As many of you know Search Engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and all others are periodically updating the way your website is ranked within their search engines.  Bing recently acquired Yahoo or in other words both Search Engines are now displaying each other’s results, resulting in the new Yahoo!Bing Network.  The latest search statistics show that Bing and Yahoo have risen in market share and ultimately have halted Google’s commanding lead down to 69.2%.

A few SEO tips to keep in mind to ensure your website has great rankings throughout 2013:

1. Continue to publish new and relevant content to each page.  Be Unique and Original.  Search engines DISLIKE duplicate content. Use your own words and have some fun with it.  In a more simple term, make sure the Gorilla can easily find the Banana it’s looking for on each of your pages!

2. Remember to name the title, url, and description of each new page you create with relevant keywords that potential client’s and customers may type into a search engine. Use H1, H2, and atleast H3 tags – these are most relevant and looked at by crawlers.

3. Bold key points in your content and be authoritative – nobody wants to arrive on a website that looks like a 12 year old is in charge, be professional and show what you know!

4. Don’t skimp out on your link building! This means including quality links within your content and also pages outside of your website.  Commenting on RELEVANT websites and blogs definitely helps – these are basic links but very helpful.  Think of link building as a virtual Chamber of Commerce mixer, you need search engines to know about you so they can send you visitors.

5. Double check your spelling so you DONT mispel words. Double check Titles, Alt Tags, H-Tags, Descriptions, links and content!  WordPress does include a spell checker, so use it!

6. Always have a Call to Action! Examples: Call Us Today, Email Link, Contact Form, etc!

Let me take my knowledge of SEO and get your website ranked throughout search engines on multiple keyword phrases while you use your time running your business.
My Client’s SEO Results!

Contact me Today for SEO Advice and Maintenance on your website!

Zach was instrumental in helping us turn our website into a venue packed with relevant information, and easy to navigate.  We saw much improvement on the SEO side as well.  Zach is diligent and passionate about his work as a website designer and SEO tech! – Mann & Maximon Law

Within the community here in Rapid City South Dakota, there are a number of large Law Firms but also a handfull of Lawyers that prefer to practice on their own. I have noticed a trend that these sole proprietor attorneys don’t have the high level of a website that the large firms do – in return, affecting who a potential client may contact. Do not sell yourself short because you don’t have a website or simply have a site that is out of date or not updated to industry standards. A website can be the best investment your business can purchase this year!  Do you have an expertise that is unique among your community but are still struggling to have a solid client base? Many potential clients are searching the internet upon Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc to find the help and assistance they need. Whether they are located within your community or 200 miles away in another city, be sure that you’re website is available and the information they are seeking is easily found.  A website is a wonderful avenue that you can use beyond your traditional means of marketing.

Search Engine Optimization Results:

At the very least, I truly recommend a precise website with these pages: Home | About | Practice Areas | Testimonials | Resources | Contact.  Include a few custom photographs of yourself in the moment or posed, as well as of your office building.  As the old saying goes, a photograph is worth a thousand words, so be sure to smile!  If you belong to any associations or have received a few awards including these images of the award/seal are very appropriate within your about/biography page. I always recommend a website to be optimized for SEO as it is the foundation of your website. Without Search Engine Optimization, your site 98% of the time will be lost deep inside search engines. As I tell my clients, content is king(#1) within SEO!

To wrap this up I am ALWAYS more than willing to assist you whether you are located here in South Dakota or 1400 miles away in California/New York. The internet is a powerful business tool so don’t let distance get in the way a solid website for your firm. Contact me anytime!

There are mixed feelings within the online business world about affiliate marketing because of it’s tactics. I believe this type of marketing program is very beneficial especially to small businesses who compete directly with the huge online names such as: Amazon, Google, Walmart, Target, and so on. Whether you own a business and are looking to become an advertiser or someone looking to gain a little extra income a month as a publisher, affiliate marketing may be just for you!  As a Publisher you either receive a small percentage of each sale; usually 5-12% but some companies do offer much higher percentages! Another way is to receive a small $$ commission for each visitor you send to a company’s website (Lead Generation) whether or not they purchase anything.

As an Advertiser you:

• Create an account with website such as: CJ.com | Avantlink.com | Shareasale.com | or Linkshare.com  (there are also many, many others!)
• After the initial process of signing up, you then upload your products, marketing material and anything else someone else would need to market your products.
• You select how long the publisher retains the ability to receive commission, also known as a cookie duration.
• You can also have the ability to select which Publishers have access to your product feeds and marketing material as you want your Publishers to be reputable and promote your products with professionalism.
• Setting guidelines such as restrictions on keywords or PPC advertising for publishers is also key so they are not competing with you for the traffic you’ve worked hard for.

As a Publisher you:

• Also create an account with websites such as: CJ.com | Avantlink.com | Shareasale.com | or Linkshare.com  (there are also many, many others!)
• Choose which products/companies you want to promote upon your website and create the business of your dreams without the hassle of thousand dollars of overhead costs due to inventory, employees, retail space, transactions and so on.

This is simply a small list of explanations of each side of the affiliate marketing world. I personally run an affiliate marketing site www.outdoorcampingshops.com as well as have a few affiliate links upon this website where I receive a small commission if you or anyone else clicks on one of the affiliated links and purchase a product or service within the companies given cooking tracking period.

