How to find a good Chicago SEO Company

With small and large businesses increasingly turning towards SEO for help marketing online, the number of Internet marketing companies and Search Engine Optimization companies have doubled as well. Chicago, with its large number of corporate companies has also hopped onto the Website Optimization bandwagon.

Search engine optimization and marketing services in Chicago provide small or large Chicago businesses with some of the most competent SEO services, and at highly affordable rates. With so many of these companies cropping up, its hard to find a really good Chicago SEO company that provides effective services and is affordable at the same time. But where there's a will, there's a way. So, if you are desperately looking for a reliable SEO company in Chicago that does not charge exorbitant fees, then here are a few tips on how to go with your search:

Word of Mouth – Asking around is probably one of the best ways to find a good yet affordable SEO company Chicago. Try getting referrals from other companies in your business niche. Choose companies that have a strong Internet presence. Such companies are probably hiring the services of a good SEO company. So, give it a shot!

Do not rely on fake guarantees – Many SEO companies try to sell their services by guaranteeing immediate results. If you know anything about SEO, you'll know that it takes a lot of hard work, patience and a lot of time for you to see any results with SEO. So, if anyone promises to give you instant results at low rates, ignore the rates and ignore the vendor. You'll find better.

There is a limit to affordability – No company that is really good can afford to provide their services at dirt cheap prices. So, if you are looking for a Chicago SEO company that is dirt cheap, then you can forget about it. Such cheap companies end up costing you more in the long run. Any reliable SEO company will provide services at reasonable rates that are not necessarily cheap, but by no means are they extremely expensive as well. You shouldn't only be looking at the price of the services, but the quality counts as well.

Ask the Chicago SEO company in question about the strategies they use – Always make it a point to ask the SEO company what strategies they use before you hire them. There are 2 basic SEO strategies, namely White Hat SEO strategies and Black Hat SEO strategies. By using Black Hat strategies, your site can get banned. So make sure you hire a company that only uses white hat strategies.

Using these points could help you find an effective yet affordable SEO company in Chicago. It is also advisable to check out whether the SEO company has testimonials from past clients. Above all, make sure you find a vendor who's SEO package fits in with your budget.


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SEO Firm of Chrysler Group Fired over vulgar tweet

Within the last two weeks, Chrysler Group ended it's long-standing relationship with their social media agency over a vulgar tweet that was posted to the official Chrysler Brand Twitter Account. Crazy!

The tweet was posted Wednesday March 9th, 2011 by New Media Strategies and read 'I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the Motor-city and yet no one here knows how to f*****g drive'. The tweet was removed shortly after being posted, but to no avail. 

Chrysler immediately made a statement the next day that it won't be renewing its contract with New Media Strategies for the rest of this year but noted that it will work with the agency through the transition period until it names a new marketing firm.

The Michigan based auto-manufacturer apologized in a blog post saying that the employee responsible for the tweet had been fired. In a follow up post, Chrysler said that the post had been meant for the employee's personal Twitter profile rather than Chrysler's and that they had not demanded the person be fired. Needless to say, it was a fireable offense in and of itself knowing how much social media runs the world these days.

The CEO of NMS, Pete Snyder said, his firm regretted the 'incident'.

"It doesn't accurately reflect the high-quality work we have done for Chrysler", he said in a statement, "We respect their decision and will work with them to ensure an effective transition of this business going forward."

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To a company who deals in a lot of social media marketing, reputation management and SEO services, this is outrageous. Integraphix believes whole heartedly in ethical SEO, even down to our employees being good and ethical people. The fact stands that even though that tweet was meant for a personal twitter account and YES free speech is an issue here, an employee has a particular image to uphold for the company they're working for AND the companies they represent.

New Media Solutions was in their rights to fire this employee. Ethical SEO and Search Engine Optimization Companies in general sometimes gets a bad wrap sometimes for being shady and the stories that have come out recently about black-hat SEO have not helped us much.

What can you do? Question your Chicago SEO Firm and ask them about their social media ethics. Ask who will be handling your social media marketing and make sure you're comfortable with who you're working with! 

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Integraphix, one of the Top Marketing Companies in Chicago | www.integraphix.com 

847.537.0067 or email us at info@integraphix.com for more information on Ethical SEO in Chicago

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SEO Firm of Chrysler Group Fired over vulgar tweet

Within the last two weeks, Chrysler Group ended it's long-standing relationship with their social media agency over a vulgar tweet that was posted to the official Chrysler Brand Twitter Account. Crazy!

