Ok, we're not trying to imply with that title that Google prefers Mancuians to Liverpudlians or anything along those lines.

We are referring instead to the umlauts and other accents that are used in some foreign languages and reminding you to consider them when optimising foreign language websites, or websites for foreign markets, because Google will return different results dependent upon whether these diacritical marks are used or not.

The German language, for example, employs the umlaut – you know, those two little dots that are placed above certain letters, as in the case of the word 'füße', meaning feet – and when searching Google will return different results for this word when the umlaut is present than it will when it isn't (which is actually technically a typo). The observant amongst you will have noticed that this particular word also includes an eszett, a character not found in the English language or on the keyboards of English speaking countries, the use of which will also change results. In English speaking countries people will likely replace the eszett with a double 's'.

Similarly, Google.fr returns ever so slightly different results for 'cafe' versus 'café'. The top ten results are similar in both cases here, though in a different order. However, Google.de returns some very different results depending upon the use, or not, of relevant accents. So do some research and find out what Google considers to be important in relation to the word you are using.

The most important thing to consider, as ever, is your target audience (as well as, in this instance, their keyboards). If you are optimizing a site to reach the market in a German speaking country then their keyboard will include these diacritical marks and characters so using them in your title tags and content is the best way to reach them. It is also possible to use diacritics in your url, which would be something to strongly consider. On the other hand, if you are optimising a site for a German company marketing to English speaking countries then you should consider the fact that your target market won't have and probably won't routinely use these marks.

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When optimising for a particular keyword / keyword phrase it is important to vary your anchor text.

Naturally occurring links to any given page will always come from varied anchor text. For Google to rank you highly your links should look as naturally occurring as possible and therefore, you're going to need to imitate this by varying your anchor text.

For example, it isn't likely that the whole world will get together and link to your content with your keyword anchor text 'ice-cream sandwiches' (that'd just be weird). Some will link to your url  – ice-cream-sandwiches.com – others will link to your company name or brand name – Sweet Sarnies Limited – and probably loads will use 'if you want to try the latest craze in melting lunch items click here'. This is all good, naturally occurring anchor text that you should be dropping into the mix every now and then on your campaign. Even though 'click here' is a very low value SEO term it does tempt people to click, so its value in terms of click-throughs, as well as in terms of making the link seem naturally occurring, is pretty high.

Working Out Your Anchor Text
So, besides the obvious, there are a variety of means you can employ to arrive at varied keyword phrases to use as anchor text. For the most part, they're pretty darn simply to do.

Every time we perform a search, Google gives us a few alternative options. Google seems to know what we want better than we do ourselves these days and that is a god send to the overworked SEO bod. As you begin to type your keyword phrase, Google Predict will give some alternative options. If you're getting those, that means your customers are too, so it's worth using a few if only to catch the easily distracted.

After the search performed Google will give you a list of search topics related to what you just looked for and these are anchor text gold as well.

Google Insight will give you information and trends on search terms in a scary amount of detail, all of which can be used to your advantage.

Also, don't forget to take a look at your natural inbound links, if you have some. What phrases do people use to link to your content? Our customer behavior can tell us a lot.

There are any number of other ways to determine anchor text but this should start you on the road. However you come up with varied phrases, just make sure you do; using the same anchor text all the time will flag with Google as unnatural activity and see you penalised, then no-one will be able to find your ice-cream sandwiches!

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The big question, when it comes to SEO, is 'how much money should I spend on my campaign?'

and, honestly, there is no easy answer. In SEO, as in marketing in general, there is no set formula for determining budget. Sadly, this is one of the main reasons why the profession gives rise to so many con  artists, who ultimately give the rest of us a bad name. With that in mind, I'd advise you to work with a company you trust, with a proven track record and some happy customers.

My advice for working out your SEO spend is that it is worth investing in some upfront planning that will allow you to estimate your return on investment (ROI) as accurately as possible from the outset. Any good SEO company will advise you of the same. Incidentally, I would give exactly the same advice if we were talking about offline marketing as well (an area in which I have some experience). So many companies with lower budgets see planning as a waste of money because the chunk of the budget allocated to planning is not being spent towards directly generating business. They want to begin to see results on day 1. Who doesn't? But if you want to create and sustain a successfully business generating campaign you need to plan it.

You wouldn't ask a builder to start work on your extension before he'd made his plans would you? You find a good builder and you invest in plans, then building work for a quality, long lasting structure. Apply the same principals to your SEO.

'I have £X per month to spend, what can you do for that?'

This is not an uncommon statement and is often heard from small business owners seeking SEO services. It seems perfectly reasonable doesn't it? If they run a van hire company, for example, they will know that a customer with £X amount gets 2 vans per month, while a company with £Y gets 3. However, we don't have a van to give you; the only thing that makes SEO tangible is the results it generates.

You may have identified 5 sets of keywords and know which, owing to budget limitations, you want your site optimised for. This is probably based on the amount of traffic you think each keyword can generate (which, in itself is likely to be something of an assumption unless you have run prior campaigns) but generating ROI is very different to generating traffic; a million clicks and no sales is worth zero. There is a great post by Rishil on SEOmoz  that explains how to work out SEO ROI, so I won't go into more detail about that here but I'd urge you to have a read of that.

