Internet Marketing Blog

Pandas, Penguins & SEO...Oh My!

Kelly Moseley — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:09:00 GMT

You may have heard a lot of buzz lately changes in the Google search engine. Basically, Google is on a mission to improve the quality of their search results. In order to do this they must always make adjustments to their algorithms. The two largest most recent updates are known as Panda and Penguin.

Google Panda and now Google Penguin

In 2011 Google launched a substantial change algorithm (known as Panda) aimed at identifying low-quality web pages and websites. The purpose of the Panda update was to limit the amount of websites/web pages (often seen on so-called "content farms") with text that appeared to be relevant for a search, but didnt provide the best user experience.

In April 2012 Google announced the launch of the Penguin update, an "over-optimization" penalty which they are anticipating will impact about 3% of search queries.

So now that we've had our history lesson, you're probably asking yourself, what does the Google Penguin update mean to my businesses?

How Google Updates Can Affect You

The Web Decorators, internet inbound marketing experts, pride ourselves in our work. We write blogs and content that people actually like and share; so we're very EXCITED about the Penguin update. This means those who 'cheat the system' and those who 'stuff their sites with webspam,' in hopes of a boost to their search engine rankings will finally be penalized.

Penguin's intent is to help weed out the spammy websites. This allows for an algorithm change that will promote those businesses with high quality content and give rankings to those small to medium business who have followed the rules and deserve the rankings, doing it the right way!

No Need to Panic...Maybe

There is no need in switching your gears into panic mode IF you have followed the "Google book' and did not try to deceive the search engines.

Protecting your business from the crush of the Penguin is easy. Avoid hidden texts and hidden links. Don't buy links or redirects, and don't have different pages for search engines and users. Write real content for real users and have a website that shows the integrity of the company you want to portray. Basically, this is fool proof. Have an online business presence that is honest! No Cheating!

Honestly Improving SEO

The Web Decorators suggest making conversation amongst fellow bloggers, reach out to your social media followers through online conversations and create quality content. Include photos, podcasts, and videos in your online marketing. Play by the rules. It would be horrible to take a hit to your business by breaking the rules and feeling the wrath of these Google updates. So, avoid SEO shortcuts and have a internet marketing plan of action that will move the right direction with your growing business.

A Guide to Local SEO

Cindy Kelly — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:14:00 GMT

Search Engine Optimization or SEO (as it is most often referred to) is one of the buzzwords that online marketers often bandy about. If you have a local business and are trying to create an online presence, you may be a little confused about what, exactly local SEO is and more importantly, why it's relevant to your local business.

First of all, you might be wondering what all this chatter about SEO is. Basically, SEO is manipulating your site, the content, links so the search engines (and especially Google) rank your website higher in their pages.

Creating a Local Online Presence

If you're interested in creating an immediate boost in your local SEO rankings, one of the quickest and simplest ways is to create a Google Places account. Google Places is basically a huge database of local businesses. According to Google, 97% of online consumers search the internet for local businesses.

One criteria that Google has it that you must have a physical address, and they require verification by either phone, mail or SMS text. This requirement eliminates work at home businesses or those who only have an online presence. On the other hand, for a brick and mortar business, it's an excellent way to promote your company, generate an important inbound link and raise your website search engine ranking .

Claiming your Google Places page is just the first step though. After you've registered and verified your page, take a few more minutes to fill in the information about your business, and even add pictures. Google has some interesting tools (mostly free) that will allow you to create additional links and information about your business -- which helps with your local SEO.

When you're considering how local SEO efforts can fit with your business, think about how you can integrate social media with your online marketing. For example, Google Places now has a Business Photos pilot program that allows you to upload photos of your business for potential customers.

Think about how you might integrate Google Business Photos, with Places and pin it into Pinterest. After you've pinned it, then tweet about your company and show off your new Facebook Timeline. All these sites will create power behind your business' local SEO efforts and add a push to your website rankings.

Whether you decide to hire a local SEO specialist or do it yourself, with a little knowledge and creativity, your efforts could be vastly rewarded.

Buying your Twitter Followers?

Cindy Kelly — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:40:00 GMT

Some people are really desperate for friends. You and I now have the ability to BUY Twitter followers!

This means that for just a few dollars I can increase my fan base by thousands! Sounds great doesn't it? We'll, not really. Sure, showing off your thousands of Twitter followers or Facebook fans could give a boost to your ego but is it really worth anything? The short answer is no.

Here are a few reasons why buying your social media fans/followers is NOT a good idea.

Bad idea reason #1. The whole purpose behind having a Twitter of Facebook account for your business is to engage with your audience. The only way to truly engage is to know that the person on the other end is genuinely interested in what you have to say. The rule here should be quality over quantity!

Mix it Up

Your fans/followers should be comprised of a variety of people. They're usually people in your industry, potential clients and referral sources or partners. Sure you'll have people who don't quite fit this description but that should make up for less of the mix.

If you're not speaking to these types of people, your words could simply be a waste of time. Do you really believe there are real people behind those Twitter accounts you're paying for? Are they really interested in what you're saying? Probably not. Therefore your time and money are being wasted. Buying followers to me sounds like inflating numbers or being non-truthful with your clients. That type of reputation can't be good for any business.

