Miami SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Starter Guide

You've now completed and launched your website. Now it's time to do some marketing to enhance your visitor rate.

If you've read any online marketing blogs or articles, you've probably heard of search engine optimization. But do you understand what it is and what is does? Do you know why your website needs it and why it is one of the most effective methods of making your website more visible to your target audience? If your answers are no, then it's time that you learn more about search engine optimization.

Types of search engine optimization techniques

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a method of preparing your website so that it provides high-quality content and attracts a larger volume of high-quality traffic. Although search engine optimization strategies are always changing and offer no guarantee, the results of their application are often tremendously successful.

When optimizing your website, you should always use ethical "white hat" search engine optimization techniques rather than "black hat" search engine optimization techniques like keyword stuffing, using invisible text and creating fake pages that are not visible to users. Black hat techniques aim to manipulate search engine spiders on a short-term basis. They often backfire. Once search engines notice that your site uses black hat SEO techniques - and they will notice - your site will be banned permanently. Then, it will be almost impossible for anyone to find your site without first knowing your web address.

White hat practices, on the other hand, require the incorporation of highly informative and well-focused web content that is truly helpful to your target audience. These techniques make your website more accessible to search engine spiders, and they follow search engine guidelines. As a result, their benefits are long-term.

Why use search engine optimization?

Studies show that the typical search engine user only views top-ranking search results. This means, they simply skim through, looking for relevant headlines and summaries. They rarely look beyond the first ten results, and they view subsequent results pages even less frequently.

Using search engine optimization will help your website rank higher in organic, or free, search engine results. And, as stated, a high rank in organic search results is important if you want your website to be seen.

How do you apply search engine optimization

Search engine optimization is not easily learned. The process entails many layers and the rules are always changing. In addition, periodic updates are necessary.

To save time and effort, many website owners hire search engine optimization experts to optimize their sites. The initial cost of optimizing your site may seem high. However, you must keep in mind that the impact of optimization is powerful and lasting. So in the long run, search engine optimization is generally less expensive than many offline and online marketing strategies.


Our SEO Services

SEO

First we provide Miami SEO Target Keyword Research and Competitive Analytics. Then we examine your web site and Optimize Semantic Site Structure, Title, Meta Description, Keyword Density, Content, and more.

Pay Per Click

Paid search marketing includes pay-per-click ads, contextual advertising and other media display advertising. With our professional experience, these sponsored results can dramatically increase your website exposure and sales.

E-mail Marketing

Our experts can help you get the most out of E-mail Marketing. We design HTML email that renders consistently across email viewers. We also build and deploy Dedicated E-mail servers, provide Campaign Management and more.

Link Building

Ongoing Link Building (Off Page) from Blogs, Social Media, Press Releases, Articles, Link Directories, Forums, Sponsorships, Business Partners, Suppliers, and other sources.

Social Media

We Get You Likes. Generate a targeted following of fans for your business with a custom designed and professionally marketed Facebook page. Social media designed to deliver results and managed daily to give you more fans and interaction.

Reputation Management

Has your reputation been damaged online? All it takes is (1) negative review to harm your business. We can help. Contact us today to discuss solutions to create and maintain a positive online reputation for your business.


SEO Services Guide

Looking for Miami SEO? Lucky for you, we have you covered. To start you will find our guides available below if you are looking for specific information.

Internet marketing case study

To increase traffic to our client's web site, they needed to rank for Geo Targeted keywords for their industry. After less than acceptable performance from several search marketing firms, They came to us to drive their campaign from scratch. Here's their Google traffic report.

case study

Organic Search Traffic

  • June 2015 (START): 534 visitors/mo
  • June 2016: 21,136 visitors/mo

Thats a 3,858% increase in traffic

Learn How Miami SEO works

  • Research and identify the highest searched keyword(s) to target based on search traffic data
  • Code web page(s) for chosen keyword(s) and create quality content
  • Build quality inbound links from related external websites

How to target effective keywords

Choosing the right keyword isn't as simple as guessing or copying your competitors keywords. As a matter of fact, it's easy to choose the wrong keywords. Keywords which bring little to no search traffic per month. It's not uncommon for companies to unknowingly waste months to several years pursuing worthless keywords.

