X-Factor Marketing Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
- Why is random search engine optimization so important?
- Why X-Factor Web Marketing?
- What is organic or random search?
- Is optimizing my website for search enough?
- Why is Keyword or Keyphrase selection so important?
- What are non-reciprocal, inbound links?
- Why is Public Relations so important to organic web search?
- How does the Public Relations process work?
- What is article syndication?
- Why are Pay Per Click results valuable?
- What are micro-sites?
- What are podcasts?
- What is RSS?
- What is Search Engine Optimized Online Video?
- Why are blogs beneficial?
- How frequently will I receive a report?
- How long will it take to see results?
- When will the web marketing effort end?
- What does a web marketing program cost?
1. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of maximizing the visibility of a website through website optimization and leveraging outside resources like blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds and syndicated articles to link back to a site. Due to extensive competition, Organic SEO is a dynamic process that requires quarterly maintenance from a Search Engine Optimization consultant to maximize higher ranking results in random search engine queries.
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2. Why is random search engine optimization so important?
Research shows Internet spending is growing at an impressive rate of 10% a year as more browsers switch to high-speed connections and corporate purchasers become more comfortable with the medium. By 2011, Internet spending is forecast to rise to $43 billion in the U.S. (Source - eBusiness news by AIS Media).
There are other factors that make web marketing attractive, regardless of the target market. Organic or random web search is one of the few advertising mediums that is highly trackable, making it much easier to increase ROI using the internet when compared to traditional media. The marketing intelligence gained from traffic statistics reveals new markets to approach and your company's most popular products and services. An optimized website will attract specific customers who desire your products and services to your website.
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3. Why X-Factor Web Marketing?
X-Factor is one of the premier internet marketing agencies in NC. Our foundation is a 20-year established and trusted marketing, advertising and public relations firm and SEO consultant specializing in corporations with more than $10 million in sales. Our unique business model melds public relations for submission to digital and traditional media to enhance your website's visibility, increase ROI using the internet, and rank higher on search engines. We speak in understandable terms and prove our results with regular reporting. Technical search engine optimization consultants cannot provide the insight that our marketing experts are able to upon evaluation of web statistics. By utilizing X-Factor as your web marketing consultants, your company becomes more market-driven as opposed to market-reactive.
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Users who have a need but do not know the name of the specific company providing the product do what’s known as an “organic search,” or a search for a specific term or terms through a search engine like Google. This type of search has more credibility and is more frequently "clicked through" than Pay Per Click results.
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Internal Search Engine Optimization accounts for approximately 30% of increased rankings (adding keywords, title tags, site maps to the client site). The first phase of our program, also known as Internal SEO, includes an analysis and recommended changes to your existing site. Once our expert web marketing consultants optimize your website, we employ our search engine positioning services, which account for the other 70% of success. These include the creation of inbound links utilizing external link building, article writing, article syndication, RSS feeds, podcasts and blogs to attract a specific market and increase ROI using the internet.
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One of the most important aspects of optimizing a website is determining which keywords or keyphrases to utilize. Keyphrase selection allows you to promote and sell your most profitable products and services. It is a collaborative process between our client and X-Factor’s web marketing consultants. One of the key factors in this process is to be creative and select phrases that a potential customer would use when searching for your product or service. X-Factor’s team analyzes various keyword options and assists in the selection of final keyword phrases based on competition and search volume.
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These links drive traffic to sites by linking from an outside source such as a syndicated article. As search engines have evolved, they are more intuitive and provide a browser with results to queries that are heavily ranked by popularity. This popularity is determined by number of inbound (not two-way) links. Think of inbound links as a “word of mouth referral” for your website.
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Public Relations appearing as news items are much more credible and believable than mass advertising efforts. Major search engines like Google* and Yahoo* predominantly rank websites by the number of inbound links to a site. These links act as a "vote" for your company's site; the more votes the higher the ranking. Our team of web marketing consultants at X-Factor create press releases, expert articles, blogging, newsletter content, syndicated articles and RSS feeds to build higher link reputation while marketing your company. Our SEO campaign management includes a monthly news release or article submission to create inbound links, which adds visibility, better ranking results and more conversions of quality traffic for your site.
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X-Factor sends a brief questionnaire, and upon return, the writer begins composition of the specific piece. A telephone interview typically helps round out a great public relations document. All public relations articles are submitted for final approval prior to public release and distribution by our web marketing consultants. X-Factor’s Public Relations Coordinator builds and maintains relationships with editors at trade and industry-related publications of your choice. Success can be measured using Analytics and X-Factor’s clipping service, which includes monitoring, capturing, and reporting media and other coverage resulting from your public relations campaign.
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Professionally written articles provide expert credibility for your firm and improved web search visibility. Publishing articles on free and paid article sites create significant link reputation, enabling your company to rank higher on search engines. The end result: More pre-qualified traffic on your website. These articles feature authentic original content and are captivating in message to appeal to the specific audience targeted.
