SEO is a two way conversation. It’s about knowing what your clients and prospects are looking for and then it’s about responding to their needs (Google search) to answer their questions, to enlighten them, to entice them, to educate them and to endear them to your brand.  Your prospects speak, you learn, you speak back with the content that they are seeking. Great SEO is constant.  Great SEO never stops, it continues to learn, to observe and to evolve.

With that being said, how can you use your Social Media platforms to improve your SEO?

Great social media is about two-way conversations.  Conversations between you and your prospects and vice versa. Nestled within those conversations is gold. Your prospects and clients are speaking to you about your brand and products using THEIR language.  Your mission: LEARN Their language.  Pay very close attention to what keywords they are using, note how they refer to your products and start crafting your messaging speaking their language. The more you speak their language, the more they know you are listening, the more your messaging will convert, the more Google will index your web site using the language of your prospects.

The key: listen to them, engage them and learn from them. The more that you relate to your clients, the more successful your Internet marketing efforts will be.

In my next few posts, I’ll focus on some concrete ways you can use Google+, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to improve your overall SEO efforts.

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When it’s time to take your business and your SEO presence to the next level, it’s time to speak to On Target Web Solutions, at On Target, we fear NO search box.  Call us today, in Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Here’s why.

* His site was built in 1995 and it showed.

* He was still playing background music when the web site loaded (and it wasn’t good background music either)

* He did not lead or tell the web site visitors what he wanted them to do.

* There were NO clear call’s to actions or even a mention of a social media presence

*The copy was clearly composed by an angry second grader

* The site graphics and logo were plastered in Teal & Maroon colors.

* Mouse trails were being generated as you moved the mouse across the web site

* The code to the site was cumbersome and clearly  coded by the same angry second grader that wrote the copy.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many great SEO keywords you rank under if your web site isn’t even going to come close to converting a visitor into a lead.  In fact, Having great SEO in this case is costing this gentleman business rather then improving his bottom line.

Here’s the bottom line on this sad story: It’s critical that your web site stays current and on trend with design, social media integration, etc. now more then ever.  All the clicks in the world from great SEO will not garner 1 dollar if your web site is stuck in the 90′s. In todays’ digital world, cutting corners on a web designer  to save a few bucks could be costing your business thousands in lost sales.

Need a reputable web design & SEO firm that get’s marketing, CRM integration, social media and online advertising? Call us today: In Orlando, 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Here are 6 reasons I bother to blog weekly:

- Google crawls my site rapidly and often. The more content that I create, the more Google wants to come back to my site and crawl it. The more it crawls my site, the more opportunities I have to edit / alter keywords, etc., to grab certain key rankings.

- Google indexes my content rapidly. I’ve written blog articles before that have been indexed IN google within 13 minutes flat. This means I can obviously get my message out quickly and be able to be relevant on trending topics. Again, Google has come to expect content from me, so it constantly is checking for new content.

- Ideas & Insight. The more content that I create, the more I’m forcing my mind to stay on top of my industry. This of course translates to being an authority in my field.

- Credibility. I’ve been invited to speak at countless conventions and associates because of my blogging. I’ve also been on local Orlando news channels frequently because they found a relevant blog article in Google and called my company.

- Newsletter Food. On Target sends out a weekly newsletter to our client base. Because I generate content for my blog, it auto-populates our newsletter and automatically sends it out weekly. I don’t have to create articles in multiple places.

- Social Media Feeder. Because of my blogging, a lot of my social media posts, etc., get automatically populated. I’m able to quickly disseminate my my insight across multiple platforms & now that Google loves to crawl social media outlets, I want those blog posts linked to from those outlets.

If you despise writing, hire someone. If you don’t have the time, pay someone who does have the time. If you really want your web site and it’s Internet marketing presence to grow, content is a hefty consideration that must be a part of your overall Internet Marketing plan. My team at On Target is all about quality, relevant and intelligent content creation.

