Our Co-Founder, Jeremy Duimstra, is a panelist at the Marketing with a Book Summit in La Jolla, CA.

Marketing With A Book™ Summit

How to Dramatically Increase Revenue, Gain Credibility and Attract Clients by Publishing A Book With Built-In Marketing

February 20-21, 2010
Location: La Jolla Shores Hotel, San Diego ($119 room rate for this beachfront hotel) www.ljshoreshotel.com
Saturday 8 am to 5 pm
Sunday 8:30 am to 1 pm
Price: $1,000 (but early bird discount of $495 until Feb. 14, 2010)
Register with Paypal here
(You do not need a Paypal account to register)

Headliners:

• Arthur Chou, president of WBusiness Books
• Mark LeBlanc, past president of National Speakers Association and author of the book “Growing Your Business”

Speakers:

• Will Marre, co-founder and former president of the Covey Leadership Center where he translated the concepts of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into powerful leadership courses taught to over one million executives world wide
• Holly Berkley, author of "Marketing in the New Media" and  "Low Budget Online Marketing for Small Business"
• Liz Goodgold, author of “Red Fire Branding”

Panelists:

• Chris Stiehl, author of “Pain Killer Marketing”
• Chris Witt, author of “Real Leaders Don’t Use PowerPoint”
• Rhonda Sher, author of “The Two-Minute Networker”
• Jeremy Duimstra, Web marketing and search engine optimization expert

Host:

Henry DeVries, founder of New Client Marketing Institute, author of “Self-Marketing Secrets” and “Client Seduction”, marketing faculty and assistant dean of UC San Diego continuing education

Who should attend:  

You’ll benefit the most by attending this program if you are a…

• Management consultant
• Professional service firm
• Executive coach
• Professional speaker
• PR person responsible for consultant and professional service firm marketing

Spots Are Limited

We are only selling 27 seats to this conference and 10 were already taken before we could even launch the Web site. We want this to be a small group so there can be interaction, feedback and a chance for one-on-one time with the presenters. After all spots are sold we will be putting interested people on a waiting list.

How To Register

Please call Henry at 800-514-4467 with questions.

MJD's Jeremy Duimstra to give guest lecture at Platt College

MJD's Jeremy Duimstra will be giving a guest lecture at Platt College this Tuesday, at 6pm. The topic will be Online Marketing and Entrepreneurial Tips.

MJD Co-Founder, Jeremy Duimstra, Speaks at Tech America February 18:

Thanks to everyone who came out bright and early Thursday to hear MJD Founding Partner, Jeremy Duimstra speak at Tech America.

If you would like a copy of the presentation please shoot us an email.

The title of the event was "Online B2B Strategy and Monthly Tactics You Can Implement".





More information: The Road to Marketing Success in 2010! Online B2B Strategy and Monthly Tactics You Can Implement Join us for more ideas, insights and how-to's about business-to-business marketing success this year. This program will help you plan your marketing year to create demand, drive response and deliver results. Learn how to harness the power of B2B Online Marketing to achieve real, measurable results. This one hour presentation by Jeremy Duimstra, Co-Founder of MJD Interactive Agency and Professor of Online Marketing at UCSD Extension, includes: -Search Engine Optimization -Pay-Per-Click Advertising -Social Media -Email Marketing -Mobile -Analytics. Jeremy focuses these discussions on a mix of best practices, case studies and the real nuts & bolts how-to information that are required to take monthly actionable items away from the event.

MJD to go Diving at Bub's

Bub's Dive Bar has selected MJD Interactive Agency to create a new web site and iPhone application for their Pacific Beach dive. The site will incorporate social media tools to encourage two-way communication with their rapidly growing online fan base. The iPhone application will enable their rabid food fans to place to-go orders for pick up.

"It's great that we're working with Bub's since our staff is either at the office or there anyway," said Jeremy Duimstra, co-founder of MJD Interactive. "I guess this means we'll get twice the work done now."

