Agog in Cyberspace

Registration information about the history of your domain is a primary resource of data that is used. More trust may be offered to a public registration than a private registration. Maintaining a physical address on your website also helps to establish trust. The hosting information, integrity of the data, security that is in place to protect the user and that business’ willingness to protect the user’s data all speak to the trustworthiness of a host domain.

Once you realize the vast majority of consumers turn to the web for product and services information, and that you are no longer in control of the business relationship, your Internet marketing will start producing results.  Gone are the days when consumers follow a predictable path to making a purchase decision.  Marketing classes taught business owners how to read where a customer was in a buying cycle.  Remember Leads, Cold Prospects, Warm Prospects and Hot Prospects?  Today’s tech savvy audience has become fast and fickle.  Customers want the information at their fingertips immediately, and are prone to change their minds quickly.  Last year, searches from Mobile devices increased by 55%.  It’s no longer just searching for product and service information from their home computer, consumers  are now searching for information  while out and about.

What can you do?  In order to reach today’s consumer, you must understand who they are.  Segmenting your customers will help create more predictability and will allow you to better ‘target’ your message.  This may not be something you have the tools or expertise to do, but that’s where an Internet Presence firm like ours comes in.  Internet Presence professions design and develop websites and social media marketing campaigns to make use of Cross-Channel Marketing.  This is a methodology where we work to integrate your message across channels (multiple platforms such as Desktops, Tablets, and Mobile Phones).  By designing the layout of your website to interact differently with a Desktop device than with a Mobile phone, the customer’s perceived desired outcome is supported.  As an example, mobile users are not going to get excited about a rich graphic when searching for information.  Their screen size is and download speed is limited.  It doesn’t make sense to push graphic rich content to a mobile phone.

One of the key methods we use to get our Clients message out there is to push content out differently on different channels.  Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter for example, have a high mobile user following.  For that reason, those platforms are designed and optimized for the Mobile User.  The content you push out promoting your business or service on Social Media sites should be tailored to the customer on the go:  Someone who is looking for quick, concise, and near real-time information.  The  bulky and graphical information is presented on your website where it will be  visited primarily from desktops, laptops, and tablets.  If you are highly engaged with your potential clients, you’ll have a website designed using Responsive Design.  That will give your website the ability to reach both Desktop and Mobile users equally well.

 The word is out.  91% of consumers look online before making purchasing decisions.  Now, every click, every search, every Facebook post or Twitter tweet is an opportunity to engage your customers and reach new prospects.   We learned a long time ago that results and ROI come when all facets of Online Marketing work together.  Social media, SEO, and web design all need to work in concert to meet consumer needs.  We don’t believe in creating empty websites that can’t generate leads or in designing meaningless campaigns. We believe in creating comprehensive strategies and implementing them with consistency. That’s what makes our clients really shine.

If you are like most small business owners, you think outsourcing your online marketing is too expensive and you can’t afford it.  So what do you do?  The small business owners who haven’t embraced online marketing by owning a dynamic website and active Social Media Marketing program display one of these 3 characteristics: 

1. Denial: Some don’t accept the fact that most consumers search or research online for products and services before making the initial call or visit to a store.  In fact, recent studies show that searches online to research or review products and services increased by 55% last year.  Some small business owners still believe that print advertising and storefront signage is enough.  Sadly, print advertising is much more expensive than online marketing and doesn’t give you the flexibility to adjust your message ‘real-time’.  Additionally, online marketing provides analytics on actual performance of your online marketing.

2. Penny Wise, Dollar Foolish:  Most businesses manage their cash flow by cutting or saving on their marketing budgets, thinking that to not spend is to save.  This is quite simply, wrong.  The fact of the matter is that today, the biggest bang for the buck comes from online marketing.  Ignore your Internet Presence, and you are losing the opportunity to reach a vast audience 24x7.  Some don’t market at all while others pour money into print advertising like ‘Yellow Pages’ type marketing.

3. Self Help – Do it Yourself: It’s amazing how many start up or small businesses try to build their own website and manage their own Social Media Marketing.  Sadly, many give it a try and quickly find out that after spending hours that building a professional looking website is not part of their skill set or simply decide they don’t have the time.  What most don’t recognize is that websites produced by ‘non-professionals’ don’t perform well.  There is a lot more to website development than pretty pictures and content.  Today’s Search Engines use specific algorithms to ‘rank’ your website.  You may put something out there, but does it get your noticed?  Does it drive leads to your inbox or customers to your store?

Maybe your company has realized the importance of a strong online marketing campaign to help bring in new customers but doesn’t have a marketing department of its own. Or maybe your marketing department is really a team of one, and your company is ready for a campaign that requires a bit more manpower. Either way, you have decisions to make. On one hand, you could try to work with what you have. On the other, you could hire employees to get the job done. There is a third choice: outsource your online marketing.

