In the fall of 2012, with the help of my partners, I created a piece of software that helps business owners that want to try to tackle SEO on their own do it better. Our software will audit your website, track your rankings for high-value keywords, analyze your competitors, show what has been changed on your website (helpful if you're paying someone else to do your SEO), and identify opportunities to make improvements.

I'm telling you all of this because of what I'm about to say next...

You Don't need another SEO tool.

That?s right. Most of you searching for a better SEO toolset are wasting your time and money. What you should be doing instead is learning more about how to better utilize two free tools you probably already have (and Don't even know it).

The SEO tools I?m referring to are Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.

In this blog post, I?m going to provide you with a couple of ideas for how you can use Google Analytics (GA) and Google Webmaster Tools (GWT) to improve your site?s organic rankings (i.e. your SEO).

Getting More from Google Analytics

There are dozens of ways you can use Google Analytics as an SEO tool, but I?m going to share with you my three favorit's:

1. Advanced Traffic Segments

Advanced traffic segments allow you to create a filter within Google Analytics to isolate one segment of traffic. For example, let's say you run a handyman company in Charlotte, NC. You get about 2,000 visits to your website per month, but only a handful of leads.

It could be that your website isn't very well-optimized to convert visitors into leads, but more likely, you're not really getting 2,000 visits per month. By creating an advanced traffic segment that shows only visitors from within your service area, you might find that you actually receive 300 visits per month.

An increase in visits to your website from organic search where the keyword used does NOT include your company name is a great measure of SEO success (far superior to tracking individual keyword rankings). I typically refer to visits from this traffic segment as Non-Branded Organic Traffic or Non-Branded Organic Search). The trouble is, Google Analytics doesn't show this by default.

By creating an advanced segment that shows only visitors from this segment you can quickly determine whether your SEO campaign is delivering qualified visitors to your website or not. If you're generating visitors, but no leads, maybe you're targeting the wrong keywords or your website isn?t holding up its end of the bargain. If you're a local contractor, maybe the visitors are coming in from outside your service area (suggesting that you need more work on your local SEO).

Better (more granular) data allows you to make better decisions.

2. Top Landing Pages

Login to your Google Analytics account. Look at the left-side navigation menu. Click Content > Site Content > Landing Pages. Now, use the secondary dimension option to select keywords. This report will show you which pages attracted visitors to your website and the keywords the visitors used to find the page.

Reviewing this report on a regular basis will provide you with a bunch of insights and valuable takeaways.

First, you get a sense that each page on your website--assuming it's well-targeted and optimized--acts like a funnel to bring more visitors to your website. By creating more pages, you'll see traffic, leads, and sales increase and you can use this report to quantify how well you're doing.

Second, seeing the keyword someone searched to find your pages allows you to consider the following:

• What did the visitor do after they came to my site?
• Is it what I wanted them to do?
• If not, why not?
• Is the page they found really the one I want them to find when they search that keyword?
• How does my page rank for that keyword? What can I do to re-optimize the page?

When business owners hire me to help them with SEO, one of the questions they ask, "How long is this going to take?" Most want to spend the least amount possible for the shortest amount of time.Understandable, but I hope that the example above illustrates that SEO and website optimization is an ongoing process (like managing your company's financial performance).

It never stops--unless you achieve your goal(s)--and even then you have to maintain what you have.

You Don't have to keep paying me, but someone has to do the work on a regular basis. SEO and website performance is ALWAYS going either up or down. Once you have 500 visits (or more per month), you need to start reviewing this stuff on a weekly/monthly basis. The output is a "to do" list of things to fix / TEST.

Again, there are more than a dozen different ways to use Google Analytics as an SEO tool. The two above are very helpful, but They are also easy to learn (unlike tracking your keyword rankings in Google Analytics ? something you can do, but setting it up is more complicated).

Now, let?s switch gears and look at Google Webmaster Tools from an SEO standpoint.

Getting Started with Google Webmaster Tools

Some of you may not be familiar with GWT, but you should be?it's an unbelievably awesome tool for SEO. Three of the best ways to improve your site?s rankings using Google Webmaster Tools are:

1. Crawl Errors Report

One of the key features of many different SEO software programs is a crawl error report, but GWT offers this too and it's FREE. In order for your website to rank well organically, search engines like Google must be able to crawl your website and your website?s pages.

Crawl errors can prevent Googlebot, the software Google uses to crawl and index your website, from finding and properly reading your website pages. You can have the world?s best website content, pictures, etc., but if Googlebot hits a road block and can?t find them, you're never going to leap-frog your competitors in the search results.

