Optimized Times

Google Places Pages and your Local Business

2010-04-26T16:35:00.004-04:00

Finding your customers has always been the most difficult task that new businesses face when marketing their products and services. Getting traction within the local sectors is one advantage you’ll have if you take advantage of Google Places (formerly Google Local Business Center). The newly presented Place Pages from Google offer a lot more detail than in the past and will quickly increase your position if effectively optimized.

If you haven’t already begun any local SEO strategies, create yourself a Google account, login and search for Google Places to set up your business and get verified. The verification process is quite simple, and eco-friendly nowadays, with an automated phone call or text message. That’s it – you’ve got yourself a Google Places account. Now let’s start setting up your Places Page.

Once you’ve been logged in you’ll find it pretty straight forward as to what is required. This includes your company information, hours, payment policies and images. At this point you really want to explore the reviews section. This is a great opportunity where you can post a link from your site to your local Places Page and ask your site visitors to post a review of your company.

Reviews have become quite important within SE algorithms, especially when dealing with local service providers. Not only does aggregating your reviews globally effect your search rank and position it also influences your prospects opinion of you. What good is that desk drawer full of reviews unless people read them?

Some newer updates include tags (paid deals appearing within the local map) as well as street view annotations which allow your sites Places Page to appear within the street view window. These are two examples at the expanding market within local search and Google’s focus at improving their offerings within the market. This focus from Google is one any local business owner should consider.

A Web Design Metaphor: Click vs. Brick

2010-03-25T16:05:00.003-04:00

In Web design, we often use metaphors from the construction industry to describe the process of developing a website. This is no surprise as the keys to success are very similar whether building a physical storefront (brick & mortar), or an online storefront (click & mortar).

We've even adopted some of the same titles and roles. So while it is definitely beneficial to hire highly skilled designers, developers, architects, engineers, and project managers to oversee your construction project, the same adage holds true in both the physical and virtual realms...

"If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail! "

Planning is an absolutely critical component to launching a successful web presence. In the words of the world famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright,

"You can use an eraser on the drafting table
or a sledge hammer on the construction site."

This couldn't be truer in the web design field. Building a website without planning makes about as much sense as building a house without a door. You're going to need to redesign it if you want people to visit.

So before you put on your website-building hard hats and break digital ground put down the blueprint and website design checklist for a moment and consider these questions...

Findability: Can users find it?

Just like your invited house guests, you want your online visitors to be able to easily find your "home on the web". As I've posted previously... “Hard to find = Does not exist”. Focus ruthlessly on Search Engine Optimization!

Usability: Does my site provide users what they want? Does it create any obstacles?

Usability is important both on the web and in everyday life as well. In "The Design of Everyday Things", user experience guru Donald Norman lists several usability problems caused by lack of planning and bad design. Some of his examples are:

Doors that open the wrong way
Faucets that turn the wrong way
Washing machines with spaceship control panels

My personal pet peeve is the doors, hands down. Have you seen this before? The door handle "design" gives the clue that the door is supposed to be pulled open. However, this convention is not always followed, resulting in people thinking they can't figure out how to open a door.

In this picture, someone has even placed NEON stickers to show that the action that opens the door is opposite of what the door handle suggests. So, next time you face plant on some random glass door take comfort in the fact that 1) you're not alone, and 2) it's not your fault, it's just bad usability.

So, if we've learned anything from this example, other than to proceed with caution, it is to follow standard conventions. Make it very obvious what is clickable on your site. If your users can't find what they are looking for, they will quickly bounce off your site... even faster than the time it takes your face to turn red after running into a door.

Your Reputation Precedes You

2010-03-19T18:20:00.002-04:00

We have all heard the phrase “Your reputation precedes you”. But, what exactly does it mean?

Well, to start let’s take a look at the word reputation. Wikipedia defines reputation as “the opinion of the group of entities toward a person, a group of people, or an organization on a certain criterion.” It is the result of what you do, what you say, and what other people say about you.

So, back to the original question, what does the phrase mean? The opinions that people have on you, your group, or your organization will make the first impression on them. They will most likely hear about your reputation, well before they even meet you or your organization.

