The LinchpinSEO blog will have topics that include link building, content creation, infographics, seo, inbound marketing, social media, and web design. We also offer some great opportunities for guest bloggers who want to submit in-depth articles for us to publish.
Great quote – A Formal Education Will Make You a Living; Self Education Will Make You a Fortune.
A really cool quote about business and living life. It says “Being Realistic is the Most Commonly Traveled Road to Mediocrity.”
There has been alot of talk about Machine learning – most notably for digital marketers and SEOs in regards to recent Google algorithm updates. But have you ever asked yourself “what is machine learning”, or wondered how it actually works? BloomReach engineer Srinath Sridhar walks through probability, Bayesian models and …
A customer journey map is a diagram that illustrates the steps your customer goes through when engaging with your company – whether it be a product, an online experience, retail experience, or a service, or any combination. The infographic below is an analysis of the customer journey of a product …
TopSEOs.com, an independent authority on search vendors, named us a top 10 infographic design company for March and April of this year. The other top 10 in the group included agencies such as Avalaunch Media, Column Five Media, Brafton, and Lumin Consulting.
It’s no secret that mobile and specifically tablets are emerging as the primary device that people are utilizing to find information, play games, and engage with their friends on social networks. Even though this is a primary device type, marketers are still stumped as to how to properly monetize these …
Jeriann Watkins is a writer living in Boise, Idaho. She enjoys writing about many subjects, including white-hat SEO and new advances in internet technology. She currently works for Page One Power, which offers relevancy first link building services. These days it seems you can do everything online. You can learn …
Source: RIPT Apparel Designer: Linchpin SEO About: Hey DC Comic fans, this weeks graphic is all about the founding members of the Justice League of America. The Justice League originally featured Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter. Justice League Founding Members, designed by Linchpin …
In a great series about innovation on telegraph.co.uk, co-author of Innovation as Usual and lecturer at IESE Business School, Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg takes us through the 6 steps to drive innovation within your company or office. Step 1 Focus ‘Focus beats freedom’, says ‘Innovation as Usual’ author Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg. Give employees …
Source: RIPT Apparel Designer: Linchpin SEO About: RIPT T-shirts brings you the custom designed 2013 Avengers Roster graphic. The current Avengers roster is lead by Maria Hill and includes: Protector, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Thor, Wolverine, and Red Hulk. Avengers 2013 Roster, designed by Linchpin Infographic Design
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. It is an honor to introduce Robert Caruso …
Ever wonder about the little things that go along with Twitter that help increase engagement? Things such as how many hash tags you use, how long your tweets are, or if asking fora Retweet actually works to increase engagement for your Twitter campaign. As a follow up to our Facebook …
Source: RIPT Apparel Designer: Linchpin SEO About: In 1983, Nintendo launched the the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). So RIPT picks up in 1983 with the first controller that debuted for the NES. Below you will find a fun infographic outlining the evolution of the Nintendo controller. Embed This NES Infographic …
One of the most entertaining 99u presentations I have seen in a while. Hats off to Baratunde Thurston for making me laugh on a snowy dreary Friday Morning in Chicago. How does a life-long solo act join a creative team? Comedian and author Baratunde Thurston walks us through his own …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. David and I met a few years back …
This is another great quote by Steve Jobs, which speaks to his passion about what he was trying to accomplish – and much like Mark Zuckerberg, the money was not a factor. “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. This week’s interview is an inspiration. Have you …
Great quote about leading innovation from Steve Jobs. “Innovation Distinguishes Between a Leader and a Follower”. Embed This Business Quote About Leading Innovation by LinchpinSEO Business Blog
This is one of our favorite quotes from John Lennon. “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They …
A great quote from Linda Rottenberg. “In Business, Crazy is a Compliment” Embed This Business Quote About Innovation by LinchpinSEO Business Blog
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. There are few people I’ve come across in …
A great quote by Steve Jobs. “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart” Embed This
A great quote about disrupting the ecosystem of business branding to break through the normalcy. “If You’re Not Creating Waves, You’re Not Pushing Enough”. Embed This Branding Quote by LinchpinSEO Business Blog
This is one of my favorite @leeclowsbeard tweets of all time; “Getting people to LOL or OMG means little if they never pony up some $$$.”. It speaks to the many concerns I have with the direction that much of Digital (traditionally a very accountable and measurable medium) is going …
In our previous post we spotlighted a video by Eric Thomas about motivation and success. Below you will find some quotes from the video. Embed This Success by LinchpinSEO Embed This Life Success by LinchpinSEO Embed This Business Success by LinchpinSEO
Came across this video about motivation that really spoke to me and my mentality – good or bad. There have been days I arrive at Starbucks or a similar coffee shop to get my morning tea at 6am (which is my usual daily routine) and before I knew it, it …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. I was fortunate enough to meet Jon Loomer …
Source: RIPT Custom Tees Designer: Linchpin SEO About: RIPT Apparel, your custom t-shirt shop, has compiled some information in an infographic outlining the basics of color selection as well as dives into the psychology of color and how it effects the mind and body. Embed This Design Infographic Color Guide …
Rand from SEOmoz talks about content uniqueness and search engines. He talks about adding value to content, utilizing snippets from others work, how the Panda Update will eventually hurt your site if there is tons of duplication, and other content topics centered around duplication and uniqueness. He even answers the …
I had the pleasure to speak with Adam Housley on Tech Take Live for Fox News about the best days to post to Facebook. This was in reference to the infographic I did – which was based on the Analysis by Buddy Media of 1800 Facebook Pages of some of …
