Pearls of Wisdom

Death in the Park

2011-09-21T21:08:00.000-04:00

The wine and olives and Parmesan cheese were warm from the sun and the ants were just beginning to find them as Detective Slaughter looked down upon the victim. She had short gray hair cut into a bob, delicate features that had once been very beautiful but now were marred by the years. Her dress was simple and conservative but she was barefoot. As he looked at her lifeless corpse sitting on the park bench with her rotting lunch beside her he wondered what had brought her to this point. No signs of struggle were apparent and nothing seemed amiss. Could she just have met her fate this sunny afternoon in the park or was it something more sinister, he wondered.

Image by Flickr

As he investigated the scene he saw that there were two wines glasses and two napkins with food on them. That piqued his interest. Who had her dinner companion been and where had he or she spirited off to? Taking out his notebook, he despised Blackberries and stuck with an old fashioned notebook and pencil, he began to take notes of the scene. The wind was blowing gently and he could hear children playing in the background. Somewhere a dog was barking and a couple was laughing. Not a bad place to meet your fate, he thought as he continued to make his investigation.

Suddenly he spied a note clutched in the dead woman's hand. Carefully he used his tweezers to retrieve it and after he donned his gloves he read it. "I'm so sorry for everything, Love B" was all it said. Now he was curious.

How to Learn SEO

2011-05-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

SEO, Search Engine Optimization, may seem like a concept that only the most technical minds can fathom. It really isn't, SEO is fairly easy to understand and it takes only a bit of research and study to grasp the concepts. One of the easiest ways to learn about SEO is to check out other blogs on the subject. There are many many blogs devoted to teaching you how to optimize your website and become an expert on SEO. Several websites even offer free courses on the subject as well as numerous videos on YouTube. I've found Google to be the best resource to learn SEO. Here's some of the links to get you started.

Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide has everything you need to know to get started with SEO.

The Official Google Blog has everything tips and up to date information about optimizing your site for Google. Say what you may about the world's largest search engine, they lay it out for everyone free of charge to learn how to use their own tools to boost your page rank.
Google Webmaster Guidelines gives you the basics of what Google expects from your website and how to make sure it is optimized correctly. This is a PDF file you can save on your hardrive for reference. There is so much information in this section of the Google website that there is no way I could describe it. This is where I've learned the bulk of my knowledge about SEO.

This may look like a commercial for Google, but the fact remains Google is the number one search engine. They don't hide how to make your page rank increase, as a matter of fact the more you learn from Google the better it is for both you and them. Take some time and explore their site. If you don't want to do your own SEO work, contact The Cutting Edge Pros. We have experts who can help you out and increase your website's page rank. We offer free consultations and our rates are extremely fair.

Do Regular Blog Posts Really Draw Readers?

2011-03-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

In a word yes. Case in point: I own a few websites with my business partners and one of them has been blogging on hot topics everyday at iThinkRevolution. Our subscribers have jumped from just over 20 to almost 1,000! Granted the posts are on hot topics, but it would seem that everything we've been preaching about regular posts and intelligent backlinks is working. We're all stunned and delighted that our subscibers have grown so much in just the past week. As we were trying to manage the list it kept growing and even as I write this more people are registering.

So if you ever think you're just writing your wonderful prose for no one to see, fear not. If you write it, they will come. You don't have to write a lengthy tome, as you can see this blog post is short and sweet. If you don't want to write it, hire us to do it for you. Contact us at The Cutting Edge Web Pros and let us put a package together that works for you and your wallet.

Are We Just Talking to Ourselves?

2011-02-05T23:20:00.001-05:00

I've been in the SEO business for about a year now. It occurred to me the other day as I was thinking about work in general if we're just talking to ourselves on the internet or is anyone reading what we put out there. What I mean by that is there's a lot of blogs and articles written about the best way to do SEO and how to design a killer website. But who's reading these articles? Is it the people who want to learn how to do this or is it those of us involved in the business? Are regular people being schooled or are we just making so much noise?

Image by Renoir Gallery

I'd like to believe that people who want to learn are reading all of this information we're churning out. Take this blog for instance. I have no idea if anyone reads it or not. I have yet to build a following, but I'm doing everything I can to get it noticed. I know of blogs with hundreds of followers and many many comments for each post. What makes them different from blogs that sit there and gather dust?

Consistent posting. This is what separates the people who are serious and those that just do it for the heck of it. You have to be passionate and post at least three times a week, if not every day. It does matter what you write about, but what is most important is to have a real fire lit under you about what you're writing about. Your content has to be well written and original. We've covered all of that in previous posts but it's worth saying again. Content is king and frequent posting is the ticket to developing a following.