The concept of having your reputation explain who you are and what you represent before you have the chance to show for yourself is exactly why it is important to have a good reputation. Other may make decisions on doing business with you, or relying on you for a certain task, or on even meeting you because of your reputation.

Businesses in particular have a need to ensure a good reputation for their brand. If it is known that their product does not work, if their services are too expensive, or if they have poor customer relations then others could decide against doing business with them.

In today’s world, one of the most influential methods of gaining a reputation is through the web. There are sites devoted to the concept. Take for instance Yelp.com. This site is a database of reviews on products, services, and businesses. If you are thinking of trying a new restaurant, you are sure to find an opinion on the food and service beforehand by visiting the site. Another method of online reputation is through blogs. Blogs are free game for reviews and opinions on just about anything. If someone likes your product they can help your reputation by posting their review on their blog. But, in comparison, they could post a bad review causing others to label your reputation in a negative way.

So, what can you do as a business to manage your reputation? Well, there are plenty of techniques out there. There are even Reputation Management Firms or SEO Consulting Companies to help manage your reputation for you. But, one of the most important steps to manage your reputation is being aware of what is said on the web. There is no way to manage your reputation without knowing who is saying what about your company.

To help manage the voice of the web, Google has designed an application that will email you alerts on whatever word, phrase, or topic you select. Setting up the Google alert system is completely free, and quite simple. Through the alert system you could monitor every time your company name, the name of any branded products, and even your own name show up on the web. The alert system lets you set the type of search, the frequency, and whether you would like to receive the notices to your Gmail account or an RSS feed.

Once you start receiving alerts, you can manage the responses to ensure a good reputation is built for your company. For instance, if you receive an alert for a negative comment, you could engage in a conversation with the poster to resolve the issue. If you receive a question regarding your product, answering it quickly will promote great customer service. Or, if you find a positive remark or review, you can thank the person for their great service.

Reputation identifies how others view you and your business. The importance of knowing and managing your reputation are vital to branding your company. Taking advantage of the free services out there will help make the reputation that precedes you a good one!

Don’t Market At Me! I’m Not Listening…

2010-03-12T23:36:00.005-05:00

“How do I use social media as an online marketing tool for my company?”

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who continuously talks about themselves? Of course you have. We all have. These one way conversations are quite the monologue and often leave the other party frustrated. I find myself tuning out to what that person is saying and just trying to find a “Pinter Pause”, or at least, a slight moment of silence to jump in with a few simple words. It’s quite annoying and leaves you feeling bored and frustrated.

As we get older we understand that it could be a personality flaw or just a lack of courtesy. And if we use the same comparison, with relation to traditional and online marketing, we are left with ineffective results. When we speak about Social Media we are not just tweeting our latest sale for products and service. Lord knows there are a ton of those out there within the now 10 billion tweets. These are the first ones we overlook as they offer no value.

So that leaves us with the open ended question, “How do I use social media as an online marketing tool for my company?”

And when I ask this question it has more to do with driving online traffic and capturing new leads. Social Media offers us the most advanced form of real time communication for us to speak with potential customers, clients, employees and the general public. But that is not the best part about it.

An effective Social Media campaign begins with listening to what is out there. What are people talking about? A quick search.twitter.com of your keywords and phrases produces results where you can listen to what type of chatter is occurring. Sales101 teaches us if you’re not listening then you’re not selling. Sales and Marketing are directly related to one another and this is no exception.

When we are delivered results the first instinct may be to hit up as many replies as possible for instant traffic. Oh wouldn’t that be nice? And in a sense, sure – it most certainly would. But, if it sounds to good to be true than it most likely is. Remember your reputation is always on the line. People are listening to your tweets and what you say is an impression that you may never have the chance to retract.

When we listen to what the community is speaking about we can become an active member with valuable replys or retweets. A good ratio for retweets vs. tweets about your self is 12:1. That means listen and reply naturally 12 times before you tweet yourself. This is an effective formula which leaves you looking like an expert by providing valuable content to the community and not just sending out tweet spam.