Source: RIPT Sports Tees Designer: Linchpin SEO About: RIPT Apparel, your premier place for sports t-shirts, has put together the ultimate infographic for the Super Bowl. This graphic talks about fun facts, stats, and helps you with Super Bowl Trivia. Embed This Super Bowl Infographic Super Bowl Facts, an infographic …
It is no secret that social media is the most effective way to communicate with clientele, generate business leads, advertise and build a lasting business. But knowing how to finagle social media marketing for every industry type can be tough, and law firms may be some of the toughest. For …
Social media is changing the advertising landscape making it easier and more difficult to reach your target audience. With that in mind, blogging is still the number one avenue to market your business. Blogging creates a relationship, builds value and trust in your brand and lets you show off your …
Lee Clow is currently the Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, and was formerly its Chief Creative Officer. Advertising Age referred to him as “advertising’s art director guru”. A young writer named Jason Fox began channeling Lee in the form of Tweets with emanated from the ad legends beard – …
If you aren’t aware of the ‘mobile revolution’ taking place, you’d better get on board! Mobile is happening in a huge way and if your business website isn’t up to speed, customers will be slipping out the backdoor and into the hands of the competition. Responsive website themes enable small …
Source: RIPT Sports Tees Designer: Linchpin SEO About: This infographic covers stats about snowboarding, the basics of snowboard anatomy, types of snowboards, getting up and running, how to looks cool while carrying your snowboard, and even gives snowboarding world records; in case you want a challenge. Embed This Snowboarding Infographic …
With most marketing campaigns the devil and success lies in the execution and furthermore the details of the execution. Below you will find the follow up infographic to our “Best Days to Post on Facebook by Industry“, titled “Facebook Wall Post Cheat Sheet to Increase Interaction”. It contains facts and …
Ever wonder what the best day to post on Facebook is? Well one thing to note is that each industry is different. The infographic below by LinchpinSEO breaks out the best days to post as it relates to each primary industry type. The graphic also includes stats for other Facebook …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. I haven’t personally known Aaron for very long, …
Managing a Facebook Fan Page can be intimidating, but your business can be successful with a strategy, time and some good ole creativity. This small business Facebook fan page evaluation was conducted in an effort to show active examples of what works and what needs to be changed. Facebook Case …
Managing a Facebook Fan Page can be intimidating, but your business can be successful with a strategy, time and some good ole creativity. This small business Facebook fan page evaluation was conducted in an effort to show active examples of what works and what needs to be changed. Facebook Case …
The only piece missing in the Twitter for Small Business series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) is a case study of small businesses with current Twitter accounts. It is not easy to find small business accounts on Twitter thru the native Search function. Those at …
The only piece missing in the Twitter for Small Business series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) is a case study of small businesses with current Twitter accounts. It is not easy to find small business accounts on Twitter thru the native Search function. Those at …
Source: Friday the 13th Movie Infographic Designer: Linchpin SEO About: The people at RIPT Apparel, the leading site for movie tees, put together this in-depth Friday the 13th Movie Trivia infographic to help answer some of your questions about the series and Jason Voorhees. Enjoy! Embed This Movie Infographic RIPT …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. There are few people capable of being truly …
Source: Michigan Auto Law Designer: Linchpin SEO About: This infographic from the people at www.michiganautolaw.com guides you down the path of mini tort claims in a fun and easy to understand way. Embed This Infographic Mini Tort Claim Flow Chart, an infographic designed by Linchpin Design
Source: RIPT Apparel Custom T-Shirts Designer: LinchpinSEO.com About: RIPT Apparel, the premier site for video game t-shirts, takes you on a journey though the evolution of video game consoles from The Brown Box in 1967 through the Wii U that was just introduced this year (2012). Evolution of the Video …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. With great pleasure I introduce a fellow foodie …
Source: RIPT T-Shirts Designer: LinchpinSEO.com About: RIPT Apparel, a kick-ass place to get movie t-shirts, has put together their list of the 10 greatest or most warped and disturbing movie villains of all time. Embed This Infographic Most Warped Movie Villains designed by Linchpin Design
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. I am super excited to introduce, Blake Jamieson, …
Source: RIPT Doctor Who T-Shirts Designer: LinchpinSEO.com About: The infographic below depicts the many actors who have played the great Doctor Who. Embed This Doctor Who Infographic Who’s Who, of Doctor Who is an infographic by Linchpin Infographic Design
Source: RIPT Pop T-Shirts Designer: LinchpinSEO.com About: This unique and fun infographic is from the people at RIPT Apparel. It outlines the rise and fall of a legend in the food world, namely the Twinkie. Embed This Infographic Life of the Twinkie, an infographic designed by Linchpin Design
Source: RIPT T-Shirts Designer: LinchpinSEO.com About: Ever wonder how custom t-shirts are made by some of the best online t-shirt stores? The infographic show the step by step process the team at RIPT Apparel goes though to create their awesome custom tees. How to make a custom t-shirt is an …
Who’s your daddy? Mobile is your daddy! And your business mobile website needs to look gooooood. Why? Because mobile Internet is the newest, coolest hangout where consumers are spending more and more of their time. By the year 2015, more than 50 percent of web sales will be generated from …
Co-citation is a evolving ranking metric that has become more important in the world of SEO. It relies less on the link and anchor text used within the link, and more about what the text located around the brand name says about that brand. For example, if you take the …
Source: RIPT Custom T-Shirts Designer: LinchpinSEO.com About: This unique and fun infographic from the people at RIPT Apparel. It showcases the evolution of Super Mario from his start back in 1985 up to where he is today. It also includes some fun facts that you might not have known about …