So are we talking just to ourselves or not? Well your website statistics will tell you along with any comments you get. Don't give up and keep writing, keep posting and stay with it. If you write, they will come.

Need professional blog posts or website content? Contact the pros at The Cutting Edge Pros Web Service to set you up with a package you can afford.

How to Increase Your Web Presence Simply and Easily

2011-01-13T14:29:00.002-05:00

To get noticed on the web you need to have a powerful web presence. But if you're like most site owners you're not sure how to do this. It's really quite simple and anyone can do it. One of the easiest ways it to have several incoming links to your site. You can do this with what is known as the "hub and spoke" method. Sounds sort of Western, right? Well what this refers to is having your main website (expertly SEO'd and glowing) and several spokes out on the web with links leading back to your main site.

http://ruttledge.se/category/car/

For example, I use this blog as a spoke for a web services site that I own with two partners. Each post has at least one link back to our site and a call to action to visit it. Shameless self promotion, well yeah, but also smart SEO. The more links you have pointing back to your site, the greater the network you build and the better Google's search algorithms will work for you and the higher your page rank will be. In other words, the more spokes the stronger your wheel. There we go back to the Old West again...

In his recent blog, Five Pillars of an Internet Marketing Strategy, Harvey Rivet uses this method as one of his pillars to increase your web presence. This is a great article by the way and worth a read. A Facebook page and a Twitter account are also great spokes as long as you keep them active and well maintained. You can use the other major blogging sites such as Squiddo, HubPages, Huddle and a new one called iThinkRevolution. (Shameless self promotion warning!)

If you need some more spokes, get a free consultation from the experts at The Cutting Edge Pros. They can set up and maintain blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts for your business that will draw visitors and get your page rank increased. Contact them today and become a force to be reckoned with on the web.

How to Kill Your SEO Juice and Suck the Life Out of Your Website

2011-01-11T22:46:00.000-05:00

greencine.com

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the backbone of getting visitors to your site and turning them into clients, customers or regular readers of your blog. Like I've said before on this blog there really isn't a magic formula that will garner guaranteed results, but there are some basics that every site owner should know and practice. But sometimes knowing what NOT to do is as important as knowing what you should do. Here is a tongue in cheek list of practices that guarantee to kill your SEO juice and suck the life right out of your page rank. (If I offend anyone...too bad you shouldn't be doing these things anyway!)

Have crappy content. Copy and paste from other sites, in other words steal content and post it as your own. Never mind that Google will flag your site as a dupe and kill your page rank, go right ahead and do it if you're too lazy to write your own or too cheap to pay a writer to do it for you.
Don't worry if your links work. Never test them and don't be concerned if they lead to completely unrelated sites.
Stuff your pages with keywords. Write your content around your keywords and make sure you get as many as you can in there. So what if it doesn't make any sense, no one reads your content anyway and you're just writing for the search engines.
Make your site as hard to navigate as you can. Keep your navigation a mystery. Everyone likes a maze right? If you visitors get lost it will just expose them to more of your pages.
Spam forums and comments. Post totally unrelated comments and have as many links as you can in your comments and forum posts. Copy and paste a form-letter type comment on all the blogs and forums that you find.
Use Black Hat SEO. Use hidden text, misleading links, have one link for the search engine spiders and one for real people.

These are just a few things to do if you want to kill your SEO juice. Don't be fooled into thinking that you can cut corners. Black Hat SEO may give you immediate results, but these results won't last and you'll end up killing your page rank or getting your site banned completely from the search engine's databases. A few posts ago I said that if that happens, you might as well be singing in a windstorm - no body is going to hear you. Real SEO does take time and diligence. Anyone who promises quick results doesn't know their facts. To be sure that you aren't doing anything that is going to hurt your site, get a free consultation from the experts at The Cutting Edge Pros. They offer complete SEO packages and can tailor one just for your site and budget.

Increase Your Web Presence - 5 Easy Steps

2011-01-02T16:29:00.000-05:00

We all want to have a hefty web presence. It's what makes people find us and want to be on our websites. Did you know that there are 5 easy steps to accomplish this? It takes dedication and a bit of work, so don't go looking for a magic wand or miracle formula. Just like everything else in this world, if you want results you have to work for them. But don't dispair, you won't end up working 60 hours a week or 12 hours a day. The internet moves quickly and if you keep up your efforts, you will see results.

