Online Marketing For Your Business - Two Free Tools

DIY Marketing Intel

Two essential ideas that will help you expand your online business reputation. Make no mistake, you make decisions all day long based on the reputation of businesses you buy from. What are you accomplishing to enhance your business reputation?

Google is changing how they display search results. Going forward, they are emphasizing mobile ready web content. More about that in my next newsletter. Right now, you should be aware of highlighting your data in search results.

Over the years there has been confusion about the power of link building. But, that is only because there was confusion around how Google search results were being calculated. There are two types of links in marketing lingo. Inbound links are ones coming to your site from another location. Outbound links are ones leaving your site and going to another location. You want to make sure you have distinguished inbound links.

DISTINGUISHED INBOUND LINKS

Quality inbound links sustain your reputation.  Google analyzes all link data to determine your popularity, freshness, and assess your trust level. Search engine processes are designed to decipher links on creditability and trustworthiness. Establishing link authority is the most expensive aspect of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) programs in both cost and time. The best news is, when done correctly, inbound links demonstrate a permanent reputation.

GOOGLE - HIGHLIGHT
YOUR SEARCH RESULTS

Data Highlighting is a fairly new feature available from the Google Search Console. It works with Structured Data which I talked about last month. This is a free and easy method to enhance your organic display listings in Google search results. You want to stand out from your competition - right? This tool will make that happen along with helping you show off your client ratings.  A very useful marketing tool; aka reputation builder.

The above graph is research on how long it takes to build a distinguished inbound link. If you want to expand your organic search results and establish an improved business reputation, start a campaign today to distribute quality inbound links. This research was provide by Moz.

SEO: Two Updated Google Tools Are Very Useful

If you want to improve your search rankings, you have to keep up with the new tools and techniques.

One essential aspect of SEO, aka online marketing, is formulating your content to tell Google what services/products you are providing. These two new upgrades in Google business tools, which are free, help you improve your search rankings.

What Is The Upgrade In This Free Tool? 

How you build your content is the key to telling Google what your business provides to the world and local community. That is the beauty of content marketing.

Google Web Master, aka Search Console, has always helped web site owners manage their site, according to what Google needs to know, in order to fully index the site or blog content.

Google continues updating their web tools with improved methods that are derived from revised processes that drive search engine results.

The Structured Data section is the new addition to the Search Console.

Structured Data, also called a HTML 5 tag, is a piece of code you insert into your web page that tells Google, in Google language, what you are providing on your site.

Who Can Use This Updated Method?

Anyone can use structured data on their web site or blog.

The learning curve on implementing structured data is steep, but when you stick with it, you will see big payoffs in your search engine rankings over time.

What Does Structured Data Accomplish On Your Web Site?

This piece of code, which makes structured data specific to your web page, means it is faster and easier for Google to interpret your content.  That code uses key data that complies with and assembles perfectly into Google index files, which are then displayed as search engine results.

If you don't know already, Google is a set of top-notch databases, which, I think, are a form of artificial intelligence.

Using structured data, you make a piece of code that is referred to as a 'rich snippet' and it tells Google, in accepted code, how to place your content, into their files, using very specific key terms.

Call Steu Mann at (541) 200-5269 for detailed information about using structured data on your site.

Online Shopping: Amazon Has A Leading Business Reputation

More than half of U.S. online consumers begin their product searches on Amazon.com Inc.’s website or mobile app, a survey found. That means that heading into the busy holiday season, the company is advancing its lead over major retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and search engines as the starting point for online shopping.  

Amazon built their business reputation, the same as every other company on the web must do to be successful. Read more - click here.  #onlinemarketing

Online Business: 3 Steps Of Successful Content Marketing

Running a business on the web is morphing. Are you keeping up?

It wasn't too long ago that you could get a web site up and running with quality SEO, Search Engine Optimization, techniques and you were good to go.  That effort would insure you are going to appear as an organic listing on the first page of Google search results.

While that is important, and still very achievable, you are going to see your online inquires decline if you slack off on activity to build your business reputation.

There are a number of factors for this. The big one is that, while Google is the biggest search engine, there are other web sites people search to find a product or service they want.  Recents studies, by PEW, show that more than half of all internet users conduct research online before making a purchase.

A few of those heavily popular sites are Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vimeo, LinkedIn, and there are others.