In our attempt to become even more focused on building website value from data and focusing on psychographics and personas we have published another content anaysis. This case study is our attempt to prove to small businesses, mid-market companies, and large brands that they must adopt a publishing model that …
In order to increase SEO value and drive conversions I am a huge believer in creating high-value content that speaks to a website’s primary persona or customer types. But creating content or doing content marketing to help SEO is not always possible. We have all had clients that for any …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the the digital atmosphere in a positive and impactful way. I am honored to introduce Glyder, a new …
I hate to say this, but not all plugins are created equal. And when it comes to WordPress web design, the abundance of plugins make it even harder to differentiate between those worth using and those worth bypassing. But this list of plug-ins are tested and used by some of …
There are few additives relating to design I love as much as typography. But I have to admit, I am still a newbie when it comes to explaining it the way the experts do. It’s not easy to articulate why a font appeals to you, or why it belongs in …
Source: Michigan Auto Law Designer: LinchpinSEO About: This infographic designed for National Teen Driver Safety Week outlines stats about distracted driving among new teen drivers. Embed This Infographic Teen Driving Stats, an Infographic by Linchpin Design
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals such as Mattias Gronborg who are reshaping the lives of their clients in a positive and impactful way. This week’s interviewee …
With the focused attention by SEOs on guest blogging as a great tactic for gaining links, building brand, and marketing your business, there has been a ton of questions about how Google will react. The video below comes directly from Matt Cutts, Google’s Lead Spam Engineer, about how Google views …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the lives of their clients in a positive and impactful way. This week’s interview is a bit different …
We’re all searching for strategies to grow our twitter following and get influential individuals into our community (in fact, we previously outlined some here). But you may be overlooking one stat that can drastically affect how many of your hard-earned community members see your tweets – and thus, how many …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the lives of their clients in a positive and impactful way.This week we are interviewing Kevin Kelly, the …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the lives of their clients in a positive and impactful way. This week’s interview is the most active …
It’s not easy to be a small business owner these days. Advertising is changing, social media is erupting and everyday there’s something new to snag your attention. Plus, you have a business to manage and care for! But there are online resources available to help you stay on top of …
At LinchPinSEO we value supporting fellow professionals in our industry and spreading the love. With that in mind, we have decided to start doing interviews with digital media professionals who are reshaping the lives of their clients in a positive and impactful way. This week’s interview is Morgan Barnhart who …
Did you know by the year 2015, more than 50 percent of web sales will be generated from social and mobile web sites? And did you know, currently only 26 percent of small businesses have mobile sites? It does not take a tech-savvy person to notice mobile phones are the …
When it comes to social media management tools, the truth is, there is no best. Tools gain and lose popularity on a daily basis and although some have lasting power – they are a select few. The most relevant variables to consider when choosing a tool are the type of …
The company blog, email newsletter and social media profiles are created. But now what – how does your small business promote them? Chances are, unless the business is well established, people do not know to search for it online or that it exists. To begin encouraging people to join a …
I’m struck by how laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy. – John Cleese Humor is one of life’s greatest gifts. It adds spice to …
Instagram, the top photo-sharing app of the mobile and social world should be utilized by every small business marketing strategy. It is the perfect channel to create beautiful content for Facebook and Twitter accounts. Depending on one’s media experience, Instagram may be a whole new network. It debuted October 2010 …
Big brands are proficient at implementing social media into their marketing strategies because they have the funds, resources and warm bodies to keep it running. But where does that leave small businesses? Even though more small businesses are jumping on the social media train, there is a key link missing …
Did you know the Gap clothing store originated in 1969 because founder Don Fisher could not find a pair of jeans that fit? WIth one post, the Gap’s Facebook Timeline shared the business’ beginnings and endeared me to it (who does not have problems with jeans). In the past few …
The question of whether or not being on Google Plus as a business will help your Google rankings or drive more organic traffic to your website is posed almost daily. What is Google+ For those of you who don’t know what Google+ (Google Plus, G+) is, let’s start with that. …
What does it take to create pictures and backgrounds for Facebook and Twitter? This how-to guide will explain how to size photos, go over guidelines, and share professional tips on optimization. As mentioned in a previous post, design is a crucial component for every online asset. Excellent design builds trust …
An infographic agency is an design agency whose primary focus is meeting the clients goals and objectives by utilizing content assets such as infographics or data visualizations. These assets help build brand, drive incremental traffic, and can earn a website high-value and high quality links. All these benefits can also …
Depending on your experience, blogging may or may not seem like a daunting addition to a small business marketing strategy. This article offers blogging tips for small businesses to get you started and focused on what matters. Recent statistics say companies that blog have 55% more website visits and generate …
The Motivation and Passion Behind My Madness I was meeting with a potential client yesterday and we got talking about careers and why people choose the path they do in life (yes very philosophical). John said,” I want to give you this business, but you have to answer one thing …
I get asked weekly about URLs and the value they have from an SEO standpoint, or if a business should pick an exact match domain over one you will need to establish as a brand. We have all been told that keywords in the URL hold some weight in Google’s …
