How is a pick pocketer like an online hacker?

Offline it may happen like this: Someone accidentally bumps into you and, the next thing you know, your wallet is missing.

Online you may not even know it is happening, but if someone does find out your password (for your website, your email account, your Facebook account or worse…), they can cause lots of damage:

• They could steal your money or personal, private information
• They could pull down your website, put up bad code (that collects your visitor’s info), or send your visitors to an inappropriate site
• They could email annoying spam to all your contacts (friends, family, business associates) disguised as your email address

Whatever they do, the result is similar to being mugged or pick pocketed: You may be left scared, waiting for them to come back and wondering, “Why me?“

Typically, hackers (like muggers and pickpocketers) aren’t after you personally, though try telling that to someone who has just encountered one.  It probably has nothing to do with you…other than you were the easiest target around them at that moment.

Are you making yourself an easy target? Are you doing any of the following:

• Using the same password everywhere
• Using a common word, like your dog’s name, for your password

You probably thought it was just easier to use the same password everywhere. Nowadays, we have to remember so many passwords. It just makes sense to make it easy on ourselves, right? Well, not with cyber pickpocketers (better known as Hackers) around.

Let’s look at what is known about how some of these Hackers work (there are a lot of other ways, but these are two of the more common types):

1. The Repeat Offender: Let’s say you use that same password everywhere. A hacker figures it out in one place, do you think he/she is going to stop there? It doesn’t matter how obscure the word is, if you use that password everywhere and someone figures it out in one place, they have then figured it out for all your accounts. And think about it this way:

• If they have access to your email account, they probably have access to more info about you than they need
• Just getting into your Facebook account could eventually lead them to where you bank, and they are banking on you using that same password everywhere
• Do yourself a favor, if you do nothing else right now, make your bank password really secure… now!
• AND AS A BUSINESS OWNER: Do your customers/clients’ a favor – make sure their info is safe, by creating unique, secure passwords for your site and email address (wherever they share info with you!)

2. The Dictionary Thief: These guys aren’t stealing dictionaries, but they are making an educated guess you are using a common name or a word found in the dictionary.These guys/gals have done their research, they also know the most common words people use as passwords. Here are a few (not in any particular order) of the Top 25 worse Internet passwords:

• password
• 123456
• 12345678
• abc123
• monkey
• letmein
• dragon
• superman

If you are using any of these most commonly used passwords, PLEASE change them immediately.

Those dictionary thieves create computer programs to run a script that goes through every common word and name. The computer script does the work for them, they just let the program run – any time of day or night – until it finds the password that gets them logged in!

Again, in most cases, they aren’t going after you personally, they are just looking for an easy password to gain access. So, with a little work you can save yourself a lot of trouble!

These are just two of many examples! I’m not trying to make you feel helpless, it’s the opposite, I want you to take control. Maybe I am trying to scare you a little…though just enough to make you take action!

So, what actions can make you more secure right now?

I’ll make suggestions in a moment, but first want to state that a quick and easy thing to do is get 1Password and start using this powerful tool immediately!  I highly recommend it to create and manage all your passwords.  I have been using it myself since April of 2010 and can’t believe I ever existed without it.  There are a ton of reasons I use it, but the top ones are:

• You create 1 Master Password to log into this password management tool (don’t get confused, this is the password to unlock 1Password).  Think of it like an apartment manager being able to unlock any door, even though all the individual doors have their own keys. This means you only have to remember your Master Password to get access to all your other really long, secure passwords
• It has a password generator tool built in, so you can easily make a strong password that automatically gets saved in this software
• It is encrypted, so it keeps everything secure
• It has a browser add-on: If you are online and need to log into any online site (Facebook, Gmail, your bank, anything…) you just click the 1P icon and it fills in the password for you!

What are the best practices for creating user names and passwords?

Below are a few of the top ones I like to share with my clients, but there are always more things you can do:

• Create unique user names and passwords for each account (DO NOT use the same user name and password on everything from your email account to your bank account! This is critical and can’t be stressed enough!)
• Keep passwords in a secure place, like a tool specifically encrypted for password storage.
  I recommend 1Password: 
https://bit.ly/rememberyourpasswords

  This helps you to not have to remember multiple passwords, because it remembers them for you, then protects the various ones you have created.
• Either use a password generating too (included in 1Password) or make sure the password contains a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Do not use a common word that is in the dictionary and then throw a # or two at the end. Break up the letters with characters and #, the longer the better.
  Here is an example of a secure password: h*#3Tma4pP7j2$*8
  (I know, you are thinking, “Who can remember that!?” Don’t worry, 1Password will make it so you don’t have to remember this password, just one master one!)
• Do not provide your passwords to others – even your staff.  If you have to give someone a password, create separate ones for each staff member or intern who might be helping you out. That way, should they leave, you can delete that password and create a new one for the person who is taking over.  And, did I mention, you can manage them all within 1Password.

