May is a special month for the partners of Sidhe Communications. This year, we celebrate our 5th year anniversary. We are proud to present our fresh new ideas and approaches for success in the organic search marketing field.

Over the past five years we have implemented many new website marketing services, such as keyword analysis, website analytics readings, blogs, and audio and video podcasts. All of these services increase real traffic to websites, which in turn helps to build businesses, lives, and communities. Our clients are all small to medium sized businesses looking to compete in the internet marketplace. We help place them on page one of Google under primary and secondary keyphrases and watch their businesses expand.

The partners of Sidhe Communications have been experimenting with various formats and plans to determine how much text must be uploaded to a website each month in order to attract search. We now know that between 3,000-3,500 words of text per month is the right amount of promotional material to keep a website 1. recent & 2. relevant on search.

Thanks to the implementation of Google Analytics new Beta version for tracking, and a clause in our contract which requires that Sidhe Communications tracks websites we promote, we are now able to show, statistically, that our methods increase traffic to a website by 30-75%. In the higher stats figures, a seasoned SEO programmer is employed to ‘open the gates for search’ on the back end of the website, in conjunction with our organic search marketing campaign.

As we look to the future with our client base, we are beginning to examine and address usability issues. Usability problems or issues are the number one reason why traffic does not stay or return to a website. We are now offering website upgrades to client contracts that include a focus on keeping traffic on a website — and encouraging traffic to return.

Since the fall of 2007 we have been implementing and testing our podcast production and syndication project. This has been a rewarding experience for Sarah and myself. We have now opened up the full spectrum of Web 2.0’s new media to our client base. We bring the same amount of creativity and vigor to each podcast project that we bring to our writing endeavors.

What lies ahead for Sidhe Communications LLC is a year filled with the promise of even more partnerships with programming and design firms. As we partner with publicity firms, and small to medium sized companies throughout the United States, we are coming the to the realization that we are helping to usher in a whole new age in marketing, advertising, and publicity through the arena of website promotion. The consumer no longer wants scripted, glossy, canned material that is designed to make you want to buy. Instead, the online consumer is interested in authenticity, real value, and expertise that cannot be found elsewhere. In all of the materials Sidhe Communications creates, we strive to educate and inform the consumer because the online marketplace is different from traditional media.

Finally, Sarah and I are both proud to be working with a whole new crop of talented writers who are being trained to implement keyword writing, internal and external linking, and other best practices for website writing into their work. Many of these writers come to us with decades of experience in traditional publicity and marketing. Like us, these writers are willing to embrace website writing techniques and incorporate it into their work.

Sidhe Communications is proud to be both pioneers and innovators in the field of organic search marketing. We look forward to helping smaller companies rise and compete in the online world.

Elizabeth Kirwin

General Partner, Sidhe Communications

(Asheville, North Carolina, March 21, 2008) The partners of Sidhe Communications LLC will present the first in a series of organic search marketing classes beginning on May 17th, 2008 at the Raleigh School of Communication Arts Digital Circus from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Seating is limited to 20-25 participants, so reservations must be made in advance. Cost is $200. Visit http://www.sidhecommunications.com and click the link to download a registration form. Payment can be made by check or Paypal. A command of standard written English and good writing skills are required.
The world of organic search marketing is not yet clearly defined by the tech community. The partners of Sidhc Communications are professional writers, with backgrounds in public relations, marketing, and teaching which makes them unique. Sidhe Communications is dedicated to bringing fresh ideas and new perspectives to the organic search marketing profession. “This hands-on class will benefit the website owner, the dot com developer, individual bloggers, content writers, and Internet entrepreneurs who want to learn the basic principles of effective organic search marketing,” said co-owner Elizabeth Kirwin.
Sidhe Communications is a pioneer in the development of organic search marketing campaigns. They began researching, developing and testing their methods in 2003. Today, their client websites are reliant upon keyword written materials for their success on organic search.
Co-founder Elizabeth Kirwin is a part-time Literature and Language professor at University of North Carolina Asheville, and has taught college writing for 10 years. Co-founder Sarah Benoit is a professional writer and search engine marketing specialist. Ms. Benoit teaches small business classes on Internet research, website marketing, and keyword writing.
Elizabeth Kirwin will provide an overview of best practices for writing for the web, and discuss the basics of keyword writing strategies that optimize content for organic search. Sarah Benoit will review the importance of keywords studies, offer an overview of keyword research, and step participants through a keyword research exercise. The course is designed to be interactive. Participants will be asked to bring a list of 10-15 keywords with them, and a website writing task to be completed.
Sidhe Communications unique website promotion methods help small to medium sized companies compete by attaining high search rank using the long tail of keywords. To register download the application form visit Sidhe Communications home page.