Copperstone Partners to Work on a New Site with MJD Interactive Agency

Copperstone Partners, a revolutionary Life Insurance company has chosen MJD Interactive Agency to build a new site for them. We would tell you more, but we'd have to shoot you. Yes, this idea is that good.

MJD Interactive to Build New Site for Coalition for Clean Air

MJD Interactive Agency is extremely excited to begin work on a new site for Coalition for Clean Air. The organization was founded more than 35 years ago at a time when clean air in California seemed almost unimaginable. They spearheaded California’s original Smog Check program which reduces 100 tons of automobile pollution every day. They also strongly supported and helped pass California’s landmark global warming laws, and have helped position California as a world leader in reducing air pollution.

MJD will be building a Drupal based site to help them easily update their own site. Social Marketing, SEO, and Email Marketing will also be provided by MJD Interactive.

"The opportunity to work with an organization that has done so much good for air quality in California is very special to us," said Jeremy Duimstra, co-founder of MJD Interactive. "Our hope is to increase their online visibility and enhance their ability to change the environment for the better for years to come."

Quantimetrix Chooses MJD Interactive Agency for Corporate Web Site Redesign

Quantimetrix Corporation has chosen MJD Interactive Agency to redesign their current web site. Quantimetrix develops and manufactures innovative clinical diagnostic products for domestic and international distribution including Lipoprint®, the only test for measuring LDL subfraction cholesterol.  Their core control products include urinalysis, general chemistry, specialty chemistry, and whole blood controls. Their control products are liquid, ready to use, with long-term stability. Other quality products include electrophoresis systems, diagnostic assays, and OEM products.

"We're excited to use our expertise in Biotech web presence and online marketing to create a destination for Quantimetrix that will better communicate the incredible products that they offer," said Jeremy Duimstra, co-founder of MJD Interactive Agency. "It is important to both tell their story more effectively and make it easier for clients to order products. The current site is putting up unnecessary barriers to those goals, and we want to break those down."

The site will launch in the Spring. The competition should beware.

MJD Interactive Selected to Redesign Althea Technology's Web Site

MJD Interactive Agency has been selected to redesign the web site of one of the fastest growing Biotech firms in the country, Althea Technologies.

The redesign began with a new logo and branding guide, and will be followed with a new site built on the Joomla Content Management System. Goals of the project will focus on better communication with clients, internal staff, and patients. The tone of the site will showcase the incredible amount of innovation and growth coming from the San Diego based company.

About Althea Technologies

Althea is a San Diego-based contract developer and manufacturer of biologic and injectable products, with fully integrated services to support clients with product development expertise and finished cGMP product from pre-clinical development through commercial supply. Maintaining the highest standards of excellence and quality, Althea is able to provide clients with fast and flexible product development, biologic manufacturing, and bulk drug fill/finish services, through a dedicated project manager. With fully integrated capabilities to take clients from pre-clinical development through commercial launch, Althea offers seamless scale-up for greater speed-to-market, while delivering a consistent product with uncompromised quality.

MJD Interactive to Build New Online Reservation System and In-Store POS for La Jolla Kayak

MJD Interactive Agency is beginning a redesign of La Jolla Kayak's web site that will include a new Ruby on Rails based reservation system and shopping cart, and a full in-store point-of-sale (POS) system. The POS will tie into the online reservation system, giving them a single point of contact for all transactions and reservation information. Currently they have multiple systems for online transactions, phone reservations, in-store reservations, and cash/credit/check/online transactions.

MJD is also designing in-store LCD screen signage showcasing pricing, upcoming reservations, check-in status, the surf report, and the amount of sunglasses in lost and found at any given time. The signage will get it's data from the same reservation/POS system. The digital signage is ideal since pricing and information shown can change over time, eliminating expensive traditional signage expenses.

La Jolla Kayak provides kayak tours and rentals of the famous Seven Sea Caves of La Jolla, California. They also offer bike tours of the San Diego coast, as well as snorkel tours and whale watching tours.