2. Search Queries Report

The search queries report helps you monitor two of the most important SEO metrics available--impressions and click-through rate. Using your rankings for a specific keyword is a sh*tty way to evaluate your SEO results. Most contractors doing this Don't realize that the rankings they are seeing are NOT what their prospects are seeing.

Wha wha what?!

That's right--a few years ago Google started personalizing the search results based on the location of the visitor, personal settings, previous searches, etc.

Impressions and click-through rate are far better metrics and they are easily found and/or calculated from data that comes from the search queries report in GWT. In the search queries report in GWT, first exclude any searches that include your company name (i.e. branded searches). You might also want to filter out visitors outside your service area.

What you have left is impressions from non-branded keywords. If impressions are trending up year-over-year, it generally means that you're doing a good job targeting the right keywords and that your organic rankings are on the rise. This said, high rankings for relevant keywords mean little if you're unable to entice searchers to click on your website (vs. a competitor?s site). If your search rankings are <10 and you're not getting many clicks, it might be time to re-optimize that page?s meta description tag.

Conclusion & Takeaways

While better tools can give you an edge over your competition, most contractors would achieve more by fully utilizing the tools they already have. Stop looking for a magic pill--it doesn't exist. Love him or hate him, Tiger Woods will kick your butt at golf with a set of spoons.

Kitchen remodeling is heavily influenced by design trends, and these trends are constantly shifting and changing with the times. With the ebb and flow of remodeling, vintage styles are often mixed-in with modern innovation, and you won't find a better example of this than with kitchen sinks.
The sink is one of the most important features of the kitchen, but it can also be a bold statement of luxury and style. Like all kitchen features, sinks trends are always evolving, and a few of the most popular material options include:

Soapstone

Nonporous and denser than granite or marble, soapstone is a smooth and stylish material for sinks. While it is prone to nicks, it'stands-up well to acids, stains, and hot water.

Granite Composite

When you want an alternative to stainless steel, without spending a fortune, this material is the way to go with its high durability, easy upkeep, and low price tag.

Copper Metal

Metal accents are popular in kitchens, and copper sinks create a stunning focal point that fits a wide range of kitchen styles?from traditional country to modern industrial.

Concrete

Concrete sinks are available in premade forms and cast-in-place options, but either provides you with a durable, custom sink that gives you full control of the design.

NativeStone

Although it is a newer option on the market, NativeStone combines concrete with natural, raw materials to lighten the overall weight of the sink without losing its durability.

Which Sink Trend is Right for Your Home?

The options might seem overwhelming when choosing the perfect kitchen sink for your trendy remodel, but you can narrow-down the choices by focusing on your overall goals for the space. However, just because a material is on-trend doesn't mean that it is the perfect choice for every home kitchen! To get a better idea of where to begin with designing your ideal kitchen sink, start by asking yourself the following questions:

• How Will I Use My Kitchen? If your kitchen sees a lot of everyday use with a large family, you'll have different needs for a kitchen sink than a household built for entertaining. Consider the amount of heavy wear and tear your sink with see before deciding which material is right for you.
• What is My Style Aesthetic? Do you love simplistic, Zen-like details? Are you more interested in restoring a historic, country-style kitchen? Each material has its own individual look and complements specific styles, so keep in mind how your ideal kitchen sink would look in the broader picture of your kitchen space.
• what's My Remodeling Budget? Kitchen remodeling can quickly become very expensive, and you will have to make compromises when weighing luxury vs. functionality. If you are on a tighter budget, go for a material that is durable and cost-effective, such as granite composite. If you have more to spend, consider splurging on stunning soapstone, copper, or custom-stamped concrete.

You want your kitchen sink to be stylish, innovative, and on-trend, but most of all, your sink needs to be durable enough to provide decades of long-term functionality and value. By carefully considering your options and staying on-top of the latest trends in the industry, you can choose the perfect sink for maximizing the impact of your kitchen remodel.

The past six months for me and my company have been the most difficult to date. And this is including the first two or three years where we basically made just enough money to survive (that actually wasn?t that bad, surprisingly, and actually kind of fun). But this time around, we were expecting to get paid at the end of a job when, basically, the rug was ripped out from under us. Of course we fronted large amounts of money for labor and materials that we were now looking to finance because payment was not being made. We pretty much had every asset in the company thrown into the project so there was nothing left. I kinda felt like I came home from work one day and my house was burnt to the ground. Seriously, I think it is the same feeling.

Now, six months after finishing the project, we still have not received the first of four pay applications that was due six months ago. So even though things are not resolved, I am confident that we will eventually get paid. This is mainly because I kept very accurate records and documentation throughout the project and made sure to get approvals in writing. This attention to detail is paramount when trying to collect money because people tend to have amnesia when it involves payment and especially when it involves change orders.

