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    Stand Out: Your 2015 SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing Guidebook: Increasing Website Traffic Series, #5
    Stand Out: Your 2015 SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing Guidebook: Increasing Website Traffic Series, #5
    Stand Out: Your 2015 SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing Guidebook: Increasing Website Traffic Series, #5
    Ebook296 pages4 hours

    Stand Out: Your 2015 SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing Guidebook: Increasing Website Traffic Series, #5

    By Greg Strandberg

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    About this ebook

    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be quite confusing. You’re going to find lots of advice out there, but not a lot that really gets you where you want to go.

    Where do you want to go? To the top of Google, that’s where.

    So how do you get there?

    You can start by buying this book. It’s full of the most useful articles from 2014, plus tons of commentary on them.

    In conversational, simple and to-the-point English you'll learn the proven secrets that allow you to:

    ·                 Create content that people and search engines love

    ·                 Discover the traffic-generating, money-making ways to conquer your niche

    ·                 Optimize your website, blog, and social media posts for the best search engine rankings, and conversions

    ·                 Use Social Media Marketing to boost your audience (without spending all day on social media)

    ·                 Use effective content marketing strategies to attract people from Google to your website

    ·                 Boost the speed of your site to draw and keep visitors, something Google loves

    ·                 Get hundreds of proven, insider-only and industry-secret tips that typically take years of surfing the net to figure out

    This book has the 2015 SEO and social media strategies you need in order to get ahead!


    ·                 Has everything you’ve done to rank higher on Google fallen flat?

    ·                 Does the next algorithm change make you toss and turn at night?

    ·                 Has that ‘proven’ niche let you down, and now all your time and money seems wasted?

    ·                 Are you starting to think that SEO is some kind of black art or bad juju, best left for others to endure?


    Stop!

    This action-packed and tip-filled book has the secrets and solutions that your site has been waiting for.  You’ll discover what experienced SEO, social media and content marketing professionals routinely do and say to get big-time clients to their sites, and so much traffic it just makes your head spin.

    You can do this too – this book tells you how, and it does so by giving you the best social media, content marketing and SEO posts from 2014 – plus great analysis on how they can work for you!

    So what are you waiting for? Buy this book today and get your site moving up the search results tomorrow!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreg Strandberg
    Release dateDec 30, 2014
    ISBN9781311859921
    Stand Out: Your 2015 SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing Guidebook: Increasing Website Traffic Series, #5
    Author

    Greg Strandberg

    Greg Strandberg was born and raised in Helena, Montana. He graduated from the University of Montana in 2008 with a BA in History.When the American economy began to collapse Greg quickly moved to China, where he became a slave for the English language industry. After five years of that nonsense he returned to Montana in June, 2013.When not writing his blogs, novels, or web content for others, Greg enjoys reading, hiking, biking, and spending time with his wife and young son.

    Read more from Greg Strandberg

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      Book preview

      Stand Out - Greg Strandberg

      STAND OUT

      Your 2015 SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing Guidebook

      Greg Strandberg

      Big Sky Words, Missoula

      Copyright © 2014 by Big Sky Words

      D2D Edition, 2015

      Written in the United States of America

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

      Connect with Greg Strandberg

      www.bigskywords.com

      Selected Non-Fiction

      Write Now! 20 Simple Strategies for Successful Writing

      Write to the Top: A How To For Website Content Writing and Increasing Website Traffic

