#1 SEO Expert in North Carolina, Bar None

You can find this video in its natural habitat on YouTube here: #1 SEO Expert in North Carolina, Bar None
via The Greensboro SEO Pro YouTube Channel

Best SEO in North Carolina: Case Study Number 1

See Best SEO in North Carolina: Case Study Number 1 in its original habitat on Greensboro's Home for SEO Information or read the entire post below.

If you couldn't guess from the title: Greensboro SEO Pro is on a mission to prove we are the best SEO in North Carolina. How are we going to go about proving it? Ranking #1 for "[city] seo expert" in all ten of North Carolina's top ten cities by population as well as for the state. Our goal's completion date will be set for April 1st, 2016.  That means we only have 6 months to take over North Carolina SEO. Think we can do it? We do, here's why:

Number SEO 1 in Greensboro in 2 Months

Yeah, you read right. The Home, About, and Contact pages for this website were published 7/8/2015.  The Discovery Page was published the next day. The original pages were basic (and extremely ugly), but the search engines found them all a few days later. Fast forward to September 9th: The website has been improved a great deal (though it still isn't perfect).  But more importantly, the Homepage finally catches up to Greensboro SEO Pro's first YouTube video—which had been holding the first spot for "greensboro seo expert" since the middle of August. They've been 1 and 2 ever since. (Proof)Google Search: greensboro seo expert On top of that, Greensboro SEO Pro holds first page spots on many SEO and digital marketing industry keywords in Greensboro.  These will continue to push upwards over time as well. We're confident our top rankings will not only stay put, but grow over time to blanket all Greensboro SEO searches with number 1 rankings. Though it was rather surprising how little resistance we encountered on the way there...

Is Local Really This Easy?

Don't get me wrong, we set an extremely strong SEO foundation for GreensboroSEOPro.com. [caption id="attachment_591" align="alignright" width="464"] Sometimes, you just have to TAKE the belt.[/caption] Funny thing is, that 'foundation' was enough to start getting first page rankings. I—Zach Bradshaw, the owner and driving force behind Greensboro SEO Pro—came into local client SEO from affiliate marketing.  Which, in this case, simply means the process of selling other people's products online through your own websites. Many of the national (and international) search terms I am used to going after take a ton of man-hours and a sizable budget to rank for. And just like local SEO, only the first page delivers ROI. Needless to say, I knew local seo would be easier than affiliate seo. But this easy? As of this post on October 1st, pages on this website are still partially broken and we were able to "cherry pick" our industries best keywords in under 2 months in a city of nearly 300k. Naturally, taking over the rest of the state sounds like a great idea. But will it be this easy?

A Taller Task

One thing that undoubtedly helped us dominate Greensboro SEO so quickly is the website name: GreensboroSEOPro.com Greensboro and SEO are in the URL.  This sends obvious signals to Google. To be completely honest, this gave us something like an unfair advantage over many of our competitors. But the age of many of their sites and years of backlinks should have been enough to put up a respectable fight. Clearly, there's never really been a true SEO expert that has gone after the Gate City.  Or maybe they all had a non-aggression pact and were happy with the status quo. Greensboro SEO Pro changed all that. Other digital marketing outfits in the Triad are going to have a tough time prying the top spots away from Greensboro SEO Pro now that we have them in our grasp. Soon, we'll have more than just a YouTube video and homepage ranking on the first page. For now though, we're after bigger fish. Charlotte and Raleigh sound extremely appetizing. And since we're gluttons... We'll be going after Cary, Durham, Fayetteville, Greenville, High Point, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem too. Then we'll also be looking to rank for terms like Best SEO in North Carolina too. Yeah, taking on all of the best SEO agencies, consultants, and experts across the state. Hence, the six month time frame.

Interested in Following?