When selecting keywords you need to strategically select keywords that generate the highest Search Volume per month. We help you identify the best target keywords for your specific industry based on aggregated data - not the opinion of a so-called guru. Why? Because Google® and other search engines use algorithms based on data to deliver generate their results.

Our SEO team provides all of our services based on best practice. We provide this valuable keyword research service as a courtesy when you request a Free report.

What is a backlink?

A backlink is an external web site that links to your site. Google is like an election, and sees a backlink as a vote for your site (Link Popularity). Generally, the more quality backlinks you have the better your site will rank.

A few key factors that will help you rank better:

  • The number of backlinks from different domains
  • The quality of those backlinks
  • How old your backlinks are

When it comes to ranking high for organic search results, Google® is 1 big popularity contest.

The reality is you cannot win this game overnight for organic listings. Google® keeps a sophisticated algorithm in place for quality control purposes, and to keep businesses paying for Sponsored Listings (Google's® primary source of revenue). Page 1 organic listings for competitive keywords is reserved for Big Commercial Brands, and domains that have earned their way into Google's® trusted circle.

How search engine optimization doesn't work

  • Guess which keywords to target based on opinion
  • Simply build "quality content" like Google® tells you to
  • Then sit back and wait for your site to rank and traffic to come

Hope you like the sound of crickets...

You can create all the "quality content" you like. Unless you're targeting a super niche keyword with zero competition, No one is going to find your site thru search engines. With no traffic coming to your site from search engines how will anyone see you have quality content worth linking to. If your site isn't optimized, and doesn't have quality backlinks, It won't rank for competitive high traffic keywords against competitors that have decades of quality backlinks built.

Therefore you'd have to get traffic from resources other than search engines first. Perhaps you know or you are an expert viral marketer with connections to massive exposure resources. Even if you get massive traffic, websites are still unlikely link to you. How often have you built a link from your site to an external site you thought had "quality content?" Probably never. It takes hard work to get or convince quality sites to link to you. This is where we come in.

bananas

We drive competitors bananas!

Our experts know all about driving competitors bananas. We outrank millions of competitors for high search volume keywords on Google. Our strength is generating leads and opportunities for your business. Fill out our simple form or call us today, and see what we can do for your company. Searching for search engine optimization or other marketing solutions? You've come to the right place. Whether you are starting out fresh, or need to overhaul an existing search engine optimization strategy - Our search engine optimization services incorporate all the tools you need for an effective campaign. Consider us your SEO Services HQ.

Organic listings vs sponsored listings/ads

When you perform a search the first few listings are usually sponsored results. Sponsored Listings also appear on in a sidebar. Sponsored listings are usually a different background color with the words "Ads" or are indicated by small "Ad" icon. Advertisers bid against each other for prominent positions. Basically whoever is willing to pay the highest amount per click (PPC) get's the top position.

Then you have Organic Listings. Organic Listings are generated by Google's Search Algorithm to provide users with the most relevant results. Statistically, Organic Listings are more effective and have a higher conversion ratio.

Which one is right for me?

If you're budget allows it, it's best to have both a Sponsored Listing and Organic Listing. If you need results right away, and you're budget allows it, you should go with a Sponsored Listing. Overall, you'll want to invest for the long term to reap the rewards that come with a high ranking Organic Listing.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click)

Pros

  • Instant results: You can pay to list your site in the top results within 24 hours.
  • Control: You can target keywords, and geo locations with fine precision.
  • Flexibility: You can add/remove keywords as needed. You can cut keywords that aren't performing.
  • A/B Testing: Having instant results will allow you to A/B test campaigns more effectively.

Cons

  • Cost: PPC is often very competitive. PPC puts in a bidding war with competitors for each keyword.
  • Complexity: Setting up a campaign is very complex and it's easy to make costly mistakes such as improper keyword targeting.

SEO

Pros

  • Free traffic: In some cases, such as a blog or news site, it may drive significant search traffic.

