Websites, Search Engine Optimization SEO, Social Marketing, Training, Consulting New Homes Marketing

Google Search Engine Data Highlighter for Products & Events, SEO Benefits

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 23:39:00 +0000

There are hundreds of ways to improve the ranking of websites on search engines. Google provides Google Webmasters with the Google Data Highlighter to educate the search engine on how your eCommerce website works. Google is smart but it can't index every page of every website and instantly know how every product, price or service is displayed. To solve this Google offers a time consuming tool that 'highlights' the important items such as product NAME, PRICE or IMAGE.

Once your website is setup, verified and indexed in Google Webmaster Tools you have the option to inform Google about specifics within the website. If you have a large website expect to spend a few hours or days completing the Data Highlighter. Every main page, category, individual product page needs to be completed for Google to properly understand the site, structure and content.

Once you complete the main product page (shown above) you need to complete the data highlighter for individual products on the individual product pages. Google may require dozens of pages be individually highlighted, all products, product names, prices and images. The eCommerce website www.CryoFlesh.com shown in these examples, has additional 'featured' products on some pages which confused the Google Data Highlighter. The image below shows the Product NAME, IMAGE and PRICE highlighted using the Google Data Highlighter.

On the left you see the actual webpage under the Female category with the product information highlighted. On the right you see the Data Highlighter tool listings for what Google sees based on what was actually 'highlighted' on the page. As you progress Google will 'flag' pages where data structures or information may be different forcing you to go back and correct, add or remove information. The benefit for all of this work is Google will now have hundreds of products, services or goods from the website added to the search engine index.

This helps with creation of Sitelinks (the links under your website listing to specific pages), Product Snippet (listings for specific products on Google), higher website rankings in search results and hopefully reaching more buyers and selling more online! Once the process was completed Google listed more than 560 individual product pages with the product name, image and price from the brand new responsive designed website...a tremendous benefit for the customer!

Robert Dotcom Jackson
913-963-6792 Text or Cell
816-982-9574 Office
Internet & Technology Expert, Google Webmaster
www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions since 1995

Plan for a New Website with URL redirects and Custom 404 Pages

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 22:56:00 +0000

One of the biggest mistakes website companies and businesses make when they launch a new website is ignoring ALL of the links, pages and content from the old website. If Google has Site Links indexed and listed for a website and the navigation menu that changes then it considers those broken links. A broken link and bad code within a website will cause Google to remove the links and lower the overall ranking of the website on the Search Engines.

This is also important since many other websites, Blogs or directories may have listed links to your website or specific pages within the website. If you are the customer, not the website developer, then make sure to ask whomever is building the website how they handle links and content from the old website that are being indexed and marketed online. If you are the website developer then be VERY sure to use 301 Redirects to inform search engines and directories of changes the the navigation menu, pages or content so the customer does not lose business because of a new website.

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect which passes between 90-99% of link ranking value to the redirected new page. 301 refers to the HTTP status code for this type of redirect. In most instances, the 301 redirect is the best method for implementing redirects on a website.

The value to doing this extra work is that you will retain 90% of your past marketing efforts for the old website and old website links (URL's). A 301 redirect is the best way to retain online marketing efforts from old websites while a Custom 404 Page is a catch all for users.

If you had a significant redesign of content, added or removed content or changed the navigation menu then add a Custom 404 Page. This basically creates an area for users to view content for the new website when they may be looking for old content on the old site. An example of a Custom 404 Page is located HERE with a list of the main content areas within the website. Instead of just letting users view a 'Page Not Found' error it's best to spend a little extra time and money creating a Custom 404 Page. Consider adding some humor or a random quote to the 404 Page to help the visitor smile when they find out the page they were looking for no longer exists.

Building a BETTER website with good code, SEO and Social Marketing is the best way to reach more buyers and sell more on the Internet. Adding 301 Redirects and a 404 Page ensures your past marketing will not be lost with the online marketing upgrade.

Robert Dotcom Jackson
913-963-6792 Cell or text
www.Facebook.com/RobertDotcomJackson

www.InternetBuildersConsulting.com - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and online marketing solutions since 1995 - over 20 years expertise as the leading online marketing company!

Snapchat Photos, Videos, Chat and Video Calls - Learn the Basics

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 16:34:00 +0000

Snapchat is a simple FREE app for iPhones, Android mobile devices that takes photos or videos for sharing with friends or associates. The photos and videos include options to place a short 'title' of 31 characters on the screen for whomever you send your message to view as they see the photo or video. The appeal of Snapchat is that it will disappear after a few seconds so it's perfect to send quick message, photo or video.

Snapchat defaults to a camera or video capture of YOU from your front facing camera (the same side as your screen) but you can change it to capture photos and video of others with the rear camera by touching the small icon at the top right of the screen which will rotate from front to rear camera and back again each time you touch the icon.

Touch the top right icon to rotate to the rear camera

To take a photo simply touch and remove your finger from the circle at the bottom of the screen. To take a video touch the circle and hold your finger on it while recording the video and remove your finger when done recording. It also records audio so you can narrate your video, share a quick message or just say 'hi' along with the video message.

Touch the circle for a photo - Hold your finger on the circle to record a video

Once you have created your Snapchat masterpiece there are options to adjust how long the photo or video message may be viewed by touching the small number you will see in the lower left side of the screen. If the number says 3 it means your message will be visable for 3 seconds, touch the number and select up to 10 seconds for the viewing of a photo while any video will play for the entire length of whatever you recorded.

Adjust viewing time allowed by touching the 'number' and save your Snap for later by selecting the 'down arrow' icon

Snapchat does not let you send photos or videos from your camera that were not taken through Snapchat. There are 3rd party applications but most of those have been disabled or may get you kicked off Snapchat if they catch you using them so if you want to send a photo or video later you must record it and 'Save your Snap' in 'Stories' which also creates a folder on the camera specifically for Snapchat captures.

You can create a 'Story' by saving multiple Snaps then 'add Snap to Story' which enables users to view the Story for up to 24 hours. This is helpful for instructional videos for clients, How To messages and productivity outside of just sending fun Snaps to friends or family.

Save Snaps to create a Story with multiple photos or videos

The Chat feature in Snapchat is found by 'swiping' to the right (touch the screen with your finger and hold it down while moving it to the right) from the main screen then selecting the contact you want to send a message to. Chat works similar to regular text messages including the option to add photos or video in the exact same method as you do for a regular Snap with the unique option to add a photo from your cell phone photo gallery.

Snapchat can be helpful for business communications although the majority of users are sharing thoughts, comments, amusing or random messages just for entertainment. It's worth installing the free app since Snapchat continues to grow and it's one of the top used 'social networks' by the 30 and under Millennials age range.

Robert Dotcom Jackson

Internet Builders - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions

913-963-6792 Cell or Text

Find me on Snapchat - RobertDotcom

www.Facebook.com/RobertDotcomJackson

Google Requires Mobile Friendly Websites to Rank Higher in Search Engine Search Results

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 03:16:00 +0000

As of Tuesday April 21st 2015 Google is going to rank websites built 'mobile friendly' structure outlined by Google in April 2014 higher for online shoppers. This means that if you have an older website (usually more than 2 years old) that is not built to the new Google standards then you will start to slip down in search engine search results as other mobile friendly websites rank higher.

Google announced online: "Today's the day we begin globally rolling out our mobile-friendly update," Google said in a blog post Tuesday. "Now searchers can more easily find high-quality and relevant results where text is readable without tapping or zooming, tap targets are spaced appropriately, and the page avoids unplayable content or horizontal scrolling."

