It should come as no surprise that Google has recently rolled out yet another algorithm update, called Penguin.

It concentrated on several triggers, but one in particular is Anchor Text Diversity (or lack thereof). Just make sure there was no overuse of the same keyword as the anchor text all over. You have to mix it up and diversify your anchor text if you don’t want links to your site pages to seem unnatural.

Anchor text is the word or phrase used to label a link.

Some tips on anchor text diversity are:

• Branded Anchor Text
• Misspelling
• Natural Unoptimized Terms
• Long Tail Anchor Text
• URL as Anchor Text
• Synonyms

For details on these, here is the full article on the art of diversifying anchor text.

Keeping it Real Keeps you Out of Hot Water

The best strategy is to continue to provide interesting and valuable content that people enjoy and want to share. Be smart, and don’t try to get to the top of Google using those “miracle shortcuts” you read about. You don’t have to get fancy or chase the next best thing to get to the holy grail of Google positions. Follow good, sound, and solid strategies that have worked for years and you can’t go wrong. While it won’t happen overnight, or even in a few months, publishing smart content over the long term will reward you for many years to come.

I am happy to report that none of my sites, nor the sites of clients I have been supporting have seen any noticeable drops in traffic. Yay! No surprise, though. I always advocate a strong content marketing strategy using diverse distribution. That, and knowing what your most powerful keywords are.

It’s also important to note that with both the Panda and Penguin updates, Google has added more value to natural social media marketing. Pretty much all the content sharing and distribution site (even those online Press Release sites) provide a way for readers/viewers to share your content.

Compelling Content. Natural. Sharing. Those are the words of the day.

Diversify Your Marketing Efforts

It doesn’t all have to be about the search engines, you know? Don’t forget about building your list and communicating with your community through email marketing. Give them great information and value, and they will be happy. Happy clients give you more work. Happy clients tell their friends and colleagues about you. Take care of those who have already shown their trust in you. Nurture those relationships.

A “Spring Cleaning” Evaluation of your Website to Help Address Issues

Because online marketing and SEO are not a “set it and forget it” endeavor, I highly recommend performing an evaluation a few times a year.

Common things to do are:

1) Search yourself on the search engines

2) Go through your own processes for buying, registering, and signing up.

3) Check for broken links on your website. Find and fix them.

4) Re-evaluate your keywords. This is important because your business services and products evolve, your target client searching habits evolve, and Google algorithms change.

Read more about these at Search Engine Watch.

If you would like more help with keyword research, on-page SEO, and content marketing and re-purposing, check out my services for them: Keyword Research and SEO Support, Content Marketing Services.

Article by Andrea Kalli

Take a stroll over to my Facebook Page and become part of my community. I invite you to become a fan and participate in the conversation.
Certified Internet and Social Marketing Assistant

The exponential growth of social media sites such as Facebook offer small business owners an unprecedented opportunity to expand their customer base and keep in touch with existing clients.

As Facebook’s popularity rises, there are ever-increasing numbers of tools and apps designed for marketing on this social media platform, and selecting which ones to use can be a bit overwhelming. Here, you’ll find a list of the best tools and apps to help you make the most of your small business’s Facebook fan page:

1. Google Plus Tab for Pages. This is an absolutely essential app for any small business that has a presence on Google + . It’s basically a way to stream your Google Plus updates in a Facebook Page tab and works for both business and personal Google + profiles.

2. Post Planner. Of all the available low-cost scheduling tools, Post Planner is the one to go for if including photos or videos in your Facebook posts is vital. Pro users can schedule Facebook posts on all your pages and groups – it’s $14.95 a month. The upgraded version allows you to customize the app name and redirect viewers to your business’s website.

3. Scribd for Pages. Involver designed this app to make it easy for business owners to share documents. Fans can view and even download your PDF, DOC, XLS, PPT or JPG files right from the app’s tab on your Facebook business page.

4. Contact Me. This form gives your page viewers and fans an easy way to contact you, and you can customize it to include details about your business. You can select from various fields to capture the customer information you need to generate viable leads. You can also add on premium features that provide an auto-responder and even a text message notification for each lead.

5. RSS Graffiti. If you want to provide relevant news to your fans in a timely manner, it’s amazingly easy do so with this customizable handy interface that lets you streamline all your feeds. Facebook fans just have to click on one of the article excerpts that post to your news feed, and they’ll reach the complete version.