Cons

  • Time: It take months to years to rank for even a low competition keyword. The fact is most sites never break through to page 1, let alone within the 1st 10 pages/100 results.
  • Targeting: Targeting is broad and unpredictable. A significant amount of the traffic to your site will be unqualified.
  • Unknowns: You really have no idea if the keyword you're targeting will drive adequate traffic, and how it will perform.
  • Inadequate traffic: If you finally reach the 1st position you may be disappointed to see that there's not nearly as much traffic as you had expected. When Google's data shows a keyword generates 3,000 searches a month, you'll find it's a highly skewed estimate when you're only generating 25 visits per month. How can it be so far off. Odds are the 3-4 ads running above position 1 are capturing all the traffic.
  • Commitment: Once you target a keyword, you're married to it for the long haul. Sure you may rank for similar keywords, but you'll never rank #1 for all. If you ever reach page 1 then end up with inadequate traffic, you can't just change keywords. It's time and money wasted. It's not uncommon for competitors ranking #1 to also be advertising. Chances are they wasted time and money on organic SEO too.
  • Unpredictable: Google regularly changes their search engine algorithm to prevent anyone from gaming their system, and positions fluctuate constantly. Methods to rank today may not work tomorrow.

Conclusion

Unless you run a news, or blog site, Pay-Per-Click is the clear winner. PPC and advertising in general is extremely complex from end to end. Hire us to manage an effective PPC campaign for your business.

How long will it take to get to page 1?

It all depends on the competitiveness of your target keyword(s). It can take as little as a month to years. Google's® sophisticated algorithm adjusts results slowly and randomly. Google updates their algorithm regularly to prevent companies from gaming their system.

The time required to rank depends on a number of factors including:

  • How old your domain is
  • If your site is professionally optimized
  • How many competitors you're up against (Search Results)
  • How many backlinks you have (if any)
  • The quality of your backlinks
  • How old your backlinks are

Example scenarios:

Older Domain, Optimized with Backlinks
If you have an older domain (6 mo and older) and are already ranking in the 1st (2-10) pages, you've already broken the ice and have a stronger chance of ranking quicker. We can give you the extra push you need to get your site to the top. We can acheive positive results in as early as (1) month.

Older domain
If you're not ranking at all for your keyword, you may have some on site optimization issues that are harming you're site from being indexed properly. We can correct this. You may not have any back links built to your site. Google is pretty much one big popularity contest, more so than high school, and back links are a vote for your reputation. Once your site is optimized, We can begin building back links. We can gain positive results in as early as (1-3) months.

Brand new domains typically have to "wait" longer before they can rank for keywords. It requires 3 - 6 months on average before you can expect to see positive results.

Competiton

How many listing/competitors rank for your keyword is another factor. Are you up against (50,000) or (100,000,000)? When the competition is (50,000) or under (3) million you can expect promising results within (1-3) months. If you're competing against (10) million or more you'll need to battle for a year or longer. Especially if you're starting from scratch. Starting from scratch, we've managed to move our client's businesses on page (1) inside a year up against (70) million+ competitors.

consultation

Need quicker results?

If you require results now, and your budget allows it, you can buy your way to the top. The solution is to employ a Google AdWords Pay Per Click Campaign. We can have a sponsored listing for the 1st spot in as early as 1 day.

While Google Adwords seems D.I.Y., we strongly advise having an expert manage your campaign. It's very easy to lose your shirt if you don't know exactly what you're doing. We can assist you tackle your campaign, reach new customers effectively, and maximize ROI.

Avoid any search engine optimization company that claims they are able to get you on page 1 for a competitive keyword overnight for organic listings.

This is a common practice amongst Shady search engine optimization companies that operate outbound sales rooms.

One example of how they scam you:

Shady search engine optimization company charges you say $300, then they spend $10 of that on a Google Sponsored Pay-Per-Click Listing. Then they say "look we got you on page 1." Then your Pay-Per-Click listing drops after 1 or more clicks, and they pocket $290.

Blackhat, whitehat and other colorful headwear used to describe questionable practices of some SEO companies.

black hat seo

Blackhat, Whitehat and other colors are often used to describe the practices which search engine optimization companies employ.

Blackhat usually refers to employing unscrupulous techniques for search engine optimization. One of the oldest blackhat practices is keyword stuffing. Keywords are hidden in a page's code that is not visible to users to trick the search engines.

Some common places keyword stuffing occurs:

  • meta keyword tag (Google has ignored this tag for years)
  • text areas of forms
  • making text the same color as the background
  • using negative margins to position text far off the browser's boundaries

Google® is wise to these shady techniques nowadays, and using them will quickly get your site removed from results. Even today unqualified search engine optimization companies employ these "ancient" techniques, and their clients suffer the consequences.