Make sure your site is optimized to the fullest. Is your content sharp and original? Do you have relevant incoming and outgoing links? Are your meta descriptions on target? If you answered yes to these questions you're on your way. If not, get busy and get your site some SEO juice.
Do you have a Facebook and Twitter account and if you do are you active on them? Do you have social bookmarking accounts like Digg, Diggio, Stumble Upon and Delicious? If not you need them. Bookmark each and every update, article, Facebook status and Tweet that you do. Post interesting links on Facebook and Twitter, not just promotions for your website. Invite comments and interact with your friends and followers.
Use a blog either on your website or at one of the major blogging sites such as Blog Spot, Hub Pages, Word Press.com and Squidoo. Your blog is your voice and you can use it to build community, get links, point people back to your website through links and link with other bloggers in your industry. Post entries at least three times a week. They don't have to be long, just interesting.
Use article directories to post interesting articles that give away your knowledge about your industry. Invite comments and have at least one link back to your website.
Do you have a signature file on your email messages? This is one of the easiest ways to increase your web presence. A simple signature file with links to your sites reaches everyone that you email.

These are just 5 simple ways to get you noticed on the web. Think out of the box and you can discover different ways to market your site. If you don't have time to do these 5 steps, contact the professionals at The Cutting Edge Pros. Consultations are always free and they guarantee results.

Upcoming Trends for 2011

2010-12-29T15:47:00.001-05:00

With the New Year almost upon us the question of what is on the horizon is on almost everyone's minds. The trends that were popular in 2010 will continue to gain momentum. These include the explosive popularity of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as the continuing development of mobile apps. Mobile access to your website should be one of the top priorities in 2011. In the US alone mobile use skyrocketed a whopping 110%. In Asia over half of all web users access the web via their mobile devices. You can see how popular mobile use is and it shows no signs of slowing down in the near future. As mobile devices become more and more sophisticated experts predict the home PC may go the way of the rotary telephone for accessing the web.

Social media is not far behind mobile use. Facebook has over 500 million active users, Twitter has over 300 million and LinkedIn is not far behind in third place. YouTube, which is owned by Google, is the second most popular searched site behind Google. If you don't have social media accounts you should. If you don't you're missing out on a great number of possible contacts and customers. Social media is a way to connect with your customers and clients as well as keeping your name on the forefront of their minds. Every business needs social media accounts.

What does this mean for you and your business? It means that you need to be mobile friendly and connected to social media. If you don't have the time or don't know how to do these things contact the experts at The Cutting Edge Pros. They can set you up and maintain your website and social media accounts. Consultations are free and their rates are competitive. Let them work for you and get you in on the upcoming trends for 2011.

How to Choose and Use Your Keywords Wisely

2010-12-26T12:48:00.002-05:00

You know how important quality, original content is and how important the right keywords are, but do you know how to choose them wisely? Choosing your keywords is more than just sticking words that you think are related to your subject into your content or blogs. It takes a bit of research and thought, but don't worry it's not rocket science and there is a free tool that makes it very easy to have effective keywords at your disposal.

webwise.com

Google Adwords Keyword Tool is the most comprehensive keyword research tool and it is free. You can sort your results by Relevance, Keyword, Competition, Global Monthly Searches, Local Monthly, Searches, Estimated Avg. CPC, Ad share, and Search share. You'll need to have a Google account first to use it, but having a Google account also lets you use all of Google's free webmaster tools and gives you access to their blog.

Make a list of possible keywords. Think of the most obvious ones and then think out of the box. For example if you own a beauty salon you can come up with the obvious ones but then also think in terms of the services you perform. You may want to include hair color, human hair color, haircuts for men, haircuts for women and children, you get the idea.
Go to the keyword tool and enter your keywords from your list one by one. You will then get a report showing the frequency of the searches based on the most recent searches done on Google. You will also get related keywords and phrases related to each keyword.
Make note of the ones that perform well and also the ones that don't. Knowing what not to include in your content is also important. Pay attention to the competition column. This will tell you how many people are looking for this term. Using a keyword that has low competition is also a good idea because you can get the hits that are rather random or search term specific.

Once you have your list you are ready to start writing. Keep your keyword saturation below 3% and make your content flow freely. You can designate primary keywords and secondary keywords to include more without making your content seem stuffed and pick up on more search hits. Use your primary keywords in the first and last paragraphs so that they will be found by the search engine's spiders when they crawl your site.

With a bit of creativity and research you can come up with a list of keywords that will give you quality content that is more likely to be picked up by the search engines and found by potential visitors to your site. Don't want to do all this work? Contact the professionals at The Cutting Edge Pros. They are experts at keyword research and content writing. They'll get you the most effective keywords and provide you with quality, 100% original content and blogs.

