Posted by Jody Raines
Ingredients for SEO?
Search Engine Optimization and conversions don't just happen. I
have to chuckle every time someone tells me that they want to come up #1 for Google, or that they "just had the website optimized". What do they think that means, exactly?
What's Cooking?
Think about it. Every day the Internet changes. It's a dynamic, bubbling cauldron of information, constantly churning and never at a standstill.
Just because you may have come up at the top of Bing today, does not mean you will in the next search. Just as you "optimized" so is the competition. There are millions of new pages added to the Internet every day.
So, how do you compete? How do you create a website that's going to be an effective too? Remember that it's not about the traffic - it is, however, about the conversions!
Here's the recipe! It's a simple 4 step process for creating an optimized and efficient website:
1. Gather your ingredients: make a list of suspected keywords that your target audience may use to find your product. Evaluate and select appropriate keywords based upon:
- Search Volume - How many monthly searches are being conducted for these phrases?
- Difficulty factor - How many other sites are competing for these words. What kind of authority do these sites have?
- Relevance - How defined are these words for your target market. Are they too general. Are they specific? Dependent upon the terms where do they fall within the purchasing decision cycle?
2. Mix well: On Page SEO - How do you use the keywords in order for Google, Bing, Yahoo or other search engines to recognize them?
- Keywords in Title, URL, Headings, Page Text. Check to be sure that the keywords are exact. Even adding an 's', or changing the flow will impact the optimization.
- Optimize description - yes, Google does use the description, and it should match the content of your page.
- Keywords in meta keyword - general consensus is that Google does not use the meta keywords, however, there is some evidence to support Yahoo using them. Best practice is to have them. I use them to keep me on track for each page.
- Don't forget to use keywords for alt text - great way to include and optimize for misspellings. Google can't read pictures, so be sure to have the alt text there.
3. Add Toppings: Developing authority requires time and -
- Inbound links - For two websites that are both optimized similarly, the site with the greater authority will rank higher. Authority is conveyed by others linking to your website. Most links go to the blog, and not the website - essentially because the blog is helpful info, while the website is more static and generally product or service focused.
- Anchor text - the text that points to a page helps the search engines identify what the page they are pointing to is about. Try not to optimize for "click here". Ask for descriptive anchor text.
- Authority of the site - sites with greater authority that link to your site tend to help your sites authority. A ton of inbound links from Craigslist aren't going to help as much.
- Directories - There are free directories where you should be listed. See the last blog post for 5 easy links that you can do on a rainy day or a Sunday afternoon.
- Blogs - Blog posts are a great way to share your thoughts and perceptions and to have inbound links to your website.
- Tools and lists - Creating a list or pointing out tools are great to develop inbound links. Others enjoy
4. Bake - keep an eye on it:
- Track searches and keywords - Google analytics is great for this and Hubspot's platform is excellent. Tracking for changes in keywords and measuring progress will help to stay ahead of the curve. Continuous improvement is important.
- Track inbound links - Continue to develop relationships and share information that is link worthy. Lists and reference tools are great to share for inbound links.
- Track visitors - How are visitors finding you and what do they do when they visit your site? What's your bounce rate? Did they find what they are looking for?
- Track leads - A potential customer who shares contact information is a lead and deserves prompt follow up. What is your mechanism for doing this? How do you track these leads?
- Track sales - Great that you got a lead, now how many of those leads are converting to sales? By associating the leads that close with the way they entered the funnel - such as which keyword or which piece of collateral they were attracted to - will help to optimize that kind of content or those keywords, and ultimately will result in streamlining your website.
ENJOY!
Posted by Jody Raines
Finding new business can be difficult. If potential customers aren't knocking down your doors or calling you... then its likely you aren't practicing "Inbound Marketing".
Cold calling is one of the most dreaded processes in the sales world. It's time consuming and painful. To some, it feels like seeking a needle in a haystack. Yes, eventually it will bring in sales, and it's certainly better than doing nothing, but there is a more effective way to generate sales and leads. And that's by using your website and social media as a 'net' to capture leads. It's called inbound marketing.