The tweet was posted Wednesday March 9th, 2011 by New Media Strategies and read 'I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the Motor-city and yet no one here knows how to f*****g drive'. The tweet was removed shortly after being posted, but to no avail. 

Chrysler immediately made a statement the next day that it won't be renewing its contract with New Media Strategies for the rest of this year but noted that it will work with the agency through the transition period until it names a new marketing firm.

The Michigan based auto-manufacturer apologized in a blog post saying that the employee responsible for the tweet had been fired. In a follow up post, Chrysler said that the post had been meant for the employee's personal Twitter profile rather than Chrysler's and that they had not demanded the person be fired. Needless to say, it was a fireable offense in and of itself knowing how much social media runs the world these days.

The CEO of NMS, Pete Snyder said, his firm regretted the 'incident'.

"It doesn't accurately reflect the high-quality work we have done for Chrysler", he said in a statement, "We respect their decision and will work with them to ensure an effective transition of this business going forward."

--

To a company who deals in a lot of social media marketing, reputation management and SEO services, this is outrageous. Integraphix believes whole heartedly in ethical SEO, even down to our employees being good and ethical people. The fact stands that even though that tweet was meant for a personal twitter account and YES free speech is an issue here, an employee has a particular image to uphold for the company they're working for AND the companies they represent.

New Media Solutions was in their rights to fire this employee. Ethical SEO and Search Engine Optimization Companies in general sometimes gets a bad wrap sometimes for being shady and the stories that have come out recently about black-hat SEO have not helped us much.

What can you do? Question your Chicago SEO Firm and ask them about their social media ethics. Ask who will be handling your social media marketing and make sure you're comfortable with who you're working with! 

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Integraphix, one of the Top Marketing Companies in Chicago | www.integraphix.com 

847.537.0067 or email us at info@integraphix.com for more information on Ethical SEO in Chicago

Why Press Release Marketing is Important for SEO

Why Submit Your Press Release to Distribution Services?

In order to get your PR content to be indexed in Google and Yahoo, and to generate Google Alerts, you have to submit your press release to one of the recognized press release distribution services. That is how you can gain online coverage from mainstream media and bloggers as well as gain backlinks for your search engine optimization campaign. Integraphix, a Chicago SEO company, uses press releases to inform the public of our new clients and website launches. 

Where to Submit Your Press Release?

There are paid press release services littering the Internet and though people don't have the extra $200 per release to spare. There are free services you can use and I highly encourage it. Press releases are a company's lifeblood and we use article writing and press releases for our SEO clients all the time. While we encourage you to experiment with them, make sure you know what you are getting with them. 

The # 1 Critical Element in Press Releases

Including links with relevant anchor text in your press releases is critical. Make sure you hyperlink relevant words that take you to targeted pages. This is essential for search engine optimization.

Don’t Forget to Publish on Your Site or Blog

In addition to sending the press release to reputable distributions services, you should also publish it on your own website. Put it up on the Media page, on your blog or wherever you think is appropriate.  The content of the press release doesn’t have to be much different from what you already put together for the PR services.


Have more questions bout optimizing your press releases? Contact Integraphix for a FREE Internet Marketing analysis and we can talk to you about website and search engine optimization for your business.
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Integraphix, a Chicago SEO Company.
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Is Search Engine Marketing Contagious?

Sure it is! Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is highly contagious. It catches like wildfire, and a good portion of online and offline business owners are reactive actively in their SEO efforts. This means that SEO and Marketing efforts are implemented because the competition is launching an SEO campaign as well. The only way to stay relevant and compete is to fight back! 

All it takes is a website owner of a lackadaisical or dormant website to see their competition rising from page 42 to page 2 and the race begins! If you launch a website with close to zero optimization, it's no wonder why you have no leads coming through that amazing website you've just paid to have built. Most web designers don't know their right foot from SEO or how to implement it. Integraphix works SEO into all of our web designs from the beginning, giving you a leg up on the competition.

Some of your first thoughts after a few months of having your website up is 'I have a gorgeous new website - what's wrong?' 

After some investigation, you'll fine something called search engine optimization (SEO for short). Now you realize that without this, there's a good chance that you're not visible online. You start to get a little panicked and research all the vendors that offer it. There is an endless sea of search engine marketing companies so come to the company that is doing it right!