This change is due to the fact that nearly 60% of all online traffic starts on mobile devices and 46% of actual buyers are using mobile devices. Google has the clout and power to significantly affect the success or failure of companies who rely on traffic from search engines. For years we have been explaining to client's that Google products such as Blogger are preferred to competing software such as WordPress or the value of Google+ for online marketing. This was clearly illustrated by the European Union filing against Google for ranking Google owned products and tools above competitors.

The best move for your business is to start work on a new website built in the Google friendly structure so you can reach more buyers and sell more online. Even the best websites have to be rebuilt and redesigned at some point. Utilize the content, images, look/feel of your current website for consistent branding while having a new custom website built to keep on top of Google search results. If you would like a no-cost expert consultation on getting your website Google-friendly to remain in front of the competition contact the Internet Experts at www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com or connect with us on Facebook for tips, tools and expert examples of success.

Robert Dotcom Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
Internet Builders - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions since 1995
913-963-6792 Mobile or Text 10AM to Midnight

Email is Having a Midlife Crisis at the 44th Anniversary

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 00:34:00 +0000

This year, email is celebrating its 44th birthday when computer engineer Ray Tomlinson sent the first electronic mail message in 1971. It’s interesting to track the progress of email over the last 44 years through infancy to the # 1 method of communication surpassed by text messages in 2013.

While email was first sent in 1971, it took years to really catch on similar to the Internet. In 1976, Queen Elizabeth II became the first head of state to send an electronic mail message, and two years later, the first electronically-sent advertisement went out over a network of government and university computers.

In 1982, the word “email” was first used, and emoticons entered our lexicon that year as well, when Scott Fahlman became the first person to use a smiley “emotion” in an email. The “You’ve got mail!” voice that you’d know anywhere was recorded in 1989 by radio man Elwood Edwards, along with other iconic AOL phrases (nearly ten years later, Warner Bros. released You’ve Got Mail the movie, which topped $250 million at the box office).

Email went through some changes in 1997, when Microsoft bought Hotmail for about $400 million and Microsoft Outlook was released. Unfortunately, it was also around this time that Internet users began figuring out how to use email for negative purposes with the word “Spam” was added to the English Dictionary in 1998. In 1999, a fraudulent email claiming that Bill Gates was going to share his money with Internet users began to circulate eventually being forwarded to millions of people.

Eventually the amount of Spam and viruses sent via email caused email to become regulated. George W. Bush signed the CAN-SPAM Act into law in 2003, the country’s first national standards for sending commercial emails, and in 2004, the FTC codified email spam laws. Email embraced its light-hearted side in 2004, when LOL and several other Internet acronyms were officially recognized in the English Dictionary and multimedia emails were introduced after the MMS World Congress in Vienna. In 2005, email became more secure when SPF was established, a technology that verifies email senders’ identities, and in 2007, Google made Gmail available to the worldwide public.

In 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama worked to harness the power of email by compiling a database of over 13 million email addresses. Three years later, the AP Stylebook officially decided that electronic mail should now be abbreviated as “email” rather than “e-mail,” and a study found that the most easily hacked email password was “password,” followed by common sequences like “123456” and “qwerty.”

Today, Americans access email anywhere using their smartphones, tablets and mobile devices. In 2012, the number of Americans emailing on mobile devices reached 90 million, with 64% of using email daily on their phones. To assist users with the high volume of emails being sent and received, Google rolled out Gmail Tabs in 2013 to assist with sorting of email and better methods of filtering advertisements.

In 2014, the major storyline of email was hacking when Sony Entertainment was hacked, leading to the release of hundreds of sensitive emails.

In the past 44 years, email went from being a little used form of communication reserved for only the most tech-savvy or rich, to something so common that nearly everyone uses it on a daily basis. The detraction to email today is that it has become less reliable with emails being blocked for Spam, sending too many messages, accidentally diverted by email servers or simply missed with the sheer number of emails received.

Technology changes fast, the Internet has been around since the 1960's and websites are the #1 way to reach customers, sell your products or services and control your image to the world. For Expert Internet Marketing, Websites, Social Media Marketing or Technology Consulting contact the leaders for more than 20 years - Internet Builder Consulting online or at 816-842-7774

How to Connect Facebook to Twitter for Automatic 'Tweets' from Facebook Posts on Profiles and Pages

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 17:57:00 +0000

Managing social networks is time consuming so it's important to automate as much as you can based around where you are most comfortable. If you use Facebook and have a Profile or Page for your company, product or service there is a fast, easy way to connect Facebook to Twitter so that whatever you post on Facebook will automatically be fed to your Twitter account.

Step 1: Login to your Facebook account, go to www.Facebook.com/Twitter and you will see every page and profile you manage with an option to 'Link to Twitter'.

Step 2: Selecting the Link to Twitter option requires you to login to the Twitter account you wish to automatically publish Facebook posts to and then authorize the account access.

Step 3: Once you have authorized Facebook to post to your Twitter account you will be returned to Facebook to select which types of updates you want automatically posted to Twitter.

Once you have completed everything the Facebook Link to Twitter system will automatically reformat any post with a short URL that will link users to the Facebook post whenever it may be longer than the 144 characters Twitter permits.

Need Social Networking setup, optimization, marketing and training? Contact the Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting 816-982-9574 for a free professional consultation and complete packages from only $350!

Robert Dotcom Jackson

Internet & Technology Expert

Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions since 1995

Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 03:59:00 +0000

The last few years have been tough for many Americans and tougher for many of the builders and real estate professionals we have the pleasure of working with. When I founded my company in 1995 I named it Builder Consulting because we were building computers, networks and websites while providing computer and Internet consulting. I knew many people in the real estate industry so naturally that was a strong part of the business with many of the builders taking my word that this whole 'Internet Thing' was going to be BIG.

My little 'hobby' business went from an extra bedroom at my house to a Main Street office with clients worldwide because of the customers. When customers started calling and stating they could no longer pay for website hosting, updates or marketing we had a choice to make. I met with our accounting staff and told them if the customer is legitimately unable to pay and having trouble then Internet Builder Consulting was going to pay it for them and help keep them in business.

My accountant told me it was a bad idea, my office manager actually fought with me about it (she is no longer with the company) but my heart said that we help people when they need it rather than hurt. These were the people and companies that helped us succeed and the last thing we needed to do was take down their websites so no customers could find them and no leads would come in. The decision was bad for 'business' costing nearly $25,000 in services we paid for customers in the first year alone but I believe it is the way business should operate. Business should not be just about money, making more and taking more from people - it should be about helping and making things better.

Some of the customers were literally shocked when I called them back to let them know we would be paying for their services until they got back on their feet. Wallen Builders was a successful New Mexico builder/developer that called to say they were having financial troubles and could not pay to complete the new website. I called them back and told them we would finish the website, host it and market it for the rest of the year at no charge to help. Unfortunately it was not enough and they closed the following year but the marketing director, Gia Tidle let us know that what we did helped them survive and pay their staff a few months longer.

Gary Bringus of Heartland Homes spent his last marketing money with another 'builder design' firm who took his money and never produced a website for him. When he contacted us and asked for help we designed and built him a new website for 1/2 of what we normally charge. Heartland Homes built some beautiful custom homes throughout Kansas City until the market crash and medical issues nearly closed the business. In 2010 Heartland Homes made the call to turn off the website and save every penny they could to pay medical bills from nearly a year Gary spent in the hospital.

