I preach it to my own clients, However I forgot how important it is, as well as how to have fun with it!

A long time friend came to me for assistance when she needed to know how to get her own book noticed.

Outside of giving her some basic direction is Social Media, Blogging, SEO and how they all tie together I didn’t do much. In today’s digital world it was up to her as she did not have a publisher to get herself out there.

WOW!

Jen is literally Blogging her brains out! Moreover, she is having fun doing it! She has a full time Job and son, but in her spare time she is having a blast talking about writing, her book, really anything that comes to mind. Using some simple techniques by sharing her blog on social networks, she is already getting noticed by other bloggers, Independent book sites, on Twitter, and most importantly her book is selling well on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

I forgot the most important lesson in blogging… Have fun with it! The topic should be something your passionate about.

I looked at a blog I wrote last summer about kickboxing.  (All for fitness, I’m not training for the UFC or anything…  ) After recently searching for it under kickboxing RI (Rhode Island) it came up number three on page one of Google!  I wasn’t even trying! I was just excited about it!

Have you stopped blogging? Tell us why?

Imagine being one of the first optimized websites on the web last decade?

How often are you on your smartphone? (Let’s just say for the moment iPhone and Android) What are you searching for? Do you cringe when a website comes up that is crunched and get excited when a site is optimized for your mobile device? Are you more likely to stay on the site that’s optimized for your device or are you more likely to spend the time to expand, double tap, and try to move around a site that’s not optimized for your device?

The fact is Google reports 1 in 7 searches are being done on a mobile device. By 2013, there will be more searches done via mobile than your desktop. If you look at the analytics from your website what’s the percentage from mobile? If you’re at even 10% you’re on the high side.

Why do mobile sites have the advantage?

Over the next couple of years your site will have no choice but to be optimized for mobile. End users will demand it and not waste their time with you if you’re not. Again, why the advantage now?

All the search engines look at you as a customer. They know you’re searching from a mobile device so to make you happy, the search engines are going to give mobile optimized sites preferred treatment. Plain and simple.

Your potential client is not going to waste time going blurry eyed trying to figure out what tab goes where and trying to expand an image. They’re going to move on.

Just when you though you had your conversion architecture down!

Yup. Back to the drawing board! Well, not really. If you’ve followed the standards of conversion architecture, you would always want to lead your potential clients down a path in order to get them to “buy” from an ecommerce site… trade their precious email address for something free or a discount, etc. Mobile sites act in a similar way, however they want information now… quick… pertinent to them. They’re on the go, or perhaps stuck.

As an example, here in Rhode Island the largest boat towing company Safe/Sea (Yes, a client out of full disclosure) is having us build a mobile site that will allow a boater stuck at sea (we are the Ocean state… ) enter their information easily, and upon sending for help will prompt an auto GPS locator letting Safe/Sea Know exactly where they are. A little more complex than the norm but pretty cool!! Apple seems to like them!

A free mobile website?

Are there ways to build a free mobile site? Like everything else… of course! However just like building your own site… you want it optimized… done right… submitted to mobile search engines… work flawlessly. Considering that it’s a fraction of the cost of your regular website, do it right!

As always, if you have any questions…. contact us for more information.

…to your success!

First off… I hate the word guru!

In my humble opinion, there’s no such thing as an SEO guru.  The fact remains that the Internet is a constantly moving organism.  What worked to optimize your website several years ago will not necessarily work today.  That being said, you want to be working with a group that acts as students of the web and consistently keeps up with the latest news, information and changes on the internet that happens every day. When we speak to potential customers, its seems we always hear the same questions and sadly, hear retorts of what others have mistakingly promised.  The bottom line take away from this is if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

How fast can you get me to the first page of google?

