It’s that time again! Issue Nine of FirstFound’s quarterly newsletter is here – chock full of interesting features, helpful hints and the latest online marketing and SEO news.

This month sees a Facebook theme (we’re not out of touch – Google+ wasn’t launched until Optimise was in the final stages of post production) as we explain why your website needs to be on the world’s most popular social network, and we take a closer look at local listings:

SEO Made Simple – Google Local: Local search is becoming an ever more important search vertical. Optimise explains the basics of Google’s ‘Places’ local search function, and you can download our free PDF factsheet, helping you submit your business.

How To Lose Leads and Alienate People: Are you making one of these five fatal marketing mistakes? If you are, then you might as well dig a hole, throw your advertising budget into it and set the whole thing on fire. Because you’re doing your business more harm than good.

Why Should You be on Facebook?: We’re on Facebook. Are you? If you’re not, we’re hoping that this informative article changes your mind and opens your business up to whole new markets.

Go Green, Get Business?: We take our environmental commitments seriously here at FirstFound, and we’re hoping that you do too. So we’ve put together five quick and easy tips for you to reduce your carbon emissions and make the world a brighter place – your customers will appreciate it!

Staffer in the Spotlight – David Green: From Green Tips to Mr. Green. We catch up with FirstFound’s charity runners and riders. Beware! This article may contain photos of sweaty men…

Promotion – Facebook Fan Pages: A professionally designed Facebook Fan Page for just £250. Need we say more?

Summer Success Stories: While you’re off on your summer holidays, we’ve been catching up with our customers working for the Ilfracombe and District tourist board – so read all about the sun, sea, sand and the three-letter ‘s’ word on everyone’s lips. Yeah, SEO. What else could we mean?

Optimise News: All the news you need to get through the summer.

If you’ve got any feedback on this issue of Optimise, or you’ve got something you’d like to see in Issue 10, let us know in the comments section below.

So it’s great timing that the long awaited UK edition of The Huffington Post has been launched today.

The Huffington Post, which was bought by AOL earlier this year for £222m, was set up by Arianna Huffington in 2005 as a counterpoint to more traditional, business-influenced forms of news media. And since then it’s built up a huge following on this side of the pond.

The Huffington Post (UK) team comprises a number of AOL employees who cut their teeth on AOL UK’s news pages, with a handful of other, more well-established UK journalists making up the numbers. As with the US version, a large amount of the Post’s content is made up of content created by bloggers, marking a crossover between traditional and newer types of news media – and the site itself is designed to be compatible with various social media sites.

We’re not sure if it’ll replace the publications of choice here in the FirstFound offices (it’d take more than a glitzy launch to stop our web designer spending his lunchtimes looking at pictures of The Saturdays on the Daily Mail website), but it’s sure to generate a large amount of interest.

So let us know what you think in the comments section below!

You can now follow  FirstFoundon Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus!

Well stop staring and start reading, because here’s five quick and simple tips that will revitalise your blog:

1. Be Brief: Your clients are going to read your posts while they’re on hold, in that two minute gap between calls, or on their tea break. That means they’re not going to be able to read a 20,000 word thesis on how your latest product will change the future of mankind.
2. Be Up to Date: Breaking News! Something is going on that will affect your clients! Make sure you tell them about it, and that you tell them fast!
3. Be Relevant: Make sure you’re always talking about things your clients want to hear about. Something you might find fascinating might bore the socks off your readers.
4. Keep to a Schedule: If people know when you’ll be updating your site, they’ll know when to visit. So work out a publishing schedule and try to stick to it!
5. Don’t Write Off the List Post: Easy to write, easy to read. Always make sure you’ve got a backup list post in your locker. Like this one for example.

For more bite-sized tips, follow FirstFound on Twitter.

But just writing a comment is no guarantee that you’ll get a link. Bloggers can be very picky when it comes to approving your submissions, but following this handy guide to comment etiquette can help you get a foot in the door.