6. SurveyMonkey. If it’s fan feedback that you need, the free SurveyMonkey app is ideal. You can customize a survey to add to your business fan page and then collect and analyze the results to learn more about your customers’ needs and wants.

7. Networked Blogs. This app is a must-have for business owners who keep their website’s blog constantly updated and want to share their insights with a Facebook fan base. It’s easy to customize the app tab on your Facebook fan page with your own blog name. Your posts are then shared with every fan via your Facebook page.

8. YouTube for Pages. Many small businesses utilize their own YouTube channel to connect with new and existing customers. This Involver app makes it easy to integrate your latest videos into your Facebook page so that fans, and friends of fans, can view each one.

9. Easy Promos. Are you looking for an app that lets you develop contests to expand and loyalize your Facebook viewers? You can test the waters with a free initial promotion to help you decide if the ROI makes this promotion-creating app worthwhile.

10. Ecwid. Why bother with an e-commerce website when you can set up a storefront right in Facebook to showcase your products and services? This innovative social media marketing tool lets your customers use PayPal, Google Checkout, Authorize.net and other payment options to make purchases right from your business fan page.

11. Fan of the Week. Everyone wants to know they’re appreciated, and this easy-to-implement Facebook app gives you the opportunity to highlight one loyal fan each week and even add in a reward. This is a valuable tool to let your fans know they matter to your business.

Using the right tools and apps can increase the impact a Facebook fan page has on your small business, and can help you maximize and monetize your social media presence.

Article by Andrea Kalli

Take a stroll over to my Facebook Page and become part of my community. I invite you to become a fan and participate in the conversation.
Certified Internet and Social Marketing Assistant

You’ve probably seen them as you browse around the internet reading your favorite blogs. Those awesome images that are used in blog posts to display information or processes. You could be thinking “How can I get one of those for myself?”.

Here’s an important tip to ponder: With the ability to encourage readers to share your content AND link to it, you cannot deny the appeal that infographics have and the impact on your overall Social SEO strategy.

When you think about it, every business holds expertise in something that can be turned into an infographic. If you have a complicated topic (or even a boring one), creating an infographic on it is your way to spice it up and Say It With Pictures!

In this article, I am going to share with you a few of the options you have. You might be surprised to find out how easy it can be to get your hands on infographics.

What is an Infographic?

Also known as Data Visualizations, infographics bring your knowledge and ideas to life using a graphical and artistic style of representation.

How to create Infographics

The core infographic is made up of 3 parts: Visual, Content, and Knowledge.

There are 5 essential steps to a good infographic:

1. Skeletons and Flowcharts – using words and arrows, and data grouped together with flowcharts will simplify the process and visually connect everything.
2. A Color Scheme – colors convey a wide array of messages and helps to keep the reader confined inside the process described in the infographic.
3. Graphics – Theme graphics define the visual design, and Reference graphics are typically icons and pointers.
4. Research and Data – it’s important to thoroughly research the data that you’re presenting and it must be backed up by established facts.
5. Knowledge – in the end, a good infographic will not confuse the reader or make them feel like an idiot. Your goal is to impart your knowledge in the simplest way possible.

As a matter of fact, here is an infographic of Infographics. Go figure.

Where to find data for the research process

How to create graphs and charts for your infographics – more than likely, you’ll want to put at least one graph or chart in your infographic image. If you don’t have desktop software to put these together, then there are some great free sites to help you with these. Peruse some sites at:

• Stat Planet http://www.sacmeq.org/statplanet/
• Hohli http://charts.hohli.com/
• Creately http://creately.com/
• Many Eyes – http://www-958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/
• Google Public Data http://www.google.com/publicdata

One particular article you might find helpful is “30 Places to Find Open Data on the Web“, when you’re in need of a place to find data to support your infographic design. Combine the data you find with the free sources to create graphs and charts, and by golly you’ve got yourself some great elements to put into your infographic.

What are Word Clouds?

Word clouds are attractive arrangements of randomly positioned words, where the most important words are bigger than the others. These are fun and easy to create. By far, Word Clouds are the quickest type of infographic for you to create.

