Tag Archive for internet marketing

What It Takes To Succeed In Internet Marketing


Succeeding in Internet Marketing or SEO involves a variety of activities – there’s no ONE magic task or program that works.  Like any other marketing, it involves a team effort.  The “team” being the following…

1) Content

If you’ve done any Internet marketing in the past you may have heard the term that “Content is King”.  Basically, when it comes to the Internet, “content” (also known as words) rule the roost.  The reason for that is because that’s how communication takes place on the Internet (for the most part).

What I mean is that the Internet is basically a collection of machines.  Machines that follow rules set up by programmers.  Machines that “read words”.  Those words being the words that are typed in to the search engines and the words on website pages.

If you’re searching for “davie fl dentist” you will get websites that have the words “davie fl dentist” as well as phrases that the search engines think are related (like “ft lauderdale dentist”, etc.).

So, the game then is to find the keywords that people are typing in and then putting those phrases on the website pages where they need to be (according to the rules made by those programmers).  When that happens, then the search engines can match the search with the website.

Of course, there are 200 rules and just putting words on a page is not enough but it’s the basics and it’s where every single website owner who is marketing their website must begin.  Otherwise, all the other rules won’t make a difference.

2) Conversion

There are many websites out there that bring in visitors, lots and lots of visitors.  But, what’s the point of all those visitors if there are no sales or if the conversion of visitors to customers is very low?  If your website was a storefront and all you got were lots of visitors but very little or no sales then all you would end up with is a very dirty floor in your store.

So, once the visitors start coming to your website, you want to know…

a) where are they going?

b) what are they doing on each page?

c) what are they searching for?

d) are they doing what you want them to do on each page?

Internet marketing involves analyzing these factors on each website page every month to find out how can those pages be tweaked, how can the conversions be better?

Ignoring this part of Internet marketing means that all the hard work you put into optimizing your website will just stay shelved.  In other words, all that hard work won’t work.  Why?  Because optimizing the website, adding content, researching the keywords, all of that is to please the search engines’ rules.  All of that is to help the search engines to find your website.  But to convert customers, now you have to please them.  So, navigation through the site, helping the customers find what they’re looking for easily, all that is a vital part of converting those visitors into customers and increasing your sales.

3) Collaboration

Oh, if I had a dollar for every client I’ve managed who just wants to hire me to market their website and they don’t want to be bothered – I could get myself a very nice expensive bottle of wine.  (And believe me, I need that wine after arguing with these clients!).

I know, I know – you look at shows like Mad Men and you see how clients just walk in and the “team” of advertisers presents them with ideas and does all the work for them.  Creating billboards, television commercials and newspaper advertisements, etc.   Yeah, that works great with traditional marketing but Internet marketing is way too liquid for that.  Internet marketing changes every single day (at least it should).

Here’s what I mean…

I have a client who is a local dentist.  I have been begging her to send me information about her practice for almost a year now.  She has a website but it only has the most basic information on it.

Recently, I did a little search for her on some local programs like Yelp and Foursquare, Facebook, etc.  Anyway, I found several coupons and other “service specials” on those sites.  Now, why didn’t she send me that information?  When I asked her – she said she didn’t think of it.  Even though I’ve asked many times.  Somehow, the connection is just not getting through.

Whatever is happening in your business, it has to show on the website as well.  Otherwise, it seems as if the website is abandoned (and to the search engines, if the website is abandoned, then the business must be also).

In Conclusion

So, to have a successful Internet marketing campaign and get your moneys worth from the marketing you’re paying someone to do (if that’s what you’re doing) – add content to your site on a regular basis, study the conversion research and collaborate with your webmarketer.  Believe me, it’s worth your while!!


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Reviews and Google Rankings


I was reading Blumenthals.com today, catching up and read an  article posted in July.

“Google is clearly reducing their reliance on third party reviews and increasing the prominence of their own reviews. That is obvious and it makes sense from their self interested point of view now that they are garnering adequate volumes of reviews on their own.”

So, what does this mean?