What An Article Writing Service Can Do For You

2010-12-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

You know how important content, blogs and articles are to the search engine optimization of your website. But what if you don't have the time or talent to write your own articles? An article writing service can help you out, but exactly what does one offer you?

youchg.com

Professional writers that are fluent in conversational English or your native language.
100% original articles
Well researched articles that use reputable websites
Error free articles that are grammatically correct
Articles that are keyword optimized and not keyword stuffed
Professional writers that know the difference between content, article writing and blogs
Deliver your content, articles and blogs on time

This is what an article writing service can offer you. Ask for writing samples and ask about the writer's credentials. Professional writers will be glad to show you samples and let you know their experience. If you need a qualified article writing service, contact the professionals at The Cutting Edge Pros. They have the experience and knowledge to provide you with articles, content and blogs that are dynamic and engaging.

Follow Up To Yesterday's Article About Article Spinning Software

2010-12-21T16:59:00.002-05:00

Guess what I found today? One of the articles that was either one of the spun articles from yesterday, or since it makes a bit more sense it could even be the original. Both articles showed up in a Google Alert so for now their SEO is intact, but soon when people and Google discover the horrible content their page rank will soon drop. Look at yesterday's post, Article Spinning Software - Is It Really Worth It? and today's excerpt and you will see what I mean.

smh.com.au

"The busy bee schedule and the lifestyle of hustle and bustle have simply turned humans into living robots. In this new era of internet, people then use web as an effective platform for connecting and keeping acquainted of what is happening around them and on the planet. Internet now meaning virtually everything for many has lead to drastic increase in number of internet users in past few years. Redefining life today, it has influenced almost every sphere of life. From financial transaction to business making and shopping, online is the new craze among users who believe in enjoying new technologies and lifestyle as a way of living."

This version is a bit more palatable, but not by much. This is just another example of what is wrong with article spinning software. Hire a professional, like the ones at The Cutting Edge Pros, and make sure you have quality 100% original content. Your website and your brand is worth it.

Article Spinning Software - Is It Really Worth It?

2010-12-20T14:21:00.001-05:00

Article spinning has become a popular trend in an effort to create more articles to post to directories and get your links out there. It is tempting to use article spinning software, but usually the resulting products read like pigeon English and make no sense or hardly any sense at all. Recently while doing research for this blog I came across a particularly horrendous article that is obviously the product of spinning software. Here's a small excerpt of it:
"The bustling bee report and a lifestyle of dispatch and discord have simply incited humans into critical robots. In this new epoch of internet, people afterwards use web as an effective height for joining and gripping proficient of what is function around them and on a planet. Internet now definition probably all for many has lead to extreme boost in series of internet users in past few years. Redefining life today, it has shabby roughly each
globe of life. From financial transaction to business creation and shopping, online is a new disturb among users who trust in enjoying new technologies and lifestyle as a approach of living."

Pretty bad, huh? I could hardly get past the first sentence let alone read the entire 500 word article. I'm still not sure what they were trying to say. Anyone that actually speaks English can see that this is not written correctly. And this is just one example. I've come across even worse ones that left me wondering what on earth they were trying to talk about. Sure the links are in there and the search engines will see them, but what about real people? Don't you want real people to find your links and follow them to your site? Eventually the search engines will recognize that they are the only ones reading your articles and drop their page rank or delete them all together.

It is better to take the time or spend the money to hire a professional to write quality articles that real people will want to read. The combination of quality original content with backlinks is the secret to high SEO juice. Believe me when I say as an SEO consultant and professional writer, the money you will spend on quality content will be returned to you many times over in revenue. There is no magic formula for SEO juice, each website is unique and each one deserves a personal approach and it does take some time to build your page rank.

Don't take the easy way out and waste your time and money by using spinning software. Hire one of the professional writers at The Cutting Edge Pros and see the difference real human generated content makes. Contact them today for a free quote on your next project.

Have you ever used spinning software and been happy with the results? Tell us your experiences with it and if you think it is worth the time and money.

It's All Gotta Come Out Eventually

2010-12-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

I know I usually write about SEO but indulge me for a bit since at heart I am a writer. Another writer friend of mine, Rogue you should follow her blog by the way, and I were talking over Skype and we both agreed that as writers there are some trains of thought that just need to come out so that we will have some peace. I hate it when I'm in bed and my mind won't sit still. It flits from one subject to another until I'm down some previously untraveled road wondering how I got there. Have you ever done that? Started with one random thought and a few minutes later you're halfway around the world with your thoughts? Does it make you think backward to see how you got there and then you discover your starting point and think, wow that was a trip? LOL I do it all of the time.

So what's a writer to do? Write of course. I am so I write, I write and I am. See how it is a circle that is sometimes vicious. As a writer our words define us and sometimes these thoughts are in us and have to come out before they drive us crazy. Non-writer friends find this to be strange and you should see the looks I get from non-writers when I talk about my characters writing my fiction. It does sound strange, but you develop these characters and the become real in your mind and they do indeed talk to you and tell you where they want to go and how they will act in certain situations.