Be Polite

Storming onto someone’s blog in a hail of fury, spitting out a comment calling the writer a fool and storming off into the night isn’t going to get you anywhere. Even if you disagree with what a blogger says, you need to take into account the fact that they’ve worked hard on a post. Be polite and civil at all times, and you’ll stand a better chance of having your comment approved.

Do Say: “Interesting post, thanks. However, I’m not sure how many people actively state that blog comments get you nowhere. I swear by them myself!”

Don’t Say: “You’re talking out of your backside. You’re wrong and I, as always, am completely right. Now publish this comment so I can get a link.”

Add Something

A comment thread is a conversation – and that means you need to converse. Butting in with a one line platitude and running off isn’t going to endear you to the blogger, and lots of posting guidelines do specifically state that one-liners will not be published. Engage with the blogger and try and add some value to the post.

Do say: “It’s about time someone covered blog etiquette. I always try to be polite and helpful, but I find that returning to answer any follow-up questions can help too. Always check back on a comment after 24 hours!”

Don’t say: “Great post!”

Don’t Hawk Your Products

This one is just a matter of common courtesy and common sense. If you go onto a blog that a freelancer, business or avid amateur is using to promote their own offerings, you’re not going to get far. If you’re going to try and generate leads, make sure it’s for a service the blogger isn’t offering. You should also steer clear from adding another link – the one you’ve filled in when you posted your comment should be enough.

Do say: “Great post – it’s about time someone taught blog commenters some manners! You mentioned improving your search engine listings. It’s something I’m good at, so if you’re interested, take a look at my site.”

Don’t say: “Improving listings? FirstFound are the UK’s leading Search Engine Consultants. Give us a call today on 0161 909 3400.”

Be Careful With Your Keywords

Having your keywords included in the link’s anchor text can help both listings and click through rates. And adding keywords to a blog comment is easy, due to the way that they’re set out. For example:

Name: Andy @ FirstFound
Site:  http://www.firstfound-blog.co.uk

Will lead to a link like this: Andy @ FirstFound – but just because you can add keywords doesn’t mean you should overdo it. Always use your real name, followed by a short, relevant keyword or phrase. Any more and it suggests to the blogger that you’re only interested in the link.

Do say: “Adam Ramsden – Web Designer”

Don’t say: “Search Engine Friendly Web Design from Leven Internet”

By following these simple rules of blog comment etiquette, you’ll be able to get your comments featured on dozens of relevant blogs – raising your company’s profile. But this isn’t all there is to it. Share your blog comment do’s and don’ts in our comments section. Just don’t try and leave one line, keyword stuffed, aggressive comments. We probably won’t approve them!

But if you’re not using the right plugins, you’re not getting the most from your blog. So here’s The FirstFound Blog’s three favourite plugins:

Google Analytics for WordPress: Does exactly what it says on the tin. Adds Analytics tracking code to your site, so that you can monitor traffic to your blog, learn who’s visiting you, and find out which of your posts are most popular.

Sociable: Helps you harness Social Media to promote your posts. Sociable is fully customisable, so you can target as many or as few sites as you like. Although Twitter, Digg, Facebook and Mixx are a must!

HeadSpace2: If you want your blog to rank on the search engines, you’ll need to edit the site’s meta data. HeadSpace2 helps you do just that, quickly and easily.

If you’ve got any to add to our list, leave us a comment!

We all have days when we need to write a post or article, but just can’t think of what to do.

In times like these, I like to dip into my bag of cliches and fire up one of four tried and tested methods for putting a post together:

1: Get someone else to create your content!

This one actually needs you to do some networking. By networking, I of course mean “sitting on Twitter asking questions”. Everyone has hopes, aspirations and opinions. Give your followers a platform and publicity, and they’ll sit there writing content that you’re free to use. Just slap some witty or insightful book-ends on there, and voila! Blog post, ready to roll.

