Fact: The Internet is huge.

   Think about it a bit, the Internet is really, really big. We are talking millions of websites out there. It is quite frightening to think about and you may ask yourself, "How in the world can I compete?" Don't be alarmed! Though the Internet is huge, so is the world.

   With that in mind, just like our planet Earth, you can break down a search on the Internet geographically, for instance, by Country, State and/or City. You can ask yourself, "How far does my business reach geographically?" and, "What services do I provide?" These questions may be similar to someone Else's who is searching for you: "What service am I looking for?", "Where is the service I am looking for?" Say you had a hankering for some Oranges. Not just any Orange, no, you are a person that is partial to Florida Oranges. You could then search Google to see where you can have Oranges directly from Florida shipped to your front door. Give it a shot, you will see that you have plenty of options to fulfill your craving.

Here's another quick tip about Google: Google is smart enough to handle the geographic side of searches within adwords (those are the sponsored links you will sometimes see on top and to the right of your search results). If you were to search for, "Web Design" from somewhere in Minnesota, Google will pick up on that, displaying the sponsored links of Minnesota web design businesses. Interesting! Think about that a while, if someone searches for a common product (such as web design) without any geographic detail, the normal results will come up with just about anything. With Google Adwords, you will be able to be seen on the front page and Google will help the user find a closer geographic counterpart.

   So before you feel too overwhelmed by the competition, just take a deep breath and know that you are unique, and that someone is out there searching for what you offer.

   I'm always interested to hear what people's view on Search Engine Optimisation really is. Some people are a little sceptical due to the fact that appealing to search engines can be quite tricky. Other folks who may have had encounters with an SEO based company might find it useful, but the price tag is less than desirable. Then there are those who love the idea of SEO for the fact that it can greatly increase the likelihood of your website being seen by someone who is searching exactly.... well... for you.

   Here's where I'm going to be honest with you. It can be a very lengthily and trying process. The period of trial and error to find that ranking in a keyword you are looking for can be quite frustrating. You may start questioning, "When is my website going to be recognized by Google," or "I was promised a first page position.... but where am I?" and maybe even, "What's the point in SEO, anyway?" Before you grab that stress-ball, lets cover some common facts, stresses and misconceptions of what SEO is and as a website owner, how you can use it to your advantage.

   The acronym, "SEO", is pretty straight-forward. It stands for "Search Engine Optimisation", rather, You are preparing and packaging your your website to be picked to the bone by the likes of Yahoo, MSN, and the search engine I wish I invested money in back in 2004, Google. You are optimising your website to be easily read and understood by these search engine's spiders. Initially, you may think (and a lot of SEO companies would like you to believe) that this can only really be accomplished by your web site's designer through crazy experimental coding and other nerd talk. This sounds, quite frankly, like an expensive gamble.

   Here is where I let you in on a little secret, however. While optimising your web site's code is necessary, it is not what search engines are looking for! "Content is king", is what Google tells us. I am very excited to tell you that you, yes, even you can optimise your very own site, without even a glimpse of code! The fact is, search engines are very interested to know what your company does. Having a properly designed website will assist the search engines in understanding the content of your website, this is important, but not what they are after. The content is what they want. By having clear, concise messages about your business, what services you offer, where you are located and how someone interested in your service can contact you, this will make your website crawling with search engine spiders, which in turn, will help the audience find your site effectively.

   With that in mind, it can be a battle to get that number one rank in a search. There is always plenty more to learn about the likes of Google and SEO. However, with the knowledge that you can make a difference in rank simply by optimising your content, it will make a dramatic difference in your websites SEO performance. If you would like to know more, tune into my blog as I will keep you updated with other great practices to help you achieve a higher ranking. Also, please feel free to give me a call to discuss what Famous Davis can do for your website.

   Good Afternoon to you on this delightfully chilly day! Waking up with a temperature just scraping the surface of zero degrees, it's definitely a good day to stay inside by a heater with a cup of coffee (which to no surprise is what I'm doing now).

   Today I'd like to go over a few reasons why it is a great idea to have interactive content on your website. Interactive content can be described as content on your website that viewers can not only read, but can also add their own input to. Your audience may read a news article that you wrote on your website; in turn, they can reply to the article publicly, giving their opinion on the matter.

   A great scenario to look at is found on http://www.wctrib.com/. Viewers of this website are able to make comments on the latest news stories in the area, sometimes creating great discussions on the matter. This is a great strategy as it can usually ensure the viewer's return and it generates a whole new aspect of content for viewers to read that would not be available otherwise. West Central Tribune also has a great deal of user-submitted Classified Ads and other user interaction.

Viewer Participation is Key

   The bottom line is, who doesn't like to participate? Many popular websites right now are built exclusively off user-submitted content, meaning 99% of their content is made from their users. One of these sites would be Flickr.com. Flickr is a photo sharing community, has an impressive user-base and is known for user-submitted photography. Other user-content driven websites you might be aware of are Facebook and MySpace. These are social networks who's function is to connect people. You may also be familiar with sites similar to Ebay or Craigslist. 

   Before I get down this road too far, I want to say that it is not the purpose for every website to be 100% user-submitted content, but I do think we can learn from the big guys and integrate a few of their ideas. Some nice examples of interactive content on a small to mid-sized website would be a client submitting pictures of their newly landscaped yard along with a testimonial on the landscaping service's website for others to read. A business could hand out brochures with a link to their online contest to generate interest in their work. A Tour Coordinator could have discussion boards on each of their tours. With a little imagination, their is an unlimited amount of ideas for interactive content.

Search Engine Benefits

What will all this newly acquired, interactive content get you? Returning website viewers, of course, but it will also get your business higher on popular search engines such as Yahoo, Google and Live. How does this magic happen? Well, it's a combination few different things. First, it lets the Search Engine know you aren't missing in action. By sporting content on your website that changes frequently, Search Engines will remember to check your site more often, which will give you priority over a less updated website. Secondly, it will potentially increase your web site's demand for keywords pertaining to you.

So there you have it! This is but a few ways a business can optimise their website with interactive content. Now please excuse me while I search for a blanket and wish for weather that is at least above twenty degrees.