Call us today to see how we can help your business gain and share it’s expertise on the Internet. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886. http://www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com

Initial Configuration Tips

1.) Permalinks.
When you install WordPress right out of the box, you need to change the ‘permalink’ structure. The default permalink (site links) is a bit ugly and not conducive to an optimum SEO campaign: you can learn more about changing the default permalink settings at this link: http://codex.wordpress.org/Settings_Permalinks_Screen

2.) Setup Ping Services.
Many web masters miss this, but you can alter and add ping services in WordPress so that each time you compose an article, it alerts news feeds, etc. Here’s a great link to help you alter this setting and get your brilliance out on the web quicker: http://codex.wordpress.org/Update_Services

3.) PRIVACY settings.
Sometimes, WordPress is installed with privacy enabled.  This means it blocks search engines from ever accessing your site.  This, of course, is NOT good for SEO.  You can double check your privacy settings in the settings control panel within WordPress. You want to allow search engines to crawl and index your web site.

Some Great Plugins:

1.) Google Analytics Plugin.
You need to know what’s happening with your web site visitors, you need a Google Analytics plugin.  This plugin allows you to simply drop your Google analytics code into a box and click the submit button.  WordPress does the rest. Take your pick of a Google Analytics plugin here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search.php?q=google+analytics&sort=

2.) Google Analytics Dashboard.
Want to see what’s happening with your web site traffic without having to go and login to Google? Install the Google Analytics Dashboard and get analytics information displayed right on your WordPress dashboard. Get the plugin here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analytics-dashboard/

3.) Google XML Sitemap Generator.
Since you’ll be generating all sorts of blogging goodness, you’ll be adding pages and pages to your web site. The XML site map generator adds every new page of brilliance that you author to an XML document that gives search engines a running list of all new and existing content that you generate.  It’s important to note, you need to create a Google WebMaster account and submit your XML site map for maximum SEO efficiency. I prefer this particular plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/

4.) All In One SEO Pack.
Each page and post of your WordPress site deserves a unique title tag and meta description.  WordPress does not allot for this out of the box, so the All In One SEO pack is a great tool for serious SEO Types.  The tool allows you to customize each tag on each new page and post that you create. This plugin is a MUST have. You can grab this plugin here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

5.) Related Links.
One of the core strategies of any successful SEO campaign is a strong back linking and related content linking strategy.  Once you’ve composed a few hundred articles of brilliance, you’ll want your web site visitors and Google to be able to access other nuggets of wisdom that you’ve created.  This plugin lists all related articles to the one you’ve just composed making it easier for the end user to click, and it enables ease of use for search engines to crawl to the related articles. There are a few here that are great options: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search.php?q=better+related+links&sort=

There are of course more SEO type plugins which we’ll share with you soon, but the ones listed above are critical in my humble opinion.

Need help with your SEO and Online presence? Give one of our SEO Experts a call today: In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886. You can also fill out our quick contact form here: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com/contact/

Here are a few things that should trigger an exodus from your existing SEO company:

- NO Metrics / or Reporting.
If you can’t get straight answers about your web traffic like where it’s coming from, is it increasing, where are people leaving the web site, etc., you can’t gauge the performance of the SEO company period…..

- PROMISING you top ten organic SEO rankings.
Plain and simple, NO ONE can PROMISE you that your web site will be ranked in Google, Bing, Or Yahoo, let alone ranked as number 1.

- IN and Out.
Any SEO company worth their salt knows that SEO is an ongoing process. Google wants to be fed. Your web site needs to feed Google to keep it coming back. In this industry, there is no quick fix, it’s a commitment.

- NO Strategy.
SEO requires a plan. It requires research, it requires technical know how, it requires copy writing skills, it requires experience to do it well. No plan, no success.

- SHADY operations.
Yes, there are ways to manipulate search engine rankings, but Google strictly warns webmasters NOT to employ any shady tricks when it comes down to search engine optimization. If your SEO company talks about cloaking, or hiding text, or secret tricks, it’s time to distance yourself and your web site from that company. Getting penalized by Google is NOT worth getting a few top spots for a few days.

The bottom line is this: Like any industry, there are several shady characters in this space. Educating yourself and your marketing team about what’s legit and what’s nonsense is mission critical when it comes to your online presence.

When it’s time for results, ethics and strategy, it’s time for your business to call On Target Web Solutions. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Who Is Your Customer?
- What do they look like?
- Where do they hang out?
- What do they search for?
- What do they value?
- What do they need from your business?
- What are they hungry for?
- How will your business address and solve their problem?
- How can your business connect with them and relay the relevancy that they are seeking?