Bad idea reason #2. Serious Internet marketers are focused on results. The topic of tracking social media conversions comes up often. If you consistently inflate numbers, how can you accurately measure whether or not your campaign is working? Well I guess if you're buying Twitter followers you're not really too concerned about marketing anyway.

Bad idea reason #3. We've recently seen a social media push with search engines. Major players like Google and Bing have already started integrating our social media activity into search engine results. If our social media practices become deceiving we're less likely to see the results we really want in a search engine result page (SERP). Google has made it very clear over and over that deceptive practice won't be tolerated and could result in big penalties in the long run. It's my prediction that major search engines will start penalizing companies who participate in this activity, ultimately resulting in the loss of opportunity for your company.

But if after reading this you still decide the best option for you is to buy your fan base, you'll still be rewarded:

Your Mom will be very proud
You'll feel like you've reached semi-celebrity status
You'll have something new to tell all your friends
You'll feel like social media is the coolest…thing…ever

The best way to increase your social media fan base is to know your audience, understand what they want and provide them with the content they want. It's not magic, it's not rocket science and it's FREE.

Google Map Optimization for Local SEO Marketing

Cindy Kelly — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:26:00 GMT

In the race toward front page search engine domination, an important element for local businesses is Google Map optimization. Not only does this allow potential customers to locate your business but it can potentially provide the push that your business needs to grab front page local search engine positioning.

Here are six Google Map optimization tips for raising your search engine rank:

1. Keyword optimization vs. spamming. Although you might believe that adding multiple keywords into your title, Google algorithms will actually penalize your business for keyword stuffing. Instead, simply put in the name of your business and, if your keyword isn't in the title, add one keyword. For example, if your business name is "Smith Roofing", then that's all you need. If your business is "Smith Brothers", then write "Smith Brothers Roofing" in the title and Google will pick up the keyword "roofing".

2. Localize your information. Some businesses believe that adding a toll-free phone number enhances their business. With Google Map optimization, just the opposite is true. It's important to include a local address and phone number to indicate that your business is indeed, local.

3. Don't stop. OK...so you've gotten this far with creating your local Google Map listing, but don't just assume that you're done. After you've created your listing, Google will verify your business and create additional categories. These include contact information and photos and videos.

4. Add photos and/or videos. By adding photos or (even better) videos to your listing, you increase the opportunity for a potential customer to locate your business. Psychologically, someone who's searching for a business will look at your photos raise your click-thru rates. You can currently add up to 10 images and 5 videos. Taking advantage of this option will enhance your Google Map optimization process.

5. Add a coupon. Adding a coupon will certainly get you noticed as well as create a sense of urgency if your coupon has an expiration on it. Your coupon should also include a QR code or other mobile information to allow mobile users to easily access your business information.

6. List your business in additional directories. Don't stop with Google Maps. List your business in other online directories.

If your business is not yet listed in Google Maps (also called "Google Places"), register at http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter. By spending a short time registering, you can easily increase the ability for customers to locate you. You can also view The Web Decorators Google Maps/Places page here for ideas.

Have an Internet Marketing Plan BEFORE you Launch Your New Website

Kelly Moseley — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:47:00 GMT

Internet marketing provides many small businesses the opportunity to compete on a level playing field with the “big boys” in their industry. Small businesses competing with big companies will find first impressions are critical. Your image plays a crucial role in winning the trust of potential customers and retaining the ones that you have. You must always present a professional image, even if you are working from your kitchen table.

Unfortunately many businesses get hung up with their “image” and rush into the development of their website without having an actual Internet marketing plan. Without understanding the full capabilities to Internet marketing, companies fail to generate an ROI on their new website.

Where to turn for Help with your Internet Marketing

An effective Internet marketing plan starts before the website design. Utilizing an Internet marketing agency to help you establish those goals is essential. You should look for an Internet marketing agency that:

Is equipped to build your website (or make website updates)
Can incorporate and train clients on keyword research, SEO and PPC campaigns.
Has the knowledge and experience to guide clients in blogging and link building along with creation of landing pages.
Enables their clients to measure those efforts to quickly determine which ones working and which are not. Internet marketing experts should teach their clients the in's and out's of mastering Internet marketing so they can devise a plan to what works best for them!

Steps for Building an Effective Internet Marketing Plan

Be Proactive: Don't hire a company to build your website just because their portfolio looks nice. Hire a company can develop a full Internet marketing plan. Don't make the mistake of figuring out how your website is going to generate new business after you launch it!
Rely on Experts: Research your options. Be sure to hire an Internet marketing company that will not only show results, but teach you the process.
Get Results: Success lies in the plan. Analyze results consistently and adjust accordingly.

The bottom line for any Internet marketing plan is that it should result in positive ROI. We recommed that you have conversations with more than one agency to understand their vision, project scope and your investment.

What Everybody Ought to Know About Local Search Engine Optimization

Cindy Kelly — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:19:00 GMT

Local search is the natural evolution of traditional off-line advertising, delivered to the Web. Traditionally, we've relied on local newspapers, radio and TV to find local product and services. With the advent of the Web, we're increasingly using search engines to find local products and services online. Hence the need for local search engine optimization.

