Control freak

The internet is full of control issues and people who have control issues. Google wants to "put you in control" by controlling what you see (they say the algorithms benefit you but really?). Social media
websites are just as bad - think of the big change Facebook made awhile back when they started telling you what your "top stories" were.  And then there is the whole privacy thing: what you think is private really isn't.

Then there are all the websites that compete for the same impressions (eyeballs) and dollars you're trying to capture. There are all the new technology gadgets that seem to dictate how your information will be displayed on mobile devices for example.

In all  my years of working on the internet, one thing remains constant, people want to have control of what happens once their website is launched: top rankings in search, exposure through links, social media traffic etc. And the irony is, those are all things that cannot be controlled.  Oh you can try to influence them, but you can't control them.  The only thing you can control is the website itself.

If Bing, Google & Yahoo didn't exist, if there were no social media channels - would your website give visitors the informational value and the ease of use to cultivate sales? What is there on your website that makes it worth visiting... more than once?

Websites that do well in search, for the most part, have quality content that's worth reading and re-reading as people research choices.  Websites that go viral have web content that is worth sharing Website that convert visitors to customers are all easy to use, give a direct path to the conversions.

Funny thing - the website is often neglected when it comes to cultivating and nurturing a professional looking, clean functioning, quality content driven website.  A quick search in the deep results pages  and you'll see dozens of websites languishing with little attention from their owners.  Like plants, a little attention goes a long way.

So if you want to "control" over the top ranking, viral social sharing, and getting more leads or sales you have to work on the one thing you can control: the website itself.  Keep the content current, include new information that will help people choose your company. Treat your website like the most important component of any internet marketing campaign - because it is!

Does SEO = SCAM?

Interesting discussion this morning in the Manta Community that got me to thinking (and responding).  Apparently there is a section of the population that thinks search engine optimization (SEO) is a scam.  Is it? Well I guess it depends on who's doing it and what the expectations are.  I mean yes, there are people who say they optimize for search engines and they really don't have a clue but there are just as many who do a very nice job of search optimization.

Then you have to consider that the expectations of the website owner may be far beyond what they should be as far as search engine optimization.  They want to be number one for a search term or rank on the first page for just about every term they can think of. These aren't totally realistic.

Consider the purpose of search engines - first and foremost it's to serve the people who are using them to find something.  They aren't there for the sake of business competition, but they serve that goal to - in fact that's why search engines got into the business of selling ads, and it's nice bonus that the ads cover the expenses of running the search engine.

The web is in constant evolution.  Today search engines are not the end all / be all of marketing online, they are just part of an overall big picture.  So it's unrealistic to put "all the eggs" in one basket.  That's like having one big customer with nothing else to sustain you if the one customer goes out of business. You'll be left with nothing.

So in response to the comments I wrote this article based on my own experience, research over time and another article I read recently:   The Way Search Engine Optimization Should Work

While I don't think this will put an end to the debate over whether or not SEO is dead, or social replaces search or all SEO is a scam it may just give a new way to look at the overall process and get the ideas going on how you can use search engines to your advantage.

Like, Follow, Plus, Share – Phase 3

You better sit down for this one, there's a lot to go over with this phase.

When I started the Like, Follow, Share campaign there were just main 2 players in the social media game, Facebook and Twitter. This has changed with the roll-out of Google Plus and Pinterest, but in this phase I'm going to talk about Google Plus (g+ from now on).

You may have seen the commercial on TV for g+ or if you use gmail or other Google services you've seen the “+yourname” in the top left of the page. To the average Joe on the internet, g+ may look like a clone of Facebook, but secretly it's more than that! With 90 million users, g+ is the 3rd largest social media site after Facebook and Twitter.

You might see g+ as just another thing that uses up your valuable time, but with it's integration with Google search, g+ is becoming very important for businesses. Google has developed codes that are added to your current website that tells Google that your site belongs to you on g+ and recently I've found out that Google indexes these linked sites more often.

I'm not going to promote g+ as a replacement to Facebook or Twitter, but I believe that having a g+ profile and page for your business is essential for helping your site show up more in Google search results. You aren't going to need to spend much time on g+ posting to achieve this, merely creating a page and making sure you include as much information about your business as possible, some pictures and a link to your website, is usually enough to get you started. After you create your page there is a code that g+ provides for you to add into your website and then you're all set!

Another aspect of the Google & g+ integration is the 1+ button. You may have seen this on site and wondered what that mysterious 1+ is. The 1+ is Google's equivalent to the Facebook Share or Like button, it shares with your g+ circles that you like this page. Unlike the Facebook button, the 1+ is also used by Google for ranking sites in search results, giving more weight to sites with more 1+'s.