Basically, that website ranking status on Google is becoming more and more dependent on reviews that are placed on Google.  So, how can your website get these reviews?

Google Places Page

If you don’t have a Google Places page yet, contact your webmaster – it’s free and it’s a must have in today’s Internet marketing.  Your places page comes with a large red button that reads, “Write A Review”.  Encourage your clients, visitors, etc. to write a review there.  Maybe offer a discount for that review.

Here’s What A Places Page Looks Like

Some ideas about reviews…

1) Offer discounts to clients who write a review.

2) Put links asking for reviews on your website to your Google Places page.

3) Ask your webmaster to add some of these reviews on your website and enhance them with microformatting.  (I know, code techy stuff but it will really help Google to see and index those reviews for you.)

4) For your mobile users, there is a Google Places App – check it out on iTunes – this way your clients can give you a review right then and there!

So, go for it!


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You’re One Of A Kind – You Just Don’t Know It Yet


Years ago a friend (a great Internet marketer himself) told me that I should write an ebook about Internet marketing.  He told me that I knew more about the subject than most people he meets in that industry.  I was flattered, of course, but my immediate response to him was…”I can’t write an ebook, who am I?”  I went on to explain that I didn’t have any new angle or information on the subject, I was just me doing the work that I love.

Well, that was about 3 years ago.  I think I’ve grown a little since then (well, at least I hope so).

What Was Wrong With My Thinking Back Then?

Well, not so much that my thinking “was wrong”, more like I didn’t feel unique.  I didn’t feel strong enough in my knowledge base to be so bold as to write a book about it.  I mean a few posts here and there, consulting with clients telling them what I read and what I know – that just didn’t seem to be enough.  (In my mind).  But what I did fail to recognize is that I AM UNIQUE.  I mean, WE ARE ALL UNIQUE in our own ways.

You can fill a city block full of restaurants and each restaurant is going to be different.  Even if each restaurant was an Italian restaurant, they would each be different.  The staff would be different, the taste of the food, the atmosphere, the menus, etc.  Each one of these details would be different and as a result, all those little details create a different experience for the client.

What I failed to recognize back then was that I have UNIQUE qualities that I bring to this industry.  I mean, first, I’m a woman (which is rare in this industry), second I’m older (I’m 53 – can’t believe it!) which is REALLY rare in this industry, I’m also self taught which means that my “lingo” is not so techie.  I can convert the technical jargon that I read into plain speak for my clients.  And I will admit, that is the one consistent compliment I receive from my clients – they like how I talk.  Plain, simple, easy to understand.  And that factor alone is very comforting for so many small business owners who struggle to try to figure out what this Internet marketing “thing” is all about.

How Are You Unique?

So, how are you unique or different?   What obvious factors have you not thought about?  Well, take some time and think about them.  As your friends, colleagues, clients.  They’ll give you ideas.  Believe me, it’s always better to see yourself through someone else’s eyes than your own.  It’s more honest that way.

Here’s A Tip – It’s All In The Details

What I recognize now is that it’s really all in the details.  I mean, what I do as far as Internet marketing is not much different (if at all) from what other Internet marketers do.  I mean, there’s only so much that can be done when dealing with machines anyway.  But, it’s the little details that make me unique that I failed to recognize.  Just like the scenario of restaurants that I talked about earlier, there are unique factors in each one of them.

Take a look at Mike Stimpson’s website, he’s just another photographer – there are millions of them.  But he love Lego and he loves to play with lighting.  So, look at what he did.  It’s just a simple little detail.  This makes him unique.  This makes him different and subsequently makes him stand out from the pack.

So go ahead, find out your unique qualities and put them on your website.  Let the world know how you’re different from the others in your industry.  You’ll create your own niche and a band of followers.


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What Is The Expected ROI From Your Internet Marketing?


I just finished reading an entry at a social media site from an Internet Marketer who had recently left his employer because the ROI wasn’t what the employer had expected.  The Internet marketer was using SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing (via Twitter and Facebook) and blogging.  These three factors put the site in the top positions for multiple keyword phrases in Google.  They were averaging 2 sales per day from his efforts.

