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It is always a good idea to use a professional marketing company to help promote your site. This ensures the greatest rate of return and that your search engine optimization tactics are ethical and effective. There are, however, some things you can do to make sure your site is getting proper exposure and ranking well. But it’s very important that you don’t overdo any aspect of optimization — manipulating the search engines for your own gain can result in penalties. Always seek the advice of a professional and ethical SEO pro before engaging in a campaign.

Here are some quick tips to help boost your rankings and grow your site on the Web.

1.)    Keywords and Targeting. Before we even get started with any SEO, it is important to properly select keywords. How can you know what your site is about without proper keyword analysis? You’d be amazed at how many sites have an identity crisis and don’t rank simply because the site isn’t about any one specific topic. Take a step back from your site and try to understand your audience. What are they searching for? What information can you provide for them? Take those keywords and assign them on a page-by-page basis starting with the home page, about 3-5 keywords per page. This will allow you to write content about the keywords without making the page too diverse. The search engines favor hyper-targeted pages over pages that are too diverse in their topic. To do research on your keywords, use Google’s Keyword Tool found here. This will show you how many people are searching for your terms, and recommend possible replacements.

2.)    Text Content. Now that we have keywords for our pages, we need to write proper content. Good content has between 3–5% density depending on the topic and layout of the page. The search engines base a large portion of their ranking algorithm on text content and it should be the focus of your site. Users are searching for content and you have to provide it. Generally, a good page has around 300 words. Home pages often have less; usually in the 100–200 word range. Good, well-written pages are very targeted and provide information about the keywords. The more comprehensive the page, the better it will rank. Always keep in mind that you are providing content for users. Search engines will understand that and rank the page appropriately. There should never be a reason to write exclusively for search engines if you are optimizing ethically.

3.)    Navigation and Architecture. The search engines do a very good job of determining what pages on your site are important. This is mostly done by checking the architecture of the site and determining what pages are important by how they are linked to. For example, if page A is linked to out of the main navigation from every page on the site, it is deemed an important page. This is called “internal linking.” Each link to a page is a vote. The more votes a specific page has, the most important it is. Always make sure all your optimized pages are linked to from every other page on the site, making it easy to find your content. The search engines cannot follow certain types of links — any link in JavaScript or Flash will not be followed by the search engines. Your links should be in basic HTML. You can use CSS and JavaScript to do animation and visual design, but the links themselves should be basic HTML. Also make sure you are using XML and HTML sitemaps on the site. This makes it that much easier for search engines to find your content and index it.

There are a lot of aspects of ethical optimization, but these three initial steps should set you on the right path. An effective SEO initiative should always be based on good content and providing the best information to your users. Creating good content ensures that your users are captivated and the search engines are attentive. Everything begins to fall in line after that. Good luck on all your marketing ventures!

Flash In The Can is jumping into the mobile arena with their upcoming event FITC Mobile 2009. The event will be hosted September 13-14 in Toronto, and will be covering iPhone, Flash Lite, Android, Windows CE, SMS, Palm, Blackberry, and other relevant topics in the Mobile world.

FITC events have been focused mainly on Flash and Abode products and services, but since mobile platforms have become so important in the past years, it is not surprising that FITC decided to offer an event targeted to current and future developers of mobile content.

FITC Mobile 2009 is offering over 30 presentations and panels that not only cover technical aspects of mobile content, but also topics like marketing, funding and business aspects of the mobile industry. It is a very exciting opportunity to meet people in the industry and keep up with the latest trends and technologies, and also get a glance at the direction where the mobile industry is headed.

Click here to check out FITC Mobile 2009 and get more info.

See you there!

I love technology. Live it, breath it, soak in it. That’s me. I’m always looking for the next big thing. That new shiny gizmo-what-do-you-call-that-omg device, tool, or digital something that makes my eyes widen, my mouth drop open, and my heart beat a little faster. (Yes, I’m female and very much a dork.)  But even though mobile marketing isn’t exactly the sparkly new kid on the block anymore, I’ve been following the rapid growth of smart phones, carving a path through society with exclamations from “your phone can do what?” to “what can’t my phone do?”, with the glee of a kid on Christmas Eve. Come a few more hours and it’s present opening time.