In the old days your marketing plan was buying yellow page ads every year. The cool part of doing online content marketing with your business is you are sustaining your business because your content doesn't disappear.

But, having a web site, and then never publishing new content to it, is showing Google that your site is stale. And part of Google's effort is to keep the most relevant sites at the top of search engine results.

To successfully implement sustaining your online business, here are three simple steps:

1. Get your site optimized to be found in Google and Bing.

This is easy to accomplish as I mentioned before. Once you start a quality campaign on this your site will be visible, within six months or less, when someone is searching using terms that are relevant to your business.

The best way to achieve quality content is by getting into the habit of posting material about your products on a regular basis.

2. Begin a content creation effort to provide the public with material about your products and services - on a regular basis.

One easy place to do this is Facebook. Yes, Facebook is a big search engine and that is what their marketing teams are planting the seeds for today.

The first step is setting up a business page and then making sure it is verified.

To do that, while viewing your business page, select Settings in the top right corner.







On the new screen that appears click Edit next to Page Verification.





Today, the verification process, if you are doing it by paper takes about 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately, I have not had much luck with the phone verification process, maybe you will.

When your business page is verified you will appear more often in search results within Facebook. And, if you are doing advertising there,  or boosting your posts, I would do it after you verify your business page.

There are many places to post content about your business, but doing it, getting it done, seems to be the hardest piece of the equation. To get over that hurdle, just pick one place to get started posting your material. Do that until you are feeling some success with it.

Many older businesses have a mentality of yellow book advertising. Those folks are thinking, "I will put an ad out there and someone will find it." The flaw with that is there is no passion or drive in that approach. An ad in the yellow pages is stale and boring.

Conversely, publishing content posts in Facebook (other other social media) are your current material and, when done right, give people insight into how you can help them.

Readers want authentic information.  What problems are you solving for the reader with your products or services?

Providing quality content to build your business reputation is not as hard as baking good bread. It just takes a simple effort to get your content made (short story or video or pictures) and then post it.

 #3 Keep a handle on measuring your content success.

Google Analytics (GA) is a free tool that will keep you informed.

You can use this tool on your web site, blog, even with Facebook.

I would suggest using GA to measure your landing page campaigns.

One simple approach to putting an automated marketing machine in place is with the following:

#A Post your brief article with pictures or phone video in sites where users are congregating already like facebook, twitter, youtube, and so forth.

#B In that content include a link to the landing page on your site.

#C Build your landing page, on your site, with compelling content and include effective Call To Action opportunities. The thrust of a landing page is that when people read it, you want them to do something. That 'something' may be download information, subscribe, or make a purchase from you. This is an example of a landing page.

The point is, when people do something with you, with your business, they have more trust in you and your business. And, the first step in wanting to do business is having trust.

You and I, have to have, some level of trust to take action with a business. Would you go to a restaurant where you didn't expect a good meal? Would you bank with a bank that you didn't think was on solid ground? 

Do you agree? Have you ever done business with someone or some establishment you don't trust? Tell me more.

The trust we have in a business, that we participate with, is based on the reputation of the business. More importantly, our perceptions can make or break the reputation of a business. The strategy of your providing current online content about your business, on a regular basis,  is to fortify your business reputation.

Steu Mann
Ez Web Company

Marketing Local Business: using photos and smart phone

This is a true, bonafide, example of a marketing a local business to boost community awareness of his services, a taxi company, just by using his smart phone, photos, and a Google Local Business listing.

One local business client did something amazing and fun - he took photos of his taxis at various local places and uploaded them to his local business listing in Google.

All done of this done from the comfort of using his smart phone.

And, my oh my, look at what Google is sending him ....

This is proof positive of a simple, just about free, marketing method that any business can accomplish.

The next step in this effective marketing technique is taking it one step farther ....

to set up a link, in his business listing on Google, to a landing page, on his web site, to start converting some of his viewers to subscribers.

A great example of simple, successful smart phone marketing and the proof is in the pictures.

Steu Mann, Ez Web Company

Online Marketing Research: 5 statistics to help you plan

This information is research on current trends to help you consider how to reach your target audience and where to reach them to accomplish effective online advertising.

In an online marketing campaign, while quality content remains the first objective, your business must also evoke a process that will produce leads from your content, as well as, have a process in place to convert them into a subscriber or buyer. 