Many times I hear this and cringe.  When a potential client tells me that “so and so” said they can have them on the first page in a matter of days or weeks, I know it’s a half baked truth.  Most likely they are speaking of a pay-per-click ad knowing chances are the business owner they are speaking with may not know the difference.  Worse, they could be using something called “black hat” techniques that will only hurt the company in the long run.  Simply tell them the truth!  Search Engine Optimization takes patience and time. As the content within your site is optimized to match the services you offer to what your potential customers are searching for, your website becomes more relevant.  As your relevancy increases so will your rankings on the major search engines.

If you don’t know what Google’s algorithm changes are, how do you keep up?

If your being told that “they are leaked out on the web but we know how to find them”… or… better yet, “we have a very close connection with someone at Google”; you’d better be showing them the door.  The answer you should be looking for is “we are always testing and retesting our own websites to see what works and what doesn’t.  Most importantly we consistently attend conferences, share information, and belong to groups to stay on top of the industry. Education is the key to success.” (It doesn’t have to be those exact words but you get the idea.  )

How do you approach SEO? Can you give me an idea?

If the answer is “It’s really too complex to explain.  We just get the job done.”  Grrr.  What’s wrong with educating your potential client?  When you go to the doctor don’t you want to know what they’re going to do to you if you have a problem?  Don’t you feel more comfortable when the doctor tells you the good and the bad?  Tell them about the research that has to be done on their site to determine things like a proper title and description.  Explain the difference between good and bad inbound links.  Discuss Alt tags for images and  Improper domain canonicalization.  What about a sitemap?  These are all critical areas (among many others) that you need to know about.  Just explain them in layman’s terms just as your doctor would explain about your upcoming hernia operation.  (like my doctor just did to me… ugh.)

Are there any tools I can use so I can do my own SEO research?

If the answer is, “there are… but they are no good. We have proprietary tools that are foolproof.”  Another grrr!  The fact is there are plenty of tools that anyone can delve in to.  Free or paid.  We love it when a client wants to get involved with our work.  Google insights, SEOMOZ, Wordtracker, Google Alerts, (my favorite for competitive analysis on other sites)  and so many others.  A good business owner will know it’s not their specialty. Some just want to be a part of their own growth.

How do I know if what you are doing is working?

If the answer is, “You’ll receive a Google Analytics report monthly”.  Well that’s great!  What are they supposed to do with that?  If you’ve seen one (and I hope you have…) they’re not the easiest thing to decipher.  By all means make sure they have access to the report, but more importantly make it your business to discuss what’s happening in the report in layman’s terms.  Why a bounce rate may be high. (for example)  Explain what’s working and what’s not and explain what needs to be done to to fix it.  I should preface this by saying there are many times we’ve wanted to discuss analytics with our clients but they don’t always want to listen.  They’re getting conversions, traffic, and they’re happy.  At least we try.

There are lots of other questions such as blogging, video, etc that could be discussed.  Most importantly, understand if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  Look for a team that wants to educate you.  You may not want to know it all but at least your advisor should be ready willing and able to share the knowledge.

As always, if you like what you read… please sign up for our mailings.

Is your website turning potential customers away?

If you are a business owner, one of your most valuable marketing tools is your website. As I’ve posted previously, you must optimize your website for organic search in order to draw potential customers in, but what happens when they get there will make or break you.

When a potential customer finds you, is your website it doing all it can to encourage the potential customer to make contact with you? The reality is you only have a split second to make an impression.  One look at your Website Analytics will tell you where they came from and if they are staying. If your website bounce rate is high (meaning they are not seeing what they hoped for) your site may be turning that potential customer away.  It’s kinda like if you walk in to a store and you don’t see what you want… no one is there to help you… so you leave.  Online, this all happens within seconds.

If you’re losing business to your competition, there are some simple changes you can make to aid your potential customers to take action. Bear in mind, you need to have analytics built in to help you with this simple task.

Get the visitor to take action!