So, you may be thinking to yourself…”Well, what did the employer expect?”…

Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?  I mean, did the Internet marketer give him any ideas of what may be expected?  I have to wonder if the Internet marketer was reporting the number of visitors to the site and THEN talking about the sales.  It may be that the number of visitors wasn’t changing much and the employer may have been focusing on that number.  It can happen!

Why shouldn’t you focus on the number of website visitors?

For businesses that are local and specialized, like lawyers, dentists, specialty doctors, etc.  The numbers of visitors to these types of sites will not alter much unless the geography they are in alters.  Think about it, if your a family dentist living in Denver, Colorado – there are approximately 600,000 people living in Denver.  That’s your pool.  You’re not going to attract people from Colorado Springs or from Breckenridge or Steamboat Springs – you’re ONLY relevant to the folks in the Denver area.  And even with that said, it’s really only on the side of town that your office is in.  So, the number of visitors to your site will cap at some point (unless a new community or area is opened up in your geography and more people move in).

So, what’s the point of marketing if there’s a cap in the visitors?

It’s the sales – sales – sales!!!!  If you are marketing your website to 600,000 people and you’re getting 1% of those visiting your website and 5% of the visitors convert into customers your goal (and the goal of your Internet marketer) is to increase that 5% to more and more.  You’re still getting the same number of visitors but now you want to convert those visitors into customers.  It doesn’t help to have more people come to the website if you can’t convert them.

So focus on the number of conversions – if your Internet marketer isn’t giving you reports on your conversions – ask them to start.  It’s the true measure of the success or failure of your Internet marketing campaign .


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Really, Really, Really Comprehensive SEO


As I was having my breakfast this morning I was catching up on the latest SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Internet Marketing news. I came across this little gem…

“Ten years ago, the SEO process included a monthly analysis, recommendation and implementation plan; a purely human-based process. This is no longer enough. Businesses need daily insight into their digital footprint: rank, competitors, backlinking. This is only possible when humans and technology come together. SEO software systems are now available and make this insight possible.”
From The Globe and Mail

I have to admit, I still do the monthly plan.  Hmm – but this gives me food for thought.  I mean, I look at client websites everyday – so maybe I SHOULD give daily reports?  I’m conflicted cause, as it is, the monthly information seems overwhelming to some business owners.  I can’t imagine how they would react if they start getting daily data from me.  But then, maybe I’m underestimating my clients.

And what about the time?  How can I squeeze more tasks into my day and keep my prices low?  The article talks about “seo software systems” – which are great for analysis but that means more cost.  Ugh – decisions!

Well, as I think about that concept here’s my idea of what I think would be important daily factors for my clients to know.

1) Social media mentions – this would be important to monitor daily.  What is being said about you (and/or) the company or brand?  Maybe nothing is being said, well, that’s not so good either.  These days, the “word of mouth” concept has grown to include referrals and recommendations from programs like Yelp, Facebook, Google Maps, Foursquare, etc.  These are all social media type of programs that can promote your business.

2) Competition Analysis – you may not think that the landscape of search results changes much, but believe me, it does.  There are websites out there that get updated every few hours.  That means new data is added or removed from the site, it’s a constant factor.  Why?  Well, for a few reasons.  For the search engines, it means that the website is getting updated, it’s being used and it is popular.  For the Internet viewer it means that the business is alive and is working hard to keep their clients (and potential clients) well informed and up to date.  Think about it, when you do any kind of research on the Internet, which will you read first?  An article written in 2008 or an article written in 2011?  An article written last January or one written yesterday?  (as long as their both on the same subject!).  The Internet is today’s newspaper, who wants to read yesterdays news when today’s newspaper is sitting in the driveway?