2: The Short Sharp Shock

Who says a blog article has to be long, involved and in-depth? Well, most people. Luckily, what people say and what people do are different things. You can get away with a short two paragraph article every now and then, so long as you’re witty and succinct. Sometimes a packet of crisps is more satisfying than a three-course meal.

3: All Aboard The Bandwagon!

Bandwagon jumping. With access to trend information at our fingertips, it’s never been so easy to see what people are talking about. It’s also never been so easy to see what other people are saying – so just pick something you disagree with and write about why that person is wrong. About half the article’s done for you already. Magic.

4: The List Post

This one’s the daddy of all cliches. List posts are easy to think up, easy to write and easy to read. Anyone can come up with a list, at any time, in any place. I thought up this very article whilst lying on the couch watching Loose Women.

Easy!

But you just can’t think of what to write about. You don’t want to write, you can’t bring yourself to write, but you have to write. So what do you do?

Luckily for you, The FirstFound Blog is here to help. Just take a look at our list of blog post ideas, and you’ll be inspired to write so many blog posts that you won’t be able to use them all.

• How Social Media helps in your niche
• A Case Study showing how you’ve helped your top client
• A User’s Guide for your top product
• The biggest upcoming developments in your industry
• How your company is weathering the recession
• A quirky article putting your sector’s spin on a sporting event
• Exciting developments or events in your company
• Helpful hints on avoiding scams in your industry
• Some seasonally-themed linkbait

And finally…

• A helpful list of blog ideas to help your readers

Hopefully this list will inspire you to feats of blogging greatness – but if there’s anything you think we can add, drop us a comment in the box below.

See what the SEO Noobie ranks as his best free Twitter tools.

Has Google just killed your online business? Century House think so.

Vertical Measures make sure you haven’t made one of their Ten Deadly Internet Marketing Mistakes.

Is SEO a waste of your money? SEO Bull**** explains why some people just don’t get SEO.

Search Engine Land explain how Social Media is influencing your behaviour.

And if you’re thinking of setting up a blog, Think Traffic have ten explosive examples you can learn from.

Closer to home, we’ve rolled out Shady SEO – the FirstFound Scam Guide.

And if you want to keep up with what FirstFound are doing, take a look at these links:

FirstFound on Facebook - Our Facebook fan page is growing by the day. Become a fan today and keep up to date with our latest news.

FirstFound on Mixx - Our techies are sharing their favourite blog posts and news stories. Share with us by joining our Mixx group.

And if you’re looking for expert SEO consultancy, give us a call today on 0161 909 3400.

Obtaining Links from Highly Respected Pages

The key to effective link building depends on you being able to identify high ranking sites that might host a link to your site, whether they are business directories or other websites. Factors such as Google Page Rank will play a smaller role than in previous years, but still give a good indication as to Google’s opinion of the site. A small handful of good links from some very highly ranked and popular sites will always be more effective than hundreds of links from unpopular ones with no page rank.

Making the Most of Social Media

As social media plays a more central role to SEO, all those essential inbound links from your Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Reddit and Stumble Upon accounts will start to carry more and more clout. Google often uses your article’s success with the native users of social sites when deciding how to rank it for the broader masses.  Clearly and article with 157 Diggs is going to have wider appeal and is likely to be more popular than one with 3. Google pays keen attention to these, making it important for you to get involved in social media in 2010.

