Archive for April, 2009

Why Long Tail Search Terms are Gold

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Long tail organic search terms can dramatically increase the number of highly targeted traffic delivered to your web site. Granted most people are aware of this SEO fact. However some people are not really sure what the terms “long tail” means. To put it into an easy to understand concept the long tail search term are organic search engine keyword phrases that are generally not part of your web site’s overall targeted keyword phrases.

Long tails are made up of the total textual content you use on your web site. As a web grows in age its long tail search terms increase. Although each long tail may only deliver one, two of three visits to your site each month, it’s the sheer volume of long tail search terms that offer the targeted traffic value.

One way to build and increase your long tail search terms is by using HitTail. Raw Funk has been using the suggestions of Hit Tail for since 2007.

Tips on Hiring a Good SEO Company

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Pay peanuts you’ll almost certain get monkeys. The road to finding an experienced SEO company who knows what they are doing is priceless.

Why Hire an SEO Company

Although people’s attitudes are changing, there are still companies that wont bat an eye lid at spending $500,000 a year in advertising.  But ask them to invest; SEO is an investment if you find the right consultant, $20k into their site’s search engine optimisation and they baulk at the idea.  Maybe this mindset is fuelled by the unfortunately fact that there are cowboys in the SEO industry who haven’t got a clue what they’re doing.

I’m a firm believer in research, if it wasn’t for Google I’d be lost. Google is my friend and can be yours too.

From the humble beginnings of the WWW it has been founded on people doing the DIY gig. Although I can use a screwdriver, saw and nail gun as well as the next guy, I’m not about to go out and build my own house!  It’s the same with search engine optimisation and your business web site.

It’s horses for courses. From my experiences web developers & web design companies can deliver outstanding wed sites but when it comes to SEO projects they generally fail.  Frankly there are just too many pitfalls associated with current search engine optimisation to risk your SEO project to just anyone.

Key Points When Hiring an SEO Consultant

  1. Transparency - if an SEO company will not disclose & or are guarded towards the type of services they provide, then it is likely they are hiding something. Don’t risk your investment and business integrity by hiring an SEO consultant who will not disclose information.
  2. References - Unfortunately words are cheap. Anyone can look a million dollars and wing it. Look for substance. Generally avoid Testimonials.  Instead request client URL’s and conduct your own research on the search engines. Don’t get suckered into thinking they’re good if they rank at spot 1 on Google for “black widgets” when the url is blackwidgets .com
  3. Ask Questions -Remember this is your company web site.  Bad SEO techniques can ruin your business, At the very least affect your income. Worst case scenario could see your web site dropped from Google and other major search engines. Reiterating research is paramount. If your unfamiliar with basis SEO terms learn some and fire questions about these outcomes at the SEO consultant.
  4. Online Gaming - This is a specialist field & as such most main stream SEO consultants will not take on these projects because of the highly competitive nature on this niche market. Unlike other industries, the online gaming industry contends with an ever changing search engine environment and a range of other potentially hazardous influences. If your project is not handled correctly is could spell disaster. So choose your SEO consultant carefully for the online gaming market.
  5. Dot Your i’s & Cross Your t’s - Make sure you protect you backside. When you have chosen a good SEO company, before you make any payment make sure both yourself and the SEO consultant are on the same page.  Request an itemised brief that entails all work to be conducted on your search engine optimisation project. Also insist on ball park time lines. If an SEO company supplies you with a legal contract to sign, have your solicitor veto this document before signing & or before handing over any payment.

Although hiring an SEO company can seem like a mine field at times, by using the above tips you should find it a lot less stressful.

In need of a experienced Online Gaming SEO consultant?
Please consider Raw Funk SEO Services.

Competitive Organic Gambling Search Terms

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

I’m always amazed by the number of gambling portal webmasters who are hell bent on achieving page 1 search engine positions for highly competitive keyword phrases.  Terms such as online casinos; online gambling; online sports books  and so on. As we all know - or should know, if your not on page one of any search engine then your missing out on a lot of traffic.

I’ve seen webmasters toil for months and months with web sites that either don’t stand a chance of making into these SE positions, or worse, their web site is not  seo coding optimised.

For those online gambling sites that have all their coding i’s dotted and t’s crossed it’s still a lot of work with no guarantees of success into highly competitive gambling search terms.

A quick reality check!
Most of your visitors use the generic page setting of 10 search results per page when using Google and other major search engines.

The point I’m making, is to look at your gambling site objectively. Spending an untold number of hours trying to reach for page one serps that are next to impossible for your current site’s content is a waste of your time and energy.

Aim for less competitive keyword phrases. Remember the more targeted the search term is the better it will covert.  By focusing on less competitive organic gambling search terms you should achieve your desired page one Google serps. Ultimately deliver quality traffic which is the purpose of search engine optimisation.

Raw Funk SEO Blog

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

Welcome to the Raw Funk SEO blog. The core of our search engine optimisation services are focused on the highly competitive online gaming industry. However  the SEO tips and information within our blog can be used for generalised search engine optimisation of your web site.

Over the coming weeks and months we’ll offer you a wide selection of relevant SEO articles. Primarily these topics will suit online gambling webmasters & or those operating sites within the online gaming industry.

At Raw Funk we don’t buy into SEO BS - What we like to call “seo propaganda”. Meaning there is a lot of seo sites that will lead you up the proverbial  path if you let them. Although search engine algorithms are always evolving,  we at Raw Funk still maintain that the majority of gambling sites need to get their overall site coding ducks in a row. Our  seo techniques will provide you some basic search engine optimisation tips for your online gaming web site.