MJD Interactive Launches FED.org

MJD Interactive Agency has completed and launched a new site for Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED). The site is built with the Drupal Content Management System to allow easy editing for FED staff members.

The Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED) was established in 1986 by Dr. J. Robert Beyster to promote the concept of broad-based, participative employee ownership and entrepreneurism. Today, the FED actively funds inter-disciplinary research and development of business school and engineering curricula. We also create and engage in research and education programs that inspire innovation and entrepreneurship for solving problems of national and global importance.

"I love the concept of employee ownership, and MJD Interactive is now actively studying how we can incorporate that into our company," said Jeremy Duimstra, co-founder of MJD Interactive. "It has been a particularly nerdy pleasure to be designing a site for an organization created by Dr. Robert Beyster, founder of SAIC and Network Solutions - the original site where domain names could be purchased. I got a kick out of designing a site for people that actually were involved in the invention of the internet!"

A fun history of FED.org:

1997

1998

2001

2006

2007

Present - The MJD Redesign

MJD Interactive to provide Online Marketing to Westmont Living

MJD Interactive Agency has started an Online Marketing campaign for Westmont Living. Components of the campaign include Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click advertising, Email Marketing and Social Marketing. Westmont Living runs retirement communities throughout California and Oregon. MJD will be providing online marketing to each of their seven locations as well as corporate headquarters in La Jolla, California.

About Westmont Living


At Westmont Living, the comfort and care of our residents is our highest priority. We’re committed to providing the highest level of service to our valued residents, in an atmosphere that promotes total well-being and personal fulfillment.

We provide a full spectrum of options in health care and housing, from independent and assisted retirement living to memory care.

We go above and beyond to offer support for our residents. Our exceptional amenities and services were designed to make life more enjoyable. And because we know the joy and enrichment pets bring into our lives, we welcome them too, and offer services for their care.

MJD Interactive Softball

"Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."
- William Arthur Ward

The MJD Interactive Softball team broke some records this season that were a long time in the making. For those of you who have followed the trials and tribulations of the scrappers that are MJD Softball, you will remember our first inglorious season when we won only one game against a team that only had seven players. 2009 turned out to be the year we turned that ship nearly all the way around, and made the playoffs for the first time. We won't mention getting crushed in our first playoff game, and then suffering a close defeat in the second to get bounced. Oops, I guess we just mentioned that. It was record breaking nonetheless.

Here's to winning it all Spring 2010!

MJD Interactive and AndersenJones to help Beckman Coulter Redesign Their Online Presence

MJD Interactive Agency has partnered with AndersenJones to help Beckman Coulter redesign their web presence. Five concept designs will be provided to the company with the goal to improve the aesthetics and navigation of the site while focusing on their new branding initiative "We're Better Together".

Dust Off Your Bells!

We are proud to be a sponsor of the best holiday party around. Please join us as we celebrate the merry season with 500 or so great advertising and communication professionals.

Stop by the MJD Interactive table to say hi and cheers the evening away!



Mingle Bells Partners:
Ad 2 San Diego (Ad2SD)
Advertising Photographer’s of America – San Diego (APA/SD)
American Institute of Graphics Arts – San Diego (AIGA)
American Marketing Association (AMA)
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC-SD)
Media Communications Association International - San Diego (MCAI/SD)
Printing Industries Association of San Diego (PIA/SD)
San Diego Ad Club
San Diego Advertising Fund for Emergencies (SAFE)
San Diego Radio Broadcasters Association (SDRBA)

Parking:
On street parking, Valet on 5th Ave., various parking lots.

When:
Thursday, December 10, 2009 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Where:
Belo - 919 Fourth Avenue, (Entrance on North side of “E” Street be, San Diego, CA 92101

Attire:
Business/Holiday

RSVP:
Tuesday, December 8, 2009

MJD Interactive Agency Launches New Site for Sabia Inc.

MJD Interactive has launched a new web site for Sabia Inc., A Global Leader in Advanced Elemental Analysis. The site includes a new look, Flash animation, and a Ruby on Rails based client center where clients can access and download content built specifically for them.