Keeping Your Links Context Relevant

An often overlooked factor in any link building campaign is the relevance of your site to the linking one. Links that offer further information about a topic will not only conduct better traffic, but will have a greater impact on your SEO.  Keep your links within the same language as your site, and find reasons why people will benefit from your link.  For every product and service, there is usually a fan base, or enthusiast group waiting to be tapped in to. Are there any popular forums or discussion boards relevant to your products or services? Perhaps you might place an add in an online magazine for your industry? Sometimes the way to do this, is to post a comment and get involved.  Many free sites and comment systems allow you to include a signature, or a website URL in a profile or comment. ( Be sure to check the site terms and conditions, as different webmasters will place different rules around promoting sites! )

Maximising Your Naturally Generated Links from Good Content

A website with useful and informative content will naturally pick up inbound links that other users add. It is easy to convince yourself that this is down to others, and cannot easily be influenced from your site itself. But there are some simple rules that will help you maximise this area. All you really need to do is consider what you can offer people, which they cannot easily find elsewhere. As an expert in your industry, this might be anything from inside product information, industry news or practical tips about a product or service. If you can think of at least one type of person who would benefit from this knowledge, then write it! More content is always a good thing.

Be Aware of Creative or Hidden Link Building Opportunities

Often there are neat sites which you can obtain links from easily. Does your domain have an entry at www.aboutus.org? Have you a review on www.reviewcentre.com? There are also domain information and company information sites that are readily indexed by Google, and by taking five minutes to create an entry for your company or website, you will be generating some more informative, permanent back links that will improve the profile of your website.

In a nut shell, link building is almost a science in itself. You cannot go far wrong, provided you don’t add any links from spam websites, or websites of a different language.  By keeping mindful of where you might add links to your site – and never losing sight of the people who would benefit from this, you will maximising the effectiveness of each and every link added and contribute to the structure of the web itself.

The Secret of Content Rich Documents

If you run an online shop, it is tempting to rely heavily on the pictures and imagery of the products to do the selling. But without any text, search engines will not know what they can recommend your page for, and nobody will even see them!

Descriptive Text and Page Titles

Let’s suppose you sell hats, getting to the top of Google for this phrase by itself will be difficult, and probably not all that helpful. Most searchers will already have an idea of the product they want (even if they may not have included it in their search query). If you win the click for ‘hats’, many of those clicks will be hard to keep because the user might be looking for a particular type of hat which you may not even stock! If too many people leave quickly (‘bounce’) this will start to have a negative impact on your websites rank.

By including a more detailed description, you can expect your pages to rank for more specific searches which will not only satisfy the users search, but will also be more likely to convert into a sale! Do you sell ‘wool hats’? Have you talked about the colour or design? Is there a clothing label or designer brand that has a strong identity which you could mention? Are they suitable for special occasions which you could spend a few sentences talking about? Do you stock party hats or fancy dress hats? Even the simplest product deserves a good description. If you cannot easily include the text with the product, perhaps you could have a separate series of information or help pages which link directly through to your product? It will help the search engines find a better search phrase that will bring you traffic. Remember :- if you don’t include the detail, you won’t be included in the search!

Giving Your Audience Helpful Information

Google’s job evolves around recommending websites that searchers will find useful. If your industry is quite competitive and you are finding it difficult to generate traffic, there are several neat ways you can get around this. Google only has 10 top spots, so it must choose the 10 most useful sites for each phrase. By improving the quality of information your website provides, you will be improving the overall performance of your site. Maybe you could include product reviews, advice or how-tos. Perhaps you could get users involved in discussing the product? Does it have a fan base you could somehow utilise? Would  Social Media be the way to tap into this traffic reservoir? If you have any informative PDF documents already (perhaps technical specifications, help manuals or product information pamphlets), it would be worth making those available on your site. Google will happily index these exactly like it reads regular web pages and this extra content will count in your favour.

Being Aware of Trending Topics

All sorts of interesting factors affect what people talk and write about. The Internet is just like other mediums – any big stories in the news headlines will stimulate search and readers. Is there some way you could utilise this? If you have a news or blog section you can use this to promote yourself. Because blogs are indexed sooner, you will find these more responsive and able to respond to sudden changes in peoples search habits.

In a nutshell, Google will reward you for including any information your visitors might find useful. As an expert in your industry, only you truly understand your potential customer base. Consider your competitor sites and ask yourself what you could do better!