If a visitor hits that infamous “back button” you’ve lost them. The fact is you could be exactly what they’re looking for and your page may be very inviting, however how do they get a hold of you?  ALWAYS make sure your contact information is at the top of every page (meaning your phone number) and a badge with a call to action is visible, linking to a “contact us” page is right in their face.  Don’t make the mistake of making them search in the menu or for a contact us link in your site map.  They won’t waste their time.

Do you want them to call? sign up for a newsletter or promotions? Buy something? Studies have shown that if a visitor does not know which to choose, they most likely will do nothing.  Keep it simple for them.  If it’s not clear, they won’t do it, and they’ll leave. It’s all about conversions!

Do they trust what they see?

If they don’t, say good bye again.  Logos like the Better Business Bureau, awards, Certifications… Are they readily visible?  Do you have testimonials front and center from a real client, with a full name and/or name of the business?  I know for me if I just see something like “great service”, by Bob J. I don’t get a warm fuzzy feeling.  Make sure there are links to reviews, a Linkedin page with recommendations, etc.  If you can score a video testimonial from your client… kudos!

Are you an ecommerce site? Give them that warm fuzzy that your site is secure through secure pages (the https in the address) logos from such companies as Authorize.net or another site will show that potential customer that you value the safety of their credit card information.

Focus your content on the user!

We all like to talk about ourselves and how great we are.  A little bit is fine.  Too much is a turn off.  Focus on the word “you”!  It’s all about them, not just your company or service.

Try focusing your content on the problems your customers might have, and how you can solve them.

Bring it all together…

Bring all these things together, and you’ll have a website that works for you instead of against you.

Here are a couple examples of websites that tie these things all together into a total marketing package:

Ecommerce  - http://www.anarchyeyewear.com  It’s plain and simple what they want you to do.  Big bold links on the home page for promotions, online vendors of the month.

Medical Financial Management Services- http://www.theroi.com  Plain and simple.  Phone numbers at the top for existing customers and potential customers, a badge on every page with a call to action, and two proper logos stating they’re a trustworthy company to do business with.

Childcare services - http://www.storksnestchild.com  Locations, a simple paragraph of who they are, and a call to action with a discount to contact them.

Simple Changes!

These small changes can make the difference between someone wanting to do business with you or leave someone to find your competition.

You’ve built a beautiful website! Now what?

Now that your website is finally up and running, you may be asking yourself why people aren’t showing up?  The simple analogy is it’s kind of like building a new brick and mortar store in the woods.  Would you ask the same question?

Are they finding you or your competition?

People search the internet when they want information and are possibly ready to buy.  If people see your competition under different search queries, more often than not that’s where they’re going to go. Businesses need clients and customers to survive.  An old adage that holds true today.  They’re not looking in phonebooks anymore, the newspaper, magazines, etc.  They’re searching for you!

“Push” vs. “Pull” Marketing

“Push” marketing is how we attracted customers for years.  TV and Radio ads are the best example of this…  Some call it interruption marketing. I’ve had TiVo for the last ten years and I tend to run right through the commercials.  (Yes, 10 years… I’m a gadget geek!) Pull marketing is how the majority of  people now find you.  It’s on their terms, and you’d better be there to be found. Social Media, blogs, Podcasts, You Tube are great examples of this.  SEO, is the culmination of all of these things put together.

Organic search results are viewed as more credible

Just a quick definition, Organic search results are what you will find on the left side of a Google search.  Paid search results are what you see at the top and right side of the page.  I’m certainly not knocking paid search, but in the long run it’s a lot more expensive.  We use it for our clients to give them a jump start while their organic search climbs the ladder to page one. A recent study tells us that approximately 75% of people click on organic search results whereas  approximately 25% click on a paid ad. Here is a screen shot since a picture is worth 1000 words!

Lower Cost

Yes, most companies that are serious about being found will pay a professional to optimize their site, however once it’s done it just has to be maintained to keep up with Google’s constantly changing algorithms. Paid Search (Pay-Per-Click) is on going and can get very expensive especially if you have a higher volume key phrase.  Once you pull the Pay-Per-Click ad, it’s done.  The more traffic you get to your site from proper Search Engine Optimization will make you a relevant source of information and will be there for the long haul.

