Keyword ranking using off-page and on-page SEO

Okay, my homework from IMU (Inbound marketing university) for advanced SEO was to write a blog expelling how to use off-page and on-page SEO to rank for a specific keyword. And then to explain how that would help my inbound marketing efforts.   Let's see if I got this straight...

I suppose the easiest example would be to start with the home page.  If the website was my online resume,  the title tag (off-page) would read:  Deborah Cecatiello Resume.  The lesson recommended that the first two words of you title tag be your two most important keywords.  So, if someone were looking for me, a website entitled "Deborah Cecatiello Resume" would certainly be served by Google.  On the actual home page of my website, I would include my name of course, and the word "resume" in the text somewhere.

Making it easy for a search engine to find your site, crawl your site and find the most relevant keyword to someone's search query makes it more likely that your site will rank high for what is basically a "branded keyword"  and that people searching for me would see it ranked #1-#10  and would click on the link to my site.

Seems a but simplistic...did I miss something?  Let me know!

Inbound Marketing University

I just finished the first course in the "Inbound Marketing University" self-directed study program.  The first lesson was on writing and using effective business blogs.  The first "homework" assignment was to write a blog that highlighted three important ideas from the lesson.   I think the three most important things stressed in the course were....

1.  Make sure you devote the time to creating a maintaining your blog.  There is nothing worse then starting a blog and then not updating it for months.... Yes, I am guilty of that but am trying to change. It's one of my new year's resolutions.

2.  Think about who should write the blog.  You may want to hire a professional at first...but that can get expensive so you should train people in-house to pick up the writing duties at some point or you should do it...but remember ...see #1 before you start writing.

And lastly,

3.  Blog frequently, promote your blog and optimize it to drive traffic to your website (and conversion).

....well, I guess that's more than three things, but they're all important if you want to get the most benefit from blogging!  See the video from the course below if you want more information.




How to Blog Effectively for Business (GF101)

Arena neighborhood development executive hired

Sometimes I like to see development...and this is one of those times. Looking forward to see the Allentown Arena project to get started. I don't live close to the action, but it really should help all of the surrounding counties in terms of jobs. Let's hope we can all last that long.

Arena neighborhood development executive hired

Area colleges competing for adult students

Here's a link to a story that shouldn't surprise anyone over 50 and looking for work. What will be surprising is if all this education will get all of us work....or just more debt.

Loans and grants aren't available for short-term certificate programs that might help us find work more quickly, so if you believe you need new skills, many are opting to take out loans for 2-4 year programs that will definitely add debt but only might help find a recently graduated 55 year old work!

But who reading this thinks we have a choice? Who thinks that the 30 year old interviewer will still think you're overqualified? Ah, it feels like we're 18 again right? What am I going to do with my life? I hope you make the right choice... The wrong one can still ruin your life.

Area colleges competing for adult students

TH Properties bankruptcy: TH Properties bankruptcy Chapter 7 - mcall.com

TH Properties bankruptcy: TH Properties bankruptcy Chapter 7 - mcall.com:

'via Blog this'

New Adventures...

I have just started studying toward my M.B.A.!  While I'm enjoying the challenge, it's really tough!  It's been many years since I graduated with a B.A. in Radio/TV/Film from Temple University, so it's been quite an adjustment.   The majority of the classwork is done on line, but there are  two in-class sessions per course. They are close by....here in Quakertown...so it's very convenient for me.

I hope that getting an M.B.A. will make me more marketable to employers or to help me start my own marketing consulting business.  

Currently job prospects are bleak...for me and lots of folks in the U.S.  And it's especially hard for people in their 40's and 50's to find work.  There is most certainly age discrimination going on... although most companies and recruiters know how to be subtle about it...oh, you're over qualified....oh, you will be bored... or you may get an interview and then they just don't call you back or even consider you for a position because you look older than they are.  

Is there a point where we should say "I give up?"   We're forced to look at the idea of totally changing the direction of the rest of our lives. We have to do it or risk losing everything we've worked our whole lives to achieve.

Caring for Animals in Emergencies

Haven't posted in awhile but this is important information to have, if not for this storm which won't affect our area that hard, but for the future:

Caring for Animals in Emergencies: What would happen to your beloved animal companions if a hurricane, fire, tornado, or other natural or human-made disaster were to strike tomorrow…

Temple University: Temple University hikes tuition hike 10 percent - Morning Call

This is not good news for Philadelphia and Bucks County residents. Tuition hikes at a university whose goal it is to help kids with limited means get a college education will make it more difficult for those kids to afford college. It's important to research all available financial aid options available. Talk to your high school counselor, the college, search the internet, etc. Good luck!

