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Thursday, January 5, 2012

SEO trends to look for in 2012

Social
The Social Media has always played a role in SEO, but its influence on search engine page results is expected to increase in coming months. For a business, this means integrating social media into daily practices. Get “Likes” on Facebook. Go after “+1s” on Google. Stay active on Twitter and get those Retweets! It also means creating content that people want to share, and that ties into the next SEO trend for 2012…

Quality
People don’t share cruddy content. Yes, everybody already knew that! But now the search engines are also “learning” to be more discerning. Their algorithms are being adjusted to place higher-quality content above sites that employ archaic or spam-my SEO techniques. This is good news for entrepreneurs…it means they can boost their results without having to learn complex SEO tactics.

Context

Search engines – Google in particular - now examine the context of keywords in your overall site. For example, let’s say you operate a site dedicated to donuts, and on this site, you feature one page about a different topic, like cosmetics. Google’s algorithm is getting savvy enough that it may skip over your donut site in favor of one that’s dedicated exclusively to cosmetics. It takes into account the content site-wide. The lesson is to be mindful of your site content and your message. Once you decide on your message, add the appropriate keywords across your site. Tie it all together in a way that makes sense.

Localization
It’s a big buzzword these days, and it gives SMBs like your clients a nice nudge above the competition! Localization’s taking over online marketing in general (check out some of the findings from the CMO Council to learn more), but it factors into SEO especially. Remember to use city- or neighborhood-centric keywords in blog posts, social updates and website content. Also advise your clients to make sure there’s a link to their site on Yelp and other business review sites.

Authority links
Okay, so links have always been valuable when it comes to SEO. But with all the emerging emphasis on context and content, people are beginning to realize how important outbound links are. We know inbound links are important to SEO – after all, that’s your traffic! But word on the SEO beat is that outbound links are starting to matter. So add links to sites with authority or credibility, like Wikipedia (see what we did there?).

We hope these up-and-coming SEO trends will help you prepare for 2012. Our staff stay on top of all new trends and technology advances. And no matter what year it is, our clients can always count on our Customer Care and Tech Support Staff for any questions and help with search engine optimization... at no additional cost.

Monday, January 2, 2012

How are you seen and how does it affect your life, relationships, business, job, etc.?

Over the holidays I spent a great deal of time looking at the unemployment situation, and noticed how many people are sending resumes out to just about anyone. What I discovered was the dreaded 4 letter word “Sell”. What is the resume designed to do? Sell! The resume is a vehicle designed to help job seekers sell themselves. This in turn got me thinking… how does this affect me and my business?

In every aspect of our lives, we are salesmen. If single and looking for that perfect partner what does everyone have in common? They become very aware of their looks, how they act, in other words, they are on their best behavior, or we hope they are. We will dress to the nines, we will help others, and we look for like minded people; we are out to sell ourselves and part of that process is being able to “sincerely” describe ourselves when asked. Of course there are acceptations to the rule, but to be successful in anything, and the operative word is successful, we have to be good at “Selling Ourselves”!

This principle applies to every aspect of our lives no matter if we are working for someone or looking for a job, girlfriend, or boyfriend; we are constantly selling. This especially holds true for business owners however it is significantly more complex and magnified.

Not only is the business owner selling themselves, but their products, services, and their entire business. The goal is to ensure the right message is being sent and received by consumers, clients, customers, friends, family, etc. Referrals are important and in today’s viral environment the word can spread fast through social media channels. But caution, it can be a double edge sword. I love to buy but I hate to be sold; and if I hate to be sold so does everyone else yet I will be the first to admit it can be difficult not to come across like a salesman.

So what’s the recommendation? While watching “Pay it Forward” I had an epiphany, all of a sudden I recalled my true passion which is helping people. The focus was never on me but on others. Acquaintances turned into friendships because I listened to them and whenever I could I would help them. I never really gave it much thought, but by helping others, and not asking for anything in return, friendships occurred and when I found myself needing something or having a challenge, all of a sudden I found myself being helped.