Rather than turning off the website we looked at the situation and agreed to pay for the services until he was back on his feet and business was stable. After a few years of paying for customers websites, hosting and marketing it did add up to a significant amount of money that was causing occasional cash flow issues for Internet Builder Consulting so I choose to pay it out of my own pocket. The last few years I have paid myself around $15,000 a year as the CEO of one of the top Website, SEO and Social Marketing firms in the country. It's was easier than I expected to go from making $175,000+ a year to what is considered poverty but I did it and I live a happy full life not needing anything.

Business is not about how much money you make, it is about how many people and companies you are able to help. Internet Builder Consulting has been recognized as The Best Place to Work in Kansas City 4 times now and we have a happy team of the top experts in the country who do what they love and take care of customers. Since 1995 I have never worried about the money, there were been several start-ups I was involved with that brought in more money than I ever thought I could spend. Money has never been my goal, being the best at what we do, knowing the Internet, Search Engines, social networks inside and out and actually watching the people we work with succeed because of what we did for them is what drives me.

I had to make some adjustments in life to take a zillion percent pay-cut but it made things much simpler and more manageable. Until things are better and the people who helped us grow the business from a side hobby to one of the top website, SEO and Social Marketing firms in the country are back on their feet I will continue to pay. There is always another day and another dollar but there may not always be another chance to help a company or a friend stay in business when times are tough!

If you believe in what you do, the people around you and doing what is right than putting your money where your heart is makes sense.

Robert DotCom Jackson
Internet Expert, CEO
Internet Builder Consulting
816-982-9574

Google+ Social Network Releases Vanity URL's for Pages and Profiles

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

It has been a LONG time coming but Google finally started releasing Google+ custom vanity URL's for select pages and profiles. Facebook users have had the ability to select a custom URL since 2008 but Google held back until late 2013. Users and select pages will be notified when they login to Google+ with a message across the top of the page "Your page is preapproved for the custom URL..." as you can see on the image for the Internet Builder Consulting Websites, SEO & Social Marketing experts page.

Once you login to Google+ and see the notification the process is fast and simple. The next screen will show you the custom URL to select for your page or profile which you can confirm or cancel.

Once you select the custom Google+ URL simply confirm the choice and you will have one of the first vanity Google+ URL's in the country! This permits better branding, faster access to pages and improved user experience...plus you can now list your Google+ profiles or pages on marketing materials!

If you have any questions or would like assistance in obtaining a custom Google+ URL for your company or profile contact the Internet Experts at www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com or call us at 816-982-9574

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson

Internet & Technology Expert

Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions since 1995

Social Networking Benefits for SEO, Facebook and Google+

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:08:00 +0000

The best way to rank higher on a Search Engine is to build a BETTER website since SEO is not something you do 'to' a website it is how the website is built. Strong valid content, proper META, TITLE and ALT Tags, formatting of pages and links all lead to higher rankings. There are direct benefits from social networking since a key aspect of the Search Engine algorithms has always been 'how many links from other sites go to your website' and what is the value of those other sites.

Facebook is still the leader online with 300 times more daily traffic than Google. Google is attempting to draw some of the user base back with Google+ social network. Google+ is built to be Search Engine friendly with the following key attributes:

Content is crawled nearly instantly (it IS Google) unlike Twitter and Facebook
Each post has a unique URL (the first 45-50 characters of the post are the title tag)
Google indexes the text of every post and creates hash tags based on top keywords
Any links to external websites are indexed and crawled which may lead to higher page rank
Posts that are shared, interacted with and +1'd are seen as more important

There seems to be a correlation between highly followed and interacted 'Authors' or 'Pages' with higher value for posts made from more popular profiles or pages. This means that an author (profile) who posts links to external websites with strong well written text that receives multiple interactions is valued higher than posts made by other profiles with little to no interaction.

The image above shows how Google+ automatically pulls and displays the title of the post or page that was shared. It also illustrates the 'Likes' and 'shares noted in the numeric values (+20 people and 1 share on the left and +33 people and 4 shares on the right). Google does not directly follow the links to external URL's (website addresses) from posts but the people using Google+ do so so there is a benefit.

The key is interaction not just posts, the value comes from connections of the connections creating exponentially vast networks who see your information as each new person '+' or shares your post. Google owns Google+ so ALL content posted on Google+ is instantly indexed. One study attributes Google+1's as having a slightly higher value than Facebook interaction although it is .30 for +1's and .27 for Facebook so it is a narrow margin.

Over the past few months we posted the same updates on multiple social networks to find Google+ had the fastest and widest rate of indexing and sharing posts on the Google Search Engine. Facebook had a lower rate of indexing Google+ content but a higher rate of feeds from Facebook posts. Twitter blocks Search Engines from indexing Tweets so Twitter has little to no SEO value. Bing provides favoritism to Facebook since they have a mutual data sharing partnership which shows Facebook content ahead of Google+ content in most cases. Google provides favoritism to Google+ because it is Google and it makes complete sense to list your company products ahead of the competition.

The top factor remains the quality of the web page or web site content which is where SEO is invaluable. Building a proper website in the proper architecture with the proper content has always been the best way to rank higher on search engines. The Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting have been teaching the values of Google+ for years and now the proof is in the SEO results! If your company needs a better built website with SEO and Social Marketing for a complete solution contact the experts at Internet Builder Consulting today 816-982-9574

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson

Internet & Technology Expert
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing Solutions since 1995

Online Marketing, SEO and Social Marketing Requires Expertise, a Team and a Company to Succeed

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:45:00 +0000

A quick search on Google for 'Social Marketing' returns 859 MILLION (859,000,000) results because every unemployed, fired or lazy person who calls themselves a 'Social Media Marketing Expert' has a social networking page. Social Marketing CANNOT be done by an unemployed person working from home, by a college intern or by anyone at the office. The entire basis of 'Social Networking' is multiple connections over multiple interfaces by multiple people - it cannot and will not work with 1 or 2 people 'posting' about your company, product or service online.

When we first started marketing using Social Networks in 2008 we recognized the value in using social networks as a method of expanding reach online. Years later there are hundreds of millions of people attempting to use 'Social Marketing' as a job title although there is no such job. Social Marketing is simply a part of an overall Online Marketing strategy and only works as part of that strategy. If a company hires someone to do 'social marketing' but does not have an effective website, a wide spread national network to interact, promote and create the 'buzz' required.

The way search engines interpret social networking data, posts, pages and profiles is the key. A Facebook business page or profile that has posts and only a small amount of interaction has no value at all. This means no search engine lists the information and nobody on the social network saw it except you and the person who posted it. There are literally hundreds of thousands of companies being ripped off every day by dishonest incompetent people claiming to 'Do Social Marketing'. A great example of this is a local company (we blocked out the name to protect the company) who hired an unemployed x-convict who has a Social Butterfly Marketing Facebook Page and Blog claiming to 'Do Social Marketing'.

She created a Google+ page and a Facebook page and posts photos of the business owner every few days and even a logo or an address once or twice. This has ZERO benefit for the company, there has not been a single interaction, never and thus nobody saw any of this except the lady posting it from home.

Another thing to watch out for with the 'work from home' social marketing is that they have nothing to lose, no business to take to court, no reputation at risk and no standards of conduct. If you hire one of the 'work from home' unemployed 'social marketers' and then choose to terminate services they may choose to steal all of your accounts, spread lies and false information about your business and use what little skill they have to harass you. No legitimate company or professional would ever do such a thing so do your research and look at EVERYTHING the people have posted and make sure they have a solid business reputation with an office, staff and other professionals to support you.