      Sell Your Book: 75 eBook Promotion Sites That Increase Amazon Sales

      Design Your Book: 75 eBook Cover Design Sites That Increase Amazon Sales

      Visit My Site, Bitch! Unconventional SEO Tactics for 2014

      Tour Your Book: 50 eBook Promotion Sites That Increase Amazon Sales

      SEO & 80s Movies: An Old School Approach to SEO and Content Marketing

      Google+ for Authors and Bloggers

      65 Get Noticed.jpg

      Get more up-to-date tips in this 400+ page guidebook for 2016

      Available on iTunes and other retailers

      Table of Contents

      Introduction – Looking Back to 2014

      Part I – SEO

      1: SEO Basics

      2: SEO Experts

      3: Building Traffic

      4: SEO Tools

      5: Link Building

      6: Paid Search

      7: Local SEO

      8: Google Algorithms

      9: SEO Audits

      Part II – Social Media

      10: Social Basics

      11: Social Strategy

      12: Posting Schedules

      13: Twitter

      14: Facebook

      15: Google+

      16: Social SEO

      17: Social Marketing

      Part III – Content Marketing

      18: Content Marketing Basics

      19: Copywriting

      20: Marketing

      21: Psychology

      22: Content Strategy

      23: Images

      24: Infographics

      25: Promoting & Sharing

      26: Content Experts

      27: Videos & Podcasts

      Conclusion – Looking Forward to 2016

      About the Author

      Introduction – Looking Back to 2014

      In November 2013 I wrote a book called Visit My Site, Bitch: Unconventional SEO Strategies for 2014. That book looked at things like building authority and becoming a thought leader. But more than that, it looked back at all that’d been done so as to figure out what we still needed to do.

      Now we’re at a new year, and instead of dusting that book off, slapping a new cover on it and giving it a new title and short update, I thought I’d just write a whole new book, one that got to the bottom of the dilemma you’ll be facing in 2015, and that’s staying relevant.

      You see, everyone knows everything there is to know. Old tricks don’t work, new tricks do...but they’re so overdone that each is scrambling to find out what to do next. The playing field truly has been leveled.

      Or has it?

      – Is it still possible for some to get ahead where others fail, perhaps while even using the same strategies?

      – Is it possible for some to gain traction where others just spin their wheels, maybe while even presenting the same industry or niche information?

      – Is it possible for dedicated sites with quality strategies and persevering attitudes to do the impossible, not once and not twice, but all year, continuously, and the competition be damned?

      You bet your ass it is, and this book will lay out how you’re going to do that.

      So what is the intention of this book...why buy it, and then why spend the time reading it? Because let’s be completely honest here – you and I both know that the two to three hours you spend reading this is much more valuable than the money you spent on this book.

      Or am I wrong about that? Because if I am, then perhaps you shouldn’t buy this book at all.

      I’m going to be direct with you and I’m not going to waste your time. There will be plenty of books this year that’ll do that (most with an image of the SEO expert in the first few pages), and about 100 times more blog posts, emails and God forbid, conferences, webinars or team-building exercises.

      Oh yes, plenty of folks are gong to waste your time this year, and I do apologize about that. I, however, will not be one.

      What I will do is take the very best insight and expertise from this past year and put it all in one place for you.

      How can I do such a thing? Because each week on my website I do a content curation post call the Midweek Content Roundup. While I admit that I only did 40 weeks this year, that’s still quite a bit of useful information for you to digest.

      To make that info go down a little better, I’ve divided it up into three main sections – SEO, social media, and content marketing. Since we both know those are broad as hell, further subdivisions have been made, as you probably saw in the table of contents.

      This content will be presented just as it would on my website or yours, with relevant images, pertinent links and thoughtful insight. All in all, you’re getting both a recap of 2014 and a big jump on 2015.

      So get ready – 2015 is here.

      Part I – SEO

      SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Everyone is doing it now, even if they don’t know what it is and what it can do for them. It just is, and these articles will give you more ideas.

      Some of the things you have to realize are that social is such a huge part of SEO, but perhaps none more so than Google+...for the sole reason that it’s affiliated with Google. Sure, Facebook and Twitter might get more engagement or more linkbacks or even more conversions, but what if Google was driving more traffic to your site and getting you that exposure, or at least a level of exposure you’d not otherwise have?

      Google has a lot of power, and you want to make sure you have your website optimized for Google+. Really, why skip out on one of the main three social sharing channels?

      These ideas were hit upon in a September post called Time to Update Your SEO Strategy by Zak Jacobs on a September 4th post on Red Alien. You’ll want to take a look, and you’ll want to develop your own strategies. The chapters and articles in this section will help you with that, mainly because you’ll be meeting a lot of SEO experts...like Matt Cutts.

      ""

      Matt Cutts Videos

      Matt Cutts really has some pull, and when he speaks, SEO folks jump. Perhaps you often wonder about that, like I do...why people would do something so foolish? But then you probably also wonder why so many watch cat videos, or God forbid, puppy videos.

      Perhaps Matt Cutts videos are a step up from that, although I’m not wholly convinced of that, myself. And you can find out for yourself by visiting All of the Matt Cutts SEO Videos on The Short Cuts. Yeah, I’m not joking – this site has them all.

      These videos might not be date night material, but it will help you figure out things like...