Are we crazy? Well, yeah I think we are a bit insane at time. Especially when the writing takes over and we're dead tired but we have to get out one more page. And that's okay. I'd rather be a crazy writer than a sane non-writer any day.

Midnight Musings

2010-12-19T00:12:00.000-05:00

The early bird can keep the worm!

Why does it seem that I get the most inspiration for my blog posts at midnight? I am a night person and maybe it is because I spend most of the day writing for other people. It is a proven fact that people are on cycles. It seems that I'm dead tired around 7:30 pm and then the closet it gets to midnight the more lively I feel. It used to be when I had a "regular" job that I had to be in bed by 10:30 pm or I'd be up all night. Now if I stay up all night I just sleep a bit later. This is great for the convenience factor, but since many of my clients are 10 to11 hours ahead of me that can be a bit tricky for communicating with them.

My family can't understand my hours. They still think I should be in bed at this time and be up bright and early in the morning. For example I stayed up until about 3 am reading last night so I slept in until around 10 am. When I woke up it was raining and dreary outside and I was all nice and warm in my bed so I closed my eyes to sleep just a bit longer. My mom woke me up at 1 pm with "are you STILL in bed??" They're convinced I'm depressed because I sleep so late and don't venture out of the house much. No I stay up late and don't want to go out in the holiday shopping crowds. It's a choice not a need.

When is your most productive time? Are you a morning person or do you get started later in the day? Does your family give you grief for the hours you keep and shake their heads when you mention how late you slept?

Why Your Business Needs a YouTube Account

2010-12-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

Do you have a business? Do you have a YouTube account? If you don't - you should! Did you know that YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine after Google? It's owned by Google so YouTube videos get preferential treatment over other video sites. Advertising on YouTube can be a bit pricey, but the revenue it generates will pay for your ads. You can also use Google AdWords to advertise on YouTube stretching your marketing dollars even further.

Use videos to promote your business and park your videos. They can be about anything to do with your business from product demonstrations, introduce yourself and your staff, interviews with industry experts or a weekly video newsletter. Be brief, be interactive and engaging, and be professional yet personable and your videos will become popular. People can subscribe to your channel and get updates as you post new videos and you can link your account with Facebook and Twitter.

With everything that YouTube can do for your business, you really need to check it out. If you need videos produced or a YouTube account set up and maintained, contact the professionals at The Cutting Edge Pros. They know what it takes to get your business noticed and be successful.

eBay Entering Mobile Arena

2010-12-16T10:45:00.002-05:00

In a follow up to yesterday's post. Today it was announced the eBay has acquired Critical Path Software. This will enable eBay to develop mobile apps for their site.Mark Carges of eBay says that the company is "very serious" about developing its mobile market and the acquisition of Critical Path Software is hoped to speed this along. Last year mobile sales netted more than $600 million for eBay and it expects to increase this to $1.5 billion in the coming year. That's some big money!

valleywag.gawker.com

So what are you doing to bring your website to the mobile market? Tell us what you think of this development and how it will affect eBay. What do you plan to do to enter into the mobile arena or what have you already done?

The professionals at The Cutting Edge Pros can bring your website up to speed and help you with your mobile site development. Contact them today for a free consultation.

Why You Should Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

2010-12-16T02:08:00.001-05:00

Some interesting figure passed across my computer screen the other day when I was doing research for a client's article. Did you know that over 70% of web users in Asia accessed the internet exclusively through their mobile devices? In North America the number of users that access the web through their mobile devices is over 50%. Today's smart phones are more like mini-PC's than cell phones. Even cell phones that have internet availability have come a long way toward user ease and quality of service. More people have cell phones than do not today and for this reason it is wise for website owners and designers to make their sites mobile friendly.

So what does this actually mean? It means that users can see your website easily on their phones and that the loading time does not take forever. One way to make your website mobile friendly is to take advantage of some of the programs and plug-ins available. WP Touch is an excellent plug-in that automatically converts your WP Blog into a mobile version that is easy to read on all mobile devices. You can even blog from your mobile device with the use of the Word Press Mobile Pack. This plug-in lets you update your blog, post new entries and answer comments right from your mobile device. The mobile admin pane gives you most of the tools and features of the WP website on your phone. WP Tap offers a complete selection of WP themes for your smart phone. Its admin panel offers the full range of WP features.

With the popularity of cell phones, smart phones and other mobile devices it is just bad business not to include mobile usability into your website design. Contact The Cutting Edge Pros to bring your website into the 21st century and get your website mobile friendly.