OK, I’m not saying this is the only password tool out there.  I used to use one called DataGuardian, that worked well. And there are free ones out there, as well.  I’d rather you use one of those than have you keep using the same common word as your password for everything!  However, the reason I fell in love with 1Password was because it is so simple to use.  And, 1Password works for Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Android…It can also sync across multiple devices.

So, now you have no excuse not to have a secure password.  Please do take this seriously and change your passwords to something more secure now, before the cyber pick pocketer happens upon your website, email account, Facebook account or worse!

Keep it secure!  And, if any of your account should get hacked, change the password immediately, along with any other accounts that share it!

Recently, I received an email with the following question about whether keywords mattered.  With her permission, I am posting A’ra’s question about the Value of Keywords, along with my response.  Hope it helps you, as well.  Here’s A’ra’s question:

“Are keywords still useful? What is the latest on website optimization. Talked with someone lately who told me that using keywords was so overdone that google doesn’t look for them any more. I know you’re always up on these things, so I was wondering what’s new with the latest and greatest in website land.”- A’ra Lippitt Blair

Here is my response about whether Google thinks keywords are relevant.

Hi A’ra:

Your friend was almost correct (if they were referring to the Meta Keyword field, not keywords themselves). It is a confusing thing, and without being there, I am not sure if they explained it incorrectly or if they understand it incorrectly, themselves.

Using appropriate keywords (on your page and in your code) are still very important for optimizing your site. What an appropriate keyword is, is a whole different conversation. So, let’s stay on their comment about keywords for the time being.

There are sections within the site’s code called Meta Title, Meta Description and Meta Keyword Tags. These 3 sections use keywords (words that are ‘key’ to helping people find your site).

These sections aren’t visible to the site visitor, but are important to be filled out to help the search engines rank you better. However, the Meta Keyword Tags are currently believed to be ‘less important’ to fill out than the other two sections.

Which is where your friend’s comment comes from. What your friend was most likely referring to is: Google has publicly stated they are currently not looking at the Meta Keyword Tags, because folks were ‘stuffing this field with inappropriate keywords’ (in these cases people were using words or phrases that get searched a lot, but are irrelevant to the specific site’s content).

NOTE: Here is a video of Matt Cutt’s from Google talking about this subject (Sept. 2009):

Yet, “keywords” (appropriate words to describe your services, or better yet your potential client/customer’s current problem) are what these 3 Meta sections consist of, so ‘keywords’ are still relevant.

And, each page/post may have its own set of ‘key’ words or phrases, which may be more relevant to the actual content on that specific page.

See why it gets confusing?

But, again, going back to your friend’s comment, they were (or should have been) merely talking about the Meta Keyword section not being relevant, not the ‘concept’ of using keywords.

AND, now, this is where it gets even trickier: just because Google isn’t using the Meta Keyword section does not mean it isn’t being used by other search engines NOR does it mean Google won’t decide to use it again in the future.

So, I recommend you do fill out the Meta sections, per page, with the appropriate keywords to describe the content on each specific page.

And, since you (A’ra) are using WordPress, you can get a plugin to help do just that! There are many to consider, but I tend to use the free version of All in One SEO Pack.

SEO is a big subject, and we’re just tapping into it a bit here. What I suggest, if you are interested in learning more, is to consider hiring someone to either teach you or do the appropriate work for you (make sure it is a reputable company that keeps up on the latest info).  As an online marketing consultant, not an SEO specialist, I  do what I call SEO Lite, which sets you up with the best practices and latest info, to help you optimize your site for the visitors, as well as the search engines.  I prefer to teach these SEO basics (while focusing on other ways to generate traffic to the site, since most of my clients don’t have huge budgets for SEO).  The SEO Lite sets you up with a foundation, because SEO is an ongoing thing. And, it is better for you to understand the basics, so you can continue to optimize each page and post for its individual content.

