1. Add Google Analytics to each page
Be careful, you can really get overwhelmed with all of the website tracking variables in the application. Just for basic use though, it is pretty simple to understand. The program will show you number of website visits, website pages visited, how long a viewer stayed on a particular web page, and many other things, such as keyword usage, Search Engine sources used, etc.
2. Reduce Code Jibberish
Google stays on the prowl for relevant and unique website content. JavaScript and CSS in the HTML code make it harder for them to find it. All scripts and CSS files should be added as external files to reduce the time it takes for search engine spiders to find the actual content as well as reducing the code-to-content ratio. Remember that excessive code not only slows the page’s loading time, but it also increases the possibility of coding errors that, whilst they may have no direct impact on the site’s SEO, may still cause difficulty for the search engine spiders. This is more for you to insure your developer understands or if you are tackling building a site yourself.
3. Add a blog
Adding a blog to any site gives your clients the opportunity to add fresh content easily and regularly. Search engines love fresh content and if you encourage your client to update the blog on at least a weekly basis, or hopefully even more regularly, you will be giving them a distinct SEO advantage. You can explain to your client that blogs naturally attract search engine traffic and they can take advantage of this by not only adding content as often as possible, but to allow visitors to ask questions or leave comments.
The interactivity of the blog also adds value to the site and can also increase the likelihood of potential customers social bookmarking it and sharing it their social networks, but remember to look out for spam comments and to remove anything that looks like duplicate content.
Blogs also increase the size of the website over time and this can provide a major SEO benefit in the form of an increase in website authority and a higher number of pages to leverage with internal links.
4. Make each page unique
Google ranks the relevance of each website according to the content it contains, and is always seeking relevant content not contained anywhere else on the Internet. This means that the content of every page needs to be completely different not just from any other site on the Web, but also any other page on the same site. This raises the issue of duplicate content, the dread of all site owners.
Put simply, if you publish any content that appears somewhere else on the Internet, you run the risk of being ignored by search engines because the algorithm will be looking for content that sets your site apart.
Unique content removes any such impediments from your site and your design standards will support your clients’ SEO. It is also worthwhile pointing out that wherever you include snippets of information contained on other pages within the site to tempt the visitor to follow the link, you run the risk of being penalized for duplicate content. So be careful of the wording used in the snippets so that it provides a summary without repeating any of the words actually used.
5. Use meta description tags
META Description tags are what appear in the search engine results pages – they give the web surfer an overview of what the site is about. Put your marketer’s hat on and write a description that convinces visitors to click on the result. This is your site’s first opportunity to attract visitors, so it’s vital that you give your client the best chance of standing out from the other results.
Remember, Google also uses meta description tags to differentiate web pages (although not as much as title tags) so you also need to be careful to describe each page differently to avoid any duplicate content issues. Including free offers, guarantees and a phone number can improve the click through rate on your clients’ SEO ranking.
Make sure to limit the description tags to 160 characters in length, including spaces.
6. Remove repetitive wording from the website layout
It’s worth repeating again that unique content is vital to the success of any site’s SEO. When designing a website layout for a client it is tempting to include information such as copyright text, contact details and maybe even company mottos on every page of the site. If there is not enough unique content on every page then you run the risk of your client’s site being penalised for duplicate content. That’s why it’s important to remove such repetitive wording from the website layout so that the true informational content of the site is not diluted in any way.
7. Add footer links to every page
Linking between web pages using plain text links, with the target SEO keywords in the anchor text, can provide a significant boost to your clients’ SEO rankings. The problem is that most good website designs use graphical, JavaScript or Flash navigation that don’t use anchor text. If this is the case, you can use footer links to link between your pages, with the keywords you want to rank for within the anchor text of the links.