I know Google Plus may sound more technical because of the code, but that's a 1 time thing and it's well worth it to help you show up more in search results. This blog post might be long, but there's actually more to the g+ and Google connection that I will save for a blog in the next couple weeks.

As always, if you have questions about Google Plus, feel free to contact me and I'll help you understand it.

The Value of Search Ranking Reports

You don't hear much about search engine ranking reports lately. It used to be all the rage. Of course a few years ago you really didn't need much effort to get a "true" search ranking report that wasn't diluted by your IP address giving you local information first or tracking your recent browsing history to guess what you wanted to know.

Yet the search ranking report can be a valuable tool in measuring the performance of keyword terms in a website and the effectiveness of search engine optimization efforts. Having a third reporting source that can give you unbiased results is a must if you really want to know how your website fares.

To get an even better picture of how your website is ranking in the search engines, use a broad variety of terms that relate to your product or service. As an example: you may not be on the first page for "paint brushes" but you may be on top for "high quality paint brushes." The longer term may not be searched as often but when a visitor is as specific to use 4 words - they are more likely to be your customer. They know what they want and when they find the right website they are mentally closer to actually making the purchase.

When you have a comprehensive search ranking report which includes many of the top ranking words and longer phrases you'll get a better picture of what is happening and find those areas that need more attention.

Want a ranking report for your website free? Just send an email with your rankings@myideagirl.com

Working on "Extreme Land" in an Extreme-ly White Land

Well here we are, a few weeks and many many miles into "Extreme Land" as Teajai so eloquently labeled the project, and things are finally starting to take shape. The Extreme Makeover version of Bob Cook's website has gradually gotten to a point where it's less burdensome to maintain, but still requires a lot of our attention. With nearly daily correspondence from the Extreme camp we're definitely being kept busy.

If you ever want to know what full service really means in the internet world - the Extreme Makeover project is definitely a prime example as we are handling everything from programming to design to seo & social media -daily.

We've gotten so busy in fact that sometimes we have to throw our hands up and say "HOLD ON!" and work on keeping up-to-date with our "regular" clients. That's what I'll be doing for the majority of this snow covered day. I think Teajai said she was still working on a banner for the Extreme Makeover Pep Rally that is going on tomorrow - it's free to the public, you should think about going, I'll be there.

It wouldn't be a blog post without mention of the weather here in Wichita, which is completely insane. I woke up this morning and didn't even look out the window. After I got out of the shower I figured I should probably check if school was in session. All it took was me looking out the window and being blinded by the light being refracted from the snow that I took it upon myself to decide school was canceled. I then called Teajai to see if she wanted me to come into the office, of course she said to stay in and work from home.

Hopefully we get an 80-degree warm front that melts all this snow by tomorrow morning. I much prefer working in close proximity to the boss for easier correspondence. Better yet, we could move the office to some warm beach side resort.

Let's see, one of our clients (The Ladies Golf Place) was featured on Groupon! That was exciting for me, I'm looking forward to seeing the Google analytics after the traffic settles down and seeing just how much of a spike they receive. I'm also going to spend some time today getting our clients up to date on their social media stuff. I'm sure everyone is just dying for more savings on dragon-shaped stamps (Superior Rubber Stamp) and huge "SALE" banners (Superior Signs).

Well, time to get back to work! I hope everyone is having a great week so far and I think Teajai and I are going to try to keep the blog more active for you guys.

En "Title" ment

Everyone has heard about the "title" tag that is so important to search engine optimization (SEO) - it appears in the very top of your browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox) in the blue area. It gives a quick glimpse of what is on the page for search engine users & the search engines themselves and each title tag should be different for every page of the website (they don't all have the same content-do they?)

But have you ever thought beyond the initial page title tag? Titles appear in more than one place on every web page in several different ways. Usually they are called "heading" tags and have a larger font or even a different color.

• A title is usually the introductory statement in each page: it's written to grab the visitor's attention. It should reflect your unique selling proposition.
  
  
• Sub headings on the page are also titles and are written to bring the website visitor to the next step in the path to doing business with you.
  
  
• Side columns on a page also start with a title - whether it's "how to contact us" or a list of services available.
  

The important thing to remember about titles is that they serve the purpose of moving visitors on your web page forward in the decision making process.

Take a look at the titles on your website - do they lack the attention grabber? Do they brag about your company or about what solution your company offers? Do they "yell" at the visitor or invite them to look at more information?

Think about what you want your visitor to see & know right off the top, that's what the title should be.