If you don’t have funds for one on one consultations, I suggest (if you don’t mind taking the trip up to Boulder) taking Dave Taylor’s SEO workshops at Boulder Digital Arts – use coupon code Bethany2011, to get 10% OFF!

And, you can also read the blog posts I have written on the subject, here are links to them:

• What is a Keyword and how do I find mine?
• SEO tips: How to Optimize your site
• Setting Realistic SEO Expectations

What I tell folks is: You will probably have to read each of these posts a couple of times. Then start with some small steps.

Let me know if that answers your question.

Focusing on the many possibilities…
Bethany

So, this was the response to A’ra’s question.  But what about you?  Are you hearing confusing, concerning or even conflicting information on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or Keyword Research?  If so, comment below and I’ll try to answer it or find someone who can.  Who knows, maybe your question may lead to a full blog post response (I’ll always ask permission first, if I reference you by name)!  Or maybe you have some insights to share on the subject.
Feel free to comment below (with constructive suggestions, please):

Finally, WordPress.com makes it easier to switch over to a version of WordPress.ORG (self hosted version, that means it sits on your own hosting plan, instead of on their server, which gives you A LOT more freedom).  This used to be a chore to do, but WordPress.com has made it much easier with a new Premium option called Offsite Redirect.  Yes, Premium comes with a small cost, but nothing compared to the time and effort of the old way of accomplishing this.  It’s only $12 a yr.

So what does this Premium upgrade get you?  I’ll let them tell you with copy from their post about it called Hello, Goodbye: Offsite Redirect Upgrade – by Jane Wells

Purchasing the Offsite Redirect upgrade will take the traffic coming to your old wordpress.com blog and forward it to your new domain so that links to your old content won’t break and you won’t take an SEO hit as a result of your move. Oh, and unlike the old domain mapping/DNS workaround, the signup process is easy as pie. Mmm, pie.

So, now the question on your mind might be: Why would I want to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.ORG?

And, the answer is, if you are happy and have no complaints, stay where you are.  However, if you have ever wanted any of the following, it might be a good time to consider a move:

• Your own domain name: OK, this one isn’t that much of a problem, because you could always point your own domain name to WordPress.com – and there is even a way to make it so all your pages follow through with that address, but there is a fee for that!  So, if you don’t want your address to be MyBlogName.WordPress.com, you have three choices:
  1. Buy a domain name and point it to your .WordPress.com account
  2. Buy the domain and then pay a Premium to have all your pages and posts reflect that name
  3. Use the self-hosted version of WordPress.ORG – as I said earlier, this reason alone may not be compelling enough, but read on…
• Control of Ads: On occasion, the WordPress.com folks will throw an ad on your free .WordPress.com blog.  It is their way of keeping their service free (and they do provide a lot and ask little).  So, again, let’s compare the options.  The one concern is how they are placing the ads?  Are they relevant to your keywords?  Since I don’t know how they pick when to put an ad on someones site, it leaves some questions. And, though it is unlikely, I wonder if there is a chance they could put up an ad to your direct competitor?  Hopefully, they have a good system in place to avoid that, but here are your options, regarding ads:
  1. You can pay a Premium to remove these ads from your .com site/blog
  2. You can agree to do a 50/50 split to run your own ads now (I had never seen this before, so not sure of other details)
  3. You can move to WordPress.ORG where you can have the freedom to put up your own ads (maybe subtly promoting your own products/services), make money from offering ad space to others (if your site/blog is appropriate), or be completely ad-free.
• Scripts/Codes/Plugins: Sometimes you want to put a script on your site/blog, to do some functionality – for instance, collect email addresses from your visitors.  With WordPress.com, you can not put any 3rd party software or code onto your WordPress.com accounts, so you’d definitely want to move to WordPress.ORG to take advantage of the 1000s of amazing add-ons available from the WordPress community, in the form of plugins.  Go to WordPress.ORG’s Plugin Directory to find many of the free ones.  Similar to the iPhone Apps, if you are looking to do something, there’s a plugin for that…
• Customize the look of your blog/site: To do some light customization (changing colors, for instance) you could pay WordPress.Com to get into the CSS (providing you know CSS), but to get a look that really meets your vision, you could move to WordPress.ORG and use any theme (layout, the look of your site) or have someone custom create a look for you

Again, if you are happy with the way your WordPress.COM site works and/or OK with paying them the small Premiums to get some of the other options, then stay where you are.