      1: SEO Basics

      This section is just what its name implies – basics. If you’re new to websites and blogging and all the rest of it, this is your one-stop shop. You’ll get expert tips that will bump you ahead in line and move you up in class. Yep, you’re skipping all those standing back at the starting line, and I’ve got news for you – it’s alright to like it.

      Simple Website Concepts

      We forget some of the simple things when we’re rushing about after the more difficult problems. Starting new websites is something that many do, and when you want to do something like that it’s good to keep the tips and ticks Neil Patel outlines on Quick Sprout on April 9 in your mind, tips in his great article, How to Score Your Website’s SEO in 10 Minutes or Less.

      Patel listed eight steps that you should follow if you want to both improve your own SEO and know, and perhaps undercut, that of your competitors:

      – Step 1: Find out the domain authority.

      – Step 2: Determine the site load time.

      – Step 3: Check for a sitemap.

      – Step 4: Check the robots.txt.

      – Step 5: Check for meta content.

      – Step 6: Check for H-tags.

      – Step 7: Check for onsite content.

      – Step 8: Test keywords.

      For people working from home or even those in new positions that are a little unsure of how they got there, this is a great article with solid tips.

      The good thing about this method is that it’s free and quick, Patel notes in the conclusion. You don’t have to learn any special tools or purchase any subscriptions. You just need to do a little digging.

      That’s what a lot of content marketing is about these day – digging. You’re digging into your competitor’s – dare I say opponent’s? – content and you’re trying to figure out what makes it tick.

      Are they hitting untapped sub-niches or exploiting unknown long-tails? Have they hit upon a Eureka! of sage advice from some buried link? Or are they just throwing more resources at a problem you knew little about in the first place?

      After you do it a few times, it becomes almost reflexive to hit the keyboard shortcuts, do the searches, and check for the proper SEO elements, Patel says of his process for a quick diagnostic check of what others are doing. And perhaps this is the most telling of all. For if you’re just doing reflexive gestures, just going through the motions if you will, what else might you be skating by on? What might be skating by on you?

      Never forget that others could be doing this to you, and perhaps are already. Of course that assumes you’re worthy of any attention at all. Are you?

      New Websites

      Back on April 14, Kristine Schachinger over on Search Engine Watch wrote an article called SEO, Your Website & You: 5 Myths & 10 Tips. In it she outlined the following five myths that most new sites adhere to relentlessly:

      – If You Build It, They Will Come;

      – Link Building is Dead;

      – Using Google Analytics Lets Google Spy on You;

      – Ranking Doesn’t Matter;

      – Social is the New Link Building.

      Now, like most myths, there’s a bit of truth in each of those. I mean, if you’re George Clooney, building it might just be enough. And I’m sure for people like Justin Beieber, social is enough.

      But how about you? Eh...probably not. Most of the tips that Schachinger mentions in that article aren’t anything new – improve site speed, have specific content, deal with penalties – but they might be a place to start if you’re just starting out yourself.

      Effective Websites

      Kim George on Small Business Sense lays out a lot of what starting websites need if they want to be taken seriously. 7 Characteristics of An Effective Website includes having things like:

      – Great Website Copy with a ‘Clearly Identified Target Audience;’

      – Search Engine Optimization;

      – Lead Generation Magnets;

      – Contact Information that’s Prominently Displayed on the Website;

      – Clear Call-to-Action;

      – Easy Navigation;

      – Mobile Capability (Responsive Design).

      For most of you, that’ll be pretty basic stuff...at least a lot of it. But there are probably quite a few of you that see traits and characteristics from other disciplines, most notably marketing.

      Yeah, here we’re getting into what will be one of the biggest trends of 2015, and that’s companies combining their SEO and marketing departments, if they haven’t done so already.

      What’s the difference between SEO and marketing? There is none.

      Oh, there might have been last year and a bit before, but there’s not anymore. While I’m sure many of you will argue that, I just don’t see the point – other companies aren’t arguing about it, they’re stealing your traffic and therefore your customers, mainly because they don’t have hang-ups and you do.

      So start looking at the big picture, and if you need to take a few days off and get away from technology to do that, go right ahead. Because I’m going to tell you right now, 2015 is going to be tough, the competition is going to be smarter and more agile and quick to respond, and you’re going to have a lot of stress if you think what worked in 2014 is going to keep working 100% of the time in 2015.