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Pay Per Click is designed to attract a pre-qualified market to a website. It is an advertising model facilitated by search engines that is fundamentally an auction for keywords. The higher the bid for a specific word, the higher the ranking. The search engines derive income from these "sponsored links" by charging, per click thru, to the destination site. When a browser enters a query on a search engine that supports Pay Per Click, these results appear either beside or above the organic search content. Pay Per Click is immediate, can be regionalized to appear in specific markets, and is a highly traceable method to increase ROI using the internet. Marketing intelligence like most "clicked through" keywords and rotating messages can be gained from reporting. These results can be compared to random analytics results for better marketing intelligence.
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Mini-websites move prospects closer to a buying decision with strategically placed, targeted messages in a relevant environment. They usually act as a less cluttered version of a company’s website, focusing on a specific topic, product or service.
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A podcast is a digital media file, which can contain audio, video or both and is downloaded by interested subscribers. It is distinguished from other digital media for its ability to be syndicated and downloaded when new content is added.
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RSS is an abbreviation for Real Simple Syndication and is a way for browsers to identify specific content that they wish to have automatically downloaded for their own use. RSS is ideal for people who desire automated, customized content to be delivered to their PC. It is a web feed that can come in a variety of formats such as blog entries, articles or podcasts. RSS feeds are ideal for broadcasting specific content to a highly qualified market. Most computers now have built in RSS readers or "aggregators," meaning content is delivered to the user computer by clicking on an RSS button to initiate a subscription.
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Web enabled videos are invaluable for communicating complex movement, video testimonials and depiction of heavy equipment. Production of a creative video can lead to mass transferal to a broader audience, thus driving traffic to your website. Video results now appear in random (organic searches), increasing the possibility that they will be found and drive traffic to your website.
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Blogs consist of information and personal views that are instantly published to a website. They are also frequently used to influence and can serve as a forum to share expert opinions. Blogs are beneficial to random Search Engine Optimization efforts since they are often rich with keywords and rank higher in search engines.
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X-Factor’s Executive Summary is provided quarterly. Leveraging over 20 years of marketing experience, X-Factor’s web marketing consultants will analyze your website analytics and provide proactive suggestions for improving search engine web position and conversions. We provide simplified measurement reports in a logical and understandable format that help you quantify your increase in ROI using the internet.
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Once a website has been reviewed and changed to maximize search optimization, it takes two to three months to see ranking improvement among major search engines, depending on the market and other factors. Pay Per Click and banner ads can be utilized to build traffic during the initial period.
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Search engine rankings are constantly evolving. X-Factor's team of web marketing consultants works hard to stay apprised of best practices for success. There is no one specific way to reach the top of a random search and stay there without ongoing effort. The competition is constantly vying for a higher ranking position making an ongoing process necessary. X-Factor recommends optimizing the website internally, and engaging in ongoing monthly website promotion using public relations, adding articles and press releases to the website, blogging, etc. This ensures that the website remains dynamic each month. Our search engine optimization consultants build your rankings gradually to adhere to ethical search engine criteria. Strategic growth is important because any attempts to "cheat the system" could lead to delisting from major search engines. By covering Google, MSN, and Yahoo, our program covers 96% of all organic or natural search engine traffic.
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There are fixed costs and variable costs to the X-Factor Internet Marketing. Each case is unique and so is the pricing. We recommend an annual investment of $6,000 to $30,000, depending on the aggressiveness of the campaign. This includes internal and external optimization, as well as public relations. We will be happy to provide a free SEO consultation to begin building your web presence. Our client’s goals and budgets are important to us, and we are confident that you won’t find a better combination of service, results and value from any other internet marketing agencies in NC Please contact us for a custom quote based on your existing site.
Fixed Costs include:
Internet Marketing Strategy and Website Evaluation:
- Analysis of website and current statistics
- Website marketing suggestions
- Competitive analysis based on your top five competitors
- Public relations recommendations
- Link building suggestions
- Search engine submission in major free search engines
- Keyword / Keyphrase analysis
- Selection of final keywords and pages for optimization
- Creation of sitemaps
- Pre and post-optimization keyword ranking reports
- Set up of Google Analytics account.
Quarterly Maintenance
- Website ranking reports
- Google Analytics summary
- Executive Summary (Marketing Evaluation)
- Recommendations for improvement
- Adjusting keywords if necessary
We understand that your business needs to increase ROI using the internet, and our reports are designed to help you identify the results in an easy to understand format.
Variable Costs may include:
Website Copywriting
Website and Microsite Design
Pay Per Click Management
Public Relations - writing case studies, articles and/or press releases
Article Syndication – distribution to traditional and web-based media
Press Release Distribution – distribution to traditional and web-based media
Blog Creation and Blog Writing
Implementation of suggested Internal SEO changes to website
Web Maintenance
Podcast Creation
Banner Ad Development
RSS Marketing
We are one of the most experienced, versatile and easy to work with internet marketing agencies in NC. Contact our team of web marketing consultants today for a free initial consultation by calling 828-322-2690 or email info@x-factormarketing.com.
*Google, Yahoo, and MSN are registered trademarks