In recent years, local search has grown rapidly while off-line searches, have been on the declined. As a natural consequence, companies are slowly shifting their advertising investments from traditional media to local search engines, also known as Inbound marketing.

Today, geolocation technology is integrated into every consumer device connected to the internet. Late last year, search engines made a quantum leap offering hyperlocal results, reflecting what they know their users are actively looking for.

You can't avoid the verdict: it’s vital to embrace local search engine optimization if you want your business to compete in today's marketplace.

Here are the top 5 best practices you can apply immediately for local search engine optimization:

#1) Get on the map - and get local reviews

Do you have listings on the “Big 4” online map programs? MapQuest, Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, and Bing are all vital to your success. Search engines cull them all, because they’re all primary in different circles. Somebody finding your business through Facebook - with their new Timeline interface - will be finding you on Bing maps. People on various handheld devices may be finding you through MapQuest or Google Maps. And then, of course, people have their maps-of-choice on their home and laptop computers.

Of equal importance to getting on the map is getting great reviews. Building a proactive, positive presence on the “Big 3” social review sites - Yelp, CitySearch, and Google Places - will make or break your local search engine optimization. Whether people believe or discard reviews from a critical perspective is irrelevant. If you have a positive rating in reviews, people will trust you. And generally, search engines are working hard to bring the businesses their users trust to the top of SERPs.

Make sure you create listings for each location locally. And make sure your address on that location matches an address prominently displayed on your website. Which leads us to...

#2) Create local landing pages

Whether you’re a small business or a multi-national corporation, building hyperlocal landing pages is vital to local search engine optimization. If someone’s searching for “oil change”, for example, search engines will geolocate their device and give them results that match their particular, specific location.

Once people find your local landing page, you can welcome them personally, offering them location-specific details and deals.

#3) Make URLs local-friendly

Creating URLs that reflect your locations might seem like a no-brainer. When you have pages that reflect a local site, you’re more likely to come to the top of locally-driven SERPs.

#4) Build robust social media conversation

Gone are the days when you could rely on the number of “likes” alone to indicate how cool you are.

Social media is maturing quickly out of being a simple popularity contest. Now, the amount of conversation you generate is the only way to make social media an important part of your marketing strategy.

#5) Blog your heart out

Want to know local search engine optimization’s biggest secret?

Blogging is no longer an option.

Why? First, the more content you generate, the higher you come up in SERPs. Search engines are “trained” over a very short amount of time to crawl sites that generate information more frequently.

Second, creating quality content is still the only best way to make it to the top of local search engine optimization results. Search engines are continually finding new ways to cut through material that isn’t what their users are really looking for.

Third, offering content and media through your blog is the best way to generate social media conversation. The goal is to come up in your fans’ newsfeeds with content they re-share with their networks.

This sends a strong signal to search engines that you’re not only interesting and relevant - but you’re exactly what other people are likely looking for in local search engine results.

7 Steps to Improve Website Traffic

Cindy Kelly — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Your website is a virtual showroom for your products and services. It should be a reflection of your company image and brand. But simply having an award winning website design doesn't guarantee any visits or leads.

If you want to improve website traffic it's not all about the way your website looks, its about the message too. Everyone has heard that content is king and there are lasting benefits of creating relevant, fresh, compelling content but where do you start?

We've broken down into 7 easy steps!

Do an extensive research on the right keyword or keywords to use. The right keyword is one that represents a good balance between what human searchers and machine searchers are looking for. If the right keyword is not targeted, your content may never reach your intended readers no matter how good it is. You may want to use keyword search tools like Google Adwords, Wordtracker, Keyword Discovery and many more. Social media can also be of help by monitoring conversations on topics that are related to your business to get keyword ideas.

Present outstanding content that easily captures attention. To improve website traffic, be sure to know what your target readers want. Offer something that is factual, relevant, convincing, humorous or even controversial. Talk about your product/service, hot issues, new discoveries, upcoming events or unusual stories that are related to your niche. It may be in the form of a well-written piece, a skillfully crafted video or an attractively designed graphics. Present high quality content that says it all and you're sure to make people as well as search engines keep coming back.

Develop a habit for blogging. Blogs are great for sharing your thoughts, ideas, tips and insights on matters related to your industry. What are some frequently asked questions? Blog about them. To improve website traffic, blog as often as possible.

Engage in guest blogging. Guest blogging for other websites is a great strategy for link building and provides a broader online brand presence. More importantly, guest blog posts are perfect online connection points from where customers can be driven to your own website, helping increase the volume of the intended traffic.

Convince other people to blog for you. Letting others blog for you has the same benefits as guest blogging. Both methods boost link building, enhance online brand presence and improve website traffic. This fifth method has the added benefit of creating links of better quality to your website because these links are generated from different website sources and different bloggers.

Dare to make constructive comments. Your comments on blogs, articles and social media platforms, together with your signature, are likewise significant traffic drivers that help improve website traffic. Furthermore, some interactive forums are well received by major search engines as credible sources of quality links.

Issue press releases whenever necessary. Press releases serve to promote company news or insights and can improve website traffic as well as create some more quality links. Just like forums, it is important that you choose press release sites that allow anchor text links to your site and have do-follow link features.

