Offering Local Internet Marketing Class

While at a local gathering of small business owners in the Kirkland area to learn how to more effectively use TeachStreet.com I was a bit taken aback by the lack of basic Internet marketing knowledge. What is taken for granted by so many of us active with web 2.0, social media, and sites like Facebook and Twitter is lost among the vast majority of small business owners. One of the most notable comments was a woman complaining of the lack of relevance of her search results because of companies paying Google to rank high on the page.

Needless to say I felt obligated to help educate the other participants at the event. The first myth to be dispelled was that of having the ability to pay Google for organic ranking. Google does not and will not accept payment for organic ranking as it takes away from the user experience. This is why the randomly change their search algorithm to prevent deceptive optimization techniques. If you want to show up high on organic results you need to have reliable, relevant and authoritative content. It really is that simple, keywords play a role but are not the end all be all.

Proper use of approved SEO and SEM techniques will help you achieve these three qualifiers, so be highly selective when choosing a service provider. Ask them for their certifications, has their company won any awards, ask what industry blogs they read and enewsletters they subscribe to. Personally I get emarketer.com and adage.com daily& clikz.com weekly. Although I must admit I've fallen behind on my Google AdWords Certified Profession status. Something I plan on rectifying by the end of this quarter, as well as Yahoo Ambassador status.

So, if you are in the Seattle/Bellevue area check out my classes on Teachstreet.com. I look forward to meeting you soon.