Your grandmother can setup Facebook and so can every high school kid or unemployed convict in America so make a choice in QUALITY and select a business with multiple experts, customer service and a reputation to uphold. Contact Internet Builder Consulting or Social Marketing Builders for an social networking setup, training, social marketing or an expert consultation by our teams of experts and a business with 18 years of continued success at 816-842-7774 from 8AM to 8PM

Social Networking Studies in Successful Social Marketing Timing, Posts, Interaction & Reach

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Social Networking has been around for years, it transformed from a place to catch up with old friends from college or find a new band to the top online marketing platform in less than 5 years. There are several recent studies that cover a wide range of statistical data, use and success from all of the social networks.

Facebook is still King: As of April 2013 Facebook has had over 120 BILLION Impressions where the longer posts were less read and less interacted with than shorter ones in the 100-119 character range. Posts with Questions drove interaction up 10-20% as the chart below illustrates (on the left you see the character length and the red is posts with Questions while blue is posts Without Questions).

Timing is Everything - the KISSMetrics study found that the best time to post on Twitter for ReTweets is 5PM. The best time to post on Facebook for the most Shares is 1PM. The best number of times to Tweet on Twitter is 1-2 Tweets per hour while it is best to post an average of once every two days on Facebook.

A study by Bit.ly and Raka found the best time to post on Twitter for Clicks is 1-3PM while the best overall time for posts on Facebook to receive the most clicks is 3PM. Forget about Tweeting anything important after 8PM or posting on Facebook after 3PM Friday

A third study by Argyle Social found the best time to post on both Facebook and Twitter is 9AM-7PM. Tweets during the Weekday have 14% more interaction than on Weekends. The last item is the most unusual since the study found posts on Facebook have 32% more interaction on Weekends than Weekdays. Most other studies conflict with this finding the best times to post on Facebook are during the week.

70% of Consumers Trust Recommendations on Brands from Friends:
This is # 1 reason Facebook GraphSearch engine is going to change the way companies market online. People like to work with, go where, be with and buy from others that they know and trust. Facebook has more information about people than any other site on the Internet thus when someone searches for a "Pizza Place' or 'Real Estate Agent' and Facebook shows them a list of pizza places friends like or real estate agents friends work with they are highly likely to use what friends did.

The average 'Shelf Life' of Social Networking Links or Posts is only 3 Hours. A study by Bit.ly tracked user posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and direct on Bit.ly showing the most interaction happens within the first 60 minutes of a post. The chart below shows the density or views/interactions on the left with the time/seconds across the bottom.

Women Spend 30% more time on Social Networking websites than men. This study by ComScore is fairly well known although I would say I am the exception to the rule since I am on Social Networks 12+ hours a day! Some social networking sites like Pinterest have a significantly higher rate of use by women over men while others like Twitter are closer to equal.

Statistically Social Networks are THE place to market no matter what age, gender, race or location you are targeting. Social networks constitute over 20% of the total online time worldwide with more daily users on Facebook alone than ALL search engines combined. The key is knowing how to setup, optimize, manage and obtain the most interaction. If you would like an expert consultation on social networking, social media marketing, search engine optimization or simply have a question Contact the Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting online or Call us at 816-842-7774.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing Solutions

Social Marketing Optimization (SMO), Social Networking Optimization & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:41:00 +0000

The online marketing world changed when Facebook became the #1 destination on the Internet. Somehow most of the marketing firms, ad agencies and website designers missed the boat. Social Marketing is not a new 'separate' thing for companies to do, it is one of the main requirements for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) success. Everyone optimizes for Google since Google has 67% of the entire search engine traffic but Facebook has 300 times more traffic than Google.

Facebook has unique insight into users that no other company can complete with. By joining Facebook everyone must agree to the 'Terms of Use' which grants Facebook permission to use ALL of your data (both public and private) for marketing and analytics. Facebook knows who your friends are, where you like to eat, what companies you 'Like', what locations your friends 'Like', what kind of music, movies, sports and other things that even your closest friends may not be aware of.

In 2010 Facebook partnered with Microsoft to integrate Bing as the search provider for users. In 2013 Facebook turned itself into a search engine with the release of Facebook GraphSearch with additional content provided by Microsoft Bing. Since Facebook has over a BILLION active users as of December 2012 the best place to reach someone online is now Facebook. Google is competing with Facebook for traffic and users but still uses Facebook posts, interactions and content as the #1 ranking criteria when determining how high to list a website on the Google Search Engine.

This clearly outlines that Social Networking has been a key aspect of Search Engine Optimization since 2008 when the first cooperative data exchanges were introduced. Social Networking is an art form similar to SEO in terms of how it needs to be setup, linked and optimized. If social networks are setup incorrectly they will bring little to no benefit for a business, product or service. Consider the example below setup for Distinctive Homes of Las Vegas where the Facebook page is listed #1 above ALL other builders when someone uses the new Facebook GraphSearch:

Based upon how the company Facebook page and content were setup and optimized they show up #1 above all the competition. A Google+ profile and company page improves ranking on Google when setup and optimized properly. Companies who are missing the key element of Search Engine Optimized Social Networking are missing out on more than 50% of potential reach online. SEO and Social Marketing cannot be separated they must be managed and maintained as part of an overall cohesive online marketing strategy to be successful. The Facebook GraphSearch first searches Facebook for content related to what you type then displays content from Bing search engine. The example below illustrates how a search for 'Kansas City Pizza' first shows the top result 11 of my immediate connections 'Like' followed by the most popular result, Grinders Pizza and then suggestions for additional terms based on location (Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas City, Kansas).

Adding a location to a search on Facebook is the same as adding a location to a search on any search engine. People who just search for 'Pizza' may end up with results for pizza places all over the world while people who specify a location will end up with better results. With the results above for 'Kansas City pizza' I could easily optimize any of the local pizza joints Facebook page to place them in the top few search results. The Social Marketing Optimization works for any business and dramatically improves rankings on search engines. A search for 'Websites, Search Engine Optimization' on Facebook GraphSearch brings up our company website first along with several suggestions related to this based on the traffic, interaction and how well the page has been optimized.

The key successfully integrating SMO and SEO is understanding how both social networks and search engines organize, rank and display data. Today the majority of links created TO websites are coming from Social Networks thus a website that is properly search engine optimized integrating social networking with social marketing optimized can easily have thousands upon thousands of active, high value links. The example below shows how one of our company websites is ranked by Google at 162,656 active links!

A website is not complete without being optimized for search engines and social networks. Search Engine Optimization is, in part, how a website is built and what content is placed within the website but the largest factor today on how well a website ranks is social networking. A successful website will incorporate SEO, Social Marketing with Social Marketing Optimization (SMO) and a strong ongoing online marketing campaign. Social Networking IS part of SEO and must be handled by the same experts who build the website, optimize the website and market the website for the best results. Ongoing adjustments with the website and online marketing need to be made as social networks change, release new features and search engines adjust ranking algorithms.

Make sure the website firm you hire has a COMPLETE understanding of the Internet, SEO and Social Networks or you may end up wasting time and money on an incomplete solution.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing Solutions
816-842-7774

An Analysis of Facebook Promotion and Marketing

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:54:00 +0000

Over the past few months since Facebook released the 'Promote' option for posts we have been studying it. The option is a one-click 'Promote' this link listed on each post for a simple $7 fee to 'expand' the post into a wider audience. In terms of marketing this seems like a no-brainer since anyone can post an ad, article, news or information and reach more people without having to setup a pay per click account. Initially the fee was $5 but once it proved to be a success the fee was raised to $7.

