“I fell into it on accident. In my position at Prudential Relocation (a Prudential Financial company), everyone considered writing-related work to be a punishment. At the time, I was new to the marketing position and was handed the “grunt work” of content creation. Within 6 months I was the Editor in Chief of the  company’s three international publications and was traveling with the company president, writing her speeches. I love to write and know this is what I was born to do.”

Choosing to work with Cowtown Creative on your content marketing needs will not get you a company driven by the bottom line. We love content and we love content creation. Better yet, we love Fort Worth Content Marketing.

Let us create some content for you today.

The post How I Got into Content Marketing appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

If you want to leverage the power of keywords, you need to be smart about saturation levels and understand that Google in particular has become very smart about recognizing sites that over-plug for SEO.

A good amount of keyword usage in any site, also known as saturation, is 3% to 4%. So, on a website page with 100 words, a keyword need only be used 3 to 4 times. Ideal placement is also key, however, and should always include it in the title, first paragraph, and closing paragraph.

Remember, as we’ve discussed before, that this doesn’t include every keyword pertaining to your company. For instance, if you are posting a blog, don’t use this approach for three different keywords. Instead, choose your primary keyphrase for this tactic. Then, place all keywords or keyphrases (up to 10) in your Meta Keywords entry for that post.

The post SEO Keyword Usage: The Correct Saturation Level appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

“Leverage free-for-all linking wherever you can get it.”

Whaaaaa???? This statement made me go back up to the top of the blog to check the author’s credentials again. Yes, it’s that big of a mistake.

So, here’s the difference between natural linking and free-for-all linking and why you do not want to use the latter. Natural linking is the process of building reputable links that you can place with other related sites. You can even exchange them (reciprocal) with associated or partner sites. Free-for-all linking, on the other hand, is just as rebellious as it sounds. It’s the practice of using a software to place your links on hundreds or even thousands of sites, whether they’re related or not.

The best way to look at free-for-all linking is like breaking the rules. It’s essentially “spamming” and no one likes spam.

You want to approach SEO as above-board as possible, and natural linking is the best way to do so. Because if the engines catch wind of free-for-all linking, it’s possible they might not even give you just a warning…your site could get permanently blacklisted for employing such shady tactics. And we all know what that means…Au Revoir to that URL.

We know the ins and outs of natural backlinking and will always protect your URL. After all, that URL is part of your brand and the last thing you want is to do business with a marketing company that doesn’t understand that. Call us today and start your climb to the top.

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Step 1: Read what’s there

So, go take a look at your page as if you’re someone who’s never seen it before, and honestly analyze your content. I’ll wait….Did your fresh eyes see useful information? Just by existing, your site promises to be useful. If you’ve ever been to a site that wasn’t full of great information, I bet you haven’t been back a second time.

Step 2: Rewrite it so it’s better

Write content that is well-organized and informative, and visitors will appreciate the effort. Keep humor to a minimum and use persuasion where it’s appropriate. Make your content easy to navigate. Write sentences that are easy to read, then spell check. Oh, and then actually s-p-e-l-l check with your own eyes, because automatic spell checkers don’t check for usage errors. And punctuation. And spelling.

Step 3: Delete all the keywords you wedged in there

It seems counter-intuitive, I realize, but real people don’t want to read the same two-word phrase twice in the first sentence of each blurb, then another seven times in the first two paragraphs. Long-string keywords occur naturally in useful, well-written content, and that’s how the search engines – and the people controlling them – will find you.

It’s easy enough to write your site content for real people, especially when you write for a living. Let us know if we can help.

The post Feed the Hungry Engines: 3 Steps to Better Site Content appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

You may be thinking, “Where on Earth can I find such people?” But it’s easier than you think. A very knowledgeable one just read this sentence. Think back, for example, to the last search you did for a local Chinese restaurant. You knew at the outset that if you searched for “Chinese restaurant,” you would get loads and loads of links that were useless to you. That brings us to four extraordinarily useful things to remember when assigning keywords to your site:

1. Focus your words to avoid competing with absolutely every site out there, but…
2. Don’t get so specific you eliminate your site from most searches.
3. Choose two- or three-word phrases that an actual person (like you) might use to search for your site, and then
4. Don’t rely on keywords alone to boost traffic; it’s content that the search engines are perusing, and that’s where you’ll nail most of your longer search terms that would be too specific to use in your keywords.

If putting together phrases to insert into your meta tags doesn’t sound like fun, we can do it for you. The pros at Cowtown Creative actually love keywords, meta tags and everything SEO, so give us a call at 817-908-1460 and let’s talk about what your site needs.

The post SEO Keywords: 4 Essential Elements to Choosing the Right Ones appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

Reciprocal linking is a “I’ll-show-yours-if-you-show-mine” proposal that was super hot just after the turn of the century. It got so hot, in fact, that instead of content with embedded legitimate links to usable sites, an entire sub-industry popped up complete with its own software so people could pay to place links to their sites on other peoples’ pages. (Today, those are advertisements and not promoted as true content.) Search engines knocked those sites out of the rankings, and a lot of people who dealt with SEO proclaimed reciprocal linking a thing of the past. Social media sprang up and the Internet moved on. Except it didn’t.

Reciprocal linking still does a few things for your site that definitely make it worthwhile in the big scheme of things:

• It increases inbound links to your site, which is always a plus.
• It helps people associate your site with other sites they frequent.
• It CAN build credibility if you choose your reciprocal linking partners wisely (we’ll get to that later).

The bottom line with reciprocal linking is that it should make sense in context. Guest blogging is the perfect spot for a natural link in your signature line and builds your credibility with the site your post is populating with content. A link to the guest blog from your own page builds your credibility, as well, and both sites benefit from a basic form of organic SEO.