8. Create a separate web page for each keyword or keyword phrase
The best way for a website to rank for a particular keyword phrase is to create a web page targeted to that phrase with the keywords in the TITLE tag, META description tags, body copy and URL. This means that it is critically important to create a separate web page for each product or service that the client sells, as well as category pages if they are needed. A dedicated page for each product or service will also ensure a good user experience as they will land directly on this page from the search engine results, making it much easier for them to buy online or submit a form for more information.
9. Use keyword rich title tags on each page
TITLE tags appear in the title bar of the browser and are one of the factors used by search engines to determine the content of your page. Rather than including the company name in the TITLE tag, use the keywords that your client wants to rank for. This will give your client a solid advantage for ranking in the search engines. Make sure to limit the TITLE tags to 60 characters in length, including spaces, so that the full text of the title tags appears in the search engine rankings and doesn’t get cut-off by Google.
By integrating all of the above suggestions into each of your website design projects, you will give your clients the best possible chance of generating sales and profits from search engine rankings.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
What can’t be done with social media?
This may be one of my favorite articles to date on social media from Website Magazine.
Social media enables marketers to increase awareness, educate an audience, and eventually develop trust with fans and followers
The ultimate aim of participating for both brick and mortar and virtual (Web only) businesses, however, should be sales and conversions For success in that regard, the importance of having firm social media processes in place is vital.
The approach to social media participation differs for every company and every individual. Message tone and style are often best left to brand strategists, but it is the execution that obviously matters most. Different processes often lead to inconsistency – breeding distrust and perhaps even disloyalty – which is particularly harmful for brands both personal and professional.
To ensure your social media participation does not lead to a similar fate, consider implementing a social media posting schedule which covers how each day (or day of the week) should be used as it relates to sharing content and collaborating with those that support the brand. Let’s call it a social media posting time frame. Heavy social media users can look at the time frame as one day, whereas the time frame for medium or light users of social media may be a week or even a month.
To that end, below you will find a social media posting schedule which could be employed by your social media team. While the volume, tone and style of posting will differ considerably between organizations, following along with these general tactical approaches will yield opportunities to influence the conversation and drive revenue through social media participation.
The approach to social media participation differs for every company and every individual. Message tone and style are often best left to brand strategists, but it is the execution that obviously matters most. Different processes often lead to inconsistency – breeding distrust and perhaps even disloyalty – which is particularly harmful for brands both personal and professional.
To ensure your social media participation does not lead to a similar fate, consider implementing a social media posting schedule which covers how each day (or day of the week) should be used as it relates to sharing content and collaborating with those that support the brand. Let’s call it a social media posting time frame. Heavy social media users can look at the time frame as one day, whereas the time frame for medium or light users of social media may be a week or even a month.
To that end, below you will find a social media posting schedule which could be employed by your social media team. While the volume, tone and style of posting will differ considerably between organizations, following along with these general tactical approaches will yield opportunities to influence the conversation and drive revenue through social media participation.
Greeting and Salutations:
Most likely, you would not walk into a room and start demanding attention from everyone, and you should not do that within social media channels, either. Greeting an audience signifies your arrival, your presence and, more importantly, your availability. Conditioning social media workers – those posting and actually participating – to be sensitive to their roles in the existing conversations will go a long way toward establishing respect and credibility in the minds of consumers.
Start Listening:
Once you’ve made the availability of the brand presence known, it is time to start listening to the conversations occurring within social media channels. What feedback have you received from fans and followers since your last social media engagement? What news or events are happening within your industry? Knowing this information will position you well in the next step of sharing content.
Begin Sharing:
Once the listening phase has begun (it should technically never end), you can start sharing content. What content can be shared? Whatever you have available! From new product pages or microsites, to blog posts and formal announcements, anything can be shared as long as it is supportive of the brand's underlying objective. Aligning the content shared with the trends and topics currently circulating in social media channels, however, will aid in resonating the message.
Make Connections:
Without actual relationships, the Internet really is just a series of tubes. It is the conversations occurring between brands and consumers that establish trust, loyalty, respect … and sales. Designating a period of the social media participation time frame to engage in direct outreach will yield new followers and fans and broaden your membership base. The opportunities afforded to those with larger audiences can’t be underestimated.