• My Favorite is Tagxedo http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html
• Wordle http://www.wordle.net/ 
• WordItOut www.worditout.com

Here is my Tagxedo example I created simply by putting in the url of one of my own webpages. I couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect as the result!

And here’s something I did in Wordle -

Ready-to-Customize Infographics templates

If you are just starting out, don’t have a big budget for marketing graphics, and feel like you want to tackle the job yourself, then using infographics templates can help speed up the process. While I found them to be slightly limited, I think they are still a great way to get your feet wet.

• Warrior Forum http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/499696-10-killer-infographics-dirt-cheap-brand-them-yourself-private-label-rights.html
• Photoshop users – Graphicriver templates http://graphicriver.net/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=infographics , and http://creattica.com/infographics/mix-and-match-infographic-templates-psd/63250

What about custom designed Professional Infographics services?

These are a fabulous resource for top-notch custom graphics that are created specifically for your project. Top-notch designs equal top dollar, but if it’s in your budget, then these will bring you the absolute best results in the form of traffic and backlinks, offering the best SEO benefits.

However…don’t fret, if you don’t have about a thousand dollars tucked away in your marketing budget for a custom infographic designed just for you, the nice thing about most of these sites is that they have a library of infographics for you to use or embed into your own content, just so long as you link back to them and/or the original company it was made for. To be certain, simply ask them via their contact info how you can use the infographics on their website or look for the answer in their FAQ section, as per Visual.ly: “Are these visualizations free to embed on any website? Yes! You can use our embed code to put visualizations you find on our site anywhere you can imagine. After all, the point of a visualization is to be seen! Simply hover over the graphic, click “embed”, choose the desired width and “copy code.”. “

Visit these other businesses for really creative Infographics services and designs you can snag/borrow:

• http://columnfivemedia.com/ ,
• http://www.tabletinfographics.com/ ,
• www.submitinfographics.com,
• www.97thfloor.com.

Some even have a subscription where you get their latest designs emailed to you. How convenient!

Want a HOT IDEA? Embed a couple of these infographics into a PowerPoint presentation and upload it to Slideshare.net. Include your own content and images into the mix, close with links to your website and a call-to-action to sign up to your newsletter opt-in form, and VOILA…. you have just created an impactful and visually appealing piece of shareable content that feeds your list-building efforts, and can even be embedded back onto your own website.

Where are the Infographics Generators?

In researching this topic for the article, I kept looking for (and wondering about) some infographics generators. I thought for sure that some really smart people would have come up with a few of these by now, either online or desktop software.

I was hoping to find something that you put your data, information, and images into, select a style or template, and click a button to generate an infographic. I’m guessing it’s too much to ask for. One can hope, though. I still think someone, somewhere, will make it so…as Capt. Picard would say.

To my surprise, this market has not been tapped the way I thought it would have been. Either I just could not find them or they haven’t been created yet…with a few exceptions.

Intel has the “What About Me?” online generator that takes your social networks and creates a fantastic infographic based upon the data. It’s free, easy, and really quick. My three favorite words when it comes to creating graphics. Take a look below at the one I did for myself, which pretty much sums up all I talk about these days: Tech, Food, and Videos. Yep…that’s about right.

Along the same lines, be sure to check out Visually at http://visual.ly/ , an up-and-coming service that is gearing up to offer some cool functionality for creating your infographics online. Currently, the generator is only producing infographics about Facebook and Twitter data, but they are preparing for many more topics for you to build your infographics around.

“You no longer need expensive software, extensive design skills, or number crunching ability. We’re building a tool that will allow everyone to quickly and easily create professional quality designs with their own data.”

Pretty darn awesome!

Here’s an infographic I just created using their online builder. I selected a Twitter Faceoff between me and a randomly selected famous person that automatically changes with each page refresh. Very fun!

Inexpensive resources to get Infographics created

When you don’t want to even think about creating it yourself and you don’t want to pay a premium to have one created for you from the companies listed above, then try your hand at these options and see if you can find someone with the needed design skills.

www.Fiverr.com or www.dribbble.com

How are others using Infographics?

I don’t know about you, but it always helps me to see what others have done in order to give me some ideas for my own. Take a look at these Infographics examples: http://pinterest.com/mashable/infographics/

Why use Infographics?

For starters, they are more likely to be shared via social media than a standard blog post or article, increasing the overall reach of your content. You can get this type of benefit even from infographics that are not original to you.