SABIA is a trusted provider of integrated bulk material analyzers, associated software options, and world class nuclear analyzer services and support.

MJD Interactive Agency Launches New Site for Fairbanks Village Plaza

Today MJD Interactive Agency launched a new site for Fairbanks Village Plaza. We are particularly proud of the beautiful design and animations. The animations are unique as they are built entirely with jQuery and do not use any Flash elements. This means that all of the data is easily read by search engines, which is key for optimization.

It was wonderful working with Terri Davis and Chelsea House of Fairbanks Village Plaza. They are a great team!

Just Do It - MJD Interactive hangs with Dan Wieden

It was great to meet the man behind the "just do it" slogan, but an honor to see how starting an agency can lead to bigger more important things in life. Mr. Wieden showed great brand loyalty while taking off Greg's Adidas, but the most moving part for me was his Caldera Camp work. If you get a chance check it out, www.calderaarts.org.

Special thanks the San Diego Ad Club for making it all happen. Can't wait till the next event.

The San Diego Advertising Club hosted an "Evening With Dan Wieden" at USD on Aug. 6. Shown here are (l. to r.) Michael Maginnis, co-founder, MJD Interactive; Dan Wieden, co-founder, Wieden + Kennedy; Margaret McAllister, principal, Red Kite Business Advisors; and Frank Rogozienski, principal, Frank Rogozienski Photography.

Ad2SD Cause Marketing Event

Come on out and show your support for a few great causes.

August 27 at the NTC Promenade as the Challenged Athletes, Make A Wish Foundation, and CA Center on Sustainable Energy compete for the coveted Ad 2 Public Service Campaign. The event will start at 6pm. Each Non Profit will be given 10 minutes to present to a panel of judges why they deserve the campaign.


To sign up click here or just show up and see me at the door.

Online Sweepstakes with MJD Sweeps!

Today we are introducing MJD Sweeps, a new product specifically for online sweepstakes and online promotions. Online sweepstakes have been proven to attract and engage customers, build brand awareness and increase revenue. Sweepstakes motivate customers to take action, register on your site, try new products, refer friends, and increase purchases. MJD Sweeps utilizes Interactive Design, Promotions, and Social Marketing to make Sweepstakes more enjoyable for your audience, as well as trackable by your firm.

We provide all inclusive services for successful online sweepstakes and promotions offering:

1. A full legal team to author and review official rules
2. Web Design and Development of custom games, sweepstakes, and applications
3. Database creation, hosting and management
4. Prize confirmation and notification
5. Analytics for Social Engagement, Downloads, Registrations, Opt-Ins, Sales, Visitors, Views, Time on Site and more

Learn more by calling Michael at (800) 619-3930 x23 today!

Tripit is IT!

A blog post for a cool iPhone/Web App:

I was in Europe on a 11 day vacation last week. We visited London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bern, and Zurich. It was a great time, made even better by Tripit.

Info from their site:

The best way to organize and share your travel plans - Just forward your travel confirmation emails to: plans@tripit.com

1. Build your itinerary

Email TripIt your travel plans—airline, hotel and more—it doesn't matter where you book.

2. Get Organized

TripIt organizes your plans in a master travel itinerary that's easy to share and access.

3. Stay informed

Automatically monitor your TripIt itineraries and get alerts about any travel delays with TripIt Pro.

I signed up and emailed all of my reservation confirmations from Delta Airlines, Hotels.com, Expedia, Otel.com, etc. It flawlessly brought all of my data in and the iPhone app had everything I needed for the entire trip - itinerary, confirmation codes, maps to hotels/train stations, etc. It was amazing - I highly recommend it.

There's A New Ad Club Board Member

MJD Founding Partner, Jeremy Duimstra, was elected to the San Diego Ad Club's Board of Directors this month.