Engagement (Fun):
All work and no play makes for a really lame social media profile. Sharing stories of staff members or loyal users, running contests, giveaways or surveys, are all ways to show the personal side of your organization and increase engagement with a business or brand in social media channels.
Finish Strong:
Realize that social media participation is never complete – it is an ongoing conversation which requires near-constant attention. Providing a strong finish to specific time frames provides yet another opportunity to get in front of an audience, tout accomplishments (sharing content), make a few shout-outs (making firmer social connections) and deepening engagement by summarizing the events of the day.
Posted Jul 29 2011, 02:00 PM by Administrator
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Oh Yes, Sign Me Up!
Facebook Success Summit 2011 is a live online conference that will empower you to use Facebook to better engage customers (and prospects), gain more exposure and grow your business. The world's leading Facebook pros will show you how.
Join 19 experts, including Guy Kawasaki (author, Enchantment), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Dave Kerpen (author, Likeable Social Media), Paul Dunay (co-author, Facebook Marketing for Dummies), Jesse Stay (author, Facebook Application Development for Dummies), Robert Scoble (co-author, Naked Conversations), Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner), Jay Baer (co-author, The Now Revolution), Chris Treadaway (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Amy Porterfield (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies), Andrea Vahl (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies) and experts from Intel, PETCO, Applebees and Intuit—just to mention a few (scroll down to see full list)!
Event runs October 5 to October 25 (fully online).
Join 19 experts, including Guy Kawasaki (author, Enchantment), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Dave Kerpen (author, Likeable Social Media), Paul Dunay (co-author, Facebook Marketing for Dummies), Jesse Stay (author, Facebook Application Development for Dummies), Robert Scoble (co-author, Naked Conversations), Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner), Jay Baer (co-author, The Now Revolution), Chris Treadaway (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Amy Porterfield (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies), Andrea Vahl (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies) and experts from Intel, PETCO, Applebees and Intuit—just to mention a few (scroll down to see full list)!
Event runs October 5 to October 25 (fully online).
REGISTER HERE TODAY and SAVE 50%
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Creating Facebook Like Box in 8 Simple Steps
From Kitchen Flavours Blog ~ Thanks!
With so many people asking me about how to link facebook and blog? how to create a fan page for blog? how to create Like Box for blog? I thought of making a post on this....as all these questions carry a common answer and it will be helpful to others who are not familiar in doing this. I thought a simple step-wise pictorial can be helpful...Check out each step and read completely once and then start creating....
STEP ONE: Open Facebook in a browser and click Create a Page.
STEP TWO: Click on the Artist, Brand or Public Figure - in the category choose chef - in the name box type your blog name - check that box to accept terms and conditions and say get started.
STEP THREE: If u already have an account in facebook, login using it. If not then create an account and then login.
STEP FOUR: I created a new account for demonstration, so I got this message.
STEP FIVE: Click on the activation link, which came in your mail box. Hooray! facebook page is created for your blog.
STEP SIX: Now add an profile image to your fan page, then click on Add Like Box under "promote this page on your website". Copy the URL (indicated by an arrow in the top).
STEP SEVEN: Now place the copied URL in the box below Facebook Page URL. You can adjust width (according to your sidebar), color, etc.
STEP EIGHT: Finally click on Get code, when you are done with all the necessary changes. Then a pop up window appears (as shown in the pic. below) copy the code in the first box and place in your blog by visiting Dashboard - Design - Page Elements - Add a Gadget - HTML/Java script. Click save and the facebook fan page is created for your blog. Yippee! it's so easy....Enjoy....
NOTE: Click on the images...to get a zoom look. It is always recommendable to have a separate page for your blog rather than your personal page.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Get Your Google +1
Google formally released the +1 button today. This “social recommendation” and “annotation” feature is a new area for Google and in turn for consumers, publishers and of course advertisers (more on that later) so Website Magazine will be watching development closely in the next few week.
