Search Engine Optimization Help

Laura Riley Glenview

2010-02-16T15:43:00.007-06:00

Ms. Laura Grace Riley passed away in Cook County, Illinois on December 18, 2009. Laura was 21 at the time of her passing.

She was a resident of Glenview, Illinois, where, like too many younger folks, she had minor recreational drug problems with the Glenview police. Interestingly, the reporting of these minor problems outrank Laura's Death Notice and other similar information on Google, so we are making this post to hopefully prevail in the rankings and report on the good things that have come as a result of Laura's death.

Laura left the Gift of Hope as an organ donor:

Laura's heart went to a married woman with children, the transplant was a success and she is now recovering at home with her husband and children.

Laura's lungs went to a woman needing a dual lung transplant. She is recuperating and doing well.

Laura's liver also went to a woman, the surgery was successful and the liver started functioning immediately.

Laura's left kidney and pancreas went to a man, and her right kidney went to yet another man who had been waiting for a long time to find a matched donor.

Through her thoughtfulness and generosity, Laura Riley has touched the lives of these people, their children, spouses, family, loved ones and friends.

Good things can come from a tragic situation. Laura's family wants you to know the rest of the story.

Fabian Kelly & LG Landscape in Ireland

2010-01-27T08:37:00.005-06:00

It is not my nature to say bad things about people, even bad people, but in the case of Fabian Kelly, supposed landscape architect, who owns LG Landscape (www lglandscape dot com) in Claregalway, County Galway, Ireland I feel an obligation to tell you that in June 2008 we created a website for Fabian for which we have never been paid. Supposedly his mother died. I found the gent in Ireland who did Fabian's first website (who never got paid) and he told me:

Yes, you are quite correct our mutual friend stiffed us both. He is both a liar
and a thief. He must have two mothers, as he told me back in Feb / March that
his mother had died !

I was contacted in early November 2009 by a gentleman from Ireland who saw my footer hyperlink on the website and sent me this message:

Hello Ron Castle My name is (withheld) and my problem is LG Landscape and
Fabian Kelly. He started my garden and was doing a great job but then he legged
it with €5000. This was not all the money for the job but a good chunk of it and
he now won't take phone calls or e-mail. It's been two weeks of living with a
building site and at this stage my wife has stopped talking to me as well. I
can't do what you done when he wouldn't pay you for your work on his web site.
But could you please put a note on his site warning people not to pay him until
he has done all the work. I know you don't care but if a few words on his site
stop's someone from going through what I'm going through that would be something
good out of this mess. Thank you for your time

I told the gentleman that Kelly's mother passed away in February or March and again in early July 2008 which was the beginning of why he quit communicating and did not pay our invoices. I suggested he check it out.

His reply:

Thank you, Ron. Everything in your e-mail has come to pass again. His Mother has
died again but when I phoned the funeral homes in Tuam they have never heared a
word about her. One told me he had seen her at mass the day before I called him.

I'm not sure what my next move should be but in the mean time please
send me anything you have because I don't want him to get away with this again.

Is it against the law to put up a blog warning on the web so that when
someone does a search it will come up bellow his web site? if not how can I go
about doing it. I have to close this B down so that I'm the last to get robbed.

Thank you again it was the not knowing that was killing me.

It's not illegal to tell the truth as far as I am aware.

I feel better now.

Harlem Lofts Real Estate Agent New York

2010-01-15T16:52:00.006-06:00

It seems hard to believe that as recently as 2002 there were no Harlem real estate firms who were members of The National Association of Realtors or The Real Estate Board of New York. Harlem was a market where brokers didn’t work for buyers or even work with each other. Harlem Lofts changed all that.

Harlem Lofts Brokerage Inc. became the first agency in Harlem to join The National Association of REALTORS, The Manhattan Association of REALTORS, The New York State Association of REALTORS, and The Real Estate Board of New York, organizations that mandate Co-Brokerage agreements and a strict Code of Ethics.

Harlem lofts started in the Harlem market by purchasing and restoring or developing properties. Their experience has proven to be of significant and profitable value to a number of investor groups. The firm offers complete real estate brokerage services as well as construction and remodeling, rental agency and property management services.