"Thank you to the San Diego Ad Club for electing me to the board. I'm extremely honored and excited to be working with the group," said Mr. Duimstra. "MJD has been extremely involved in the Ad Club for a couple of years now, and it's going to be great to be able to make an even bigger difference for the club and the advertising community in San Diego. Look for some great events in the next year!"

New Offices in San Diego and Los Angeles!

It's been incredibly busy here at MJD Interactive Agency for the past few months. We've launched a bunch of killer web sites and the big news is that we've moved into a new office space in San Diego, and we've attained a spot up in Los Angeles! Here are the details:

MJD Interactive Agency - San Diego
4502 Cass Street, #208
San Diego, CA 92109

MJD Interactive Agency - Los Angeles
2633 Lincoln Blvd. #928
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Addy Award!

Thank you to the San Diego Addy Awards for the Addy we won last Friday evening at the Gala. We won the bronze Addy for the MFC Surf web site. It's a great honor, and we're really excited to enter even more great work this coming year!

Ad 2 Happy Hour Tonight

Are You Ready For Some Networking?

Join MJD and San Diego Ad 2 this evening for this month's San Diego Happy hour. We’re going to be downtown at the Yard House. The event is free to attend, and as usual you will get a chance to network with San Diego's top young professionals.

We hope to see you there!

When: Thursday, March 19, 2009 6pm – 8pm
Where: Yard House 51023 4th Ave., San Diego CA, 92101

Addy's Gala

We're really excited to attend the San Diego Ad Club Addy's Award Gala this Friday. We were recently notified that we have won an award, but we don't know yet what we have won. The anticipation is killing us! We'll post something via Twitter as soon as we get the news. The details:

San Diego Addy's - The Final Race

Time: 6pm - 9pm, Friday, March 20, 2009

Place: Coronado Island Marriott Resort 2000 Second Street, Coronado, CA 92118

Dress to impress. Step into the spotlight and come get your rewards. ADDY Award winners and People’s Choice Awards will be presented. Winners will be announced at the gala dinner on Friday, March 20th. This year we have planned a great celebration!

6:00pm Cocktails & Check-in
7:00pm Dinner and Awards Show followed by Exhibit of Award Winning Work and Dessert & Coffees

Site Redesign!

Today we launched the latest iteration of our web site. We're really excited about the new home page Flash piece which better illustrates who we are, what we do, and for whom we do it.

MJD works with a lot of other interactive agencies, ad agencies, marketing managers, consultants, PR firms, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. We used the Flash animation to speak to each segment of clients that we work with. After reading "the bottom line" a visitor that fits the niche can go to a page that directly addresses how we can help them.

We also reorganized the contact us page, making it easier for people to get a quote. Up next is a revamp of the Portfolio page.

I hope you like the site!

Jeremy

2009 San Diego Ad Club Addys Raid

We spent last Friday evening at the 2009 San Diego Ad Club Addys Raid, and it was a great time. The theme this year was a Pinewood Derby race and Mike and I volunteered to help out. The first order of business was picking up and setting up the Derby racing track. Let me tell you - these things are very, very long! We had an outdoor patio to install it in, and coming in at 30 feet, we had to put it in diagonally to make it fit.

We spent a good couple days getting our pinewood cars carved, painted, and outfitted. Just in case you're reading this for Pinewood Derby tips, here are a few:

1. A coping saw is a must, we didn't have one so we used a Dremel, a utility knife, and a power sander. A Dremel will make the carving job nearly impossible and will spray pine shrapnel into your eyeballs - so wear protection.

2. Start painting sometime well before the night prior to the race. We clearly spent very little time painting models as kids, and had to sand down a few layers of artwork and start over - three hours prior to race time. Quick drying spray paint is key in this maneuver.

3. Sanding down the axles is a waste of time. I sanded mine, Mike didn't, and he consistently kicked my ass.

4. It's all about aerodynamics and weight. Make sure your ride is streamlined. Put your weights near the front bumper, and make sure you have every bit of the 5 allowed ounces on there.