Pursue Your SEO Black Belt

2010-03-05T08:37:00.002-05:00

Do you have a hobby? Depending on the nature of your hobby, you probably notice people with different degrees of experience and talent. I attend Jiu-Jitsu classes in Berlin, New Jersey and observe the varying skill levels.

Search engine optimization and online marketing is very similar in regards to those with varying degrees of hands-on experience and efficiency. In Jiu-Jitsu, class attendance and training with experienced practitioners facilitates the attainment of higher-level belts. What warrants the competence level and ‘belt’ of an online marketing company or SEO practitioner?

The notion of assigning belts to SEO consulting services and online copywriting services seems novel and a bit humorous, yet the notion of perpetual learning and positive progression is one that deserves reverence and interest. How can an online practitioner evolve?

Read blogs
Hosting a library of books pertaining to a specific subject area is expected of all students, yet the blogosphere addresses news, tactics, and more on a general to time-specific platform. Reading on-topic blogs can help facilitate the knowledge of search engine optimization and online marketing. Gather RSS feeds from industry-respected bloggers.

I suggest:

SEOmoz
Search Engine Land
Daniel Scocco from Daily Blog Tips actually issued a post of ‘Top 25 SEO Blogs’. The post is over two-years old, yet remains a good piece of reference.

Attend conferences
Conferences are available for a Philadelphia SEO company to take advantage of. Check for upcoming conferences in your city. SES conferences are popular within the fields of SEO and search engine marketing. Conferences offer a setting to learn new information and to meet other professionals in the industry.

Extra practice
How much do you enjoy landing page optimization, social media consulting, SEO copywriting, or other online marketing initiative? Have you considered moonlighting in order to procure your skills and make extra income? Check sites such as Elance for those seeking the services reminiscent of an online marketing agency, yet will accept the services of a freelancing professional. The ‘extra’ practice can give you the added experience to accelerate your learning.

Shadowbox
The subtitle refers to the notion of perfecting your skills on your own. Danny Dover of SEOmoz constructed an excellent post a little while back referring to ways you can become a self-learned SEO professional using only thirty minutes of your time per session. It is essential to gather the basics from respected sources, learn what direction to proceed, and then do so at your own pace. Small and consistent dedication to your craft can definitely result in eventual success and a possible SEO black belt.

A Web Design Paradox: Humans vs. Robots

2010-02-25T23:11:00.000-05:00

We've all heard that content is the most important part of a website. It has even been crowned "King". We also know that if a website is difficult to find, it basically does not exist.

Hard To Find = Does Not Exist.

This is why Search Engine Optimization is so critical to your online marketing.

The Paradox:
While Humans ultimately buy the products and services offered on the web, those products and services would rarely be found or purchased if the robots didn't find and index them first. So, do we design websites for the humans or the robots?

Option 1 - Design for Humans:
It's been proven through various forms of web usability testing and research that web users generally don't read our pages... they scan them. In "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability", author Steve Krug sums it up nicely:

When we're creating sites, we act as though people are going to pore over each page, reading our finely crafted text, figuring out how we've organized things, and weighing their options before deciding which links to click.

What they actually do most of the time (if we're lucky) is glance at each page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles the thing they're looking for. There are usually large parts of the page that they don't even look at.

We're thinking "great literature" (or at least "product brochure"), while the user's reality is much closer to "billboard going by at 60 miles an hour."

There are a number of proven methods to entice humans to engage with our message. The three main guidelines for writing for the web include the following:

Be Succinct. Write no more than 50% of the amount of text used in print publications.
Write for Scannability. Don't require users to read through dense copy, which on the web sounds like Charlie Brown's school teacher... "Whah, whah, whah, whah, whah, whah". Instead, write short paragraphs, subheadings, and bulleted lists.
Hire Professionals! Good content requires a dedicated staff that knows how to write for the web and how to massage your content into your website design layout for optimal read... I mean... scannability.

Option 2 - Design for Robots:
In order to successfully get content in front of card-carrying humans (a.k.a. potential customers), websites need to be structured so they are easily indexed by search engine robots (a.k.a. crawlers, spiders). Search Engine Optimization depends largely on keywords and key phrases, so writing keyword-rich copy is absolutely critical to increasing search engine rankings.