What is inbound marketing? It's understanding how people make purchasing decisions and then using this information to position your company in a way that -
1. Your company is found
2. For the right reasons
3. And customers voluntarily reach out to you.
Is this magic? In a way it is... it's a science of search engine optimization (SEO) coupled with savvy marketing tactics including social media marketing (SMM).
Often my clients reach out to me because they think they want more traffic to their website. It's not traffic that they want... what they really want are conversions or sales.
Lead generation. Return on investment. Determining what your potential customer is seeking and then using an internet marketing strategy that uses the power of the internet to help clients find you and helps you to generate business.
So, if you think your web site is just fine, and you like doing cold calls, keep up the great work.
If you feel that there is a better way to position your business to generate leads, then join the inbound marketing generation!
As a Hubspot Certified Partner, we practice inbound marketing strategies and help position websites and social media including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, 4Square, Linkedin, Flikr, YouTube, UStream and other social media sites. That's why I'm sharing this video by Hubspot that shows outbound marketing versus inbound marketing...Made me chuckle, and hope it brings a smile for you too.
Yep... Cold Calling is for losers...
Posted by Jody Raines
Do you want to spice up your Internet marketing life and create some steamy sizzle on your site? They say that sexy sells... and lets face it, you want your website to attract more than furtive 
glances.
If you are struggling with what to do, to enhance your website's shape, and get back into the Google groove, here's a list of 5 to get you started:
1. Shake it up. When you put that old site together, you were logical and you covered all the bases. You wanted the reader to move through the site, starting at "Home", then logically reaching a conclusion at "Contact Us". Surprise - it doesn't work that way! Readers are not logical, and they don't want to read every word. What they want is what they are seeking - a slim-downed and attractive piece of the site. Focus on a sub-category of your business and define the keywords your clients may be using in their Google search. Every page should be unique and considered a landing page, with a clearly identified message and target. The more specific your pages and content, the better you will look in the eyes of your customer.
2. Trashy or Flashy? Google announced recently that load times for your site are now a metric that will be taken into account for your ranking. Slow dancing is sexy, slow sites are not. Why lose points on a site that is all show and no go. Simplify and streamline your page so it loads quickly. Of course if you prefer a site that is a beautiful monument, that's an option. On the other hand if you prefer a site that has hot leads, through traffic and conversion, go fast and keep it elegant.
3. Give it up. Yep. That's right, we are going to give away your secrets for free. Why? Because that's the reason your clients come to the site. They are seeking answers, and our goal is to position you to answer their questions. Of course, there is always more to know - if you client had all the answers they would do it themself. Maybe it's a webinar, maybe an ebook, or a guide? You have the answers... So, get started on a mission to position your content to appeal to your customer's needs.
4. Establish a relationship. Today's marketing is not just about telling your audience, it's about sharing with your audience and listening. Are you ready to listen? Do you have a way to monitor your brand? Are you able to make changes to your site as you learn more about what will appeal to your potential customers? Maybe now is the time to put together a site that will be more responsive or pro-active. It's the new way to do business in an Internet world.
5. Make the First Move. If you are waiting for clients to find you, it may take a long time. Organic SEO means creating compelling content that is keyword rich and appropriately positioned. Even though some clients will find you, think about where your clients may be and reach out to them. If you have a blog post that may appeal to a group, don't be shy - but tell the group you have some hot tips to share. But don't be salesy - that will backfire.
Overall, it's important to communicate and share. Offer great content, optimize your pages and blog, blog, blog.
Posted by Jody Raines
Building a better website is one of those experiences that can be incredibly rewarding. By better, what I mean is an effective website or effective internet presence. The effective website is known for having been developed for the right reasons and which appeals to the right audience, resulting in real sales.
In other words:
- Site ranks on Google for keywords
- Site improves in Traffic results over time
- Site is a lead generation magnet
Would you say that your website is effective based upon this standard?
What does it take to create an effective website?
- Is it the bold graphics?
- Creative writing?
- Unique page layout?
While all of that is fantastic, the real guts of what makes an effective website is whether it delivers value.
Not just guts... but GLORY. And glory = value.
By value, what I mean are leads. Hard, cold, fast, closed, new customers. Leads.