Maybe you're a business owner. Maybe you like success stories. Maybe you're a competitor hoping we fall flat on our faces. Whichever reason you pick, if you want to follow along with our progress on these keywords, it's easy. We'll soon decide on monthly or bi-monthly update posts and they'll be broadcast through all of the Greensboro SEO Pro Social Media Channels so that you know whenever a new one has been published.   Want to wish us luck (good or bad)? Feel free to comment below!

Gregory Ortiz’s SEO Social Stacking

See Gregory Ortiz’s SEO Social Stacking in its original habitat on The Greensboro SEO HQ or read the entire post below.

So I've decided it's about time to add some actionable SEO strategy to GreensboroSEOPro.com. Something simple enough for a business owner in any industry to understand and replicate but powerful enough to be worth learning. Enter SEO Social Stacking: a great way to boost trust and authority to a website. It's an essential tactic for new websites and a potential game changer for older sites. This technique is taught by New York's King of SEO, Gregory Ortiz.  If you search "New York SEO" or anything similar, you're going to find his company Only Source Consulting in the top spot. SEO Social Stacking blurs the line between SEO and social media, benefiting both areas of your digital marketing campaign. And guess what? It hardly takes any time at all! Read this post through but also be sure to visit the Greensboro SEO Pro social media accounts to really see the technique in action.

Rank New Sites Easier and Re-Empower the Networks of Older Sites.

SEO Social Stacking is basically just a backlink building strategy that uses social media or other "Web 2.0" profiles or pages to show the search engines a robust network. Why social media? Well, over 90% of the activity that happens on the Internet happens on Web 2.0 (interactive) websites. We're talking the big players like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well as blog platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr. And lately, Google has really started making an effort to give online reviews—from places like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Google Plus—more weight in search results. On the Internet, a link from one page to another is something like an up-vote for the page receiving the link. That's what a backlink is. To build "social stacks" all that is really necessary is to post links from your different profile pages to each other. This ties them together and powers them up. So simple. Plus, it would be a good digital marketing practice even if it didn't boost search rankings. It has multiple advantages:

For Search Engine Optimization

As long as you do it right, this interlinking sends strong messages to the search engines about your brand. It boosts trust: Google believes your business is real. It boost authority: Google believes you know what you're talking about. And it also helps distribute "link juice" throughout your digital properties. This has all sorts of benefits, including increasing the potential to get your social media or business listings ranked alongside your website. Not a concept to be covered here, but just know it is an important part of SEO.

For Social Media Campaigns

Social stacking can boost engagement. Different users prefer different platforms, so it makes sense to catch them where they are most comfortable. The aforementioned "juice" following through your properties can help you rank for hashtag and other social searches. It can also help you show up in Google's organic search results for those connected to you across these platforms. Powerful stuff and one plays right off of the other. But enough talking, more showing right?

SEO Social Stacking in Action

Greensboro SEO Pro Twitter:

Greensboro SEO Pro Google+ Pages:

Greensboro SEO Pro Tumblr:

Simple enough right? Not just these properties, but Facebook, WordPress, Blogger, and a few others. From there, you continue to mix in links to your profiles—or specific content on your profiles—in with your regular social media over time. This sends a succinct message to the search engines and social platforms about your brand. But there are:

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Don't just do it. Do it well. There are plenty of reasons your business's SEO Social Stacking campaign would be different from my business's SEO Social Stacking campaign. There are also several ways you to augment the power of this technique. Keep reading to maximize effectiveness.

Timetable

First, should you stack as aggressively as Greensboro SEO Pro? It depends. If your business is new, go for it! You can even stack your network before you've shared any of your properties publicly if you want to! In fact, I recommend it. I'd also say that it is okay to be aggressive if you are bringing dead social media back to life. But if already have social media that is actively followed, you need to be careful. Don't throw your users off. Keep your engagement rates as high as possible always. Make sure you stay true to your brand identity and target audience. Users and search engines alike will appreciate this. So sprinkle in a few social links here and there over time instead of all at once. Even for new sites, you only want to do one round of stacking at a time. Meaning don't keep posting the same profile over and over from the another network continuously. Space out your timing to a natural flow. Natural is always best.