In a digital business environment, your website is your face to the whole world. As website traffic improves, leads increase and the opprtunities for conversions and revenues will also increase.

7 Lies your SEO Consultant is Telling You

Cindy Kelly — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:18:00 GMT

As most companies realize there's more to Internet marketing then just having a website; marketers, executives and sales people are turning to SEO consultants in hopes to deliver more traffic or leads to their website.

Because search engines algorithms change so frequently ( especially Google’s) you need to ensure your SEO consultant isn't giving you bogus information or looking at out-of-date tactics that will waste your companies time and money!

We are affiliated with Google: While the SEO consultant may be using Google products or is possibly be a “Certified Google Professional”, that doesn’t mean they have any direct affiliation with Google or receive any special attention or treatment because of the certification. This doesn’t mean your company couldn’t receive a call from Google with regards to Google Places or a Google Adwords account but Google certainly will not be providing you with “SEO Services”.
You need to use more meta keywords: Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking. They even say so on their official blog. Google has ignored the keywords meta tag for years and any SEO consultant that tells you this is an important part of SEO hasn’t brushed up on his SEO skills for years.
We need to use keywords x amount of time: There is no optimal keyword density. You just don’t want to stuff keywords into content where it doesn’t belong or it sounds un-natural. Write for people. Too many references to your keywords are a distraction and you can actually be penalized for over-doing it because it looks like spam.
Trading links with others will help rankings: Reciprocal links have almost no value. Having your own version of a directory on your website isn’t isn’t helping your SEO. You should only provide links to other websites if you feel that website provides value or will be a good resource for your audience. It won’t help you with SEO.
We guaranteed you will be on page 1 of Google: There are two situations where this is true. #1: This is accomplished by paying for the listing using Google adwords/PPC (something you could do on your own but won’t stick unless you keep paying. #2: They’re lying. It’s not possible to guarantee position in Google using organic SEO marketing.
We need to submit your website to search engines and directories: Nope. Do you use 1000s of search engines? Most search engines will find your site before you find them. Submitting does not significantly change things expect for the amount of spam you’re going to get.
SEO is all about rankings: Actually conversion is a critical component to SEO, not necessarily rank. Sure you have to be visible in the rankings but refining snippet copy to include compelling calls-to-action and value propositions are key to actually receiving value from your SEO efforts.

The Truth About SEO

SEO is only one element of a larger overall Internet marketing plan. It’s important that your SEO consultant provides an Internet marketing strategy that includes more then basic SEO elements but also incorporates content, blogging and social media. Your SEO consultant should be able to implement an overall Internet marketing plan, analyze results and adjust strategy as needed. If they can’t, you may want to look for another SEO consultant.

A Beginners Guide to Hiring a Website Designer

Kelly Moseley — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:08:00 GMT

Have you ever been given a daunting task to do something that you know absolutely NOTHING about? Well, several years ago I was asked by my neighborhood Home Owners Association to have a website designed to service those in the community. I was told the site was to have the following; "just a little something that would provide them with the rules, community events, and some basic contact information for HOA Board members." So, of course I took on the job knowing I would just make a few phone calls to a website designer and have my answer, right?

Wrong! After spending more then a few hours on the phone calling various website designers in Tampa, I found it to be a BIG waste of my time as I couldn't understand any of the tech lingo and couldn't even begin to attempt to answer one of the questions I was being asked. Needless to say, I learned the best lesson that day: Educate yourself on the topic FIRST and then put together a website checklist!

With that said, I took a breather and started my research. I gathered all of my notes and came up with this list of questions to ask the next website design company:

Who will handle the domain registration, hosting and email accounts?
What is my timeframe for having my new website up and running?
Do I have the ability to make my own changes to the website?
Is there a limit to how many pages I can have on the website?
Who will own the website upon completion?
What information do I need to provide?

Comparing Website Design Companies

To accurately compare the differences in the website designers and their companies, I compiled these basic questions in a spreadsheet. This was to ensure that I was comparing 'apples to apples' and to give me a full understanding of what exactly I was looking for this website to provide to its visitors.

Looking back at what I learned during those hours on the phone, I believe my search for a website designer/web design company may have been so much easier had I done my homework first, known my industry or the purpose for my website thoroughly, got recommendations rather than cold calling random website designers. If you're considering having a website designed/developed, use these basic questions to begin your checklist. It will save you time and effort.

The questions I've compiled here are very basic and are just scratching the surface of web design. Regardless of what a business you pay to "build" your website, chances are you'll still need to figure out "how to increase website traffic" and "how to convert more visitors into leads" once you launch it. In this case, you'll want to look past the pretty portfolio and plan your Internet marketing strategy before launching your website.

5 Steps to Get More Followers on Twitter

Cindy Kelly — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:59:00 GMT

Once you take the social media plunge and add Twitter to your toolbox, you'll be wondering... "How can I get more followers on Twitter?". Maybe you should re-phrase that question and ask "What do my Twitter followers get by following me?". Here are 5 steps you can take to really make a connecton with your online audience and start to develop a social media marketing strategy.

1. Create a good profile.

Write a clear and interesting bio that will attract people's attention. Also, use your real photo or your business logo as your avatar. Anything else gives off the idea that you’re a spammer and not really interested in making a connection with people.