Temple University: Temple University hikes tuition hike 10 percent - Morning Call

Philly Homegrown – Local Food in Philadelphia: Restaurants, Farmers' Markets, Shops, Tours and More | Food Finder: Markets

Here's a site that will give you locations of local farmers markets. Buy fresh. Buy local. Save the planet.

Of course, we here in Bucks County have always had the pleasure of being close to local farms where we could buy tomatoes and squash and pumpkins and strawberries, etc.

Yum!

Philly Homegrown – Local Food in Philadelphia: Restaurants, Farmers' Markets, Shops, Tours and More | Food Finder: Markets

Labor Dept. funds green jobs training across Pa. - BusinessWeek

This is really exciting news for Bucks County, PA residents looking for training and employment in the green jobs field. The Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region will be issuing a press release soon with more information. Hopefully, folks can start taking advantage of these programs soon!!!

I've always wondered why it was impossible for people to get financial help to learn skills that would be immediately useful for getting a job....instead of only making money available for long-term college degree programs that may or may not help you find employment two years from now! We need employment now and the financial help to get skills training now.

Labor Dept. funds green jobs training across Pa. - BusinessWeek

Bucks County – Official Visitor, Meeting, Event and Group Site – VisitBucksCounty.com

Bucks County – Official Visitor, Meeting, Event and Group Site – VisitBucksCounty.com

Should have posted this awhile ago...better late than never! This is the place to go to be in the know about what's going on in Bucks County, PA!

Networking Organization for Women

Here's a networking group just for woman in Bucks County.  They have three types of memberships:

• Entrepreneur Connection (for women business owners and professionals)
• Career Connection (for women re-entering the professional workforce or in career transition)
• Community Connection (for women who serve on non-profit boards)

There is a fee to join.  Visit their website for rates.  Remember that your job search expenses are tax deductible. I would go to one of their free events first, if you can, before joining to see if you think the group will be helpful.  I've been to several networking groups lately and they seem helpful if you have a small business but if you're looking for a job with a big company, I'm not sure how helpful they are.  Any thoughts?

FREE Bucks County Job Fair Today!

County to hold career and opportunities expo | Freelance and Blogger Jobs World

This is a little late, but if you're looking for a job in Bucks county and are on your computer like me, you need to attend! Lots of great workshops and resources. Also it's a chance to network. Take advantage of free opportunities when they come along. I'm always reading that in-person networking is the best way to get a job these days, so check it out!

Memorial Day in Pennsylvania!

There are so many wonderful things to do on Memorial Day weekend...go to the shore, stay at home with family... or take a trip to Lancaster County. Click on the headline above to get more information on a free event that going on there.. Have a good time and drive safely!

Also want to say thanks to all of the men and women in the military for their service and sacrifice.

P.S. Be sure to remember your companion animal this weekend. Don't leave them outside for too long and give them plenty of water and maybe a dip in the pool!

From Horse and Buggy to Cars and how it's deja vu all over again!

"Those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it."  I've heard this quote often and I agree with it.  My question is: does it apply to the changes going on in the U.S. right now as we evolve from a manufacturing society to an "e-" society?   Click this link and read the story that I think offers parallels between what happened at the "last"turn-of-the-century and what's happening today.  I guess we all know in our guts that this country is going through a major shift, but this time we don't have huge factories or The New Deal to save us!  I heard a story on the radio the other day about "business gardening" and how cities are trying to help new, small businesses get started.  Great.  Unfortunately, this still leaves millions of unemployed people who might as well have been blacksmiths (you know what they are, right??) in a past life.  We all really need to use our wits these days to survive and  basically many of us will just need to start over.  Chuck the old rules and make your own.  We're modern day Pioneers who, unfortunatley, can't "go west".  We can only "go inward"..... or maybe relocate?

QBNG - Quakertown Business Network Group - A great place to network and grow your business.

Local networking group.  Small businesses and even people looking for work should check them out.  Networking is one of the tools you must use if you hope to get a job in today's tight job market.  Also, if you're considering starting your own business, it's a good place to learn from other small businesses how to go about it.
Visit their website to learn about a FREE business networking event happening tomorrow at the Quakertown High School!

QBNG - Quakertown Business Network Group - A great place to network and grow your business.

Holy, extinction, Batman! PA's bats are getting wiped out by disease!

Here is a link to an article about the disease that is wiping out the bat population throughout Northeastern U.S.  Here in Upper Bucks County, PA, our bats are dying too.  But bats aren't very cuddly and not too many people can wrap their arms around them...unlike dogs, cats and birds.  However, all creatures no matter how "un-cuddly" at least deserve our respect and protection. They do keep the bug population down and I'm sure do many other useful things. One reason put forth for the rise in the disease that's killing them is, yup,  pollution. 


