I’ve been doing a bit of research in to website hosts.   I’m starting to think that any association with GoDaddy.com is not the best idea going forward. Check out why in these BoingBoing.net articles:

Who needs SOPA when you have GoDaddy’s shutdown policy?

GoDaddy’s support of SOPA just a big publicity stunt

With the help of some super smart friends I’ve done a bit of reccy on hosting companies and I thought I’d share it with you.

No decisions yet… I’ll let you know.

Writing great content for your website involves a few simple strategies. It is important that what you post on your website will make you outstanding in your industry.   You want the content to be well-written, simple to understand and help you move up in your Google rankings.   This is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

There are two things to think about when writing well for the web: people readability and Google readability.

Follow the hints below to get the most out of your website.

People Readability

People read on the web much different than they do a book or even a magazine.  There is something about the backlit screen (and stealing some time from work) that changes how we want to see words.

Keep These Tips in Mind:

• Short Paragraphs – keep your paragraphs to 2-4 sentences
• Keep it Skimmable – point out important points by using good headlines throughout the article and even bolding important ideas.
• Bulleted Lists – throw out sentences all together.  Make your points in short hits of text and multiple bullets
• Numbered Lists – How many times have you read an article that someone else has suggested when it says “10 Quick Tips…” or “5 Ways to Improve Your…”?
• Give Them Something Pretty – include a photograph in every post.  Research shows us that people will check out articles with images and be more inclined to skip an article that is just a great big block of text. I suggest you sign up for an account with iStockPhoto.com and SXC.hu for inexpensive stock photos.  On top of that: people are much more likely to click through to read an article when it is posted to Facebook if the “blurb” contains an image.

Google Readability

Google (and other search engines) look at number of things to show the computer algorithm what is important in a page on a website.  If you consider the following items you can improve your search rankings and find more prospective customers.

Don’t forget to focus on the keywords that prospective clients are using to search for businesses in your industry and in your area.  If you don’t know what keywords to use then you can join others who have had a Walking Maverick EVO to help them go down the right path.

1. Page Title: Shown at the top of the web browser.  Each page on your site needs an unique title that includes relevant keywords.
2. URL: The unique name of each page (or post) on your website should be short and contain keywords
3. Article Title: Often the same as your Page Title, the Article Title should contain keywords but used in a natural way. As was stated in the People Readability section people will be more inclined to read articles that promise hits of multiple bits of information.  It can also be helpful to form the Article Title with a question (ie. How do I find the right insurance broker?).
4. Header 1: Think of this as an inside headline.  Your content management system (CMS – the website’s controls) will allow you so format this as a “Heading 1″ and Google will see that as a clue that you think the headline is important.  Of course, it needs to include a keyword or two.
5. Opening Paragraph:  Search engines will analyze the first few lines of your text to see what each page is about.   That means that in your first paragraph you need to use words that potential clients would use for searches.
6. Image Title/Alt Text: Pictures are important on your website, not only because they help draw in readers but because a search engine will examine what you use as the Image Title and Alt Text for each picture.   Both can be edited easily through your CMS.  Image Title should include important keywords.    The Alt Text of a picture tells a search engine what is in the image.  It is also used for visually impaired readers to know what is in the image.

When we write notes in a lecture or as part of a meeting we are only applying a small part of our brain to the learning process.  Buy working at developing a visual note-taking style we can engage both sides of our mind in creating memories and finding patterns in the work.

Below is a presentation that I have given organizations to help them begin creating visual learners and improving the education of their staff.

After every presentation or facilitated meeting that Beth and I host we ask our clients and participants to give us some feedback on how we did.  As small business owners, we know that we need to give the maximum value to the other entrepreneurs and organizations that hire us to do digital and social media marketing consultations or leadership training events.

In order to make sure that that happens we ask clients to fill in a very quick 9 question feedback form after each meeting.  I am updating the form today and just wanted to share with you some of our most recent answers.

Would you recommend Walking Maverick Consulting to other businesses in your industry who are looking for social media or staff training advice? Why or why not?

Any feedback you can provide will help us make our services better for companies in the future. Any thing you would like to add to your answers?

Set Your Small Business Apart from Your Competition

A “blog” is a website (or section of a website) that makes it easy to post new articles.  It can also be syndicated to post to Facebook or a news reader.  A blog should be an easily visible part of any company’s website.

Here are 10 things you can do to make that blog a valuable resource to clients and potential customers.

1. Post regularly

Use the Walking Maverick Marketing Calendar Excel sheet  to schedule articles around the “seasons” of your business.  Publicly commit to your posting schedule.

2. Teach people

If you intent to be come a credible expert in your field you can use your blog to educate people.   Remember: Teach not pitch.

3. Use your team

Creating great content (articles, videos, white papers, etc.) is such an important part of a good online marketing strategy.  Enlist the help of your team to keep the new website material regular and effective.

4. Write great headlines

Research the keywords that people use in Google to search for businesses like yours.   Use those words in short, snappy headlines to draw people in. (Walking Maverick Consulting clients receive a list of important keywords as part of their EVO [Evaluating your Vision Online] assessment).

5. Make it worth sharing

People will share your blog with their network if you make something that is useful and easy to understand.  Video or visual blog posts that are creative or funny get passed around from friend to friend on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

6. Make it easy to share

Add buttons to your website that encourage people to share your content on the websites Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Stumbleupon, Digg and Delicious.

7. Show off your staff

The people within your organization will all be experts at something.  Have them write, make podcasts or shoot videos about their passions.   Reward your employees for their volunteerism in the community by showing some pictures of their volunteer projects.

8. Show off your clients

Some of the best currency in online marketing is sharing.   Use your blog to highlight a cool product or neat program at one of your clients’ businesses.

9. Use lots of video

Keep them short and do them often.   Many more people will watch a video than will read your big block of text.  Video is a great vehicle to be a teacher to your potential clients.

10. Be human

Remember: As Duct Tape Marketing guy, John Jantsch always says – marketing is a process of getting people with a need to know, like and trust you.  A blog is the perfect vehicle to show that your organization is like Soylent Green: made of people.  Tell your stories.

Do You Need a Hand with Your Social Media or Blogging Strategy?

Hire A Walking Maverick Consultant.

As a small business owner you want to take advantage of every social media marketing opportunity that Facebook provides.   You can make a simple change in the opening information on your profile that will build a strong link between you and your business.

Follow the instructions set out in this Facebook for Business video). My apologies for the sound quality… My good mic wasn’t working properly.

Kudos to Facebook savant Mari Smith for pointing this out and posting instructions.

Modern businesses need to make sure that clients and potential customers can access their information where ever they need.   Mobile web browsing is growing at an incredible rate, and with that the use of tablets.

One of the qualifying questions I would ask of my new web developer: What mobile devices are you using to test new website?

(Thank you Social Media Graphics + Search Engine Watch)

Here are my sketchnotes from the Breakfast.

By the way, I am going to do a longer piece on taking visual notes.   I have been working on doing more and more of that in the last 6 months and I am really impressed by how easy it is to recall the information and to find the most relevant points many months later.   I hope to post more of my sketch notes here on our site.

I talked to a number of small businesses just last week who said that they just couldn’t be bothered to market using social media. One manager said that “Facebook just wasn’t important”. How do you feel after watching the statistics in this video?

What is your business going to do to market itself in 2011?