2. Follow people.

If you want to get more followers on Twitter, follow them! More than half of all Tweeters will follow you if you follow them first. Start with the opinion leaders and authority figures in your industry, such as bloggers, authors and celebrities. Follow real people you have a connection with or want to have a connection with.

3. Tweet useful content.

This is the key step! Tweets that sound like a sales pitch turn people off. If you’re constantly pushing your products or services down people’s throats, you’re more likely to lose more then you'll gain. A good rule of thumb is to use the 80-20 principle. 80% of your tweets should be helpful, relevant and provocative, allowing the remaining 20% to be promotional content.

4. Tweet frequently

If you have tons of great content, there is nothing wrong with tweeting frequently. Just keep it natural; not forced. You can share links to blog posts, news articles and YouTube videos that your followers might find interesting. If your profile is all set up, click here for a great first tweet about what you are reading right now! Since tweets are now officially included in various search engine results, be sure to post keyword-rich content in your posts.

5. Create relationships

You should use Twitter to communicate the way you would in real-life. Reply to other people’s tweets and re-tweet their content. Use hashtags to create conversations and not simply to promote your business. The best way to get more followers on Twitter and keep them is to think of it as a site for building and nurturing relationships instead of selling products and services.

The Way to Get More Followers on Twitter

The ultimate way to increase your fan base and get more followers on Twitter is to get involved in the Twitter community. Introduce novel ideas, spread valuable information and participate in intellectual conversation with your fellow Tweeters!

5 Social Media Marketing Strategies Designed for Lead Generation

Cindy Kelly — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:33:00 GMT

The days of traditional advertising are fading away. The more sophisticated entrepreneur recognizes that interacting with and engaging customers through social media tools such as blogs, social networks and video-sharing websites, is the most powerful way to draw traffic, generate more leads and increase profits. Even the smallest business can feel the impact of a well-planned social media marketing strategy.

Whether you're just getting started with internet marketing or would like to get more serious about it, we've developed 5 social media marketing strategies designed for lead generation.

Offer updated content all the time
Fresh and useful content is clearly your most powerful marketing tool on the Internet, especially after the advent of Google Panda. Aim for at least one new post every day. Share links to your latest blog posts and other websites you find particularly interesting to your readers. You can also ask for questions and comments from your followers and give your response in a new post. Content, by the way, is not limited to text. Visual content like photos, cartoons, infographics and videos are even more attractive and memorable.
Incorporate customer service
It's possible that some customers will post questions and complaints on your Facebook or Twitter page, so you might as well take advantage of this and turn it into a social media marketing strategy. Assign a representative to monitor and respond to customer service concerns on all social media. Remember, it is all about a personalized, one-on-one interaction where other people can listen in on, so avoid the scripted responses common in traditional customer service.
Never underestimate the power of LinkedIn
While everyone is busy directing all their marketing efforts at Facebook and Twitter, don’t snub your LinkedIn page. Research shows that the business-centered social network is 277% more effective at generating leads than both the two leading social networking sites. This is because LinkedIn users intend to do business on the website, whether it is products, contacts or careers they want. Users find what they’re looking for more easily since they don’t have to filter through the personal posts that clutter Facebook. LinkedIn content, such as blog posts, video presentations and webinars, are more targeted and useful, making it easier to attract people who actually want to be your customers.
Offer exclusive discounts, promos, coupons and contests
One great social media marketing strategy is rewarding your customers’ loyalty by offering discounts, coupons and promos that are available only to them. This does not only show them that you value the people who patronize your business; it also reminds them that you are a business offering products or services that they need. Contests are also an exciting way to expand your reach and attract more followers, especially if designed to be viral, such as when the rules require participants to share your page with their friends or ask them to get the most likes for a photo uploaded on your Facebook page.
Encourage user-generated content.
Marketers hesitate to use this social media marketing strategy because it requires them to give up a sizeable amount of control over the kind of content posted about them. However, research shows that most Internet consumers look to user-generated reviews and comments before buying a product or service. You certainly can’t dictate what users say about your brand, but you can always give them a nudge in the right direction. Make it easier for them to write and post reviews, comments and feedback on your website and other third-party sites. Be assertive and ask. Your happiest customers are more than willing to give the glowing reviews needed to boost business.

10 Reasons You Need a Professional Logo Design

Kelly Moseley — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Before launching a new website you should take a hard look at your logo. After all, that's what most people will see most often. If its not a professional logo design, you could be giving prospects the wrong first impression.

Your logo will appear on your business cards, letterhead, invoices and all of your other marketing materials. Yet as important as it is, some people pass it off as something they don't "really need".

With all the competition and Internet clutter, it's so important not overlook this very important piece!

You Need a Professional Logo Design...

