Winning Through SEO

Effective search engine optimization (SEO) is about designing and executing a strong marketing plan. While you may not be an expert in SEO strategy, your website can benefit from a few simple tips. Check out these suggestions to see where you might be able to improve your online marketing strategies:

1. Create a click-friendly URL scheme using keywords that relate to each designated Web page. The URL http://www.onlinetrafficschool.com/registration is a perfect example. Here, users understand that by following the link, they are going to the registration page of Online Traffic School.
2. Create a navigation structure that makes it easy for users to move through your website. Offering a site map, for instance, could help users more quickly and more efficiently find key Web pages, such as FAQs and registration.
3. Stick to well-polished, well-researched content that is of benefit to your customers. You don't want to give your customers any reason to "opt-out" of future engagement and correspondence.
4. Link your website—or select Web pages—back to your social media pages.
5. Print the name of your website on the back of business cards, and other printed material. Or better yet, consider making the name of your business a URL, as we've previously discussed on this blog.
6. As with any SEO plan, you want to make your website as user-friendly as possible. Whether you anchor text (making it clickable for users to see as a result of a link) or optimize your content through colorful illustrations and eye-popping videos (which, by the way, drives up SEO!) your goal for your content should be the same: to present quality material that keeps customers interested and coming back for more!
7. Consider using Google Analytics or another service for site statistics. Track how much "natural" traffic you're now attracting through search queries and which keywords are driving this traffic. Then, reuse successful strategies in the future.

California Booklet Orders

Due to heavy sales volume and stocking considerations, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is implementing new procedures regarding orders for the California Home Study Traffic School Booklet (the traffic violator school home study booklet program licensed by TSC). Effective immediately, all affiliates who wish to pick up copies of the booklet directly from TSC's offices must place their order and pay via the California Course Provider administration system BEFORE picking up the requested inventory.

• To begin the ordering process, you must now pick your delivery method. Choose the "Shipped" option to have the books shipped to you; select the the "Pick-Up" option to pick up your order directly from TSC's offices. You will then enter the quantity of books you wish to order, as you always have. (Note: You are, of course, not billed for shipping charges if you select the pick-up option.)
• There is now an additional payment option that will allow you to pay for your order via a checking account. (You will still be able to pay with a credit card, as before, if you prefer.) Simply select your method of payment from the drop-down menu and then enter your appropriate information on the payment page. If you choose the "E-Check" option from the drop-down and enter the information for your checking account, payment will be debited directly from that account.

If you need assistance or have questions about this change, please contact Chris Kalili (email or 800 . 487 . 1699) or Tara Williams (email or 800 . 863 . 2590).

SEO and Meta Tags

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process by which you drive traffic to your Website using keywords and other content enhancement techniques. This is not to be confused with Pay per Click (PPC), which drives clicks (i.e., readership) through paid placements, such as ads and banners. The purpose in either case is to drive visitors—and potential customers—to your site.

SEO Priorities

Meta tags are text that is invisible to readers of the site but which is accessbile by search engines. Meta tags are included in a Web page's meta data (information about the page itself; not the information that is presented to visitors to the page) directly below the page's title tag, and they offer a straightforward technique for effectively driving SEO priorities. These short, descriptive tags accurately summarize the content that the page is presenting for consumption and, if done right, could drive clicks.

Here are a few tips for writing eye-popping meta tags:

• Don't just inform users about a page's content. Entice them to follow the link.
• Draw users into your site with wit and humor. Veer away from dry descriptions that do little more than provide information. Instead, create a picture of what users can expect inside the website.
• Create a unique meta tag—meaning it has its own description—for each page on your Website.

Using a well-directed SEO plan, you can ensure that your Website appears high in search engine results and gets presented to consumers who might be looking for your services. Meta tags are a critical part of your SEO campaign, but they're just a part. Keep checking back here periodically for more helpful tips on improving your search engine marketing campaign!