Measurable Results

Whether you’re using Google Analytics or some other form of tracking service, you’ll be able to determine which keywords and phrases were searched on.  A fantastic way to see what’s working and what’s not.

To your success…

The best workout of my life!

Ok, first things first… that’s not me.   You’re first clue should have been that I’m a 43 year old guy.  I should probably also preface by saying that the girl in the picture is not the reason for the title.  (However it is a benefit while training… )

I was already in pretty good shape(?)

I started training at Northeast Family Martial Arts in West Warwick, Rhode Island in October of 2010 after my girls were presented with their purple belts in Karate at an evening ceremony.  An offer was made to the parents and I was off and running.  Free gloves, shirt and pants.  Not bad.  Now I know I’ve gained a few pounds (ok, 20…) in the past year but I thought I was still in pretty good shape.  I love to bike ride going around 20 miles a stretch… I could do this!

NOT an aerobic class! (so I found in the video below…)

I’ll never forget my first class.  I had a private training session while the regular class was going on so I could learn the basic eight moves.  For the last twenty minutes of class, they moved me in for the “conditioning” portion of the class.  Suffice it to say, moving around for the next few days was an issue.  Ok, let’s call it a feat. (wow!) I remember thinking, “I didn’t know I had muscles there!”  All of my classmates, as well as Sensai (our 4th degree black belt instructor) just kept saying, keep coming.  It gets a lot better after the first few weeks. I was presented with my white belt.  (yay!)

Burn almost 1000 calories in an hour?

After I began to settle in, I really began to enjoy what I was doing.  My fellow students and teachers are all connected on Facebook and really keep each other pumped.  If I’m not there they want to know why!  (how often does that happen at a gym??) Classes are intense and fun. Northeast Family Martial Arts combine a mix of everything within an hour time span.  (no, I’m not in a ring fighting…) Intense aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, personal training, Muay Thai Kickboxing techniques with  partners and teachers…. Wow!   After a 45 minute class I’m drenched! (A vision for you if you will…) Time flies so fast I’m stunned when we’re done.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been in the gym and kept looking at the timer on the treadmill tick away, left to my own thoughts.  (Not a place I like to be! )  My kids won’t touch me cause I’m “gross”… but they love to watch me train.  It definitely keeps them pumped to keep going in their training.

Where am I now??

After nine months, am I going to say I’m a chiseled rock?  No.  :)  However, I’ve definitely lost weight, inches, am more toned, reduced my stress level big time, and I really look forward to going!  If I kept my diet in check I could definitely imagine seeing “the rock” developing because I see it in many of my team mates.  I’ll get there.  Right now I’m just ecstatic that in 2-3 days per week (… and by the way they don’t recommend more than 4 classes per week because your body needs time to recover) I’ve got energy, stamina, can sit and stand up without grunting, and realize that age is just a matter of the mind.  (My team mates range from 18 to 64!)

Paying it forward…

No, I’m not getting paid for this blog.  However out of full disclosure They are offering the first person to refer 10 people to our class at NFMA this summer an iPad.  I don’t need one nor will I accept one. As my business is Internet Marketing It would be unfair of me to take part in such a contest.   I’m simply paying it forward.  It pains me emotionally to see people giving up on their physical and mental self ESPECIALLY when they have children in their life.  As a parent, I’m responsible to myself to be here for my kids and want to be a power of example to them.  In my humble opinion we are a product of our environment and with obesity rates being what they are in children I want to be part of the solution.

Here it is…

Northeast Family Martial Arts and Gabriele’s Martial Arts are offering for the month of July 2011 a TWELVE WEEK (count em… 12!) trial for only $99! you’ll get your gloves, shirt and pants to get you started.  (Certainly better than when I signed up! )  Either Click on either School or feel free to contact me with questions and join me in a class!  NFMA has locations in West Warwick, Westerly and Coventry Rhode Island. GMA has locations in Groton, East Lyme and Waterford, Connecticut as well as Narragansett, Rhode Island.