To look "bigger" and "established". Home-printed business cards with Microsoft clipart logos scream "small-time vendor/business" - and that is how they will want to compensate you.
To attract more clients. Some clients look for a well-defined company. This may be one of their criteria for making a purchasing decision.
To brand yourself. This is your image and a logo will building your image and individual identity.
To convey you are reputable. Having a logo shows your committed to both your business and to your clients.
To give clients a sense of stability. Even if your business has only been open for a few years, having a logo will show build trust in the eyes of your customers.
To be more memorable. Having graphics associated with your business, and keeping it consistent throughout your marketing avenues makes you more likely to be at the forefront of potential clients' minds when they are looking for goods or services.
To explain your company name. A logo can give visual clients to the meaning of your company. This helps with companies that contain a little-known word or acronym, as well as helping with a tricky company name, or hard to explain line of business.
To differentiate you from your competition. A well-designed logo can have many subtle meanings and can begin to tell the story of how you do business. This will make you stand apart from your competition.
To stand out in your field. Fabulous, well designed logos can put you a step ahead of your competition.
To show your commitment. Do it for the sense of personal pride.

Still not convinced?

When you have literally just a few seconds to attract and hold a prospective customer’s attention, ask yourself "Do I really want my logo to look like this?" Does it look professional? If the answer is no, check out The Web Decorators online portfolio.

Should your Business Have a Professional Blog?

Cindy Kelly — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:33:00 GMT

Believe it or not, the term "blogging" has been around since the late 90's. Although you may have heard of a "blog", you may not be clear on how or why to use a blog, especially professional blog.

Back in the day, the original intent of blogging was to state your opinion about a subject or to keep an online diary of events and thoughts. They didn't look too pretty either. Most just had a bunch for un-formatted, ugly text. The "cool" part was that it was online! But over the years blogs have evolved into something much more.

Blogging is No Longer an Option

Today, professional blogs are being used as lead generation tools, content managers, educational resources, news, etc. People look to blogs to answer their questions and address pain points and now seach engines and social media sites are weighing blogging content much more heavily then ever before.

Thanks to some popular blogging software like Wordpress, blogs can even be "pretty" and appear as if they are a traditional website, like this one. They can even be optimized for search engines, just like traditional websites or web content.

A professional blog is designed to be the human interface to most "faceless" websites. This blog post is an example of just that. It's providing useful information (you're reading it aren't you) on a particular subject and is personalized with my name and contact information. You may even notice that some of the words I'm using in this blog sound more like I speak, rather then how I may write copy for a company brochure or web page. I like to use blogs because I think it's a great way to engage with my target audience. Now back to the subject...

You should think of a blog as an extension of your company website and yourself. People usually do business with people they're comfortable with and people they know, like and trust. How may times have you heard someone complain that they'd just like to talk to a real person? Well a professional blog is one way to combine some of that human element with technology. I think blogging and social media is a great way for people to get to know you, even if they haven't met you yet!

The more information that is available online for people to find about you and your company, the more likely they'll find it. Hey, they may even pick up the phone and call and in business, that's what you want isn't it?

What to Expect from your Organic SEO Marketing

Cindy Kelly — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:13:00 GMT

You've just launched your new website and your excited for your staff and sales people to use it! Now...when will it start generating those leads?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the next logical step to take after launching a new website. But how long should you wait to see results and how do you really know if your search engine marketing efforts are working?

A few things to think about when gauging your organic SEO marketing efforts:

Credibility: If you have a brand new website/domain name it may take longer to achieve optimal search engine results. The reason for this is because you're the new kid on the block! You've not yet established any credibility in search engines therefore, you aren't necessarily "worthy" enough to come before a listing of a more established website. My advice: Produce as much content as you can to generate those inbound links.

Be Patient: Organic SEO marketing is about more then just defining keywords and placing them in a page. You have to give people an opportunity to find your website and react to the content (click, share, review, etc) This activity will play a role in where your website will ultimatley rank. Unlike paid search engine optimization, there is no immediacy about Organic SEO. However, the overall benefits of Organic SEO can be far greater for your business, just be patient and persistent.

SEO Marketing Is Not a One-Time Fix: It takes time to establish links that are consistent with search engine guidelines. SEO should be a part of an ongoing plan, not something that happens over the first three months after content and structure optimization. Bottom line is SEO is part of your overall marketing strategy.

Regular Reporting/Tweaking/Monitoring: Be sure that you can view the activities that happen on your website. Tools like Google Analytics and Hubspot allow you to see what's happening on your website such as:

How your prospects first found you.
Which marketing campaigns generate the most sales
What actions generate the highest quality leads

Generally speaking, it should take three to six months to start seeing any serious improvement in your organice SEO marketing efforts. You'll need to maintain the process beyond that to keep seeing those results. Understanding and reviewing data on a regular basis is key as it will provide tremendous insight and help you make better online marketing decisions.

Wondering if you're on the right track with your organic SEO?

Take our Internet marketing self-assessment and get your marketing grade and tips on how you can keep improving it!

6 Steps to Kick-Start your Internet Marketing

Cindy Kelly — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Have your previous Internet Marketing efforts failed? Not sure what to do next to get your SEO back on track?

We've complied 6 Steps to Kick-Start your Internet Marketing so you can get back on the right track!

