Using SEO for images is both simple and effective, although it won’t be the most important step in growing search engine optimization.

An image has three potential opportunities to use a naming convention of some kind — the image file name, the image alternative text (also known as the alt tag) and the image title.

A fourth but somewhat separate opportunity exists with the caption, which is the text description of the image that usually appears below it.

The wise way of using SEO for images is by having a set of keywords already identified for the article’s title, headline, meta description and body.

Those keywords and variations on them will be used in the four opportunities identified above.

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Search engine optimization requires risk management like any other business initiative.

Managing expectations is one of the first steps in any risk management.

In the case of SEO, a typical business uses either internal staff or external vendors to implement the SEO program.

Whether the project manager is a vendor or internal staffer, it it critical that that person explain the risks to management or the business owner.

A great effort increases the probability of increasing SEO ranks. But certainly doesn’t exist.

Owners and managers should know that no vendor or staffer can guarantee results with an SEO project.

They also should keep in mind the following specific risks.

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SEO for content writing is a craft that takes time  to develop because different writers have different backgrounds and training experiences.

Journalists focus on the angle of the story. English majors think about themes.  Marketing types think about brand. Web people think about keywords — but sometimes overlook quality.

As a professional journalist and online publisher, I find that starting with the most essential keywords of the article is the right thing to do, but with a few important differences that combine SEO and good writing principles.

Let’s take a look at a few important SEO tips for content writing. (more…)

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Broken link building is one of the easiest ways to improve a site’s profile in search engine results.

Advice on broken link building often overlooks one critical step in making it effective.

The advice often focuses on fixing external links that point to a site. That focus is only half the solution. The other half should focus on fixing internal links as well.

The term broken link building is a bit misleading.

It might be better called broken link rebuilding, because that’s exactly what it does — rebuilds broken links that can renew positive ranking signals for search engines that were lost after the links went bad.

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Internal link building often is overlooked as an important tactic for search engine optimization and creating a better site visitor experience.

Remember that the words used in the anchor text of a link, whether it is on site or off site, provides a clue to search engines about what lies on the landing page.

The location on the page also matters. The higher the link, the more likely it will get clicked because it is more visible to the user, especially if that user doesn’t scroll down the page.

Whether someone clicks on that link signals to the search engine (which often is following the user via cookies) that the link has value, relevance and context for the user.

How the user responds to the landing page provides the next clue.

Let’s see how to user internal linking for better SEO results. (more…)