Elizabeth Kirwin, General Partner of Sidhe Communications, says, “Go to Sarah Benoit’s Asheville Score Seminar for a broad overview of best practices in website marketing and smart content development.”

Sarah has been an innovator in keyword research for four years. She is an expert at text deployment on the web, and has helped to develop and test the manual article syndication system we use at Sidhe.
The cost is $30. Mark your calendars: May 10, 2008.

Visit the Asheville SCORE website to sign up today.

Asheville SCORE Website 

Elizabeth Kirwin

Keyword analysis is an art and a science combined. It began as a tool to ramp up Pay Per Click campaigns quickly and cost effectively.

Over the course of the last four years, the partners of Sidhe Communications have been conducting keyword research in a totally different manner than PPC specialists.

The Difference Between Keyword Analysis for Organic Search and PPC
With programs like Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery, it is possible to research and know about the popular words clients and prospects use to find products and services on the World Wide Web. Once a definitive list of keywords and keyphrases is determined, we create an organic search campaign that incorporates many, if not all of them. In PPC, high popularity and low cost words are the emphasis. In Organic Search, there is no need for penny pinching. The keyword campaign can be executed over the long-term, and the volume of words is only limited by the amount of text created, which is unlimited.

Shhhhhh… Secret Formulas for Keyword Analysis
At Sidhe Communications, we have a secret formula, like most keyword researchers, and are reluctant to tell it all. Our unique signature process of keyword research and application for organic search campaigns has been effective over the long haul for our small to medium sized business clients. Their website marketing strategies enable them to ‘get the niche’ and gobble a chunk of primary markets that formerly belonged to big corporations.

The Writer’s Mind and Keyword Analysis
One thing I know for certain is that the process of keyword analysis, when it begins in the mind of a writer, is far different than that of PPC marketer. We may research and discover the same keywords, related keywords and keyphrases. However, our selection criteria is different, and PPC limits the number of keywords and phrases to fit with client budgets. For organic search, we are always interested in expanding our niche markets, and discovering new popular keywords and keyphrases, which lead to new website content, story ideas, blogs, and press releases.

Using Website Analytics to Test the Effectiveness of Organic Search Materials
The partners of Sidhe Communications measure the effectiveness of keywords and keyphrases in organic search materials. We simply follow the analytics once text materials have been deployed on the Web and measure the number of visits surrounding certain keyword topics. If the topics are popular, keep writing. If topics prove less popular, we shift gears and select new topics.

Get the Niche: Use Keyword Research
Keyword research is the most fascinating field of study for a writer. It is exciting to determine a word’s popularity, use it, and take a client to new heights with their website materials. Because keyword analysis is only now just being applied to organic search campaigns, many are wondering how this can actually work. After four years of applying our own process to numerous client sites and measuring results over the long term, I am here to say it does work. It takes some persistence and effort, but using keywords in website content and promotional materials not only provides a website an actually identity, it also builds an excellent foundation for years of successful search placement.

DIY Crowd Listen UP

Sidhe Communications: Web Site Writing Experts

The partners of Sidhe Communications have been writing for the web for a decade now. Since both Sarah and I have experience in writing for print media, we know there is indeed, a huge difference between this and digital media work. After years of cultivating a different set of skills for web site writing, we are just about ready to bring the tech and professional communities a series of classes focused on commercial web site writing.

Teaching at University of North Carolina Asheville

In addition to my role as co-owner of Sidhe Communications, I teach writing and research part time at the University of North Carolina Asheville. I personally critique a great deal of information throughout a semester, with about 20 students per class and four formal writing assignments a semester. I also teach writing in a prison setting, in Morganton NC, through the University’s Distance and Extension Education program. I could write a whole blog on prison teaching alone, but I won’t. Let’s suffice it to say that these students are a challenge for me, but well worth the time I spend in the classroom with them.