Taking the time to dig deep into this question is by far one of the best things your business can do. Before you build that web site, before you call your SEO guy, before you write that blog, before you post that tweet… Who is your customer?

Does your business need helping digging deeper? We’ve helped hundreds of clients get to know just who their clients are and where they need to be to reach them, the right place, at the right time, with the right message. Call us, In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886 or visit http://www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com

Let’s face it: the businesses that are thriving are focusing on their online presence. They aren’t surviving due to their Yellow Page ad campaign, they aren’t surviving because of their brilliant post card scheme, they are surviving & THRIVING because they are being found online. They are getting serious about content generation, they are serious about reaching out to their prospects via smart phone advertising, SEO or pay per click campaigns, they are getting serious about their social media presence. They simply get the fact that the wave of consumers cannot be sold to. The new consumer comes to your business, not the other way around. The new consumer isn’t phased by billboards, they skip TV commercials with their DVR, they switch to XM radio when tacky car or appliance commercials inundate their FM channel, shopping and purchasing decisions are now literally, in the hands of the consumer.

Here’s what successful companies are NOT doing in 2012.

- Yellow Page Ads.
- Spamming people with irrelevant unsolicited emails.
- Post cards.
- Placing fliers on car windows.
- Ignoring the fact that consumers are making purchasing decisions online prior to even setting foot in their stores.

Here’s how the most successful & relevant businesses WILL BE thriving in 2012:

- By Blogging and informing consumers.
- By engaging and participating in lively discussions online.
- By optimizing their web site and social media presence to get their web site found in Google, Bing & Yahoo.
- By simply understanding that they cannot push their message onto consumers anymore.
- By answering the problems that their consumers are facing (and typing into a search engine…)
- By creating and maintaining pay per click campaigns with targeted and relevant landing pages.
- By implementing mobile / smartphone advertising campaigns and strategies.
- By paying attention to their online reputation and learning / growing from that reputation.

Is your business marketing plan all about being relevant in 2012? Do your business a huge favor and discuss your Internet marketing plan with true Internet Marketing experts today: call us: In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Here are some amazing Internet marketing stats your business needs to be paying attention to and devising a plan around NOW.

78% of Internet users conduct product research online.
78% of business people use their mobile device to check email.
40% of US smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device while in-store, shopping for an item.
91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email they previously opted-in to.
84% of 25-34 year-olds have left a favorite website because of intrusive or irrelevant advertising.
57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog.
67% of B2B companies and 41% of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
The number of marketers who say Facebook is “critical” or “important” to their business has increased 83% in just 2 years.
Companies that blog get 55% more web traffic.

Two of these stats really resonate with me:

- 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email they previously opted-in-to:
This stat proves that consumers will ONLY listen or engage you when THEY want what you sell.  Once they have fulfilled the need, they move in and do not wish to be inundated with noise.

- Companies that blog get 55% more web traffic.
I can tell you from personal experience, this is 100% accurate.  If your business is not actively sharing content and insight on the Internet through a blog, etc., your business is missing out on a great deal of opportunity.

It’s time to get serious about Internet marketing and your business, it’s time to start reaching out to those mobile users, it’s time to start embracing social media, it’s time to start blogging and sharing rich content with your consumers who are hungry for it NOW.

Call the Orlando Internet marketing experts at On Target Web Solutions to discuss your marketing needs in 2012: We will compile a solid Internet marketing program consisting of Organic SEO, engaging Web Design, Social media, Pay Per Click campaigns and a solid strategy aimed to reach your prospects WHEN they need you. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

I’ve put together a few easily overlook ops that you can implement quickly to help bolster the Internet marketing efforts for your business.  I’ll break them down into offline ops and online ops:

Offline Opportunities.

* Publish Your URL, Facebook, Twitter Address, LinkedIn, etc. VERY often overlooked, you need to be certain that your URL is on your business cards. Consider adding a QR code to drive people right to your web site.

* Leave your URL on your office voice mail recording so that callers can visit if they need more info on your business.

* Be certain that your URL is on your printed envelopes and letterhead, etc.

* If you wrap your company vehicle, PLEASE don’t forget to put your web site on the wrap.

* If you are doing print, TV, or radio ads, be certain that your URL or Facebook page is clearly listed.

Online Opportunities

* Check your outgoing email signature. Does it include your URL, Facebook link, LinkedIn link, twitter link? You may even throw in your YouTube channel if you have a presence there.