Outsourcing your online marketing can be a great option for many companies who understand the importance of a powerful online marketing campaign, but for whatever reason don’t have the resources to do it themselves. By outsourcing your online marketing, you can focus your energy where it needs to be.  By hiring a competent online marketing firm like ours, you get ‘one-stop shopping’.  Professional Internet Presence firms provide online marketing that produce measurable results.  As professionals, firms like ours are constantly upgrading their tools and methodologies to keep up with the rapidly changing technologies.

Outside of promoting your website, maintaining it is the most critical thing to do if you want to achieve your online business goals.  The most critical visitor to your site will be your potential customer.  Does your website reflect your business as it is today or has it been a while and it’s the same information and graphical content as when you first launched it?  Your website is your representative on the internet; it is a reflection of your image.  Your website is what your online visitors have to judge you by.  If your website content is stale and out of date, your visitor will vote with their mouse by going to the next site on the list in the Search Results. 

If you are like most, your time is better spent managing your business.  That’s where professional design firms come in.  Not all Internet Presence or Web Design firms provide website maintenance, so hopefully you are lucky enough to have a maintenance relationship with your web designer.  If not, you should make it a priority to get a design firm on retainer.  Don’t wait until your content is out dated and your website isn’t producing the results you expect.  Choose a reliable company to maintain your site using the following guidelines.  To avoid wasting time or money, ensure that:

1) You understand the website maintenance pricing.

2) You are clear on exactly what services they will provide.

3) They help you develop a clear and straightforward website maintenance plan that YOU understand.

4) The Firm has years of experience providing timely and regular expert maintenance for business websites.

5) The staff performing the web maintenance are seasoned professionals.

6) The company reputation is sound.  They should offer references for you to look into before making your decision.

Ensuring your website content is current and relative is a big part of maintaining your website.  Another is keeping your website coding up to date.  Search Engines, especially GOOGLE, update their search algorithms frequently.  They are always improving the way they determine ‘relevance’.  In 2012 alone, GOOGLE released 23 updates to their Search Engine Algorithm.  This is the ‘engine’ that determines where your website ranks within any given Key Word or Key Phase search.  Generally speaking, even if your website was developed by a professional design firm who was proficient in optimizing your site to be Search Engine friendly, your website is no longer performing to its potential as a result of this past years changes to GOOGLE search algorithm.  If your website was developed 2 yrs ago, you’ve missed 3 major updates in how GOOGLE ranks pages.  Just in the last major update which came out in April 2012, GOOGLE made over 50 changes.

If you are serious about online marketing, your website should be receiving ongoing review and maintenance.  Your website content should be fresh and current.  Its back-end should be tested against current Search Engine guidelines and web design standards.  Just as you take your car in for routine checkups and maintenance, your website should be monitored and maintained by a professional firm; one who continuously upgrades their tools and methodologies to remain current with today’s evolving technologies.

Online reputation should be one of your businesses’ most treasured possession.  All business owners agree on one fact:  Word of Mouth is Powerful.  Well, today’s Word of Mouth plays out everyday online - either in Social Media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, or in the search results page, where your business name shows up.  According to the PewReseachCenter, 58% of Americans have researched a product or service online; 24% have posted comments or reviews online about things they buy.  Can you afford not to have a stellar online reputation?

Earlier in the year, we were approached by a local merchant who was reopening his business in a new location.  The reputation issue this business encountered was that the local newspaper covered their business closing 2 years earlier.  Any search online for their products would have resulted in the article discussing the closure of their store.  What’s worse, this article appeared at the top of the results page; often in the top 3 results.  After our initial consultation, the merchant hired us to resolve this issue.  We performed an audit of their internet presence and found that the only online presence they had control of was their website.  The website ‘health’ audit revealed that the website had structural and SEO issues that kept the site from ranking well.  We understood our Client’s sense of urgency, and developed a 3 phase approach.  First, we needed to get immediate results.  Understanding that redesigning the website was going to take a few weeks, we started by using Social Media to create a BUZZ.   We immediately jumped into action by setting up a Facebook and Twitter account for them, and employing our proven techniques to create the Buzz necessary to push the unfavorable online information down in the results page.  Within 2 weeks, their Facebook profile starting showing up above the ‘Business Closes’ article.   People searching online for their particular retail store started seeing their Facebook profile in the top position.  We managed the content being posted on their Facebook page, and potential shoppers were able to read about all the great products and services our Client provides, along with comments and testimonials from customers.  Today, with their new website launched, there business enjoys a strong positive online reputation.  They now have a balanced online presence, one that includes a custom website promoting all their products and services, as well as an active social media presence where customers share their experiences with this retailer.

