by Danyl Williams, Knowledge Base Writer, Constant Contact

Hunt or be hunted? You don’t hunt for your customers, they hunt for you. They silently creep closer and closer, and then they pounce! Predators are opportunistic hunters; after a careful stalk, will most often get their prey. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) feeds the search engine ranking beast, helps you get recognized, and is how you get found by your customers.

How can you use Constant Contact Email Marketing to be found online? Use these great tips I got from Constant Contact’s FREE webinar, The Power of Social Media, SEO and Email!

1. Utilize your Website and Social Media Sites:

If you have a website that is visible to search engines, you should put your Archive URL on your site. (Your Archived newsletters need to be linked from an already searchable website or they will not be indexed by the search engines.) In addition to your website, place your Archive URL on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This allows customers to search for your newsletters and see all the interesting information you’ve provided in the past.

2. Create a blog, write for someone else’s blog, or write an article for your local newspaper’s website:

You can also place your Archive URL within a blog. What’s the advantage of this? Blogs can be easy to maintain, and most are free. If you don’t have a blog of your own, you can always volunteer to write for someone else’s and link back to either your website or Social Media page. You could also write a press release, store promotion, or an article for your local newspaper’s website that contains interesting facts about your specialty.

3. Optimize your Archived emails with Keywords:

Keywords and optimization are not just for your webpage, you can also apply these lessons to your email. Pick words or phrases that best describe what your organization does and the products/services that you offer. Populate your articles with these words or phrases (including headers, titles, and body content).You can even check out how the words you are using are found with different search engines.

4. Use inbound links from other websites pointing at yours:

Having credible websites link to you will make finding you that much easier! Connect with other businesses and have them link to your website or blog. This will draw traffic and interest to your business. Never buy links, instead think quality over quantity. Related associations in your area of expertise are more valuable than an unrelated businesses, online communities, and blogs.

For additional information, view the following websites and whitepapers:

• Discover what else you can do with Social Media, visit our website directed at Social Media for Small Business.
• Whitepaper: Email Marketing for Website Owners: How to Turn Clicks into Customers
• Whitepaper: Using Social Media to Extend Your Email Marketing Campaign Effectiveness

Marketing Sherpa (http://www.marketingsherpa.com/) is a great resource for case studies and insights into marketing tactics. You can also find more information by visiting our Helpful Websites section of our Learning Center.

A good beginner’s guide to SEO can be found at SEOmoz. So, how are you planning your strategy to get found?