When anyone makes an update on a 'Page' or 'Profile' the option will show on the lower right side to 'Promote' this post with an estimated reach listed. We used this option to 'Promote' several posts from August 2012 to February 2013 and tracked the results. Using Google Analytics, each post was tracked by the number of views and referrers it received naturally versus the 'Promote' option.

We expected the 'Promote' option to deliver a significantly higher return but were surprised when it was nearly the same as a regular post nearly every single time. The 'Promote' option was used on the example below showed 331 views on the first 'Promoted' post while the second post had 296 views without any paid promotion. There was a significant spike in views every time a post was shared on Facebook but the difference between a paid post and a normal one was usually around 10%.

The next thing we tried was posting the same link and information on other social networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. The Twitter post has no noticeable difference in traffic over a normal day similar to a post made on Google+. The LinkedIn post, without promotion had a significant spike in traffic as you can see in the chart below showing the 3 times a post was made on LinkedIn. The increase in visits from LinkedIn were significant but only 10% of the total traffic delivered from Facebook on either a paid or normal post.

The idea of paid promotion or 'Pay Per Click' on Facebook may seem like an easy way to reach a wider audience but the results show it has no real value...yet. In an earlier article I wrote about Facebook Pay Per Click (PPC) options we tested last year. The PPC marketing on Facebook produced zero results over a 12 month study using multiple accounts. If a company is looking for 'Branding' alone then Facebook PPC ads are a viable option but there are too many problems with the tracking, click fraud and service to be effective for most users today. If your company needs a BETTER Website, SEO or Social Marketing be sure to contact the experts at Internet Builder Consulting and let us know how we can help!

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson

Internet & Technology Expert

Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing Solutions

816-842-7774 Office

Loyalty is Created and Earned by Doing What is Right

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:19:00 +0000

With a challenging economy, high unemployment and an unclear future the value of loyalty has never been higher. Today most companies have lost sight on the things that should be the MOST important such as service, support, solutions, respect, results and loyalty.

When the economy tanked dozens of the builders and real estate customers we work with went from having large marketing budgets to barely being able to pay the bills. The first few calls came in 2007 where someone asked to 'take down the website' because they could not afford to pay for the hosting or marketing. Many companies would simply go ahead and disconnect service but we choose to take a different route. I personally contacted everyone who called to let them know we appreciate their business, support and loyalty so we were going to return that loyalty and support by paying the bills for the customer until things were better.

The first few times I did this the lady who handles our accounting nearly had a heart attack. Not only was I telling her to stop trying to collect money I was explaining that WE were now paying the bills for the customers. Many of these companies and people were the same ones who helped our small website company get started from my house in 1995 buying websites from 'that Dotcom guy' when business was good and few companies felt they really needed a website to sell a home. As the market and technology changed websites and online marketing became invaluable and when times are tough a website may be the only hope a builder has to reach a buyer...so we keep the websites on. The decision to do what is right instead of what is most profitable has made cash flow tight from time to time but given the choice to make more or help more we will always choose to help.

Google's motto is "Don't Be Evil" while Internet Builder Consulting's motto is "Do What is Right and Make it Better Because We are Here". There are literally thousands of people and companies who offer websites, SEO and online marketing today. What has made Internet Builder Consulting successful, the Best Place to Work in Kansas City with 91% customer retention are a few key things.

1. Always give more

Go above and beyond to take care of the customer, help find a resolution no matter who is at fault, no matter what time or what day it is. Under promise and over deliver whenever possible, communicate and make sure the customer and staff knows how much you appreciate them.

2. Be transparent with your business, products and services

Things happen, staff changes from time to time and mistakes or delays are inevitable no matter how good you are or how well run things may be. When something goes wrong address it, learn from it and make sure the customer knows it will be resolved. We use social networks to share updates for the company, planned system updates or upgrades and to educate on new technologies since education is ALWAYS better than sales. Never ever sell something if you do not have that expertise in-house with complete control of the quality, capabilities and results. Never misrepresent yourself as something you are not, it may help increase sales in the short term but eventually people find out.

3. Build a better relationship on Social Networks

Have everyone in the company join social networks and interact with customers, post updates and ideas on projects and get to know the people we work with. Customers are on Facebook or Twitter where they may read updates, company news or events and contact you if they need something. If you really care about the companies and people you work with then get involved with them and learn more about who they are, what they enjoy and causes they support. Internet Builder Consulting has donated dozens of websites to charities, organizations and worthy causes for customers.

4. Walk the Walk, if you Sell It you should Do It (better than anyone else)!

If you sell websites and website hosting then you better have a crack team of website designers, developers, SEO and Social Marketing experts ON STAFF and have all of that setup properly for your company. Too often someone sells a service they don't use or really understand, such as Social Marketing or SEO, simply because it is a 'hot item' customers ask for. Internet Builder Consulting started writing articles, teaching website, online marketing and SEO classes in 1999 and Social Marketing classes in 2007 and all services are practiced every day at the office. It takes a team of dedicated experts to keep ahead of the technology curve.

5. Be Loyal
No matter what, be loyal to the customers, companies and people you work with. These are the people and businesses that helped you succeed so when they need help make sure you are there. This extends past the office, we have customers who support Down Syndrome diabetes, breast cancer and local charities which we volunteer for and donate websites, marketing, photography or whatever is needed.

Doing what is right is usually not what is easy or most profitable but it is the way we do business and live life. It's not about the money, it is about doing what you love with people you want to be around and companies you respect and support.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Founder, Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing
816-842-7774 Office

Facebook Graph Search 'Search Engine' Live and Competing with Google for Top Search Results with Social Networking User Data

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:13:00 +0000

Google has dominated the search engines for over 10 years now leaving Yahoo, Bing, AskJeeves, AOL and everyone else far behind. Internet Builder Consulting has been saying it since 2009 when Facebook began showing 'search results' outside of Facebook using Microsoft Bing that it was only a matter of time before Facebook became it's own 'Search Engine'. The time has come and past and now the Billions of Facebook Users will never have to leave Facebook to search on Google, Yahoo or Bing again. The first version of Facebook Graph Search works on the most valuable aspect of Facebook, your friends, what they are doing, where they have been and what they like.

People use Facebook because it instantly connects them with like minded individuals, people 'like ME' which is common in society. Facebook Graph Search provides levels of detail no other search engine can provide enabling you to search for 'friends' who like Pizza or have visited Spain or even locate someone you may have met at a store that helped you and you wanted to thank.

Interesting enough this works quite well since the latest professional to join the Internet Builder Consulting team, Jennifer was found through Facebook after some exceptional service at the pharmacy. I used Facebook to narrow down a list of people names Jennifer that worked at a pharmacy in Kansas City and ended friends with our latest hard working team member!

The first version of Facebook Graph Search is focused on primarily searching 'friends' and connections As the system progresses it will include Business Pages and Fan Pages eventually encompassing all aspects and INFORMATION stored on Facebook. The image below is the new Facebook Graph Search menu with a few 'suggested' search options although you can search for ANYTHING!

No other search engine database has such a deep level of information to search through since Facebook knows who you are, where you live, who you are friends with, where you went on vacation, to lunch, what kinds of cars or hobbies you enjoy and MUCH more. Facebook claims that only the information you share with friends is going to be searchable (most everything) although the Facebook Terms of Use everyone agrees to when they create an account clearly states Facebook owns all the data and can do whatever they want with it :) What Graph Search means is companies are going to have to pickup the pace with Social Marketing. There are more users on Facebook than Google every day and now that Facebook has Graph Search there is little reason to ever leave...