5. When attaching your wheels, be careful with the super glue. While using a lot will certainly fasten the axle to the car, it will also completely immobilize your wheels. Thank you Ad Club for providing us with a backup set of Goodyears.

6. That said, if you don't have Graphite dry lubrication, you ain't gonna win.

We raced around 10 heats with the 15 or so cars that were entered and Mike kept winning. He eventually won the final race and took home the gold for the evening. My car was built to look like a 1970s Nascar ride, complete with client logos all over it. I was given first place for biggest kiss ass for that one.

The work this year at the Addys was really incredible. Great job to everyone who entered. We're crossing our fingers that the work we entered for Rightsline, MFC Surf, and Cabot Cheese will be well received!

San Diego Addy's Raid Party - Pinewood Derby Race

We will be entering some cool new work at the Addy Raid party and running our state of the art pinewood derby car to victory! So come on by and show your support on Friday night. I will be checking in the Pinewood Derby cars so make sure they are legit, no funny business, check out the Addy Raid Pinewood derby rules to make sure.

Here are the quick details:

Your ideas have legs. Now let's see if they have wheels.

It's a party.
It's a Pinewood Derby.
It's your chance to see all the work before judgment day. It's the 2009 ADDYs Raid.
It's guaranteed to be racy.

When:
Friday, February 20, 2009 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Where:

Groovy Like a Movie

5205 Kearny Villa Way, Suite 200

San Diego, California 92123

Hope to see everyone there!

AD2SD Educational Event

I am promoting this great event below that I will be moderating. It should be a great learning event for anyone interested in the world of advertising sales and has an awesome panel of experts to learn from.

To sign up go to http://ad2sd.com/programs.html

AD2SD Sales Education Event

Sales people, account executives, media sales. Everyone needs them, but what makes a good salesperson? What are the career opportunities out there in the advertising and marketing world? What are some of the pros and cons of being in sales? Should I consider going into sales? What can you do to become a better salesperson? With the ongoing recession and layoffs everywhere we look, sales jobs are usually the first to start hiring again and can offer a satisfying and lucrative career to those prepared. Please join us for answers to these questions with an open panel discussion and Q&A session with some of the areas top experts.

Panel

Robyn Freye: Director of Business Development, Geary Interactive www.gearyi.com

Brandin Stewart: Business Development Sales Manager, NBC Sales and Marketing www.nbcsandiego.com

Dr. Tim Becker: Author/President/CEO of Total Recall Learning, Inc. www.totalrecalllearning.com; Professional Sales educator at USD

Moderator

Michael Maginnis, Director of Sales and Marketing, Founding Partner, MJD Interactive www.mjdinteractive.com

When: Wednesday, February 25th 6-7:30pm

Where: La Jolla Brew House (private back room)

7536 Fay Ave
La Jolla, CA 92037
Get directions

Costs: $10 ad2 members and students; $15 non-members

I covered a lot of On-Page SEO techniques in my previous post. Today I'll concentrate on some Off-Page techniques.

Essentially off-page optimization comes down to one thing - SHOW ME THE LINKS! You need to actively hunt for link opportunities to consistently rank high in the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages). Here are a few pointers regarding getting links:

1. Link farms have gone out to pasture. Search Engines have figured out these practices and have relegated these links as having essentially zero value. Pretty much if someone is offering you a ton of free links on a site or network of sites, most likely it is too good to be true and a waste of time. On the same note, emailing web masters with link exchange requests is very unlikely to be worth your time unless you are truly offering something of value in return. Your time would be better spent doing the following:

2. Utilize optimized press releases to drive both traffic and linking. Services like PRWeb are great for getting your newsworthy content all over the Web. Good content will be read by a lot of people and a certain percentage of them will link back to you. The key to that is the "optimized" part I mentioned. Make sure you use on-page optimization techniques on your html formatted releases to get the most bang for your buck. Pay particular attention to the link text you provide. Don't use "click here" or "more information" for your links. Instead, use the actual keyword you are optimizing for. An example: MJD Interactive provides web development services to wonderful clients across the country. In that example we would be optimizing for the phrase "web development".