While it may be costly or time-consuming to create an infographic that is custom to you, the biggest impact of doing so can come from having your graphic and website linked to by a bazillion people (a slight exaggeration). If you have an original infographic on your hands that has valuable information for a wide variety of people, you can easily find yourself with tens of thousands of backlinks to your website. The SEO benefits alone could be well worth it!

Article by Andrea Kalli

Take a stroll over to my Facebook Page and become part of my community. I invite you to become a fan and participate in the conversation.
Certified Internet and Social Marketing Assistant

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If you are like me, with the amount of information that is flowing my way, I need a way to capture all the details and be able to find what I need later with ease. Evernote is one of the key tools out there that can help you be more productive and in control of the myriad of things you have to remember.

The beauty of Evernote is that it is a free tool that can described as a digital brain, allowing you to capture information on the fly and finally have a central, accessible place to store what is important to you. This storehouse, your digital brain, is searchable and can be accessed from any computer, a smartphone or tablet.

Evernote has truly revolutionized my life because, even though I hate to admit it, my own brain is not that reliable anymore and the search function is having a few issues. The more information I send to Evernote the better I seem to function, in both my business and personal life! I’ve only been using it for a few months, but already I feel more in control and on top of things.

This is how it works. You set up an account at evernote.com and download the program for free. You have the option to access it locally on your hard drive or online. If you have a number of computers and devices online would be your best option. You can sync your files and have everything accessible wherever you are.

The beauty of using Evernote is that you can set up notebooks (like folders) and notes, and organize them but also assign tags. You can search on keywords or phrases and you will be presented with one or more notes that contain that information that was previously stored. Everything you type in the notebook is automatically saved so there is no worry about losing your work.

Evernote provides an email address so you can send emails directly into your account. You can add tags in the subject line and the note will be filed in the place that you assign within Evernote.

There are also devices and other programs that allow you to add information, such as the Livescribe pen. Using the pen, you can take handwritten notes with optional audio and send it all to Evernote where the handwriting is searchable. ScanSnap is a scanning device that sends scans directly to Evernote. With the premium version ($5.00 per month) you can search within PDFs and store large files, but the free version is adequate for most needs.

There are several programs and apps that play nicely with Evernote. The company has recently bought Sktich, and there is a smorgasbord of options you can integrate depending on your needs. Some apps are for a mobile device and some are desktop-based. New apps and options are being developed and introduced regularly.

The way I have been using Evernote will be different from someone else, but I’ll give you a few ideas about what is possible and some of the things I have been up to:

Travel: store trip itineraries, flight and hotel information; details on local attractions; conference or meeting details; google maps

Recipes: save recipes that I’ve found on the Internet or that were scanned or emailed to me

Work: capture prospective client details and meeting info; project ideas and development information; digital expense receipts and mileage; business card scans (searchable), web clips; marketing plan; to do lists, information sent from my iphone; integration with WorkEtc (a project management program)

Writing: draft blog posts and articles, outlines, research, ideas

Car: save maintenance records, registrations, insurance

Health: file prescription details; articles from the internet; nutritional information; products of interest; food diary

Personal: web clips for researching furniture, clothing, glasses, major purchases; scans of receipts, registrations, magazine articles; interesting blog posts, photos of restaurants, wine or menu items that I like; referrals from friends or family; journal; shopping or task list

The bottom line is that Evernote can be used to organize and gather all of the information that you need to function in your personal and professional life in a much more efficient manner. I keep a daily to do list in Evernote that is constantly changing. There are fewer sticky notes all over the place or pieces of paper getting lost in my purse or briefcase.

I’ve begun to back up my brain and I feel great! There are already 643 notes and counting, and I’ve only scratched the surface of what I want to capture.

Get Evernote at www.evernote.com

Written by:

Janet Patten

Virtual Marketing Assistant

www.yourlocaleyes.com

Article by Andrea Kalli

Take a stroll over to my Facebook Page and become part of my community. I invite you to become a fan and participate in the conversation.
Certified Internet and Social Marketing Assistant

A Guest Post By Eunice Nisbett

Virtual Assistant/Administrative Services Consultant

www.savvyvirtuals.com

As a virtual entrepreneur you are called upon to collaborate virtually and become part of teams, whose members you may never meet face to face. Your team players may be in different parts of the world and in different time zones; and you may need to exchange or share files and resources which are too large to be transmitted by email. Enter…Dropbox.

