SEO Does Matter

Google "Like" Button

Apr 012011

Have you seen the Google “Like” button in search results? It’s officially called Google +1. It appears and works something like Facebook’s “Like” button. You can see your friend’s approval of sites and it might impact your decision to make a purchase or view a website.

From the official Google blog, Google’s statement about this button is: “Our goal at Google is to get you the most relevant results as quickly as possible. But relevance is about relationships as well as words on webpages.”

Adding social searches to Google is nothing new. Finding Twitter and Facebook comments is part of the normal organic search. But now Google is taking the social aspect one step further. If your friends, family or co-w0rkers like the website and click on the “like” button, there will be a greater chance you will view the same website or purchase the product.

In order to use this Google “Like” button, you will need to have a Google profile. Don’t think Google doesn’t know the science in marketing. Right now, Google has your button ratings viewable on your Google profile. Not only is this button seen in organic searches, Google +1 is also available on Google’s paid ads.

Now what does this mean to the website owner? I’m not sure at this point but you want to be sure you have a Gmail account and a Google profile for yourself and your business. Google is planning to have a gadget to add this button to your own website but it isn’t available yet! Let’s see what direction Google goes with this button and begin by watching this video created by Google about this “Like” button called Google+1.

Google+1 is still in it’s early stages and will probably be tweaked regarding how much emphesis these ratings have on search results. Will this change search engine optimization? Perhaps, but social media has already started that. And if your business isn’t represented on sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, or Merchant Circle, now is the time to start. You don’t want to be left behind from this great method of internet marketing!

The Nativity Story with Social Media

Christian Internet Marketing, Social Media, Videos No Responses »

Dec 202010

It’s that time of year again! It’s Christmas time and we focus on the Nativity Story; the story of the birth of Jesus. Most people know the story about Mary and Joseph. Jesus, the son of God was born in a manager because there was no room in the inn. This Christmas video below is that same well-known story, but also, it is the Nativity Story with social media. It is interesting, and hopefully no one will find it disrespectful of our Lord and Savior.

We found the Nativity Story in modern day times to be a great way people can relate with social media and to Christmas! Bravo to Excentric! Social Media and popular websites included were: Gmaill, Wikipedia, Google Maps, Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, Amazon, and Youtube!

We also hope you take the time this Christmas to focus on who Baby Jesus was and why God came down to earth. He is the Savior of the World! For more information about who Jesus is, please visit this website: Online Bible Study for Beginners.

We wish YOU a Merry Christmas !!!

Potential Clients for Business

Christian Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Videos 4 Responses »

Jun 172010

Where do you get potential clients for business? In difficult economic times, this is a very important question that all small business owners or anyone self-employed is asking. As a South Florida SEO business, we focus on search engines and internet marketing.

Let me list a few of the areas you can get your potential clients for business:

Internet Marketing
Search Engine Marketing (paid or free)
Word of mouth (WOM)
Email marketing
TV advertising
Radio advertising
Soliciting (door-to-door or phone)

Now I’m going to dig a little deeper into the huge possibilities of internet marketing:

Social media (Facebook, Linkedin, My Space, etc…)
Videos (Youtube is the biggest website and it’s owned by Google)
Articles
Press Releases
Directories

When working to find potential clients through internet marketing you need to implement search engine optimization to maximize the possibilities! Otherwise, in a world where millions of people search for websites, your business will get lost in the shuffle of all the other businesses trying to market themselves.

When you choose to use internet marketing for your business, you can also benefit from word of mouth and gain potential clients for business by successful internet marketing and search engine optimization; potential clients from WOM can come along without any added work!

I hope this helps you with some new ideas as you look for potential clients for your business! Send us an email or comment on our SEO blog if you have questions about internet marketing or search engine optimization.

Creating a Facebook Page for Business

Social Media 8 Responses »

May 262010

Have you wondered what the significance is of creating a Facebook Page for business? You have a business website, but the world is also jumping into social media! And businesses and organizations are no exception! Most businesses know about Facebook but many do not understand what exactly is needed.