      It’s called change, and it happens every second of everyday. You can run away from it, or you can embrace it. What do you think your top three competitors are going to do? That’s right, they’re going to walk all over you. So it’s time to produce results, and the best way to do that is to start thinking a little differently.

      ––––––––

      Website Content Length

      7 Hot SEO Tips and Tricks for Blogs was a great post put up on Razor Social in April by Ian Cleary. Like most numbered posts, we get a list of key points. Here’s what they are:

      – Internal Link Building;

      – Resolve Errors in Google Webmaster Tools;

      – Review Content that’s Not Ranking;

      – Consider Related Keywords;

      – Leverage Tools to Help with SEO;

      – Strategic Guest Posting;

      – Write Long Content.

      I especially like that last point on writing long content, myself. If you can write super high-quality short articles, then write them, Cleary says of this point, and he says this because it’s damn hard to provide a lot of value in a short article, so they don’t tend to get many links or shares.

      I wouldn’t tell that to Seth Godin, but then he’s probably paid his dues, huh? But let’s be honest, here – what do your own analytics tell you about your content size? Mine tell me that longer articles have a lower bounce rate, a longer on-page rate, and more social shares. I think this graphic here illustrates that nicely:

      Something I’ve begun to do on my own site is write out long drafts, save them for later, then come back and add to them. Of course list posts with ‘Top 25’ or something work well with this, because they seem never-ending.

      What helps me a lot is breaking up that text with lots of screenshots of what I’m talking about. I know you’ve seen posts that are 2,500 words with maybe one image at the top. It’s kind of intimidating, the thought of reading all that, isn’t it? But how about a post with images breaking up the text every 250 or 500 words? Those sure look a lot easier to get through, don’t they?

      This is what I call the Pizza Analogy, and I’ve been using it for more than a decade, ever since I ordered pizzas when I was a teenager. You see, it quickly became apparent to me that if I wanted to finish that whole pizza all by myself then I’d have to trick my mind. So I always ate the largest pieces first, and that way when I got to the final two pieces or so and my stomach was full, I could keep eating. For the prospect of eating a small slice is much more appetizing at that point than the prospect of eating a large piece.

      For your website content, try putting those large blocks of text first, or at least the largest. Experiment with this and see how your bounce rate changes – I’m willing to bet people will actually read your conclusion when it’s not bunched-up with other huge blocks of text at the bottom of the page.

      Website Tips

      I really thought that Keith Bartholomew on 70kft had a great analogy for how new websites should go with his infographic on the post The Homebuyer's Guide to Launching a New Website:

      This article has some tips on Content Management Systems (CMS), redirects, and analytics. There isn’t a whole lot of new information or anything earth-shattering, but I do like visual representations of thinking outside the box.

      SEO Tips

      A great article I saw on May 9 was by Eric Enge on Plus Your Business. In Your First 9 SEO Tasks, Enge had great ideas, both for content and for social sharing. You see, he had all nine points in a simple infographic that didn’t require people to click on it to read, didn’t make them go to a site, didn’t make the do anything! And you know what people like to do when you make it that easy for them? They like to share the hell out of it.

      Your First 9 SEO Tasks2

      There’s really no reason for me to repeat those nine points here, because it’s so simple for you to scan that. I would like to point out two points.

      – First, running a crawler on your site is when you use programs to clean up old 404 Page Not Found errors, something that could lower your site in the eyes of Google.

      – Next, get some simple spreadsheets with a list of your site’s content, and that way you can easily scan and check titles for duplicate content.

      Those are two tips from this article, one that has quite a bit of ‘em. And as you’ve probably noticed by now, many of these basic SEO tips and tricks sure change a bit depending on which article you’re looking at. It’s good to know them all, so this piece might be worth a read.

      Website Mistakes

      Matt Souza on the WPromote Blog had a great article on May 14 called Top 10 Technical SEO Mistakes – And How To Fix Them. The ten mistakes he laid out were as follows:

      – Lousy Site Structure;

      – Unfriendly URLs;

      – Not Using Title Tags Correctly;

      – Sites/Pages that Load Too Slowly;

      – Duplicate Content;

      – Poor Internal Linking;

      – Not Utilizing 301 Redirects;

      – Non-Responsive Website Design;

      – Robots.txt File Blocking Pages or Images from Being Crawled;

      – Soft 404 Errors and 302 Redirects.

      Wow, lots

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