We are working with Harlem Lofts on research, targeting, copy writing and structural issues to earn rankings in a very competitive market. We are on a tight budget (like everyone else?) and our initial efforts went online today. More to follow.

Residential Recording Studio Australia

2010-01-15T16:16:00.006-06:00

If you know anything about professional recording studios, you know that most of them are located in urban areas where ambiance is a distant consideration. This is anything but the case at Rockinghorse Recording Studios Pty Ltd.

Rockinghorse is a residential recording studio located in Byron Bay, New South Wales, a short distance from the Queensland line just to the south of Brisbane. Byron Bay is well known to many of the rich and famous, with many owning homes here, particularly those in the music and entertainment industries.

The studios are world class with top quality hardware and an highly experienced engineering staff. The grounds are literally like a subtropical park. There are two residential dwellings on site, the Main House and The Cottage. A recording artist can work in a secluded and peaceful setting without distraction or interruption. On the other hand, Byron Bay is full of beaches, restaurants and distractions when needed.

The design of this website is top notch, done by Australian web designers Julian and Vanessa Smith http://www.websmiths.com.au/. We are working cooperatively with the Smiths and the owner of Rockinghorse to see if we can earn some world class rankings for a world class studio. More to follow shortly.

Monteagle Restaurant: Modern Dave's Cafe

2009-12-23T08:35:00.003-06:00

Modern Dave's Cafe, a Chattanooga landmark for many years, has decided to move to the mountain. Monteagle is the apex on I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga, a growing community between the University of the South and Tennessee's largest State wilderness park, South Cumberland State Recreation Area.

Dave's menu includes an assortment of delectable delights from fresh seafood, homemade BBQ, smoked meats, handmade sausages, steaks, pasta and more.

The restaurant will be open shorty after New Year's. The website redesign is still in process awaiting the completion of the remodeling work on the facilities. We already have first page Google rankings for Monteagle restaurant and Monteagle catering and will be improving those as well as other search target rankings when we start adding additional content.

Nashville New Years Eve Party

2009-12-10T11:57:00.002-06:00

NashvilleParty.com has been online for about 5 years as a do-it-yourself online template website that was constructed using frames so none of the content was indexed in a way useful for organic search.

We recreated the website specifically for New Year's Eve 2009. The redesign went online December 2, we registered with Google Webmaster Tools and Yahoo Site Explorer. As of December 10 we are all of the new pages in the index and are on Google page 2 for New Years Eve Party Nashville. Organic traffic is coming in at the rate of about 2,000 a month at the moment. That's a nice improvement from zero.

NashvilleParty.com has partnered with Ultimo and Insomniac to ring in the New Year for their 10th Annual Celebration. The event will take place at Limelight with an 800 person capacity heated tent attached to the building. This will bring total event capacity to over 2500 people. There will be 2 stages filled with entertainment. Limelight will have VIP ticket options. Also, there will be a VIP event on the Aerial Rooftop with transportation to and from Limelight.

If you are looking for a NYE event in Nashville, this is the one.

Kids Music Video

2009-12-04T08:25:00.002-06:00

Our SEO clients at 3D Magic Factory, an animation production studio in Austin, Texas, have created this marvel of creativity. My grand kiddos will love it.

Villas for Rent Paphos Cyprus

2009-10-14T16:02:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for warm and nearly perfect weather almost any time of the year, with views of the ocean and the hills, Paphos may be the place for you.

The owners of Mr. Rent, Thaki (an English Cypriot) and Susan, who is English, can help you find the perfect villa for rent, either short or longer term. Susan is a wonderful matchmaker - so perfect for the job - and her biggest reward is always when she finds a real “home away from home” for someone.

Paphos on the western end of Cyprus was the birthplace of the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite. Paphos is steeped in history, with many famous ancient ruins and sites -including tombs, mosaics, caves and museums. So much so, that UNESCO has added Paphos to the World Cultural Heritage List.

Paphos is both the name of the town as well as the district (sort of like NY, NY) and the central point of the town is the delightful fishing harbour, surrounded by tavernas, restaurants and coffee shops. This area is also the home of the famous Paphos fort, which is built on the site of an earlier medieval castle.

Go visit the website and learn more about Cyprus. Then contact Thaki and Susan to find your villa.