Facebook has grown tremendously in the last two years! There are now over 400 million active users! You probably have a personal profile on Facebook. But what about your business presence in Facebook?

I’ve seen many who have incorrectly created a “personal profile” to represent their business. That’s not good! Here are 5 reasons why:

It’s against Facebook rules – Facebook wants profiles created for individuals ~ not an organization. (Ex. Profiles ask for first and last name, siblings, etc.) It’s not too late to correct this problem. Ask us how to make a smooth transition.
Businesses should create Facebook pages – Facebook Pages are customizable to market your business! For search engine optimization, make sure to add good keywords where ever possible and click-able links that will help give value to your website.
People can “like” your Facebook Page without requesting a friendship - This saves you valuable time and stops giving the impression that your business alienates any friendships. How does a person feel when they have to wait a week for confirmation? Compare that to Facebook pages that automatically approve a friend.
A Facebook Page has analytic reports – This helps you have a better understanding of who are your fans and supporters, how they respond to your business, and how well you are doing with the Facebook page.
A Facebook Page shares administration rights – You can make more then one person an administrator. This means updates can be distributed to several persons. This is very important for any business organization!!

Personal profiles, group pages and business pages share information, upload videos, pictures and can link to other websites. That’s why it can be very confusing since it may not seem any different at first glance. There are also aspects that can not be changed once you create it. So, be careful if you plan to create a business page on your own!

Creating a Facebook Page for Business is a great step toward integrating social media into your marketing plan. If you haven’t taken this step, what’s stopping you? Need some help? Contact us today!

5 Marketing Resolutions for 2010

Search Engine Optimization, Social Media 2 Responses »

Dec 262009

Can you improve your marketing in 2010? Did you end well with your business in 2009? If not, you want to plan on making some marketing resolutions for 2010!

Many people do not have a budget for internet marketing in this economy. But there are some marketing resolutions any business can set up to do better with your customers in addition to potential customers.

Here are five marketing resolutions your business should put into practice:

1. Marketing Plan – Does your marketing plan consist of primarily print ads, television ads or radio ads? If so, you need to rethink the potential available in internet marketing. There are many different arenas of the web that can be marketed to meet the demands and information being sought right this very moment!

2. Your Website – Update your website and make sure it is optimized for search engines. Does your website help customers know what to do with a great call-to-action? With technology constantly changing, so do websites. Don’t think just because you own a website that you will get leads or that people will want to buy a product from you. There are specific ways to enhance and give value to your site!

3. Web Reports – Do you look at any type of monitoring of your website? Have you compared different versions or styles to see what works best with your customers? Do you get any type of analytics or reports to see what web pages are doing well and which need to be changed? If not, track and measure your website and make modifications to get better results.

4. Social Media – Like it or not, social media is here and still growing every day! Do you have a presence in sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or Youtube? If not, there is a way to do this successfully with social media optimization and engaging with your customers.

5. Listen – The key to Social Media is listening to your customers. Today’s businesses have become lax in this area. Not only do you need a web presence, but to do the job well, you need to listen to what people are saying and change the situation to build integrity, trust, and RELATIONSHIPS. Organizations fail in this important area of social media. Don’t be another company to contribute to this problem!

If you do any of these marketing resolutions, you are going to benefit and see results in 2010. Don’t be afraid to try and test this out. Don’t be a wimp and sit there and say, “Yeah, I need to do that some day!”

Be one step ahead of the rest! Connect and market to the people who want to purchase your products! Enjoy your customers, build new customers and see results in 2010.

Have a Great and Happy New Year!

Why is Customer Life Value Important?

Misc., Social Media 1 Response »

Nov 212009

Sometimes I look at companies and wonder why they don’t put more importance on their customers’ life value. In the last 25 years, customer service has greatly declined. Today, it’s all about monetizing your product. I know revenue is important, but it shouldn’t be the anchor to your business.

When a company gains a customer’s business, the person is put on a mailing list in hopes of gaining more business in the future. That’s typical marketing. Now let’s take that one step further. Why is it important and what is the lifetime value of keeping a customer’s business?