How do you do that?
It starts by using a fairly scientific approach. And time. And a bit of creativity and skill. And pixie dust...
1. Determine what your keywords are. Then try different iterations. Then try even more. Try keyword phrases. Use a spread sheet and keep a record of where all of these keywords rank for number of hits per month, difficulty and where you may rank for that word.
2. Look for 'low hanging fruit'. Find those words that have decent monthly clicks, but may be lower in difficulty.
3. Start optimizing your pages for keywords. How do you do that? Develop content around a topic. Keep content fun, keywords relevant and yet topically focused.
4. Develop relationships and links. No one lives in a vacuum, but that sucking noise you'll hear is when you are talking to no one. Social Media monitoring is very important for understanding the audience and developing social media strategies. By developing relationships, based upon listening to the social media conversation, and developing social media relationships, you develop an audience. Others want you to listen to them, and in return they listen to you. Compound this by their recommendation and you have a winning combination.
5. Boldly add content. Go where others may not have gone, by writing interesting content, discussing the ills of an industry, or by uncovering new ways of doing things. Be fearless about adding lists of relevant topics or sites. Suggest a controversial approach to intrigue comments.
6. Answer your potential client's question. How to, Why, Critical reasons, Frequently asked, Frequently Omitted, Major Blunders. All start an article that promises to be interesting. How to answer your client's questions is one of the most frequently omitted topics in a social media program. Even if you learn about blogging or tweeting, what are you adding to the conversation and how are you using social media platforms to add value? It's a matter of being part of the conversation.
7. Create downloads that are of value to your potential client. Don't just place articles hoping for google to index you, instead create a logical progression of articles to landing page to content.
It all starts with the keyword and the keyword is content. Nothing can replace it or take its place. Even in social media marketing, the tweets, and posts are google-able. So start with using your keywords and you will earn and improve search engine results.
Its how we deal with the content and how cleverly we can sculpt it to do our bidding that will differentiate the masters from the sheep. Additionally, its' the clever twist of adding value that enables us to cultivate leads.
Posted by Jody Raines
You may have heard about the importance of Search Engine Optimization. It's so important to be found online. Just about every client that I meet tells me that their goal is to be "number one on Google". That's terrific. I do hope that they get to number one on Google for whatever they hope to be number one for! But is that enough? What happens when you are finally found? What action do you want your visitor to take once they find you? 
That's so important, yet, so many websites are built and crazy sums of money are spent on SEOCall-To-Action"!
Every website should have a goal; an action visitors should take. Whether the goal is to request an ebook, a podcast, a webinar invite, or ultimately make a purchase, there must be a compelling call-to-action for the visitor.
What is a 'call-to-action'? A call-to-action is the offer that your visitor reads or responds to. It can be copy or a graphic on your website that encourages action. To increase conversions on the website, a compelling, well-thought-out call-to-action can do wonders.
Some of the best designed call-to-action designs incorporate these points:
1. Create a sensation of Urgency
A limited time offer or limited number of attendees helps to create the sense that if the visitor pauses or does not respond at that time, they will miss the opportunity.
2. Name that price
A nebulous offer is less appealing than a clearly delineated one. Offer an upgrade or package.
3. Define what will happen next
What should the client expect - what is the reason for them to submit their information? Will they get an email, an invitation? Define the result.
4. Graphics help
Bold designs and action-images enhance the appeal for the action.
5. 'This is the spot'
Use graphics and design to make 'the spot' appealing. Use hypertext links or otherwise define exactly where the action is to take place.
6. Making it a bold statement
A well designed and attractive element is fun to click. Make the button bold in color and notice-able.
7. Position, Position, Position
Most people scan a page in the form of a letter "F". Across the heading, down the left side, back over to the right side. Position the button above the cut off of the bottom of the site, so it's visible when the site first opens. Also, preferable to position on the right side or center of the page, so its along the way your eye naturally travels.
Bottom line, a beautiful site is wonderful to behold. An effective site is optimized for the search engines as well as optimized for the goals of the site. Make your website effective and functional.
with little thought given to one of the most important aspects of the website - the "