Google has its first real challenger here while Microsoft is going to see a boost in traffic on Bing. When Graph Search doesn't find the results you are looking for, you will also get a list of Bing web results within Facebook. This also dramatically increases the value in Social Marketing Optimization (SMO) as part of any effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program. It is NOT about the 'likes' a Facebook page has, it is about how it is setup, optimized and connected just like SEO is for a website.

Mark Zuckerberg said the main difference is Graph Search's ability to deliver 'answers' rather than 'links to answers' makes it clear that Facebook and Bing are on the same page: The Bing team has long been working on a search solution that eschews "blue links" in favor of a search engine where people are as important as pages.

Bing Director Stefan Weitz recently stated that the majority of people doing research on the internet, for a new product, or a potential vacation, won't rely on search engine page alone. They will turn to friends and experts to get additional input before making a decision. The more Bing enhances its social sidebar with increasing amounts of social data, the less you are likely to jump around to other sources.

If you would like to know more about how to setup, optimize, market and manage your business, products or services online contact The Experts at Internet Builder Consulting for a consultation 816-842-7774 - we helped create social marketing with 18 years experience building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing solutions. Having a Facebook page with effective, optimized social marketing, has never been more important for the success of your business.

It's not about the likes, it's about the leads.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
816-842-7774 Office

Facebook Algorithms Demystified - Why You See What You See

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:10:00 +0000

Facebook REQUIRES users to agree with the 'Terms of Use' to create an account. It does not matter what you do, post or say after that since you already agreed to the Terms of Use. Everything on Facebook is tracked, recorded and used to determine advertisements direct email marketing to users, what content shows up in the main 'News Feed' and even what 'friends' are displayed.

There are some 'rumors' going around pertaining to 'your top Facebook Stalkers' using the following trick to locate Facebook OrderedFriendsList data:

Log into Facebook.com
Right click anywhere on the page (not on a photo or text area, click somewhere on the white space)
Select "view page source"
Press Ctrl + F
Search for " orderedfriends "
Copy + paste the first set of numbers below to facebook.com/numbers (ie. if the first set is 123456789 go to facebook.com/123456789)
This shows the top 'friends' (or stalkers) that Facebook considers to have the most 'connections' which can mean a wide variety of things including who is looking at your profile, updates and photos the most!

The top factors Facebook uses to generate the orderedfriends list include:

How many friends you have in common with the other person
Length of time and number of interactions of all types you have together
Friends of common friends (think multi-level marketing)
The number of times he or she visited your profile or photos
The number of times you visited his or her profile or photos
Amount of times you've viewed profile of people related to him or her
Games you play that he or she also plays
Recent interaction including likes, comments, shared posts, messages, wall posts
Whether you're in the same school, company or groups
The number of common 'Pages' you both 'Like' on Facebook

There are additional items Facebook take into account into generating your profile and who or what they show when you login to Facebook.

The OrderedFriendsList places the most emphasis on recent interactions you have with a person. Another major factor is the searches you do, so it actually details more about your online Facebook habits than it does about the people who may be 'stalking' you.

Another key indicator Facebook uses the above information for is advertising. Ads and marketing are targeted to you based upon what YOU post, share and comment on Facebook. An example is when I posted about wanting to go see the new James Bond movie the very next advertisement Facebook showed was for a local theater playing the James Bond movie. The next day my email address associated with the Facebook account received two emails from theaters marketing the James Bond movie.

Another example, shown below, highlights a simple update on my profile about playing 'pool' with a friend and going to CVS Pharmacy. The instant this update was posted, advertisements and content identically matching those words was displayed by Facebook!

The display ads on the side of Facebook are also manipulated based upon the same criteria above. The secondary determination is the advertisers in the local area or that have your specific details set as part of the Facebook Ad Campaign. The latest Facebook advertising permits marketers to specify details such as the company someone works for, a group they belong to, age range, levels of education, geographic locations and even specific hobbies or interests Facebook users have listed on their profiles.

The targeting methodology is exceptional although the results do not match since there is a significant amount of 'Click Fraud' taking place on Facebook. We setup some test accounts paying $2.86-$6.93 PER CLICK and then tracked the traffic coming to the website from Facebook ads. The shocking result was that ALL of the clicks came from two specific locations within 5 minutes of the ads going live until the daily spending budget was reached every single day. From the perspective of an Ad Agency they would consider this a success because the Facebook ad delivered 'Likes' and 'Clicks' to the customer's website.

From the perspective of an Internet Expert this was a complete waste of money since the clicks and 'Likes' were clearly coming from one location repeatedly which was a waste of money. There are some free valuable metrics and data available for Facebook Pages showing how many people viewed each individual update, which posts reached the widest audience and options to 'Promote' an update, photo or status for a flat rate. If you hover over any photo, update or post on a page you are an Administer of you can see details such as the Organic (people directly connected to your page who 'Like' it) or Viral (people who shared the post with friends).

Facebook remains the #1 destination on the Internet today with more than 1 Billion users. The potential for proper marketing, optimization, branding and sales through Facebook is unlimited when done properly. Pay Per Click ads are best focused on Google, Yahoo and Bing while an active, engaging social marketing campaign on Facebook can convert 'Likes' to 'Leads' when done properly. For expert SEO, Social Marketing, training or consulting for your business contact the Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting and Social Marketing Builders today for a complimentary consultation 816-842-7774.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson

Internet & Technology Expert

Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing Solutions

The Art of The Facebook Flirt

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:38:00 +0000

When I refer to a 'Facebook Flirt' it does not involve trying to pick up a date from a social network. Many forget the social aspects of social networking which often leads to failure. People buy from people and they will buy more from people they know and like. There are easy to spot trends on social networks that anyone with any social skills can spot and track. Consider a new 'Facebook Friend' who may be a friend of a friend or associate who suddenly starts 'Liking' and 'Commenting' on everything you post.

This may simply be that they never knew you existed before today but in most cases this type of interaction shows an increased interest of some kind. The art of flirting is more than trying to pickup someone, it is the method to engage and interact with someone that entices them to react and respond. When our firm began marketing on Social Networks we tested several different methods with several of our staff.

One of the interesting things we discovered is that social networking interaction is nearly identical to the social interactions we may encounter out at a bar or dinner with friends. The more attractive staff instantly had more 'friends' online who interacted more with them. There is a line to walk in terms of 'flirting' and interacting which we quickly found when new 'Facebook Friends' began asking our social marketing staff out on dates!

The art comes into play in being able to post interesting things that people actually want to read while integrating the company, brand or product. The flirting aspect comes into play through the interaction, commenting on updates and posts made by others and keeping everyone interested in what YOU have to share. If you provide the marketing for another company then you must know their product, service or brand as good or better than people who work for that company. This requires constant research, insight, interaction and discipline to constantly keep things flowing without distraction.

Social Marketing Success depends upon mastering the Art of the Facebook Flirt by creating memorable interactions, unique messages and compelling posts that buyers connect with. The methods used and formatting of the company pages, individual posts and updates all contribute to the success or failure of the social media marketing campaign. Be cognizant of not crossing the line since you never know how others may interpret what you share online. When someone shows interest keep it online and professional, there is no room for mistakes that can harm your reputation and business.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
816-842-7774 Office

www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions since 1995

Facebook Posts Reach 50% of the Total Audience in 30 Minutes

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:54:00 +0000

One of the key factors for success with Online Marketing and Social Media Marketing is timing. Companies who post when people are offline or asleep are marketing to an empty audience. A Facebook marketing post will get half of its reach in the 30 minutes after it is published, according to research by Socialbakers.

The study found that an average of 1/3 of post reach was obtained in just the first 10 minutes after publication. Socialbakers indicated that after the first 1/2 of reach is obtained in the 30 minutes after the post is made with the remaining reach attained in the following 7 hours.