3. Use link bait. This is where you can get very creative. We recently teamed up with a company that specializes in Promotions and Sweepstakes. We are going to help them create cool online promos, games, quizzes and surveys that will offer instant win cash and prizes. Those are FANTASTIC link bait vehicles and can virally spread rapidly to a large audience.

Great content is, to me, the ultimate link bait. If you can write about things that interest other people, entertains them, or soothes their worries and frustrations, you are onto something. Blog about it, Facebook it, Tweet about it, put it on PRWeb.

4. Content Delivery is key. I just mentioned blogging, Facebook and Twitter. Throw in DIGG, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, MIXX, YouTube and many other social network sites. You want to get your great content and link bait out on these networks so people will start virally spreading it. I'll talk more about Social Marketing later this month.

I hope this was helpful, and if you have any questions contact the masters of online marketing (I'm optimizing for "masters of online marketing there ;-)

I'm currently writing the lesson plans for the class I teach at the University of California, San Diego. Over the next few days I'll be posting highlights from those lesson plans. Today is going to be about on-page search engine optimization.

SEOMoz.org did a study a while ago that listed the most effective things you can do to optimize your site. Here is the top ten:

1. Keyword Use in Title Tag*
2. Anchor Text of Inbound Link
3. Global Link Popularity of Site
4. Age of Site*
5. Link Popularity with the Site’s Internal Link Structure*
6. Topical Relevance of Inbound Links to Site
7. Link Popularity of Site in Topical Community
8. Keyword Use in Body Text*
9. Global Link Popularity of Linking Site
10. Topical Relationship of Linking Page

* All the items with asterisks are on-page optimization techniques. The great thing about on-page SEO is that you have full control over making it happen. Off-page optimization requires people to link to you, pick up your content, and many other things that are out of your control. We'll get into that a bit in a future post. The point is, you can make these on-page techniques work for you immediately.

The bottom line is that you need to do a few things for any optimized site:

1. Do good keyword research. I'll blog specifically on this sometime in the next couple of days.
2. Use unique title tags for each page.
3. Use meta description and meta keyword tags, but realize that Google doesn't even parse this data anymore (so don't go nuts coming up with perfect descriptions and tons of keywords).
4. Have your keyword show up a few times on each page of your site. Keyword density (a mathematical equation to figure out the "perfect" number of keywords vs. other text) is a fallacy - just make sure your phrase is there a few times.
5. Give your keyword a bold setting once or twice.
6. Make sure your keyword shows up at or near the beginning of H1, H2, H3 and maybe even an H4 tag.
7. Check to ensure that your site passes W3C validity.
8. Make sure your URLs are comprehensible. Use something like www.widgetco.com/summer-products/beach-widget.html instead of www.widgetco.com/?productID=3F%4jfhic12. You should include your keyword in as many comprehensible URLs as possible. Even better - your domain name contains your keyword.
10. Search friendly text is key. The engines are getting incredibly sophisticated these days. They like well written, grammatically correct content on a site. Use your keywords in this content as they would naturally occur, don't shove them in there just to achieve density.

That's a pretty good Top 10 list of On-Page SEO techniques to start with. As is always the case, the engines are always evolving, so things do change. You can rest assured though that the techniques above will definitely help out your rankings.

Our first blog post!

Hello Everyone! This is the first official MJD Interactive Agency blog post. Check back often as we'll be updating this with news and tidbits from our wild adventures in the land of Online Marketing.

We had a great week this week. A huge highlight was getting the #1 organic spot on Google for our client Instant Disability Insurance Quotes. Our SEO campaign optimized the term "disability insurance quote", which was extremely competitive. Thanks go out to Amanda Scarberry of IDIQ who wrote some great content!

We also attended OMS San Diego (Online Marketing Summit), which was a cool event. It's always nice to validate what we know about online marketing and learn some new tricks. As usual, the best part was the after party and networking with some very cool like minded folks.