Bats are being decimated by a terrible disease no one can figure out. It's just very sad. I would think that the farming industry would want to sponsor research into this problem and help to try and stop it.  We as citizens, can do our part by speaking up for the lowly bat, putting bat houses in our back yards and by doing the usual things to reduce our carbon footprint.  Where is Batman when you really need him!

Pa. bats' baffling ailment not abating - Philly.com

Networking: put it on your to-do list, then do it!

Even the smallest of towns has a small business networking group or two or three.  Now, Q-town is not the smallest of towns but it does have two active networking groups that I know of: the Quakertown Business Networking Group and BNI, Quakertown branch.  Each group has it own rules and regulations (mainly a big price difference!)

For more information, meeting dates and times, upcoming events, costs, etc. visit http://www.qbng.org/ and http://www.bnidvr.com/cgi-bin/viewchapter.cgi?chapter_id=36

NOTE:  A small business Expo and business card exchange sponsored by the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce is coming up on May 17th at the Quakertown High School.  You'll find details at http://www.ubcc.org/

If you are looking for a job, it's imperative to network.  Most statistics confirm that the majority of jobs are not listed on job boards and are filled through referrals.  They will also help to motivate you and keep your spirits up.  So you owe it to yourself to check out the local networking group in your area. Pick the right one for you and participate!  You never know if the next person you speak to has a lead for the job of your dreams!

You can also go onto the internet and do a search for "networking", go onto LinkedIn, etc.  By the way, if you're not on LinkedIn and you're looking for work or own a business...do it today

I have found potential freelance work through these groups. This might be another way for some people to make some money while unemployed or underemployed.

Good luck to everyone with a small business or those looking for employment and don't forget to network!

Perkasie Dog Park: Perkasie Dog Park - Morning Call

There are lots of people who love their animals in this area and now they have a new place to take them to meet other doggies! Here's a link to the story about the new park. I'll take this opportunity, of course, to remind people not to buy their pets from pet shops because those animals come from puppy mills where breading animals especially, live in cruel and unhealthy conditions for their entire lives. Adopt from a shelter!! There are so many dogs that need good, loving homes. How about yours?

Perkasie Dog Park: Perkasie Dog Park - Morning Call

The Top 10 Most Fiscally Responsible Charities

As I am a volunteer with Habitat Lehigh Valley, I was very pleased to read this story about them. Congratulations!

The Top 10 Most Fiscally Responsible Charities

Does networking really help you get a job?

I have not been able to find solid research on the internet to prove that "networking" is the best way to find a job. If there are some, I'd like to see them.  I have seen some anecdotal information and personal accounts of people using networking to get every job they ever had.  I personally have had only some success in getting "possible" freelance work from my networking activities...not real job offers.

My "insight" is actually more of a question today.  Does ones' personality affect ones' ability to network effectively?  I believe there are born sales people.  I would think these are the most effective networkers. Anyone who doesn't naturally do these things is probably not going to do well in today's job market...unless they really push themselves.

This leads me to suggest that being in the dire situation of not having a job....maybe this is the first time you've been unemployed in your lifetime...forces a change in your personality.  The "survival" factor is strong and if it breeds a new generation of aggressive, take-charge individuals, maybe that's good for everyone in the long run.

In the short term, it's tough to know that your "best" isn't "good enough".  Tough life lessons for many of us to have to learn...and many of us learning it later in life.  Have you learned this lesson?  What have you done about it?  I guess your answer would depend on whether or not you have a job.

Cruelty is NEVER okay!

I believe in gun rights.  I do.  And the Constitution.  I do.  I have hunters in the family, but love them anyway!  I eat meat.   But to justify the incredibly inhumane and cruel treatment of live animals in the name of gun rights is just wrong!   I think you'll agree after reading this article by someone who actually has witnessed this barbarity.  The people doing these massacres are using the NRA to hide behind and justify their most vile behavior.  Please support the legislation against this practice. Search Facebook or Google for information and to learn more.  You'll find contact information there too, etc. Thanks.

Scratches on the Blackboard of Animal Cruelty

Quote of the Day....

First to business:  There are many websites dedicated to providing quotations on any subject imaginable. These make good blog, Facebook or Twitter content.

Secondly, to the "insight".  What I like about quotes personally, is that if you're feeling strongly about something that happens in your life, you can find a quote from a person of greater intellect, passion or experience then you to help you understand what your feeling and maybe to put that feeling into perspective. 

Search for "quotes" and when you find a site you like, try typing in "animals" or "pain" or "art" or "marriage" or whatever into a quote site and see what comes up.  It's fun and often, comforting and sometimes you can use them to vent.  

Local Bucks County Builder News

Here is an update on the status of TH Properties' bankruptcy situation. There were many home buyers, vendors and others hurt by the problems of TH Properties, so I hope this development is a positive thing for everyone!

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-th-properties-chapter7-settlement-20110417,0,5163411.story