* Does your web site give your web site visitors opportunities to connect on multiple social platforms? Are they linked properly?

* Do your social media venues point people back to your web site URL? VERY often overlooked!

* If you are publishing YouTube videos (and you should be….) are you putting your URL or Facebook account on the video itself with a call to action?

* Have you optimized your LinkedIn channel by adding products, joining groups or starting your own group?

While some of these seem so basic, they are frequently missed. If your Internet marketing presence needs a checkup, please don’t hesitate to contact the Orlando Internet Marketing experts at http://www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com or via phone: 407-830-4550.

Yes, here I am beating a dead horse, but time after time, year after year, Content remains king.  Through the years this has rang true, from the first advertisements written on papyrus, to skywriting airplanes, to a brilliantly done TV commercial, to an SEO campaign or a mobile app advertisement, it’s always the content that sells.

The Internet Marketing game will be won by the companies with the most remarkable content, with the most amazing insight and with the biggest commitment to deliver that content to the right audience at the right time.  I think all too often that Internet Marketing is lumped into this huge gray area, the so called gurus have muddied that waters and made things uber complicated, check your H1 tags, your keyword density, your rel=no follow tags, etc.., but while these are important mechanics particularly in SEO, the true marketing is content.  The meat and potatoes.  Search engines want the meat and potatoes.  Yes, they care a bit about H1 tags, and yes, they love a very clean directory structure on your web site, but really and truly, the search engines want to deliver the most remarkable content to the end users performing the search.

So, In 2012, your business needs to be considering the following powerful content concepts and working them in unison:

Social Media Channels.  Are you fully using LinkedIn to sell your B2B products? Have you constructed a video content series for YouTube? Have you built a solid Facebook and Twitter strategy?  These are must haves.  In fact, they are becoming more and more powerful in SEO as the search engines are digesting your posts and hopefully crawling back to your web site.

Your Web Site.  Is it displaying your content in a clean, concise way? Are you wasting users time by forcing them to jump through navigation hoops? Are you muddying the waters by not clearly annunciating just what your business sells and how you will solve their problems? These are huge considerations today as consumers cannot be bothered with noise.

Your Blogging Strategy. Educate, empower, inform.  Use your blog to reach out and engage, spark conversations, talk about your industry, talk about your products and how they are evolving, talk about your clients and feature them. Search engines LOVE blog content, make it unique, make it remarkable, make it often.

The mission critical component to winning over your competitors is your level of expertise and how well you convey that level.  The web space is getting crowded, it’s time to stand out and shine.  Content is your weapon to make that happen.  Need help with your SEO, Social Media, PPC & Web Design strategy? Call me. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

A splash page is typically a very minimalist page that ‘greets’ the site visitor with some pretty stuff.  Typically large images, or graphics which are used to push the site visitor to the next page.  Here’s a list of why they don’t work for both site visitors and search engines:

1.) Usability. Splash pages can take a while to load, users don’t have patience, users hit the back button and move onto the next site. They then buy what they are looking for from a site without a splash page, and one that loaded quickly.

2.) Speed Bumps.  Users don’t want to be inhibited or locked in.  A splash page requires the user to jump through your hoops to get to what they are seeking.

3.) SEO = Terrible.  Search engines want copy, keywords and text links to dig deeper into your web site.  Splash pages typically contain none of the above.  The home page of your web site is typically the most important page that search engines pay attention to.  Feeding a splash page to Google is like trying to salad off to Santa on Christmas Eve night.

4.) It’s not about you.  This is a touch pill to swallow. Users don’t always need to see bright shiny objects.  They visit about 10.8 places online prior to making a buying decision, pretty pictures are not going to sell them.  Keep the consumer in mind and what THEY need to be seeing on your web site, not what pretty pictures you think best summarize your business.  The bottom line, what can you do for the web site visitor, and how quickly can you do it.

2011 was a game changer for the Internet.  More and more users, more and more sophisticated mobile / table users and more and more businesses trying their best to reach the right audience at the right time.  Not thinking through your web site / Internet marketing presence could be a game changer for your business.  If it’s time to get rid of your splash pages, give me a call: In Orlando: 407-830-4550. Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Oftentimes, I’ll have a prospect come to me very frustrated that their web site is NOT generating any traffic. Every time they look at their Google Analytics, they don’t see an increase. My first question: what’s your ongoing content strategy? Or, how many new products / services have you added to your web site lately? Your web site cannot be a one time upload. It needs to live, breathe and grow in order to entice two distinct audiences, 1.) Your prospects. 2.) Google.