There are a number of proven methods to optimize web content for search engines. The three main guidelines include the following:

Generate Keyword-Rich Copy. Content needs to works well at delivering your message to your Human visitors, while making your targeted keywords and key phrases easily indexed by Robots. Use your keyword phrases in headlines, title tags, in the first paragraph, the top of the HTML document, and in alternative text on images. But be careful not to overdo it - as you don't want to appear to be keyword stuffing.
Develop Accessible Markup. Accessibility is not just for the visually impaired. The more accessible your HTML pages are, the easier it is for search engines to read and rank them.
Create a Detailed Site Map. Submitting a Sitemap XML file to the search engines helps them understand how to crawl and index all of the pages, including the frequency that the content changes.

The Solution:
While writing for robots is essential to SEO, don't stress mechanical search engine optimization so much that user's needs are forgotten. We must provide content on our websites in a format that supports the way both Humans & Robots use the web. We must write for human visitors first, and then optimize our code and content to help search engine robots find and index our pages.

Article Writing Tips

2010-02-19T16:14:00.006-05:00

Article writing is a valuable way to market your business. Many SEO companies have used the approach for link building as well. Articles provide a means for you to capture the attention of readers while adding a link to your site or branding your company name.

Articles can be written in the form of a product review, an informational piece, a how to article, advice, a press release, and more. And, they can be posted to your website, submitted to an article distribution site, or published on an outside website. Doing so creates and opportunity for the article to reach a large audience with limited hands on work on your part.

You do not need to be a professional writer to take advantage of the article marketing technique. Just follow the simple article writing and distributing tips below.

Find a topic that relates to your business but is also reader friendly. Being too industry specific will limit your audience.

Do your research. Search creditable sites or books to gain a better knowledge of the topic. Be sure to cite sources for the information you quote.

Use a clear and descriptive title. Avoid catchy and cute lines that do not explain the article enough.

Use a pyramid approach and put the important information in the beginning. Many Internet readers will not scroll through an entire piece, reading the first few paragraphs only.

Paragraphs should be short. When you change a thought or idea, start a new paragraph

Use bullet points and lists for clear, concise, and to the point information.

Break up the article into sections and title each section with a descriptive word.

Save the sales pitch. The article needs to be informative, not a promotion of your company.

Refrain from using too many overly complex terms or acronyms without explaining their meaning.

Add links naturally and sparingly. The article should flow and not be overly stuffed with links to promote your website or business.

Link to other sites as well as your own. If every link is pointing to your homepage, the article loses credibility.

Credit an article section on your site to centralize the articles for easy reading.

Use diversity when submitting to distribution sites. For example, do not submit multiple articles to Ezine (a distribution site) that all have links to the same url. The links will diminish in value each time. Submit articles containing links to the same url to a different platform each time and the link value will be greater.

Search for niche sites to post articles too. Complete a Google search for the topic or industry that you are writing about and look for a credible site that allows author contributions.

Article writing and distributing is changing and evolving as we speak so be sure to stay informed of new techniques by reading blogs and websites dedicated to the process.

Small List of Big Ideas for Your Public Relations Campaign

2010-02-10T07:00:00.006-05:00

Continuously read blogs, daily papers, and magazines

Most likely, you gravitate towards information about your industry. Just about any business is addressed on and offline in some journalistic fashion. Get to know specific writers and the kinds of information and stories they relate to the public. You may be able to offer yourself or your company as an expert cited source in an article.

In addition, most magazines have editorial calendars, which alert you of upcoming story topics. Your business can be proactive and offer insight for an eventual piece. Bloggers may also have a set list of topics to cover in the future; it may be wise to ask them.

Join organizations

Junior and senior-level executives may benefit the company by joining organizations pertaining to specific industries or joining a business organization such as their local Chamber of Commerce. Events are usually planned inviting opportunities to meet other professionals, spread the word about your company, intrigue potential investors and partners, etc.

Orchestrate fundraisers and events

Every business seeks exposure. Exposure helps brand the company and keep its name in the long-term memory of the mass public. Hosting fundraisers and other events facilitates a company's acclaim. It shows the company is interested in giving back to the public and provides a platform for the public to interact with the company brand. Hosting events are especially beneficial for local businesses that would like to begin and strengthen relationships with local customers.