3) Backlinks – who’s linking to you?  Years ago it used to be the number of incoming links was important.  Today, it’s not the number but where the incoming link is coming from and what that incoming link is saying.  If your a plumber and your website gets an incoming link from Angie’s List and the text on that incoming link is a positive review, that’s GREAT!  But what if you get an incoming link from Service Magic and they reviewed your business and gave you a 1 star rating.  That’s not great!  But wouldn’t it be cool to know that right away so you can respond to it?  Possibly correct it?

4) Search Engine Ranking – don’t get fooled by any marketer who tells you that it’s important to monitor your search engine rankings.  The reality is, that the majority of Internet users are on Google and Google implements “personalization” into it’s search results which means that your search results will be different that the search results for the same keyword phrases that your neighbor types in.  It all depends on the history that is on your computer (what sites you’ve visited in the past) and some other factors but it’s safe to say, that your search results could show you in the first position and your neighbor (if he types in the same keyword phrases) may not see your listing on the first page at all.  So, rankings don’t really matter.

5) Traffic – this is another tricky measurement.  I mean every business has their ups and downs so measuring traffic daily is like watching the stock market hourly.  It’s going to go down, the trick is to identify if it’s a pattern.  So, does it need to be done daily?  Not so much in my opinion.  But, it may also depend on the business that the website is promoting.  I suppose this feature would have to be individualized.

So, what do you think?  Would YOU want to receive a daily report from your Internet marketer?  If so, how would you want to receive it?  As an email?  As a PDF?  Or would you prefer to just go somewhere online and see it?  And what information would you like to see in that report?  Let me know!  It just might be something we start offering.

 



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Keyword Themes – A Top SEO Technique


A Top SEO Technique is the use of Keyword Themes

I know that if you’ve been reading about Internet marketing you have a grasp on the concept that it’s all about the keywords. The words that you have on your website pages will make or break the success of the marketing campaign. I mean if you set up a website page to market a phrase that not many people are using, then the reality is that you’re going to get very little (if any) traffic. How can the search engines match the words on your website page with the words people are typing in if you don’t have the words people are typing in on your website page?

What I want to tell you about today is an SEO technique that has been around for many, many, many years. It’s been called many different things, silo, hierarchy, pyramid, etc. Just know that it’s basically the idea of getting ONE main keyword phrase, creating a page for it on the website and then creating OTHER pages for the semantic phrases to support this ONE main keyword phrase. It’s sort of like creating a chapter on your website JUST for this keyword phrase. I’ll give you an example of how it evolves.

Getting the Main Keyword Phrase

Just yesterday I was consulting with an Internet copywriter who was writing an article for a podiatrist. The podiatrist wanted to market the phrase “intoeing in children”. I didn’t know what that was so I typed it into the Google Adwords keyword tool and the more common term came up, which is “pigeon toed”. Of course, there were other variations but I bet as soon as you saw “pigeon toed” you knew what I was talking about – at least more than when I wrote “intoeing…”

This is a VERY common mistake. Professionals (like the doctor here) knows what the correct terms are and he’s been using those terms for so long, he’s forgotten that the typical guy on the Internet does NOT know that term. So, for the Internet copywriter, the important factor is to market the phrase that is most popular, which in this case was “pigeon toes in toddlers”.

Getting the Semantic Keyword Phrases

So now that you have the MAIN keyword phrase, you can create a website page JUST to market that keyword phrase. But, to help that one page get up in the search engines you will need other pages supporting it. These other pages are pages marketing semantic phrases.

What are semantic phrases? These are keyword phrases that the search engines believe are similar or involved with the main keyword phrase. It’s their way of helping to identify exactly what websites to bring up for your search. The important thing to remember is that the search engines want to bring up the best possible search results for the Internet user, the webmaster’s job is to create the website in such a way so that the search engines can identify this.