Timber Frame Homes Tennessee

2009-10-14T13:08:00.002-05:00

A timber frame home is one of the most structurally elegant dwellings possible if it is crafted properly. The form is related to function. The wood is beautiful. The care taken in creating the post and beam frame has a lasting quality that can be seen by generations, a tribute to the craft and the craftsman or woman.

Our friends Bruce and Cyndy Gardner are the owners of Homestead Timber Frames and they are committed to their craft. Their timber frame homes and other structures are worked by hand using efficient but not automated methods.

In a recent piece Bruce wrote, he said:

Each morning my short commute to work takes me by a beautiful rock bluff. A stand of seven Tulip poplars grows against that bluff, gray trunks straight as a taut line, each tree perfectly spaced from its neighbor. All of these trees stand at the same height. And all are nourished by the duff that accumulates at the base of the bluff. Man could not improve on this simple composition.

I reflect on the bluff and the poplars as I complete my drive, planning my day as I sail along. I realize that I and the folks I work with could do no worse that to emulate this stand of trees: perfectly sited, perfectly composed, patient in their sentinel way. The trees remind me that craft is art—or should be. They remind me that what we design and build must, like the poplars, be perfectly sited and perfectly composed. We only cherish, and therefore care for, things that serve us well, that are beautiful to look at, and that enrich our lives. Our task as designers and builders of timber frames is to ensure that what we build is cherished.

Homestead Timber Frames is located on Cumberland Plateau in the small town of Crab Orchard right downtown just north of Interstate 40 between Nashville and Knoxville.

Used Bicycles for Sale Online

2009-10-08T17:10:00.003-05:00

If you enjoy bicycling as I have over the years, you know that good quality bicycles can cost a lot more than what I paid for my old pickup truck.

High end riders will spend a lot of money to save a pound. One of the results of weight and technology improvements in cycling is that there are a lot of really good used bicycles out there. In my case I have at least two that would enjoy having a new owner.

The Bike Trader is one of my friend's efforts to be involved in a market that he really loves and diversify his income. Taking on the used bicycle market is a challenging task, many of the good search phrases have 10 million plus competing pages.

This website has been online for a little over three months and is starting to move up. As the user contributed content grows I think the website will prosper. If you have a bicycle you want to sell, go take advantage of the free listing offer.

Festoon Trolleys from SAF-FEST

2009-08-28T14:39:00.003-05:00

I am not sure what percentage of American website visitors could tell you what a festoon trolley system is, but my guess is the percentage is pretty low. One of the fun things about industrial websites is that every industry has its own vocabulary and I happen to have an industrial sales and marketing background and I even know a thing or two about festoon trolleys and have designed and installed a number of festoon systems in my industrial life.

SEO for industrial websites is not that much different than consumer websites. The demographics of the typical festoon trolley buyer tells me that he or she is not coming to the Internet to be entertained. As Sargent Joe Friday from Dragnet used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." And a clear path of action to make a buying decision or write a specification.

SAF-FEST is a simple but very effective product, excellent quality, near zero maintenance and it does what is supposed to do, which is to support and allow a free range of linear motion to electric cables, air or hydraulic hoses to a crane or machine that has powered components with considerable travel requirements. We just completed the little Google Checkout store for this website and are looking forward to some online sales.

Outer Banks Dentists

2009-08-24T16:40:00.003-05:00

The Doctors Heyder at Atlantic Dentistry have a great dental practice and wanted to have a website that mirrored their high quality, modern practice.

Dental practice websites are fun to work on and optimize and our success with rankings around the country has been really good. Unfortunately, too many dentists have been burned in the past by several groups of folks who specialize in Flash websites for dentists, all of which my look pretty, none of which earn any decent search rankings or convert visitors to inquiries.

Dr. Markus Heyder found us through another medical website and in a matter of less than a month we redesigned and retargeted what was a "did it themselves" not very easy to navigate design with pretty good content into a visually attractive, easy to navigate design that has earned top rankings.

Outer Bank dentists we are right up there in the top 3-4 against websites that have been online much longer than ours and for Kitty Hawk dentists we are number 1 in local search and number 2-3 in the main listings.

Most dentistry websites do not generate a huge number of visitors so it is really important to make it easy for visitors to convert to inquiries by phone or website. Traffic has more than doubled since the redesign went online and my guess is that we have a very nice market share of the total dentist inquiries in this small but vibrant market.