However, if you are going to be paying for all those premiums, to try to get the results you want, I suggest using WordPress.ORG and have full control of your site (ads, look, plugins…).  To me, the plugins alone are reason to move!  Either way, you now have at least one less excuse for not moving to a self-hosted version!

I sure could have used this new Offsite Redirect feature, years ago, but glad to finally see it now.

Bottom Line: The $12 a year fee is a small price to pay, compared to the headache of the old way to do this redirect process!

Are you using WordPress.com?  Were you considering which version of WordPress (.com vs. .org) to use for your new site/blog?  Did this post help to answer those questions for you?  If you have additional questions, either comment below, or contact UniqueThink for a free 1-hour consult, to discuss your unique situation.

Do you sometimes feel like your are talking to yourself online?  You are writing blog posts and no one is commenting, you are on Twitter and no one is retweeting or replying…but does that mean no one is listening?

There was an article on Mashable.com today, entitled:

Most Tweets Produce Zero Replies or Retweets [STUDY]

It states:

Sysomos, maker of social media analysis tools, looked at 1.2 billion tweets over a two-month period to analyze what happens after we publish our tweets to Twitter. Its research shows that 71% of all tweets produce no reaction — in the form of replies or retweets — which suggests that an overwhelming majority of our tweets fall on deaf ears.

This particular comment (about falling on deaf ears) and the overall theme of this Mashable article,  seems a bit too pessimistic to me, but is probably proof enough for some of you to stop tweeting right now.

I say “Wait a minute!”  As I read on a recent bumper sticker “Don’t believe everything you believe.” In other words, maybe there is more happening than you perceive. Maybe, and just go with me for a minute, people are reading your posts and tweets, maybe they are even reading your Facebook wall, and even your LinkedIn status updates, but aren’t commenting.  Could it be?

Well, I won’t say that everyone who follows you is reading everything you write, in every place that you write it – except maybe your mom (Hi Mom! Love ya!).  However, I bet there are folks who are following you here and there.  They are just doing it on their own terms, and in the environment they prefer (your blog, your Facebook account, your Twitter feed…or maybe in your email newsletter).

Why do I believe this?  Well, one reason is because if you are consistently putting appropriate and informative info out there, it gets more attention than you think and that pays off.

I know many of you who read my blog or social media posts wait until you see me in person or send me a personal email, to say, “I read what you wrote about…”.

I want to make it clear, I’m OK with whatever reason you choose not to comment online.  After all, you are still reading what I am writing, especially at this very moment (caught you!).

The thing that you may not have taken in, yet, is there are additional advantages (that trump getting comments) that come with contributing to online content.

For one thing, when someone does land on your site (Twitter page, Facebook profile or whatever), they get to know your persona, your ethics, your perceptions.  And, that helps them determine if they want to work with you.

Also, there are often a series of questions that multiple folks will ask about the same subject.  Whenever that happens, it’s time to write about it.  Then, when the next person asks you that same question, you just direct them to the place where you’ve addressed that subject.

So don’t give up yet!  I’m telling you, building your online presence makes more of an impact then you think.  It’s building a stockpile of great information, that people will discover and reference, on their own time.

So, I guess what I am saying is Sysomos’s data, like any stats, can be interpreted in two ways.  One is to say folks aren’t reacting and here is the proof.  The other way is to say, maybe they are reacting, but it is a passive reaction.  You know, quietly taking it all in.  I do agree they aren’t reading every word, every day, but when they want to find out more, they know where they can find you.

What do you think?  Do you agree with me, are you a quiet observer who enjoys reading, but doesn’t feel the need to contribute or would rather wait to make that one on one connection?  Or do you think Mashable’s comment about the new Sysomos study is correct and the Internet is just one big deaf ear?

Though I’d love for you to leave a comment, I’m OK with you waiting until you see me to tell me your perception.  I’ll just keep my ears open and let you respond when you are ready.

I was checking out this article on WebDesignLedger.com called “40 Tasty Restaurant Websites to Inspire You” and two things immediately occurred to me.

1. I was really really hungry looking at all the amazing food on these sites’ home pages – great job on most of them to really highlight their food well in a very appetizing way!
2. My marketing head kicked in.  Fortunately, many of these guys do a great balance of graphic art (look of the site and displaying the food well) along side complementary marketing (making sure people can find the site and, find what they need and find their way around the site).

Previously, I had read a post on the Top Photographers’ Websites article.  Unlike the samples for the Top Restaurant Sites, it was obvious that the photographers’ websites list was compiled by a designer who didn’t look at the sites from a usability standpoint, but rather from an aesthetic one.