Elect Company and Executives

The business world hosts a large number of business awards. Use a search engine to search for business award sites, such as the Stevies, and nominate your company and its executives. In addition, you can search for state and local award sites. It creates another goal for your company to achieve and provides proof of your company's recognition and excellence in your industry if you win.

Write Press Releases

Press releases can serve multiple purposes. It is advantageous to attempt to have one release achieve many. A press release:

- can be sent to local and nation-wide reporters and editors. Remember to write a newsworthy press release; otherwise, your release won't get featured anywhere.
-can feature multimedia such as sound and video clips. Clips augment the information contained in the content of the text.
-can be used for SEO purposes using your company's keywords and phrases
- educate the public about upcoming, company events

5 Common SEO Mistakes

2010-02-01T10:14:00.006-05:00

While there is no true road map that we can pull from the glove compartment and unfold to help us navigate the search engines, it has been proven that these common pitfalls will be detrimental to your organic search engine marketing efforts. As always, hire an expert to handle these services for optimal performance and continued results.

1) Starting Too Late

SEM should be well thought out as early as when you first register your domain name or plan your new web design or re-design. The concept of customizing your web pages content toward targeted keywords and key phrases has become more apparent and rewarded with top position results given by major search engines. These results are in no way an accident nor are they necessarily just a trick used to fool your way to the top. They more importantly benefit the visitors of your web site.

Advice: Give thought to your prospective customers and the keywords you want to focus on early in the marketing development stage.

2) Spy vs. Spy

In the wild, wild west days of SEO there were plenty of agencies offering top results, and getting it, by font matching (hidden keywords stuffed on a page that match the color of the background of a page), soliciting links from link farms as well as generating duplicate content (multiple pages with the same content). These practices are labeled “black hat” (as opposed to wearing a white hat and being the good guy) and quickly may cause penalization toward your site and in some cases lead to being banned.

Advice: Let a professional SEO company do what they do. Industry professionals have seen what works and will be able to adapt a campaign to meet your companies’ needs.

3) Less Is More

OK, you’ve got your site up and running. You’ve seen some traffic coming in. Now is the time that you decided to do some research on how to optimize your web site. That’s fantastic! Problem is, you took every single suggestion you found on the web and applied it toward your pages. Over optimizing a web page or web site can and will be detrimental to your SE results.

Advice: When in doubt, natural is best. A properly optimized site will feel natural to read and navigate. Don’t force keywords in where they shouldn’t be.

4) Too Much Coffee

Considering the evolution of the webs interactive features and web 2.0 functionality we need not neglect the inclusion of a little bit of javascript. The fantastic thing about this type of code is in the way it encourages our visitors to interact with our sites for a variety of purposes. That being said, many novice or intermediate developers will simply copy/paste code directly into the page. While this works it is not best practice for SEO

Advice: Use external files (or unobtrusive javascript – DOM scripting) at all times. Also place CSS in external files.

5) What’s In Your Head?

There are tags used for specific reasons when it comes to search engine placement. Regarding the most important element on the page, the content, there are header tags and paragraph tags. A page without header or paragraph tags is a missed opportunity. Optimizing the layout of your page by utilizing the correct components is essential in assisting with identifying the more important elements on that page.

Advice: Try not to use any lower than an h2 tag for identifying a header and make certain that your targeted keywords and phrases are evident within them.

How to Avoid Common Misconceptions in SEO

2009-12-07T13:26:00.001-05:00

The world of Search Engine Optimization has grown so quickly that it has enabled less than reputable firms to try and "cash in" on it's widespread interest. Google itself even references this notion in their Webmaster Central comments on SEO. Some of the most common instances of this I have found include the following scenarios:

1) Guaranteed First Page Results: No one can guarantee first page rankings, Google itself says so but what some companies will do is play the semantics of this and attempt to get your business ranked for terms that are not frequently searched and have a large amount of keywords, such as Search Engine Optimization Firms in Mount Laurel NJ which is obviously not searched all that often. Make certain to clarify how the keyword selection process will be handled. Make certain that you have a solid understanding as to what keywords the firm is actually attempting to have you rank well for.

