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!

Last week pretty much zapped the energy right out of me! The weather was gloomy, I had a few problem/resolution situations to take care of, and a great deal of monthly work left with the end of the month just a few days away. Yet, it was one of the most inspiring weeks I’ve had recently. We developed a plan of action to get our name out more, with our investment being mostly our time, expertise, and our motivation to illustrate that we are industry experts and have the proven experience to back it up.

A lot of great ideas get a lot of spark in the brainstorming phase, but seem to fizzle out after that. I was so proud to see my team fully embrace our plan of action and set out on it, needing only just a few words of encouragement and direction. It’s a trait I’ve seen again and again in our industry – such a desire to constantly move forward, learn more, and better ourselves. We’re not 9-5 pencil pushers, we’re creatives that happen to know quite a bit about search. This passion to continue thriving, regardless of the stressful days, gives us the motivation to want to continue growing a small business in this economic landscape. In turn, we have a desire to learn more, pass this knowledge on to client’s via their SEO and social media services, and always keep moving ahead.

I’ve been a posting slacker once again! My SEO job has been extremely busy over the last few months, with me hitting the treadmill after a long day, spending time with friends, or simply relaxing with some tea once I’m home. I’ll try my best to post more, but you’ll need to bear with me, as I’ll be venting my stress from time to time. But hey, any online marketing or advertising job out there is stressful, but we still love it! You can check out posts on SEO techniques from just about anywhere, but you can kick back and empathize after a long day here with me

Online marketing has always been pretty cutthroat, but we’re noticing more and more competitors with underhanded techniques – using completely spammy SEO techniques or techniques that “sound good” but have little value, and others banding together to squash smaller companies. All’s fair in love, war, and SEO, but what happened to sharing accurate knowledge, employing “pure” SEO techniques, and advancing SEO as an industry that’s ethical and employs tactics that actually work. Companies out to deceive their clients are giving SEO a bad name, and it’s going to hurt every SEO company out there. After all, if the fly-by-night companies are making quick money, then the actually ethical companies are going to need to dilute their techniques in order to survive. It’s simply lowering the bar, and it’s a shame to see it.

I do believe this can be turned around, but we need to band together and hold ourselves to a higher ethical standard. By actually knowing your stuff in SEO and educating clients on the techniques that really matter, you’re advancing our industry, getting clients to trust SEO experts again, and creating more SEO jobs in the process. So speak out: What kind of standards should exist in the SEO industry?

You already know how much I love SEO, and believe me, I have a lot of love to go around. While you’re feeling the love this Valentine’s Day, do your part to help the Geeks With Heart movement!

Geek Girls Network™ & Geeky Clean have created a fundraiser to support the Haiti Relief called Geeks With Heart.

Through Mercy Corp, Geeks With Heart has a fundraising goal of $2500 and there’s no minimum for donations. If you can spare just one special cup of coffee, an iTunes download, or a crispy chicken sandwich, donate to Haiti instead. Show Haiti why geeks have heart!

As extra incentive, and not that you need any, once Geeks With Heart reaches $2500, all who donated will have the chance to win a prize from an amazing grab bag of geek prizes!

So donate, tweet it up, put a badge on your website, and tell all your friends and family. Thanks!

Geeks With Heart: http://www.mercycorps.org/fundraising/geekgirls

Have you seen those annoying little ads promising “500 free Facebook fans” or “200 Twitter followers overnight”? Sure, those numbers sound nice, but will any of those additional fans or followers actually be a brand advocate for your website? Probably not. The most successful Facebook and Twitter campaigns have not just a large number of followers, but a large number of followers who actually love their brand and want to spread the word about it!

So how do you increase your Facebook Fans, while also ensuring they’re fans who actually can help promote your brand?

1. Make it your page’s mission to triple the number of fans in one week. If you reach that number, you’ll run a special promotion just for your Facebook fans, and donate a portion of the sales to a non-profit organization that relates to your business.

2. Start the promoting! Post about your promotion on your Facebook page twice daily, post about it on Twitter, and write post about it on your blog.

3. You want people to feel they’ll be helping a larger cause by spreading the word, so be sure to focus on the end result: you’re donating a portion of sales to a non-profit organization, and they’re directly helping you do this. Ask them to help ensure you’re reaching your goal by suggesting your Fan page to their friends.

4. Reached your magic number? Congrats, and make sure you follow through with the promotion and donation. Close, but not quite there? You’ll reach it next time, but be sure to reward the efforts of your fans by still running the promotion and donating to the organization you chose.

5. Keep up the Facebook posting – you don’t want to lose any ground with your newfound fan base. Focus on posting relevant articles and blog posts, sprinkled with a marketing message here and there.

Now, how does this benefit your SEO? By running this type of promotion, you’re working to help a great cause, and people love to write about and link to businesses that are working to help others and increasing their social awareness. Reach out to your local media about the promotion you’re running, and highlight your promotion as you’re contacting sites and bloggers in your link building efforts. They’ll see you’re much more than just another pretty website

If you’re lucky enough to be part of a thriving SEO company, you’re likely going to be working long hours. If you don’t love the industry and the work you’re doing, you’re going to resent it, just like you would with any industry, even if you worked at it just 4 hours a day. I work an easy 50 hours a week at my not-so-easy SEO job, and usually log another 4 hours throughout the weekend. Yet, I’m happy as a clam (okay, not every second, but overall I’m a pretty happy SEO girl).

What sets us apart is that we love our SEO jobs. We’re part of an industry that’s always changing and questioning preconceived ideas, along with being lucky to have some great people in our industry. The days are long and results are never immediate, but loving the work you’re doing goes a long way towards maintaining your happiness level. There’s always going to be those difficult days and even more difficult clients, but have faith that you’re in an industry that’s going places and evolving.

I’ve been told I work too much and that I’m a workaholic more times than I can count, but I still have that smile on my face and excitement to keep going, even after almost 4 years of being in this industry. It hasn’t been easy and clients try my patience all the time, but there’s a big difference from working just for a paycheck and working because you love what you do. I’m lucky to have the latter.