#1 Internet advertising continues to grow in USA.
With an emphasis on advertising on mobile devices where there has been a 66% increase since last year.




#2 Google and Facebook continue to be largest advertising venues.
Google $30B (18% growth from 2014)and Facebook $9B (59% growth from 2014).

#3 Online advertising can be effective.
Google has demonstrated online advertising can work with $75B in 2015 revenue. But,  93% of users have said they considered ad blocking software, which speaks to the nature of advertising users are willing to accept.

#4 Online video marketing can be effective.
The majority of video advertising is ineffective: 81% of users mute videos and 62% of user dislike being force to see brand info before content.  What users want to see in a video is content that is authentic, entertaining, evoke emotion, personable, and works with the sound off. Vertical ads on mobile devices will get more viewership.

#5 Know your potential customers.
An effective marketing campaign is designed to reach a specific audience. Before designing ads or placing ads, taking the time to understand the habits and traits of your potential buyers. With that information you are equipped to design an inbound marketing program which can have several campaigns. Inbound marketing is not a technology or platform, it's a methodology.


The source of this information is the KPCB 2016 Internet trends report, PEW Research, and The New Rules Of PR & Marketing.

Steu Mann, Ez Web Company

Marketing: 3 reasons why inbound marketings grows a business

Inbound marketing is not a channel or a technology, it is a strategy.

There are several components that create the inbound marketing model. But, to be successful, there is more to it that just installing the components and waiting for the results. You, and your business, must make a commitment to the model. That is going to take to form of fine tuning those components and the overall inbound marketing processes you have implemented.

So far, the businesses having success with this are dedicated to it. You cannot just expect it to be a turnkey operation and then walk away.  This is not a "drive through" approach to resolving your marketing issues. The truth is simple, you will not see instantaneous results overnight.

To get started, most all business, have to review the culture of their marketing ideas and concepts. And, make some deep shifts to get started with inbound marketing.

Here are reasons why an effective inbound marketing will grow your business:

1. Reaching your niche market.

When you identify your niche market, with very specific steps, you reduce the costs of your advertising because you are focused on a smaller target audience. 

2. Start delivering your message when your niche market can hear it.

We are all bombarded by messages all day long - everywhere we go. Do intelligent marketing with your content by reaching a qualified client when they are ready to make a buy, very naturally making your content more potent and drawing them in.

3. Be customer-centric: resolve problems and issues.

Use your content to connect with your readers/viewers, that is the first step. The second step is solving their problems with your services and products. And, the third step is converting them into a subscriber or buyer.  Those three steps leverage your content into a right-timing solution: explaining and demonstrating how you can help your readers/viewers, combined with clear and beneficial Call To Action (CTA) opportunities.

Avoid these severn common mistakes in your marketing program. - click here.

Steu Mann, owner of EzWeb.company

Infographic: anatomy a better marketing strategy

Landings pages are the foundation of an inbound marketing program.

There are two types of landing pages: click through and lead generation.  To download this infographic click here.

Click Though Landing Page
This marketing objective with this type of page is to have the viewer/reader/visitor click a link and be passed to another web page or web site.

Lead Generation Landing Page
The marketing objective with this type is to have the viewer take an action that converts then into a subscriber or buyer. For example, the list below has different goals a viewer/reader/visitor can achieve:

- complete a form for more information
- download a eBook
- enter a contest
- obtain a consultation

Click here to see an example of a lead generation landing page.

Business Marketing: what is a marketing system designer?

In this digital age, with a revolution of new media and marketing techniques, a business with a marketing systems designer is expanding from the punch in their inbound marketing arsenal.

Who is a marketing system designer?

The typical skills for an effective, experienced marketing system designer would include the following:

• Web site development
• Blogging techniques
• Podcast creation
• Press release creating and distribution
• Writing content
• Designing and creating images - graphics, brochures, downloads
• Creating videos from start to finish
• SEO - Search Engine Optimization to build content marketing
• SEM - Search Engine Marketing to do ads in search engines and social media
• Building and monitoring marketing campaigns, including components such as landing pages and Call To Action triggers that combine effective conversion techniques
• Automating work flow processes with inbound marketing projects
• Methods and processes to identify and connect with niche markets

What does a marketing system designer do?