There used to be a time in the past where we saw more people helping people. What happened? It seems many more people today have a me, me, me mentality where they believe they are “entitled” and as a result, more and more people rely on others rather than themselves to solve their problem. In order to make things better for ourselves and our nation, we must help others improve their lives. Consider this, in order to:

Get a good job one must sell – themselves as an asset to the company
Find that right person one must – sell themselves as the ideal partner willing to give, not take
Become successful in business one must – be able to provide a solution to a problem or a need.

To go one step further, being an asset in #1 can also be applied to #2 & 3, the same for being the ideal partner and in providing solutions. They can be applied in all three examples. So, how are you seen in the eyes of others, and what are they saying about you, your business, and your life? Cheryl handed me “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale to re-read. I highly recommend everyone read and re-read this powerful and inspirational book. I guarantee it will lift you up and help everyone in their quest for stronger relationships, better job, more successful business, and a more fulfilling life. Go to Proven positive thinking principles show you how to change your thinking and change your life for a free eBook.

You may not think you are in the selling business, but everyone is however, it’s not selling if you're focused on helping someone identify a solution to their problem, challenge, or even need. Helping others not only helps you, it helps our economy and it helps our country. Don’t ask someone else to do it for you.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Big things come in small packages!

The National Retail Federation's 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey found that holiday shoppers will spend an average of $155.43 on gift cards this year! As a matter of fact, spending on gift cards and certificates alone are expected to reach $27.8 billion! The NRF found that eight in ten Americans will be giving a gift card to a special someone on their list this year, with respondents indicating they prefer the convenience of purchasing gift cards than actual items.

And according to the Wall St. Daily "Retailers are also using gift cards to create loyalty with their consumers."

Did you know...

Hubspot recently emerged with some refreshing research!

The experts found that SMBs plan to spend 19 percent of their marketing budgets on social media, while larger businesses plan to spend only 6 percent! Equally noteworthy: SMBs anticipate spending 10 percent of their budgets on blogging, whereas larger companies are only dedicating 3 percent!

While it's true that 3 percent for larger businesses may be quite a different number from SMBs' 10 percent, the primary message behind this finding is what impressed us most: that SMBs are dedicating a significant portion of their budgets to marketing via social networks and blogs!

Hubspot also provided insight on The Value of Social Media in Gift Selection. Next time you say, "We don't need social media," take a look at this infographic from MrYouth.com. Two-thirds of respondents said they made a purchase based on an interaction via social media with recommendations leading to a purchase.

The best advice today? I have two:

Add gift cards to your ecommerce catalog so you can capitalize on this tremendous opportunity!
Leverage the social media channels.

Friday, December 16, 2011

How does Your Website Compare

On December 4, 2011, comScorereleased “$6 Billion in ‘Cyber Week’ U.S. Online Spending Sets New Weekly Record as Three Individual Days Surpass $1 Billion Threshold”. Did you get a large or small piece of that action? If you did not, perhaps we might be able to help.

If you were to ask the question “how does my website compare with the competition”, how would you answer that question?

It is just as good
It is not as good

If it is not as good, can you answer the question why? Another question is how do your customers look at your website? Is it easy to navigate? Are visitors able to get right to the product in order to make the purchase? Is your site getting exposure on different social media channels?

If you are serious about getting more customers and a bigger piece of online consumer purchases, here are some things to consider:

Compare your website with your competition
- Google your products or service… where are you coming up compared to your competition?
- Take some time to compare your website with others in your industry or market.
- Put yourself in the shoes of customers; navigate through their site, now your site; see any difference?
Although you should be concerned to what customers say about your products and services, you should be equally interested in what they think about your website. Connect with your customers by sending out surveys. Use services such as Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) to get customer input on:
- The quality of your product
- Customer service satisfaction
- Ease of use in navigating through your website
- Ease in purchasing products on your website

Connect with your customers by using Facebook and Twitter
- Promote specials
- Provide educational information
- Stimulate discussions

Interacting with your customers and website viewers provides invaluable information and guidance for optimizing your site and increasing sales. Here is an example of a website evaluation questionnaire:

1. Please grade our website on the overall content.

Excellent Good Average Poor Very Poor Undecided

2. Please grade our website on the ease of navigation.

Excellent Good Average Poor Very Poor Undecided

3. Please grade our website on overall look.

Excellent Good Average Poor Very Poor Undecided

Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:

4. The vocabulary on our website is appropriate for the intended audience.