So, if you have no idea how SEO works, you can either learn how it works or look for a good professional company that has the knowledge and expertise to get things done for you. This will cost some money, but it will also be a good investment in the long run and you will end up reaping great rewards in the future because of it.

The first thing that you can expect from a good company is proper keyword research. After all, keywords are what Search Engine Optimization begins with. In a nutshell, you need to find out which keywords to target, so that you can help your website get a higher ranking when it comes to search engine results. To do this, you have to find out which keywords potential customers tend to search for most frequently and then use them in your website. This is a very tedious process, but your SEO firm will do it for you and provide your business with the best keywords out there. Naturally, you will need to work with them for some time in order to convey what your business is all about, otherwise they won’t be able to properly work out which keywords to use and what to base their research on to begin with.

Now, although keywords start off every Search Engine Optimization campaign, link-building is what actually fuels it. Yes, a great strategy of link-building is needed in order to let your website rank for certain keywords online. First of all, you need the right anchor text to carry things out for your keywords. Then, you need to link your website to other websites that are relevant and get those websites to link to you, as well. Make sure you only get links from websites that are reputable, though. Additionally, your SEO company can give you an effective campaign of link-building that can help your website improve itself and get a boost in traffic. Lastly, since the World Wide Web in today’s day and age revolves around people connecting to one another, social media plays an important role in SEO, too. Because of this, you have to find a company that is efficient in social media, as well, and comes with a strong track record of knowledge and work in that sphere at the same time.

Stephen L. is a guest writer for Brookside Patio Furniture which specializes in resin wicker patio furniture that one can store in this recommended Toledo storage facility.

Really cool article from thatagency.com split into three “mini-lessons” on local search. Understand how your profile gets spread on the web, geo-targeting on Facebook and mobile devices, and understanding the dynamics of Groupon and LivingSocial.

Here ya go: http://www.thatagency.com/design-studio-blog/tag/local-business-marketing/

Basic article, but worth revisiting basic marketing concepts around user engagement

Here it is: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Internet-Marketing–People-Buy-From-People-They-Trust-And-Like/2435123

Check It: http://articledirectory.com/Art/697261/243/Social-media-marketing-150-for-effective-marketing.html

I’ve seen numerous arguments on many forums with various defenders of both practices making claim and counterclaim about their own field of expertise. It can make interesting reading but usually the arguments are full of biased viewpoints.

I’d like to give you a reasoned and considered answer as to which one is better and from the outset I’ll clearly state that my own personal area of expertise is Google Adwords. I say that only so that we can get any claims of bias out of the way. In this article I hope I can shed some light on the debate and finally bring an answer to this contentious question.

So, how do you approach such a question? Well I think they best way is to outline the relative strengths of each model and then draw a conclusion.

So first up, let’s talk about the benefits of SEO.

The immediate benefit that is usually high on everyone’s list is that it is considered to be free (unless of course you hire a professional to do it for you). Most people can learn the basics for themselves and gain some ranking within Google. It costs nothing except time. Of course that’s the counter argument. Time is money! Any serious business owner will know the value of their time and so time spent doing SEO will have a cost. However on the whole, it’s generally accepted that SEO tends to win the “it’s free” argument because PPC most certainly isn’t.

The second key benefit is that the SEO listings tend to get a higher percentage of clicks. The common quote is people just don’t click on the ads. Again the counter claim is that Google is a multimillion dollar success because people DO click on the ads! However some historical statistics show that around 70% of the clicks will go to the top SEO listing on the page.

Now let’s look at PPC.

One the big benefits of PPC is speed. You can have traffic coming to your site in literally minutes. With SEO it can take week, months, maybe even years to rank for your chosen keywords. With PPC you can get the top spot almost immediately if you bid enough. Obviously you have to pay for the traffic and as soon as you stop paying the traffic stops.

The second benefit of PPC is the range of keywords you can target. You can pick literally hundreds of keywords and very quickly you will see which keywords are converting visitors into customers.

So, after just looking at the two top benefits of each approach, which one is best? SEO or PPC?

Here’s my answer. It depends!

That’s why there is still a debate because for some people SEO is the preferred route and other it’s PPC.

For example, if you are short of cash but you have time then SEO would seem the obvious choice. If it’s the other way around, then go down the PPC route. However my preference is to use them both together.

Here’s how I would approach it. I would run a PPC campaign first for a broad selection of keywords for my website. Pretty soon I will know which keywords convert visitors into buyers. Those are the keywords I would then use in an SEO campaign. That way you know you are optimising for the keywords that sell. Most people just launch into SEO using the keywords that generate the most traffic for their niche and after some months they finally rank for those keywords only to find those keywords don’t sell!

So, in summary my view is that you should do them both. Start with PPC to gather some valuable market information about your keywords and then start your SEO campaigns.

Mike Seddon is the founder of KKSmarts, the website promotion specialists. Their website is packed with lots of free advice and guides on web promotion including a free SEO training course.

@cendrinemedia gives 5 great ideas on how to increase Facebook Fan Page engagement :

• Ask questions that are relevant to your fans
• Mention fans by name
• Share pictures and videos
• Share inspirational quotes
• Avoid constant self-promotion

These are great ideas that we will definitely be incorporating in the weeks to come.  In addition to these tips, we will seek inspiration from these 20 Awesome Facebook Fan Pages

What do YOU like in a Fan Page?  Leave a comment (no spam) and we will connect with you on Facebook!