If you are a small business owner, deciding where to spend marketing money or time can be nerve-racking. There are so many different avenues to take and because avenues change quickly – it is hard to keep up. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and …
For most small business owners, the world of social media is intimidating. There are several networks and not enough time to learn and manage them all. Besides, there’s an actual business to run – right? But one surefire way to reach your audience is to start a business blog in …
Managing a Facebook Fan Page can be intimidating, but your business can be successful with a strategy, time and some good ole creativity. This small business Facebook fan page evaluation was conducted in an effort to show active examples of what works and what needs to be changed. Facebook Case …
The only piece missing in the Twitter for Small Business series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) is a case study of small businesses with current Twitter accounts. It is not easy to find small business accounts on Twitter thru the native Search function. Those at …
Much like doing SEO correctly and thoroughly social media is not a quick hit. Building community (followers or fans), moderating that community, and ensuring that your community stays engaged is a full time job. I am, by nature, an observer. I enjoy listening, drawing conclusions, and gaining insights from things …
This is not going to be the traditional type of post where I write about SEO, Content, Infographics, or Web Design, but instead a look back at what I have learned from my father about managing and leading people. Preface My father grew up in Ridgewood, NJ. His father was …
Creating a successful small business Pinterest page is no simple task. It takes an understanding of what Pinterest is, what your target audience is looking for, a plan to express your business culture effectively and lots of creativity. I chose three small businesses to use as examples of what to …
MarketingSherpa surveyed 1,530 marketers during their 2012 B2B Benchmark Study to find what works in online and offline marketing. SEO came out on top once again as one of the most effective ways for B2B sites to drive leads. They broke it down into specific high-value tactics within SEO as …
Source: Digby & Rose Designer: LinchpinSEO About: This unique infographic helps brides and grooms select the perfect wedding flowers as well as giving them a complete checklist for finding the perfect florist. Embed This Infographic Wedding Flower Guide, an Infographic by Linchpin Design
Every social media network has ethical rules to abide by. They ensure a good reputation and assist in getting the most out of your investment. Pinterest is a unique network in that it is completely visual and allows users to share visual property from all over the Internet. But freedom …
Founded by a previous Google employee, Pinterest caught the attention of everyone this year. From students, to stay-at-home moms, to marketers, to social media fenes – people cannot stop pinning. For small business owners, Pinterest represents a strong vehicle to drive traffic to the website, generate leads, and give its …
Over the past few years of designing infographics, and executing marketing campaigns around awesome inforgaphic or data visualization designs, we have gained a few insights into what works well when executing an infographic strategy. At its core this type of strategy is about creating high-value in-depth visual assets that entertain, …
So for anyone who thinks that investing in a valuable, well designed, and well planned infographic is not a smart investment (or not worth the money) we have put together a case study based on a recent infographic we planned, designed, and marketed for a client. This specific campaign targeted …
Understanding which keywords are sending organic traffic to a specific page on your website can be helpful when trying to understand: Which keywords or phrases the page ranks for in the search results. Which keywords Google and other search engines value a specific page for. Engagement metrics (time on site, …
The process of measuring success, or ROI (return on investment) on Twitter or any other social media network depends on the specifics of your initial business goals. ROI is a popular acronym in the social media landscape and although some argue Twitter is not the place to generate leads or …
When we talk about SEO measurement strategies we talk alot about keyword diversity as a Primary KPI. Ensuring that you are on a consistent trend of increasing the number of keywords or keyphrases that are sending traffic to your website from organic search is a great indicator of the level …
We have written about setting up Twitter for your small business, Twitter strategies, how to gain followers, and now we bring you the Dos and Don’ts of Twitter. Although navigating the world of Twitter is not a straightforward endeavor, there are general guidelines to follow during its creation. This list …
With links still being the primary metric that Google uses to help it rank its search results, it is still important (and will be for many years to come) to build high-value links. We have all heard about the traditional reasons for building links by creating high-value content assets (articles, …
“United We Stand, Divided We Fall” had a different meaning when it was first said, but it applies to website design and site consolidation efforts perfectly. When it comes to site consolidation strategy there is one question that seems to repeatedly come up from clients, “What do we do with …
In our first two Twitter Guides we talked about Twitter Setup and Twitter Strategy. As we have seen, any business can start a Twitter account, but making it successful takes time and patience. The secret is finding, building and feeding relationships with your followers. But how do you locate the …
As SEO evolves it’s imperative that not only small businesses understand and adopt the changing landscape, but brands do as well. Traditionally brands have relied on their “brand authority” to take over the search results for non-branded keywords, and much to all our surprise Google has allowed it to happen. …
There is no doubt that infographics are a powerful way to drive substantial traffic as noted in our infographic case study, but Google warns that low value, misleading, off topic, or infographics that have incorrect data could be devalued as well as the links they acquired. I would not be …
A question that seems to come up alot from clients or internal team members is “How did we reach the conclusion we do in regards to a specific strategy?”. So I thought I would take a somewhat simple topic about microsite strategy and create a flow chart about how an …