Let me give you my own example of horrible customer service. I’ve been doing business with a bank for years. I had a problem and literally had to call a dozen times in a two week period. In those phone calls, I also got disconnected! Hopefully the reps didn’t hang up on purpose, but I really don’t know. After I took the initiative to make these phone calls, it got resolved from my persistence. How loyal do you think I will be to them? I have already started doing business with one of their competitors and that company has done a great job and given me several bonuses for becoming a new client with them. Will the bank with the issue realize their loss at keeping me a lifelong customer? Probably not.

Let’s look at the dollar value of a customer. To a business, if I spend $50/ month, in a year I am worth $600. $6000 every decade. Without doing any advertising, the value of keeping my business is maximized from our relationship. There are several possible results if the relationship is strengthened:

1. New customers from a customer’s recommendation

2. Greater monetary value from lifelong customers

3. Lower cost of customer acquisition spent in marketing

So how do you maintain customers’ lifetime loyalty to a business? The answer is simple. Clients need to see your integrity and credibility. How it that attainable? Listen to your clients and show them they are important by your actions. This is the business purpose for social media!

Social media’s business objective is to build credibility and relationships.

Many businesses haven’t figured out the objective for social media. (Websites such as Facebook or Twitter.) When a customer complains, calls, writes, or emails, TAKE NOTICE. I remember in the ’80′s the phrase, “the customer is always right!” That may not be 100% accurate, but it sure is close. In today’s economy, society has decided it’s about revenue and nothing else matters.

Let’s go back to my example that I mentioned above. How could this bank have come out ahead?

1. They could have called me back when we got disconnected.

2. They could have resolved the issue in 24 hours.

3. They could have given me a “gift” to apologize for the issue.

Any type of positive interaction would have turned the relationship around. But nothing happened. And now I am blogging about it! If I wanted, I could use names to hurt their brand and reputation. Internet marketing is known for the negative feedback that gets posted and appears in search engine results. That is where search engine optimization will help. But I will leave that for another post!

When a business fails to understand the importance of the lifetime value of a customer, it breaks down its effectiveness in marketing and advertising. When a business doesn’t use social media to build customer relationships, it misses the mark and will never compound revenue from dedicated clients.

Will your business or organization fall apart because you failed to understand the value of your lifelong customers? Your business foundation is not about monetizing your product but about maximizing your client’s relationship and loyalty.

Is Social Networking Good or Bad?

Social Media 1 Response »

Nov 162009

If you are new to social networking, you might be asking this question - Is social networking good or bad? From a marketing perspective, I can only see good come from it. And here are my reasons from both sides – the users side and business/company side.

It all began on a cold and stormy night. No, the story doesn’t begin like that! (Just kidding!) For Bethany Thomas and her husband Dmitri Zagidulin, social networking helped them out and did save their honeymoon! To summarize the story, this newlywed couple got stuck in Frankfurt (headed for St. Petersburg, Russia) due to incorrect information an Expedia agent gave to them concerning their visas. Bethany decides to blog about their unhappy circumstance and gets support from their followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook. It ends out, everyone bombards Expedia asking them to help out this couple. Expedia finally dishes out good customer service and gives Bethany Thomas and Dmitri Zagidulina reimbursement for their expenses AND credit for future travel! To read the entire story, go to USA Today.

I look at this story and see a win-win situation. The newlywed couple gets help and Expedia turns their reputation around by giving them good customer service. In the end, all this hype about this couple will give Expedia some great brand recognition and most likely, new customers who now see Expedia as a good company.

This is a great example of the power of social media, from both sides! Imagine if Expedia had refused to help this couple. Expedia‘s sales would decline! But instead, they made the right decision and now they are going to benefit from the power of social media.

If you have not yet taken the time to invest in social media, now is the time. It’s not too late to listen to what people are saying about your service/products to help your business out! You might realize your company needs to make some changes or create a product that your supporters are commenting and tweeting about to each other. Social networking is good and it works… if you are willing to listen to what is being said!

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