The City of Asheville Converts to CMS to Serve the Public Better

About two months ago I attended a meeting with Lauren Bradley, a City of Asheville representative and Elaine Fox, the Director of Distance and Extension Education at UNCA. We were discussing the development of a business writing class geared towards professionals. At this time, I spoke up, and emphasized my experience in web site content development. Lauren turned to me and said, “After the business writing class is over, we’d like you to develop a class on web site writing, too. You see, right now, we are about to convert to a CMS web site, and we need to make sure individual departments are trained to produce copy for the web site.” I agreed, and later, over a cup of coffee, Elaine Fox encouraged me to develop this course.

Web Site Writing and the Curriculum

The next step was approaching Gwen Ashburn, Chair of the Literature and Language Program. Luckily, I have a great rapport with Gwen, and she shares my vision of serving the community at large. She was very excited to hear about the prospect of a web site writing class. I scanned UNCA’s catalogue. I reviewed the Media Arts Program, Mass Communications, and even Computer Science departments course offerings. A website writing class was nowhere to be found in our curriculum.

I have been teaching at the college level for ten years. Within the last five, I have wanted to teach a website writing class. With the resources of academia behind me, I am now realizing my dream. My class has been approved and is already underway. The schedule is April 30th to June 4th. The class is Website Writing and Content Development and is designed specifically for the City of Asheville, a service organization.

Over the past ten years, there has not been that much intersection between my life as a web site development and promotion specialist and higher education. This year, on the cusp of such great change, and with the popularity of organic search, I feel the time is right to merge my creative and business life with my academic life. I am honored that Gwen Ashburn and Elaine Fox are supporting me, and placing me in such a visible role with the City itself.

Blogs About Website Writing Class

Over the course of the next month or so, I will be blogging about the Web Site Writing class, and some of the real issues that companies and organizations are facing implementing a CMS website. I will always honor my students’ privacy and will keep issues that are confidential private. At the same time, I will offer my readers a glimpse into the real challenges of asking any type of employee who is not specifically trained in Web Site Writing, to take on this task, and to do it properly and effectively.

A Return to the Basics of Writing

In developing this course, I see a real need to return to the basics of writing again. Even for a professional, college educated, or self-educated audience, it makes sense to start and end with the foundations of good writing. These basic skills include: the ability to summarize, properly cite sources, write appealing and descriptive headlines, subheads and photo captions, and write in short, concise language. Specific web site writing skills taught include an overview of keyword research and writing and writing with internal and external links.

As CMS systems gain in popularity, and search engines continue to crave content, the need to develop these skills will grow.

More Web Site Marketing and Writing Classes in Development

In keeping with our philosophy of helping small to medium sized businesses compete in the Internet marketplace, we are developing website writing and marketing classes that are affordable, at only $75.00 per student per 3 hour session.

The partners of Sidhe Communications will be developing and deploying a whole series of classes about website writing and web site promotion in the coming months. We will begin with a class on Commercial Website Writing, designed to help the website owner or company representative develop persuasive marketing content to sell products or services. Sarah Benoit will follow this with a class on Article Writing and Article Marketing. Article writing and marketing is one of Sidhe Communications’ most effective web site promotion techniques to boost keyword density and create infinite back links, as well as establish a writer’s expert status online.

Realize and Implement the Power of Writing Catchy, Engaging Content

For me, 2007 is not just the year of organic search. This year, I’d like to offer my expertise as an educator to assist the online marketing community in getting back to the basics. Let’s realize the power of writing good content together. Trust me, I will convince you that original ideas are currency on the Internet. Expressing ideas clearly can yield fantastic results on the World Wide Web. I’ll provide some solid examples to prove my point, over and over again. The partners of Sidhe Communications look forward to teaching geeks and other professionals how to write effective content for the web.

Elizabeth Kirwin
Partner & Co-Owner
Sidhe Communications

Dear P:

I haven’t heard from you in a few years and running into you the other day at that search engine marketing conference was quite a surprise. You look great. Though you seem a bit unhappy, too.

Where have you been hiding? Have you been squirreled away in a cube or corner office, a spare room of a house or basement, writing code for years on end? Do you find people like me, versed in communication of all sorts, a bit boring? Or am I, like me friends say – just -challenging? Do you need a techie to talk to? Or can you actually still hold a conversation with me, your long lost lover, the professional writer. I was wondering, since you’ve mastered these other programming languages, when you might like to try to master English again?

I mean, I know you know how to write standard written English. You’re just out of practice. And you’re creative like me – so you have some great ideas that could easily translate into our common language – English. But since you’ve been writing code for so long, it has mingled with the language centers in your brain. You’ve changed. You’re not the same guy I knew in college, who had to write essays and some history papers, or get up in front of a class and speak. Now you write practically nothing. And you’re speaking is beginning to sound a bit like html, too. Sorry I had to be the one to tell you that, but it’s true. Even the people you work with find it hard to understand you sometimes.

If only we could be back in each other’s lives again, back in each other’s arms. You hardly ever call me. And, I’m a professional writer who could actually help you reinvent yourself and your website. Is it because you don’t have the money to take me out for a nice dinner? Or are you just too proud to admit it gets lonely out there on your own? Or, here’s a famous excuse you’ve used before — you’re just too buried in code to get out anymore.

Honestly, P, let’s cut through the B.S. I’d really like to see you. I make my own money, so I could take you out. My website is jamming, because I’ve got content, and the phone is jingling off the hook with new clients reaching me everyday. You know you can’t do it all on your own. We’ve been through this before.

P, you’ve become reliant on code to communicate and transmit information on the internet for too long. In the late Nineties and for the first five years or so of the new millennium, your code made your website a star on the internet – good for you. You say you pocketed some cash from selling that tech company and now you’ve started a new website project.

You’ve used the same old tricks and a few new ones to land your website on the first page of Google. But then, things started to change, as they always do. Now that Web 2.0 is in full swing, it’s different, isn’t it? People with real content, not programming expertise alone, are landing on page one of Google — not your site. It’s so unfair.

I hope that we can at least get together for some coffee and chat. I’d like to catch up, see that winning smile on your face again, and just flirt a little bit. It’s springtime. So, why not? I’d like to help you remember that you CAN write, you can DIY, with a little coaching from me or others like me. While you’ve been learning to write new code, I’ve picked up a few tricks myself. I know about marketing and PR. And I’ve done it before with other brilliant minds — I can find great ways to translate your ideas into bait for the press or content that yields more traffic.

P, you need to change your attitude just a teensy bit, if you want to go out with me again. Get real, first of all. I mean, the way you handle the back end of sites is awesome. Without your skill in crafting the code, the search engines wouldn’t even bother. But real people don’t read the back end of sites, they read the front end. Your website needs to have a voice — an identity – to get noticed and keep the visitors returning.

P, if you’re interested, give me a call (828-258-0222), and we can ‘just talk.’ You might not want to get involved right away, and that’s O.K. There’s no harm in talking, or coffee right? P, I really miss you. So, let’s not waste anymore time. Life is short and we might not be here tomorrow, if the whole world continues to go to hell in a hand basket. Let’s get together, real time, not just on the computer.

Visits to Tech Hubs for Updates on the Tech Boom

Tech Boom in Washington D.C.
I’ve visited some tech hubs this year, beginning on January 3rd, when I spent some time in Washington D.C. speaking to a partner at Tech Assist. This wireless communication company also has a burgeoning web site development department. I was discussing the possibility of our firm partnering with the web site development department to offer web site writing and web site promotion services to their client base.

Tech Assist was interested in offering search engine marketing plans to their clients. However, like many tech companies, Tech Assist had some organization and expansion issues to deal with first. Speaking to a partner at Tech Assist is where I first caught wind of the fact that the organic search phenomenon was getting ready to explode. Although many companies still bank their web site marketing on Pay-Per-Click, other companies are more interested in coming up first in organic search engine placement. Sidhe Communications has specialized in the development and dissemination of keyword rich text for our clients for four years. Our organic search strategies have been effective in assisting small to medium sized companies compete with larger companies in the Internet marketplace. Organic search was about to become ‘popular.’ Hooray! In my discussions in D.C. that day, I realized that organic search’s popularity hit the Internet airwaves with a blast because Google finally changed its algorithms to search for content that is both relevant (keyword rich) and recent.

Tech Hub near Atlanta in Alpharetta Georgia
By the end of February I was ready for another trip, this time to Atlanta Georgia. Sidhe Communications met with one of our creative partners, Go Media Solutions, a web site design and programming firm. Sarah Benoit and I had lunch with Go Media Solutions CEO David Griffith. His firm builds high end, high performance web sites with tight web site programming on the back end. When we apply our organic search methods of content development and promotional text to his client web sites, they see results and ROI.

Search Engine Marketing Collaboration
Go Media Solutions is located in Alpharetta, Georgia. Just inside the perimeter, Alpharetta is a tech hub in the midst of a boom. David Griffith asked Sidhe Communications to partner with Go Media Solutions in presenting educational seminars on search engine marketing. We agreed.

Text Based Internet Marketing Strategies
At one time, Griffith promoted his own web site properties with Pay-Per-Click. Now he understands that content development and text based promotional techniques such as article writing, press release writing, and blogging, are longer lasting and, in some cases, more effective then Pay-Per-Click. Griffith was also keenly aware of the algorithm change in Google. He agreed there was a groundswell of need now to develop professional content and text based strategies to promote client web sites.

Raleigh Durham Tech Industry Boom Town
In late February, I had the opportunity to visit the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina, the great ‘think tank’ of the tech boom in the East. I plan to return to a CampD South event in May that will hopefully be held in or near Carrborro.

Tagging Ecommerce Products With Text
On my visit to the area, I met with a company that owned several E-commerce sites which were producing millions of dollars in revenue through Pay-Per-Click. But suddenly, at the beginning of this year, the company was no longer showing up under the organic search terms for their brand. Only Pay-Per-Click ads were showing on page one of Google. The company was interested in speaking to Sidhe Communications about developing more content, tagging their products with actual text, and promoting their sites with blogs, forums, and articles.

It was not yet time for this company to embark upon content development and web site promotion for their web site properties. Some compelling programming problems needed to be fixed first. There was also some reference to an archaic server that needed to be updated.

Print Media Squares Off with Web Site Marketing
I felt the company stakeholders’ apprehension about web site content development and their subtle but noticeable guilt complex about too much dependence on Pay-Per-Click income, without much stability or security. There was also that old familiar clash between old school (print media) and new school (web site marketing) brewing within the company. All in all, it was a productive visit, and I was grateful for their Southern hospitality. I noticed they did take some income to invest in a well-appointed new office space. During the three-hour ride home, I was wondering, deep inside, why there was resistance to organic search methods of marketing a website.

Back to Organic SEO in Asheville, North Carolina
I finally returned my road weary self to Asheville, North Carolina where Sidhe Communications offices are located. As spring approached, I studied my own thoughts on content development for web sites and web site promotion for weeks on end. I conversed with my business partner. I reached out to my colleagues in SEM and Information Architecture listserves and groups.

Sidhe Communications: A Voice in the Wilderness in 2004
I reflected upon the history of Sidhe Communications and its connection to the tech industry. First, there was this feeling of loneliness and isolation when Sarah Benoit and I began experimenting with text based web site promotion strategies in 2003 and 2004 with smaller companies. Nobody seemed to care. Some professionals thought we had lost our minds. Except programmers, of course, who for some reason, understand the inherent madness of writers. Programmers applauded our work, and continued to educate us about other possibilities. It took some time, but by 2005, our clients were seeing real solid returns on their investments and they were willing to reinvest their cash flow into more website marketing.

Build Quality Content into a Website
Building quality content is a commitment for any website owner. Website content development takes time, resources, and a continued commitment. The partners and writers of Sidhe Communications are experts in doing this work. We don’t go keyword crazy or produce material only a computer can read. We produce keyword rich copy that is relevant, sales oriented, and easy to read and digest.

For a free consultation, or to simply discuss what is on your mind regarding organic search methods of marketing a website, call me direct at 828-258-0222.

Elizabeth Kirwin
Partner & Co-Owner
Sidhe Communications

What created the thrilling, and ultimately crushing, roller coaster ride of the late 90s dot com boom? An overzealous optimism that the world would readily embrace Internet technology, web site capabilities, on-line shoping, and more. Tech Companies believed the world would do this instantly, since the technology was not only available, it was affordable.

Yet it took some years for many to finally give in, quit cursing technology, and embrace it.

The infant Internet industry fell victim to bad business decisions, too. Many companies were over financed on speculative projects that didn’t produce projected income. Really, at the heart of it, I believe Wall Street financers wanted the dot com industry to fail. Why?

The tech industry was becoming a serious threat to blue chip stocks, NASDQ, and old school ways of doing business. The very core of traditional business methods was being eroded. Wall Street was financing ideas, rather than products and industries. Ideas are ethereal aren’t they?

Who was being left behind? Anybody who didn’t embrace the new Internet technology, would soon date themselves. The implosion for Dot Com companies came swiftly and surely on Wall Street, with shareholders taking their profits or losses and selling off their shares. And then it seemed like it was over.

Out of the ashes arose EBay, Amazon, Yahoo, and more. These companies thrived in spite of the Dot Com bust. How did they do it? Their business models were not so risky, and their web site traffic originated from real popularity. As these companies evolved, some became public offerings and were financed based on actual bottom line results, not a pipe dream.

Internet Gold – It’s 2007 — Stake Your Claim
Fast Forward to the Tech Boom now. Companies are making the same mistakes with over financing, and taking huge unnecessary risks, in order to be successful quickly. This boom mentality may take many companies down the same path to disintegration.

Tech companies with Etail web sites or multiple web sites to promote are investing large amounts of money in Pay Per Click Campaigns (PPC), without concerning themselves with organic SEO or web site content, at all.

PPC – Boom or Bust?
At first, the PPC generated income is an awesome relief. But then the Tech company becomes dependent upon this income stream. Unexpectedly, the first of many storms hits. A competitor begins to bid for the same keywords, and the price for PPC rises, or the company must withdraw their bids because they are unable to compete, and the company must sacrifice the market or niche they’re after. This leads to a reduced income stream.

Create Real Web Site Content
My advice to clients is to create real keyword rich copy for their web sites before entering the PPC arena. It is really necessary to construct a solid foundation first, before taking large risks with web site marketing. By developing real web site content with keywords, a company is staking its claim for some Internet gold. Then it’s just a matter of how persistent you are about digging deep down, over a period of say 6 months - 3 years, to steadily continue to use text based web site promotion methods, instead of or in addition to PPC. The interesting traffic on the web site will increase, the more content is pushed out onto a web site. This traffic visits for real information and – to buy goods or services.

Web Site Marketing with Speedy Results
If you need to generate immediate income or leads from a web site, do some keyword rich blogging, and couple it with a short PPC campaign with keywords that are carefully selected. Don’t risk the whole web site marketing budget on PPC. Why? Because when the money runs out, so do the click thrus to the web site. But with organic SEO, traffic surges accompany content updates, blogs, press releases, or articles. These text based methods of web site promotion can increase the keyword density on a web site and attract fresh traffic upon publication, and for years to come.

Don’t be a Tech Bust, Participate in the Tech Boom
Don’t be fooled. Building a tech company on PPC web site marketing ONLY is a bad idea. At some point, the competition will come out to face you, in the form of a bidding war. Look to organic SEO methods, such as web site content, blogs, articles, and press releases to provide the interesting traffic needed to make products or services most successful.

Elizabeth Kirwin
Partner & Co-Owner
Sidhe Communications

Check out my article on interpreting web site analytics http://www.sidhecommunications.com/blog/2007/02/. It’s the best way to determine the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns. Very few PR and Marketing professionals know about it. In fact, many web site owners are unaware they even HAVE access to their web site analytics.

Learning how to interpret web site analytics is not hard. It simply takes having a grasp on some technical jargon. It means putting some time aside each month to view and interpret the information. With the valuable information that web site analytics provides, marketing and PR professionals can adjust online marketing campaigns accordingly, and maximize their return on investment (ROI) in web site promotion.

– Elizabeth Kirwin

Partner, Sidhe Communications

ekirwin@bellsouth.net

Many people are beginning to catch on to the importance of keywords when marketing your web site or working towards better search engine optimization, however, it is important not to just create a list of keywords at random. There are ways to learn what words are being used by your target market. Once you have this information you can begin to compete for page one on any serach engine.

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