Niche and Platform Optimization

That's why you want to make sure your posts occupy a habitat that suits them. That is to say, optimize your social media and other Web 2.0 profiles to your industry! It's mind blowing to a digital marketer like myself how many legitimate businesses represent themselves poorly on the Internet's most traveled sites. Fill out descriptions, categories, addresses. Add media! Create an image online. An image with personality, whatever works for your business. But try to give your potential clients and customers value even through social media. You would also do well to create social link posts to other great content in your niche. Don't forget important hashtags, categories, and such—tailored to the specific platform. For instance, LinkedIn is huge for SEO, but it wouldn't look right to blast it with profile links to Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp! It's too professional for that. So no social links were posted from it last week. Remember: Take every natural opportunity to let Google, Bing, and Yahoo know what your business is all about. Then, all the connections mean a lot more.

Taking Advantage of Social Link Hubs

There are certain places across the Net that can function as hubs for all of your network links. For instance: Greensboro SEO Pro Bitly Public Profile and Google+ Brand About Page Then there are what I call 'LiveStream' sites: Sites like Rebelmouse and Flavors.me that build their content from your other social profiles. In a way, they SEO Social Stack all on their own. And these aren't the only ones. There are plenty of these types of profiles to be had across the Web. So:

Stay Tuned

You see, there is still more stacking to be done for this site as well. It's an ongoing process, but luckily its fairly quick and simple. And if you continue to watch Greensboro SEO Pro across the entire network, you'll definitely find more hidden SEO Social Stacking gems than I've already given up here. You can also use the hashtags "#seosocialstacking" and "#seo social stacking" across platforms that accept them.  Then you'll be able to find a list of all posts that included the hashtag as all of mine did this week. If you have any other questions comments, please leave them below. I will reply to every single one personally.

Greensboro Search Engine Optimization | (336) 549-1992

See this video in its natural habitat here: Greensboro Search Engine Optimization | (336) 549-1992
via The Greensboro SEO Pro YouTube Channel

Top 5 Digital Marketing Outfits to Follow on YouTube

See Top 5 Digital Marketing Outfits to Follow on YouTube in its original habitat on The Digital Home of Greensboro's Top SEO Consultant or read the entire post below.
So everyday this week on the Greensboro SEO Pro Facebook, I highlighted a different YouTube channel any business owner or internet market should be following. YouTube is now the number 2 search engine in the world, behind their parent company Google. The significance of this for businesses of all sizes is huge. But for the "mom and pop shops" who embrace the video medium sooner rather than later, the potential rewards are enormous. Video is more likely to 1) get clicked in search results, 2) be consumed in full, and 3) convert. So if you're an entrepreneur, you might as well jump on the video train now. That's where this list comes in. These guys are pioneers. They all have their own style, but each can be learned from. Take what fits your brand's image and replicate that. Or simply take inspiration and come up with your own ideas. Either way, these channels are a great place to start. Even more so because all of their content is related to search engine optimization, pay per click, website design, email marketing, and everything else in the digital marketing world already. This way, taking in the information and the way it is presented will both benefit you. With no further ado, here's my Top 5 (in a mostly random order):

Moz

So I started off the week with Moz because they are one of the best known SEO companies on the planet. On the Moz Channel you'll see a lot of cofounder and former CEO, Rand Fishkin. In particular, his Whiteboard Friday discussion videos used to be an SEO staple. And they are still one of the best examples of how a company can connect with their users through video. While Fishkin is definitely one of the biggest names in SEO, in 2015 Moz has been out to prove that they are more than just a one man show. Nowadays, you'll see other faces and hear different voices. They do a great job of helping and educating their target audience (the internet marketing and entrepreneurial communities), one could forget that they are a software company. Moz's true calling card isn't actually content marketing. They are a software company. They actually make some of the best search engine marketing tools on the market. But they effectively use the video medium to provide extra value to their target niche. Creating goodwill like this in the marketplace is a great way to get your prospects to come to you. Any entrepreneur would do well to follow Moz and take notes!