Google partnered with several sites including Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Reuters, Nordstrom and others (including social sharing tool AddThis) to display the +1 feature today. Google will deploy the +1 button on Google properties such as the Android Market, Blogger, Product Search and YouTube in the coming days.
Get Started with Google +1
To deploy the feature on your Web property, visit the +1 button tool on Google Webmaster Central. You will be able to configure a small snippet of JavaScript and integrate it where you want it to appear. Several button sizes and styles are available.
So what’s so important about +1? According to the official Google announcement, “By giving your visitors more chances to +1 your pages, your search results and search ads could show up with +1 annotations more often, helping users see when your pages are most likely to be useful.” Google is once again playing to its strengths – webmasters (and Web professionals) – to make the +1 button a mainstay on websites that rely on both its organic and paid traffic. Whether it can compete in a landscape full with social services is something only time will tell.
Website Magazine will be covering the +1 annotation feature in greater detail in the coming days an in future issues of the print publication.
Posted Jun 01 2011, 01:10 PM by Peter A. Prestipino
Monday, May 23, 2011
Ways to Make Your Blog Shine
Here is a list of some very creative ways which can help you make your blog popular. If not popular, at least it will give you some ideas of what to post on your blog if you are running out of topics to write about. Start a controversy. Just remember not to cross the line.
*Start a contest make sure to end it too
*Give away free goodies people love them
*Write about other bloggers to interest their visitors to
read your blog keep it positive
*Dress up your blog often (By dress-up I mean tweaking the design)
*Interview other bloggers and post the interview
*Write about your personal life sometimes
*Ask questions to your visitors
*Share some secrets
*Celebrate your birthday with your visitors
*Think of innovative ways for doing this
*Celebrate your blog’s birthday too
*Write something funny or disgusting(Don’t make it a habit)
*Make a bumper sticker with your blog’s name and stick it on your car
(Just make sure you drive often)
*Write an e-book and distribute it to your visitors for free
*Introduce a commission based affiliate program
*Tell your visitors about your latest fad or obsession
*Post interesting pictures of your pets
*Congratulate the top commentators occasionally
*Encourage sharing of opinions
*Donate for a cause or become a volunteer for a non-profit organization
*Ask your visitors to join you
*Put your blog’s ad in the local newspaper or the yellow pages
*Hold blog competitions
*Create polls
*Hold an auction and let people bid for something useful (For example, advertising space on your blog)
*Write about your blog achievements
*Share your hopes and aspirations about your blog
*Start an award distribution system
*Make contact with your local visitors and hold a get-together or a bloggers’ meet
*Start a blog comic strip
*Dig up some old article that you wrote on your blog which became famous and start a discussion
*Try and get a photograph clicked with a real celebrity and post it on your blog. (Hold on Tiger..don’t rush to that Photoshop button!)
*Post videos that will help your visitors learn something new. Also submit them to video sharing websites like YouTube.com.
*Write about your hobbies and interests. (For example, if you like cooking, post a new recipe)
*Post about one of the weirdest thing that you ever did
*Get featured in a print magazine
*Buy a paid review from any famous blogger(s)
*Brand your blog with a catch phrase along with a logo
*Distribute T-shirts or merchandise with your blog name on it
*Join Yahoo! Answers and put a link on your website to your answers
*Keep a track of websites that pick up your articles or press releases *Offer them exclusive news or content
*Do surveys and publish the results to your visitors
*Build tools that your visitors might find use for
*Start a newsletter
*Podcasting is another good way to make your blog popular
*Publicize your blog to your friends and relatives and let them do some work for you
*Be active in Social Bookmarking websites
*Share Link Love and you will get it back
*People like to read about Web 2.0. Write about it
*Write about something that’s already famous
*Last but not the least, be yourself
Now get to Blogging......