Our work did not end with starting up their internet presence with Social Media and a redesigned website.  Ongoing maintenance and management of their online reputation continues to drive customers to their store.  We continue to monitor mentions and comments made online about the retailer, and provide engaging content and responses to ensure strong and consistent online BUZZ.

Online Marketing is a multifaceted process.  Our approach of Measurement, Strategy Development, Implementation, Measure, and Re-engagement is a proven process.  Don’t be fooled by the people who promise you a ‘Quick Fix’.  Be sure to work with someone who has a proven approach and a history of success.

What will your current or potential customers discover about your online reputation when they search for your business?

Most people are not aware that GOOGLE, the most popular search engine, rolls out a new algorithm update every few months.  Why do you care?  Well, these algorithms are how Google determines where on the search results page your website should be listed.  If you or your webmaster do not understand what GOOGLE considers in determining whether your site is more relevant to another, then you are risking not being found on the web.

As an Internet Presence professional, I pay particular attention to the latest information on algorithm updates.  As web masters, we owe it to our Clients to consistently review and update our own Search Engine Optimization Best Practices.  It’s served us well, because over the past year, Google has made a major shift in determining the ‘Relevancy’ of a web page.  By keeping current with the latest changes, we have been able to avoid pitfalls that many are experiencing after the latest GOOGLE release: PENGUIN

The major trend we’ve seen in the past 2 releases, PANDA and PENGUIN, is that Google is targeting Overly-Optimized sites.  Google has openly stated their interests in stopping sites that intentionally manipulate the natural search engine results pages (SERPs) from ranking well.  We’ve heard anecdotal evidence of this from several of our new clients.  Clients whose websites were developed more than 3 years ago are falling off the results pages; or worse, not showing up at all.  Their designers used practices that today are considered ‘Overly-Optimized’. Other accounts are coming from people who have had their websites developed by friends or family members who ‘have web design experience’.  The adage, Content is King, was always the mantra.  Many took that to an extreme and produced quantity while sacrificing QUALITY.  The issue is that people with some knowledge of past SEO practices may be employing methods that today are considered taboo.

What has initiated all these algorithm changes by GOOGLE is the increase in sophistication of the software technology being deployed.  Preponderance of key words and page linking was how GOOGLE’s algorithm was able to judge a website in the past.  Today, advanced software technology enables GOOGLE to measure the time a visitor spends on a page, where they go on a site, where they came from and much more.  The advancements in Social Media allows GOOGLE to hear ‘conversations’ mentioning your website.  They even pay attention to how much ‘online klout’ a particular person has who mentions your website.  They take all these things into account when determining the Ranking of your website.  A GOOGLE fellow wrote in his blog last year: "Of course, we aren't disclosing the actual ranking signals used in our algorithms because we don't want folks to game our search results; but if you want to step into Google's mindset, the questions below provide some guidance on how we've been looking at the issue."  That was just one of the many advanced signals GOOGLE put out to give us some insight into what was to come.  The questions he was referring to are known to most of us Internet Professionals as 'GOOGLES 23 Questions'.

Understand that visitor engagement with your website matters more than ever.  Your website should contain compelling content that engages your visitors.  Your website should be aesthetically pleasing and simple to navigate.  Incorporating Social Media is a necessity.   Keep your content fresh - you should update the content on your homepage at least once a month.

I’ll cover tips on increasing visitor engagement in subsequent Blog posts.  If you are not getting the results you expect from your website, or need a web presence, please be sure to contact us for a FREE 1 Hour Consultation.  We build websites that produce results.

“If you don’t know your starting point, how will you know how far you’ve come? “The same is true for the internet. If you don't measure your web site's current traffic and traffic sources, how will you know whether anything you did made any difference?

Traffic Analytics

Traffic Analytics is a standard tool in our Online Business system. Use it to track your online visitors. The simple reporting graphs are all you need to understand where you are on the internet. Just let a couple of weeks go by and use the data to set a baseline. Use that time to prepare your search engine management plan.

Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is what ensures that your web site is set up in such a way that the search engines can easily index your web pages and will have little trouble figuring out what each page is about. Although the search engines have gotten much better, they still index your web site pages by following a sequence of instructions.
 
First, make sure your code is W3C compliant. Fill out all the tags for each HTML element. Pick one or two terms that your page is about. Make sure those terms show up in H1 tags somewhere on the page. Make sure the terms are included in the meta title, keywords and description tags. Make sure that the terms are repeated in various forms throughout the article. Above all else, make sure the content on the page answers a specific question and would be considered good content if you were to find it on the web yourself. This can't be stressed enough.
 
Once you have gone over each page and made sure they are great technically as well as content wise, you need to make sure your site has a legal statement, privacy statement and a site map. While search engine optimization can and does get much more involved than this, simply doing this basic stuff will get you 70 to 80 percent along the path to increased traffic and sales.

If you are not sure about the technical health of your web site, try our Website Health Checkup.

