The SEO Girl

I interviewed an SEO copywriting candidate this morning, and researched a few copywriting interview questions before it. One of the questions that caught my attention was “There’s a saying ‘Do what it takes to get the job done’.  What does it mean to you?” This particularly resonated with me as it pretty much sums up the motto of our SEO team. Stress levels run high, deadlines are always creeping up, and yet we do what’s needed to get the job done skillfully.

I ended up asking that question during my interview, and was very impressed with the answer – he noted that despite not working in a customer-facing department, he still brainstormed ideas on ways to educate customers on the suite of services the business offered and assist in upselling the client.

It’s a motto that sounds a bit cheesy, sure, but you either embrace it or you move on. Life is a series of choices, and despite the outcome, it’s not what happens, it’s how you handle it. We all have those days where we’re down and stressed, but overall, you wake up and do what it ethically takes to get the results you want.

And that goes for SEO, too. It’s all in the mind set.

I’m excited to announce that The SEO Girl now has Advertising opportunities available! A few of you have emailed me and asked about them, but I wanted to wait until I had a good amount of posts up and regular traffic visiting the blog each month. I’ve kept the rates pretty affordable, so I’m hoping you’ll check them out and take advantage. It’s a great way to get some added exposure and target the exact audience you’re courting!

I was recently asked to review KeywordCompetitor.com, a real-time Keyword Research Tool. You never know when you might just find the tool that fixes that ol’ leaky faucet, so I said “Sure, why not?!” I’ve been married to the Google Keyword Suggestion tool for quite awhile now, and I’ve noticed myself often spending time slipping between researching related keywords and their search volume on the Google keyword tool, then separately checking out the number of results for each keyword (competition volume), and also taking a look at where the site’s competitors were ranking for these keywords. That means I’m clicking through three different browser tabs, and with already being pressed for time in every moment of my day, that’s just a time suck!

Then Keyword Competitor came along and swept me off my feet. Not only can I see related keyword phrases to the keyword I typed in and their search volume, but I can also view the number of search results for that keyword…and I can also see what keywords the site’s competitors are ranking for! Patience isn’t a virtue I was exceptionally graced with, so it’s great to see I can simply allow the report to run in the background, and I get an email with the report attached once I’m finished. I can email and export that report as a pdf, csv, or in html, making it client-friendly and perfect to send to the client at the beginning and conclusion of the project.

I’m on the SEO side of things, but it never hurts to propel a client to sign on for our Pay-Per-Click services as well, and the keyword reports also include a tab that displays your competitors’ paid ads and paid keywords, helping to educate an on-the-fence prospective PPC client on why they should do both SEO and PPC, cuz well, their competitors are!

Sure, keyword rankings can fluctuate, so providing your SEO client with organic search traffic data is always best, however you do want to benchmark the client’s keyword rankings at the start of the project, as well as their competitors’ rankings, and monitor progress as you go along, whether you show it off to the client or not. Keyword Competitor allows you to do just that. After all, if the client’s organic traffic increases, their keyword rankings also likely did as well.

Believe me, I wouldn’t review anything I wouldn’t use myself, and Keyword Competitor will certainly be seeing more of me! There’s other keyword tools out there, but for its Price and Features, Keyword Competitor has this SEO Girl’s vote!

Ever have one of those weeks where you start out feeling like all those tasks on your to-do list just look so intimidating, but the end of the week just feels like a rush, in a good way? That’s exactly how this week has been for me. It’s been busy and jam-packed every second of the day, but it just felt so energetic, like a whirlwind, and renewing my excitement to be part of one awesome industry. I even had the chance to speak with a competitor on some SEO client revenue trends, and it was great to see two competing companies having an open chat and sharing information and feeling like we’re all in this together, rather than clawing at each other for clients. Now that is what is going to push the SEO industry forward.

Hi there! Just a quick post, as I’m about to make my amazing mashed potatoes for my family’s Easter dinner – what are your recommendations on the best press release syndication sites out there? I’ve previously used PRWeb.com and loved them, but I’m now looking to branch out a bit and see what else is out there. My must’s are:

• No yearly fee or contracts, purely a pay-by-release structure. The ability to pre-pay via check/electronic payment for multiple releases is preferred.
• SEO features, such as the ability to include links and the anchor text of my choosing.
• Ability to include a photo in the body of the release. Not a deal-breaker, but would be nice.
• Release should syndicate to similar major media outlets as PRWeb’s, such as the Associated Press, Google News, Yahoo News, etc.
• Ability to select categories for the release.
• Able to view statistics, such as the number of times the release is shown and the number of times the release is clicked on and opened.
• Ideally, each release should be $200 or under.

Here’s to hoping you’ll help this SEO Girl out!