I have tried other file sharing tools; yet, Dropbox stands out as being among the top of my list. With its ability to sync files, share files across computers, and provide a backup of files, Dropbox is certainly a key tool for every virtual toolkit.

While there are a number of ways in which you can use Dropbox, this article focuses on its file-sharing utility. Dropbox allows you to store all your files: videos, documents, and photos, where they are always accessible. Any file you save in your Dropbox can be retrieved on all your computers, phones, and the Dropbox website. Thinking of emailing that file to you? No need. Dropbox will give you access wherever you go.

Registration

Registration with dropbox is simple and free:

1. Visit www.dropbox.com.

2. Click on the tab ‘Create an Account’.

3. Complete the form.

4. Click ‘I agree to Dropbox Terms’ after you have read them.

5. Click ‘Create account’.

Follow the instructions on the Downloading Dropbox screen:

1. Run the Dropbox installer by downloading dropbox.exe.

2. Click Yes to accept the User Control Settings.

3. Follow the instructions to set up Dropbox on our computer; and you are ready to use the savviest tool in your toolkit.

Dropbox provides you with an initial 2GB of free space. However, you can increase your space through their generous referral progamme. By recommending Dropbox to your friends and colleagues you will be able to gain 250 MB extra space for every referral who accepts your request. Your friend or colleague will also receive that extra space.

The Dropbox Folder

Installing Dropbox on your computer creates a Dropbox folder. Save your file/folders there, and they are saved to all your other computers, phones, and the Dropbox website.

Add files to Dropbox in one easy step:

· Drag and drop a file into your Dropbox folder.

Look out for the following notifications of your progress:

Dropbox files syncing and being updated.

Files in Dropbox synced, updated, and saved.

Click on a file or folder in your Dropbox to allow you to:

· View Previous Versions.

· View a file on the Dropbox website.

File Sharing

Sharing your files has never been easier. Here are some of the things you can do:

1. Invite your colleagues to share your Dropbox folder as though it resided on their computers. It could be an audio or video interview, or photos. I remember sharing an audio of an interview, so easily, after many attempts with other file sharing tools. By sharing folders with your team, you will be able to collaborate on projects and documents, and even see any changes. Drop box will allow you to view when the file has been accessed and you can remove sharing (Kick out), if you need to. When you remove sharing it will withdraw access to the folders and remove the file on the person’s computer.

Below is a Dropbox instruction screen for using sharing folders:

2. Using your Public Folder is another easy way to share single files (not folders) in your Dropbox – an Internet link is generated for any file you place here:

· Drop a file into the Public folder.

· Right-click the file.

· Choose Dropbox – Copy Public Link.

· Paste the link anywhere; for example you can simply paste the link in email to a team member and provide them with access.

Practical Uses of Dropbox

Increase your productivity by using Dropbox to:

1. Collaborate on Projects.

2. Share and transfer large files such as audio and presentations, across the globe.

3. Store and Back up files.

4. Access files on IPhone and IPads.

Dropbox is very easy to use and there are ample guides on the site to enhance your experience. Visit http://www.dropbox.com to register today for the free version, and take the Dropbox tour to get you started.

With all its capabilities, Dropbox is a must for every Virtual Toolkit.

Eunice Nisbett is an independent Administrative Services Consultant/Virtual Assistant, and owner of Savvy Corporate Planners⁺, a virtual assistance and administrative services consultancy. The company was established in 2008 to provide corporate event planning solutions; training solutions for customer contact employees and administrative support staff; and virtual administrative solutions.

A savvy, dependable, skilled and dedicated virtual entrepreneur with over twenty (20) years experience in coordinating, planning and supporting operational and administrative functions, Eunice presents a proven track record of professionalism and commitment to excellence. She works with entrepreneurs and corporate institutions globally to provide effective administrative support solutions to take their businesses to the next level.

You may wish to check out our services and other articles at www.savvyvirtuals.com.

Article by Andrea Kalli

Take a stroll over to my Facebook Page and become part of my community. I invite you to become a fan and participate in the conversation.
Certified Internet and Social Marketing Assistant