Here’s five possible reasons why your web site traffic has flat-lined and what to do about it.

1.) No one has written a blog post for 18 months.
A blog built onto your web domain name can be a powerful and easy tool to help your marketing team produce relevant and current content. Google loves blogs, and the more rich and relevant blogs that your marketing team generates, the more Google will come back, which gives you more opportunity to alter your rankings in the search engine results pages.

2.) All of those great press releases that your PR team generated are nowhere to be found on your web site.
I see this one all of the time. Lots of great news has been generated about a company and they don’t put those releases on their web site. This is great content and instills a great bit of confidence in your prospects.

3.) No one has added a page to the web site since it launched in 2008.
Google wants to know that your web site is dynamic and relevant, therefore, it’s important to keep adding pages to your site. Pages can be new products, or can have some copy and YouTube videos embedded on them, etc., but it’s important to keep growing the site out.

4.) Social Media efforts are NOT coordinated with the web site.
I see companies setup Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter accounts all of the time and NEVER see them drop a URL to their web site so that their followers could visit the site. Have a new product? Announce it on your social media channels, but drive people back to your web site via a link. Google is now paying much more attention to social media.

5.) It’s just flat out dated or boring.
When your web site looks like a product of the late 90′s, it is no longer relevant in the marketplace. What worked yesterday on the web probably doesn’t work today, so keeping the design fresh is mission critical to pulling in traffic to your web site, and to keep them coming back.

I think above all, it’s so important to keep evolving to what your prospects are truly looking for. What’s in it for them? How will you keep them WANTING to come back to your web site? Maybe it’s a useful widget, or a great blog series, maybe it’s a set of educational videos, whatever that ‘WHAT” is, do it, and keep doing it.

To put the life back into your web site stats, give On Target Web Solutions a call today. Our marketing experts know how to revive a flat lined web site. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886. http://www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com, SEO, Web Design, PPC & Social Media experts.

I read a fascinating article that struck home today about Black Friday.  This year (2011) black Friday sales were up 16% over last year.  That’s a great sign on many levels.  But even more interesting is this: MANY stores with long lines LOST sales due to mobile phones.  That’s right.  People waiting in lines for that must have Xbox game were getting annoyed, getting fidgity, getting mobile.  The longer some folks waited, the quicker they realized that they could pull out their trusty smart phone, find a better price on the desired product and BUY it right then and there.  No lines.  No nonsense. Better pricing.

Smart phones are changing the game, so it’s time to make certain that your business has a web site that represents in a mobile phone.  Here are five tips to consider when developing your mobile web site.

- Keep It Simple.
If you are in retail, be certain to highlight your most important / popular products first.  Don’t make your consumer jump through mobile hoops, remember, they are turning to your mobile version because they are frustrated with a brick and mortar experience.

- Keep The Graphics Down To A Minimum.
If you think people have short attention spans on your business web site, imagine how short the mobile phone viewer attention span is.  You have SECONDS to lead your prospect to a sale, don’t clutter your mobile web site up with graphics.

- Kill The Flash.
If you must have motion on your mobile web site, keep Flash out of the equation.  Several phones have no idea what to do with it.  Consider backing off on the flashy stuff, or utilize CSS / HTML 5.

-  3 Clicks To A Sale.
The best rule of e-commerce is 3 clicks to a sale.  The more clicks you require from a checkout process perspective, the higher the odds of shopping cart abandonment rates sky rocketing on your mobile web site.  Again, keep the checkout process stupid simple.

- Load Time IS VERY Important.
Be certain that your mobile web site loads as quickly as possible on mobile phones, there’s nothing worse then waiting for a site to load on your phone when your time is way better spent playing angry birds.  Keep the code clean, avoid as many third party URL calls that you can and be certain to test in all major phone platforms.

It’s no secret that smart phones are here to stay and it’s no news flash to tablets are becoming more and more mainstream.  The most important thing to consider is HOW your prospects behave on those phones and IPads, and how you can make their life more simple, NOT more complicated.