A marketing designer is a focused and talented individual experienced in the craft of producing digital content,  and then putting that forth into the different search engine media; all in an effort to improve and enhance your inbound marketing. This effort includes establishing one or more marketing campaigns that have different components: landing pages, special offers, files to download, video creation, social media channels, web site design, graphics design, measurement of success techniques, along with ongoing monitoring processes.


When is  a marketing system designer useful to your organization?

Have you ever wondered how to tie your promotional material to the right audience and then figure out how to present it in your web site, social media, and search engines?

Or, maybe you are still coming to terms with your brand message and generating organic marketing results.

Not long ago, I was introduced to a fella who owned a manufacturing business. It turns out he is the biggest supplier of his products in the surrounding five counties. But, sales were lagging and his competition had a web site that was in Google. In fact, on more than one occasion, his suppliers ended up at his competition doorstep, with his delivery, because this fella had no web site. Let alone a brand message.

A marketing designer creates and defines your reputation by producing and establishing quality content. Don’t get me wrong because I am not talking about advertising.

I talk to people everyday about the most important part of my work - creating/writing superior content for their business.

And, everyday I get someone who wants to argue with me, and these are driven people like entrepreneurs and business owners. They see the investment in “content creation efforts” as a barrier or problem. Over the years, after I have completed my discussion with each of them, I've learned the vast majority of these decision makers are looking at content creation in the same way they look at other marketing expenses: advertising, yellow page ads, trade show booths, and printing.

When you think of your online content as just another marketing expense, you will always be led to underspend. When you spent $500 in one month in Google Ad Words and/or Facebook Promotions advertising campaigns, the only thing you bought were ads appearing in the search/page results and the resulting clicks from those ads.

Consider this, as soon as you stop paying, your advertising and clicks completely stop. Gone.

To me, that is a time-told-truth example of a marketing expense. You pay and you get something, but when you stop paying it immediately goes away.

On the other hand, creating content for your business, is an endeavor establishing a permanent asset and not temporary ad space. Do you see the difference?  Your content can be used to perform advertising, but its’ basis is building your authority - your business reputation.



How does a marketing system designer accomplish work?

Self Motivated Expertise
They have the professional knowledge that will build your business with proven inbound marketing techniques. They will set the tone and schedule.  Because of their experience, they know what must be accomplished and in what order.

Collaboration
A marketing system design will work closely with your company personal to develop content.


How is it possible to measure success of a marketing system designer?

Once you put a marketing designer on your team, how will you know there are successful?  One easy what is to break up the projects into phases and then watch to see what tasks they accomplish, based on their promises and your needs.

Phase 1 - Design
You are working to identify what you need. from your conversations and meetings, gather a list of items that will be deliver and when they will be accomplished. Some of those items might be a new web page, a brochure being designed, or social media channels setup.

Plus, in this phase you want to setup at least one marketing campaign idea. there may be others. But the end game is having specific marketing campaigns to connect with your niche market.


Phase 2 - Building
From the list you assembled in our previous phase, check the timing and production of each item. Does it meet the criteria you have discussed? Does it meet your satisfaction?

Are you seeing the establishment of your marketing campaign come together?


Phase 3 - Deployment
Once your item list is completed, how will they be published and when? That may vary depending on what your wanting to accomplish.

For example, in a typical marketing campaign your landing page(s) are published, specific ad content that including key word research and  material(video, brochure, eBook) is published.  Is the marketing process automated so no new labor is required, except speaking with your newly qualified prospects?

Phase 4 - Maintenance
Monitor the marketing campaign and make any adjustments as needed. Some adjustments may be changing material or revising your key word strategy.

I hope this helps invigorate the inbound marketing program at your business.

In Respect, Steu
Steu Mann, Owner
EzWeb.company

Business Marketing: thought is the only real currency - true story (video)

Thought is the only real currency there is.

How many times have you left it up to a process or method or someone else to achieve your dream?
 

This gymnast from the olympics tells the Truth. Do you want the secret to success?

This fella found out about gymnastics from a comic book at a very young age. He saw a star in one comic doing gymnastics.

Next, he drew his own comic with the star doing gymnastics and winning. Today, he is the recognized winner, and leader in gymnastics ... besides being gold medal champ multiple times.

For those of us in business, this is a great example of how to motivate your own business growth!

