With the rise of smart phones and other mobile devices, it has become increasingly important for mobile website owners to consider mobile-specific search engine optimization (SEO) techniques.

There is a misconception that mobile SEO is the same as more traditional SEO. Unfortunately, this is a mistake that costs mobile website owners valuable traffic.

When it comes to mobile SEO, the content and method of presentation differ greatly between those sites designed for traditional desktops or laptops, and those designed for mobile devices.

The main difference between the two lies in screen size and pixelization, but it is also important to consider the environments in which these devices are used. Mobile web browsing takes place in one of two environments, generally referred to as “on the move” and “on the couch”.

When it comes to search engines and the way that they interact with mobile devices, a user’s location, the type of mobile device being used and content format become more critical to SEO than traditional keyword techniques.

This does not mean that traditional SEO techniques should be abandoned. Keywords should be included in title tags, headings and content because mobile website SEO is still based on traditional SEO principles.

When it comes to mobile SEO, the most important things to consider are as follows:

-       Important content should be located at the top of the page to ensure that search engine spiders, and users, have easy access.

-       Use CSS for mobile design layouts because tables will not render well.

-       Use valid XHTML coding. Although WML is a mobile-specific language, XHTML is more easily read.

-       The maximum size of any given web page for a mobile device should not exceed 20 kilobytes.

Mobile websites also need to focus on localized SEO strategies.

Location is an important factor in mobile search rankings. In addition, mobile devices are usually used by people looking for something locally. Localized SEO will ensure that potential customers find your business website.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical element of a successful web presence. If your website isn’t ranking well on the major search engines, you are missing out on countless potential customers.

Whether you approach SEO by yourself or hire an SEO consultant, there are a few fundamental rules that need to know if you want your website to achieve success.

Rule #1 – Keep your content relevant.

Be sure to have between 500 and 1000 words of content on your website. The more content you have, the better your chance at achieving a good ratio of keyword density. Beware, however, that search engines will penalize websites that overuse keywords.

A website can boost its content by adding a blog, a video page, or a news section. Just remember that the content must be relevant to the business or industry that the site represents.

Rule #2 – Create content for humans first.

While it is important to optimize your content for better search engine placement, don’t forget that you are, first and foremost, writing for humans. Your content needs to be interesting, readable, and informative, or your SEO efforts will get you nowhere fast.

A good rule of thumb is to write for your visitors first and revise the content as needed to ensure that you have included relevant keywords and key phrases.

Rule #3 – Pay attention to keyword density.

When it comes to keyword density, the proper ratio lies somewhere between 2 percent and 4 percent of the total word count. This basically means that for every 100 words, keywords should appear approximately 2 to 4 times. Keywords that exist within a website’s coding can be picked up by search engines, as well. Just try and refrain from going overboard.

There are some good free keyword density analyzers available online that can evaluate a website. If a site’s density is too low or high, it can be reworked to meet its target.

Rule #4 – Draw your visitors in.

The use of keywords within H1, H2, and H3 tags will garner the attention of search engine spiders, which crawl your website gathering content. The best way to use these tags is in content titles and subheadings because, when you do this, you also make the content more readable for visitors.

Most website visitors will not read a big block of text unless something draws them in. Usually, visitors will simply scan the pages of a website. By giving users relevant titles and headings, you can make it easier for them to find exactly what they are looking for. This is what keeps users on a website and hopefully spurs them to look more closely at what is being offered.

These rules should be kept in mind as you build and update your website. Always remember SEO should be a top priority.

A Twitter account can be a powerful tool in a company’s search engine optimization (SEO) campaign, right down to the Twitter username that company chooses. While it may seem insignificant, a Twitter username actually holds the same value as a website domain and, when used correctly, can become an integral part of an SEO strategy.

Consider the following three tips to optimize your Twitter username, as well as other Twitter elements, to maximize your overall presence on the micro-blogging giant:

1. Choose Wisely

When it comes to your Twitter username, take the same general approach you took when optimizing your company’s website domain name. That means you should include the keyword you want to rank for in search results. For example, if you run a used car business, “@qualitycarsales” would be a good username. Just remember that short and sweet usually works best because, the shorter your username is, the easier it is to remember and the easier it will be found in the search results.

2. Make Your Bio Great

A Twitter username isn’t the only element of a Twitter account that holds SEO weight. A Twitter bio can be just as valuable. However, like your username, the bio should also be approached with keyword optimization in mind. Of course, it should also be simple and to the point. Twitter focuses on using the straightforward approach which is why, when Tweeting, you only have 160 characters to work with.

3. Use SEO-Friendly Tweets

Hands down, the most valuable SEO aspect of Twitter is the “Tweet”. Although Tweets are not currently displayed within the search engine results pages of Google, they are prominently featured on Twitter. Now that the website has grown into a search and discovery tool in its own right, increasing visibility on the Twitter network is important for SEO and online marketing.

For businesses, blogging is one of the most valuable online marketing tactics available and, in light of Google’s recent “freshness update”, having a business blog as part of a successful SEO campaign is more important than ever.

However, running a successful business blog is not always as simple as one might think. Embarking on a business blog is a big commitment and there is great potential for failure.

Here are four examples of how a business can actually be hurting its blog:

Not Enough “Fresh” Content

Blogs need fresh, relevant content to survive and to help build a company’s online brand.

Business owners looking to market themselves online should not even bother starting a blog if they cannot commit to at least one post a week. New blog posts not only tell the search engines to come back and re-crawl a site, they also help keep brand recognition in the forefront of the minds of the business’s target audience.

Haphazard blogging will never help a company build a loyal readership.

Too Many Guest Posts

When it comes to a company’s business blog, the company should be the main voice.

Guest posts are a great way to supplement a business blog, but guests should not replace the blog entirely. Even if a company closely monitors what kind of content is going live, serving as the curator and not the content producer, it will miss out on the long-term benefits of business blogging.

Not Enough Attention to SEO

Even the best blog posts need a little help getting found. Bloggers don’t need to optimize every word of every blog post, but incorporating elements of SEO into a company blog and new blog posts will go a long way in help the company to rank well overall.

It’s All About the Money

There is absolutely nothing wrong with monetizing a business blog. However, it should not be overrun with ads, because every ad acts as an exit point from your blog.

A business blog needs to stay focused on keeping readers engaged for as long as possible, eventually enticing them to visit the company website.

Losing a customer to an ad worth the few bucks isn’t really worth it.

You probably already know that just one line of bad code can destroy your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, underscoring the fact that there are many hidden dangers that can kill an SEO campaign.  However, a thorough audit can reveal these issues and get your site back on track.

A good website audit should always include a test crawl.

Website owners can learn a lot by crawling their site and should be aware of at least three hidden dangers that can be uncovered.

1. Server Errors

Most website owners would be surprised to find that a simple test crawl can uncover hundreds, or even thousands, of server errors. If Google’s spiders are encountering these errors, you can bet that it isn’t a good thing.

2. 404s

If you’re not familiar with header response codes, a 404 is a “Page Not Found” error. When it comes to SEO, you need to track down your 404s because for every page not found, your business is losing search equity and your visitors are losing out on your message.

3. Troublesome Outbound Links

Hackers are continually trying to infiltrate web sites, CMS packages, and more, in an effort to benefit their own web sites. Believe it or not, a test crawl of your website might very well find links on your site that you didn’t even know about.

Running a test a crawl on a regular basis is a good idea.  There are several actionable findings that audit tools can uncover.  Finding these simple, yet destructive problems can help improve the SEO health of your web site – and that’s the ultimate goal of an SEO Audit.