Over the years, the idea has spread through the web like wildfire, and has created a contagious atmosphere of up and coming SEOs. The point is - search engine optimization should be proactive and readily sought after. Do NOT wait until you see your competitors in th search results because once they're there, it's hard to catch up because so much time has already been spent getting there. Playing catch up takes time.

Don't wait! Call Integraphix, a Chicago SEO Company, today for a FREE Internet Marketing Analysis.

847.537.0067 or email us!

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Crucial SEO steps for your website!

Search Engine Optimization isn’t just an extra step when designing and developing a website. It is a necessary process that needs to be developed and implemented throughout the entire web design and development process. We go even far enough to say that it should be the first step so that the web design can be developed around the optimization parameters. If you are hiring an Expert SEO Firm, or attempting to do it yourself, there are important steps that cannot be neglected in order to optimize your site the best.

SEO can be a confusing area to understand, and an even more elusive thing to keep track of, and while new websites must optimize their rankings for Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines, most often we find that people have no idea where to start. Luckily, SEOmoz has created a handy checklist that clears some of the confusion about what thorough SEO consists of:

The Checklist:

CRUCIAL!

1.    Target your Keywords. Each page must focus on ONE keyword. It will make it easier for the search engines to figure out what each page is for. Choose one ranking keyword for each page and keep it that way. Each following step should maintain that specific keyword for that page.

2.    Content. The most heard phrase in the SEO world is ‘content is king’. Why? Because website content is how people find you! It’s also how Google will inevitably rank you. Your content needs to be unique and relevant to your marketing and your focus. Otherwise, your website is getting lost in the fray.

3.    Title Tag. One of the most critical steps of SEO where you need to be very precise in the words you choose. Title Tags appear in search engine results (which means Google is reading them), the tops of browsers, and other external websites. They MUST be under 65 characters (including spaces) and be targeted.

4.    URL. Confusing, long urls are as annoying to Google and SEOs as they are to internet users. URL structure needs to be clear and easy to read for you AND the search engines.

5.    Meta Descriptions. What are meta descriptions? They’re the short paragraphic that appears under the website title in a search engine results page. While not especially important for search engine rankings, they are critical in attracting users to your website. They need to grab attention and make the user visit your site while maintaining keyword inclusion and relevancy.

6.    Alt Text. This is helpful not only for disabled users that need help viewing the internet, but also for spider bots that want to read what an image is about. If you’ve got ‘Mom’s Restaurant’ as an alt text instead of ‘Chicago Pizzeria’, Google is not going to index you correctly and it can hurt your ranking efforts.

7.    Internal Linking! This is a VERY important task. Link building in Ethical SEO is crucial to increasing page rank and it’s the task that takes the most time for SEOs (this is why typical seo contracts last for 6 months or more). Internal linking is one of the easiest ways to optimize. One you or your SEO firm has figured out your targeted phrases, figure out which pages will rank for them and use appropriate links for those pages. Do NOT link every single keyword on your site. This looks spammy and is unattractive to visitors.

If you think we forgot any crucial elements, let us know in the comments!

Chicago Marketing Company, Chicago SEO, Chicago Web Design, Chicago Graphic Design, Chicago Internet Marketing, Marketing Company, Chicago Marketing, Graphic Design Chicago, Search Engine Optimization, Chicago Website Optimization

For more information - Contact Integraphix to optimize your website and increase your business online!

Email us today!

Search Engine Optimization isn’t just an extra step when designing and developing a website. It is a necessary process that needs to be developed and implemented throughout the entire web design and development process. We go even far enough to say that it should be the first step so that the web design can be developed around the optimization parameters. If you are hiring an Expert SEO Firm, or attempting to do it yourself, there are important steps that cannot be neglected in order to optimize your site the best.

SEO can be a confusing area to understand, and an even more elusive thing to keep track of, and while new websites must optimize their rankings for Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines, most often we find that people have no idea where to start. Luckily, SEOmoz has created a handy checklist that clears some of the confusion about what thorough SEO consists of:

The Checklist:

CRUCIAL!

1.    Target your Keywords. Each page must focus on ONE keyword. It will make it easier for the search engines to figure out what each page is for. Choose one ranking keyword for each page and keep it that way. Each following step should maintain that specific keyword for that page.

2.    Content. The most heard phrase in the SEO world is ‘content is king’. Why? Because website content is how people find you! It’s also how Google will inevitably rank you. Your content needs to be unique and relevant to your marketing and your focus. Otherwise, your website is getting lost in the fray.