Well, enough of that. Here’s how you find semantic keyword phrases:

  • Go to Google (just the regular Google search page)
  • Type in your main phrase (the entire phrase)
  • On the left hand side you’ll see a line of text that says “Show search tools” (click on that). If you don’t see that line you might see a list of “Any time” and “All results”. You want to click on the line of text that reads “Related searches”.
  • You’ll then be taken to a page that has some columns of keyword phrases on top. It can be one column, two or three columns, it just depends on how many semantic phrases there are.
  • These columns of keyword phrases ARE the semantic phrases.
  • Jot them down somewhere.
  • Now do the same exact thing except this time with the main portion of the keyword phrase – for example: Our phrase was “pigeon toes in toddlers” – so first I typed in the entire phrase and made a note of the semantic phrases. Then I typed in “pigeon toes” and again, made a note of these semantic phrases.
  • From this list of semantic phrases – you want to use as many as you possibly can to create ONE additional page on your website to support your main page which is about “pigeon toes in toddlers”.
  • Of course, don’t forget to hyperlink the pages together.

So, you can see now how a website can grow and grow and grow! Now, if the search engines scan your website, what they will see is a page about “pigeon toes in toddlers” but they will also see that you have pages about “intoeing” and “pigeon toes in infants” and “pigeon toe symptoms” and “metatarsus adductus”. There will be no doubt in the “eyes” of the search engine that this website has the information that is relevant for that Internet user.

So get to it, make your website as relevant as possible!


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Tweeting and Marketing


According to a Pew Research Center study released yesterday (Wednesday – June 1st 2011) – 13% of online Americans use Twitter.  That doesn’t seem like much, but that’s a 5% increase from November 2010.  And, the demographics that pushed this up is younger adults (ages 25 – 34).

If this trend continues, basically, every 7 months there will be a 5% increase in Twitter users.  Again, that may not seem like much but in 14 months, about 25% of Internet users will be on Twitter.  That’s getting into some numbers!

The article on Mashable breaks down who uses Twitter – it may give you an insight to learn if your target audience can be found on Twitter.

So, don’t discount tweeting as a marketing tool.  Here are some tips on how to use Twitter for marketing your small business.

1) Tweet about your industry, new events, everyday events, etc.  In other words – keep the talk conversational – don’t sell.

2) Respond to tweets and try to be consistent – don’t just tweet when you feel like it.  Make it a point to check your twitter twice a day – spend 10 minutes – it’ll be worth it.

3) Use twitter to monitor your company, your industry, your brand, your name.  Simply go to http://search.twitter.com and conduct a search just like you would on Google.  You’ll find every mention.  You’ll be able to respond to positive and/or negative – it’s the responsible thing to do.

 


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Lights – Camera – Action – The YouTube Angle


If you get monthly marketing reports from Eckweb then you know that we’ve been advising you to create videos.  Whether they’re videos of you talking, how-to type of videos, entertaining videos, whatever – aim the topic to what your audience is looking for and YouTube it!

An article from Mashable that I just read reports that “More than 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.”  Youtube is only 6 years old.  But the ease of use of its program coupled with the smart phone explosion has created the easiest method for anyone to put themselves “out there” on the Internet.

You may be thinking that with so many videos getting uploaded how can I possibly compete?  Who would want to see MY video?  Well, that’s why we always recommend to target the content of the video to what your audience is searching for.  The more niche, the better.  Get the keyword list of what is being typed in to the Internet from your SEO webmaster (or do it yourself if you know how) and get cracking!  (Well, get filming.)

Think you have to be a Spielberg prodigy to create a film?  Uh – not quite.  If you’re one of the few who don’t visit Youtube daily (youtube reports 3 billion views per day) and you’re not familiar with what’s on there here’s a little sampling for you to test out…

1) search your favourite hobby (anything from stamp collecting to bungy jumping)

2) search your favourite actor/actress/singer/entertainer

3) search anything with the word “funny” attached (i.e. – funny cats, funny cars, funny dances)

4) search for what’s on the news (i.e. – obama, palin, voting, egypt)

5) search for anything you’re wanting to know “how to do” (i.e. – how to paint cabinets, how to change the oil in a car, how to dance the tango)

You may be surprised at what you find.  The GREAT majority of Youtube videos are NOT professionally produced, meaning they are scripted, lighted, choreographed and filmed by an amateur, usually the person(s) you see on the video.  I’m sure once you see what Youtube has to offer, you will NOT be nervous about putting yourself on a video and begin to use the power that this search engine has gained in it’s 6 years of existence!

