Search Engine Optimization

Should I Blog For My Business? A Blogging Checklist

Submitted by tkarlberg on May 15, 2012

Using a blog to endear yourself to readers is great.  But you probably haven’t come to this decision because you’re looking for a new way to flex your writing skills.  If you’re like most decision makers who have invested time and money into your website, you’re more interested in getting search engines to send additional traffic your way.  And that’s okay.  Some of the best methods for appealing to humans happen to be good for appealing to Google as well.

Category:

4 Ways Blog Posts are Unlike the Rest of Your Site

Submitted by tkarlberg on May 7, 2012

What's better than a "fully" optimized website? An optimized website that gets continually updated with relevant, useful content. And in our opinion, there aren't many tools that can acheive this goal better than a well-utilized blog. Want proof? You're reading ours right now.

Category:
Tags:

See How Many Visitors are on Your Website Right Now

Submitted by tkarlberg on February 27, 2012

If you have Google Analytics installed on your website, finding out how many visitors are at your site right now is something you can do in less than 2 minutes. This is a somewhat recent feature we praised in December as part of the new Google Analytics version rolled out last year. Today, though, we're going to show you how to see this number for yourself...anytime you feel like it.

Category:
Tags:

5 Blogs From 2011 Worth a Second Read

Submitted by tkarlberg on February 22, 2012

If you've been following the August Ash blog since the beginning, you know that we picked up some steam in 2011, blogging more earnestly than previously. It wasn't simply that we had more to talk about than before; we wanted to more intentionally demonstrate the effectiveness of this [almost] free tool for us and our customers who might be in the same boat.

Category:

3 Observations on SEO Shared by Google

Submitted by tkarlberg on February 13, 2012

We in the SEO (search engine optimization) field are constantly aware of Google. We listen to Google, watch it, follow it, learn from it, and sometimes find our patience challenged by it.

Category:
Tags:

Have 2 Minutes for Google Analytics?

Submitted by tkarlberg on January 9, 2012

If you only have a couple minutes, but still want to better familiarize yourself with your Google Analytics account, today's video can help.

In this clip, we briefly highlight 5 reports that every website owner should know about. These metrics are worth reviewing from time to time, and measuring against past performance.

Category:
Tags:

Video: Google Places Optimization Tips

Submitted by tkarlberg on January 3, 2012

We know you're busy. If you're short on time, but want to learn a few tips for optimizing your Google Places page, check out today's quick video. These steps will help you ensure your business or organization is presented better in Google's Maps/Places results.

Tips Shared in This Screencast Include:

Category:
Tags:

2 Things We Like About the New Google Analytics

Submitted by tkarlberg on December 9, 2011

Site Speed Integration

We’ve known for years that the time it takes a browser to load your webpage can affect how often that page gets visited, and to some degree, how Google ranks that page. But over the past year or two, the role of “site speed,” a common term for that measurement, has begun playing an increasingly significant role in SEO.

Category:
Tags:

How to Handle Surprises From Your Website's Traffic

Submitted by tkarlberg on November 30, 2011

How would you react if your normally successful website suddenly began seeing a big drop in online sales or lead submissions? Conversely, what would you do if, after months of struggling to make an impact, your underperforming site mysteriously began seeing an increase in first-time visitors by the thousands?

Your first instinct may be to celebrate or panic. But once the initial emotion subsides, you’re going to want answers. Lots and lots of clear answers.

Category:
Tags:

How to Optimize Your Website's Photos

Submitted by tkarlberg on November 18, 2011

We're sometimes asked about optimizing photos (images) on websites, and more speficically, the difference between alt text and image titles.

The guiding principle here is that the text you enter for either one of these should be useful to visitors. Keep in mind that alt text will be used by visitors with disabilities where, instead of viewing images, their computer "speaks" text to them. Other visitors at your site without disabilites may also be browsing without images enabled, and this information will help them consume your content more effectively.

Category: