SEO & SEM

Search engine optimization (SEO) remains a cornerstone of online success. To effectively optimize your content for search engines, understanding which keywords will drive the most traffic is essential. Enter Google's Keyword Planner: a powerful tool that not only helps you find relevant keywords but also enhances your content strategy over time. Here's why Keyword Planner is the best way to find keywords for SEO and how it can help you create better content. Accurate and Reliable Data One of the standout features of Keyword Planner is its access to Google's vast database of search queries. This means you get accurate [...]

Semicolons are often misunderstood and misused in writing. For many, this punctuation mark seems like a complex blend of a period and a comma. However, when used correctly, semicolons can enhance the clarity and flow of your writing. When writing for web (online articles, website content, social media posts, or blog posts), you should consider removing semicolons for two reasons. First, many readers are unfamiliar with semicolons. Semicolons create complexity within sentences. This intimidates people that require an easier reading level. Second, many writers simply don't know how or where to use them correctly. Semicolons sit at the top of [...]

I maintain a personal vendetta against the backslash. It's on my hit list whenever I edit content. I open the document and use the "Find + Replace" function to search for backslashes. Then, I remove every single one. Why? It's bad grammar and difficult to read. Yet, people drop it into sentences to divide lists, combine ideas and replace other, more appropriate punctuation. Using the Forward-Slash While the forward-slash (/) may be used in writing, it often works against the style and tone. It can be incredibly beneficial in shortening informal communication, such as: Fractions (e.g. 1/2) Abbreviations (e.g. w/o) [...]

While technical aspects like keywords and backlinks dominate discussions, the way content is written can significantly impact its discoverability and effectiveness. One key element often overlooked is the use of active voice. Stunning adverbs and exotic adjectives never redeem a mediocre verb. Whenever I edit for web, I quickly notice a writer that relies on adjectives to the detriment of their overall sentence structure. I suppose this is a quick way to inject some flavor into a dull sentence. The blood test was in the morning becomes The painful, serious blood test was in the early hours of the morning. Yet, [...]

Stunning adverbs and exotic adjectives never redeem a mediocre verb. Whenever I edit for web, I quickly notice a writer that relies on adjectives to the detriment of their overall sentence structure. I suppose this is a quick way to inject some flavor into a dull sentence. The blood test was in the morning becomes The painful, serious blood test was in the early hours of the morning. Yet, the sentence has hardly improved. The sentence structure builds on passive voice and the colorful language doesn't improve this fundamental flaw. If the writer flipped the subject of the sentence to create [...]

Every time I build a business website, we have the same conversation about blogging. Most people think of lifestyle blogging (or even social media posts) when we talk about adding a blog to their website. However, from a development standpoint, it means your website will be able to hold posts in addition to pages. Posts can be organized by category and tag. They can also be pulled into archive pages. (By contrast, pages have a parent/child relationship). The blogging system creates a wealth of content opportunities. It's a key part of my SEO services at my Lynchburg, Virginia agency. However, [...]