Top 6 Tips For Blog Commenting

Posted on April 29, 2013 by

Blog commenting tipsCommenting on blogs is a great way to show appreciation for someone’s work and give your website an online visibility boost at the same time. 

If you are a high-frequency commenter and have ever researched into blog commenting as a marketing strategy, you have likely come across businesses offering blog commenting as a service.

This is quickly becoming big business – so big in fact, that a recent Google search for “Blog Commenting Services” yielded a little over 77-million results.

It sounds like everyone is catching on doesn’t it?

I suppose the true litmus test would be to read some of the comments that these services offer.  For me, that’s a straight line to my blog to read the comments pending approval – here are some of the best ones that came in last month.

  • “Thanks for your personal marvelous posting!  I truly enjoyed reading it, you will be a great author. I will make certain to bookmark your blog and will come back very soon.  I want to encourage one to continue your great writing, have a nice morning!”
  • “What’s up, all is going perfectly here and of course every one is sharing facts, that’s really fine, keep up writing.”
  • “What’s up to every single one, it’s really a good for me to go to see this web page, it consists of priceless Information.”
  • “Ahaa, its fastidious dialogue concerning this post here at this website, I have read all that, so now me also commenting at this place.”
  • “Howdy! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice data you might have here on this post. I might be coming back to your blog for extra soon.”
  • “One more web link structure means is through social networks, which is beginning to greatly impact on ranks in search engines. A lot of firms will certainly not have social networks web pages as usually most would not take into consideration exactly how efficient having a social networks existence can easily be.”
  • “I really like what you guys tend to be up too.  This type of clever work and exposure! Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve added you guys to my blogroll.”
  • “Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part :) I care for such information a lot. I was looking for his particular information for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.”
  • “I read this piece of writing completely regarding the difference of hottest and preceding technologies, it’s awesome article.”
  • “Hi to every one, since I am in fact eager of reading this web site’s post to be updated regularly. It contains good stuff.”

Not what you were expecting was it?

As it turns out – blog commenting is rife with spam!  While I cannot for certain point to any of these comments as having come from low-quality blog commenting services, each of these shared common traits suggesting that they did: single commenter posting multiple nonsensical responses, often using multiple personas and email addresses, profiles are backlinking to a sales-intensive website, profiles lack detail (optimization), didn’t use an image within their profile, and their use of the english language indicates their free translation tool is miserably failing them.

So is there really a marketing value in commenting on blogs?

There sure is – and to that end, here are my top 6 tips for blog commenting that can spread some SEO awesomesauce for both the blog writer and commentator.

  1. Be sincere – if you are commenting on a blog post for the sole purpose of getting some SEO juice for your business, you’re doing it for the wrong reason.
  2. Make sure you have a fully optimized profile on the blogging platform you are commenting on (including your name, business name, address, phone number, website URL, and a picture of yourself – no egg-head bio pictures).
  3. Make sure you are commenting on a blog that has a higher PR value than your website or the blog listed in your profile if you are looking for the mutual benefit of a SEO boost.
  4. Make sure your Author Rank code is verified.
  5. If you intend to drop a link into your reply – be certain it is of substantial value and not just a cheap plug.
  6. Be sincere (did I mention that already?)

Practicing safe blog commenting is sure to be mutually beneficial for blogger and commentator alike.

7VAAT9QV4UDG

Posted in Blogging, Rhode Island internet marketing, Rhode Island SEO | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Of SEO and Whiskey – the parallels of search engine optimization and whiskey making

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

Of SEO and Whiskey

By Chris Sheehy | Search Marketing Integration Specialist

of whisky and seo - by Sidewalk Branding Co

After tasting a single malt whiskey from Rhode Island’s Sons of Liberty distillery, I have developed an appreciation for the subtleties that quality ingredients and time make in crafting a top-shelf Whiskey.

Perhaps it was the aftereffects of the elixir, but it occurred to me at some point, that search engine optimization shares a lot in common with whiskey making.

For instance – the search for the finest of ingredients for whiskey making, is akin to the arduous selection process for picking out the best key-words for your internet marketing strategy.  Both are foundational elements that ultimately determine the end-result of your efforts.  Screw this up, and everything goes down the drain.

As a distillery will rely on its vendor-partners in providing their ingredients in exacting and predictable quality, so too does SEO rely on consistent authority ranking and link-attribution through its linkbuilding partners.

Whiskey makers create a mash by mixing their ingredients, this starts the fermentation process in preparation for the next step of aging.  Similarly, search marketing integration interconnects a business’ website (on-page) and off-page digital assets (backlinks, social media, blogging), which strengthen a brand’s overall internet marketing authority and ranking for building long-term internet marketing sustainability and relevance.

SEOer’s are guided by a complex set of largely unpublished rules and standards that are learned in time – through failure, success, and experimentation.  Just like making whiskey!

