Want an SEO Training Course, Here’s What to Look For ?
Now that search engine optimisation is a mainstream marketing activity for a lot of online and offline businesses, demand for formal classroom training courses from sales and marketing professionals, web designers and small business owners is increasing. But how do you know if you are getting value? How do you choose the best local SEO training provider? Here’s seven things to consider when choosing an SEO or SEM training provider.
One quick way to check is to do a Google search on SEO training city, where city is your local area. (eg. SEO training, SEO training Brisbane or Sydney SEO training)
If the firm you are considering learning from doesn’t rank well then you may be better off looking elsewhere. It also pays to check their SEO client portfolio. Do they have a portfolio? If so, are their clients happy with their SEO work? A few phone calls and you can make sure.
An understanding of current SEO methods - SEO is a dynamic industry. As search engines update and improve their ranking algorithms, so also must SEO companies update their methods of getting and holding good search engine rankings.
If the SEO training course you considering is focused on keyword density, link exchanges and creating complex metatags, then choose again. These factors used to be very important 3-5 years ago. Not so now. The best SEO these days is about keyword research, anchor text, article marketing, blogging, getting one-way links and using social media like forums, video sharing and social bookmarking.
Avoid astonishing promises - If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. If the SEO training course you are considering promises to show you how to rank in the top 5 in Google for any search term then find someone else. As a famous movie once said: “They’re dreaming.” SEO is hard work and it does take time to rank well for competitive keyword phrases. Determining the best keyword phrase to optimise for and then executing the optimisation over a period of time will eventually yield results.
Sound training methodology - Does the SEO training firm use qualified trainers? What are their qualifications and experience is both training and SEO. There’s nothing more disheartening that have a boring instructor who reads his or her notes and doesn’t believe in classroom interaction. Make sure your SEO trainer is both a good classroom trainer and experienced in SEO. Ask for written proof of qualifications.
Hands-on experience - SEO theory should be backed up by hands-on practical experience where you get to immediately apply your new learning. Avoid any SEO training course where you are lectured to for a day or so without any hands-on experience. The best SEO courses are a combination of theory, example and practice. Where possible you should have the opportunity to work on a real life SEO project and get the instructors help with that project.
Follow up support - The half life of any training course is about 4 days. Unless the theory is applied or revised, it leaves short-term memory and must be relearned. Make sure the training that you purchase includes some level of e-mail or telephone support. if they do, make sure you use it even if it’s just to make sure you are on the right track with your SEO projects. Good quality handouts, notes and access to online resources is also something to look for.
If you are looking for SEO training, talk to Search Tempo. Search Tempo conducts SEO courses for businesses and corporations around Australia tailored for your needs.
Google Puts Fear into SEO Market
Google, in a posting on its blog, said a new feature known as SearchWiki allows users to individualise search results by promoting or demoting according to their own preferences.
SearchWiki lets users who have a Google account rearrange their search results, re-ranking websites by promoting them up or down in the results page.
Useless or spammy search results can be removed and others included.
“With just a single click you can move the results you like to the top or add a new site;’ Google said. “You can also write notes attached to a particular site and remove results that you don’t feel belong.”
The California based, organisation said the changes in rankings will be shown the next time users log on and will not change searches done by others … yet.
SEO practitioners are scared that announcement could lead to the fragmentation of their SEO markets with search results being inconsistent across user profiles.
SearchWiki marks the first time that Google has encouraged users to modify their search results.
A video explaining the new feature is online at googleblog.blogspot.com.
Google dominates the internet search market, being used for more than 90 per cent of all Australian searches in October 2008, according to industry monitors.
The company also announced in another blog posting that it was discontinuing Lively, a virtual world website similar to Second Life, at the end of December 2008.
“In July we launched lively in Google Labs because we wanted users to be able to interact with their friends and express themselves online in unique ways,” a spokes-bot for Google said.
“But we’ve also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks, not every bet is going to pay off,” it added.
“It has been a tough decision, but we want to ensure that we prioritise our resources and focus more on our core search, ads and apps (applications) business.”