3.    Title Tag. One of the most critical steps of SEO where you need to be very precise in the words you choose. Title Tags appear in search engine results (which means Google is reading them), the tops of browsers, and other external websites. They MUST be under 65 characters (including spaces) and be targeted.

4.    URL. Confusing, long urls are as annoying to Google and SEOs as they are to internet users. URL structure needs to be clear and easy to read for you AND the search engines.

5.    Meta Descriptions. What are meta descriptions? They’re the short paragraphic that appears under the website title in a search engine results page. While not especially important for search engine rankings, they are critical in attracting users to your website. They need to grab attention and make the user visit your site while maintaining keyword inclusion and relevancy.

6.    Alt Text. This is helpful not only for disabled users that need help viewing the internet, but also for spider bots that want to read what an image is about. If you’ve got ‘Mom’s Restaurant’ as an alt text instead of ‘Chicago Pizzeria’, Google is not going to index you correctly and it can hurt your ranking efforts.

7.    Internal Linking! This is a VERY important task. Link building in Ethical SEO is crucial to increasing page rank and it’s the task that takes the most time for SEOs (this is why typical seo contracts last for 6 months or more). Internal linking is one of the easiest ways to optimize. One you or your SEO firm has figured out your targeted phrases, figure out which pages will rank for them and use appropriate links for those pages. Do NOT link every single keyword on your site. This looks spammy and is unattractive to visitors.

If you think we forgot any crucial elements, let us know in the comments!

Chicago Marketing Company, Chicago SEO, Chicago Web Design, Chicago Graphic Design, Chicago Internet Marketing, Marketing Company, Chicago Marketing, Graphic Design Chicago, Search Engine Optimization, Chicago Website Optimization

For more information - Contact Integraphix to optimize your website and increase your business online!

Email us today!

How to Market on Flickr

How to Market on Flickr


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As a small business owner, you’ll have to work harder and smarter on the web to compete against the likes of Big Company Widgets and Deep Pockets Doodads. You’ll also have to be more creative and take advantage of a lot of marketing opportunities the big guys have overlooked. And you’ll have to make marketing opportunities where none exist.


Let’s look at one marketing opportunity that very few businesses are using: Flickr.


What Is Flickr?


Flickr is a web site owned by Yahoo! that offers photo sharing and a host of related services for users of any level — beginners to professionals. It’s tremendously easy to use, and when used with friends / associates it can be great fun. (And if this sounds like a bit of a commercial, here’s my disclaimer: I love Flickr.)


More than just being a web site, you should think of Flickr as a community — one with a very strong and active user base. According to Nielsen/NetRatings, Flickr is currently the fastest-growing photo sharing site on the web, and the 5th most popular overall. And comScore recently announced that, according to its stats, Flickr had 5 million unique visitors in May, 2006, making it the 7th-most trafficked social networking/media site. Clearly, opportunity is knocking for the smart, creative small business owner.


How does Flickr work?


A Flickr account is free. You’ll need a Yahoo ID to sign up. Once you’ve joined, adding photos to Flickr is done through a simple upload system. At any time, you can look for Flickr groups to join. When adding photos to a group, make sure you read the group’s posting rules. Don’t add a photo of a widget to a group specifically for photos of doodads.


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Most Flickr members are active in groups. Groups are where like-minded users post photos related to the group’s theme. For example, I’m a big music fan, so one group I’m in is Live Music. I’m also an Apple computer user, so I’m in the Apple group. And as a resident of Tri-Cities, Wash., I’m also a member of the Tri-Cities, WA group. (Notice that each group has both photos and discussions….)


The typical experience for most users of Flickr would involve uploading a photo, adding the photo to a personal photo album (a “set”, as Flickr calls them), and then sharing the photo in whatever appropriate groups the person has joined. Posting to groups is the main way your photos get exposure.


How do I market my business on Flickr?


First, let me emphasize that it’s against the Terms of Use to “exploit for any commercial purposes” the Flickr/Yahoo service. Posting a photo specifically for the purposes of advertising your company, your products/services, etc., would be against the TOS and would turn off the Flickr community.


That said, by being a smart and active contributor to the Flickr community, your business (web site) can get indirect marketing exposure via Flickr. Here’s how:


1.) Use your web site address as your Flickr screen name. Your screen name will be attached to every photo you upload, every message you post in a Group discussion — everything you do on Flickr. Let your screen name advertise your web site URL. The photo below, for example, is a picture I took at the SEW Live event in Seattle in May. The two circles in the upper right show where “SmallBusinessSEM.com” appears. And with each photo you upload, you can add “tags” (or keywords) that describe the photo, and a description of the image — these are both opportunities to mention your business name and web site address. (I didn’t use the tags or description to mention SBS in this example.)