With the advent of iPhones and customized feature-rich applications (35,000 and counting), mobile devices have outstripped our 1984 fantasies and become the singular technological device we can’t live (or leave) without. Need directions? Use your phone. Looking for the closest gas station? Use your phone. When’s the movie playing? Use your phone. Call your friend… yeah, phones do that, too. Pretty soon our mobile device (no longer just a phone) will be all we need to carry. It will contain our wallet, serve as our universal remote, and even improve our parenting skills. BUT… that’s not the box with the big red bow.

Mobile devices are changing the way in which we (as consumers) are marketed to. Ask my opinion with a text-message-based campaign, send me alerts and notifications when I ask for them, find me what I want when I’m looking for it, and I will happily follow your brand with my pocketbook. With my phone, I’m able to dictate not only my level of involvement, but the type of content I want to receive. This virtual availability to the rest of the world gives me a sense of control, which translates to a greater level of participation. This is also where (short of simply tuning out) traditional marketing methods (e.g., television, radio, print) fall short.

By virtue of being hand-held and connected to the internet (almost) anywhere I go, mobile marketing is defining itself to be localized and (more importantly) relevant. Successful campaigns will address consumers’ desires quickly and conveniently, and ultimately shape everyday activities.

The catch? Thinking it through. Finding the balance between engaging and intruding. Marketing, much like technology, shifts with the medium, making the possibilities for interaction on mobile devices worth keeping an eye on.  While I might be guilty of spending too much time on my iPhone, I’m excited by this trend.  (It also helps that I work at a digital agency.)

We often hear the question “How do I get my site to the top of the Google search results?” There’s no easy answer. But one component of high search placement is “PageRank.” When you perform a Google search, the sites shown in the results are displayed in order of their PageRank. This term gets thrown around in conversations about effective SEO and website marketing, but what is it really? Why is it important? What affects PageRank? Here are some facts about PageRank and how it impacts sites like yours.

PageRank is a system of voting that places the burden of determining relevance on the Web itself. Think of the Web as a library and a page on your site as a single book. Google’s PageRank system not only analyzes the content of your book, but also how many other books reference it. The more books that reference it, the higher the book’s PageRank. In this way, the more Web sites that link to yours, the higher the PageRank assigned to your site. Yahoo and MSN Live have similar systems, but they are not publicly visible like Google’s PageRank. Keep in mind that PageRank is updated at irregular intervals. Adding links today will not affect your PageRank until an official PageRank update goes into effect.

PageRank itself does not only consider the quantity of links to your site, but their relative quality as well. Because of this, your site will get more PageRank value from a high PageRank site than from a lower one. It also considers the relevance of the site linking to you from a content perspective. You get the most value from well-respected, well-linked Web sites that are in your industry, and the least value from sites with low PageRank outside of your industry.

PageRank can also be seen as a valuation of the chance of finding your site by randomly clicking links on the Web. The higher the visibility your site has, the more likely people can find it by simply clicking around the Web. PageRank runs from 0–10: 0 being a brand new site with no known links and 10 being the most important site(s) on the Web. Currently, only Google’s search page has a 10 PageRank.
You can check sites’ PageRank by downloading and installing the Google toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com/). By allowing Google to gather anonymous data from your particular Web surfing, they will in turn provide you with the ability to see the PageRank of any site you visit, including your own.

PageRank is a large part of Google’s algorithm. Exactly how much and how it is determined is a trade secret and kept well guarded by Google.  However, having a higher PageRank means more quality links which leads to better rankings. Over time, your PageRank will grow organically as you promote your site on the Web.  Keep an eye on rankings as you surf, and you’ll begin to see the importance of this cool metric.

Question: What do Fantasy Football, a VoIP Service provider, a Live Mobile Phone TV company, a Prominent University, the NFL and a Major Canadian Telecommunications company all have in common?