Keywords: Try more long-tail keywords or variations of keywords to see if they help you get found better. Since each page on your website can incorporate different keywords, there are tons of opportunities to do this.
On-Page SEO: See if changing a simple on-page SEO factors can help boost visits. Examples of on-page factors are page title, meta description, and headings. As a simple test, try changing the page title of one of your web pages to see if you generate more traffic.
Conversions: Try new things with your conversion forms or landing pages. For example, try making the conversion form more prominently located on your web page.
Content Strategy: Determine which content is generating the most traffic. This could be an opportunity to either focus more on that kind of content, or refine your delivery of other content.
Social Media Promotions: Evaluate which social media channels are generating the most site visitors and leads. Again, you can either focus on your successful social media platforms, or try improving your performance in your less successful ones.
Lead Nurturing: Maybe you're sending emails too frequently -- or not frequently enough. Maybe the calls-to-action in your email are not appropriate for your audience. Always keep experimenting and testing.

The concept of internet marketing might seem difficult and daunting. But by tackling each internet marketing tactic step by step, you can make internet marketing more manageable and start generating results.

SEO Copywriting Service: The Value of Words

Cindy Kelly — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:01:00 GMT

Your company name isn't the only way people search for your website. Most often, people utlize keywords to find what they're looking for. To ensure that your website is listed in the results you'll need to make sure you're targeting the right keywords and providing valuable content. An SEO copywriting service provider can help your website get ranked and engage visitors.

Here's how it works. Someone who has been in an accident might search for "personal injury lawyers in [City]." Think of search engines like a collection of books or Yellow Pages. Without content that includes those relevant keywords, it's like thumbing through the phone book without any subject headings. And that makes it harder for your website and content to stand out. That's when hiring an SEO copywriting service provider can help.

What an SEO Copywriting Service Provider Does

Finding the right keywords that bring customers or clients (not just traffic) to your website is critical. An experienced internet marketing agency will help you define what your prospective customers are looking for when they search online. They'll also help you find out which keywords might not make sense, if there are a number of competitors using the same keywords.

But defining the correct keywords is only part of the SEO process. The SEO copywriting is critical. When a visitor comes to your website, you want them to do something, whether it's fill out a contact form, buy a product or sign up for an email list. It's critical to have quality content that convinces visitors to do those things. Otherwise, your content will just get you increased traffic, which isn't the long-term goal.

What SEO Content Shouldn't Be

Like this article, good web content reads naturally. That means that you can't just stuff keywords into your web content and expect it to do well. There are two simple reasons for this.

Your website can actually get reduced rankings from the search terms if the keywords you're trying targeting are over used . This percentage can vary depending on the search engine. But generally speaking having more than 6 to 8 percent of your content taken up by keywords can cause problems within search engines.
Over used keywords make content difficult to follow which makes it difficult for visitors to understand your value or WOW factor.

Whether you decide to write content yourself or hire a professional SEO copywriting service provider, remember that your unique selling proposition, products and services are what sets you apart from others. Not your ability to rank high in search engines. Quality SEO copywriting focuses on your audience, provides the visitor with direction AND ranks well with search engines, too.

Organic SEO Marketing - Think Like a Search Engine

Cindy Kelly — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:14:00 GMT

Since the Internet has become a hub for information, online visibility has never been more crucial. But understanding how you can achieve top website rankings can be confusing; especially if you don't fully understand organic SEO marketing or the fundamentals of how search engines work. In this post I'll explain how search engines get their data and what you can do to maximize your online visibility organically.

Think Like a Search Engine

When you type a key phrase in a search engine (like Google) to locate information, you're actually searching through the index of that particular search engine —you're not actually searching the Web. You're actually looking through Google's index of websites.

The best URL's/websites displayed in the organic search engine results are ranked in order of relevance, with the "best organic results" shown first, in the center of the page. The paid search engine results are usually featured in the right hand side of the screen or sometimes in the top placement areas. When trying to understand search engines and organic SEO marketing, it's helpful to think of them as Librarians.

How Your Web Page Rank is Determined

Stay in the Librarian mind-set. Let's say you wanted to find a book about "internet marketing". When you asked the Librarian for help, she'd probably start by looking for titles with the words "internet marketing" in them. Search engines utilize a similar methodology. The search engines consider two main areas when determining what your website is about and how to prioritize it; content on your website and content on other websites.

Content on your website: Search engines scan each page of your website, in search of clues about what topics your website covers. They scan your website's back-end code for certain indicators like descriptions, and page title containing the specified keyword and other terms associated. They'll also look for the frequency of those keywords in your content, links, headlines and other key areas of your website.
Content on other websites: As the search engine spiders scan web pages for indexing, they also looking for links that point to you from other websites. These are called inbound links and are one of the off-page factors used to determine rank. The more inbound links your website has (from trustworthy sources), the more influence or authority it has. Online review sites, online testimonials and news focused websites are all examples of trustworthy websites. These off-page factors heavily influence your rankings because webmasters cannot easily control the results. It's the search engines way of preventing you from "cheating" or swaying results.

How You Can Get Better Website Rankings

With a better understanding of how search engines work, you'll be able to make better decisions about your organic SEO marketing efforts. Sometimes the best process for achieving rankings is focused more on common-sense elements or relating the process to something similar, like our Librarian example.

I always tell clients to think about these three key points when optimizing your website:

Remember that search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing are in business too. Their job is to deliver the most relevant results to the end user. If they don't do their job properly (show relevant results) their "business" quickly loses credibility and they are unable to sell advertising (out of business). Therefore, take note of what's important but be sure to follow the search engine guidelines to prevent being blacklisted from the search engine(s).

