Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers: Part I

This is the first in a series of five posts on "Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Resume Writers."

This post addresses the What and Why of SEO. Future posts will address Keyword Research, SEO Basics, Setting Up Google Places, and Google Places Best Practices. These posts are excerpted from the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook."

SEO means Search Engine Optimization. In basic terms, SEO is the process of making your website more relevant to the major search engines. Increasing your relevancy will mean that your site shows up higher in their search rankings. Due to its overwhelming market share, Google is usually the search engine you will optimize for.

Local SEO is optimizing your website to rank highly for local based search terms (keywords). Instead of just ranking for a general keyword like “Resumes” (don't use the accent marks when using "resumes" online), you would try to rank for “Omaha Resumes” or “Omaha Resume Writer” (remember: no accent marks).

SEO optimization is becoming an increasingly popular technique, especially by businesses in mid-sized and small cities. There are certain advantages when optimizing for localized search terms:

•  Easier To Rank — It is generally easier to rank for a local search term because it is less competitive. You can rank near or at the top of Google for these terms with much less work. For a real-life example, I worked with a business in a town of ~30,000 and was able to get them to the top of Google for a number of localized search terms in a matter of days.

•  More Targeted — When people are searching locally, they are more often to be ready to buy. It also makes sure that the people finding your site are local and can actually use your services. If you rank for “resumes,” people all over the world will find your site, but if you localize that search term you will be targeting people who are searching from your area. I have found that resume clients often start their search locally first. If they find someone competent that they feel comfortable with, they often stop searching.

With the explosions of mobile Internet, finding businesses through search engines will only get more popular. At one time, every business wanted to be in the Yellow Pages. Well, the day of the search engine is here and you want to rank for these local terms. With less competition you can rank quicker and with less effort. You will be tapping into a perpetual funnel of local-based web searches.

When you have a website, you want it to rank near the top of the search rankings for localized searches.

Tomorrow's blog post is about Keyword Searches.

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This blog post is just one small part of the "Resume Writers Online Marketing Guidebook." Purchase the 42-page special report for just $14 and receive two bonus special reports for free: "How to Add a Facebook 'Like' Box on Any Page" and "How to Use Facebook Ads In Your Resume Writing Business."

Career Professionals of Canada 2011 Awards of Excellence Nominees

Via Melanie Schlotter, Career Professionals of Canada's Marketing & Communications specialist, here are the nominees for the 2011 Awards of Excellence.

Career Professionals of Canada is committed to setting the standard for excellence in the Canadian employment and career industry. Recognizing outstanding individuals in the profession is one of the organization's most important activities. The CPC Awards of Excellence benefit the general membership, individual members, career organizations, clients, and the industry as a whole.

In an effort to bring attention to exceptional achievements of Career Professionals, the organization has established nine awards. It is a great privilege to be nominated and an even greater honor to be distinguished as the recipient of the CPC Award of Excellence. Nominations are accepted throughout the year. Nominees and award recipients are notified personally, and formally recognized on the Career Club Forum and Career Connections Newsletter. Award plaques are delivered directly to recipients.

Here are the nominees:

Outstanding Canadian Career Leader Nominee

Maureen McCann

Outstanding Volunteer Contributor to the Organization Nominees

Cathy Milton
Lita Pitruzzello
Michael Thompson

Outstanding Canadian Online Profile Developer Nominees

Stephanie Clark
Maureen McCann

Outstanding Canadian Resume Contributor Nominees:
Best New Graduate Resume Category

Carol Brochu
Lisa Cartaginese
Safinaz El-halawani
Lynn Hill
Michelle O’Donohoe
Rita Pittman
Pat Roberts
Adrienne Tom

Best Career Change Resume Category

Carol Brochu
Stephanie Clark
Brenda Collard-Mills
Safinaz El-halawani
Lynn Hill
Maureen McCann
Rita Pittman
Pat Roberts
Angelika Trinkwon

Best Technical Resume Category

Lisa Cartaginese
Brenda Collard-Mills

Best Executive Resume Category

Carol Brochu
Lisa Cartaginese
Safinaz El-halawani
Lita Pitruzzello
Rita Pittman
Pat Roberts
Adrienne Tom

Best Creative Resume Category

Carol Brochu
Safinaz El-halawani
Pat Roberts

Health Insurance for Resume Writers

Alright, I'll tackle a business management issue today: Health insurance. Most resume writers are self-employed -- and unless you have a spouse with health insurance, you're probably going to need your own health insurance plan.


Health insurance can be confusing, especially if it is your first time shopping around with different providers. Terms such as deductible, co-payments, and pre-existing conditions can be confusing if you do not know what they really mean. There are many ways to find out more about health insurance so that you are as knowledgeable as possible. You could talk to a health insurance company, find an insurance broker, or you can do your research on the Internet.

Logically, you would assume that the experts at the insurance company would be able to answer any questions that you have about terminology and any other queries that you have. The best way to get in touch with them is to simply call your provider and ask any questions that you have, no matter how general or specific. They are there to help you, and this should be your primary concern. Think about it: if an agent isn't helpful with your preliminary questions, just how helpful will he or she be if you need to settle a claim?

For answers to general questions such as terminology confusion, an Internet search engine can point you straight to your answer. This is a great options available to anyone who does not want to call their health insurance company just for a couple of simple questions. There may be information that you had overlooked in the past when you quickly skimmed through your policy. Your specific provider may have a web site where you can get facts about anything, including anything that you may not have been clear on regarding any additional benefits they offer. You can read all of the literature available at your own pace and on your own time.

Health insurance can be complicated at first, but the more you know the better off you will be.

Regaining Your Creative Spark

In a recent weekly email newsletter, author Harvey Mackey addressed the topic of creativity. 

I addressed the same topic in my book, "Write Great Resumes Faster." 
Sometimes you just get stuck when you're writing a resume. You can't figure out how to start -- or you start, and you can't finish. While the book gives you some specific strategies for helping you write resumes, Mackay gives you some more general creativity builders.

His suggestions:

• Be aware of what's going on around you. Stay on top of trends. Learn from other people's ideas and mistakes.
• Rely on your instincts. As you assimilate the information around you and assess the possibilities, factor in your instincts to come up with creative solutions.
• Assess your options. Sort your ideas into categories, and rank them. Try combining ideas, and eliminate any that don't fit what you're looking for.
• Stick with it. You need to be persistent if you want to achieve anything significant. Keep a detailed picture of the intended result in your mind to hep you stay focused and move forward.
• Be patient. You can't hurry creativity, so take time to ponder your ideas. Sit back and take time to think things over. That's usually how the best ideas bloom.
• Evaluate the results. At the end of the process, ask yourself: Has my vision been realized? Learn from what works and what fails, so you can move on to your next project.
• Creativity isn't just a process. It's a value. If you value success, get creative!

Creativity can be your best asset when you're feeling it -- and it can be your biggest enemy when you're struggling. Use Mackay's tips -- and the strategies in Write Great Resumes Faster (including Quick Reference Guides to action verbs, personality traits, profile descriptions, section headers, keywords and more)k0 -- to stay on track!