Google Insights for Search: One Powerful Tool

2010-12-14T22:04:00.004-05:00

While dinking around on the internet I found a tool from Google that is perhaps one of the most powerful and useful tools anyone involved in internet marketing or online business can use. It's Google Insights for Search and I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner. With this tool you can pull up information that Google has collected from the millions of searches. You choose the search parameters and dates that you want to cover and Google provides you with graphs and information that you can use to track marketing trends and hot topics.

According to the Google website the results include:

a graph with the search volume, indicating interest over time (GMT) for your terms, plotted on a scale from 0 to 100; the totals are indicated next to bars by the search terms (read more about how we scale and normalize the data)
a breakdown of how the categories are classified
lists of the top searches and top rising searches
a world heat map graphically displaying the search volume index with defined regions, cities, and metros

Google reminds you that the results are based on searches that have received a large amount of traffic so keep this in mind when you use the tool. Google can do this because they keep a record of each and every search ever done. After a specified amount of time the searches become anonymous, but until then Google keeps a record of each search you do on their search engine.

This has sparked some concern about privacy issues, but like I always say, if they've got nothing better to do than keep track of my mundane life, have at it. You may feel differently, but face it – are you that important that someone would care about your searches? But I digress on the subject of this post. That issue could fill an entire page of content...

Personally I love the Google website. Everything you need to get the most of their products is right there on their website. The transparency of the company amazes me. More large companies should be so free with their knowledge. Perhaps we all could take a page from Google's book and give away your knowledge top help our customers and site users. But there I go again, getting off topic...

Give Google's Insights for Search a test drive and see what you think. If you want someone else to do the leg work for you and perform your trend and marketing research, contact the professionals at The Cutting Edge Pros. If you use or have tried the Google Insights for Search, let us know how you like it and if it has helped your business.

How to Write Really Bad Content

2010-12-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

Yes you read the title correctly. This is a post about how to write really awful content that will not only alienate your readers but strip them of the desire to ever want to go to your blog or website again. Prose so horrible that your glasses fog up and your eyes roll back into your head. Well...okay...maybe not THAT bad, but close.
Great content stands on its own and if you know what NOT to do you can avoid common mistakes that are made. These practices should be avoided at all costs because they not only drive traffic away from your website, they kill your SEO juice. You might as well stand outside in a driving rainstorm and yell into the wind if you practice any of these methods since you'd have a better chance of being heard. Okay on to the don'ts of content and blog writing...

Plagiarism. It's illegal, it's bad form and it's just plain wrong. Don't do it...ever! Copy and pasting other writer's work as your original work is not only bad form but it can be deathly to your SEO. The search engines know what is going on and so will any of your readers who have done research on the subject you are stealing content about. I have found duplicate content on websites from doing research for articles and it amazes me that people can't take the time to paraphrase an article and put it into their own words. It's not hard, not rocket science and don't even get me started on spinning articles. To me that is in line with copy and pasting. They never make sense and they're written for search engines.
Write for search engines. Never mind that human beings will be reading your content. Go ahead and stuff keywords and get them in there even if your content makes no sense at all. I've come across websites like this too that were nothing more than vehicles for backlinks and keywords. Today as I write this Google reads your websites like a human being and recognizes well written and original content and rewards it. It also recognizes content that is written with no regard to real readers. If you only want to use your pages for backlinks to get a higher page rank, by all means write for search engines. But if you want a long lasting website and a blog that become popular with REAL humans, don't do it.
Don't do your research. Use Wikipedia exclusively for your facts and figures. Take facts from other people's blogs and assume they are right. Wikipedia is a good jumping off point, but do some real research from reputable websites to get the right facts. Use .gov, .edu and .org websites.
Never update your website. Just let it sit and become stale. Also never post new blogs. Just let the old ones rot. Never check your links to be sure they still work and lead somewhere. Update your website as needed, usually once a month is good to be timely. Post new blog posts at least three times a week. This keeps you current and people interested in what you have to say. It also lets them know there's someone at the switch.
Be academic. Write in a stiff impersonal way to really alienate your readers. The internet is all about connecting with each other. Write like you're talking to a friend and write with confidence. Be in the active voice as much as possible.

Hopefully this will help you to avoid some common and not so common mistakes people make when writing content and blog posts. Read your writing out loud. Yeah I know, you'll feel silly, but you'll also hear how your words have the right rhythm and if not you can fix them.
One other word of advice. Write. Put words on paper or on your monitor and start writing. You can always edit and silence your inner critic. All good writers know that the first draft is just that, the first draft. So get on with it and get some content up and out there. If you need help, the professional writers at The Cutting Edge Pros can provide you with original and dynamic content for your website or blogs.

5 Ways to Be a Better Blogger

2010-12-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

A blog can serve many purposes for you. It can be an SEO tool, a platform to state your opinions and it can also help to set up up as an expert in your field. Blogs are powerful tools to drive traffic to your website, build community and connect with your readers. If you want to be an effective blogger there are some things you can do to improve your blogging skills.