If you do not have a blog and would like one, contact Social Media Place at
http://www.socialmediaplace.net/
I am Tracey Burnett Cole in Birmingham, Alabama and writer for this blog.
*Start a contest make sure to end it too
*Give away free goodies people love them
*Write about other bloggers to interest their visitors to
read your blog keep it positive
*Dress up your blog often (By dress-up I mean tweaking the design)
*Interview other bloggers and post the interview
*Write about your personal life sometimes
*Ask questions to your visitors
*Share some secrets
*Celebrate your birthday with your visitors
*Think of innovative ways for doing this
*Celebrate your blog’s birthday too
*Write something funny or disgusting(Don’t make it a habit)
*Make a bumper sticker with your blog’s name and stick it on your car
(Just make sure you drive often)
*Write an e-book and distribute it to your visitors for free
*Introduce a commission based affiliate program
*Tell your visitors about your latest fad or obsession
*Post interesting pictures of your pets
*Congratulate the top commentators occasionally
*Encourage sharing of opinions
*Donate for a cause or become a volunteer for a non-profit organization
*Ask your visitors to join you
*Put your blog’s ad in the local newspaper or the yellow pages
*Hold blog competitions
*Create polls
*Hold an auction and let people bid for something useful (For example, advertising space on your blog)
*Write about your blog achievements
*Share your hopes and aspirations about your blog
*Start an award distribution system
*Make contact with your local visitors and hold a get-together or a bloggers’ meet
*Start a blog comic strip
*Dig up some old article that you wrote on your blog which became famous and start a discussion
*Try and get a photograph clicked with a real celebrity and post it on your blog. (Hold on Tiger..don’t rush to that Photoshop button!)
*Post videos that will help your visitors learn something new. Also submit them to video sharing websites like YouTube.com.
*Write about your hobbies and interests. (For example, if you like cooking, post a new recipe)
*Post about one of the weirdest thing that you ever did
*Get featured in a print magazine
*Buy a paid review from any famous blogger(s)
*Brand your blog with a catch phrase along with a logo
*Distribute T-shirts or merchandise with your blog name on it
*Join Yahoo! Answers and put a link on your website to your answers
*Keep a track of websites that pick up your articles or press releases *Offer them exclusive news or content
*Do surveys and publish the results to your visitors
*Build tools that your visitors might find use for
*Start a newsletter
*Podcasting is another good way to make your blog popular
*Publicize your blog to your friends and relatives and let them do some work for you
*Be active in Social Bookmarking websites
*Share Link Love and you will get it back
*People like to read about Web 2.0. Write about it
*Write about something that’s already famous
*Last but not the least, be yourself
Now get to Blogging......
If you do not have a blog and would like one, contact Social Media Place at
http://www.socialmediaplace.net/
I am Tracey Burnett Cole in Birmingham, Alabama and writer for this blog.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid "organic" or "algorithmic" search results. Other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings. In general, the earlier or higher on the page, and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO targets different kinds of searches, including image search, local search, video search, academic search[1], news search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a website web presence.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site and site content, SEO tactics may be incorporated into website development and design. The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe website designs, menus, content management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that have been optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure.
For more info visit our web site at http://www.socialmediaplace.net
I am Tracey Cole, writer at Social Media Place.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site and site content, SEO tactics may be incorporated into website development and design. The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe website designs, menus, content management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that have been optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure.
For more info visit our web site at http://www.socialmediaplace.net
I am Tracey Cole, writer at Social Media Place.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
When You Are Looking For A Web Site Designer.....