Answer: Their Digital Marketing Team: JHG

Tonight, JHG is hosting our Summer Bash for friends and clients of the agency in our new location. On July 1, we will be celebrating 4 years since Jayne Hancock and I decided to start a new marketing and consulting agency.

Wow – how time flies and how things can change!

Back when we first embarked on this journey, both Jayne and I came from pretty high-profile backgrounds: Jayne had a successful career at DIRECTV and I had a wonderful run in radio. For our next chapter, we knew that we wanted to build a company that had all of the qualities that we loved about our previous jobs and none of the qualities that we didn’t like. We wanted to build an agency that asks the right questions, that has the best and the brightest people, that learns every day and that no matter what – always does the right thing. Does the right thing for our clients, our staff and our community.

We know we haven’t been successful in all we’ve set out to do. We would both readily admit that we’ve made some mistakes and miscalculations along the way, but that’s what it takes to learn and grow. Most importantly, from the beginning, we’ve made those decisions with the information we had at hand and with the belief that it was the right thing at the time.

What we’ve done right however, is recruit an amazing and dedicated team of people. We’ve said this before to our staff, but of all the things in this business that Jayne and I feel good about, they are the entity that makes us the most proud by far. They’re smart, dedicated, passionate and teach both of us every day. Hopefully, we are able to impart some knowledge to them along the way as well.

We’ve also been blessed to have the opportunity to work with some of the best clients, some great brands and some brilliant people. For clients to entrust us to help them succeed is heady business. But it is something that none of us take lightly. Again, we aren’t perfect, but I can tell you that with us, you get smart people who really, truly care.

For those of you who are entrepreneurs, you know of what I am about to speak. This is the hardest we’ve have ever worked in our lives. (And that says something for a farm girl from the Midwest and girl from Phoenix who worked and played softball to make it through undergrad and grad school). Owning this business has been, at the same time, exhilarating, exciting, scary, frustrating and downright crazy! But, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks to our amazing group of co-workers, thanks to our clients for the trust they put in us and thanks to our friends for all of the support and encouragement the past four years! So for tonight – it’s party time!

I remember a conversation from the very first night I moved to San Diego.  While having dinner with two locals, my friend Bob said in a matter of fact tone, “I can’t be out too late tonight; I have a 6:00am board meeting tomorrow.”  Surprised, I asked – “who has a board meeting at 6:00am on a Friday!?”  He looked at me and rolled his eyes. Clearly my years of growing up in the Midwest and living in Denver prior to my move to San Diego didn’t help me understand what Bob really meant. He gave me a knowing look, and said “SURF board.” I started to laugh, but then realized he was completely serious…

It turns out that there is a group of entrepreneurs that gather every Friday at 6:00am to surf and talk business. I can’t tell you the location because I have been led to believe it’s a select, invite-only group.  For the most part, this exclusive group has already achieved success in business and they get together once a week to talk about current events, mull over new ideas and discuss potential business ventures. On rare occasions, a lucky young start-up entrepreneur, trying to learn the ropes, is invited to join them: for the business conversation and the surf.

For those of you who don’t know much about surfing, there is a lot of downtime waiting for that “perfect wave.”  Surfers are a loyal and interesting group, and sometimes out on the water there is an abundance of time to chat, conduct business and connect with the connected.  They have a unique code (their own way of communicating) and many surfers seem to be kindred spirits that you don’t see among other business locales.

Take golf courses for example.  Unless you are in a golf scramble, you aren’t rooting for the people you are playing with in the foursome. In most golf games, you are either trying to impress the other members of the group, have money on the match or are with someone that you are going to let win in order to get the business.  Come on, admit it.  It’s true!

Surfers are different.  They stand on the shore and watch the waves together timing the sets; they paddle back and forth to the best locations together; they cheer a great ride and they empathize with a nasty wipe out.  (OK – maybe they laugh too! – They are human!) Yes, the way the best surfers behave in the water is the way we should all strive to be in business: smart, strategic, instinctive, doers, team players and motivated to improve themselves. What’s more, surfers possess the insight to determine when to get out of the water because the opportunities are either too small or too risky. You can learn a LOT about business and life by watching surfers.  That – and you’ll be at the beach!