Read. Read other people's blogs, read the papers, read books, read anything you can get your hands on. This not only makes you more intelligent, but helps you to be exposed to different writing styles. Keep track in a notebook of any words or phrases you find interesting. I like to collect words and their meanings. This expands my vocabulary and for me is just plain fun. I know, kind of weird, but I've found some great words in my collection.
Make use of Google Alerts. Go to Google and set up email alerts an any subject or keyword and receive a daily email of the top searches for these words. This is a great way to stay current and know what is being said about your topics.
Be personable. Don't be stiff in your writing for your blog. Save that for your technical articles. Write like you are speaking to a friend. After all you want your readers to feel part of your community so write in a relaxed personal style, you know like you're having coffee and discussing the news.
Do your homework and make sure your facts are correct. Take time to do research if you are unsure of the facts of your story. You want to sound like you know what you're talking about so don't guess and use reliable sources not just other blogs.
Write. Practice writing. Join a writing group and write. Post a new blog everyday if you can, a paragraph or two is enough, or at least three times a week. Not only does this increase readership but your blog will be picked up by the search engines if it is active.

These are 5 easy ways to become a better blogger. The main thing is to start. Jump on in there and you will get better as you post more entries. Like the Nike commercials say, "just do it". If you don't have time or don't feel you have the talent to write your own blogs, the professional writers at The Cutting Edge Pros can help you out.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2010-11-26T21:21:00.002-05:00

Should you put a blog on your website or not? This is a question that many people ponder as they plan the design for their new website. A blog has many benefits. Namely it is a chance for you to express your opinions, tell folks about new products and services and create a sense of community on your website. A blog doesn't have to be full of long drawn out posts. Say what you need to say and then ask for comments.

Another benefit of maintaining a blog is to get a discussion going on your website. This in turn creates traffic and loyal followers. This does take time so don't put up a blog and then expect to go viral within a few days. No it takes patience, regular posting, bookmarking on the major social media sites and quality content. Face it, no one wants to read crap and a blog is no different.

So get out there, put a blog on your website or sign up at a site like this one and get writing. Don't want to do it yourself? Contact the experts at The Cutting Edge Pros for a free consultation.

Keyword Research is the Basis for All Things Internet

2010-11-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

Keywords can mean the difference between getting indexed and getting buried on the internet. The right keywords can lift your site up in ranking and get it in front of the people you want. Keyword research is key - yes I said it - to knowing which words carry the most SEO juice and power for your site. It is more than just plugging words into a search engine and notating the amount of hits they get, it is well thought out and requires a bit of planning and time commitment on your part.

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First make a list of the words you think will do well. Now expand that list into words that are related to these words. Don't forget the variables and plurals. Once you have this list go to a keyword research tool like Google's Adwords Keyword Tool. These tools don't really tell you the hits that keywords get, they tell you the expected hits that these words may get based on recent searches.

As you go through your list you'll find more words to explore. Keep a list and edit it as you find different words that will work for your site and delete the ones that are not expected to perform well. Once you have a master list of keywords you're ready to write your content.

Now, listen carefully! DO NOT use keyword stuffing! Did you hear me? No matter how tempting it may be to string a list of keywords together...don't do it! The other day I was doing research for an article and I came across an article that was almost totally made up of keywords and search phrases (search phrases will be covered in another post). Did I stay on the page, of course not! Did it rank well in the search engines...well yeah...but it was used as a vehicle for backlinks. Absolutely useless for a human visitor and in time it will be useless for the search engines spiders. This type of page brings quick results. The page was in the top 5 listings, but now long will it be there? If what Google publishes on their Webmaster pages is correct, not long at all.

When you write your content let if flow naturally. I know I've used the word, keywords, quite a bit in this post, but it isn't forced and the prose - hopefully - flows naturally. Good quality content is one of the most powerful SEO tools your site can have. If you don't want to do keyword research, it is time consuming and a tad boring, hire professionals to do it for you. If you don't want to write your own content, hire professional writers to do it for you. See the drift here? If you don't have time or don't feel like you have the talent, there are qualified professionals who do this for a living that can help you out.

So remember, keywords are key - I did it again - and using the right words can make or break your SEO juice. The right words can also move your visitors to stay on your site and become customers. The Cutting Edge Pros can help your with your keyword research and provide you with quality content to make your site rise to the top of the SEO pile.

5 Tips for SEO Anyone Can Use

2010-11-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

So called web experts would have you believe that SEO is akin to magic or a dark mysterious art. No, it’s not. Organic SEO is straightforward and is not hard to do for the average person. It does take work and it will produce results. Here are five things that you can do on your website to increase its page rank.

