Blog Using Long-tail Keywords

Every business wants their website to be on the first page of Google. Everyone! That’s why it’s so tough to get there. But there is a way to improve your chances. Blogging improves your chance to get indexed on an Internet search — if you follow one very important, but easy, rule…

The Rule of Long-tail Keywords

These are phrases that a visitor might use when they search for a product or service, especially when using voice search.

Let’s say you sell new and used golf carts. Someone in your zip code sank their golf cart lakeside while dodging an alligator near the 7th hole. They need a replacement cart, but can’t afford a new one. There’s a good chance they will log onto Google Search and type the term “used golf carts near me.” This term is specific: cart must be pre-owned, the buyer does not want to order online, and the term “near me” will trigger the ZIP code of the buyer, automatically narrowing it down to be “near you.” 

Use long-tail keywords early in your site’s content to describe in detail what you offer or the problem you solve. Then use them again in blogs where you tell a problem/solution story in your own words. Blogs give site owners the opportunity to add more specific keywords to their website every month or every quarter — without even touching the main content!

Blogging also gives you an acceptable, inexpensive marketing opportunity to connect with your base through periodic emails. If you focus your message on the connection you have with your customers, you can improve the conversation while you improve your search engine rankings.

Be sure to avoid filling a blog with awkwardly-phrased keywords that might hurt the user experience. Long-tail keywords integrated into your opt-in/-out blogs will help to improve the search engine’s understanding of your content. And remember, blogging is not selling; it’s a conversation.

Learn more about adding a blog to your website »

Learn more about the value of long-tail keywords here »

Is Your Website ADA-Compliant?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in areas of public life—on the job, using public transportation, school—in fact, all public and private places that are open to the general public. And there’s no place more “open to the general public” these days than the Internet and your website.

The Justice Department has taken the position that the ADA does cover Internet website access, mobile applications, and all forms of information and communication technology. So far, the DOJ has only hinted that private commercial sites are at risk of a lawsuit. But disability proponents are actively and aggressively moving the countdown clock to just that.

ADA-compliant_websitesAs website designers, we have for some time integrated most of these guidelines, not as ADA issues, but as SEO issues (see May’s blog regarding SEO). We also pay great attention to the User Experience, for example, instead of posting a photo image as a number, we give every image a descriptive name. A photo of a “red sunset” might be named “red_sunset.jpg”, not “345209876.jpg”.

Designers like us will need to build new elements into new and existing websites. For example, adding a type of code that allows screen reader technology to convert text to audio for the visually impaired.

We are reviewing our current customers’ sites to assess what’s needed to follow the new WCAG 2.0 standards. If you are our current customer, you can expect to soon receive our assessment.

If you own a website designed by a developer that is no longer in business, or one that is not interested in getting your website into compliance, ActiveCanvas may be able to help you.

If you are not sure whether your website needs to be brought up to WCAG 2.0 standards, please give us a call at (772) 932-7969 or drop us a note and include your website address.

Website Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Quick List

  • Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
  • Provide alternative for time-based media.
  • Create content that can be presented in different ways (e.g. simpler layout) without losing information or structure.
  • Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.
  • Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
  • Provide users enough time to read and use content.
  • Do not design content in a way that is know to cause seizures.
  • Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.
  • Make text content readable and understandable.
  • Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.
  • Assist users to avoid and correct mistakes.
  • Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.

How to Choose Your Website’s Domain Name

Choosing a domain name for a new website, is an important business decision. Updating a domain for a current website to improve traffic results is an important business decision. Let’s look at some of the best practices and a few things to avoid when it comes to choosing domain names.

whats Your Brand

Make it match

Match your domain name to your brand—your company name. Why? When people hear about your product or service, they will type your company name into a search engine or a browser address bar.

Say what you mean

Short is good, but meaningful is better. When combining words, be sure the name says what you mean. The site for teachers, Teachers Talk, probably wishes it had not used the plural form for its brand name (teacherStalk), and therapist group’s site visitors keep seeing theRapist.

Check your results

Do a Google search for your brand. The results you see will be what others see. Be sure the domain name you choose, when googled, won’t put you in embarrassing company. You want to stand out in the crowd as honest, relevant, and meaningful.

Remember spellcheck

If your business is new, finding an available domain name can be a challenge! To get around this, company names are intentionally misspelled, like Flickr and Blnk. Keep in mind, someone searching for your name may see spelling correction suggestions at the top of search results and overlook your site even if it’s listed.

Think longterm

Choose a name and stick with it. It’s hard enough to print new business cards, but changing a domain name once registered and used on the web is much harder.

Use exact match domains safely

An exact match domain (EMD) is a domain name that precisely matches a search query that will likely drive traffic to your website. For example: buycheapjeansonline.com The problem is that Google sees EMDs as spam and may not even rank your EMD domain at all because they give an unfair advantage. But, if you are a solid, genuine business that just happens to have a brand name that also looks like an EMD, then you should be fine. Just be sure that your content supports your claim—and never forget that when it comes to websites, content is KING. Nothing else matters as much.