And then there’s time.  The most important element to both SEO and whiskey making, for without time, a master whiskey distiller’s only product is beer (not the good drinking kind), and with a SEOer, rhetoric (not the good reading kind).

Be it whiskey or SEO, it is the element of Time that provides the maturity that results in controlled and expected results.  Successful outcomes are only realized when ingredients and time are not compromised . . .

And there you have it, a story of SEO and Whiskey, along with a list of ingredients for successful search engine marketing.

Keyword Research | Website Optimization | Linkbuilding

So go ahead, take a shot at each – allow 9-12 months to ferment, and you’ll soon be tasting the sweet rewards of your efforts.

Posted in #SEO, Keywords, Linkbuilding | Tagged ,

LinkedIn Tests New Trends Analytic

Posted on February 8, 2013 by

LinkedIn Tests a Text-Based Analytic as Possible Replacement for “Appears in Search” & “Views” Trend Graphs

Until now, LinkedIn (LI) displayed a simple trend-graph and numerical set to illustrate how many people visited your profile and how many times it showed up in search engines over a 90-day rolling period. Placing your cursor over segments within the graphs allowed you to see daily stats.

trend

[photo credit: Google Search]

These analytic are the best way to judge the optimization of your LinkedIn profile – the more optimized, the greater the visibility in-network and within search.

All in all, it’s a great tool-set, but not a very helpful interface, especially if you are managing your profile to tweak every optimization edge for greater visibility (or that of your clients).

LinkedIn appearances in search change

But change could be coming!

That ambiguous trending graph is being tested with a more useful chronological textual-based daily analytic. A big jump in visual and usability!

With this change, your data can now be easily scraped and inserted into a spreadsheet for extended and custom reporting. Perhaps a precursor to unified LinkedIn analytic reporting. I hope so…

So give your LI graphs a look over (If you live in/near New England like me – you’re snowed in this weekend anyway), and if you don’t like what you see – optimize to be DISCOVERED.

By: Chris Sheehy | search marketing optimization specialist

Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Search Marketing Integration, Social Media Marketing | Tagged , , , ,

Call Tracking Phone Numbers the Wrong Call for Local Marketing

Posted on February 4, 2013 by

Image

Have you been tempted to use one of those marketing services that reports on how many calls your business receives from your search or social listings?

I see their ads touting their local marketing services every (heck – even I get them!)  You see them everywhere, so surely they must be onto something – RIGHT?

There is so much to think about when it comes to internet marketing – being able to quantify where your leads comes from seems a no-brainer.  Oh, if only if it were that easy, I mean – businesses tell me all the time how difficult it is for them to know what marketing tactics works and which ones don’t - what tools or services would be good for them, and what’s

going to hurt them.  So when a client was asking me about these services recently – I went directly to the source and sent them the following excerpt from Google to answer their question.

Q:  Does it matter whether I include multiple telephone types?

A:  You should only provide the phone number for the location of the actual local business. Types of phone numbers that should not be included are: call tracking numbers and phone numbers that are not specific to a business location [source]

The question was pretty unspecific – so it’s easy to imaging that the person was referring to possibly using both a main phone number and fax number, or perhaps they were inquiring about using a sales and service numbers on their website or within their linkbuilding.  Regardless of the lack of specificity – the answer from Google was very specific.

Call tracking numbers are discouraged

As it turns out, a business phone number has some very important SEO data that search engines use to quantify a business.  The phone number is a foundation data element that is vital for local internet marketing.  The trade refers to this data-set as NAP (Name, Address, Phone), and the phone number helps authenticate a business  via it’s area code (state validation) and phone prefix (town/city/neighborhood).

When the phone number is replaced with a generic number that is not consistent with the local standards – they loose that vital component of authentication.

The loss of local-identity wasn’t something that was mentioned in the information my client had received.  Neither was the question as to what happens when a business no longer subscribes to the service?  The short answer is – they loose again.

I’m sure there is a business that could find these types of services valuable – but in my experience, businesses that rely on local marketing should steer clear of the calling and play their numbers safe.

By: Chris Sheehy | search marketing integration specialist
Posted in #RhodeIsland, Local Marketing, Rhode Island SEO & Local Internet Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Google Local Adds Business Category To Listings

Posted on January 30, 2013 by

Rhode Island Google marketing optimization specialistGoogle Local now allows businesses to edit their precise local-marketing focused business category – a plus for business owners.

Just be sure your category is the *best one* to use for your type of business before making any changes.

Selecting a category that is complementary to your existing keyword mapping is sure to drive more focus to your business and could increase both visibility and discoverability in Search.

Google Local category feature helps Rhode Island businesses

Great news for Businesses!

#localmarketing #searchmarketingintegration #localsearch

Posted in #RhodeIsland, Local Marketing, Search Marketing Integration | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Having An Internet Marketing Plan Is Like Having A Facsimile Machine 15 Years Ago

Posted on January 12, 2013 by

Why Having An Internet Marketing Plan Today Is Like Having A Facsimile Machine 15 Years Ago

By | Rhode Island internet marketing specialist

thinking cap on Think for a moment… you need to find information on something – anything, where do you turn for answers?

