Posted by Jody Raines
Link building is an important part of any SEO (search engine 
optimization) program. Local search and getting links are one area of developing SEO for a website that are often overlooked.
This should be one the first things that is done, because it is simple and easy and can be accomplished quickly. Plus the results with inbound links from adding your site to a few free directories can be seen quickly.
Because Fridays during the summer months are sometimes unproductive, here are 5 sites where you can add your website and feel that you've accomplished something before you head out for the weekend!
5 FREE DIRECTORIES YOU SHOULD BE LISTED IN:
1. Google Local business listings are free! Be sure to add pictures and pick categories for your business listing. Use keywords. This is the listing that wills how up in the search next to the map...
2. Yahoo Also for business listings. Free for basic listing, which should be sufficient. Takes about 2 weeks to show up.
3. Bing Why not add your listing to the Bing local listing. Bing has grown in popularity as a search engine. It's free, and doesn't take much time. Note: site is not Safari or FireFox friendly, best viewed in (groan) IE.
4. Yelp Yes, the same place where you go to dish on a local restaurant also has a place to list your businesses. This is a neat social application - you can rave about others businesses and invite them to rave about yours.
5. Best of the Web The interface is a bit klugey - don't be discouraged. This is good inbound link and helps your SEO. It took me about 5 tries before it finally let me register - either didn't like my user name or felt I typed my email differently (which I didn't). Eventually it will take your info...
Give yourself about ten minutes for each site - but in under an hour, you'll have a good headstart on helping get found on Google, get found on Bing, and get found locally.
Posted by Jody Raines
Do you want to spice up your Internet marketing life and create some steamy sizzle on your site? They say that sexy sells... and lets face it, you want your website to attract more than furtive 
glances.
If you are struggling with what to do, to enhance your website's shape, and get back into the Google groove, here's a list of 5 to get you started:
1. Shake it up. When you put that old site together, you were logical and you covered all the bases. You wanted the reader to move through the site, starting at "Home", then logically reaching a conclusion at "Contact Us". Surprise - it doesn't work that way! Readers are not logical, and they don't want to read every word. What they want is what they are seeking - a slim-downed and attractive piece of the site. Focus on a sub-category of your business and define the keywords your clients may be using in their Google search. Every page should be unique and considered a landing page, with a clearly identified message and target. The more specific your pages and content, the better you will look in the eyes of your customer.
2. Trashy or Flashy? Google announced recently that load times for your site are now a metric that will be taken into account for your ranking. Slow dancing is sexy, slow sites are not. Why lose points on a site that is all show and no go. Simplify and streamline your page so it loads quickly. Of course if you prefer a site that is a beautiful monument, that's an option. On the other hand if you prefer a site that has hot leads, through traffic and conversion, go fast and keep it elegant.
3. Give it up. Yep. That's right, we are going to give away your secrets for free. Why? Because that's the reason your clients come to the site. They are seeking answers, and our goal is to position you to answer their questions. Of course, there is always more to know - if you client had all the answers they would do it themself. Maybe it's a webinar, maybe an ebook, or a guide? You have the answers... So, get started on a mission to position your content to appeal to your customer's needs.
4. Establish a relationship. Today's marketing is not just about telling your audience, it's about sharing with your audience and listening. Are you ready to listen? Do you have a way to monitor your brand? Are you able to make changes to your site as you learn more about what will appeal to your potential customers? Maybe now is the time to put together a site that will be more responsive or pro-active. It's the new way to do business in an Internet world.
5. Make the First Move. If you are waiting for clients to find you, it may take a long time. Organic SEO means creating compelling content that is keyword rich and appropriately positioned. Even though some clients will find you, think about where your clients may be and reach out to them. If you have a blog post that may appeal to a group, don't be shy - but tell the group you have some hot tips to share. But don't be salesy - that will backfire.
Overall, it's important to communicate and share. Offer great content, optimize your pages and blog, blog, blog.
Posted by Jody Raines
Search Engine Optimization is important for every website. It's the art and science of positioning a web site to be found in the search engines for specific keywords. Everything else being equal, the authority that your site builds through incoming links will differentiate and elevate your site in the ranking race.
So, what is the best way to build links? According to Matt Cutts of Google, there are ten ways you can effectively build links. He doesn't recommend all of these, but they all work:
1. Original Research. This can be as simple as keeping a diary of how effective your outbound email is, and what seems to get more opens or click throughs.
2. Newsletter. Information that you share in the newsletter is a great source for inbound links.
3. Social Media. Participating in the conversation in Twitter, Friendfeed and Facebook (among others) is excellent for link building. Get to know your customer and spend time where your customer is.
4. Get a blog. Establish yourself as an authority. Build up your blog to become a resource of information. Post great content or things that you find interesting or humorous.
5. How to's or Tutorials. Share information on how to do something and others will link to your info.
6. Build a resource or service. Open source applications that are posted have many inbound links and traffic. Do the work once, and they will come.
7. Good site architecture. Make sure your site can be crawled and indexed. Make it easy to get to your pages and be bookmarked.
8. Make a few videos. These can be simple as talking, but they are effective for generating inbound leads.
9. Controversial posts. This is not recommended, but it can be effective. Posting something controversial can get a conversation started.
10. Lists. Building lists of resources is also not recommended but can be an effective way to build incoming links.
To hear more about effective link building, here is Matt Cutts of Google explaining his thought on how to be effective: