Maximizing Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with WordPress Plug-Ins
June 8, 2010
Google loves WordPress and ranks and indexes WordPress sites and posts highly and rapidly. As a result, by simply using a WordPress platform you are boosting your overall SEO efforts. However, there are many plug-ins that will help increase your page ranking and overall SEO results even more.
From sitemaps to tag clouds to meta robots, as with all things WordPress there are a multitude of plug-ins to choose from. Here are some of the most popular plug-ins for your WordPress site.
All in One SEO Pack – This is an essential plug-in for all things related to search engine optimization and your blog. The “All in One SEO” plug-in allows you to customize every post and page on your WordPress site to include the keywords that are most relevant to that individual post or page. It is easy to use and has a one-click installation. While it takes some time at the beginning to set up the plug-in for your exact keywords, this plug-in is robust and powerful.
Google XML Sitemaps – Sitemaps make it easy for search engines to crawl and index your site. This automatic sitemap generator creates a sitemap that is compliant with search engine requirements and can be updated in one click. This plug-in is helpful for increasing and maintaining your search engine page ranking.
Simple Tags – This simple plug-in analyzes your post content and help you choose good tags by making suggestions.
SEO Tag Cloud Widget – This little plug-in is a gem for bloggers who love tag clouds. Prior to the development of this plug-in, tag clouds provided no SEO value whatsoever as they were unreadable by search engines. This plug-in creates an search engine friendly version of a tag cloud.
Scribe – This plug-in is not free, but is well worth the monthly fee is you’re serious about optimizing your blog posts or articles elsewhere on the web. Scribe is an SEO software service that analyzes the content of web pages, blog posts, online press releases, you name it… at the click of a button. You can analyze any content via the Scribe Web application, or directly in your CMS with the integrated WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal versions
There are numerous plug-ins to choose from but don’t get overzealous. Some plug-ins can actually work against one another. So choose a few that you want to use on your site, fill out all the fields and add custom tags, keywords and titles for each post.
Which plug-ins do you like to use on your WordPress blog or website for SEO?
Please note: A common mistake that bloggers make is to think that just installing the SEO plug-ins is enough and after that they don’t have to do anything. This is not true and leads to very poor results. In order for the plug-ins to work for you and your blog, you have to take the time to populate the fields and make use of the plug-in each time you post a new page or post.
How to Use the “Project Template” Feature in BaseCamp
June 2, 2010
One of my favorite project management tools to use is BaseCamp (part of the 37Signals Suite of Small Business Software). I’m thrilled with the latest update from the developers: a Project Template function. This is going to save me heaps of time!
I use BaseCamp to organize and manage projects and tasks for multiple clients as their Virtual Assistant. In my own account, I keep administrative notes and offer the option to my clients to organize their projects within my account, saving them money and time.
Some of my clients prefer instead to purchase their own BaseCamp accounts, which works great too. With my 37Signals ID, I log in to my Launchpad and can access my own BaseCamp (or other 37Signals Products) account, or one of my clients, without having to separately log in or out of each account.
If you’re familiar with BaseCamp already, then you’ve likely seen the To-Do List Templates. I use these now and have always wished (as have other users, apparently) that I could do it for Projects. Read more
4 WordPress Plug-Ins that Help Your Site Run Faster and Smarter
April 25, 2010
Image by One Tree Hill Studios via Flickr
Plug-ins for WordPress are almost like having your own personal set of tricks for your website or blog. They allow you to easily and quickly manage many tasks on your website therefore saving you time, energy and frustration.
Are you expecting a huge surge of traffic? There’s a plug-in that will help speed up your site. Do you have a lot of links on your site? Manually checking those could take forever and is likely to fall to the bottom of your priority list. And then there are those nasty spammers. Even our blogs are not exempt from spam! Clever plug-in developers have even created an automatic spam detector for your comments. Read more
Valentines Day – Customer Appreciation Day for Lovers?
February 14, 2010
Today’s the day that love fills the air. Bow and arrow armed cherubs, roses, decadent chocolates.. blah blah blah
Truth be told, I abhor Valentine’s Day and everything that it has come to stand for in modern society. When my husband and I started dating, one of my first requests of him was to please, please ignore Valentine’s Day. The poor boy was confused! Did I actually mean it, or was this some kind of a trick or test?
Twelve years later, and he’s finally relaxed. It’s no test; it’s just part of my eccentricity!
So what has this got to do with small business in Canada you may be wondering? Bear with me, I’m building up to that.
In my view, Valentine’s Day has evolved into a cruel day that punishes the haves and the have nots. It sets up expectations with antes that are upped each consecutive year, and the financial cost is, well, ridiculous.
I want to feel loved and appreciated the whole year round; not bought off with pricey gifts on a commercial day that makes us feel that we have to participate.
Valentine’s Day is like Customer Appreciation Day for Lovers
Imagine if your business chose to forgo the regular customer and client appreciation and thank-yous in favor of one giant gesture one day. While Open Houses and traditional Appreciation Days are great marketing tools and a way for brick and mortar businesses especially, to connect with their customers, it does not, or should not be the only time you thank your customers or clients.
Customer appreciation is something that should be done continuously; it should be a part of how you do business. It serves to remind your customers that you are the best option for their continued support, and happy customers are more likely to spread the word about you to their friends, family and colleagues – resulting in free advertising for you, and hopefully, more business as a result.
Some of you may catch the irony in my posting a message about customer appreciation by comparing it to what I find to be a distasteful tradition and then using the hype generated by that very day to draw readers in.
What can I say? The cupid’s arrow must have missed me this year.
Marketing by Referral
February 9, 2010
We all know the value of building business through referrals: it’s one of the best forms of advertising and there are no obvious monetary costs. A recent article at the Entrepreneur.com – 7 Ways to Get Great Referrals – has some great suggestions and ideas for generating word of mouth buzz. One of my clients could be a case study for that article; placing extra emphasis on service and client care.
Handle the Client, not the Transaction
My most important ongoing task for this particular client is in customer care. Every single order is responded to with a personal email, thanking the customer and making sure they know who to contact if they have any questions or concerns. Then, after the order has been received and the client has had an opportunity to use the product for a couple days, they receive a 2nd email, checking in on their satisfaction.
Read more
Managing Client Calls – Which Service to Choose?
February 2, 2010
Even Online Businesses Need to Answer the Telephone
An important part of any business, virtual or brick and mortar, is making sure to have reliable methods of contact.
The most traditional, and still very important contact method is via telephone. I know business owners and managers whom insist that picking up the phone is the best way to do business, and further, if a company is not available by phone, then they lose out on their business. While I may not agree with their stance, it does illustrate the importance of having a reliable business line.
Many entrepreneurs and small businesses struggle with choosing the right amount of service.
- Do you have need or want a 1-800 (or toll free) number?
- Do you have need or want a fax service?
- Do you want call forwarding or mobile access?
- What kind of long distance plan will you need? (Are your calls within Canada/US or worldwide?)
- Do you have a need for more than one line (Customer Service vs Sales?)
eCommerce Security: What You Need to Know
January 29, 2010
The Internet has opened up a new chapter in business commerce. It has also opened up a new way for criminals to steal your information and your life. Customers are more aware of the sites they visit and where they input their information.
eCommerce series: Part 4: Security
To build a client base, you will want to build a list of some sort. List building is a marketing strategy to connect with more potential customers so that you can create email and direct marketing campaigns. Creating your own list will yield a more focused group of potential customers than buying one. (Buying lists is often frowned upon.)
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Procuring Clients vs Dating (there are similarities!)
January 26, 2010
Now before I start, I want to make it clear, I am not talking about dating your clients. Rather, this is my view on how finding and retaining clients as an online professional has similarities to finding and maintaining a relationship (like dating).
We’re on the same page? Great!
Don’t change yourself to suit your client
It does not matter whether you are a brand new business and still looking for clients, or you have been in business for awhile, you need to know who you are and what you want. Be aware of the image that your business projects!
We all know that person that changes their likes/dislikes, personality, etc to please a potential partner. The high maintenance girl that suddenly has a thirst for hiking, or the small town boy that develops a fascination with urban cafes. You get the idea. No one is saying that being open to new experiences and people is a terrible thing, but, more often than not, if you are changing your core beliefs or even interests completely to please someone other than yourself, then chances are you are setting yourself up for trouble down the road.
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