So while we are still not resolved, I have learned a few things about dealing with non-payment and I figured I?d share a few of them so maybe you can do a little better then next time your figurative house burns down.

1. Figure out what you're dealing with

Situations are very different among different types of organizations. My particular situation was a public entity, specifically a school district. I know, it's a shocker that a school district was difficult when it came time to make payment. However, knowing how to deal with each particular type of organization is a huge bonus in figuring out how to navigate the situation. Even though public entities are tough, they typically pay their bills ? eventually. Investment in municipalities (such as municipal bonds) are some of the safest investments out there because these organizations will rarely default (I guess Detroit is an outlier).

In the public world I had the luxury of going to board meetings and pleading my case ? albeit on to deaf ears. However, it at least gets you in front of the people who will eventually have to approve your payment. I also know that the school district won't dissolve all of a sudden or declare bankruptcy.

The private sector is much different where companies can go ?poof? much more easily. So, again, you need to know who you're dealing with. Is it a public entity, private entity, public-private partnership, or one of those nebulous quasi-public outfits? All of these organizations have quirks and avenues toward payment that will work best.

2. Consider a Lawyer ? But only consider

These situations get complicated at times, but at other times, they are very simple. In my case, it was a clear cut situation of an owner not wanting to make a payment and coming up with erroneous reasons to do it. Hiring a lawyer can totally blow your entire profit margin, to which you are entitled. And Don't think you'll get legal fees in a settlement ? it just won't happen.

Sometimes a lawyer will take a percentage of the money instead of an hourly fee, but this percentage will often be upwards of 30%. So if an owner owes you 50% of a contract value, you probably owe about 80% of that money to subs and suppliers (if you're a GC of course), so now you're left with no money after you pay the lawyer. In my case, the owner owed me 70% of the contract value, so paying a lawyer 30% would put me under water on the project.

You also have to realize that lawyers will make more money for dragging the process out longer. I?m a believer that people in this country are so obsessed with money and short term profit that they will unintentionally and perhaps subconsciously steer the situation in a direction that makes them the most money. So Don't be afraid to ask the lawyer what they are doing, why they are doing it, as well as suggesting alternatives. Sometimes there is a much simpler solution and getting bogged down with all the legal mumbo jumbo can cause you to lose site of other less expensive alternatives.

3. File a Mechanic?s Lien (if you can)

In Pennsylvania, the law states that you cannot file a lien on a purely public entity. However, when there is private sector and for profit activity going on at the facility, like weddings, night classes, motorcycle training, etc, the laws become very grey. I?ve seen municipalities renovate apartments through a public grant and then rent them out on the private market. These situations are difficult to understand, so my suggestion would be to file the lien and state why you think this is within the law to do so. They will most likely file an objection and then a court will ultimately decide what the contractor is entitled to do, but in the meantime, you've shown them that you mean business. Also, there is a timeline to file a mechanic?s lien. In PA it's six months from the last day you are on the project, and if this time expires, your lien rights are gone.

You could also make an argument, in the case of a public project, that They are never going to sell the building (especially the school), so it doesn?t matter if you file a lien. However, they Don't want a lien on their building. It affects the credit worthiness of the organization and is just an overall annoyance, so if you can do it, do it. But I would suggest having a lawyer for this. There are ways to file a lien on your own, but you will have much more credibility if it's filed by a lawyer.

4. Consider Mediation ? but again, only consider

I have not gone to mediation in my project (yet). However, I have heard stories with varying degrees of success. The contract will typically state if mediation is mandatory prior to filing a lawsuit or if the situation should go to binding arbitration or something like that. But just because you are in mediation, doesn?t mean the owner needs to make any kind of reasonable effort at making a settlement.

Also keep in mind that you are going to have to pay your lawyer to sit through this excruciating debate and/or argument. So my suggestion is to do an analysis of how much this whole thing will help. I realize that it is impossible to know prior to doing it, but coming out of a mediation with no resolution but still owing a lawyer eight hours of fees is probably the worst case scenario.

5. Charge Interest on outstanding balances

They may be able to argue that interest on outstanding payment must be put in writing prior to the agreement being signed, and perhaps the contract even relieves both parties from finance charges on amount owed. However, in my opinion, if the contract is breached by one party, then that should at a minimum relieve the other party from clauses such as this. You may not end up getting the interest in the end, but it will at least throw a little gas on the fire and raise their eyebrows a bit. If you show that you have the wherewithal to calculate the finance charges on outstanding balances, it could go a long way. There is a good chance that you won't get awarded the finance money at the end of the whole thing, but it will at least go into the pot of outstanding money and perhaps get you a higher settlement.