Some Blackhat search engine optimization companies use risky automated backlink building software. Software capable of building thousands of links in no time at all. The software seeks out and spams blogs, forums, and just about any online form that you can insert a link into. Again Google has wised up to this behavior and will flag your site quickly for removal.

Whitehat is considered to be the honest Google® approved method of getting your site to rank. At least that's what self proclaimed whitehat companies believe.

Some methods so called whitehat companies use:

  • Purchasing Sponsored links
  • Paying Press Release publishing sites for backlinks.
  • Getting backlinks by paying off guest bloggers.
  • Creating content and networks of Blogs, Social Media Sites, etc that interlink between each other and your site.

Sounds pretty innocent, but at the end of the day, they are trying to manipulate the search engines. These so called whitehat techniques have gotten sites penalized severely as well.

In closing, It's all blackhat because you are attempting to manipulate the search engines. There's just varying degrees.

What's the option for playing by the rules? Google® claims all one simply has to do is create great content, and it will rank. That may work for super niche keywords, but it has yet to work for competitive search terms. Your best bet is to forget about hat colors, and have a healthy balance of several methods. Great content, excellent on page search engine optimization, and quality backlinks.

Is your ranking on Google® accurate?

ranking on Google

So you see website is on page 1 for your target keyword, yet you are still not receiving any calls or emails? Chances are you aren't on page one and your results are being skewed by Google's® default web history feature.

About web history
Web history is a feature implemented by Google® that personalizes users results based on their web activity. Sites you visit in a search are promoted to show up higher in the results the next time you search using the same keywords. While the intentions is good, it skews your results, and then you have no idea what a new user searching for the first time will see. The solution and a good practice is to disable web history.

How can I disable web history?

  • 01. Visit Google® and perform any search.
  • 02. On the results page, click the gear icon on the upper right.
  • 03. A drop down menu will appear. Click "Web History"
  • 04. Click "Disable customizations based on search activity."

Note: You have to do this each time you sign out of a Google account.

Solution 2: Use (2) browsers
We recommend using Safari signed out with web history disabled for most web surfing. Then use Firefox at the same time signed in to manage AdWords and other Google® products.

And there you have it. Now you can see search results the way the real world sees them. Now you can see where you actually rank and get an accurate view of the competitive playing field.

Reach a larger, more targeted audience with search engine marketing

Your Web site is up and running, so how can you make yourself more visible to a more targeted audience? You can try using search engine marketing (SEM), or pay-per-click advertising. SEM is a paid service. It allows you to place online ads near top search results. With SEM, you are required to pay whenever your ad is clicked. For that reason, choosing the right keywords is vital. If your keywords are too broad, you’ll end up paying for clicks that don’t result in transactions. If your keywords are too specific, you may not receive any clicks at all.

Google Ads quality score... a waste of time?

Google Adwords quality score

After years of running successful adwords campaigns with conversion ratios averaging 40-80% we can tell you with confidence not to waste your time trying to build a landing page with a perfect quality score (10).

The number one reason you shouldn't waste your time.

Google does not demonstrate an example page with a perfect quality score that you could build off of.

We wasted plenty of time trying to make a Landing page with a quality score of (10). It's supposed to translate to lower costs per click. So we followed Google's vague instructions as close as possible. Use your keyword for your campaign name, ad group, etc. Make a landing page relevant to your campaign, ad group, ad and keywords with proper use of html tags. We also followed advice around the web such as add privacy policy, terms of use, etc.

The highest we scored initially was always (7-8). And sometimes that score would be as low as (3) without changing much. We found if you edited the keyword (ignoring warnings of losing stats), and saved, your quality score would change back to (7).

Then we gave up, and ran (1) campaign, (1) group, (1) ad with a bunch of relevant keywords. We found that quality score fluctuated throughout the campaign. Within a few days some keywords had a quality score of (10) for no special reason. The savings was not significant. Then the score changed back to (7), and continued to fluctuate up and down randomly without anything else changing.

So once again. Don't waste your time playing Google's Mysterious Quality Score game. Concentrate on building a landing page that will convert traffic into sales. Then use a set of targeted keywords from (1) ad, and play around with different designs and ad copy until you find your sweet spot.

South Florida search engine marketing services

We provide full service marketing for clients in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach counties. We also provide services for clients throughout the U.S. Contact us to get your business on Google today.