In the 11-20 minute period after publication, posts reached an estimated additional 13.2% of their total audience, while in the following 10-minute period, they reached just another 4.7% of their total audience. After 90 minutes had passed, the average post was reaching less than 2% of its total audience. The numbers for social networking reach are significantly different than emails as a recent GetResponse study illustrates.

According to a GetResponse study 23.6% of email opens occur within the first hour after delivery. In the first hour, a Facebook post would have already reached 60% of its total audience. The importance of timing messages and posts becomes significant when considering the share of opens and reach occurring immediately after delivery.

Facebook Fan Engagement Hovers Around 6% – Or Less

Adobe recently reported that Facebook fan engagement rates surged in the Third Quarter, they still remain quite low. According to a NapkinLabs study of brand pages with between 200,000 and 1 million fans (reported by Mashable), only 6% of Facebook fans engage with brands’ Facebook pages by liking, sharing, or commenting.

That may even be high. Looking specifically at the automotive sector, Socialbakers found that the most engaging post, by Rolls-Royce, had an engagement rate of 5.74%. The 4th-most engaging post saw just a 5% engagement rate. Smaller brands and companies with a local connection typically see higher interaction rates. The typical post made by individuals have a significantly higher interaction rate since people tend to connect and interact with other people more than products or brands.

This is the reason 'social marketing' works best when a company Facebook Page is used in conjunction with staff and individual Facebook Profiles. Contact the social marketing experts at Internet Builder Consulting for professional Social Networking setup, management and marketing today at 816-842-7774.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing since 1995

Google Penguin Changes the Search Engine Ranking Algorithm

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:43:00 +0000

April 2012 Google released the new ranking algorithm designed to combat less reputable online marketing practices. Google Penguin updated and changed the way the Search Engine indexes, ranks and organizes websites and Blogs. The Penguin algorithm targets specific practices used by some online marketing firms including:

Keyword Stuffing - excessive use of keywords without relevancy
Fake Articles or News - publishing hundreds of fake articles or news/press releases on newsgroups and sites designed to improve traffic or links to a website
Gateway Pages - Webpages with duplicate content, single page 'gateway pages'
Link Weight Manipulation - buying links TO a website from link farms, creating too many backlinks in a short period of time, etc.

None of these are new battles for Google, the latest release is simply a more refined system of combating the top known frauds. This is GOOD for the majority of companies who use 'white hat SEO' building websites BETTER with appropriate content, valid links and well designed marketing sites. A properly built and optimized website will actually rank HIGHER since the websites with inflated values due to over marketing will be excluded from search results.

Google states that 3% of the websites and Blogs within the current search directory will be affected by the Penguin release. It is more important than ever to have the right team of experts designing, building, optimizing it and marketing websites properly - no more games or 'tricks' will work!

Contact the EXPERTS at Internet Builder Consulting for a complimentary evaluation of your website, SEO or social marketing at 816-842-7774.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing
816-842-7774 - Corporate Office

Social Networking, Social Media Marketing & Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Misconceptions & Myths

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:27:00 +0000

The largest misconceptions for Social Marketing and SEO are widely accepted, incorrectly, in terms of how marketers and the end users see social networking.

1. More Likes Means More Business – a ‘Like’ or the number of likes on a business page has nothing to do with sales nor are all ‘likes’ created equal. It is simple to create several hundred to thousands of ‘likes’ on a page yet without ongoing interaction, ‘shares’ of the content posted on the page and a strong call to action that leads to a website visit or a phone call, the likes are worthless. The strength of a page on a social network is within the INTERACTIONS not the number of likes.

2. Social Media Marketing is FREE or EASY – technically it is free to setup a profile and account on most of the major social networking sites but successfully optimizing and utilizing those accounts for marketing is not. To be successful a BUSINESS profile needs to be setup, a business PAGE needs to be setup and properly names, links to other social networking feeds and then managed with a balance of MARKETING, INFORMATION, engaging content (questions, ideas, things that will bring people to provide feedback, comments and share what is posted with their friends) and the social networks need to be constantly updated. This requires time, expertise and skill to create, market, manage, monitor and track the results.

3. If I don’t use a social network it is not important for me to market there – WRONG, there are plenty of people who do not use Facebook on a regular basis or have never been on Twitter but the fact remains that over 800 MILLION potential buyers are at every day. Social Media Marketing is about utilizing ALL of the top social networking channels to reach all potential buyers, brand your business, product or service and control your online reputation.

4. If You Post it They Will Come – this has been a fallacy of online marketing for years since the same applies with Websites in terms of ‘If You Build it They Will Come”. If a social networking account, page or site is not setup properly, linked to other accounts, engaging, informative, interactive, humorous and managed properly it will not produce results. Once an account and page is setup properly it takes time for success, consider it ‘multi level marketing’ where you start out with one user who connects to another and then they connect with others until an exponential network of mass is reached. It takes time but eventually, if done right, it will work. Most success comes after 90 days of active marketing since that is the time required to properly build a network of loyal fans, followers and interactions.

5. Social Marketing is a NEW thing only used by kids – Internet Builder Consulting began marketing on social networks in 2007 and began teaching classes on Social Marketing with SEO in 2008 while today over 800 MILLION people with an average age group of 25-40 year olds are the main audience. Social Networking may be new to YOU but the majority of your potential buyers are already on social networks waiting for you to reach them!

6. We have a website so why do we need Social Marketing? A Strong Website is the foundation for all online marketing but not enough to reach the masses who may not even know your company, product or service exists. The way to reach the masses is through a strong, well optimized, user-focused website that is marketed and linked from ALL of the top social networking websites. Social Networking is built for ‘quick’, ‘short’ messages (Twitter is limited to 144 characters since that was the length of a standard text message from a cell phone) thus social marketing should typically be short, concise and to the point of transitioning online browsers to make a buying decision such as visiting your website, signing up for an offer or making a phone call. The website is only the start of an overall Online Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy.

Social Marketing IS Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – marketing companies do not seem to comprehend how Search Engines work since most are ignoring the significant effect of social networks on SEO. The # 1 Ranking Algorithm used by Google today is SOCIAL NETWORKING and having multiple social networking locations setup will ensure your company shows up multiple times on Page 1 of Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Contact the experts at Internet Builder Consulting for additional information on Social Marketing, SEO, Websites or a free consultation 816-842-7774.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing

Instagram - The Latest Social Network is More Than Just a Photo Application

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:36:00 +0000

When Facebook purchased Instagram for 1 Billion Dollars many outside the online marketing industry wondered how in the world could a 'photo sharing' application be worth that much. The answer is that Instagram is one of the fastest growing Social Networks which would have been a potential 'competitor' for Facebook thus it was worth buying to augment Facebook rather than compete with it. The easy to use photo manipulation application offers a dozen different 'filters' that modify the look and feel of a photo in seconds.

Instagram only works on an iPhone, iPod (iTunes) or Android phone (Google Play Store), there is no 'website' to visit like Facebook although it is being used by teens and young adults to communicate like Facebook. Users in Instagram can 'comment', 'like' and communicate with other users. Photos from Instagram are easily integrated with Facebook and Google+ so images taken on mobile devices are instantly shared. If you have not yet heard of or tried Instagram I suggest you check it out along with Pinterest.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing
816-842-7774 Office

Sales & Lead Generation Success with Social Marketing, Social Networking

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:12:00 +0000

A recent business survey reported 39% of business to business (B2B) marketers are generating leads from Facebook, and 19% generated sales from Facebook. Business to Consumer (B2C) marketers have higher success with Facebook at 67% generating leads and 39% generating sales.