To discuss your company and it’s online web presence strategy, be sure to give me a call.  In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.  Be sure to visit http://www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com for more SEO tips, web design tips and social media tips.

We have to think about how the lives of our end users are changing, whether that end user is a consumer, a patient, a doctor or anyone else. And to remain relevant we need to be part of their new ecosystem.”

- Kim Kadlec
Worldwide Vice President
Global Marketing Group
Johnson & Johnson.

This quote brings it all home. The marketing landscape is changing daily.  Every day, more and more consumers turn to the Internet on their smart phone, their laptop, their tablet and even their cars to shop.  They are visiting those online review places like Yelp, they are following a business on Twitter who just announced an amazing sale, they are friends with friends who rave about a restaurant that they are dying to go check out tonight.

Sadly, I see a lot of businesses missing out on being relevant, businesses who see Internet marketing as an afterthought, after they run that print campaign, or after they send out those post cards, an afterthought that is all too often, too little, too late. They simply aren’t paying attention to WHERE their customers and prospects are paying attention.

Lessons We Can Learn From Google.

We can take a great lesson from Google when it comes down to be being relevant.  Google is searched 34,000 every second by consumers. These consumers are hungry for fast, relevant search results and ultimately, answers to their problems.  If Google DOESN’T know what’s relevant to the consumers searching it, they stands to lose the game when they dishout junk rather than exactly what the searcher is looking for. Much like Google, we need to know where our consumers are hanging out, what devices they are using to be there and most importantly what is catching their eye, and what isn’t.

Missing The Boat.

Having the web site that your firm had designed 9 years ago with the chasing mouse trails isn’t enough to survive in today’s marketing climate.  If your Internet marketing plan does not contain a balanced blend of Social media engagement, Organic SEO, simple clean web design, a PPC (Pay per click strategy), a YouTube presence or an online reputation management strategy, your firm is missing the boat. If you don’t have professionals creating that content, or engaging prospects and clients, or chiming in on online reviews to set things straight, your firm is missing the boat.  If you don’t have a professional reviewing the data and making informed decisions about the next course of marketing action to take, your firm is missing the boat.

Remaining Relevant.

Like Kim Kadlec said in the quote above, businesses need to think about how the lives of the end users (your consumers) is changing. Knowing that they are living on their mobile phone, knowing that they are hanging out at Yelp or getting daily deal offers delivered to their inbox daily, knowing that they are talking to their friends on Google Plus, or Twitter or Facebook about that shiny new Lexus they are eye-balling is power.  The businesses not paying attention are sinking even deeper.

The Good News.

It can happen, and it’s happening for businesses like yours every day.  You can reach these consumers, your brand can grow, thrive and be a part of the new online and thriving ecosystem.  BUT, like all good things, it takes strategy, work, patience, expertise, expert analysis, and most importantly a plan. In 2012, it’s imperative that your business makes Internet Marketing a sound, solid part of your overall marketing plan, not an afterthought.

If it’s time for your business to move forward and reach the new ecosystem, I’d love to talk to you. Call me today, In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886. www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com.

Google, Zero Moment Of Truth.

10.7 places BEFORE a consumer makes a buying decision. That’s an amazing statistic, and here’s what it means for your business:  You need a strong Internet presence and guess what?  Your web site is not even close to being enough anymore, so I’ve compiled a list of places your business NEEDS to have a strong and effective presence on in 2012 to be found in one of those 10.7 places by hungry consumers looking to buy your products and services.

- Your Web Site.
Of course, yes, you still need a strong, clean and relevant web design that is focused on converting clicks into sales and educating your prospects.  The key here is to SOLVE the problems of your web site visitors.

- Google Organic Search.
Every second, there are 34,000 searches done on that little box on the home page of Google.  People are looking for your products and services, they are looking for you to solve their problem.  The key: BE THERE.  Your business needs a solid SEO plan.

- Google Pay Per Click.
Google is one big real estate game.  The more places that your company is displayed on the home page of Google, the more street credibility your business will have.

- Facebook.
More and more, I’m seeing companies leading people to their Facebook page in advertisements rather than their home page.  The reason for this is simple: Facebook allows for far more exposure to a brand then a web site: Facebook has more then 800 million users and of those 800 million users, 50% of them log in to Facebook each day.  It’s imperative that you have a strategy and presence here.