You are preparing to have your business web site built. When Building a website or updating your existing website you need to hire a designer to help you, because it can quickly become overwhelming. There are thousands of web designers, so how do you decide what makes one designer better than another designer? Check out the Social Media Place web site at SocialMediaPlace.net
Designing is Important
Some people think and will tell you the most important thing is experience. Some may say a designer without a lot of experience cannot give you the quality that an experienced designer can. Not always true. While experience can be useful, it can also be a drawback. Before you base your decision solely on how many sites they have built or how long they have been in business, consider that their training in new, fresh and within current trending techniques
Stuck in Old Habits
Some designers are stuck in age-old habits and might not be willing or able to give you a cutting edge website. So, why have a web site if it is not on the cutting edge? Cutting edge web sites get the most attention, which should be your goal. Younger designers are likely to have a web design degree, however a programmer may create great functionality, but have little eye for design. At Social Media Place, we think outside of the box and create a custom experience for each client. We love making you happy.
Portfolio
While experience may not be the most important, having a good portfolio is. You should not be as concerned with whether the portfolio is made up of live sites, so much that the examples show diversity and range for the designer. This is especially important if you're looking for a designer to build any type of interactivity for your website. Ask to see their portfolio. See www.SocialMediaPlace.net
Some people will tell you that the way the web designer's personal site looks is a good measure of how good a designer they will be, and I disagree. While I do think having a good web design business site is important, your style may be different. You may have a law firm, restaurant, real estate company, clothing store, etc. We design around you.
That said, the design style of differing companies will differ and designing is not changing the colors within a template. You want a designer who is open minded and unique. That will gain you the most traffic and keep people coming to your site. You don't want the same boring template web site, do you?
Take Note: If a designer says they've been building websites since before 1995, they are most definitely exaggerating. In 1995, very few people had even heard of the web, let alone had set up a business.
If you are ready to have your business seen on The World Wide Web let us know at Social Media Place. www.SocialMediaPlace.net
I am Tracey Cole, contributing writer for Social Media Place 2.0.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Why Your Business Needs a Web Site
Your Business needs a web site to establish a presence and tell the world what your business is about. Over 263 million people world wide have access to the world wide web. Do you know 263 million people? Most people do not, but with a Google search you will be found. Web sites are for networking as well and smart business owners know it is not what you know, it is who you know. Being able to pass out your business card is very important and every business person can tell a great story of passing out a busines card by chance turned into a big deal. What if you could pass out your business card to thousands, maybe millions of potential clients? Well, you can do this 24-hours a day in a simple and affordable way, on the internet. You can make so much information available to people on your website and through social media marketing. Posting your hours of operation, what you do, information about you, and your business, where you are located - these are just a few things a web site can and will do for your business.Here are more very important reasons why:
*Sites are not local, they are GLOBAL
*Sites never sleep
*Sites establish more clients
*Sites improve small businesses higher revenue
*Sites are found in Google search
*Sites improve customer confidence and corporate image
*YOUR TOP COMPETITOR HAS A WEB SITE
*With that being said, if you do not have a web site you may be losing business everyday.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Blogger Buzz: Google to Acquire Blogger
Blogger Buzz: Google to Acquire Blogger: "Posted by Brett Wiltshire, Blogger CEO [Cross-post from google.blogspot.com] This morning we’re beyond thrilled to announce that Blogger ha..."
Facebook Profiles Can Now Convert To Pages.....
Read carefully before pulling the trigger.
From AllFaceBook.Com
From AllFaceBook.Com
You can now convert a personal profile into a business page.
The social network never formally announced this new capability but Facebook’s help center explains how to convert a profile to a page.
The social network never formally announced this new capability but Facebook’s help center explains how to convert a profile to a page.
In fact, seven different help entries describe this process, making it look like this has been an option all along when in fact it’s news to us — as it was for blogger Josh Constine.
Converting a profile into a page retains all of one’s friends as fans, but all other information gets lost in the process if a user doesn’t first copy and save all of their personal information onto their computer.
And once you convert your profile into a page, there’s no way to reverse the process.
Facebook’s help center describes how to download the contents of one’s profile in ample detail.
The ability to convert a profile to a page seems like a logical next step in functionality for the site, given how Facebook redesigned the layouts of profiles and pages to look alike.
