Search engine marketing: use your blog and social media networks - two easy, collaborative methods

If you want to do real search engine marketing, blogging has to be a tool in your bag. If you aren't a blogger, don’t worry because it is simple to get started and flourish. Blogs can naturally feed your social media accounts. Social media sites and blogs reach 80% of al USA internet users. (Mindjumpers) 

You can easily target your search engine results to be local or national. This is accomplished by adjusting your page content and meta tags. For example, to reach your county or city then be sure to put those names in your meta tags and on your page content - in the main page, not in the side bar content.

“Increased frequency of blogging correlates with increased customer acquisition, says HubSpot. In fact, 92% of of blog users who posted multiple times a day acquired a customer through their blog, a figure that decreased to 66% for those who blogged monthly and 43% for those who posted less than monthly.” (MaketingCharts) 

I suggest that you set your blog up separately from your web site.  There are lots of free blogs, I like blogspot, which is part of Google. Did you know that Google’s search engine is used by 85% of global Internet users every month. (Mediapost) 

Your blog has essential functions. It supplements your web site and distributes fresh content about you to the internet in an easy fashion. It easily creates organic back links to your web site when you include them in your blog content. A blog is a simple way to accomplish do it yourself (DIY) publishing of your most recent news about your products and services. And, most importantly, a blog is a very methodical way to constantly push your news into the global social media networks; helping to keep your business name in front of your friends and followers.

Internet marketing is the most cost effective method to reach new clients. (read more)

Buyers are using the search engines have replaced the yellow pages - this is a well researched fact. The million dollar question is this, “How do you get your info in there so potential clients can find it?”  Blogging. Blogging is the most effective method plus your blog content creates a natural interest in your web site - the show case for your services and products.

Once you have written your bloggin’ post(s), push ‘em into the social networks.  I use dlvr.it, which is a free service. You can adjust the time and other details as to when and where your blog content is pushed. Once you setup dlvr.it it runs on its’ own and there is little you have to do with it, leaving you free to produce your blogging.

Steu Mann 541 210 4375
EzWebManifesting.com

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SEO - Search Engine Optimization,& Web Site Design

Internet Marketing, five reasons videos are hottest internet marketing technique

Online video is becoming a first stop for many customers, it's an excellent method of internet marketing.  Because this technique is fairly new, its' development is comparable to where web pages were a decade ago — something that can give early adopters an edge over competitors. It gives them a channel to talk directly to customers in ways previously accessible only to large companies that could afford TV advertisements. According to Website Magazine, video is a driver of consumer confidence. Consumers are willing to watch videos 60% of the time they are found.

#1 VIDEOS BOOST SEARCH ENGINE VISIBILITY 

Video results appear in about 70% of the top 100 listings, the type of content most often displayed in universal or blended search results. (Marketingweek, 2011)

#2 EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS 

Short of getting a customer in the door or sending a salesperson on the road, online video may be the best way to demonstrate a product. Visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not. (Internet Retailer, April 2010)

#3 CREATE AN INTERESTING BLOG 

It is easier to win customers if you give them a reason to tune in. Blog posts incorporating video attract 3 times as many inbound links as blog posts without video. (SEOmoz, October 2009)

#4 ADVERTISE & COMMUNICATE WITH VIDEO 

Use video for creative purposes like your newsletter or your periodic update to clients and customers. More than three out of five consumers will spend at least two minutes watching a video that educates them about a product they plan to purchase, and 37% will watch three for more than three minutes. (MarketingCharts.com, 2012)

#5 OFFER INSTRUCTION Online video makes it easy to follow the adage “Show, don’t tell.” Many businesses have turned to video for instruction manuals and how-to guides.