2.) Use your Flickr profile to advertise your company, products, services, etc. In your profile, Flickr asks you to describe yourself and lets you give your web site name and address. Use this to describe who you are and what your business does, but keep the sales pitch to a minimum. Make it informational instead. You can also upload a “Buddy Icon” in the profile system. Make your company logo your Flickr icon.


Here’s what the Small Business SEM Flickr profile looks like. (link will open a new browser window)


3.) Upload quality photos of your products/services, and things related to your business. A general contractor, for example, would upload photos of homes or commercial buildings you’ve built. A winery would upload photos of grape harvest, the winemaking process, and even your tasting room and close-ups of your wine bottles. A caterer would upload photos of events you’ve worked — your staff, the food, the overall presentation, etc. A woodworker would upload photos of items you’ve made, your workshop, etc.


4.) Write appropriate text for each photo, but avoid the hard sell. As mentioned above, you can give a name and write a description for each photo you upload. You should describe the photo accurately — i.e., “This is a bottle of our newest release, 2005 Chardonnay….” — but avoid any hard sell copy. Remember to keep the focus on the photography, not the sales pitch. You can also add “tags” to describe each photo, and you should include things like your company name and web site address in the tags. If you rely on local traffic, the tags should include the city names where you do business (but don’t overdo it).


5.) Find and join appropriate groups and share your photos in those groups. There are groups on Flickr for just about anything you can imagine. Run a pet store? There are plenty of pet-related groups. Run an antique car shop? There are several groups about classic cars. Make homemade candles? Several groups for you. Are you getting the picture? (pun intended!) Oh, and be sure to find and join any groups related to your location — search on your city name, nearby city names, and your state. When appropriate, posting photos and joining discussions in those groups will allow you to reach a local audience.


6.) Link prominently from your web site to your Flickr photostream. There are two reasons for this: First, because people visiting your web site are likely to be interested in your photos, too. Who doesn’t appreciate good pictures? Plus, some of your visitors are probably already Flickr users, and they might welcome to the chance to add you to their “contact list.” (Return the favor if they do!) The second reason is that search engine crawlers should follow a prominent link from your web site to your Flickr photos, and when that happens, you have more potential matches for search engine users. (Yes, Flickr photo pages are crawled by Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.com, too.)


7.) Take part in the Flickr community. By this, I mean the following:


Comment on other photos you like, whether they’re related to your business or not.
Add great photos to your “Favorites” list.
Take part in discussions in your groups (but avoid the hard-sell tactics).
Remember that every time you do one of these things, your screen name will show — with your comment, with your discussion posts, etc. And if your screen name is your URL, that’s free advertising.


Free Bonus Hint: Be smart and creative about this. If you find a photo from another user in your area of interest, and that photo is getting a lot of views and comments, add your own comment to get your screen name in front of a lot of eyeballs. (Just make sure it’s a legitimate comment on the photo, and as always, don’t comment to promote your business.)


How NOT to market your business on Flickr…


Don’t spam.


There’s no need to stuff linked keywords into your photo descriptions, into the comments you leave on other’s photos, etc.
There’s no need to plaster your URL all over the photos you upload.
There’s no need to post advertising messages in discussion groups.
etc.
If you try these, all you’ll do is turn-off the Flickr community … when the whole point is turn them on.


Conclusion


These ideas are, admittedly, probably not helpful if you run an insurance agency, if you’re an accountant, or if you’re in a service industry like those. But if there are any visual elements to your company, or the products and services you offer, Flickr offers a new avenue for spreading the word about who you are and what you do.


When used properly, Flickr can be an effective tool for marketing your small business. The key is to be an active and responsible member, and avoid using hard-sell tactics in your photos, comments, discussions, etc. Most important: Respect the Flickr system and community.


One more thing…


Again, this may not apply to everyone reading, but be sure to search Flickr for photos (from other users) related to your business and products. You may find that your customers have already been uploading photos — hopefully ones that paint you in a positive light. But they might also be posting photos of the crap packing job you did when shipping them your Green Widget, or of the dirty bathroom in your restaurant. In addition to marketing, Flickr can sometimes be a good avenue for monitoring what some customers are saying about you.


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