Flea & Tick Treatment Products

2009-08-19T12:50:00.003-05:00

If you have dogs (we have two) then you know that fleas in particular and ticks if you live in a rural area like we do are always a problem. Having a good source of supply for flea and tick treatment products with fair prices, free shipping on many items and dependable delivery is a good thing. The folks at Pet & Kennel Supply do a fine job.

We are working with owner Brian to improve the targeting and ranking performance for this newly reworked website which has inherited some ranking horsepower from a redirect from a predecessor web.

One of our targets is flea & tick treatment products and we have moved up to the top of Google page 3. A link or two into the website using flea & tick treatment products as anchor text should be a good thing.

One of the products my dogs really like is Natural Planet organic dog food.

When Insults Had Class

2009-08-17T09:59:00.001-05:00

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend ... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second ... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

Fly Tying Books by Randall Kaufmann

2009-08-06T17:29:00.004-05:00

If you are a fly fisher or a fly tyer chances are pretty good that Randall Kaufmann needs no introduction. He is regarded as one of the fathers of modern fly tying and commercial fishing fly production.

Randall is a prolific author on the subjects of fly tying and fishing. His best know book may be Fly Patterns of Umpqua Feather Merchants which in its original edition compiled 1,500 fly patterns into a single volume complete with photographs. This was long before the age of digital photography and was quite and undertaking.

The new edition called simply Fly Patterns features 3,600 patterns from tyers far and wide - the best names in the business have contributed their patterns to this work. Randall's wife, Mary, is coauthor of this work and is a very talented photographer as you can see from the photos in the website. Other works currently in print include Bonefishing!, Tying Dry Flies, Tying Nymphs & Fly Tying Made Easy for Beginners.

We came to know Randall through another fishing related client, Dave Inks of http://www.waterstrider.com/ fame, and have also met in past fishing expeditions to New Zealand Dennis Black, the founder of Umpqua Feather Merchants.

Randall's previous website contains much of the same content in the redesigned website but the rearranged content is organized and targeted for rankings as well as significantly improved usability. I don't usually favor dark background websites but that's the way the previous design was done and Randall likes it, so we have done our best to make it work for the visitor.

As of the date of this post 80 percent of the new pages are in the Google index and we have increased the number of first page rankings 15 fold. When you are a famous author who writes and creates really good books, you end up competing with Amazon and the other major booksellers for your own merchandise. At the moment, if you search on Google for fly fishing books by Randall Kaufmann, you should see that we are outranking Amazon with our new home page.

You can order Randall's books online and you will see that the website also features an autograph request form. If you would like your book personalized for you, or for someone who is lucky to be receiving a wonderful gift, can do.

Bankruptcy Attorney Charlotte NC

2009-08-06T16:59:00.003-05:00

This new website design went online in March as a replacement for Terry Duncan's old website.

The importance of links in from other websites continues and this website, like every other new website, needs links in.

The Duncan Law practice goes far beyond bankruptcy but under the current economic malaise the bankruptcy portion of the practice is unfortunately plenty busy.

This website is unique in that we have incorporated almost 100 short videos in a video FAQ section of the website.

Many of the videos have good search rankings.

Florida Golf Course Homes - Look at Harbor Hills

2009-03-20T19:13:00.005-05:00

I am not a golfer, but I used to be. My mom was New Mexico women's state champion for 6 or 7 years in a row and my Old Pa was a 4-5 handicap in his earlier years (he can still shoot his age at 79 and counting). But, if I was a golfer, I would be interested in my SEO client, Harbor Hills.

At Harbor Hills Golf & Country Club, a private gated golf course community, you will discover a network of thriving neighborhoods linked together by a championship golf course and a clubhouse that offers only the finest amenities.

Located in Lake County, in the quaint town of Lady Lake, FL, you can explore one of the best active adult communities in Florida that still encourages young families and mature adults to reside together in a flourishing and interactive community.

A one year golf membership is included for all new residents in the Bella Vista neighborhood, everyone will be able to enjoy the best of the country club lifestyle.

Harbor Hills is offering some great golf getaway packages where you will be able to learn more about the new Bella Vista community.