In the last post, Twitter for Small Business Part 1: Setup and Terminology, we discussed assets to set up a small business account and reviewed network specific vocabulary to navigate Twitter in a knowledgeable way. Now it is time to discuss Part 2: Strategy. Depending on your experience with social …
What is Lean Manufacturing? In order to maximize profit, manufacturers look for ways to reduce manufacturing costs without sacrificing productivity. Many companies implement lean manufacturing as a powerful cost-cutting measure. Essentially, lean manufacturing means removing inefficiencies in the production process: unnecessary work, unevenness in production, maintenance issues and so on. …
As the Internet landscape evolves, good design has become a key factor to all businesses. Large businesses boast iconic images and initially unknown brands are skyrocketing to worldwide recognition. At the bottom of the pack are small businesses, spending their money on employees and projects instead of cultivating a solid …
If you are a small business owner, you have probably been watching social media explode. At first it was considered a trend, then a new way to communicate with friends and family, and now it is the most effective way to advertise and communicate with the people you value most: …
The Agile Method Defined The Agile Method is a particular approach to project management that is utilized in software development. This method assists teams in responding to the unpredictability of constructing software. It uses incremental, iterative work sequences that are commonly known as sprints. A sprint is a period of …
Social media etiquette plays a vital role in how an individual or business is viewed in the social media arena. Therefore, it is wise to be aware of how you conduct yourself online. Similar to the rules governing everyday interactions, there are guidelines for participating in the online community in …
With the ton of content we have created for clients or for our own sites ranging from traditional articles to videos and infographics we have gained some positive insights in terms of content creation and content marketing. Below you will find a quick scannable list of some of the more …
Making the decision to promote yourself or your business through Facebook fan pages is exciting. Facebook boasts a network of over 845 million people worldwide, and there are many reasons to become a part of the community on a professional level. Setting up a Facebook page can seem intimidating, especially …
The world of social media offers thousands of ways to initiate discussion about your business, plenty of avenues to stake a claim to and hundreds of social media networks to broadcast from. But all of these paths lead back to Facebook. Facebook is the prime example of social media success, …
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with a group of small business owners, writers, and graphic designers from Chicago to teach them SEO 101. It was a great 2 hour training session that included topics such as: Personas What is SEO? Evolution of SEO TLCs of SEO What to …
I think at some point every SEO hears this from a client, “I know someone at Google so I will just ask them what’s wrong with my site” or “we spend so much in paid search (Adwords) that we have an “in” at Google who can give us SEO advice”. …
Source: Digby & Rose Designer:LinchpinSEO About: This unique infographic gives all brides-to-be a simple checklist for planning their wedding. The checklist starts from 1 year prior to the big day and concludes with the day after the wedding. Embed This Infographic Wedding Planning Guide, an Infographic by Linchpin Design
There is movement happening in the design world, one which begs designers to put aside their own aesthetics and create with the user in mind. This movement pushed UX, or user experience, to the forefront of design, especially web design. Previously, websites were created at the whims of a designer …
Below you will find a basic QA SEO checklist for new page creation. It acts as a reference and guide for development, programming and QA teams to ensure that each new page contains all the basic SEO elements. Download The Page Creation PDF Here Create a unique URL Use all …
What is design? Webster’s dictionary has several meanings from a scheming plot to a mental project. But if you think about it, design is everywhere. It pieces together a bridge over water, erects cathedrals from rock and gives a toothbrush its resting place. Drawing inspiration for design is as simple …
So a couple weeks ago I read Aaron Walls article that depicted Matt Cutts and a few online marketers as LEGO people (which I thought was very cool) and thought to myself, “why stop there?”. My imagination kicked into gear and I began wondering what the best SEOs in the …
There are so many sites that could be utilizing guest posting and just aren’t, and many (not all) of the sites that are actually being proactive with guest posts are coming across as mini content farms because they are not thinking about how each post they accept or publish on …
Source: Digby & Rose Designer: LinchpinSEO About: This guide below will give you everything you need to know about save-the-date etiquette, wording, and even ideas for custom cards. Embed This Infographic Save-The-Date Guide, an Infographic by Linchpin Design
As online marketing evolves and earned media (Social and SEO) becomes a driving force for businesses, it is important that our SEO and content methodology changes as well. As we wrote about in our “Evolution of Google from Robot to Persona” article, not only is the user expectation evolving from …
Over the last 3 years that we have been designing infographics for a ton of different clients across different industries, we have learned alot about succeeding with infographics; whether success means driving traffic, links, or building brand and social channels. Like with any piece of content there have been huge …
Source: http://massachusettscriminaldefense.net/ Designer: Obiz Media About: Drinking and driving has been one of America’s top issues in recent years. My generation has been told over and over again about the dangers of drinking and driving. We’ve seen videos, brutal live-action plays, heart-wrenching self testimonies and even real life examples. Although, …
With the evolution of SEO and the Googlebot Persona, SEO has become more inclusive of other disciplines and relies on team members across a company or agency to work together to drive quality traffic that deposits the user-type onto the page that best satisfies their intent. With the many updates …
Transitioning From Traditional Advertising To Online Advertising There are many benefits that online advertising and marketing have over traditional media such as newspapers, TV, radio and direct mail. These benefits include the ability to track the value of campaigns in real time, the ability to see real data about your …
