SEO Intrigue and "black hat tactics"

I tell potential clients all the time to be careful with who they use for SEO. Companies that incorporate "black hat tactics" will boost your ranking for a short time but Google will usually find the violation and take corrective action.
Don't think it can happen to you? Think again. BMW Germany and most recently JC Penney have both felt the wrath of Google due to violations. Check out the article (click on the title of this post) on The NY Times website regarding the tactics employed by JC Penney's optimization company.
JC Penney's "boosted organic results" were short lived but did take place during Holiday shopping season so it was good timing but now the company's site is all but invisible on Google. I especially liked the example used in the article regarding Samsonite. JC Penney was in the first organic position on Google for the search 'Samsonite carry on luggage' ahead of SAMSONITE. Questionable SEO tactics may result in short lived gain but now JC Penney is in 78th position for the same search.
Again, be careful who you use to optimize your website. A well-known, reputable company is such for a reason.

The Law Office of Jessica Koester

Jessica Koester practices Criminal Defense in Edwardsville, Illinois. She is no stranger to internet marketing. Jessica has tried AdWords campaigns in the past and even dabbled in SEO recently. When I met with her in November she was a little skeptical of SEO and leery of the changes Google made with their organic results, IE, the new 'blended' map/organic results. I assured Jessica that as Google makes changes in the future and it will, we will change our product to fit those changes.
I'm happy to say that she is enjoying first page placement for most local searches pertaining to her area of practice and is improving rank for other keywords.

Google Search Results

The new Google SERPs are killing me. What is going on over there? I see that Map listings or "Place Pages" are more important then ever. I've even see Twitter streams in some search results. Leave it to Google to confuse the heck out of all of use "Search Engine Marketing Experts."
Its a good thing I work for a company with a strong relationship with Google. Yellowbook has a call scheduled for next with Google to discuss these changes and how we can better serve our clients regarding those changes. Look for a post next week when I have more information and don't forget to update your 'Place Page' if you haven't recently.

Google and Meta Tags

I've heard a few times over the past few weeks "meta-tags are really important" or "I need to adjust the Meta Tags on my website." For the past couple years now, Google has stated that meta tags are not important for rankings. Other than the Meta Description which is used as your site's description on SERPs, Meta Tags have little or NO value regarding rank. Google will look at Title tags, Headers, Domain Age, Alt. Tags and quality INBOUND links (and other secret factors) when determining where to rank your website.
See Matt Cutts(Google Search Quality Team) speaking more specifically about Meta Tags.
That being said, I wouldn't recommend leaving your meta information blank because last I checked Yahoo, ASK and bing still do look at meta tags. At least for now...

Conversion is Key!

Can your website convert? If not, here are a couple helpful tips.
First and foremost, is your phone number visible somewhere across the top of EVERY page? I can't stand to hunt around for a phone number when I'm looking at a website with which I am trying to do business. Most people want to pick up the phone and talk to someone before making a decision to come in for a consultation. Make sure your phone number is on EVERY page, not just the 'Contact' page or 'Home' page. Plaster it all over the site and watch your conversions increase.
Secondly, Ease of Navigation is key. If you have an effective enough web presence to become an impression AND attract the searcher's click; make sure the searcher can find the information they are looking for. What good is the click and traffic if you can't keep them on the site due to their frustration with the site's navigation?
The Goal of any law firm's website should be to meet, if not exceed the expectations of the searcher. In other words, keep them on the site long enough for them to find what they are looking for and ultimiately retain your services. In other words, get the right message to the right person at the right time.

New Family Law website...

Alicia Franklin practices Family Law in Houston, Texas and concentrates on cases involving children. She has worked in areas of Personal Injury and Estate Planning in the past but is passionate about Family Law. As a Houston Family Attorney, Alicia assists her clients with child support matters, custody modifications, complex and simple divorce matters as well.
Alicia offers FREE consultations and is always very responsive to the needs of her clients. She strives to keep her clients informed during the difficult legal process and realizes that she is truly an advocate for her client.

New site for Mark Montgomery

Check out Mark Montgomery's new site at Houston Criminal Defense. Mark is a former HPD officer and has practiced law for years. He is now retired from the Police Department and practices law full time. Mark's office is located on the Katy Freeway near Echo Lane.
Call Attorney Mark Montgomery or his assistant Rena if you need assistance with any criminal defense matter. He focuses on DWI cases but also welcomes Drug Possession, Assault, Battery and all other areas of Criminal Defense.