Great marketing is all about understanding your prospect and what they want. This even applies to online marketing. Before you attempt to utilize SEO tactics to optimize anything, create a new web page or write any content ask yourself, "Would my prospect find this content/information valuable". Don't create pages or content for the purposes of SEO. Create valuable information for your prospect and you'll be one step closer to maximizing your online visibility.

Once you have great content written for your prospects, distribute that content online. Remember the online world is much bigger than YOUR website so in order to attract the attention of the search engines, you'll need to create quality inbound links to that content. An easy way to get started on this is to post links to your content on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. If others find it valuable they'll share it too, creating those inbound links.

As you've probably learned, the search engines are smart. Utilize their guidelines, educate your audience and you'll not only rank well, you'll generate leads too!

How Does SEO Work?

Cindy Kelly — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:24:00 GMT

Since the Internet has become a hub for information, online visibility has never been more crucial for business owners. But understanding how you can create that online visibility can be confusing; especially if you don't fully understand how SEO works or the fundamentals of how search engines work. In this post I'll explain how search engines get their data and what you can do to maximize your online visibility organically.

Understanding Major Search Engines

The best URL's/websites displayed in the organic search engine results are ranked in order of relevance, with the "best results" shown first, in the center of the page. The paid search engine results are usually featured in the right hand side of the screen or sometimes in the top placement areas. When trying to understand search engines, it helpful to think of them as Librarians.

How Does SEO Work?

Stay in the Librarian mind-set. Let's say you wanted to find a book about "marketing". When you asked the Librarian for help, she'd probably start by looking for titles with the word "marketing" in them. Search engines utilize a similar methodology. The search engines consider two main areas when determining what your website is about and how to prioritize it.

Content on your website
Other websites linking to you or content outside of your website

Website Content

Search engines scan each page of your website, in search of clues about what topics your website covers. They scan your website‟s back-end code for certain indicators like descriptions, and page title containing the specified keyword and other terms associated. They'll also look for the frequency of those keywords in your content, links, headlines and other key areas of your website.

How You Can get Better Website Rankings with SEO

With a better understanding of how search engines work, you'll be able to make better decisions about your online marketing efforts. Sometimes the best process for achieving rankings is focused more on common-sense elements or relating the process to something similar, like our Librarian example.

I always tell clients to think about these three key points when optimizing your website:

Remember that search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing are in business too. Their job is to deliver the most relevant results to the end user. If they don't do their job properly (show relevant results) their "business" quickly loses credibility and they are unable to sell advertising (out of business). Therefore, take note of what's important but be sure to follow the search engine guidelines to prevent being blacklisted from the search engine(s).

Great marketing is all about understanding your prospect and what they want. This even applies to online marketing. Before you attempt to utilize SEO tactics to optimize anything, create a new web page or write any content ask yourself, "Would my prospect find this content/information valuable". Don't create pages or content for the purposes of SEO. Create valuable information for your prospect and you'll be one step closer to maximizing your online visibility.

Once you have great content written for your prospects, distribute that content online. Remember the online world is much bigger than YOUR website so in order to attract the attention of the search engines, you'll need to create quality inbound links to that content. An easy way to get started on this is to post links to your content on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. If others find it valuable they'll share it too, creating those inbound links.

As you already know, the search engines are smart. Utilize their guidelines, speak to your audience and start optimizing.

Unraveling Social Media Marketing: A Social Media Guide

Cindy Kelly — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:11:00 GMT

Whenever I discuss social media marketing (SMM) with clients and how it can be a great asset to their business, I usually sense a bit of hesitation from them. Sure, everyone knows about Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter but I always find myself explaining how and why these tools aren't just for fun, they're great opportunities for business or business connections. We've developed this Free social media guide to be extreemly helpful if you're questioning the value of social media marketing.

Here's How I View Social Media Marketing:

Have you ever done any networking? No, not the kind that involves lots of wires and hardware. I mean FACE to FACE networking. This is the type of networking where you have to get up early in the morning or attend a luncheon in the middle of the day with a bunch of people you may not know. Why do we attend these meetings? We do it with the hope that maybe we might be introduced to our dream client or we'll make a connection with someone who will know our dream client. Social media marketing works the same way.

Social media isn't just for fun and games. Sure, you can use it that way if you choose, but there is great value in utilizing social media to market your business. You see, people generally do business with other people they know like and trust. That's exactly whats happening online with tools like Facebook and LinkedIn!

People are talking. They may need someone to refer them to a web design company or simply share their experiences about other businesses. Sometimes, people are looking for advice or to fill a position. The point to be made is if you're not visible to your online audience, you may miss a huge opportunity.

It's important to understand that not every social media platform is best for you. You'll need to do some homework to figure this out. Look at your business and think about your target market. Where are they? What do they like to do? What interests do they have? What is your competition doing? One you find the right fit for you, get involved in their online communities and get social with social media marketing!

Want to Learn More about Social Media Marketing?

Download our Free social media guide.

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Organic SEO Marketing - Think Like a Search Engine

Think Like a Search Engine

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How You Can Get Better Website Rankings

How Does SEO Work?

Understanding Major Search Engines

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Want to Learn More about Social Media Marketing?