Search Engine Submission
Once your SEO for your website is complete, go ahead and submit your site to the search engines. Start off with the big three.  Google, Yahoo and Bing. These account for almost all internet traffic.

Directory Submission
Now that the search engines are crawling your site, make sure that your site is in all the directories. Start with Google Places, Yahoo Local, Hot Frog, Yellow Pages, Yellow Book. Use keyword infused descriptions that accurately portray your services. Make sure you fill the profiles out completely. You will rank higher if your profile is 100% filled out. Get ready for the sales calls as each of these free directory listings comes with a sales person trying to sell you SEO and PPC services. It is the trade off for visibility on the internet.

Pay Per Click Marketing
Now you have your company site optimized, submitted to the search engines and listed in every directory in town. Now what? If you want traffic, you can utilize pay per click. Pay per click has one simple rule. Never pay more for new business than is feasible to spend. This may seem obvious, but many people get involved in pay per click without really understanding it as well as they should and end up spending more than they have to in order to get a sale. If there is one area of your plan that you should outsource, this is it. With that said, there are plenty of resources online for this topic. Start small, get one product or service going in a profitable manner and then duplicate the effort. Track everything including inbound phone calls and you should be okay.

Social Marketing
Social networking includes sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and YouTube. How your company can benefit from these resources varies greatly from company to company. Never attempt a social networking project without a specific, trackable goal in mind. Also, try not to think too linearly when thinking of uses for social media applications. For example, say your company is a dry cleaning service.  A Facebook fan page about your particular business may get some fans that you are related to, it probably will not be a big hit for people that do not know you personally.

Now think about this. What about a fan page that lists coupons and deals from all businesses for your local area? Let others post to your page. Now you have a resource that people in your area may like. You can add your coupons whenever you like and you are utilizing social networking to build a relationship with people in your target market.

Articles and Blogging
Now that you have the perfect site that is submitted to the engines and you have people clicking on pay per click links to view your products and services, you want to show those visitors that you are an expert in your field. There is no better way to do this than by writing articles that address specific problems that your customers may be trying to solve. Posting these articles on your site will eventually get them indexed in the search engines. Also, you can post these articles on other sites that already have a large amount of traffic.
 
Most of these sites allow you to have a link in your profile page that provides your contact information and a link back to your site. These links are great ways for potential clients to find you. In addition to article writing, you can also search through blogs using an engine like Technorati to find topics that are related to your industry. Posting comments and providing value in these forums will over time help you develop relationships with additional potential clients.

Showing up high in on the search engine results page is key for driving relevant visitors to your new site. The challenge with starting from scratch with a new domain name is that there isn’t any history built up.

How to ‘jump start’ your ranking, you ask?

Simple. No really Simple – Keep it simple that is.

Always start with the basics. Assuming you’ve published a web site that contains rich relevant information, you should start with looking through a directories list, and based on your budget, decide which ones to submit to. The object is to show up on as many online directories that are relevant to your subject matter. This will increase your online exposure and will drive relevant traffic to your site. This can be accomplished with little or no cost.

When it comes to using social media to promote your Business, one thing really makes all the difference.  And that "one thing' is content.

The key to capturing and keeping people's attention is producing the kind of content that your target market will want to read or watch - and perhaps even share with others. People will notice and pay attention if you give them something that will pique their interest, help an issue or even make them chuckle. Also, when potential customers do take the opportunity to check out your company website or profile on Facebook or LinkedIn, for instance, they will see activity and recent content.  After all, more and more of us do all of our research about a company online, regardless of the industry.

So what type of content can offer the most value to your company?

Articles/blog posts: As painful and time consuming as it may seem, writing articles and blogs can be really effective at gaining an audience, increasing website traffic and solidifying your expertise in your area. When you add a new blog post to your website on a regular basis and share it out on all of your social media accounts.

Videos: With the popularity of YouTube, people enjoy videos that have been made on the fly and have a human quality to them.  You can set up a camera and do a video blog instead of a written blog, if you prefer.  Keep them short and authentic, and share them wherever you have a profile.

Questions and Polls: Posting questions and polls on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can is a great way to start a conversation relevant to your business.  The statement, everyone has an opinion, is well known. Give your audience a reason to interact with you.

Photos: On Facebook, photos draw a lot of attention.  Sharing photos is easy and does not require a lot of effort. Adding photos to your Facebook is a great way to add content on days you don't have time to write.

Share articles/blog posts of others: If you don't have time to write an article yourself, consider sharing the articles of others that you believe your target market will appreciate. Although the traffic won’t be coming to your site, at least your company name and logo will be associated with something that could be of value to someone.  The idea is to keep your company name in front of people on a regular basis.

If you are interested in having a Professional Firm manage your Online Marketing, please contact us for a FREE 1 Hour Consultation today.