Gary Vee

Next up, we've got Gary Vaynerchuk. "Gary Vee" is one of the biggest names in the digital marketing world. And while he does a great job promoting himself as well as his brands across social media, this list is all about video. Luckily for us, this is one medium in which Gary really shines. He is able to deliver insightful marketing tips via clips that are almost always funny entertaining. Fresh and creative are two words that come to mind. Solo acts like his very often seem personal, as you almost begin to consider the person in front of the camera friend. While Gary runs VaynerMedia and is a prolific voice online, he is not just a digital marketer. He is also known for entrepreneurship, investing, and wine. Fascinating guy, definitely worth the follow. Be sure to subscribe to his Channel on YouTube!

Business on Tapp

Business on Tapp is an app for entrepreneurs. It's a great place to get a little training or pose a question you need answered fast. It's a great community where business owners connect. The unique thing about their YouTube Channel is that they keep their videos SHORT: 120 seconds or less. That makes the content very easy to digest. You also know there won't be any fluff. Since its a community, you'll see all sorts of well-known people from all over the business space, including personalities on this list. If you are new or intimidating by video marketing, taking a look at the way Business on Tapp does it, can really go a long way toward showing you that you don't have to make it difficult. In fact, you could even take a page out of their book and get all your content from others people in your space, granted you went about it the right way. It goes with out saying, taking a look at what they do will help you find that right way.

Digital Marketer

Ryan Deiss is the man behind Digital Marketer. He definitely makes the list of top 10 most influential internet marketers (for the size of his email list if nothing else). This guy definitely has some reach. He and his team put out A TON of internet marketing training and content. This guy is always on the cutting edge of topics like conversions and engagement. And while the quantity can be a bit overwhelming, the quality is never lacking. But one thing you will notice when you take a look at Digital Marketer on YouTube is how well it is organized. The way the videos are themed and grouped into playlists really helps to 1) create a sense of continuity and 2) the videos show up in search results across the web. A clever outfit to say the least. Any business could benefit from a few pages out of the Digital Marketer book.

MindValley Insights

Anyone who knows me personally has probably heard about MindValley. They are one of my favorite companies in the world. Their 'man with a plan', Vishen Lakhiani is one of the people I look up to the most. While Vishen is best known for the world's largest personal growth and spirituality publisher, MindValley, he is a serial entrepreneur. So it's only fitting that he birthed MindValley Insights as well. Insights is an entrepreneurial blog with a personal peace and happiness twist to it. With MindValley Insights you get plenty of great digital marketing and branding advice. But you also get tips on how to be a happy business person. So often, busy entrepreneurs neglect this area. It's refreshing to see a company take a more holistic look at business success. The MindValley Insights Channel is none-the-less one of the best places to pick up valuable digital marketing strategies and tips. And they are another one that does an excellent job organizing their content for users and search.

Bonus:

So there is one more YouTube Channel you should know is worth subscribing to. The Greensboro SEO Pro Channel is going to grow into a great place to find all sorts of digital marketing nuggets. Expect some SEO explainer videos first, but the content will morph into a collection touching on all of the different digital marketing mediums. Like the other companies on this list, this free and informative content will be meant to 'pay it forward' to potential clients and other internet marketing companies and personalities. If you can't tell yet, I'm all about the business of the future. It's about time for the mom and pop shops to medium-sized businesses to become the focus of our economy once again. The Internet is making it increasingly easy (and important) for grassroots businesses to connect to their prospects in intimate and varied ways. If you fit that description, you're better off starting to ride this wave early, because it is going to continue to churn across the digital landscape.   Did I leave someone out that deserves to be in the top 5? I'd love to find a new channel or two with great information or a unique approach. Please comment your favorite YouTube brands below!