What is SEO? In practice, SEO is a business strategy; inclusive of publishing, brand building, marketing, and traffic acquisition. It is about optimizing your website for high value keywords that drive both traffic and conversions by creating in-depth content that satisfies the users and the search engines. SEO in Plain …
Personas are used by some of the leading brands around the world to help guide their web design choices and marketing touchpoint strategies. Creating personas will help you understand your website’s visitor, how they’ll utilize your website, and the types of information they need most to support their buying decisions. …
Every one of us writes. And for everything we write – from articles to emails to tweets – we have an audience of readers. Clarity is crucial Succinct, clear writing ensures that your audience spends as little time as possible in the “work” of reading so they can enjoy the …
Over the years, as we all know, SEO has evolved. With that evolution of SEO, I think it’s also time to think of Googlebot in a new light. The fundamental concern with Googlebot being a robot is it assumes at a core level that if you put the same thing …
Source: Digby Rose Designer: LinchpinSEO About: This unique infographic outlines how to choose the best wedding photographer for your special day. The infographic includes wedding facts, photography costs, a guide to different must-have poses, and 10 questions to ask your prospective photographer. Embed This Infographic Wedding Photography Guide, an Infographic …
Paginated pages that are often found on large ecommerce websites or large content websites are difficult for SEOs to optimize and can provide little value based on user intent. Most content websites utilize pagination within articles to increase their “pageview” count (which is what they base their ad sales from). …
As we know content has regained the throne (although some would argue is was never de-throned) as the primary driving force for a website in regards to rankings. It is no longer acceptable to create low value posts that offer nothing more than generalizations about topics. Content in the post …
Running a few small businesses and a couple start-ups myself is exciting and quite the roller coaster for many reasons. I have been doing SEO for close to 9 years and have seen the evolution over time, and the complexity increase with the evolution. One thing that has not changed …
Source: Thrive Med Spa Designer: LinchpinSEO About: This unique infographic outlines some interesting facts, figures and stats about one of leading causing of death, which is cancer. It outlines information, stats and preventative measures about the leading skin cancer type, Melanoma. Among other stats, the infographic breaks down the health …
As an SEO I’m sure I look at the world in a slightly different way than most people. I see most things in terms of optimization; whether that is optimizing time, value, or Google rankings. I also am a very visual person, which in some regards is counter productive to …
In my opinion one of the biggest mistakes SEO’s make is chasing the Google Algorithm. They focus mostly in part on trying to figure out the next big thing that Google will value, and lose sight of not only the user, but the competitive landscape as well; both of which …
MSNBC came to us to help them design an infographic that their sales team could use as a leave-behind with clients. They provided us with the basic information in a Powerpoint format and we designed their sales collateral based off the data sets they found important. Designer: Infographic by LinchpinSEO
Knowing where to focus your time and energy when it comes to executing SEO tactics that will have value and drive rankings, traffic, and conversions is key to building a long term strategy to grow your online business. Below you will find the 12 most overrated SEO tactics that don’t …
What is Pinterest? Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful and inspirational things you find on the web. People use pinboards to get ideas about planning their wedding, decorating their home, or finding some mouth watering recipes. For businesses it’s an effective way to create awareness, drive conversation, …
I recently received a link trade (reciprocal link) request email from another site causing me to ask myself, how can I make the tons of link trade requests that I get, work in my favor. Most of these sites are low quality or riddled with spam, but some of the …
What Is Content Marketing? Content marketing means different things to different online marketers. In my opinion how people define content marketing comes down to the level of effort that they feel they need to put into, or what to put into, producing content to get the ROI they are striving …
Source: Buildings Guide Designer: LinchpinSEO About: There is steel in so many things that we use ever day. But have you ever wondered how steel is made, how it’s recycled, about the steel production throughout the world, or what the tallest buildings in the US are that are made with …
On-page optimizing is still a huge part of helping a site rank for primary head terms as well as mid and long tail keyword. A recent study by Conductor showed that optimizing on-page elements for the keywords marketers want to rank for is critical. On-page optimization for keywords identified by …
Almost every ecommerce site faces the issue of boring product pages that don’t offer much more than product features (and maybe a few reviews if they’re lucky). This type of product page has many issues such as thin content, low value, low link ability, and are usually duplicated when they …
It was there all along and we unknowingly walked past. Apple’s reinvention of music and the phone created distraction. “Shock of the new” toys romanced us. In fairness, they are cool, empowering things, but the real revolution was happening quietly 850 miles north from Apple’s headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop …
Having a piece of content go viral is a dream of almost every content writer, video producer, or average business person who has thought up an idea like “Will it Blend”. Getting a piece of content has many benefits such as gaining powerful links, driving traffic, and increasing brand recognition. …
Have you checked out the category archives here on LinchpinSEO? This is the header for the SEO Articles Archive. As you can see they have added a text-based description of the category to the archive. This simple tactic is important for our SEO practices. Many people seem to forget that Category Archives …
Source: Buildings Guide Designer: Infographic by LinchpinSEO About: This infographic gives some great information about recycling. It includes facts about the different materials that can be recycled, what Americans throw away, as well as the top 10 greenest states in the US, of which Vermont tops the list. Embed This …