Though the photographers’ sites had beautiful images, they didn’t encourage people to take an action.  You know, like contact the designer or purchase an image.  Never mind things like calls to action and search engine optimization, the majority of those sites actually made it hard for people to get back to an image they liked.  They probably were too focused on the images and believed that if their art was good enough, they didn’t have to ‘market’ the site.

Well, that is kind of true if:

• You are already a well established artist and a well branded name
• You are expecting people will know of you and come looking for you
• You are only sending folks to your site, not expecting new people to find you

This is not true if:

• You are trying to build brand recognition based on your new site
• You are building the site to have new people, who never heard of you before, find you through the search engines
• You are trying to get people to take an action, like call you or purchase something

Getting back to the restaurant sites, while I was reviewing these I got really hungry, so I went to lunch.  A QA (Quality Assurance) and UI (User Interface) professional joined me and I told her what I was writing about.

She said to me, “The reason restaurants are more likely to accept marketing than photographers is because restaurants get that they have to get people in the door, to keep their doors open.  Photographers are artists and want their sites to be a reflection of their art.”

At this point, I could easily turn this into a blog post about finding the balance between art as art and marketing an art website for a business, but let’s save that for another blog post.  However, there is relevance to what the QA/UI person said with relation to restaurant websites:

• What if the restaurant has a chef who thinks more on the lines of an artists?
• What if he/she thinks of his/her food as an artistic creation?

That’s when they might forgo or forget about the purpose of their website and focus too much on the ‘food as art’ design.

So many times, when I come across these Top Website lists, I come away thinking : “Well, the referenced sites are graphically lovely, but I don’t think new people, landing on the site for the first time, know what to do or even what the site is about.  And, they certainly aren’t encouraged to go deeper into the site.”  Often the visitor can’t find their way around, even if they want to.

Using this 40 Tasteful Restaurant Website’s article, here is an example of what I perceive to be a food as art designed site – either the chef or restaurant is world renown, or they didn’t want to compromise with marketing/usability (or don’t understand there needs to be a balance).

I’m guessing the chef/restaurant is the brand, or at least I am hoping for that, and they aren’t concerned with new people searching the net to find them, because they are already a known brand. What do you think – tell me by commenting below?

The site is very pretty and very appetizing, but let’s pretend a friend sent you an email with a link that stated: “Thought you’d like this…”

What is your first reaction (OK, your first reaction, if you like cheese as much as me is “YUM!” – but what comes after that?”  Do you know what the site is about?  Do you guess it’s a restaurant, or are you thinking maybe it’s a cheese manufacture?  Do you know where to go next, to find out your questions?  (HINT: Orange Letters – but which one takes you where?)

Now to be fair, this restaurant is not targeting everyone and not assuming people will just find them.  Additionally, they do have some other images rotating on the home page, which make it clear it’s a restaurant (if you look threw all the photos).  And, this site, if they are banking more on reputation, may have intentionally been created this way.  They are selective and probably only want the people who can afford and appreciate them, the type of person who is intentionally seeking them out – not the stumble uponers.

But stay with me another minute and let’s get back to your pretend friend who sent you the link originally.  Let’s just say you guys are looking for ‘the experience’ of this level of dining and your friend emails you, “Let’s meet here for dinner…”

Though you guys are intentionally going to the site, is the site providing you with a good experience?  Do you know where they are located?  Do you know how to call for a reservation, do you need a reservation?  Do they cater to your ‘special diet”?  Can you look at the menu?  Have you figured out yet, which orange letter will get you to the page to tell you the info you need?

Now, let’s look at a site that I think does a nice job of balancing graphic design and marketing/usability  I’ve marked it up to show you what works (Stuff in yellow are my markups):

The graphic layout and the marketing components blend nicely & effectively together – underneath my markups, that is.

Now to be clear, I have to tell you two things:

1. I understand the audience for these two restaurants are different

2. If you click to this second site – MarieCatribs.com - this is actually not their home page!

However, you can see from my notes, why I think they are doing things correctly – for usability purposes, yet not loosing their creative aspect.  If I had time to redesign the first example, to give you an idea of how – with a few minor changes – they could be both artistic and user-friendly, I would, but to tell you the truth, this post has gotten me too hungry.  So why don’t YOU tell me what you think the first website could do to make their site just a bit more friendly for the visitor, yet keep its creative vision… (comment below)

Bon Appetit and happy, balanced, web designing… (looking forward to hearing your ideas!)

