When it comes to developing a strong SEO presence for your site, there are a number of different ways to attack the situation. Improving URL structure, performing quality linkbuilding and optimizing your META tags are all effective tools used by businesses that want to reach the top of Google and Yahoo.

But when it comes to getting top search results AND turning your business into a real web presence, there is no substitute for outstanding website content.

Website content refers to articles placed strategically on your website and use keywords and phrases that are relevant to your target audience.

Why is content so important?

There are a number of reasons why website content is so important to search engine optimization, including:

* Google loves expert content. Gone are the days when you could simply load up your landing pages with the same keywords over and over again. It’s 2009 and Google has gotten WAY too smart for that. Now, the search spiders look for relevant, authoritative content that actually means something to those who read it. A volume of articles about your industry go a long way toward jumping you up in the ranking.

* Relevant keyword placement. Article content is the ideal place to implement the keywords you believe people are using to find your business. Get enough well-placed keywords in your content and you’ll be heading for the front page of the search results in no time!

* Building your reputation. Every compelling article you add to your site builds your reputation as an authority. People will find these articles via search, and then stay at your site for an extended period of time. If you’ve got the right conversion elements in each article, it can result in additional leads or sales.

What NOT to do with your website SEO content

Creating and implementing solid SEO content is a mixture of art and science. Getting this synthesis wrong will lead to frustration and a lack of good search performance.

Here are some things NOT to do with your articles:

* Don’t plagiarize. Copying and pasting article content from other sites that have a higher ranking than you may seem like a good idea, but it will actually have an adverse effect on your organic search standing. Google “hates” duplicate content and you’ll quickly be branded a sketchy, unethical player in the online world.

* Don’t cut corners. While it may be tempting to simply throw some short, remedial keyword-loaded articles online and call it day, don’t fall into that trap! The articles that Google responds to the best are those long-form, authoritative pieces that really get into detail about their subject matter.

* Don’t try it yourself. SEO content development is a skill-and-trade. Understanding how to strike the perfect balance between keywords and content is something that the professional SEO writers do every day – and they do it well. Work with a search engine marketing company that offers SEO content development as part of the package.

Ajax Union is your marketing and business development partner – a comprehensive agency with an emphasis on customer service that takes the time to get to know its clients and their industries. From search engine marketing to full-on business development planning, Ajax Union is your single-source for identifying new markets, gathering qualified leads and increasing sales. For more information, visit www.ajaxunion.com today.

Ajax Union is your marketing and business development partner – a comprehensive agency with an emphasis on customer service that takes the time to get to know its clients and their industries. From search engine marketing to full-on business development planning, Ajax Union is your single-source for identifying new markets, gathering qualified leads and increasing sales. For more information, visit www.ajaxunion.com today.

At the end of the day, your business’ good name is about the most important thing you have going for you. And in the online world, protecting that good name can be a full time job. How you maintain your web presence, and monitor customer reaction to your business can be the difference between a stellar online reputation in your industry and a reputation that actually harms your business more than it helps.

The Importance of Online Credibility

There are several reasons why maintaining online credibility is so important to your business.

· Bad news travels fast. If you lack in online credibility, the news of your issues will spread quickly throughout blogs, message boards and customer review sites. It won’t take long before visitors are no longer flocking to your website or blog.

· Your competition is watching you. Your competitors are constantly reviewing your web presence, looking for opportunities to “one up” you in every way. A lack of online credibility gives them the window they need to jump ahead of your business on the web.

· It’s a cost-effective way to stay “healthy”. Maintaining the highest level of quality is the best way to keep your business strong – all while doing so on a budget. Adding content, responding to feedback and providing great customer service all require minimal investments, and pay big returns in the long run.

How to Build Credibility Online

The following represent some simple techniques for building a first-class reputation online.

· Keep your web presence fresh. The most credible websites and blogs – the ones that customers and clients visit again and again – are those that feel as if they are constantly updated and refreshed. Stale, out-of-date, content and information is a death knell for a web site – especially in the case of a blog, where visitors are extremely savvy about how often it is being updated. Fresh information means that your business is devoted to its web-based customers – a fact that is not lost on them.

· Authoritative Content. One of the most powerful ways to establish credibility online is to turn your website into a one-stop source for relevant information related to your area of expertise. This is accomplished by developing and maintaining an article archive containing impartial content about your products, business or industry. Writing authoritative content actually serves two purposes – it builds credibility online AND (provided that the articles are keyword-rich) establishes your presence atop the major search engines.

· Customer Reviews. If you sell a product or service online, chances are that customers are providing feedback somewhere in the web-o-sphere. The job of credible online businesses is to monitor these reviews carefully and act on them in specific ways, including:

o Respond to negative reviews – when a customer writes a negative review, open up a dialogue with that individual. See if you can determine what it was about their customer experience that led them to post a negative review of your business. Offer them a chance to come back and try you again. Entice them with an offer.

o Maintain a dialogue – let the web community know that you are a business that responds to its customers. Be active part of review communities such as Yelp or Yahoo! Reviews. Be an active poster on these boards and your reputation will grow in any business climate.

· Customer Service. In 2009, customers have come to expect top-flight customer service from their online vendors. It is therefore important to be there, via phone or email, whenever your customers or clients have a question about your business. Treat your online “shop” like a brick and mortar presence and watch your reputation grow!

Isn’t it time you made your business’ presence felt online? Make it happen with a comprehensive online marketing solution from ANEWB. The web experts at ANEWB help you build a huge online presence that generates the most qualified leads and increases sales. From SEO and viral marketing to website development and more, it’s an affordable solution that can start paying for itself immediately! Contact ANEWB today!