How do you use titles? Have you seen any unique titles you wish you had thought of? Add your comments below.

Fast does not make you first...

Yesterday I had an interesting experience that got me to thinking. I was headed toward the ATM at my local bank to make a deposit. As I turned into the drive a woman in another car coming from the left inside the bank’s parking lot literally sped up nearly hitting me to get to the ATM first. I would like to tell you that the ATM was broken-it wasn’t.

The experience reminded me about a potential client who contacted me Sunday. They were interested in having me optimize their newly launched website and had gotten a quote from another company that "guaranteed" top 10 placement for their site.

Everyone these days seems to want things better, faster, now! But the reality is, not everything fits into that "fast food" mold. Search optimization is one of those things.

Good, ethical, white hat search engine optimization takes time.

• It takes time to go through each page of the website and make sure that the descriptions are accurate to the page content, that the title is unique, that the appropriate key phrase is used.
  
  
• It takes time to get the search engine to index (place) every page of the website, not just the "home" page.
  
  
• It takes time for people to start to visit your website in large numbers and start linking to you (one way the search engines determine how high to place the site).
  
  
• It takes the search engine time to move your site up the to the coveted high rankings area.
  

The only way to achieve instant top 10 placement is to pay for advertising on the website. But you should know, that although this does generate awareness and some traffic, the majority of search engine traffic (85 to 95%) comes from the organic listings.

Even Google gives good reason not to believe SEO's that guarantee top ten rankings:

Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. . . Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. And lastly, some SEOs guarantee ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway

I often ask my clients: Would you rather have 1million visitors who don't buy anything or 1000 visitors of which 50% buy something? It's an easy question and yet often surprises people. While I can guarantee an improvement in page rankings overall (you're site will move upwards), I am not foolish enough to think that I can put every client I have on the first page for every relevant key term.

Like fine wine, optimizing for search engines takes time and must be done in the most ethical way to ensure long lasting high rankings.

To view the full Google SEO guide, click here.

Why website traffic guarantees aren't valid...

Today I was asked again how much traffic I guarantee with my services. There is no way anyone can guarantee that you will get x amount of traffic to your website. If someone tells you otherwise, they are not being honest and here's why:

1. No one can control the search engine result pages produced in organic search. So when you type in a search for "widget" there is no one who can perfectly represent what will be displayed in what order.
   
   That being said, if you can't predict what will show and how it will be shown in a consistent manner there is no way you can tell someone how much traffic they will get.
   
2. You can, of course, pay to have your ad displayed in the sponsored listings (usually along the top / left of search engine result pages) but again, the search engines themselves determine which paid listings are most relevant and will show in the better positions for the key phrases you selected. You can get close to predicting the position and estimated traffic but it's still not perfect.
   Also, the placement of paid ads is closely tied to the amount you are willing to spend so unless you have unlimited resources, there will always be another company vying for the same spot with their dollars.
   
   
3. People who use the internet (and everyone else for that matter) have "free will." There is nothing you can do to compel x number of people to click an ad, no matter what you do. So how can anyone tell you how many people will click through to your website if you can't control the people doing the clicking?
   

When you take into consideration all of the above, how is it possible to make a guarantee?

Any guarantee should be related to specific outcomes instead. For example: an improvement in sales, time on site, page views, contact form completions etc. These are things that are within your realm of control and the qualified individuals who work with your online marketing campaign should, with ample information up front, give you reasonable expectations on these types of goals.

So don't be star struck by huge guarantees! If you are shopping for a new online marketing vendor, take the time set your specific goals for the site and then discuss those goals with people you are considering to run your marketing program.

Have more questions along these lines? Need help? Contact me!

Where to spend the dollars?

Recently there was a question posted on LinkedIn:

If you were spending $10,000 on PPC and getting back $12,000 of turnover (making $2,000 profit), and spending $1,000 on SEO and social media and making $3,000 of turnover from google natural search, FB/Tw etc, where would you concentrate your efforts next?

My Answer:

I don't think it's possible, as far as the web has advanced, to focus all your marketing efforts in one basket. Today it's important to use a strategic balance of SEO, PPC and Social Media.

SEO is always going to be important because organic conversions always cost less than just about anything else you might do to bring in more business.  With the emphasis on quality content, it's easier to target the right prospects with the right key terms.

While there is plenty of evidence that organic searches produce higher conversions than PPC but the PPC model puts your name up there for more impressions / exposure.   You might pay for each click but the number of impressions your business will get between clicks is a vital part of any brand promotion strategy.

The social segment is necessary to create the "buzz" so people will refer your offering to others - because 78% of people make buying decisions based on what they are told by others.  Using the big 5: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Google+, you can be fairly certain you'll hit your target in one, if not several places.  Again this goes to branding and catching the person when they are ready to make a purchase decision.