If you are looking for affordable web design Brisbane, or SEO Training Adelaide, visit searchtempo.com. BSON121208-1
Online Copywriting Tips - Words as Weapons
While visual design is crucial online, so too is the copy. It should not be neglected in favour of fancy slow-loading graphics.
Similarly, despite all your best efforts to optimise your site or search engine marketing strategies, if you don’t get the copy right you could see plenty of traffic but very low conversion rates. Rather than simply replicating your offline marketing collateral, copywriting in the online space needs careful attention if it is to address the different needs of your online customers.
While some of the same principles as print apply online, the interactive nature of online means the need to write with your online user’s behaviour in mind is paramount.
Headings
Arguably the most important aspect of online copywriting content, headings must be kept simple, relevant and grab attention. Think strong and engaging and make full use of your keywords in headings, particularly on the homepage.
Engage emotion
The most effective sites clearly identify the value proposition from the home or landing page. Write with your visitor’s expectations in mind — why are they online, why are they visiting your site, what do they really want?
The content on your homepage needs to resonate with your reader so they carry on to complete the desired action. A principle that applies both off and online is that if your copy emotionally engages the reader it transforms a passive reader into a proactive buyer.
Customer centric
Online users tend to be in information-hungry mode. They want to know what you can do for them, not all about your company, so tell them clearly what’s in it for them. Be generous with your information and highlight the fact that you have free content, top tips, a latest news section to build traffic to your site.
Most people go online to find information and research purchases, so if your information is free, useful and accessible it will help you to establish credibility which will do wonders for your brand and build repeat visits. By giving you will get back.
Benefits
Use the online space to communicate the direct benefits of your products’ features, don’t just describe the features, but build on how these will add value to them and their lives.
Answer these questions for your target market by always asking:
what’s in it for them?,
is it better value than our competitors product(s)?
is it more reliable?
will it make our customers lives easier?
how will it improve their lives?
You can go into a lot more detail online so don’t miss the opportunity to do so.
Keep it brief
However, while the online environment allows you to provide more information it also means seriously low levels of patience, so make sure you get to the point before your visitor clicks out of your site altogether. Use short blocks of text, plenty of headings, short sentences and clear link text that makes sense.
Use your copy to coax visitors along the site process and in action until the point of conversion or until they complete he desired action. Clearly articulate how easy it is to respond by communicating how simple it is to pay online, how quick delivery time is and highlight online cost savings.
Know your target market and who you want to attract. Make sure your copy style and tone connects with your readership if you’re an upmarket luxury travel agent, for example, you need the copy to reflect the lifestyle of your target market. Be relevant otherwise people won’t stick around for long.
Remember Keywords
Think carefully about your keywords, ie those that you optimise to drive traffic to your site. While popular keywords are likely to be used by many online players, if you pay careful thought and attention to keywords you can select niche ones that will see targeted traffic arrive at your site keywords need to be deftly woven into your copy, sp ~` as well as writing with the reader in mind you should always write with search engines in mind.
Consistency is key
Make sure the style of your copy is consistent, that it flows across the pages, talks directly to the user and is grammatically correct. Building and maintaining your customer’s trust online is intrinsic to effective online copywriting and it stands to reason that sloppily written and badly punctuated copy is not going to build much faith in your company or products. Checks f and double-check your website’s copy to ensure there are no embarrassing typos or lazy writing.
Build Trust
Consumer cynicism is at an all time high in the online environment - make sure you engender trust in your products via your copy or you could see sceptical consumer leave your web site swiftly.
Since anyone can establish a web site it’s important that you build trust online so that customers are happy buying or sharing data with you rather than deciding a big-brand competitor is a safer bet.
Once you have established trust they will buy from you and copy is crucial for reassuring online users. Make it clear that customers have a money-back guarantee, state upfront that postage and packaging is extra, and never forget to point them to an offline, bricks and mortar customer contact point.
===================================
About Author
If you’re looking for a Brisbane web designer talk to johnhacking.com. For SEO Training, visit searchtempo.com. Ask about group corporate training.