I look forward to seeing you there!


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Review of Article on SEO Tips


One of my favorite online reads is SEODesignSolutions.com – the articles they publish are so “to the point” and pragmatic that it’s refreshing! Anyway, Jeffrey Smith put together a great article on 20 SEO Tips You Either Forgot or Didn’t Know.
I thought this would be a great article to share with you.

Some of the “tips” on his list are…

#3 – After settling on the primary keyword, structure a hierarchy with the most competitive phrases (1-3MM competing pages in search engines) comprising the primary navigation and the more popular keywords (less than 1MM competing pages functioning as categories) and augmented by supporting articles (less than 100,000 competing pages).

#7 – Primary pages should have 750 words or more (preferably with unique content free of excessive stop words).

#14 – Use server side includes or custom navigation (depending on the page you are on and its function to the whole). For example, the category pages and supporting articles should NOT have the same navigation (as each has its own unique function within the site).Some pages are meant to rank, others to help other pages rank, those that are designed to augment others should have less links leaving them and seek to have inbound links that also support them.

#19 – Make sure each page that is intended to rank has 3-5 backlinks to (a) increase the likelihood of indexation and (b) sprout page rank or page level authority.

If you’re not familiar with the work that goes into SEO marketing – this article will give you an idea of what you’re paying your SEO webmaster for.  If you are familiar with SEO work then you may get some great satisfaction in knowing you are doing the right thing (either for yourself or your clients).

Hope you like it.

 


5 Great Questions To Ask Your Social Media Consultant


Got another great article from my business coach, John Miller. We all know that the Internet is still fairly new, but even newer is social media. And, human nature being what it is, there are those out there who will try to sell you some snake oil service – hoping you won’t ask any questions and you’ll just sign their contract.

John put together 5 questions that you can ask someone who you’re thinking of hiring as a social media consultant.

1. How long have you been working in social media and the internet? Make sure that if your expert does seem green, they prove their experience in some other way.

2. Can you share an example of one small business you helped and how you did it? Case studies should be king. Make sure that the experiences that your expert has had are directly relatable to your business needs (not necessarily to your industry).

3. What is the biggest mistake you have seen small businesses make with social media? The heart of this question is to understand whether your expert pays attention to what is happening in the marketplace.

4. What do you think we should do first? Focusing on the first steps will help to determine two things about your expert: 1) Whether he or she has done their homework about your business and what you might already be doing, and 2) You want to make sure the expert is not just a professional theorist and that they are actually skilled in getting stuff done.

5. How will I know whether your/our efforts are working? How will you measure success? It is also a hidden test. If your expert focuses your metrics for success on volume (ie getting 1,000 Twitter followers), they probably have no idea what real business impact looks like. If instead they talk to you about how you can map your social media efforts back to your business goals – it is worth continuing your conversation.

Why A Social Media Consultant?

Just in case you’re asking yourself about the concept of a social media consultant vs. hiring someone to manage the social media marketing for you – let me give you my 2 cents worth – it may help.

First, the whole concept of using social media is to have an ongoing conversation with your customers. It’s meant to be casual, relaxed and personal. How personal can those articles or comments be if they’re coming from someone you hired? (The answer is, “not much”.)

Second, social media marketing helps you to gain the customers’ trust. It’s you, speaking to them, talking about new ideas, new products or services, the latest happenings in the industry, what your thoughts are on how your business can help your customer, etc. Now, who can do this better than the folks IN the business?

I know, I know – the concept of having to manage social media on top of everything else that you do in your business is just a bit much – believe me – I know! But the reality is, there’s no getting away from it. Social media has become a large factor in Internet Marketing. And Internet Marketing has become a large factor in business marketing. So, it’s not a matter of “should you get into social media” – it’s actually “how to manage the time to get into social media”.

If you have any questions about social media feel free to contact Eckweb – or if you have thoughts on how you manage social media in your business workday – by all means, share!!!!