The numbers reverse on the professional oriented LinkedIn with data from the August “State of Digital Marketing 2012 Report” showing 44% of Business to Business marketers generating leads on LinkedIn and 23% generate sales. The numbers are lower at 21% of Business to Consumer companies generating leads from LinkedIn and 9% generating sales.

Business to Consumer lead generation on Twitter is a far larger source of leads than LinkedIn with 43%, Google+ is 15% and Pinterest lead generation is 13%. In terms of sales the order is the same: Facebook generates 30% of sales, Twitter at 19% followed by LinkedIn at 9%, Google+ at 7% and Pinterest generated 6% of sales generated.

An aspect of Social Marketing many companies overlook is the engagement with 90% of businesses reporting some type of engagement on social networks. Engagement is the interaction between potential, current and past customers on social networks. The higher the engagement rates (people who click LIKE or SHARE or COMMENT on posts) increases rankings for websites, spreads the message, brand or product to a exponentially larger audience and increases the rates of lead and sales generation.

Social Marketing is not going away, companies not activly marketing through social networks are losing out on hundreds of millions of potential buyers, sales and branding. If your business needs an expert to build the best Social Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or websites contact the Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting 816-842-7774 for a professional consultation.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com

Social Networking Reputation Risks and Online Reputation Management Success

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Social networks present enormous branding and marketing opportunities, but they also present significant risks to business reputations. A company page or business profile on Facebook setup and properly optimized will drive traffic to company websites, products and services. The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) results of this are incredible although companies often neglect to understand the potential risks posed from a 'public' forum. Facebook, Blogs, Yelp and other interactive websites enable anyone to share experiences opinions, ideas and feedback which needs to be monitored daily. The example below is only one of the dozens of 'sales' and new business received from Facebook where people will often post requests for contacting them about a new website, SEO or social marketing. This referral made late Wednesday evening on Facebook became a new customer early Thursday morning. In addition to the new customer it adds creditably when others see public recommendations for your company, products or services!

Best case scenario social networking will expand the reach of a brand, product or service though multiple online locations similar to having a billboard on every major highway in the city. Worst case, if social networking is not managed and monitored properly, a disgruntled customer or former employee may cause harm through negative, false or misleading posts. No company will make every customer completely happy 100% of the time, mistakes happen, people have bad days and sometimes there are just difficult people who choose to be unhappy no matter what. The best way to combat this is constant daily management of all social media marketing to immediately address any issues as an opportunity to improve customer satisfaction.

Someone who may have had a bad experience can give you the opportunity to correct that or at least empathize through social networking. If there was a misunderstanding it can be cleared up quickly similar to a recent experience I had with Aristocrat Motors over my Jaguar service. I left a review for Aristocrat Motors on www.Yelp.com pertaining to a misdiagnosis of a problem and an unresolved issue with the service center. A representative from Aristocrat motors monitored the online reviews for the company and contacted me with an offer to resolve the past issues which will bring me back to them as a customer.

Prior to the response from the company online I had shared with anyone who asked the bad experience recommending that nobody I know take a vehicle there. Now I plan on going back to have the problem resolved and may bring future business back to the company rather than keeping friends, family and associates away. The # 1 Ranking Algorithm Google Search Engine today is Facebook so any successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) MUST include social marketing. If you need a BETTER built website, SEO or Social Marketing for your business, product or service contact the Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting today for an expert consultation and results 816-842-7774.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson

Internet & Technology Expert

www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Social Marketing Solutions

Google+ Releasing Vanity URL's Finally Catching Up With Facebook & Twitter

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:59:00 +0000

Facebook and Twitter have offered vanity URLs for users and business pages for years yet Google+ has lacked this personalized feature. Google's social network announced August 13th 2012 that vanity URLs for profiles and pages are coming. Google+ has already given out a few custom URLs for celebrities like David Beckham, Britney Spears, and brand pages for Toyota, Honda, Southwest Airlines and GAP.

Google product manager Saurabh Sharma wrote in a blog post today:
Your Google+ profile is a place for you to share your passions with the millions of people who come to Google each day...Today we're introducing custom URLs to make it even easier for people to find your profile on Google+. A custom URL is a short, easy to remember web address that links directly to your profile or page on Google+.

Sharma wrote that at first just a few "verified profiles and pages" will get custom URLs, but eventually they will be offered to "many more" people and brands around the world. The purpose of this is likely to keep people from capturing 'desired' URL's with multiple accounts similar to what has happened on Facebook or Twitter. Our company has www.Facebook.com/WebsiteExperts and www.Facebook.com/InternetExperts along with a dozen others we setup to 'reserve' unique vanity names tied to our business or clients.

A shorter, easier to remember or share Google+ URL is great news for Google and users since the current format to link to a user page, such as my own Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson profile, is https://plus.google.com/?gpcaz=2b8a67a7#105802766455702196044/ which is much more complicated that my Facebook link www.Facebook.com/RobertDotCom Look for Google+ custom URLs by end of the summer and be sure to reserve one for your individual profile and company page!

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Internet & Technology Expert
www.InternetBuilderConsulting.com - Building BETTER Websites, SEO & Technology Solutions since 1995 816-842-7774 Office

Social Media Optimization (SMO) & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

rjackson@builderconsulting.com (Robert 'Dotcom' Jackson) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 22:10:00 +0000

All competent online marketing firm knows that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has expanded past the website or Search Engines alone. A significant part of the Google ranking algorithm includes Social Networking and the interactions, connections, pages, profiles and content placed on social networks. Since October 2009 the search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo) have been feeding and placing content from social networks like Facebook and Twitter into search results (what you see when you do a search). As social networking usage overtook Google searches the importance of social marketing and social network optimization increased.

Facebook has more daily users than Google with 900 MILLION active users. Google has attempted to recapture some of the lost traffic with Google+ with limited success feeding content from Google+ directly into the Google search results. The chart below illustrates the importance of social networking and social marketing in Search Engine Optimization with Facebook shares remaining the # 1 importance followed by backlinks (links TO a website from other websites, Blog's and online content).

It is not enough to just HAVE a Facebook profile or a Facebook page setup; they must be properly optimized, cross-linked, have enough unique interaction from multiple users and provide relevant content to be successful. A Facebook page like www.Facebook.com/InternetExperts is properly optimized with a Facebook Username (Internet Experts), proper page title outlining what type of service and business is provided (not just the business name) and targeted content related to the services, industry and business. Each Facebook Page must be managed by a Facebook Profile which should be used in the same fashion thus www.Facebook.com/RobertDotCom is the primary profile associated where content is 'related' but not identical.

In terms of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) the Links to Your Site (backlinks) report from Google Webmaster Tools illustrates how well or poor each website is doing. An average website may have a few hundred links from other websites (anything less is poor) and a well marketed website may have several thousand. The Google Webmaster Tools report below for our main company website lists 393,686 links to one of our websites (we maintain 132 of them for marketing) which is is a primary source of new business for our company. Many of the top ranked, highest value links are from Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and even Craigslist.

The website is well optimized for search engines but that is only 1/2 of the battle today. Social Marketing is an imperative part of any search engine success today. Having a website is not enough - it must be professionally built, optimized and marketed on search engines, social networks and provide ongoing interactions to be successful. For additional information, a no-charge expert consultation on websites, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Marketing or any other technical question contact the Internet Experts at Internet Builder Consulting 816-982-9574

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
Office 816-982-9574
Internet Builder Consulting - Building BETTER Websites, SEO and Social Marketing since 1995