Dearest clients, friends, pals– past and present:

I know I’m just a lowly intern, but I’m a really formidable beggar, so here goes.

Want to help DriveTraffic grow? All you have to do is submit a customer satisfaction review to an online SEO company review database.

There are tons of companies listed in there, but when I scrolled down to find “DriveTraffic,” I was sad to see she was missing. And I know from working here that DT can swim with the big boys.

It’s really quick and easy– takes two minutes. Merci beaucoup.

Are you new to Google Analytics?

If so, check out the visual goodies I’ve been working on — “Google Analytics for Beginners” Youtube Videos.

I have to admit, the first one’s a bit shaky. Slowly, slowly, I’m getting better!

Search Engine Optimization: It’s quite the mouthful.

No matter how overwhelming SEO can be to first-timers, starting this kind of work on your site is a fairly simple, step-by-step process. The technical bits aren’t too complicated, I promise, and a little thinking beforehand can save you a lot of hassle down the ol’ SEO road.

The first steps are very basic, but integral to the entire process:

First, imagine your customers typing their need (you) into a search engine. Really. Imagine them.

• The key here is to think for a little while. Don’t choose something overly broad or too narrow. If you’re a student web designer, something like “cheap web design Ottawa” might be a good phrase.

Now do some research. See what pages come up when you enter your “Keyword Phrase” into Google, Yahoo!, etc.

• If you sense the results aren’t super strong, then maybe optimizing your site for this phrase (and a few others you come up with) could render some good placements when people search for it.

NOTE: If you want to be absolutely sure you’re picking the best keywords, you’d also have to indulge in some serious keyword research at this point. Check out some free keyword research services to generate some phrases and words you haven’t thought of.

Now, once you’ve come up with a few solid phrases, you’re going to commit to implanting them into your web site’s code so that search engines find what you want them to find. Stay tuned.

You’re looking over your site’s Google Analytics data and notice that traffic dips regularly during certain days, months or seasons. Whatever the case, the bottom line is that not-so-favourable trends can’t always be easily explained.

Help has arrived in a new feature of Google Analytics called Industry Benchmarking.

To put it simply, if you agree to share your information (anonymously) for Google to compile, they will provide you with a comparison between your stats and aggregate industry verticals.

Now, I can understand how this might elicit some anxiety in users, particularly those who fear Big Brother. But in this case, the positive really does outweigh the negative:

First of all, by surrendering your statistics anonymously, you aren’t losing anything. (Plus, didn’t you kind of assume Google was using it anyway?)

Secondly, the statistical information you’ll receive will teach you indispensable information about your industry. It can give you hints about when you might need to improve or when it’s OK to stop worrying.

Most amazingly of all, this service promises to become more and more helpful as time goes on. The more users who opt in to the service, the more valuable and accurate the statistical information it generates will be.

So if Google turns around in two years and takes over the world with its vast bank of information, I’ll be wrong. But until then, I’ll use Google Maps to find my way around, enjoy the best web-based email and keep getting my stats, all for free.