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/how-kohei-uchimura-discovered-gymnastics-comic-book (video)


Steu Mann
Ez Web Company

How To Avoid 7 Common Marketing Mistakes - The New Rules

Are you working your marketing plan with the new rules? That is, the rules of the digital marketing age?

Here are 7 very common mistakes made by marketing efforts in business, along with the solutions to avoid them.


#1 Not understanding the difference between marketing and advertising.
This one is easy. Advertising is buying ad space in a printed publication, TV, or the radio. Marketing is using your web site, including social media and the new radio - podcasting, to produce short term and long term awareness about your products and services to your desired audience.

#2 Misunderstanding about reaching your target (niche) market
Nowadays there are many influential sources that can distribute your news. Before the digital age, a few magazines and TV held all those cards. Not any more.  What is better, spending a lot of cash to push out generic ads, or building a network of resources that can deliver your crafted message to your niche market?

#3 Forgetting that great content is the first  reason people make purchases and return to visit a site. 
Make your content the primary reason people visit you. Forget the flashy graphics and exciting banners. But, not to the extent of just having a text page. Deliver appealing content that educates the mind of a consumer. Think of questions a potential buyer will have and answer them in your content. Build connections with your content by allowing people the opportunity to comment - a demonstration that people use you and are engaged.

#4 Losing the natural power of content sharing.
The world gets smaller as social media and other content sharing methods increase. Throwing up a web site will not produce the returns  you want unless people can connect to their family and friends about liking your content. And, you want to be able to easily share your updated content into social media channels that become inbound links to your site. High quality inbound links are an asset in traffic building and extending your web reputation.

#5 Content is not scaled to achieve specific marketing goals. 
The two main functions of a web site visitor are browse and search.  Is your site easy to search? Have you laid out the architecture so that a search enhances your key words and exemplifies SEO targets?

#6 Brand message is not clear and/or compelling. 
When you visit a web site, see if you can spot the brand message. Most sites do not have one, or it is hidden. A good brand message is on your Home page, displayed on the the top half of the page - above the fold. It is clear and contains your key words that emphasize the benefits you offer.

#7 No plan in place to produce and publish momentum content.
What is your goal with your site in the next 6 months ... two years ... or five years?  Your content is a natural stepping stone to produce the means by your reputation is built. I have clients who were successful when they had no web site or a minimal web site; one that had no current updates published for a long time. Once they hired me to produce current content from their projects, they received exponential attention from new potential clients. Today,  they now have more active projects - and more new clients.

Good luck with your marketing efforts. Every piece you do helps to build the momentum of your success and fortify your web reputation.

Steu Mann, Owner
Ez Web Company

Online Marketing - Three Important Rules To Boost Your Marketing

In this digital world there are new rules for marketing. If you choose not to follow them then you will strangle your advertising efforts. These are simple and to the point, you don't need a college degree to figure 'em out. To be successful with the new rules means applying some sweat equity; this will not cost you an arm or a leg.

#1 Develop relationships directly with consumers.
That is right. In the old days you had to spend bundles of money on media purchases to get your message out to the entire public. Nowadays, you can use the web to target your specific audience without having to purchase any media ads. For example, you can target your SEO (search engine optimization) strategy with content that focuses on a specific theme or product, by simply writing the content on your pages to accomplish "content marketing" which is, in essence, publishing content to inform the search engine spiders about how, where and why your products are fitting that specific theme or product niche you are targeting.

Write this content easily and don't pack it with key words. Allow the content to flow naturally like you are having a conversation with a friend - just stating the facts: benefits, features, and why your product is so interesting to consumers who might buy it when they are looking for it.


#2 Use Current Marketing Strategy
In the old days your advertising material worked in one way - from the company to the consumer. There was an emphasis on creativity as being the most important component. Nowadays, the shift has erased that entire stream.

With social media you can engage potential clients and existing clients - on the spot. They can "like" your content, or "follow" you, or put you in their "circle" which is all good because anyone of of those means you are now going to appear in their network - aka free exposure about your products and services.  One of those just about amounts to a testimonial of your "business goodness"  ... which is all possible thanks to this digital world we live in.

