by Ken Seaney | Aug 9, 2016
The key to website marketing success is search engine optimization, or SEO. Obviously, as a business owner, you want your website to be listed among the top search results when people search for something related to your products or services. While there are many ways to enhance the SEO of your website, it is important to note that social signals are an important piece of the puzzle. However, some business owners are under the assumption that the more page “Likes” and “Followers” they get on social media, the better SEO success they will achieve as a result. If you have 400,000 followers on Google+, Twitter or Facebook, that must mean you are well-known to the search engines, right? Not exactly; while studies have shown a correlation between higher search rankings and page activity, they may not be directly related. A Google employee, Matt Cutts, made a statement saying, “…you have this many followers on Twitter or this many likes on Facebook, to the best of my knowledge, we don’t currently have any signals like that in our web search ranking algorithms.” In other words, just because you have thousands of page Likes and Twitter followers does not mean your website will rank higher on Google searches. Social Content is Powerful It’s all about valuable, quality content. SEO has changed in the past few years; today, human-friendly content rules the world of SEO. Since social media is mostly about posting and sharing great content, it definitely enhances your SEO efforts. Content that is shared often across social media is viewed as “quality information” by “credible sources” that should be...
by Ken Seaney | Aug 8, 2016
Usually when you hear that you have received a “citation” it is a bad thing, but in the online marketing world, the opposite is true. If you own a business and you have heard of or read about citations, you may have been confused about exactly what they are. In simple terms, a citation in the online world refers to any time your company information is listed on a website. These include listings such as local directories, such as Yelp.com, YellowPages.com, and SuperPages.com. Also, citations can be found on other types of websites such as local blogs, news website, employment sites, social media sites, government sites, the Chamber of Commerce site, and anything else that may mention your company. Even if the mention has no link to your company’s website and only your company’s name is mentioned, it is still considered a citation. However, the more information included, the better. Why Citations Are Good Any online exposure for your company will bring attention to your products and services, which you can obviously benefit from. Exposure opens you up to potential customers that may have previously passed you by; and citations play a vital role in helping you connect with these potential buyers. In addition to that, citations are critical for search engine optimization today. Google and other search engines use citations to rank your business. The more citations you have, the higher your website will list in the search results. A higher ranking means more web traffic, which in turn equals more business for you. So what is the key to getting more citations for your business? While there...
by Ken Seaney | Aug 5, 2016
Every business owner feels overwhelmed at some point in time; especially when it comes to Online Marketing. This emotion can result in a number of negative consequences that can hinder success. This article will provide valuable insight into why becoming overwhelmed can ruin your online marketing efforts if you’re not careful. Disorganization and Clutter Take Over Disorganization and clutter are the physical signs of being overwhelmed. When it comes to trying to learn the ropes of online marketing, this disorganization and clutter take on a “mental” state. Trying to figure out what you should do, how you should do it, and when you should do it when you’re suffering from overwhelm can wreak havoc on your ability to market online successfully. If you’re not careful, this will lead to major procrastination, which happens to be something that many small business owners struggle with the most when getting started online. Goals, Objectives, and Priorities Disappear A successful online marketing endeavor follows a set marketing plan. Every marketing plan contains a set of priorities that ensure a company reaches its online marketing standards. A plan spells out in detail which marketing tools, sites, and strategies will be used to reach your goals. However, if you become overwhelmed too quickly, your planning goes out the window, which is a bad beginning to an even worse ending. Every successful marketing endeavor, online or real life, requires setting goals and objectives. When individuals feel overwhelmed, goals and objectives are usually not met because guidelines are not followed. You become simply confused about what task is more important, how or when to start...
by Ken Seaney | Aug 4, 2016
A website is made up of three essential components: URL/Hosting, graphics/design, and written content. Many website creators are preoccupied with aesthetics and have a keen eye for design, but not nearly as much concern and dedication is invested in the content. While design is quite important, as it sets the tone and highlights the professionalism of your brand, it is paramount that your content gets at least an equal amount of attention. Written content reigns supreme when it comes to your brand. It is the most difficult aspect of your website to flesh out, and can sometimes be an overwhelming undertaking. Here are some ways in which content makes the biggest difference. Attract the Search Engines The most impressive design on your website will never suffice in convincing Google that you have outdone the competition if you do not actually say anything. Above all else, search engines are driven by written content. When they crawl your page, they scan your text, searching it for quality, probing for links and relevant articles. Search engines crave information that is pertinent to search terms, which is why keywords are the hallmark of your content. Having a lot of content, and ensuring it is rife with relevant information, is vital in achieving the organic rank necessary to drive the most traffic to your website. Tell Your Story There is no need to become over-involved in SEO jargon and lingo. What matters more than anything is that your content is written in a way that your guests, clients, and prospects find useful and helpful. When you are writing the About Us...
by Ken Seaney | Aug 3, 2016
Even if your business has an established customer base, the only way to continue to grow is by keeping your customers interested and happy. These happy customers, in turn, produce more customers by way of positive reviews and word of mouth recommendations - not to mention feeding your bottom line with their repeat business. If you want to build and maintain customer relationships, try these 4 valuable customer retention strategies. Blogs Consumers love to keep up with the news. No matter what type of business you run, keeping an updated blog that focuses on your company and industry news will keep your customers interested in your product. Blogs allow you to reach limitless readers, and they are automatically targeted by searches relevant to your industry or location. You can also use your blog to promote new products, sales, or upcoming events so your customers can stay involved in your business. Sites like Blogger and WordPress offer beautiful blog templates that are simple to set up and easy to keep updated. Make it easy for your customers and potential customers to follow you online by linking your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts to your blog. Also, invite your readers to post their comments and make sure you respond to them in a timely manner so your customers feel their opinions are valued. Loyalty Programs The majority of any company’s income comes from repeat customers; that’s because it takes more advertising dollars to gain new customers than it does to keep your current ones. So it only makes sense to focus on retention. Adding value to your existing customers’...
by Ken Seaney | Aug 2, 2016
If you run a small business, you probably already know how vital social media can be in increasing your bottom line. Getting started on social media, however, can seem daunting because there are so many options and ways to gain followers. We have gathered a few tips to help you build a loyal social media audience. Use Keywords No matter what social media site, whether Google+, Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr, using keywords is vital to increase your followers. For most of these sites hash tags work best, especially if you have your social media accounts connected with one another. This allows you to post something to all of your social media sites without having to do it physically. Using keywords in your profile can help you attract people who are interested in what you have to offer. If they like what they see on your profile, they are likely to become an on-going follower. Comment Wisely Customers and clients love hearing from the small businesses they follow. By commenting on posts related to your feild, you can get people interested in your business. You do have to remember to comment wisely, however, so that it does not feel like spam. You should also consider following people back if they start following you on any social sites. People are much more likely to purchase from a business with which they are “friends” than one that is not on any social media sites. Post Regularly People want to hear from your business. The more they engage with you, the more likely they are to become customers or clients,...