You need a service for your home or business that you haven’t needed in years, where can you find a list of service providers?

You are planning a large purchase – where do you do your research before shelling out the bucks?

If you’re like most people, your first stop is the internet for life’s answers.

It’s astonishing to me when I meet a business that still does not consider how they could have the answers to somebody’s online search.  Something no doubt, their online competitors are banking on.

Question not your need to have an internet-marketing plan –

Question why don’t you already have one.

image

Not too long ago, the facsimile machine was the tech appliance of forward thinking businesses. Admit it or not – the fax also made promoting your business as easy as pressing a button and feeding some thermal paper into the thingamajig. 

Hey dude – that was more than 15 years ago!

Now if you’re reading this, you have clearly upgraded from the fax and have a computer, and most likely a smartphone and maybe even a portable GPS device.  But have you ever considered how you could get your business discovered on those things? 

You have to promote your business on-line just as you would off-line, and your website alone is not the answer – no matter how cool it looks.

If lack of knowledge is what’s holding you back from getting your business discovered on the web, jump on your fave search engine and do some research – the internet is full of great ideas you can put into action immediately.  Study-up, follow local businesses on Twitter & Facebook, and read some blogs – there’s probably a lot of valuable stuff from some really smart people right in your own state who could help you be discovered.

As far as strategy goes, here are a few internet marketing focus items you might want to consider for your business – just plug these terms into your search bar and go to it.

  • Content Marketing
  • Keyword Mapping
  • Keyword Research
  • Linkbuilding (backlinking)
  • Local Marketing
  • META optimization
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

While you’re at it also search the technical issues you may run into during your discovery process.

  • Google Penguin update, Google Panda update, Google Venice update, Over optimization Penalty, & Duplicate Content Penalty

If this gets your blood pumping but (for whatever reason) you want to outsource these activities, look for an internet marketing specialist near you who can help with the things listed above.  Be sure to read the fine print to make sure you’re dealing with a true local business though, not just one that advertises in your state.  Contact the ones that have a strong presence and ask some questions, let them poke around your website, ask of their accolades, and read the articles they have had published – writings on their blog is not publishing – unless by chance their blog is prominently syndicated.  Look for third-party awards or recognition.  Vet the pros from the fake ninja’s, part-time SEO hobbyists & scammers.

And by all means – know your budget, but don’t sweat the details.  When you find the right marketing partner you will realize you’re making an investment into your business and not just making a line item expense.

So go online and do your due diligence, find the answers to your marketing questions and possibly the right marketing partner you need to get your business discovered – and by all means, ditch the fax.

Posted in #RhodeIsland, #SEO, Local Marketing, Rhode Island SEO & Local Internet Marketing | Tagged

Yelp Sucks – So Try These Review Sites Instead

Posted on December 28, 2012 by

By Chris Sheehy | Local Marketing SEO SEM

Ok, it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of Yelp – but my disdain is not without reason or merit.  It’s just that most of the small businesses I know have all been hit by the dreaded “Yelp filtered review”.  This filter is how Yelp hides reviews suspect of being fake, self-written, or otherwise artificially influenced. Sounds great on the surface and on their carefully crafted website, but these filters are also well documented for hiding legit reviews.

I’ve ranted about the filter before so I’ll spare you the details, but instead I want to show you how your online business reviews can still get some great online traction without any help from Yelp.

In looking at the landscape of online review/testimonial websites that have the greatest share factor, would it surprise you to hear that Yelp isn’t at the top of the food chain!

Analyzing the import/export shareability of 22 online review platforms recently (below image), I was thrilled to see that Citysearch.com steamrolls Yelp – besting it by a large distance in online review share volume…

online_review_site_rankings-2012-2013-citysearch.com-yelp.com

Like Yelp (#6), Citysearch.com (#1) doesn’t import outside reviews into its platform (original content only), but unlike Yelp, Citysearch shares out to 13 other review sites – thus spreading your good news (and branding, and all that goes with it) across the web and around the world (or at least your small local part of it).

Here’s the really great news – Citysearch isn’t the only one beating Yelp (picture) in online business reviews!

Judysbook(#2) and insiderpages(#3) each shares out to 7 other services, and yp.com(#4), mojopages(#5) match Yelp in terms of sharing out.

Conversely, Yellowbot.com(#20) is the best review aggregator by far importing business reviews from 16 other sites with city.com(#10), openlist(#11), and Bing(#21) following with 4 inbound referral sites feeding each of their platforms.

So if Yelp is sticking it to you – give the favor back by switching your attention to these other services and watch your online reviews populate across the web without them.  As for Yelp – just filter them out.

#yelp #reviews

Posted in #RhodeIsland, Local Marketing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments