SEO made easy

I have compiled a 12 point check list mostly for myself and my own SEO work. If it can be useful to you too, help yourself to the list!





1. The ideal is to identify the keywords that your prospects actually use, but the competitors don’t use to optimize their pages.

2. Use a targeted optimization strategy by picking a few pages, that’s the way to get the biggest bang for your buck.

3. Web crawlers does not like of you optimize a page for more than one word, therefore, each page should be optimized for a different key word.

4.Understand how Google rank pages. They use more than 200 signals and keep them a secret, but talk to an SEO expert to keep up with the changes.

5. 40% of searches happen through other services such as Bing. Most search engines use the same signals, but prioritize differently. So don’t miss out on web traffic through other engines.

6. A correctly tagged page code is important for the web crawlers to pick up your content and present it when your prospect use keywords to find you. If the page description uses keyword and is informative, there’s a better chance your prospects will want to click through to the page.

7. Make sure your web design is handled right. Flash and other types of multi media need to be handled in the right way for SEO.

8. SEO doesn’t like slow web pages – Google’s algorithm docks you for it when ranking search results. Therefore make sure jQueries and other plug ins are structured correctly.

9.Make external links to other pages. Make sure the links are interesting.

10. Use key words in your posts on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to attract prospects and build network of advocates.

11. Fresh content helps your page rankings, you need to constantly reevaluate your strategy, the codes and page content in order to keep attracting prospects.

12. The longer you stick with it the more you will see the difference on your bottom line, use Google analytics or new leads as a measurement of the benefits over time.

Most important, start with optimizing your website if you haven’t done it already. How many points could you say DONE to?

My husband will not go to a professional massage therapist!

Massage is a healing art as well as a science. We practice home massage as an art, regularly indulging ourselves in the relaxation of a hot stone massage, or the incredible tension release of a hard Swedish massage after a stressful work week. According to my husband, I am the best massager in the world(he is not that bad himself), but we are amateurs and I would very much like for him to experience the preventative health advantages of a professional treating it as a science. A professional massage requires a balance of academic and technical knowledge, clinical skills, manual dexterity, sensitivity, and awareness; we are mere amateurs with care for each other.

He refuses to visit a professional massage therapist for reasons such as too much intimacy, potential male embarrassment or misunderstanding, an unwillingness to trust a stranger with his body, inconsistent quality of service and a general feeling of being in a vulnerable situation.

In my job search, I came across a Communication Manager job for an organization I had never heard about: the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). They are looking for people dedicated to advancing the highest standards in the massage therapy and bodywork profession to joint their team. What a great opportunity, I thought. I wanted to research this industry to determine if the job would be a great fit – and at the same time collect arguments with the purpose of convincing my husband he would be in safe hands with a professional massage therapist conducting business within a strict code of ethics he can trust and a standard of practice he can rely on. All he has to do, is to make sure the therapist is certified by NCBTMB.

Fast changing industry
Massage therapy has the attributes of an emerging profession undergoing relatively fast-paced change. For example in my research I found that professional standards for both individuals and massage training programs have markedly advanced and increased over the past five years, but still the standards in the field are not uniform. Prior to 1989, when the massage therapy profession was smaller and there were fewer schools, people often prepared by taking workshops from independent instructors or studying with a practitioner in an apprenticeship. This is no longer the case. As part of the advancement of standards in the field, a national certification program began in 1992, administered by the NCBTMB. Similar to the national boards given in other healthcare fields, the exam is given at test centers across the country. Those who pass the exam become eligible to use the title Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and may use the initials NCTMB.

Regulated profession and accredited training required
Today, the profession is regulated in 33 states and in DC. In states without regulation of massage, municipalities tend to have requirements for a business license. For example, it may be required to complete from 300 to 1,000 hours of in-class training programs and to pass the National Certification Exam. The training program should also be approved by a credible, national accreditation agency. One such agency is the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) which has accredited 70 training programs and institutions so far.

Where do we find a good therapist?
I am delighted to find massage therapists just about everywhere. They practice in a variety of settings, such as private offices or massage therapy clinics, chiropractors’ or doctors’ offices, holistic health clinics, health clubs and fitness centers, spas, nursing homes and hospitals, with sports teams, and sports medicine facilities. Some massage therapists even have portable equipment and work at their clients’ offices or homes. I have also seen massage therapists at our local mall and just the other month, I had a massage at the Copenhagen airport while waiting for a delayed flight.

Both he and I agree, massage therapy has a broad number of applications we can benefit from - from relaxation, stress reduction, health promotion, pain management and injury recovery. In the safe hands of NCBTMB I am hopeful he no longer will fear unprofessional therapists or not being treated with respect and care.

I am grateful to the NCBTMB for helping me convince my husband over dinner tonight as I have been convinced it would be awesome to join the team to further advance the highest standards for massage therapy. I truly believe in the profound health prevention benefits of massage and would like more people to dare try.