You can tell somebody over the phone to turn the screw in the top right corner, and they might understand what you mean and they might not. If you show them on a video, they get the point. A recent Cisco survey of US and UK consumers finds that shoppers prefer to research products online prior to making in-store purchases and recommends making video content available in-store by kiosk, touchscreen and smartphone integrations. (Internet Retailer, January 2011)

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/business/smallbusiness/17sbiz.html

http://www.invodo.com/html/resources/video-statistics/

Steu Mann 541 210 4375
EzWebManifesting.com

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SEO - Search Engine Optimization,& Web Site Design

Search Engines, Social Media and Blogs Offer Cheap, Effective Online Advertising

The presidential campaign is a decent case study in the power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You can see the stats for yourself at http://seovote2012.com.

Looking over that page of results you find domains linking to the candidates web sites (inbound links), social media engagement, and dollar values.  Those are common metrics for any business web site. How do you get there? You build a quality link program using key words and disseminate your information using blogs and social media.

3 Types of Links

When we are taking about links from your site to other sites or blogs, we are talking about outbound links.

Use your key words to anchor the text instead of your domain name or web site address. The visible text portion of a link is called the anchor text. This strategy get get you some serious boosting rather quickly in search engines to enhance your search engine marketing.

When we are taking about reciprocal links, we are talking about outbound links and also links back to your site from another site or blog.

The last type of links are inbound links, aka back links.  Of course organic back links are the best to use. Stay away from purchasing pay per click back links because Google can detect those and they will reduce your pagerank. Read the story of the $4m SEO mistake here.

Not all links are created equal. It is better to have one high quality link than ten mediocre links. Google Page Rank (PR) is a common method of assessing the quality of a host page. A PR10 is a fantastic (and rare) link whereas a PR0 is a common and therefore not very valuable link.

Blogging and Social Media

One of your strongest tools at your disposal is your blog. Social media and the blogosphere drive traffic and leads. Recently Google, Bing and Twitter have shown that real time search is becoming increasingly relevant when directing people to sites. This means your blog content should be updated regularly.  Placing links in your blog posts is an example of outbound link marketing. That type of outbound link advertising is the least expensive form of advertising that exists.

Steu Mann 541 210 4375
EzWebManifesting.com

This article may be reproduced and distributed as long as all content remains intact as it is shown herein.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization,& Web Site Design

SEO: real time, this is the power of knowledge and connections

Below are links to examples of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Each example has some background and then you can click the link for the results. Done correctly, SEO and SEM put you on the first page of search results for specific terms and a whole lot more.

NOTE: search ing for the "business name" is a no brainer, that is not SEO or SEM. When is someone is looking for your service or product, they don't know your business name - most of the time. The examples below are displaying  SEO and SEM not based on a business name.

Lastly, these are the results after the ads. In other words, paid ads don't count as a search result.


1. The Natural Health Practitioner Directory was published by Discernment Times. The SEO effort was to have it be visible by a city name and then the phrase "wellness directory." You can click the words below to see the results:

Search result: first three; Google - medford wellness directory
Search result fifth;  Bing: Ashland wellness directory
Search result: First two; Google - Grants Pass wellness directory
Search result: first four; Google - Yreka wellness directory


2. Pristine Detailing Services in Ashland provides water smart auto detailing. The SEO and SEM effort was to make them found in the Ashland area for "water smart" auto detailing.

Search result; first two: Bing: ashland water smart auto detailing
Search result: first result; Google: ashland water smart auto detailing


3. Detox foot baths are an alternative method to relaxing and getting healthy. The SEO and SEM effort was to be found by searching "detox foot bath" for these sites: shastaconnect.com, wweibel.com, and shoplocalbook.com.

Search results #5-9: Google: mount shasta detox foot bath
Search results #3, #4, #7; Bing: yreka detox foot bath


4. The goal was to attract visitors, to Margaret Britton's Stained Glass Studio, by giving away ten tips in buying stained glass. We wanted to visitors to be in the same geographic region so they would stop by the studio, buy art, or take a class.

Search result was first; Google - ten tips on buying stained glass southern oregon
Search result was first; Bing - ten tips on buying stained glass northern california

Every SEO and SEM effort is unique. But, when you know how to structure the organic links and content the effort will always hit the mark.

Call if you have a question.

Steu, 541.210.4375

SEO and Web Site Desgin: EzWebManifesting