1. Keep up with and Adapt to the newest and changing trends in SEO.

2. Code makes a difference: the cleaner the code the easier it will be for spiders to access and read the page.

3. Use Meta Title Tags and make each page have unique titles. The titles should match some of the content on the page.

4. Have areas for content to be displayed on every page. This is important because spiders need content to see what the page is about. Images can’t be read.

5. Page Names should be thought out. Name the pages using a keyword that describes what that page is about.

6. Navigation and Structure are important because you want the site to be accessible not only for humans to navigate through but spiders as well.

7. Keep content fresh. Search engines love new content so try ti update the content as often as possible.

8. Avoid Flash, it can’t be read easily by search engine spiders.

By incorporating just a few of these tips into your next design you will be ahead of the curve. By marrying web design and optimization you have a step up on your competition.

But what is the next big trend? Apparently you’re only as good as your ability to make educated guesses and a recent video posted by Trend Watching proves this theory.

So what is the next big trend in online marketing?

• Test Different Meta descriptions. This is one of the easiest ways to increase traffic even without increasing rankings. Obtaining a first page ranking for a given keyword is just one step to getting more traffic because there are still nine other organic competitors on that page. So take the time to test different marketing messages within the Meta description to improve your organic click through rate.  For starters, make sure descriptions are relevant to page content and ensure competitive differentiators such as price and quality is included. So start testing those Meta descriptions because you better believe your competitors are doing it.
• Run PPC on branded keywords. Coupling organic visibility with paid search visibility has been proven to improve click through rates within both spaces. Consistent messaging and prominent display improves trust among searchers – especially for those that might not yet be familiar with your brand – thus increasing their likelihood to click.
• Manage site links. Check to make sure these are displayed in an ideal manner. If non-relevant site links are being displayed over more useful ones (About Us vs. Make an Appointment, for example) then log into your Google Webmaster Tools account and block the site links that are not adding any value.
• Utilize new content. Google loves new, freshly updated content. Try to write an article or blog post as often as you can so that Google sees your website is updating often. This will cause Google to visit your site more often and possibly help you gain more trust.
• Take advantage of real time search. Now that Google is integrating dynamic streams of real time content into their search results, much of which comes from Twitter, this represents a huge opportunity for additional traffic.  Use relevant keywords in your tweets so that these will rank in real time search results and you can gain additional (albeit short lived) search engine visibility.

These tips should be in addition to your normal optimization techniques. Just remember that there are quite a few tactics that can be used in conjunction to SEO that will help to gain additional traffic. If you take advantage of all opportunities, large and small, you should see a lift in new visitors.

When marketing on Twitter, just like any other form of marketing, it requires some way for you to be able to measure the effectiveness. This way you aren’t spending time on something not producing results.

To start off, you’ll want to track the basics.

1. Post count – the number of times you’ve tweeted in a given time frame
2. Replies – the number of times another person’s tweet has started with @username in a given time frame
3. Retweets – The number of times you’re tweets have been “retweeted” in a given time frame
4. Mentions – the number of times your username was included in a tweet (but wasn’t considered a reply)
5. Friends & followers

After you start measuring your intial results you may want to dive into further detail, such as:

1. What tweets received the most attention? What can you learn from those tweets? Were they related to a contest or a particular subject?
2. Are Twitter users mentioning your business name without using your Twitter account? Are they aware that you even exist on Twitter?
3. Overall sentiment in replies to your Twitter account
4. What day and time of day were your tweets most effective (with regards to replies, retweets and URL clicks)? .

The question you must ask to all of these is “why?” If you see an increase in follower count or replies, don’t simply report on the number. Find out why you believe the increase or decrease occurred. Once you start asking questions, you’ll find there is a lot more to report on than just followers. Lastly, you will want to see the referring traffic you receive to your website by using your analytics software.

After figuring out these easy answers you will be well informed of the splash your marketing efforts are making on Twitter.

While many in the US may not be Googling themselves, apparently the HR industry has picked up the slack where 79% of hiring personnel admit to review online information about job applicants.

The folks at Google are well aware that their site handles millions of vanity searches every day, and that users aren’t always thrilled about the results that pop up when they Google themselves. So to give people a bit more control over search results, Google recently introduced a feature called “Google profiles,” where users can create a thumbnail of personal information that appears at the bottom of U.S. name-query search pages. Once users create a Google profile, their name, occupation and location (and photo if they choose) appears in a box on the first page of the search results for their name. Next to the thumbnail info, there’s a link to a full Google profile page that in many ways resembles a Facebook page.

While you may not Google yourself, others are. So be aware of what you have displayed and be proactive in your search results by creating a Google profile to show off your good qualities. You don’t want those crazy photos showing up which could cost you that dream job!!