Recently, as we meet with and work with more clients, everyone seems to be asking about best practices in the world of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.  Many people believe their business needs to have a social media presence, but they can’t tell us exactly why.  For many, it’s about keeping up with the “Joneses”, or in a business sense – their competitors.  With today’s new social technologies, there’s not a lot of risk involved in jumping in and taking a chance.  Entering into the social media realm doesn’t cost much financially - and “hey, at least we are on there!”

Well, there is a more intelligent and strategic way to use social technologies for your company, your brand and your business goals:

The first is to understand the different players in the space – what tools do they offer? Which social platforms are appropriate for your company?

The second is to create a long term strategy for this space – from a technological and data standpoint, to an editorial / content development and policy standpoint.

Third, it is imperative to determine how social media fits into your existing marketing plans and tactics and your overall brand personality. Ultimately these platforms are one vehicle, which should be used to complement initiatives already in place

And lastly – how will you measure your success and utilize the results?  Think about your social media presence strategically before you begin, or even now, after you have begun and your enthusiasm for these spaces is waning!  Or, call a professional!

Eilzabeth Estes-Cooper, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer JHG Inc.

Erin and I decided to pool our JHG Pay It Forward money when we learned that, through our co-worker Abbey Eastham, we had a connection to a case worker at Child Protective Services (CPS). The case worker sadly has many kids on her roster in need of help, but one of the more urgent cases was a young teenage girl who had been abandoned by her foster family of 10 years, and had nothing but the clothes on her back—with no family and nowhere to go.

Abbey coordinated with the case worker, and found out the girl needed clothing, travel bags, and personal items and toiletries. We then enlisted the help of our friends, and within a couple of days, we received donations to bring our total to $315 in cash/gift cards, plus a significant amount of toiletries and personal items, bags, and a new CD player.

By this time, CPS had found a possible placement for her in a group home in Northern California, so the crunch was on to get her what she needed—quickly—so she could make the trip up north to her new home. So we got our donations to the case worker and she took the girl shopping at Target. There, for the first time in her life, the girl got to pick out her very own new socks, underwear, bras, shirts, shorts, pajamas and a bathing suit. Then the case worker gave her all of the other donated items and the few unused gift cards, so she’d be able to buy what she needed when she got to her new home.

Due to minor confidentiality issues, we never found out the girl’s name or the entire story but we knew that finding yourself alone and without a home at 14 was about as bleak as we could imagine. We know we didn’t change her life, but we hope that—even if just for a day—the girl knew there were a bunch of people out there who wanted to help and put a smile on her face.

Thanks to JHG and all the folks who donated, and to Abbey for putting all of this together with the case worker. And of course, to the case worker herself—who has what I imagine to be one of the most difficult jobs out there.

A few months ago, I was Facebook “friended” by a stranger named Lauren. Turns out, she had attended my small Wisconsin high school but is several years younger than me so we never crossed paths. I accepted her friend request and as I looked over her profile page, I was truly touched by her story.

Lauren has been living with Cystic Fibrosis since she was born – in fact, when she was born, she was given a life expectancy of only 19 years. Through ongoing research and advanced treatments for CF, she has proven the doctors wrong; not only has Lauren soared into her 23rd birthday, her life expectancy has now nearly doubled to 35 years.

I’ve stayed updated on Lauren’s progress and life – as only social networks allow you to do – and have been continually impressed by her positive attitude and devotion to helping others suffering from this devastating disease. Cystic Fibrosis has put her in and out of hospitals over the years with lung infections, digestive problems, diabetes, and other complications, but she manages to see the bright side and maintains hope that science will find a cure.

When JHG announced our “Pay It Forward” program, I decided I wanted to help Lauren with her cause. She is currently on a quest to raise $25,000 for a CF walk in Madison, Wisconsin in mid-May and was very grateful for my and JHG’s contribution.  I am glad to have the opportunity to give back to someone who inspires and amazes me as much as Lauren has, while she continues to bravely fight against this disease, both for herself and for others.