Harbor Hills is one of Central Florida’s most desirable golf course communities designed to provide only the best of the Florida lifestyle. This gated golf course community rests along the shores of Lake Griffin and is one of the most beautiful waterfront properties in Central Florida.

Check it out, tell them Ron the SEO guy sent you.

Eyelid Surgery St. Petersburg Clearwater

2009-03-05T16:47:00.003-06:00

Dr. Lawrence Kass is a top of his class oculo-plastic surgeon with offices in the greater Tampa Bay area. He is a Board Certified Diplomat of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery in Facial Cosmetic Surgery, is Fellowship trained in Oculo-Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is the Director of The Center for Cosmetic Facial and Eye Plastic Surgery.

We have a really good page about eyelid surgery in his website that is mysteriously not ranking on Google. For blepharoplasty (the medical term for eyelid surgery) we have top rankings.

Let's see if this link in from the blog makes a difference.

Phoenix Limos & Airport Limousine Shuttle Service

2009-02-23T20:24:00.002-06:00

There is plenty of competition in the Phoenix, Arizona market for limousine services and VIP Trans does a great job competing everywhere in the city, east valley and west valley areas but not on the Internet. Not yet, anyway.

Working on a tight budget, we are using our new do it yourself seo program to help owner Mansa earn some rankings. When he advised me yesterday (Sunday) that the gal who does his website work didn't get our week old recommendations implemented, I came into the office and did them for him.

Rule number one is if you don't do the work, you can't earn a ranking? Like the gal who kept praying to win the lottery until God mentioned to her that it would help if she would buy at least one ticket?

So, the race is on for getting the changed content crawled so we can see what happens. Mansa's website needs more copy on several pages but when you are on a budget, it doesn't hurt anything except time to go with what you have and look at the results.

More to follow, will be interesting to see how much difference a little good work will make. We will follow up and advise what happens.

Hope Ahead for Alcoholism

2009-02-23T20:14:00.005-06:00

Life is full of surprises here in Tennessee including these two Interstate Highway signs in appropriate proximity to nullify one thought with a tastier alternative.

Beans Creek makes some pretty good wine.

I will call Bradford later.

(Thank you, Abby, for the photo. I am looking forward to teaching you to dance [better] if Pam says is it OK.)

Murfreesboro Remodeling Contractor in Tennessee

2009-02-17T16:55:00.003-06:00

Our new client, Building Company Number 7, has a new website online that is starting to earn some Google rankings in local search for the Nashville market.

The home page is not yet ranking for the target of choice. This is not unusual for a new website. The home page is typically the last page in a new website to rank, which is part of the Google Sandbox or aging delay. The time period it takes to rank is greatly reduced from this time a year ago based on my observations.

We have several interior pages that DO have first page rankings, an indication that we are creating good content. More pages will help and they will come when the budget allows.

More to follow as we track our progress.

Optimized Press Release Services

2009-02-17T15:26:00.003-06:00

If you need search engine rankings quickly for something new that is important to your business, here's a web publicity idea that works and works quickly. Your can have top rankings on Google in a week or less.

We work with an expert press release partner to put your public relations program on steroids. Online optimized press releases are seen and read by 50,000 - 150,000 or more subscribing journalists and consumers the first week they go online. More importantly, they get top Google search engine placement in a week or less.

You don't even have to have a web site to get your business the exposure it deserves. A well written, well placed press release makes the phone ring or can drive traffic to your website.

Are You Ready?

We collaborate with our marketing partner who is an established and highly respected PR firm. We combine our optimization skills with their ability to write great press releases that will make the news. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, visit the post link at the top of this post.

Get ready to be on the fast track.

Do It Yourself SEO? Why not.

2009-02-17T15:20:00.003-06:00

During these very hard economic times, I have been working on ideas to help more people increase Google hits and one good way to do this (and make a little money in the process and better yet, make more friends) is to offer helpful SEO instructional information that you can implement yourself. This will be especially helpful for little guys and gals like us and folks on a tight budget who can't afford to pay a professional SEO firm to do it for them.

I have been working for about 4 months to get all my SEO ducks in a row to be able to do this efficiently with solid information that almost every website owner needs and which will be economically viable for almost any small website owner.