In order to get the full twelve weeks, you must be referred by a student… SO, when you contact the school, tell them Scott Wasserman sent you! As promised, here is a video to give you an idea what it’s all about!  A special thanks to Shihan Gabriele at GMA for the video tour.

Pay per click services for Rhode Island

Although having your site optimized for search is always the best long term plan, your site definitely needs a jump start for some immediate ROI.

In simple terms, Google’s pay per click program allows you to acquire a position on page one by choosing a bid price you are willing to pay for each visitor you receive on your website.

Pay per click is one of the most effective venues to advertise because you only pays Google once the ad is clicked on. Pay-per-click ads are very useful in driving targeted traffic to your website quickly. Here are some of the benefits of using PPC.

Budget Flexibility

With Google’s PPC you will be able to set a daily budget and this can be adjusted accordingly. Google will never charge you more than your budget.

Immediate Results

In most cases PPC will result in an instant increase of traffic to your website. SEO requires a bit of time before it starts sending traffic to your website but PPC is what I call instant gratification. (who doesn’t like that?) When properly set up and managed correctly a PPC campaign can produce results in a short period of time.

A/B Variant Testing

We constantly recommend to our clients to run two to four Google campaigns and see which ones work better. Then, dump the bad and up the anti with a new one testing the content and the keywords.

Measure, Measure Measure!

With Google’s PPC you will be able to measure your return on investment. You will be presented with metrics such as cost per click, click through rate and overall monthly investment. You want to get the best performance out of each campaign or it’s money out the window.

Brand Building and Awareness

PPC can be used as an effective way for brand building and increasing brand awareness, this is because your ads will be presented to searchers every time they search for the keywords you are targeting regardless of whether they click your ads or not.

If you really want to dig in to Pay Per Click, Here is a link to a whitepaper that will give you everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask!

Here’s to your success!

We get a lot of questions on this topic. For good or bad, there’s no one right answer.

The bottom line is you have to join the conversation because Social Media is not going away. To some it can be overwhelming. The most important thing you have to understand (in my humble opinion) is you don’t have to be everywhere. You’re better off focusing on (and this may obvious to you) where your clients and prospective clients are!

The majority of Social Media is free. If the company is trying to get money out of you don’t think it will get you better results. As an example, I’ve been on Linkedin for almost three years. I try to remain active in a few groups, (although I belong to a lot!) have over time asked for recommendations of my work which is a great way for your prospective clients to get an idea who you are. (Facebook has introduced a business version called “Branch Out”)

Personally, I will only connect with people that I know or am introduced to. Numbers for numbers sake doesn’t mean much.

This is the way of the new media world! Add value to your business by communicating with your clients, potential clients and your audience.

Did I mention it’s a great way to get people to find you on google?? More on that later.

It blows my mind why companies continue to waste money on Pay-Per-Click. (PPC)

Don’t get me wrong, if you have a new site the fact is you need to attract new leads and sales. A professionally done PPC campaign will get you the instant gratification you need.

However in the long run, you want your site optimized so when a potential prospect is searching for you your site “organically” winds up on the first page. In other words, free targeted advertising.

Think about how you search for things online. You type in a search, and scroll down the page for the best match. You may peek at the “sponsored” ads on the right by 75% of us will click on the left side first. Only 25% click on a paid advertisement. Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep optimizing your site through keyword content, inbound links, video and so on??

Years ago (and in web terms I’m talkin’ only about 3 years… ) it could take 6 months to a year to reach the promised land. Now, utilizing a combination of social media tools, video, and well written content we’ve seen movement in a fraction of the time!

The take away? Once you’re Google account runs dry, you go bye bye.