I work directly with two different companies: GoDaddy.com and Bluehost.com.

Bluehost.com offers some of the best support and deals out there! If you get lucky, you may catch them at the right time and get this great deal for just $4.95/month.  There are no hidden fees, free instant set-up, and an anytime money back guarantee.

• UNLIMITED Domain Hosting
• UNLIMITED GB Hosting Space
• UNLIMITED GB File Transfer
• UNLIMITED E-mail Accounts
• FREE Domain
• FREE Site Builder w/ templates
• Secure Shell, SSL, FTP, Stats
• $100 Google Advertising Offer
• 24/7 Phone, Chat & Email Support

GoDaddy.com offers some of the same deals but may be just a bit more in price depending on their promotion and time of year. With the Super Bowl just around the corner, their promotions will be amazing!  Godaddy offers great online tools as well as tech support.

• One-click set-up
• Unlimited storage and bandwidth
• 24/7 security monitoring
• Dedicated WordPress servers
• Super quick one-click install
• High-performance servers for fastest load times
• Powered by our award-winning data center

]]> http://zachdosch.com/website-hosting-domain-solutions/feed/ 0 http://zachdosch.com/online-marketing-free-listings-with-major-search-engines/ http://zachdosch.com/online-marketing-free-listings-with-major-search-engines/#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:06:34 +0000 zachdosch http://zachdosch.com/?p=863 more »]]> Managing a business within today’s online world isn’t only frustrating but also time consuming. Keeping up to date with the daily to-do’s, SEO techniques, servers, emails, website & product updates, and more can drive a person stir-crazy quite quickly!  Fortunately for you, I’ve put together a list of some major search engines that will list your business, for FREE (and hopefully subside your throbbing headache).  Take 30 minutes once a month to update and manage your listings to ensure potential customers and clients are receiving the information they are looking for.

   Google Places for Business

    Bing – Business Portal

     Express Update by Info Group

      Yelp! 

          Best of the Web

       Hotfrog – Do Business Differently

         City Search Business Account

    Yellow Pages – Advertising Solutions

     Super Pages – Super Media Listing

I recently asked myself why has it been difficult to find solid clients in South Dakota since moving back to my home state this past year.  Upon looking at other states and their small business needs – it’s quite overwhelming to see how many businesses are seeking out a web designer/developer to build them a credible website.  My next question was, why aren’t more small businesses in South Dakota seeking a website and/or online marketing? I thought to myself, maybe they already have a great up-to-date website that includes keyword rich content, implemented SEO tactics, Social Media links, Online Marketing, and more. Unfortunately I just don’t see that while browsing local South Dakota businesses.

What I found within many sites are:

• 1990′s websites built with tables (search engines don’t crawl these websites anymore)
• Missing image titles, alt-text, and descriptions
• URLs without keywords
• Broken Links
• Lacking on-site Search Engine Optimization
• Missing Social Media links
• Invalid pages (404 errors)
• Hard to find contact information
• And much more…

My next question was, well why are these business not upgrading or maintaining their website to today’s industry standards? Money! It simply costs too much. WRONG! I’m sorry to tell you, you’ve been fooled. I know that times can be tough and funds aren’t available to upgrade to a new state of the art website or even maintain a current website.  Many businesses don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on this.  I truly understand that BUT unlike large design agency’s with set rates, price points, and more.  I am ALWAYS willing to make a deal and accomodate your budget as best as possible.  (Yes, I’d love to set my rates $100+ an hour and have new clients knocking on my door each and every day but we’re not all James Bond) A website is your online storefront where your consumers gain pertinent information about your business. To expand and compete in today’s market, you truly need a solid website just like you need business cards for Chamber Events and Monthly Mixers.  Whether you want a precise 5 page website or a lengthy 867 page interactive affiliate website that sells another companies products. Don’t back away and say, I’ll think about it or I’ll get to it next year. You will only be missing out on potential customers searching the internet for your product or service each and every day.  Make sure they can find you and the information/product they want.

If I’ve kept your attention this long, contact me today as I would be more then happy to talk with you and get the ball rolling for your business! And don’t be afraid, I work with everyone in any state – not just South Dakota businesses! I work solely with GoDaddy.com and Bluehost.com for some of the best support available. They’re easy to get along with, fun to work with, and always willing to go the extra mile when needed. If I didn’t believe in their support and products I wouldn’t be recommending them.

Zach Dosch
Independent Web Development Consultant
zach@zachdosch.com

In addition to his regular marketing duties, Zach created point of sales for our on and off premise accounts, product sell sheets and shelf talkers in addition to attending product promotion events. His artistic creativity and out of the box thinking were assets to our organization.

Zach has proven to be a dependable, professional and hard working employee.  His creativity, positive attitude and work ethic proved assets to our company. Zach was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend him for any future opportunities that fit his skill set.

Jody Valenta

General Manager
Twisted Pine Brewing

I took this Bobcat photo while living west of Boulder Colorado a couple years ago.  After a few hours of driving and taking photos of many different animals I found this beautiful Bobcat creeping along a river near Estes Park.  Please contact me for pricing if you’re interested in a print.