The only thing that would make reciprocal linking easier is to hire us to do it for you. Message me and let’s talk traffic.

The post Reciprocal Linking: Coming Around Again appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

Link farms are web pages designed to do nothing more than provide backlinks to web sites. The problem with link farms is that search engine filters are set up to knock them out of the searches because they don’t provide any content. The sites they link to are often also sent to the bottom of the search results heap, so keep your site clear of these SEO killers.

Reciprocal linking for the sake of reciprocal linking is a no-no. Say you and Joe’s Tire Shop decide to link to each other’s sites to boost SEO. The search engines can tell that this isn’t a blog link, it isn’t legitimate, and therefore both your sites are dumped in the search for using bad links. Even when you have good reason for a reciprocal link, choose wisely which sites you’ll link to. If you send people to a site that sends them to a link farm, for example, your SEO rankings may bottom out.

Backlink bombing is when a site owner links to several other websites they operate, all with the same IP address. Search engines can fish out this over-linking technique, and they’ll dock your search ranking for it.

If avoiding the pitfalls of backlinking seems like a slippery slope, it’s because it is. Let us help you keep your footing on this SEO climb to the top; just toss us a line and let’s get moving…info@cowtowncreative.net.

The post Keep Backlinks Legit to Avoid SEO Death appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

Search engine filters give higher rankings to sites with more external links than other sites, but they also make sure those links are for real. Your backlinks can make the cut if you mind your Do’s and Don’ts.

Do 

• Create inbound links from sites that have content related to yours.
• Require that any site linking to yours uses quality anchor text in the body of the content. Anchor text is the words that are in blue (or another text color, or underlined) that make up a hyperlink (to your site). Those words need to be some of the keywords that you’ve determined work best for your site’s SEO ranking. Quality anchor text can significantly improve your legitimacy in the steely eyes of search engine filters.
• Keep track of your backlinks. Safeguarding your site’s reputation is paramount to building or maintaining its search rating. You need to periodically reassess your backlinking associations.

Don’t

• Link too frequently to other sites you own. There’s a filter that looks for too many links to the same IP address; that’s known as backlink bombing.
• Allow inbound links to read click here. Request that they use an actual keyword phrase in the text instead. There are tools out there you can use to help you search for backlinks you may need to squash.
• Confuse quantity with quality when it comes to inbound links. Quality is key.
• Automatically link back to every site that gives you an inbound link. Outbound links can hurt your ranking, so be very selective about the links you put on your pages.

We love building backlinking. If you want to have us provide you with the best backlinking available at an affordable price, contact us today at 817-908-1460 or info@cowtowncreative.net.

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Here is the breakdown:

• Content IS king: it is the meat of your site and it helps ensure you keep visitors on your site once all your SEO efforts get them there; HOWEVER
• Creating powerful content loaded with keywords is not going to insure you placement in search engines or make the public flock to see what you have to say…you must have other SEO tactics that work to promote that content;
• AND SO…One of those additional SEO tactics is actually using your powerful writing capabilities to become an expert on your subject, in your field, or for your business, and drive traffic.

Utilizing the power of other sites that are relevant to your own industry helps build the reputation of your own site, and therein its ranking in the search engine. And the best way to do this is through valid links. How do you achieve this? You approach or apply to be a guest writer, to submit an article or blog for reposting, or something of this nature. In exchange for your valuable content, the partner site should allow you to link back to your own site. Voila! You’ve leveraged your writing ability once again to improve your SEO efforts.

I’m happy to do the same for you if you’d like to be a guest writer on this blog. Just send me a line.

The post Be An Expert: Guest Writing Improves SEO appeared first on Cowtown Creative.

For those of you that have WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. sites, however, you might find yourself needing to know some of the basic and more well-known types of tags since these platforms allow users to choose tags without knowing anything about HTML code. So, when you see an entry field that says, “Meta Description Tag,” this post will tell you which information belongs there. Most of these tags are not something seen by visitors to your site, but instead are seen only by search engines.

• Title Tag – easily one of the most important elements in SEO, the Title Tag defines the site by allowing the owner to define a key phrase (keywords) and brand name (or website) that visitors will see in search results. In Google, this is the line that is underlined above the description, and it is also seen in the top tab of a page, also known as the browser’s chrome.

• Meta Description Tag: This bit of HTML code is the phrases used to describe the site and its offerings using keywords. You see this in Google just beneath the underlined title. If using a CMS platform like WordPress, most themes will provide a field that asks you for “Meta Description.” This is the place where you provide this information.
• Meta Keywords Tag: Another field you’ll likely find in the backend of your CMS site is one labeled “Meta Keywords Tag.” This is where you will place your keywords or phrases that define a page and that you most want people to use to locate your site. It’s wise to keep the number around 10 keywords and you’ll want to start with your most important keywords first. If you have an affordable marketing company based in the Dallas, TX, the Meta Keywords Tag for your home page may include: ‘Affordable Marketing Services’, ‘Dallas Marketing Services’, ‘Texas Marketing’, and ‘Expert Writers’.
• Alt Tags: And, finally, you may encounter the need to understand alt tags. Basically, a search engine doesn’t see images – it only sees code (text). So, you need to name an image using code  so that it will properly index your images. The great thing about CMS platforms are the plugins. So, you can use an easy plugin that will simply name all the images within your site for you if you like. My recommendation for WordPress is SEO Friendly Images (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-image/)

Let us worry about making sure your site has all the right tags in all the right places. Call or email today: 817-908-1460 or info@cowtowncreative.net.

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