2) Firms Referencing They Have Relationships with Google: We often hear of Search Engine Optimization Companies that claim to have a "special relationship" with Google that enables them to do things such as post their clients directly to the Google platform. Nothing could be further from the truth. Google offers no sort of special relationship to receive increased rankings but rather require websites to meet a large amount of specific criteria to gain high natural search results. The notion of "special relationships" should be considered a major red flag.

3) Automated Platforms which Directly Feed Google Information: The idea of any sort of automated software or platform working with providing Google with information is again a major concern. There are no short cuts in obtaining high natural search results, it is a process that is time consuming but will yield great results when actually done correctly. All of our work in done "manually" and while it can be rather laborious at times, the fact remains that is a very good use of time.

4) Outsourcing Services Overseas Helps Save You Money: While there is something to be said that overseas firms can offer services at a lower cost the reality of it is that the quality of the work is always poor and the end result is that you won't see the type of results you are looking for. Be very wary of firms that outsource their services overseas, it is something that should be clarified with them early on.

5) Different Plan Levels: The notion of the Gold, Silver and Bronze plans that some SEO firms offer is something that confuses me. Does a bronze plan only get you certain results? SEO is not a one-size fits all situation. Each customer is unique in what it specifically needs. Some clients need more of one thing and less of another. Don't be fooled by the different plan levels, any reputable firm needs to customize a program that will meet your website's needs.

As in choosing any type of vendor to work with, always ask for references and make sure you have the ability to "opt-out" if the vendor is not providing the type of quality work you would like them to. We work with a month to month program which we feel makes us accountable for our work and we live by the notion "what have you done for me lately"!

Taking the "Magic" Out of SEO

2009-08-04T11:50:00.000-04:00

One of the most frustrating aspects of being involved in the online marketing industry is the fact that many "experts" in the SEO field act as if there is a certain "magic" behind SEO that only a few select individuals possess. These "experts" guard this information as a magician would protect his secret magic tricks. These "experts" also build fear in potential customers by claiming that only they can get them results and that other companies will get them "blacklisted" by search engines.

These practices are what in many ways have given the Search Engine Optimization industry a bit of a black eye. The reality of it all is that many people don't understand what goes in to getting good natural search results and they rely on "experts" to help them get those results and some companies take advantage of this lack of knowledge to exploit these customers.

While every company you speak with will claim to be "the best", keep in mind that very few companies will actually get you blacklisted but at the same time, very few companies actually get you results. WebiMax applies the core principles that we have put in place for years to get our customers the type of results they are seeking. Proper site structure, well written content, frequently updated content, proper meta and h1 tags, strong relevant inbound links from quality websites and comprehensive site map which interlinks your website pages correctly. While there is obviously more that goes in to this process beyond these points, it really isn't "magic", is it?

The Business of Brett Favre

2009-05-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

It seems like we have all been down this road all too many times with Brett Favre. He retires....goes in to hibernation for a few months....then as the new season starts to come closer he gets the proverbial "itch" to come back and play again. The whole concept of it has seem to become the "en vogue" thing to do in sports once Michael Jordan started it back in the 90's but Brett Favre has taken it to a new level.

In thinking about Brett Favre and his constant backtracking on his retirement, I was originally quite disgusted with his actions and wondered if he just did it for attention or what his motivation was behind it all. But as I thought harder about it, I realized something....his mindset is not all that different from that of my own. I have run a few successful businesses...sold them and had the opportunity to perhaps take some time off but I missed the "game" too much. My game is not football like Brett Favre's is...my game is business. I miss the excitement of taking a business from the mere thought process stage and seeing it evolve in to a viable company. Maybe Brett Favre comes back each time to try and get that one more elusive Super Bowl ring and he feels there is more work for him to do and he has not achieved all the personal goals he has set out to achieve. Well, I can appreciate that.

Learning, evolving and finding the better ways to do things is what drives me. While the game I play does not involve throwing a ball...it just as thrilling and competitive to me and something that I too would not want to walk away from.