Archive for SEO
Using Google to Market Your Business Part 4: Google Keyword tool
Posted by: | CommentsTable of contents for Using Google to Market Your Business
- Using Google to Market Your Business
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 2: Google Analytics
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 4: Google Keyword tool
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 3: YouTube
When it comes to marketing your business, there’s no better way than turning up in the top search results on Google. Since more and more people are using search engines rather than the phone book to locate business (even local businesses) you’d better make sure people can find you.
To get found, you need a plan to optimize your website so the search engines bring your website up first. This process is known as search engine optimization (SEO). Some of the basics of SEO include:
- Having search engine friendly URLs. For example: www.mywebsite.com/rosesforsale instead of www.mywebsite.com/index.php?forumid�%. Not only are these URLs more search engine friendly, they’re more people friendly.
- Using appropriate keywords in the friendly URLs, as well as in the header of your page and within the body copy.
- Getting incoming links, particularly from relevant websites. For example a florist would do better getting links from a wedding planner or interior designer than from a mechanic.
- Having a sitemap
However, if you are a small business competing against hundreds or thousands of other businesses Read More→
Using Google to Market Your Business Part 3: YouTube
Posted by: | CommentsTable of contents for Using Google to Market Your Business
- Using Google to Market Your Business
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 2: Google Analytics
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 4: Google Keyword tool
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 3: YouTube
YouTube is now owned by Google so this is yet another way to use Google as a marketing vehicle. With over 100 million U.S. viewers of YouTube (never mind the rest of the world) as of January 2009, clearly YouTube is a way to reach a large number of people.
Why should you add YouTube videos to your marketing plan?
SEO
First, search engines are starting to rank video higher than longer articles and blog posts. If you’ve used good keywords in your title and meta tags, your video is more likely to get found by Google and other search engines. Additionally, since you can include a link to your own website, you can further increase the ranking of your site by adding videos to YouTube.
More Clicks
Our eyes naturally go to photos. If your video shows up in a search someone does on Google, the thumbnail of your video is more likely to catch their eye and get clicked than a text only result. This means more traffic for you.
Link Bait
Good videos are “link bait”. YouTube automatically includes a link for views to use to add to their website. If you provide interesting or useful content it is more likely someone will add your video to their website, increasing the number of people who see and hear your message.
You’ll be cutting edge
Even though people are moving to YouTube in droves, the majority of small businesses haven’t tried it yet. If you start using video online today, there’s a good chance you’ll be one of the first ones in your industry to do so. You’ll be seen as cutting edge or just reach people your non-YouTube competitors don’t.
Works well with other social media sites
Social media sites like Facebook are designed to work with YouTube. You can easily and quickly import your YouTube videos and get double duty. Even if someone has never used YouTube before, they can still watch your content.
The rule of seven
YouTube was made for the Rule of Seven. I’ve said it before: people like to do business with those they know, like and trust. And getting to know, like and trust you takes time – at least seven contacts with your marketing message. Video is a great way to let people get to know you: they can see your face and hear your voice. You’re no longer an anonymous entity online but a living, breathing person. If you combine that with interesting and helpful information, video can speed up the process of getting people to feel comfortable enough with you to be willing to open their wallets and purchase your products or services.
Tips for creating a good video
I’m not a videographer so I’m not going to give you tips on how to actually use a video camera. If you need help there, hire someone or find a teenager who knows what she’s doing.
However, there are some tips I can give you to get better results.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect. While you don’t what to look completely unprofessional, if your video is too polished viewers may feel like they’re viewing a commercial. Sometimes a slightly homemade quality to the video can make your message more authentic.
- The average YouTube viewer spends 2.5 to 3 minutes per video. Keep your video in that range and you’ll likely get more viewers.
- Dress professionally. I know I said a homemade quality may sound authentic but that doesn’t mean I think you should create your videos in your pajamas. Unless your personal and business brand is very quirky, dress how you would if you were meeting clients. Clean up your office – if that’s where you’re shooting.
- Provide good, useful content. People don’t want a sales pitch. The best format is to talk about a problem your customers have and give them tips on how to solve it.
- Don’t forget a subtle sales pitch. If you’ve given useful information, end your video with a soft sell. Include your website address and some sort of call to action – what do you want the viewer to do next. An ideal call to action is send them to a place on your website where they can get more information.
If you haven’t started using video yet, now might be the time to give it a try. Go to YouTube, see how others are viewing the site, get out your video camera and give it a try.