There are many available digital channels that, even with a home based business, you can appear to be a giant company - just by the way you deliver your product content. For example, a blog or social media channel are two excellent marketing methods that level the playing field for all businesses. When you make the effort to get started on Facebook, G+, or Twitter you exercise the same power as a Fortune 100 company. All it takes is the time and energy to acquaint yourself with the process to emphasis your content in those methods.


#3 Tell Your Own Story
Before the web, the main marketing technique was using a Press Release (PR) and there were techniques to get it "right."   A PR was the recognized channel for a company to communicate with the press or media. Today, the structure of the web means you can tell your own story and proliferate it as you wish. While a PR is still useful, it is not the only way to communicate and distribute your story.

Develop your band message. Develop your elevator talk. Assemble a 250 word article on your products that emphasizes the benefits and features. And, create two or three short (30 - 60 second) videos; even using you smart phone will be perfect for this. Publish this content.

You now have a basis to build your social media channels and start a blog. Remember, a blog can be as easy as a conversation. One big blunder a business makes is over thinking a blog. Keep it simple and use pictures. You don't have to contribute a new idea to the Law Of Relativity with every post you publish. A simple update covering your business activities will suffice. One helpful technique that you can include in your content is the use of hashtags.

Here are some hashtags for this article: #knowledgeispower #onlinemarketing #workathome #contentmarketing

Steu Mann, Owner
Ez Web Company
EzWeb.company

SEO: Local & National? Tips on Social Marketing

SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which is also known as search engine marketing, has two distinct flavors. And, both are based on organic search results - not paid ads. Gear your content with a "local" strategy and you are telling Google to display your wares when searches are made in your local area or about your local area. Configure your content with a "national" strategy to have your wares displayed when someone searches anywhere in USA, or globally, using terms relevant to your products/services. For example, if you are offering services such as construction or a restaurant, you probably don't need to attract a national audience.  On the other hand, when selling books, consulting, or jewelry you can deal with potential customers located in broader geographic locations. Two tips. To succeed with local SEO, make sure you placed your business in the FREE Google and BING local business directories. But, when seeking national/global SEO results, be sure to adjust your web site audience distribution in Google and code your web pages for specific SEO targets.

“In a way, the Web is like your agent: It speaks for you whenever you’re not around to comment.” ~ Chris Brogan & Julien Smith Improve Your SEO Check out your competition that is beating you in the search engine results - as an organic listing. What are the descriptions they are using on each page? When are they making social media postings? Where are the links for sharing pages in social media? Is the content focused  locally or nationally? Do they have their street address listed on the web pages? One of the best ways to grow your following and increase engagement on social media is to be there consistently.  The first step is to put the right systems in place to keep your posts relevant, interesting and valuable for your audience. Visual content can act as a “gateway” to more valuable content. When planning visual content to post on social platforms, think in terms of how it can drive traffic back to your website, products and services. If you want to be successful with your social media plan, stop random acts of hashtagging and use a good hashtag to tie all of the pieces of your campaign together.

SEO: Three tips for your online marketing

Three Lethal Myths Of Web Sites

There are three crucial languages of every web site. Without an understanding of those you won't grasp the three lethal myths.

Protocols
There are certain practices that must be followed in order to exhibit your wares on the web and in online marketing channels - such as Facebook and Google+. These protocols are not complicated, they are as simple as learning the rules and regulations about driving.

Education
Quality content is #1 in the online world. Content that is informative, more than just a sales pitch, is proven to have deeply-rooted endurance to readers and search engines.

Marketing
Building a reputation for your products and services is more than glitzy graphics, responsive designs, and/or product features/benefits. For example, correct web site architecture will enhance how marketing channels can recognize and distribute your content - creating a sphere of influence.

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Did You Know?

In 2014 Google announced it would begin using web page encryption as a signal for SEO (search engine optimization). Research has begun to display an increasing benefit of this in 2015. Encrypting a web page means moving from "http" to "https" which improves your site Trust matrix. 

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Sweat Equity

There are billions of web sites and billions more users around the globe. Once you have a professional web site, you want to craft an audience by discussing what you are passionate about and then spreading that news where web traffic is already taking place - like social media. How do you describe the passion of your business product/services?

SEO Percolates

SEO never gets old. The first targeted result of your SEO efforts is achieving an organic listing displayed on the first page of search results using relevant key word searches. Those results are from your primary key word campaign. Next, cultivate weighted, comprehensive search results by using a list of secondary key words and phrases. 