A new page of content about this subject went online yesterday. Check it out, let's get to work.

Outsource to India? Not me.

2009-02-17T06:46:00.004-06:00

A little Skype conversation with "Harry H" in India:

ok ron thanks for your reply, but if you want any services like web site development and web applications development like ecommerce websites, corporate websites, websites in Joomla CMS etc please feel free to contact me We will provide you free cost estimate for your requirement.

[6:37:30 AM] Harry H says: Once again Thanks..!

[6:37:42 AM] Ron Castle says: Why would we want to send business to you when we can do a better job here in the USA?

[6:38:55 AM] Harry H says: We can offer you same quality of work with minimum cost so this will help you to grow your business.

[6:39:43 AM] Ron Castle says: Ah, it's about money. So what happens to your job when someone in some other country can do better work than you do for less money? Will you send your business to them?

[6:40:58 AM] Ron Castle says: If what we do was only about money then you would already have all my customers' business?

[6:41:54 AM] Ron Castle says: When all you have to sell is about price, then you have a problem.

[6:42:18 AM] Ron Castle says: Here is my offer to you:

[6:43:23 AM] Ron Castle says: We insource SEO work from SEO companies in India and other countries who cannot optimize their own websites to earn top rankings on Google. When this happens, they don’t have to send unsolicited emails or Skype messages like the one you sent me.

As you know, unsolicited email is the lowest form of Internet marketing and is highly detested here in the USA. This can only diminish your honorable reputation – SPAM is a four letter word.

It must be very discouraging to you to know that you are working hard trying to communicate, but you messages are seldom read and most people who receive them automatically despise you?

This is not a good way to earn new business. This is why I am replying to your message.

The days of outsourcing SEO work from the USA are coming to a close for overseas companies who cannot be found by their top rankings in Google for their own websites.

If you cannot do this for yourself, and the only way you can market your services is by sending SPAM emails, why should someone in the USA believe that you can do it for them?

Most importantly, we also assist overseas SEO companies with excellent copywriting and copy editing by expert American copywriters.

Many people outside the USA write and speak American English very well, but not good enough to be competitive with the best American native English language copywriters. This little difference is a huge competitive advantage.

If you expect to earn top rankings and conversions to inquiries and online sales, this nuance is extremely important.

If you are looking for the ultimate competitive advantage available to an outsourcing SEO company, we will be pleased to assist you. The power of an American SEO company helping you is unassailable in these challenging economic times and you will be able to out-compete all of your outsourcing SEO competitors.

Contact us today. We will help you succeed.

Best wishes,

Ron Castle

[6:44:44 AM] Ron Castle says: This is a standard message I send to every SEO company in India who sends me an unsolicited email. You cannot do what we do, but we can do it for you.

[6:44:58 AM] Ron Castle says: When you are ready for our assistance I will be pleased to call you.

Harry H did not reply.

Does Outsourcing Help America?

2009-02-11T14:37:00.004-06:00

Read the page in my website at the link above.

If you agree or disagree, come back here and post your comments.

==========

Update February 18, 2009

A common question asked by folks who are not familiar with professional SEO services, is how long does it take to get new content into the Google index?

Assuming that your website is already in the index and that you have been keeping your content current and have a xml sitemap updated when you add, remove or modify content, here is one answer.

My page about outsourcing which is linked from the title of this post went online February 11. The original version of this blog post went online the same day. This blog post showed up in the Google index February 15. The web page showed as being cached on February 16 but had no rankings. The web page was ranked overnight yesterday and if you search for Does Outsourcing Help America at Google this morning you will see my page ranked # 2 out of 4,350,000 pages containing those four words.

18 - 11 = 7 days to earn a ranking

16 - 11 = 5 days to get crawled and cached (4 days in the case of the blog post)

Based on observing my own work, this is typical for a well maintained website. The record for me for getting crawled, cached and ranking so far in 2009 is a little less than 48 hours, which is luck of the draw for hitting the timing just right with the GoogleBot.

Lots of folks who contact me about improving their websites tell me others have told them MONTHS for getting changes in the index. If that's what you are being told, politely end the conversation and look elsewhere.

We will be glad to show you how or teach you how to do this yourself. If you want to do it yourself, read my new Do It Yourself SEO page.