Source: Buildings Guide Designer: Infographic by LinchpinSEO About: This infographic gives some great information about tornadoes. It includes fun facts about the tornadoes such as how they form, types of tornadoes and the most deadliest tornadoes in history. It also includes safety tips for a wide variety of circumstances. This …
People planning to start their own businesses are taking a huge step. There are many risks and rewards, and comprehensive planning and preparation are the keys to success in the endeavor. If the business requires funding from lenders or investors, entrepreneurs must convince complete strangers that their ideas are workable, …
This post is more of an observation than a data driven SEO article as we usually post on Linchpin SEO, but I think it holds some weight when it comes to SEO in general for big companies. The post will be centered around the following quote by Charles Darwin (English …
One of the best ways to avoid writer’s block is by creating an editorial calendar. You skip all those sessions of staring at a blank computer screen and get down to business generating content. You don’t have to wonder about what you’re going to write next, with an editorial calendar, …
What is the ideal keyword density: 0.7%, 7%, or 77%? Or is it some other number? What is the correct keyword density for seo, is keyword density real, or does keyword density even exist in the Google algorithm for seo? Below Matt Cutts, lead spam engineer at Google answers these …
With the Panda update going live back in February (2011) attacking shallow, thin, and low quality content, it is now much more important to write articles and content that is in-depth and valuable for a user. The days are gone when you could take 1 article and split it up …
I was recently asked by a client if they should create a microsite for a product set they were adding. This question really made me think about the value of microsites for SEO and branding purposes and if microsites for seo were good or bad. What is a microsite? People …
Video Summary A lot of people have questions about cloaking; what exactly is it, how does Google define it, and why is it high risk behavior. There is a lot of HTML documentation and Google has done a lot of blog posts, but Matt wanted to do this definitive cloaking …
1. Small business association The small business association remains the best asset for anyone jumping into the field of entrepreneurship. They offer planners, services, tools and local resources. In addition to their content on their website, the entrepreneur can also access a free e-newsletter as well. They offer free online …
If you were to ask anyone today what they thought a startup company was, you would find that most often the phrase is associated with high tech and high growth oriented companies. To me, “startup” has become a very common thing type of business even considering todays economy. In just …
What are Different Types of Leadership Styles? Since development of the hierarchy and infrastructure associated with modern corporations, the concept of the supervisor, or boss or direct superior, has been perceived in a number of dubious and satirical ways in both social circles and the media. The frequent image of …
What is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing is the use of delivering hosted services over the internet. Information is provided to the computers involved on demand. With cloud computing you’re accessing services and different resources to perform jobs with changing and dynamic needs. An application can access the cloud for a …
With the vast amount of SEO knowledge, tips and tactics found on the web, it can be difficult for businesses and individuals trying to learn how to do white hat SEO to cut through all the clutter and find sound advice. Below you will find a list of the 12 …
Identifying infographic ideas are sometimes the hardest part of creating a cool, interesting, and engaging infographic that is relevant to your local business. As we mentioned previously there are many benefits of infographics that include increasing brand awareness, building links to your website, and building social communities around your online …
Many websites and businesses operate on a distribution business model in which their sales come from other websites listing their products. These businesses sell their white label products into other businesses, and then the business utilize their own websites to sell the products through to the consumer. This business model …
In December of 2008 SEOmoz debuted their SEO Pyramid in one of their popular Whiteboard Friday Videos. Since that debut, there has been many advancements within the search engine’s algorithm and evolutions within SEO. Below is a revised SEO Pyramid infographic which includes seo methodology and what Linchpin SEO labels …
Google recently opened up the ability for brands and businesses to create pages. Google Plus for businesses and brands is now a reality. Google Plus Pages is basically the Google version of Facebook Fan Pages, and gives businesses a chance to claim their profile on the social network and interact …
Webmarketing123 did a recent study to gain insight into how B2C and B2B companies were using digital marketing to grow their businesses, and how effective each of the digital channels were at generating leads and sales. The numbers come from the 2011 State of Digital Marketing Report, which was compiled …
Local SEO and web design in themselves can be challenging, but not as challenging as web design and seo for law firms. In most large cities such as Chicago, New York, Houston, Raleigh, or San Francisco, web design and seo for lawyers can be a very competitive area. Each law …
What I am about to explain is a very unconventional, yet advanced way to generate content ideas. It will create high value content ideas. It will help you create quality content that is almost certain to drive traffic. It could get your content spotlighted on major media outlets and blogs. …
With the recent update to Google (Panda Update) content creation has come under fire due to content farms creating a mass amount of low quality content. If you are going to select a content creation agency or firm to create content for your website or do content marketing, it is …
Below you will find the SEO thoughts from our analysis of the McGrath Audi dealer site and tips for other local auto and car dealers for increasing web leads, traffic, and sales of new and used cars from the free traffic that the search engines can provide by doing SEO …
As an avid SEO practitioner, search optimization is more to me than just a nine to five job; it’s also a hobby. In an effort to combine SEO with my other hobbies, dance and theater, I decided to take a look at a local Chicago theater’s website to see if …
Website that are designed and SEO’ed for bands should contain a few primary features that visitors who click through to a bands website are searching for; tour dates, information about the band members, personal interaction points, and a way to contact the band to build that connection and remove that …
