what I had to offer.  When posting on the Internet about your business, you want to use the key words that describe what you have to offer, but you also want to do it in a way that will drive your potential customers to YOU, not someone else.

3.  Stand out above the rest.  In the past I have done yard sales with my sisters who have just as many children as I do, and therefore just as many things to sell.  I hate to admit this, but for some reason when my things were placed on the same display as theirs, their things were always chosen to be bought over mine.  This year I decided to do the sale myself.  How does your business become the only one among the choices?  Make it the only choice.  Make your website, services and contacting you accessible by doing frequent branded emails with useful information or offers and links to your website and email.  Keep posting on social networks, but make it fun and interesting.  Consider hosting a webinar where you give an informative presentation in your field.  

As always, we can help and you can afford it!  See our new services page for help with everything mentioned above.

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