Converting a profile into a page would suit someone who is simply more interested in maintaining a business presence on the site than a personal one. Small companies and sole proprietors might have a stronger inclination to do this, but so would page administrators whose usage of Facebook has become so professionally focused that they no longer use it for their own social lives.
Readers, would you ever convert your personal profile to a business page, and for what reasons?
http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-profiles-can-now-convert-into-pages-2011-03?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+allfacebook+%28Facebook+Blog%29
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Blogger Buzz: Fresh new perspectives for your blog
Blogger Buzz: Fresh new perspectives for your blog: "Today we’re previewing five new dynamic templates in Blogger that you’ll soon be able to customize and use for your blog. These new views u..."
Shifting From Static Websites to Social Interaction Packages (Notes)
When we think of creative web designs, we often think of attractive layouts and catchy headings. However, today the Internet has turned into a more interactive medium with websites going beyond mere layouts and design.
“Social interaction” has been always considered as human to human interaction. On internet, social interaction indicates a phenomenon through which you can collaborate, learn and share your ideas and opinions with others on web. People are increasingly demanding the convenience of interacting with others in a self-paced environment where they can contribute effectively. This has brought about a shift from the creation of attractive website layouts. Now there is a need to cause users to interact with each other and with the web site owner.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Difference between A Facebook Profile and Facebook Fan Page
You have a Facebook account and you are operating your business through it, and really starting to see results........and then someone suggested you consider creating a Facebook Fan Page for your business. This is when you need to know the difference between the two. Now is the time to do it also, with the amazing growth to over 500 million users on Facebook.
Here is the difference between the two:
*Facebook Profile – This is for individual users and can be created by visiting Facebook.com and signing up for an account. This will have your name, picture, pictures of family, friends, babies, videos of your kids, etc.ect.etc. You will be posting updates about you and your life which will makes it easy for you to connect with your friends! You’re posting your status updates, pictures, sending messages, writing on walls, and socializing within Facebook. For a "FRIEND"to see what you have to say they would need to click the "Add as a Friend" Button for this particular account. A Facebook profile should NOT be used as your business page. If you own a business you should create a Facebook profile for your business ONLY and your friends will be able to see your updates about your business on that page.
*Facebook Fan Page – Ok you have create a Facebook profile now you can use that account to create a Facebook Business Fan Page for your business. This 'FAN"page is where you can post business information such as events, videos, photos, specials, promotions, coupons and encourage your fans to ‘like’ you. You can also post testimonials and help spread the word about your business stories. On this page you will have to ask your friends to "LIKE" your fan page.
This is why Facebook Fan Pages are important:
1. This will help your business show up and drive your SEO, Search Engine Optimization. This is where someone Googles your business, you will more than likely show up in the Google search.
2. You can have unlimited “FANS” for your Business Facebook Page, where on your personal Facebook you are limited to 5,000 friends.
3. You are Visible to everyone, because Facebook users will not need to request to be a friend to view your Facebook Fan Page.
4. And last but not least, you have always heard never mix business with pleasure, so if you are a business owner you will NEED a Facebook business page today.
My name SoldCole and I write for Social Media Place.net. Please contact me personally, for more information on how to get your Facebook pages up and running.
My name SoldCole and I write for Social Media Place.net. Please contact me personally, for more information on how to get your Facebook pages up and running.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Compliments of Google....
SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer." Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site. Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including:
Before beginning your search for an SEO, it's a great idea to become an educated consumer and get familiar with how search engines work. We recommend starting here:
If you're thinking about hiring an SEO, the earlier the better. A great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign, or planning to launch a new site. That way, you and your SEO can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly from the bottom up. However, a good SEO can also help improve an existing site.
Some useful questions to ask an SEO include:
Compliments of Google....
SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer." Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site. Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including:
- Review of your site content or structure
- Technical advice on website development: for example, hosting, redirects, error pages, use of JavaScript
- Content development
- Management of online business development campaigns
- Keyword research
- SEO training
- Expertise in specific markets and geographies.