Place good content on your site. Good content can do more for your SEO than anything else. What do I mean by good content? Interesting and engaging content that is well written and has the proper keywords and search phrases. Do keyword research and keep your most effective keywords and phrases near the top of your pages. Search engines read pages and sites from top to bottom and from front to back. Don’t write for search engines, write for people and keep your site up to date.

Include location names in your pages and keywords. Google puts a heavy weight on locations. Include locations in your page names and in your content to get your site in front of people in your area.
Do your links work? Periodically check the links on your site to be sure they aren’t broken or lead to nowhere. Search engines follow your links and penalize you if they are broken.

A blog improves your SEO if you post at least three times a week. This shows the search engines that your site is active and can help to build a community on your site. Make your posts interesting and not just commercials for your products. Be creative and add images and videos. Ask for comments and join in the discussion.

Post original high quality articles on article directories with links pointing back to your site. This gives you the power of inbound links and can create interest in your site. Use articles to become an expert in your field and write about a variety of subjects relating to your industry.

All of these tips you can do yourself or you can hire an experienced SEO firm to do the work for you. One other tip to add is to make use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. These are powerful SEO tools that can help your page rank and draw visitors to your site.

Keep Church and State Separate

2010-09-26T13:19:00.000-04:00

The recent news of the Texas legislature approving the ban on textbooks that put Christianity in a bad light is a giant red flag to the rest of the country, or at least it should be. We are a nation founded on religious freedom. Yes most of the founding fathers were Christians, but they had the foresight to know that a state mandated religion was bad news. We need to look no further than the Taliban to see what a forced religious mandate does to a country and a people. As American we should be diligent to see that the separation of church and state is maintained.

I am a Christian and my faith is very important to me and yes I wish everyone believed as I do. But I know they don't and all of the laws and force in the world will not change that fact. In my opinion it is my Christian duty to treat everyone with respect. And part of the involves respecting their beliefs. I may not agree with you and I may tell you my beliefs, but I am not going to force them upon you.

What Can Search Engine Optimization Do For Your Business?

2010-06-17T14:26:00.000-04:00

This article outlines the need for effective SEO for your website. It is well written and worth a look.

What Can Search Engine Optimization Do For Your Business?

White Hat SEO Is The Way To Go

2010-06-13T14:36:00.000-04:00

White Hat SEO Is The Way To Go

Cutting Edge SEO Pros

2010-06-13T13:25:00.000-04:00

Cutting Edge SEO Pros

International Fame!

2010-06-04T15:32:00.000-04:00

I wish! Actually I'm tooting my own horn here. I've been pubished in an Australian emag,
Vitality Bulletin. My articles are on pages 9-10 and 12-13. I'm listed as a Contributing Author on page 3. This is the first edition of the emag and I hope to be asked to write more. It is all about natural health and nutrition, a subject that I've been interested in for quite a while. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Importance of SEO

2010-04-27T19:06:00.000-04:00

You have a website or a business and you want customers, right? That is why you are in business after all. Visitors and customers are the basis of making money. With all of the millions of websites on the Internet how can you make yours stand out from the crowd and gain a high rank in the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing? Effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key.

A high rank in a search engine's results page brings more visitors to your site and gives your business more visibility. High visibility means potentially more visitors which in turn means more customers. How do search engines decide which pages will get a higher rank? There are some basic principles that you need to understand when considering page ranking.

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Search engines have programs called spiders that crawl web pages and index the links they find there. The better the link is the more likely a spider will deem it fit for indexing. A good link will lead to a related page such as another page on your site or a page that relates to the content on your site. For example if you have a site that is about growing flowers, a link to another gardening site will rank higher than a link to an unrelated site about golf carts. These backlinks are an important tool for making sure that your pages are optimized.

Quality content is another key for SEO. Well written informative content on your site that is original will be indexed and rank your site higher in the search engine's database. Keywords should fall naturally in the content and not just be placed in there for recognition. Copied of plagiarised content can be detrimental to your efforts and can get your site banned from a search engine's index. When you contract to have your content written, be sure that you have good quality content that people will find interesting and not just content that is stuffed with keywords. This can also get your site flagged for removal from the search engine's database.

These are just a few of the principles known as White Hat SEO. White Hat SEO is an organic way to reach a higher rank on a search engine's results page. There are unethical methods commonly known as Black Hat SEO which include keyword stuffing, hidden text and unrelated backlinks. While these may produce results quickly, they will also get your site flagged and removed from the search engines.

Understanding and practicing White Hat SEO tactics will not only result in a higher ranking but they will also insure that your site will produce quality search results and longevity. These will translate to a better bottom line and success for your site and business.