Learn how, and why, to use WordPress for your complete web solution.  Set up and create sites (as well as blogs) using WordPress.org:

Getting Started with WordPress – For Content Creators
Date(s):
Monday, July 06, 2009 | 6pm – 9pm For description and more info, click here

Getting Started with WordPress – Web Developers
Date(s):
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 | 6pm – 9pm For description and more info, click here

Location:
BDA Studio
2510 47th Street, Suite 202, Boulder, CO  80301

Registration and more info available at BoulderDigitalArts.com

OK, many of you have been asking us to do this, and it ends up that due to family circumstances Doug won’t be able to teach his normal WordPress Workshop for Boulder Digital Arts.  So, Angela Bowman and I will be doing it for him.

If you have been wanting to learn how to set up WordPress.org for yourself, instead of hiring me to do it for you, this is the time and place.

You actually benefit from both Angela and my own experience.  Interestingly, we both took Doug’s class a couple of years before we met each other.  So, when we did meet, we were so excited to find someone else who loved building websites (not just blogs), from the fantastic WordPress tool set.

Anyway, for these classes, you get both of us teaching you all we learned from Doug, originally, plus all we’ve learned since.

So take full advantage of it.  Instead of paying one of us our normal hourly fee, you get both of us for 3 full hours, per class.

There are two options, and taking both classes could be beneficial, depending on your goals.

The first Workshop is for those who want to run the site themselves, to understand the power of WordPress.org as a content-creation or management tool, plus a review of the marketing advantages of using it.

The other workshop is  for using WordPress.org as a site-building tool ( bit more technical, so it’s geared toward those who want to learn all the nooks and crannies).

There will be a review of plugins during both classes, and some of the content will overlap, so if you have questions on which to take, call me and we’ll figure it out.

Sign Up Now, while there are seats available! Or contact me with any questions

There’s going to be lots of fun information.

Getting Started with WordPress – For Content Creators

Getting Started with WordPress – Web Developers

OK, I know, I am a WordPress Dork, but really, this thing just keeps getting better and better!

I must admit, when I heard about 2.8, I didn’t expect much. After all, WordPress 2.7.1 did such a great job that I wasn’t missing much, other than the theme uploader. And, with Vladimir Prelovac’s Theme Test Drive plugin, I didn’t even miss that!

So what could WordPress 2.8 have that I’d need? Well watch the video and you’ll see.

If you haven’t watched the video yet, and you are still reading this, I’ll give you a hint of why to install 2.8: (Angela, this one is for you) You really won’t need to open up the FTP for editing php!

If you aren’t coding, that one won’t be too exciting, but then check out the Widgets section. In fact, here, just watch the video. And, if you are as big a dork as me, you’ll be going “No Way! How Cool!” through the whole thing.

Oh, and the nod to jazz is nice, too.

And, if you are as big a WordPress fan (if not a WordPress dork), you may want to check out Inc. Magazine’s “The Way I Work” feature on WordPress visionary Matt Mullenweg.

When it comes to WordPress 2.8, dubbed Baker – after the great Chet Baker – to this dork, it is like the first time I heard Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I find myself torn between enjoying it quietly on my own and making everyone I can find listen to why it is so great.

If you aren’t familiar with why I love WordPress, check out some of the WordPress based sites I have created or contact me for a free 1-hr consultation of why you should be using it to maintain your own site and/or blog.

Also, feel free to share what you like (or maybe dislike) about WordPress 2.8, by commenting below…

When you hear the words “keyword” or “keyword phrases” do you know what they mean to you, your business and especially your clients?

So many times, when I begin to work with a client, the first thing they say, before they even have content for their home page, is “I just want to rank #1 on Google.” So, I naturally ask them which keyword or keyword phrase they plan to rank #1 for? And, that is when I often learn that they hadn’t thought much past the desire to rank well.

I can relate. We are constantly hearing that we need to rank well on the search engines, in order to get traffic to our sites. And, though this is partly correct, I believe there are many options to get traffic to your site, but we’ll talk more about other options in a future post. For now, let’s talk about ranking appropriately with the search engines.

For the purpose of this post, we will focus on the topic of keywords and keyword phrases. So, let’s start with a quick definition of these terms related to search engines:

Keyword or Keyword Phrase: A word, term or phrase that someone types into the search box on a search engine site (such as Google, Yahoo or MSN), to find information or sites that talk about ‘their’ subject of interest.

I want you to be sure you understand this: the definition does not say a term that you, and folks in your industry, use to describe your services or products. What it does simply state is that it is a term someone else (a potential client or customer) might use to find info about the subject they are interested in.

For example, though you want to rank #1 for your company name and products, there are folks who may not know you, yet, so you also want to rank for the terms they’d use to solve their problem.

Here is an example that might be helpful.

A few years ago, I went to meet with a company that duplicated CDs. Before I walked in, I did a few searches, to see what they had already begun and how they were ranking in the search engines. I couldn’t find them for any of the ‘obvious’ terms I was searching for (cd duplication, cd manufacturing…). So, you might be as surprised as I was when their president said to me, “We’re # 1 on Google!”

“Really? Wow, that is great, but may I ask for what terms?” I politely questioned, because either I had done something wrong or he was using a term I wasn’t looking up (and maybe his potential clients wouldn’t use his term, either).

He proceeded to show me and, when he did, it became clear why he was #1.

The way he was looking up the term, and the way he had optimized his website, was to use the following full keyword phrase, exactly as it is written below:

“CD/DVD Manufacturer and Duplication Services”

Now, let’s break this down, because – at first sight – it does seem like folks might find him this way:

But let me ask you, if you were looking for someone who did CD manufacturing, would you type in the term exactly as he had it? Take another look and remember, he was ranked # 1 exactly as it is written above – slash mark between CD/DVD, and all. Because he did his search with quote marks around it, as well, this meant his clients would have to use the words in the exact order they were in and how they were presented to find his company’s only #1 ranking search term.

He was nowhere to be found on the terms individually, because he had only placed the words on his site as they appeared in his search term (minus the quote marks).

That would be like me doing a search for…say… the above sentence.  Chances are I would easily rank #1 if I did a search for the above sentence (once the search engine’s indexed this page), because no one else has written it the same exact way I have.  But would anyone be looking for it to find my company?  If not, it doesn’t matter how well I rank for it!

Most likely, if you were looking for his CD duplication services, you would be looking for the term CD duplication or the term CD duplicators. Maybe you would be looking for CD manufacturing (not manufacturer). But chances are, you would not go to Google and type in CD/DVD (because most people don’t think to put the slash in between). So you would never see him.  In fact, I went to Google’s keyword research tool, to see how many folks were looking for the term, as he used it, so I could show you the results.

As you can see from this image, there is not enough data (meaning no one is typically looking for that full term that he ranks #1 for). However, Google does provide you with additional searches to consider.  This is handy, because look how many folks are searching for CD duplication or CD duplicators, not to mention DVD duplication and DVD duplicator (notice no s at the end of that specific keyword phrase).  Also, you might notice folks were looking for the term dvd cd duplicator, which is interesting to note (and could be a whole post of its own), but no one searches for it as CD/DVD (it isn’t a natural instinct for most folks to add that slash to their search).

Let’s pause for a moment…

You may be saying, yeah, but if he includes that full term on his site and he is ranking #1 for it in any fashion, doesn’t that mean he’ll rank for the individual terms, as well? Well, that is a maybe. See, if there are 200 or more sites who are optimizing their site with the correct keyword phrases that do rank well, then he will be pushed below them – meaning someone would have to search a long time to find him.

If you know that folks are looking for the term CD duplication or, better yet, CD duplicators, you should be consistently using the term or terms appropriately throughout your site. Not the term “CD/DVD Manufacturer and Duplication Services.”

If no one is looking for the keyword phrase you are using, then it doesn’t help you to rank #1 for it!

This brings us to another example.  In this case, it is of a keyword phrase lots of folks are using, but one that is useless for the site to use (fortunately, the client realized it):

I have a client who offers software internationalization services. It’s a specialized field, but basically they work with the strings of code (the backend of the software) to prepare it to work in any language.

Their president told me he had a disappointing experience with a search firm. They were trying to rank him for terms that didn’t make sense to his clients and he knew it.

They were suggesting he use the keyword phrase “translation software”, because they found it ranked better than some he was using. And, yes, they were correct, a good number of folks were searching for that keyword phrase. The problem was most of those folks were looking for:

1. A product like Rosetta Stone (which teaches you how to speak another language)
2. A way to translate a simple line of text from one language to another – you know, like how to say “Hello, it is nice to meet you” in French

The second searchers were looking for a free online tool like Babelfish not a company that organizations like Yahoo and HP might go to, in an effort to make sure their millions of lines of code work in any language.

Fortunately, my client knew his own clients well enough to know the search firm was giving him bad advice, at that moment. Keep this lesson in mind, just because a word ranks well doesn’t mean it will bring the folks who need your product.  Maybe a lower ranking word will bring better targeted folks to you.

The thing I want you to take away from this post is that ranking well in the search engines requires understanding how your customers would search for you!

If you don’t know, then ask some of your existing customers. Whenever a client calls me for the first time, I ask them how they heard about me. Granted, for me it’s usually from a referral, which I like even better than ranking #1 in any search engine, because it means another client recommended my services! But on those occasions that folks said they found me on Google, I always ask them if they remembered what search term they used.

I also listen to what terms they use when they speak to me, because they may give me clues there, as well.

As I’ve mentioned before, my forte is online marketing, not SEO, but they go hand and hand.  I believe I do a good job at starting folks out on their SEO campaigns.  When I am working with a new client’s optimization, one of the first things I do is spend a minimum of 1-3 hour just doing a keyword research campaign (I’d prefer more time, but again, this is just to get them started).

However, before I begin the research, I ask the client what terms they think folks are using to search for their types of products or services. Then I go to a series of keyword researching tools to begin to capture results. BUT, I always keep in mind that just because a keyword ranks well, such as translation software, it doesn’t mean it is the word potential clients are using to find them. So, I go to Google and do some searches to see what types of companies are listed for that specific keyword phrase.

And, of course, while I am doing that, I encourage my clients to check with a couple of existing customers. Because, after all, their customers are the best resources, as they were once prospects, too.

Here are my suggestions of free keyword research tools, to get you started:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

This post is just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to keywords and keyword phrases, but I do hope it expands your mind and offers some good advice.

By the way, if you haven’t already, you may also benefit by reading two previous posts on UniqueThink’s blog, about search engine optimization:

SEO tips: How to Optimize your site

Setting Realistic SEO Expectations

And, of course, don’t forget I offer a 1-hour free consultation, if you need to discuss your specific situation!  Feel free to contact me.

If you have any keyword horror stories that others can learn from, or any good research tips, please share them by commenting below! 

OK, I am trying out a new tool – which is Free and available to anyone looking to do a slide show.

It’s from http://www.slideshare.net/ and you can create your own page there, just like I did. Then set up a Powerpoint presentation. Mine is below, it is one I did a few months ago on Dhyan Atkinson’s Wed Afternoon Teleclass.

My presentation was called It’s A Blog, It’s A Website, It’s A Marketing Tool…It’s WordPress. It talks about using WordPress as both your blog and your complete website.

Comment below and let me know what you think of both the presentation and the SlideShare site!

Focusing on the possibilities…

Jill Whalen CEO and Founder of High Rankings wrote an interesting article about SEO Expectations in her newsletter, shortly after I posted my SEO post on this site.

It is a sharp read, about being realistic in your SEO campaign. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything, so if you are looking for someone who is going to tell you they can get you to #1 overnight, this is not the place. This is actually why I trust Jill – she doesn’t make false claims, she is realistic about what it takes to get ranked well in the search engines. If you are looking for instant gratification, her article may not do the trick. It will, however, talk about realistic steps to take to make your site rank well consistently!

After reading it, I contacted Jill and asked her if I could mention it here. She promptly gave me permission and sent me a link to where it is posted online. I think it is a great read about setting real expectations for your SEO campaign.

I especially agreed with these comments under the subheading of What Exactly Is Good Content?:

Good content is unique. Really and truly unique. It is creative ideas that simply popped into your head which nobody else in your space has thought of yet…

And it’s (say it with me) making your site the best it can be for your site visitors AND the search engines.

And, be sure to read her section called It’s About Targeted Traffic, Not Rankings - which starts with:

As we move forward in this industry, webmasters, site owners, and SEOs need to shift their focus from asking how they can get this keyword to this position in this engine to how they can get more targeted traffic and convert it into customers.

Read Jill’s full article called Setting Realistic SEO Expectations and consider signing up for her newsletter at her HighRankings.com site. I’ve been reading her newsletter for years and she definitely knows what she writes about. So, for a realistic and authoritative view into SEO, I highly recommend her.

There are a couple of other people I recommend for SEO, too, so let me know if you need other recommendations.

I look forward to hearing what you think of Jill’s article, so please comment below.