As a small business agency we are always looking out for the local market or those with less than enough resources to reach their potential traffic or sales level from the search engines. This week we are going to do a high level SEO analysis of 5 Nonprofits to hopefully …
Since 2006, when the first ‘viral’ infographic was launched, Internet users and SEOs alike have become avid fans of these creative designs. Infographics are a great way to visualize large amounts of information and are a cost effective method for gaining a wide variety of inbound links and traffic to …
Exhale Spa merges the paths of mind and body well being and fulfilling the need for an experience that improves and transforms lives in one environment. Exhale currently operates spa and studios upscale locations in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Turks + Caicos, with many new locations …
Every week there is at least 1 article on SEOmoz, Ontolo, Search Engine Round Table, Search Engine Land, Distilled, or other blogs, that outline some great tips and techniques for getting quality links with different sets of content. They dive into in-depth analysis about how to find link partners and …
Cortiva Institute is a community of massage therapy schools that deliver high quality of health and wellness education with a focus on humanity. They take a holistic and integrated approach to ensure that their graduates are prepared to work in clinics, hospitals, health clubs, spas, resorts, sports therapy clinics, or …
In the past video has presented an interesting challenge for SEOs as it’s widely accepted that Google cannot see or understand this content. However, the popularity of video with consumers, and the correlation with an increased conversion rate, indicates that it should not be omitted from a strong marketing campaign. …
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. Some organizations use employer branding strategy and in-house recruitment instead of …
Founded in 2007 by Gangplank Authority Labs has fast become one of the top web-based rank checkers used by SEOs. The platform offers a fully automated service that allows you to track your site’s ranking performance in Google, Yahoo and Bing, across hundreds of different keywords. Authority Labs offers a …
Distributors. Resellers. Affiliates. All are names for business entities who purchase goods and products directly from a supplier to resell, or redistribute to consumers. Distributors offer the manpower and cash flow needed to promote and sell products directly to consumers, and take the burden of mass distribution off the manufacturer, …
As the web gets wiser to the practices of SEOs the nature of link building has evolved from simple outreach to an art form, which relies upon more strategic, PR-like tactics. Link builders can no longer mass automate link requests, but must work at building relationships with online influencers if …
We get asked this at least once a week by clients or prospects “where do the links under the first Google result come from?”, or “how do I get Sitelinks to show up for my site?”. So we decided to give our readers a resource guide for Sitelinks to answer …
Sitemaps can be helpful in the indexation and crawling of a website. Below are the two types of sitemaps that we currently use and the process for keeping them up to date. XML Sitemap An XML Sitemap is created based on specific protocols and helps the search engines discover pages …
Executing a SEO audit is a very involved process that touches on many of the aspects that can help or hurt your rankings, indexation and crawl rate in the search engines. Below you will find a few of the high level questions we ask when performing a website SEO audit …
Robots.txt Most search engine spiders only visit the places on a website where they have permission to crawl. When spiders access a site, they check a special file in the root directory of the web server called “robots.txt”. This file is a tool for blocking spiders from crawling and indexing …
Optimizing Videos On Video Search Engines Video file should be keyword focused Title of video page should be keyword focused Description of video should be well written and focused on the keywords, much like any other piece of content. When linking out to YouTube videos, only use the link provided …
If a page needs to be deleted, a reason for deletion should be created to help determine if there needs to be a mapping to a new page or if the page should be archived. Why? A page that is deleted has acquired some metrics from the search engines and …
History of The Hyperlink 1965: The term “hyperlink” was coined by Ted Nelson and his assistant Calvin Curtin at the start of Project Xanadu. Nelson had been inspired by “As We May Think”, a popular essay by Vannevar Bush. In this essay, Bush described a microfilm-based machine in which one …
The Google PageRank algorithm is logarithmic and not linear and most SEO’s believe the base is between 8 and 9. The following takes into account a base of 8 in the Google PageRank Algorithm. There are two types of pagerank. Toolbar pagerank with is the little green bar that can …
As seasoned practitioners know, SEO is all about the details. I’ve been using the SEOmoz Pro campaigns and tools for awhile and along the way have noticed minor quirks and details that raised some questions beyond those answered in the FAQ section. Thanks to much help from the SEOmoz support …
In February of this year Google rolled out one of it’s most aggressive algorithmic updates yet, nicknamed the Panda Update. This update focuses on combatting spam by removing low-quality, thin content from the search results. With this update came a lot of discussion on how to generate quality content and …
With so many SEO tools out there it’s hard to know which ones are the best to use, but SEOmoz’s Keyword Analysis tool (formally the Keyword Difficulty tool) is a powerful tool that should be a part of every SEO’s toolkit. This tool provides in-depth information on everything you could …
A digital agency is an agency whose primary focus is meeting the clients goals and objectives by utilizing the online space and the assets it offers. These distribution channels can include such things as SEO, SEM, Social Media, Web Design, and Media Buys. Below you will find the top digital …
So when working with clients there are many things we look at to determine how well they are doing online. One metric we analyze is a clients online competition. We look at this from two angles; competitive link metrics and competitive ranking metrics. The problem we often come up with …
There are 3 primary ways Google gets your description tag for the search results. The first being the meta description tag that is in the header of the code. This will show up most of the time if the keyword being searched for is in that tag (which is why …