As is mentioned in the SEOmoz post referenced above, there is no set way to determine ROI. The results of prior campaigns are a good indicator and, where there have been no prior campaigns, paying for an initial Adwords campaign is a great way to pit keywords against each other to measure success – of course this has the added advantage of (hopefully) generating hits from day 1. The more keywords, the more complex (obviously) but time spent planning and working out/testing the long tail is usually the surest way to maximise the results of your spend.

Meta Description: Exploring about the SEO cost for your website is a tough task because there is no fixed budget given by any SEO services company.

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When was the last time you set foot inside a travel agent’s office? Yep, we can’t remember our last visit either.

That’s because these days most people choose to buy their holiday online; whether they’re opting for a package deal or going for the increasingly popular option of assembling flights, transfers and hotels individually, booking online is the most convenient choice for most people. As a result, SEO for the travel industry is big business. Here are a few tips that we’ve picked up, which might help to set you on the right track for a successful campaign.

Build Relationships with Your Customers

This is our key recommendation. There are so many travel sites out there that there is no reason for people to find their way back to yours more than once, unless you give them one. Of course, providing a great service is the best way to establish this. Travel is often an expensive lifestyle purchase and people remember, as well as often reviewing, the bad experiences but they also appreciate the exceptional.

Your customer relationship begins with the useability of your website. If it is not as easy, if not easier and more pleasant to use than your competitor’s site then you will lose them immediately. Lots of people compare and contrast, often shopping for travel with more than one browser tab open, so if your site is more awkward than the next you’re fighting a losing battle.

Obviously it is then important to continue the quality of service in the real world as well but assuming this is done and your customers have a great holiday, stay in touch with them afterward in the most personalised way possible. Provide suggestions and offers via e-mail but always tailored to their previous purchases.

Blog

To build relationships and authority without pestering your clients start a blog. A blog will provide a way for clients to opt in to keeping in touch with you. If you are a niche travel company – for example, building tailored, action-packed trips for adventurous people who like to sky-dive, trek, ski etc, then an ideas generating blog is perfect for you and something customers are likely to subscribe to.

If you provide a wider range of holidays then perhaps start several targeted blogs to give all of your clients the opportunity of selecting something for them.

This is a great way to improve your ranking as well.

As for Reviews

Lots of people shop for holidays by reading the reviews of other travelers. If you’re confident about your levels of service then invite people to review their trip on your site. This will improve buyer confidence no end.

Think Seasonally

When it comes to the travel industry, don’t just divide your budget equally for the year. Think about what people buy and when, work out trends and then spend accordingly. Early in the year is good for forward planning and promoting summer trips, while late summer is the perfect time to sell late deals.

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A couple of weeks ago we wrote a post about the basics of online marketing (link to week 7 day 2), aimed at online marketing professionals.

That might seem a tad strange to some but in actual fact, the way that this profession has developed has meant the creation of lots of new positions and, oftentimes, the internal promotion of people who were previously in related roles. The result is that many people working in the world of SEO have followed a unique career path and may have the odd knowledge gap. If this sounds like you then please read on.

Previously we discussed the marketing element of our roles. In this post we will take a brief look at the wider profession, as well as touching on the scientific and analytical nature of what an SEO professional does. Hopefully this post will be helpful to new search professionals but even if you're not new to the game it might be worth your time anyway, which leads  to our first tip….

Always Keep Learning
The nature of SEO is that there will always be a lot to learn and online will always be one of the best places to do it. Your peers, as well as a whole host of other experts in the field, are writing daily about their specialist subject and their blogs can be a mine of information.

Of course, you must test every theory yourself. As we well know, anyone can publish anything online. If you stick to authoritative, well regarded blogs you are more likely to get quality information but some of the most innovative thinking comes from the little guys and wherever you get your info, you need to properly trial new ideas every time to make sure they work for you and your clients.

And Now For the Science Part
That's right, to be a search professional you have to embrace a certain amount of geekiness. You're an analyst by trade, as are all marketeers, and there are a whole lot of numbers to get to grips with. A lot of SEO is about data – the gathering, monitoring and interpreting thereof. Interpreting data in new and unique ways can be incredibly creative and fulfilling (but then we would say that).

One important tip to add to this section however, is learn the tools of your trade – get to know Microsoft Excel and everything that it does very well indeed. It will help you no end, can automate a lot and will save you time if you know how to use it.

In Google we Trust
Test, optimise, repeat will become your mantra. It is the basis of what we do. There are lots of ways to go about this and you should certainly learn them but Google's Website Optimiser is a very good place to start.

In fact, while we're at it, we might as well point you in the direction of a few other Google goodies like:

• The Google Blog
• The Google Analytics Blog
• The Google Mobile Ads Blog

At  the End of the Day, Take the Dog for a Walk…
… or do whatever it is you do when your computer is switched off (which, occasionally, it should be). This is important. We don't mean, turn your computer off and sit surrounded by Blackberry's and ipads, we mean switch it all off and live outside of the digital world for at least a short time every day. It's important for your own sanity and, ultimately, will make you better at your job.

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