Before beginning your search for an SEO, it's a great idea to become an educated consumer and get familiar with how search engines work. We recommend starting here:
If you're thinking about hiring an SEO, the earlier the better. A great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign, or planning to launch a new site. That way, you and your SEO can ensure that your site is designed to be search engine-friendly from the bottom up. However, a good SEO can also help improve an existing site.
Some useful questions to ask an SEO include:
- Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories?
- Do you follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines?
- Do you offer any online marketing services or advice to complement your organic search business?
- What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?
- What's your experience in my industry?
- What's your experience in my country/city?
- What's your experience developing international sites?
- What are your most important SEO techniques?
- How long have you been in business?
- How can I expect to communicate with you? Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site, and provide detailed information about your recommendations and the reasoning behind them?
- Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue. Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:
"Dear google.com,
Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.
I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
- No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.
- Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do. Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you. If an SEO has FTP access to your server, they should be willing to explain all the changes they are making to your site.
- You should never have to link to an SEO.Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.
- Choose wisely. While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.
- Be sure to understand where the money goes.While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.
- What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter? One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO. Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavory or illegal content.
- What are some other things to look out for? There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:
- owns shadow domains
- puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
- offers to sell keywords in the address bar
- doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear on search results pages
- guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
- operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
- gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
- has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
Federal Trade Commission CRC-240 Washington, D.C. 20580If your complaint is against a company in a country other than the United States, please file it at http://www.econsumer.gov/.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
6 Questions and Answers about Facebook Marketing
Question: What days of the week should I post on?
Answer: Saturday and Sunday. Articles published on the weekends are shared most.
Question: What time of day should I post?
Answer: Articles posted at 8:00 am are shared most?
Question: What is the best kind of content?
Answer: Sex and positivity are highly "shareable". Then, learning, media and work related content.
Question: What is the most "shareable" word"
Answer: Facebook. Then, why, most, world, how, health, bill, big, says, best, video, you, Apple, media,
top. first, Obama.
Question: What is the least shareable word?
Answer: "vs". Then, apps, review, down, poll, game, york, Twitter, social, time, iPhone, Google, TV,
live.
Question: How often should I post?
Answer: Posting every other day is best.
Content by: DanZarella.com January 14, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Folly of Comparing Social Media Platforms
Before proclaiming that Twitter is more effective than Facebook or any other social platform, their respective statistics need to be put into the perspective of how each of the websites is used differently. Twitter is more of a link and information- sharing platform rather than Facebook, for example, which is used to forge relationships and build repeat interactions over time. The same can be said for comparing LinkedIn with YouTube or StumbleUpon with Reddit.
The basis of social media strategy is the fact that social media as a whole should be treated as an entire set of tools instead of focusing on a single website to bring traffic and business to a company.
Engaging social media to attract and retain an active, participating audience should be the end goal, no matter what social media analytics metrics are being measured. When it comes to social media, both the individual analytics and how different platforms can be combined to form a total online marketing strategy can produce endless opportunities.
About the Author: Jordan Kasteler has been involved in Internet marketing and SEO since 2001. He currently is SVP of Content Development and Managing Partner at BlueGlass Interactive, Inc., an industry leading agency in social media marketing and search engine optimization.
The basis of social media strategy is the fact that social media as a whole should be treated as an entire set of tools instead of focusing on a single website to bring traffic and business to a company.
Engaging social media to attract and retain an active, participating audience should be the end goal, no matter what social media analytics metrics are being measured. When it comes to social media, both the individual analytics and how different platforms can be combined to form a total online marketing strategy can produce endless opportunities.
About the Author: Jordan Kasteler has been involved in Internet marketing and SEO since 2001. He currently is SVP of Content Development and Managing Partner at BlueGlass Interactive, Inc., an industry leading agency in social media marketing and search engine optimization.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)