6. File a Lawsuit (If You Have To)

I honestly think this should be a last resort. Once you file a lawsuit the owner will just wall up and hold on to the money for even longer which will ultimately benefit them in the short term and just keep you financing the project for longer. Plus, the cost of preparing a case and going to court is tremendous. It is important to know exactly how long you have to file a lawsuit in your particular situation. This is probably the most critical piece of information that a lawyer will give you. Obviously, having that time expire is the worst case scenario. I think Pennsylvania says that I have two years from the time I filed the mechanic?s lien to make a complaint in a court. But there is also a statute of limitations on the project of about 7-10 years, so really, I Don't know which one applies. But it is very important to have this information confirmed by a lawyer.

7. Don't Freak Out

We have to remember that organizations behave in strange ways, especially large ones, and public entities are even more difficult to deal with. The job I am referring to is a public project so I had to weave my way through the bureaucracy of that whole situation before I could get anywhere. And trust me, it is tremendously frustrating. They block you out of every possible route to authority and yes, I wanted to freak out. I kind of did freak out, but not to anybody on the side of the ownership. You have to be careful of doing things that could be considered slander, libel, or some other kind of malicious behavior. Things like this are only going to make the situation worse and could put you in legal trouble as well. Every time I?ve mouthed off to an owner that was pushing me around, it didn?t work out well and just created increased animosity and tension for the rest of the project.

So play it cool. This country is supposed to be relatively fair with a legal system that at least tries to keep it that way. If you're owed the money, you'll probably get it?.probably.

As you're well aware, we are deep into the era of instant information.

You probably searched for a keyword to find this blog post.

As a business owner, you want your potential clients to be able to do the same.

The benefits of a business website is that it gives something for potential customers to find when They are searching. And once those people are on your site, the content can sell them on your services without you even being present.

But it'starts with getting your website ranked.

• Keywords
• Social networking
• Blogging

How to Get Your Website Ranked

Climb to the top of the search rankings

According to Google (AdWords Tool), there are over 8,000 monthly searches for the term ?general contractor? performed in the US.

Each search represents a potential client.

Your goal is to be a top result in a search for your specific contracting service in your specific location.

To start, your website needs to focus on the right keywords. In other words, you need to focus on the right customer and the terms they are using when they search.

Be sure any possible combination of search words is prominent on your website. Consider how people would try to find you.

Would they search for licensed contractors? General builders? Specialty contractors?

Consider layman?s terms as well as professional terms when thinking about keywords. Even if you're an Environmentally Conservative Ornamental Welder, people are going to be looking for ?Garden Gate Welder?.

Think in customer terms, not industry terms.

Use the link above to experiment with the AdWords Tool. it's meant to be for AdWords, but it gives you a general overview of how many searches are performed each month for specific keywords.

You can also ask your customers directly what they would likely search for on Google if they were looking for your services. You can get a lot of insight directly from your target customer.

Once you have an idea of keywords your target customer is using you can make the language part of the content on your website.

The basic concept with SEO is to focus on the customer, not on the search engine. You can get into trouble if you focus too much on the engine. Tactics like keyword stuffing, buying links and others have had short-term success in the past, but they always cause issues in the long run.

An example of what you should do is to make headlines on your website clear.
For example, on your homepage you want it to be clear to your customer what is that you do. If your target customers search for the keyword ?Miami Plumber? then use a headline such as:

John Doe: Miami Plumber Specializing in Bathroom Remodels

Your visitors will instantly understand what you are about and you've spoken their language, their keyword language.

Search results are much more than ten page listings today.

Images, videos and social media information are all incorporated in the results.

Each Google user also typically sees different search results based on their specific browsing habits, location and social connections.

This is why it's important to grow your social media profiles.

If someone is following you on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ and they search for ?Miami Plumber? on Google they are more likely to see a result for your website than someone that doesn?t follow you.

Rand Fishkin shows an example of social search results.

This is part of the reason companies build social followings while incorporating social media into their business websit's.

More and more people are subscribing to blogs of companies they know and trust. If you use keywords in a blog on your website, people will be taken there and can be lead to your information page. They can also see the kind of expertise you offer and get to know your company at their leisure.

Google and other search engines love blogs. The reason is that blogs are consistent sources of content, which Google needs in order to provide relevant search results for its users.

Google has put an emphasis on fresh content.

A blog that generates fresh content focused on questions your customers are asking can be a huge traffic generator for your business.

Potential customers will find your site through search, subscribe for more updates, learn to trust your brand and contact you to hire you for your services.

Your website can be one of your best marketing tools if used effectively. While there may not be a guaranteed way to get your website ranked number one for every target keyword, following the above guidelines will certainly get you toward the top of the pile.

Image Credits: mariachily, AdWords Tool, Rand Fishkin

Original Post: Contractor Hero Blog