Andrea J. Stenberg
Are you using video and YouTube to market your business? Let us know how it works by leaving a comment. Also, if you know of businesses that are doing a good job with video, leave us links to the best online videos.
Using Google to Market Your Business Part 2: Google Analytics
Posted by: | CommentsTable of contents for Using Google to Market Your Business
- Using Google to Market Your Business
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 2: Google Analytics
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 4: Google Keyword tool
- Using Google to Market Your Business Part 3: YouTube
I have to confess that I’ve been dragging my feet about using Google Analytics. Everyone was telling me how important it was but it just didn’t seem like a priority. My web hosting gives me fairly good stats on traffic, keywords people were using and the countries visitors are from. What more could Google Analytics do?
Apparently, a lot!
First you can track how many visitors came to your site, which pages they visited and how long they stayed. You can also see how these people came to your site; did they type in your URL, click a link from another site or come from a search engine.
If you notice certain sites are Read More→
Search Engine Optimization: Increase Your Chance of Getting Found Locally
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Search Engine Optimization expert Gem Webb, Google had added geography to its search algorithms. What does that mean? If you’re searching for a company that makes widgets, Google will try to include companies that are close to your location, even if you don’t include a geographic term in your search.
For small business, particularly “bricks & mortar” businesses with a local customer base, this is very good news. When it comes to getting your website found on Google, you don’t need to beat out the big players to get found. You just need to be better than your local competitors.
But how can you increase your chances of getting found by a local audience even more? There are a few simple steps you can take, to improve your chances.
First, have you noticed when you go to a website, there’s often a description of the site along the very top of your web browser? Those are known as title tags. You can control and change those tags to include keywords you think people looking for your products or services would use. Including local geographic terms is also a good idea. There are also meta tags, which visitors to your site don’t see but search engines do.
If you are using Wordpress, you can use a plug-in to add or change these meta tags. I use the Platinum SEO plug-in. Once installed, it’s easy to add or change these tags. If you’re not using Wordpress, get your webmaster to edit these tags for you. Or, find the nearest teenager. Odds are you can find one who can whip this off for you in exchange for a gift card for their favorite store.
But there’s another strategy you can use that’s a little more radical than tags, but in the long run will likely be more effective. Try partnering with other local businesses and work together to increase your entire community’s profile. “It’s not just building an online business, it’s building a local economy,” says website marketing expert Ryan Wiseman.
The first part of this basic strategy is simple link exchanges. Contact other local businesses and put each other’s links on your websites. This interconnectedness will help increase all your profiles on the web.
And you don’t need to worry about including “competitors” in these link exchanges. “I don’t see other graphic designers a competitors,” says Jennifer Harris, owner of Keylime Creative. “I see them as sources of information, future employees, future partners.”
This is the radical part of this strategy. Small businesses, particularly in smaller communities, need to stop looking at other businesses as the competition. They need to work together to promote the community as a whole. When businesses do this, everybody wins.
Beyond link exchanges, local businesses need to talk about other local businesses online. When you visit other local businesses and get good service or good value, write about it on your personal blog, Facebook, Twitter. If everyone makes a conscious effort to help promote each other, everybody wins.
Andrea J. Stenberg
What do you think about this idea of banding together with other businesses to help increase everyone’s visibility online? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences.
Keys to Choosing a Good Domain Name
Posted by: | CommentsWhether you are just starting your business or launching a new product with it’s own url, choosing a domain name can be a scary proposition. Your url will be with you for a long time, so you want to get it right. On the other hand, domain names are cheap. For as little as $10 you can register a new one and redirect or link to your other site.
Length of Domain Name
While you can register a domain name of up to 63 characters, you probably don’t want one that long. Imagine trying to fit it on your business card or a customer trying to type it into their web browser. It’s annoying and has more chances for error. Trust me – every time I have to type out www.thebabyboomerentrepreneur.com, I curse having such a long domain name.
So how long is too long? Many experts suggest that staying under eight characters (not including the .com) is best. However, if you can’t find a shorter name, a longer one will work if it’s:
- easy to read
- easy to hear (no one is going to think you said something else)
- easy to spell
- easy to type
- easy to remember
Once again, www.thebabyboomerentrepreneur.com falls short. Trust me, no one can spell entrepreneur. And if they can, your fingers just don’t want to type it. Every time I need to enter that stupid word in my computer my typing speed slows down to nothing.
Keywords
Where possible, having keywords related to your business in your domain name is a plus. Having keywords in your domain will help with people looking in search engines find you. Read More→
