The “Share Buttons” featured (at the bottom of the page) allows the reader to not only share specific articles, but to share content with their own group of friends and acquaintances.  The sky is the limit here!  Read more about this plug in from the website. Most of us are familiar with posting regularly to our blogs, with the new Google algorithims being changed over the past few months.  However, the “share buttons” allow the conversation to continue. They allow the reader to post and share any blog post on your social account (Facebook, Linked In or Twitter). They can then share with all of those on your friends list. This will expand your circle of acquaintances. This is right now the marketing tool we are calling “Buzz.” There is another plugin for the actual website that allows sharing of an individual website page of information.

Although the website itself says it is easy to install on websites, we have found that our clients cannot do this without help unless they have had prior IT experience. We just added this to two websites and each installation took a couple of hours since it was necessary to install this on all pages of the site (per the client request). There was also two plugins needed (one for the website and another for the wordpress area). To avoid problems it is best to ask for help when installing these plug ins if you are not familiar with programming methods.

The clock is ticking ….time to share. When you use this “sharing method” to connect with users on your social networking sites, it encourages them to ”like” and share your blog content with their followers as well.  The sky is the limit.

Your social media campaigns will gain more direct traffic to your site and expose your target audience to others.

Again, this is a great marketing tool for making your site known as an “authority” site which we talked about in an earlier post. It does takes time to build firm and strong relationships with others who will share your content.

It is worth every moment you spend on this and will bring big results going forward. Building your network of friends and acquaintances is the best way to gain top visibility. This along with blogging is the new normal for website search engine optimization.

Call our office at 407.405.4877 to learn more.  Thanks for stopping by!

Check out our “Share Buttons” below on our page.

Jean Holland-Rose, Chief Creative Officer
InsideDesignOrlando.com

An Orlando Website Design Company since 2001

We’re offering a $200 Savings for Summer off any new re-design package.  Just mention this post when you call us or complete our “Free Quote” form and mention this ad in the comments block.   Just that easy.  A web design which is updated with the newest visuals and offering updated functionality will insure that you are keeping up with the competition.

Blogging

Every website owner should consider updating the site content (page to page) at least once a year to keep the content fresh. More regular updating will be carried out using the blog page (and we assume you will have a blog). Posting to the blog should be as often as possible.

Blog at least once a week:

Those sites unable to update regularly are not considered for listings by most search engines now.  They are quickly overlooked by search engine spiders scanning for listings. Yesterday’s news is just that ….yesterday’s news.  Adding new content, article marketing and creative updates offering useful information is what drives visibility.  It is required by search engines.

Learning To Blog:

Once the site is updated, it is important that we spend the time necessary to educate the client on the proper blogging techniques. We have now started adding this training to all of our design packages. It is not just how the site looks but functions as well and a site without updated posts is just a big dead zone. Search engine optimization means that the keyword spiders will be visiting the site looking for blog titles and how often the posting is done. Most important is the blog title. Please don’t attempt to put the entire topic into the title line.

Creating a clever blog title:

Each title should have three or four carefully placed keywords to allow optimum results. Key words must be used in a clever way and make sense. Just placing them with no rhyme or reason will not do the trick anymore. Search engines are very savvy and can pick up on any attempt to take a short cut and not provide useful content. Another approach is to use the key words from the title in the content as well for those spiders who do not scan the actual title but are looking for the content instead. In this way you cover both bases by using the key words in both areas.

Be brief:

The more brevity you use in creating clever titles, the more effective the keyword optimization becomes. Your content will be more efficient and easier for the search engine spiders to scan. It will be read by more end users. In this hurry up world, no one wants to read content which does not get to the point quickly and takes forever to read. Cover the subject quickly and put it together in an easy to read format. This works for all.  See this previous post.

As we enter the month of May, 2012,  we are all dealing with the fact that Google algorithms have changed in the past year and all of us are feeling the pain. Many small and large businesses are scaling back on staff, etc since sales have declined dramatically.   The Wall Street Journal has just reported that traffic to many small and large business websites has dropped up to 40% since this new adjusting of the Google algorithm has occurred.  Many websites that were previously enjoying a great deal of internet traffic have now lost that line of revenue due to the change in Google criteria.

What does Google say we should do?

A Google spokesman admits that these changes do affect most business websites. However, the powers at Google, are not willing to name the actual sites that would win or lose visibility in its rankings. They are claiming to do this would offer the “bad characters” a way to game the system. This (so far) has been a mystery and therefore we are all left with trying to figure out where to go from here. Google is claiming that although their algorithm is very accurate, no algorithm is perfect.

Google is now weeding out “content farms” or sites that Google feels has a lower quality value. This includes those sites copying text from other websites such as government websites. Search engine spiders are now very intelligent and can follow the word strings and identify this practice of copying content from other sources.

How does branding affect our success?

We all agree after doing our best to understand changes as they occur, that we should all present our products and services in a creative way to gain any advantage. Being different, being unique and building our brand is the best way to get ahead.  Keeping up with the changing technology and SEO is the best insurance to keep the wolf away from the door.  I know all of you are so tired of hearing all of this but my job is just to report changes and to do my best to keep you (the viewer) informed.  Trust me, we are all feeling this pain.  Let’s learn more about what they’re talking about when it comes to SEO or Search Engine Optimization and the Google changes.

Should I hire a professional blogger?

Hiring outside freelance writers to add a creative appeal to website blog posts is a great start in the right direction.  Further, unless you are a writer yourself, you should consider this to add that added “pop” to your site’s creative side.    Inside Design Orlando has a list of professionals available for hire.  Call us for this information.  Above this, other methods are also needed.

Do social media links help?

Online Social Media Campaigns like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter should be included as you diversify your efforts toward a better ROI (Return On Investment).

Is publishing a monthly company newsletter any benefit?

Client communication such as publishing a monthly or quarterly newsletter to current clients (email marketing) is now becoming more and more important. Experience teaches us that 80% of your business is return clients or referral based business.  The other 20% comes from new business.  Obviously, knowing this we should keep in touch regularly with our current clients.  There are several cost effective email marketing websites that offer this service.  All businesses should consider this as they move forward through this jungle of change.

What About Search Engine Submission?

Some companies are now hiring outside search-engine optimization firms to look at their current websites to consider a complete overhaul of targeting traffic by way of the web.  This can certainly be one strategy but for the biggest payoff,  all of the above mentioned suggestions should be followed.   Use many different strategies and something is bound to hit pay dirt ….and the beat goes on

Article by Jean Holland-Rose, Chief Creative Officers, InsideDesignOrlando.com
An Orlando Website Design Company since 2001.

We explain it like this:

Site visitors will click on the button or CTA verb (which is linked to a contact form or other)
They will then complete the contact form or other CTA criteria.
They may even call the site owner asking more info regarding the benefit offered.
This will then lead to an opportunity to sell or provide the client’s service or product as advertised.

• More sales = Higher Revenue = Greater ROI.

CTAs can be hyperlinked text, a clickable button or image that solicits a desired action from a reader and then redirects them to a landing page that provides additional information to continue the conversation and/or to read the entire article.

DOWNLOAD NOW:  This suggests that the viewer will receive an advantage, service or product by clicking a “download now” button or link. You may be offering a special price for a product which is seasonal or other.

ASK THE EXPERT: This specific page can be a call to action suggestion which will keep your viewer engaged). They will ask a question and that will offer you (the site owner an opportunity to respond) and “keep the conversation going.” This element is most often found on an authority site (a site offering credible expertise in a given area).

FREE QUOTE: When the viewer clicks on this button or link he or she will probably find a reply/response form on a page created specifically for that function. Once the viewer answers the questions, you will again be offered the chance to “continue the conversation and make the sale. You’ll be able to provide quotes for your services and find out more about the viewer’s project.

SAVE 10%: A great call to action is to have a button or link offering a specific percentage off the price of goods and services. A very popular element which gets results. Enticing the visitor with a discount is a proven marketing ploy which works.