- YouTube
The second most used search box on the Internet is the search box on YouTube. YouTube also receives over 3 BILLION views a day!   That means your business needs a strong YouTube presence and strategy. If you decide to establish a presence in YouTube, the most important tip I can offer you is this: Don’t shoot your videos on your smart phone. Get a professional, the right lighting, the right camera quality and the right audio makes all of the difference in the world.  Represent your business as professional, not as amateur hour.

- LinkedIn
If your business is B2B, you need a strong LinkedIn Presence.  A presence means more then just an account with your personal information filled out.  Contribute to conversations, answer questions with your expertise and align yourself as the expert.  LinkedIn currently has 135 million members, that’s 135 business executives, owners, marketing directors, CFO’s, etc. that need your products and services.

- Twitter
Many businesses find Twitter to be a waste of time.  I personally think that having a Twitter presence can help further your brand and also be used as a powerful tool for customer service.  Dell Computers embraced Twitter a few years back and has done an outstanding job of elevating their customer service simply because they can search and address consumer complaints / concerns with their products nearly instantly.

- Review Sites.
A negative review online can kill a business. And to the consumer, reviews are like watching train wrecks, THEY have to read them.  It is mission critical that your business is paying attention to your online reputation AND responding pro-actively and with transparency.  Simply ignoring negative reviews can kill your business. Be sure to monitor Google Places, Yelp, etc. and devise a response plan should you receive some negative attention.

The key to marketing your business in 2012 is spreading out and establishing a well linked and consistent messaging platform online.  Again, your web site is simply just not enough to carry your brand and to maximize your lead potential online.  My company has helped hundreds of businesses reach those consumers at one or several of those 10.7 places.  I’m confident we can help your business in 2012.  For an Internet Marketing plan review, please give us a call. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886 or visit www.OnTargetWebSolutions.com

I see many smaller businesses ‘attempting’ to run their own Pay Per Click campaigns on a daily basis.  They are typically spending too much money, getting too few results and getting more and more disheartened with Internet marketing.  The example above illustrates just how important it is to properly setup your target demographics, target locations, phrase your ads properly etc., but here are a few quick tips / knowledge points that could help tighten up your PPC campaign on Bing, Yahoo or Google.

1.) Know Your Demographic.
Perhaps the simplest of all marketing rules is this: take the time to know who your demographic is, and further WHERE they live.  With Google AdWords, you can drop your ads directly into the zip code / city boundaries that you’d like with a few clicks.  This helps you save click through dollars and shows the ads to the people who YOU want to buy from you.

2.) Know Your Keywords.
Google is in fact out to make money.  Google LOVES to make money.  Therefore, Google will constantly recommend that you add this keyword or that keyword to your campaign, take those with a grain of salt.  While Google is a brilliant company, they may not always know your business and may not always nail it with their keyword suggestions.

3.) High Quality Score = $ Savings
Contrary to popular belief, throwing more and more money at Google will not always make your keywords / ads show up higher.  It’s all about quality results to Google, so be certain that content page that you are leading people to is in line with the keywords / key phrases you are bidding in.  Google WILL visit the landing page that you pulling people to make sure that it clicks and further, that it is relevant.

4.) Negative Keywords = $ Savings.
Google allows you to enter Negative keywords that tell Google when NOT to display your ads, be sure to take advantage of this feature, adding negative keywords that you DON’T want your ad to show up under can save you money and your prospects time.

5.) Don’t Set It And Forget It.
We’re not roasting a chicken in our Ronco Showtime Rotisserie here. Your Google AdWords campaign NEEDS to be managed frequently, it needs to be tweaked, it needs TLC, it desperately needs a sound strategy.

As a business owner, I know the true importance of ROI.  I realize how valuable my time is, therefore, I’m not going to go and attempt to fix the rotting wood on my chimney myself.  I’m going to hire an experienced professional to do the job.

When it comes to search engine marketing, your business needs experts pointing you in the right direction, your business needs a marketing partner who knows the ins and outs of running effective PPC and SEO campaigns.  Your business needs On Target Web Solutions.  Let’s talk: In Orlando, 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

- Google, Zero Moment Of Truth.

