Since January 20, 2013 Cuppa SEO has been helping businesses grow, succeed,  and get found on Google.

I AM VERY GRATEFUL.

Not too long ago, we moved into a new commercial space over on Enterprise Lane in Madison. I though it might be fun to show some before and after photos of the space to show you how it transformed. But before I do, I want to thank every client, as well as every colleague, friend, family member — and the Universe — for Cuppa SEO.

And now some before and after photos …

EMPTY SPACE (AND A COUPLE OF HELPFUL SONS), THE FINAL FRONTIER …
 

LOADING AND UNLOADING ALL THE STUFF, ENJOYING THE SMELL OF FRESH PAINT AND RUGS …
 

FIRST THINGS FIRST: SET UP COFFEE, AND A CHAIR TO SIT AND DRINK SAID COFFEE … 
PROGRESS (THIS COUCH IS MAX APPROVED!)…
 

MORE PROGRESS …
 

FINISHED!

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Shocking as it may be, the one-time deal is true. Well, at least partially. Perhaps a more accurate statement would be, “search engine optimization (SEO) for your website is a one-time deal.”

When you think about it from a technology standpoint, it’s pretty amazing SEO remains the gold standard for getting your website “seen” by search engines. Though some adjustments have been made because of changes in search engine algorithms, the standard practice of SEO has been in place since the late 1990s!

As a Cuppa SEO reader, you probably know that. However, did you also know once your website is optimized with rich keywords, no monthly “tweaking” of them is necessary? Yep, it’s true. Unless you add a new page or image, etc., once your website is optimized, that’s it.

Unfortunately, you’d be amazed at the number of SEO service providers who charge monthly retainers to keep clients’ website keywords “fresh.”

You see, SEO is both a one-time setup and an ongoing process. You apply it to your website first and then bump up your traffic and search results through blogging and social media activity. As an example for the website part of the picture, we audit a client’s website and identify every page, image, URL, nook and cranny for search engine optimization opportunities. A keyword report is generated to identify which keywords will pack the most punch for your business, and we use them to get the attention of search engine crawlers. Think of it this way: search engine crawlers are “blind” and keywords are the braille allowing them to “see” what needs to be indexed for a search engine results page (SERP). So, this means you want the keywords on your website to remain fixed, to make sure search engines recognize your site as a credible source to be displayed on a SERP. It also means you need to generate ongoing, keyword-rich content to attract even more attention from the search engines.

Now, to some readers, this information may not be all that new. But, when thinking about the many customers who have come to us after experiencing retainer-based “freshening” that did more harm than good to their site’s authority — not to mention depleting their budget with no results to show for it―a quick SEO recap seemed appropriate. In fact, you may want to pour it into your mental cup and drink up.

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Madison, WI, has a lot of great coffee shops to choose from, and one of my favorites is a place called Colectivio. They have a light breakfast blend called Del Sol that is tremendous.

This is a very smooth, well-balanced cuppa joe that doesn’t need much cream or sugar.

Del Sol’s flavor profile:
– Roast: light to medium
– Body: medium to heavy
– Acidity: smooth & bright

Next time you’re on the square, stop by and enjoy a cup.

Thank you for visiting Cuppa SEO!

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Welcome to Cuppa SEO.

My name is Joey Donovan Guido and today we’re going to be talking about how we can communicate better with the people who visit our web sites.

It’s a very simple concept that’s often overlooked:

Start with hello.

And I’m not saying that we actually have to say “hello,” “greetings” or “welcome” on our home page. What I’m saying is that when somebody visits, when they arrive at our home page, we want them to FEEL welcome and comfortable. It’s the energy or the vibe that were giving them.

For an example let’s take a look at my website, CuppaSEO.com. My goal here was to make visitors feel welcome through the use of imagery, color and tone. The little bit of copy I chose supports the visual and contains a few relevant keyword phrases for good measure.

The photo at the bottom left was taken by my son Max at our favorite coffee shop, Bradbury’s, in downtown Madison Wisconsin.

Another good example that comes to mind is when I go for a bike ride. When I go out I greet every person I pass on my bike. Now they don’t always answer — sometimes they completely ignore me. And this is something that’s going to happen on your website as well, right?

Not everybody’s going to respond in kind when you reach out to them with a warm welcome. But your are still the one who needs to make the first gesture — to greet them first.

When you do this, you’ll see that you’ll improve the success of your website because what you’re essentially doing is connecting with somebody on a deeper level.

That’s all I have for today. Thank you so much for visiting Cup SEO, and until next time, be well.

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