JOIN NOW : This button or link may allow the viewer to become a member of a specific group or social networking site.

REGISTER HERE: This call to action suggests that your viewer should register for an event, or share with their friends. Be simple and clear

SUBSCRIBE NOW: Every website should have an email collection form which uses software such as Campaign Monitor or Constant Contact. This allows the site owner to build a data base of usable clients to stay in touch with and offer special pricing and offers throughout the year. RSS to Email is another great function just available through Campaign Monitor which allows any blog post to be turned into a newsletter accessing the client’s data base quickly. A great new marketing tool.

TRIAL OFFER: This offer will allow users to experience what they are buying before they commit to the purchase. This is a great call to action for your products or services. It gives the buyer an opportunity to form his or her own opinion about the offer. Many site owners offer a period of time to use the item without paying full price.

USE BOLD COLORS: Using bold colors for button selection compels subscribers to take action by drawing them in with the visual as a stand alone element.

Thanks for visiting and hurry back for more useful tips to increase your website user friendlness and ROI.
Jean Holland-Rose, Chief Creative Officer

InsideDesignOrlando
An Orlando Website Design Company since 2001.

Your website (although it is a great place to visit, visually, it has to be more than just a pretty face to bring success your way. It must be functional and offer SEO tactics to get  you noticed.  You should strive to build avenues to continue the conversation with your viewers. The clients attending our workshop today will learn many new and effective techniques to brand their company, and to keep moving forward in this world of media that constantly changes.

What is branding all about?

Personal branding is the manner of how businesses identify themselves and it is what makes your company different from the other competitors in your field. 

To be considered an expert in your unique field, developing your personal brand is not just necessary but without this you will not be able to stand out in the crowd. It should be at the top of the list of things to work on as you move forward with your business plan.

You’ll need your own company logo, letterhead, website and all elements necessary for your brand development.  Your logo should be trademarked and protected by copyright law.  Your website content too, may be protected.  In this way you will prevent others from using your unique brand identity. 

Why is It so important to develop a personal company brand?

It is important to have you stand out in the crowd and to be recognized easily as an expert in your field of endeavor. No one wants to be just like everyone else. The longer you are in your field of expertise, the more folks will get to know you instantly from your brand identification.  Many clients ask us, how important are domain names to site visibility?”  The answer is the longer your domain name has been online will also determine ranking (everything counts, blogging, linking to relavant sites of interest and building great SEO strategy.

Building a Website & SEO

With most viewers looking online for goods and services, to get the most out of those looking for your services you must get to know search engine optimization and work with those that can build your SEO strategy. Branding and working with professionals to develop your website with good, clear and conscise SEO criteria is a must. Since this is new for you, we highly recommend that you get to know and hire a professional in that field to optimize your website for search engine submission. The more visible you become in search engines the better. You’ll be able to do this using tried and true SEO techniques presented to you. However, this changes constantly and so it is important that you take the time to keep current with new elements of SEO as it is made available to you either by your SEO partner or on line.

 Gaining Trust from clients & building a client base

As your brand becomes more identifiable to others and as you are online longer, you’ll start to see the branding efforts pay off.

I would urge all of you as you grow in leaps and bounds and learn more and more about personal branding strategies and SEO methods that you all pay close attention to your online reputation. When adding information to your website and advertising your services or products, be sure to offer fair pricing to all customers and to guard your good reputation. Client satisfaction is the one thing that will bring those needed word of mouth clients your way. One bad experience can be a set back so be careful to offer each and every client fair and equitable services. Understanding this can keep your business on top and send more people your way.

Good luck as you go forward with your new businesses. Brand yourself for success.

Thought for the day: When you meet with clients (new or old) offer them a few cookies with your new brand on it. How is that for a great branding idea. We learned that from our partners at “Rise.” Oh yes…there are companies that do this…click here for one in Orlando.

Hurry back,

Jean Holland-Rose, Chief Creative Officer
InsideDesignOrlando.com
jean@insidedesignorlando.com