Is your web site mobile compatible? if not, you could be missing out on a huge market share of web surfers seeking out your products and services. A mobile version of your web site could be just what it takes to make those phones ring, populate that contact form or fill the shopping carts on your online store.

Here are five key elements your mobile web site needs to consider:

1.) SIMPLE navigation. Simplify your existing web site navigation with easy to click buttons, etc. and be sure to limit them to just a few. Drop downs can get really ugly in a smart phone, try to avoid them.

2.) Phone number & Contact Information. If you have a brick and mortar physical store, (restaurant, boutique, retail store, etc.) be sure to put your contact information and address in a prominent easy to find spot.

3.) Images / graphics. Keep them to a bare minimum. You don’t want your mobile site taking 13 minutes to load in a phone browser.

4.) Flash. Keep flash out of this equation, period. Flash does not render in a lot of smart phones and can leave a big empty space on the display.

5.) Go light on the copy. Keep the copy to one paragraph on the mobile version. Short, sweet and to the point is the best rule of thumb here.

Pull your web site up into your smart phone and see how it renders. If you are left mystified and confused, we need to talk. My team can create a simple effective mobile version of your web site within a few business days. Call today: in Orlando, 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886. Orlando Web Design & Internet Marketing experts.

With over 70% of all purchases being influenced by a Google search or other online factor, it’s so very important that your web site is easy to find, navigate and fulfill the immediate needs of all web site visitors.

Is your business being found? Let’s talk. Call me today, In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Does anyone have any guesses on the first most used search box? If you guessed Google, you got it: kudos to you.

Now more then ever businesses need a solid online video presence in YouTube: not only can you help pull people to your brand, you have the opportunity to make a real connection with your viewers and hopefully endear them to your business.

Consider this quick video from Purolator oil filters…. Purolator doesn’t make sexiest product on the market, but they have managed to connect with a solid audience using YouTube, they have built a series of videos showing their consumers how very simple it is to do your own oil change (with their product of course.)

The Amish Purolator video below has managed to reach over 25,000 people.

Creating your own Youtube channel also has some great SEO benefits. Google loves to digest videos and index them on their search engine results pages, so your brand has more opportunities to connect with the more then 34,000 searches done per second on Google alone.

It’s time to discuss your YouTube video presence moving into 2012, please give us a call: In Orlando, 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

There is absolutely no doubt that a web site and a strong web presence can help generate targeted leads for your business. The problem is there are so many ‘players’ in the fairly new Internet marketing world that business owners are hard pressed to get straight answers. At On Target Web Solutions, our mission, first and foremost is to educate our prospects and consumers about Internet marketing and best practices to grow your online presence and to generate leads. With that being said, here are 5 common Internet marketing mistakes I see companies make fairly often:

1.) Google ins’t enough.
Companies who are relying SOLELY on SEO to generate leads need to immediately start considering other forms of Internet marketing to drive traffic to their web site. Considering that in 2011 the average consumer visited 10.7 places prior to making a purchasing decision tells us that E-mailers, social media, off line marketing, etc., are needed to drive traffic.

2.) Getting Stagnant.
Content is and will be tomorrow king. Letting your web site get stagnant can be a death blow to your online presence. Add rich content for your prospects regularly and keep them coming back for more. Updating your About Us page every other month is not enough to accomplish this.

3.) Internal Issues.
If your business is not setup properly to receive leads and new business, it could be game over before you even start the game. Make certain that your business has the infrastructure needed to deliver consistently.

4.) Design Issues.
Remember this about your web design, it’s got to convert. It can be as pretty as a picture, but if it wasn’t built to convert YOUR audience / prospects into clients, it could be hurting you more than helping you. The truth is, most web designers are not marketers, you need a marketer creating your web site. This is not the place to cut corners or go cheap.

5.) The ‘Contact Us’ Dilemma
So many businesses rely on that Contact Us form. I say, give your prospects every opportunity in multiple ways to engage you. Whether it’s live chat, phone, email, contact forms, etc., make it so simple for them to speak to you on THEIR terms and you’ve got a game changer.

Remember, we’re here to help you make sense out of all of this. If your business is serious about lead generation through SEO, PPC, Social Media, Web Design, etc., please give me a call. In Orlando: 407-830-4550, Nationwide: 866-998-6886. You can learn more about our Internet Marketing products at http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.net.