So I would say to create a strategic campaign based on the proportion return you have been getting from each channel so far and test to find out which balance of your current strategy and new channels will give you the highest return overall.  

Guaranteed #1 . . .?

Should you believe a guarantee of top placement?

If you hear that phrase remember what people say about something that is too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

A client came to me last week and said, "Can you guarantee #1 listings? The other company we spoke to said they could, what do you guarantee?"

I could guarantee anyone page one listings for virtually any one phrase a company selects but what good would that be? Let's say you are in the insurance business and your premium product is automobile insurance. If you are listed on the first page for the phrase "automobile insurance Kansas" will that really increase your traffic? It depends on the number of people who search that specific phrase and since common terminology is "car insurance" you'll probably be missing the boat.

The goal instead is to have multiple high ranking terms for a variety of phrases related to your business. Some people will use the term "car insurance," some will say "auto insurance" and still others will just look for an "insurance agent." One of my clients is found through over 900 different key phrases, that explains why she gets a healthy number of visits (and conversions) each month.

Another important thing to remember when it comes to keywords is the "long-tail" search. The long tail refers to those phrases that more specifically define your product or service. This is important because 82% of search engine users will start the same search over using the same initial phrase but adding more keywords to refine the search. This long tail search not only results in a more specific listing of companies, it also leads to a greater chance of conversions because the searcher is more qualified.

Long-tail search terms on their own produce very little in the way of traffic but are a good investment due to the high quality of leads they produce.

The best bet for increased traffic and higher rankings is to have a well rounded keyword list and content written in a natural language using the keyterms.

Want a different answer? Ask a different girl.

I can't be your "yes" girl.

Everyday I am asked for my advice on a variety of internet marketing topics. I give this advice freely but, for many people, they just want me to tell them what they want to hear. And I am really bad about not being a "yes" woman.

There are many "SEO" companies that will promise page one results for your company. You want to be on top for "fashion jewlry"? No problem they say and then they take your money, do some unidentifiable work, and you get no results. Of course they were just telling you what you wanted to hear.

Even the best search marketing company cannot perform such magic. There is no way to wave a wand and produce top of search results especially in light of the millions of website owners that want to be on top for the exact same term. Someone has to be second, third, fourth . . .

Almost every time I review a website through my free request service, I see many, many ways the site can be improved in general so it will work well for visitors (usability) and search engines. Most people are so focused on what they perceive to be the money making phrases and hype that they forget about the real human behind the computer who is already primed to consider doing business with you, if you would just tell them how and make it easy.

True search marketing is more than just trying to get high rankings for key phrases, it's also about delivering on the promise and meeting expectations of your visitors.

If you don't have high rankings for a certain word or phrase, don't call or email me. Instead, look at your goals. Do you want to have one word perched at the top of the search results or do you want to do business and make money?

When you are ready to forget about what you think you want, and learn more about what you really need you'll get the results you desire. Sometimes hearing what you really need and not hearing what you want to hear is painful. My philosophy is to tell people the truth so that purposeful goals and solid expectations can be established in the beginning.

In the words of Tess McGill: "If you want another answer, ask another girl" (Search marketing girl that is...)

If their titles, descriptions & keywords put them on top . . .

Want to be on the top of search results?

. . . then why don't I come up on top when I use the same words and similar description?

This was the question posed to me the other day by Maria during a consultation. Since many of you probably have the same question, I thought I would share the answer.

If search engine marketing were as easy as "follow the leader," there were would be thousands, if not millions, that should be "on top." There is only one top slot and someone has to be next.

Because of this, title tags, descriptions and keywords are only a part of what makes a website gain high rankings. There are many, many factors that influence how your site is ranked like these:

• the age of the domain name and related site
• the popularity of the website based upon the number of inbound links
• the popularity of interior pages of the site
• the actual content on the page that serves the visitors
• the words used to link to your site from the outside
• the alternative text used with images and links
• the uniquely written (non-duplicated), quality content

and many more items that, alone, seem insignificant, but when used as part of the overall picture they all contribute to achieving high rankings for a variety of terms within your site.

On a local level, you may have so many competitors that have been online longer it may seem impossible to get your local business to come up on top.   This is especially frustrating when dealing with Google and their local mapping interface.  One way to get ahead in the local market (and overall) is to become great at social marketing.  Google in particular has made it quite clear that they value social interactions on their social site: Google+.

If you've got a question you would like to have answered in this forum, please feel free to email me: tj@myideagirl.com.