Building Trust

The Knowledge Vault (KV), is Google's tool to store facts and figures on internet material. Today, the KV does influence (+/-) your web site in search results. I think that influence will become significant as the Vault matures. There are several methods to improving your Trust factors, which you can accomplish with service oriented marketing.

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Something To Consider ......

Recognized brand names show up higher in search results; either brand name or brand name plus key word. This is a direct result of the Google Knowledge Vault.  What strategy do you have, or are you building, to establishing your brand?

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SEO: Keeping Pace With Consumer Shopping Habits

Online Marketing Ideas

Keeping Pace With Consumer Shopping Habits

When you stop to think about it, the internet has revolutionized how and where consumers shop. One reason you need to care about your SEO (Search Engine Marketing) is this; search engines play a major role in the  purchase of products or services. 

If you are not sure how to structure your SEO strategy, then I suggest thinking like someone shopping for your services. What phrase will they use in Google to find what they need which connects them to your business?

A common mistake is to configure SEO equity based on a business name. With the free business listings in Google and Bing, automatically search engines algorithms will connect your business name with your services. But, if you have a brand name you want to solder into search engines, that requires a different type of SEO strategy.

"Just about 60% of all organic clicks go to the organic top 3 search results."
~ Hubspot.com

Siri & SEO

Siri (Speech Interpretation andRecognition Interface) is a computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator. And, Siri is part of the current Apple operating systems.

For the most part, everything you do on the internet is tracked by various cookies. Cookies are a nickname for software that records data. They can be avoided, but that is another article. Advertisers and web sites put cookies in your browser as you visit sites and cruise the web. The cookies record your activity which is turned into marketing data.

One marketing goal of conglomerates like Google and Facebook is to quickly adapt automatic offers to you of products and services based on your location and/or preferences. Location is GPS from your device and preferences are that cookie data accumulated about you. How does Siri play into this conversation?

Siri is voice activate searching. Until now, we interpreted SEO work being accomplished using a keyboard. Want to take your SEO strategy to the next level? Pump a few questions into Siri, like you are shopping for your products and see if you are one of the results provided.

"In search results, 70-80% of users ignore the paid ads, focusing on the organic results"
~ Imforza.com

Currently, Siri is narrowly focused and limited to retail type of questions. For example, find a plumber or an electrician. Or, where is the nearest coffee store. Another example is searching for one type of food or restaurant. Keep a finger on the pulse of Siri. You can bet it will achieve refinement in the ongoing quest to enhance how search engines are culled for results. Why not define your Siri results today, and use that to begin molding your future  SEO campaigns?

Lastly, if you want to stop or reduce that pesky tracking of your internet actions while you browse, I suggest putting this handy, simple app to work: STANDS which is an extension in Chrome - standsapp.org.

Four Tips - Tune Up Marketing

1. Automate Your Marketing
Marketing automation will reduce marketing expenses, increase conversion rates, boost average order values, and, in some cases, even improve shopper experience.

To get started, simply automate the process of how people can receive information on your products from your web site. Then, use a free and easy program like Mailchimp.com to distribute professional newsletters or updates.

2. Provide Real Time Info

When someone visits your site, make sure it's offering current information. Use visual displays that are quick reads to enable readers an easy digestion of your core facts and figures.

3. Enhance Your Marketing Knowledge

Improve your business intelligence. One easy step is a better understanding of what visitors do on your site. Where are they arriving and departing? What are your most popular pages? How many times does your content offer opportunities to visitors to receive something? Or, exchange their email for an educational piece? Can they exchange their email for a special offer from you?

Don't fear asking questions. Questions will juice your creativity to identify solutions that expand your abilities.

4. Anticipate, and Act On, Customer Needs
Customer engagement, when done right, separates the successful web sites from the herd.  You must present multiple opportunities in a small period of time. What is the average amount of time a visitor spends on your web page?

Web Site visitors have fleeting attention spans. Be sure your material is constructed to convert them, at least, into a subscriber. The more they see your products, the more recognition they build. Customers need to trust you first, then they will make a purchase. Building recognition is a significant step to building trust with your visitors.

"86% of consumers stated that using a search engine allowed them to learn something new or important that helped him/her increase his/her knowledge."

~ Pew Research Center, Search Engine Use 2012