I must admit that while I was excited to participate in the event last year, I wasn’t as ‘invested’ in the cause until I spent more time recently working on their soon-to-be-released new website and reading the stories of the Centre’s clients and that of owners Heather and Kevin Mills.

Kevin was just 28 when a fun filled day ended in tragedy. While celebrating a family wedding on the beach in Cuba in February 2009, he was driven head first into the sand by a wave. Kevin broke his neck, sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), was diagnosed a C4 ASIA A, quadriplegic and had no feeling or movement below the shoulders. He was told he would have to steer his wheelchair with his head.  Kevin and Heather were both Advanced Care Paramedics in Toronto at the time.  Since then, they have worked tirelessly to bring new programs and state-of-the-art rehabilitation strategies to their clients at the Centre here in Newmarket. With much determination, many of their clients have made excellent strides in regaining mobility and their stories are so inspiring. Kevin is now able to push his own wheelchair with power assist wheels. He has completed two half marathons since his accident. It just goes to show you that Doctors don’t have all the answers and no one should ever underestimate the power of the human spirit.

Walk it Off Recovery is a Not-for-Profit Centre that provides exercise-based recovery, education and support to those living with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Their goal is to improve quality of life and increase independence by maximizing recovery.  This year all proceeds of the 5km event will go towards procuring a LiteGate suspended walking apparatus over treadmill.

The highlight of the day for me was watching the Centre’s clients complete the race. Two of them were able to get up out of their wheelchairs and with assistance, walk across the finish line. I was overcome with emotion as I watched their families cheering them on as they reached that milestone.  What an amazing achievement. I am more determined than ever to help them any way I can. One day I hope to see Kevin walk across that finish line too.

As with any not-for-profits, donations are needed to keep the Centre thriving. Donations are gratefully accepted here. If you can, please consider donating as you never know when a day might come that you or your family might need the assistance of a Centre such as this.

The new website and social media links will be launching very soon. Stay tuned!  In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Heather at 289-340-0072 or via email here: heather@walkitoffrecovery.org

Until next time,

Joanne

1. LinkedIn Company Page

LinkedIn has transformed the company pages and it is now quite functional.  When adding your products or services, make sure you are taking full advantage of the ability to link that page back to your website, include YouTube videos where appropriate and external links to things like Amazon if you have a book or e-book that you are promoting.  As well, customize the page to include an image and in depth description and keywords to help promote the page.

2. Your Blog

LinkedIn removed the apps that would pull your blog into your LinkedIn profile. But they replaced it with another vehicle – that of the Jetpack plug-in. For those of you on self hosted WordPress sites, you will need a WordPress.com profile as well as the Jetpack plug-in. Once configured, your blog post will be pulled to your status updates when you publish a new post and it goes out into the newsfeed and also appears on LinkedIn Today adding to your visibility.

3. Recommendations/Endorsements

You have the ability to request recommendations for both your personal profile and your company pages. Use this feature! LinkedIn also recently added ‘endorsements’ for profiles. While some people consider this fluff, I disagree. This is yet another touch point and recognition of your business and your skill set. It also contributes to the drip factor.  Remember to return the favour by acknowledging others’ talents too.  What goes around, comes around in this space.

If you want to learn more, join me at the Strategic Sales and Marketing Expo taking place April 25th, 2013 in Stouffville, ON where I will be running a LinkedIn workshop on ‘how to leverage your LinkedIn profile for your business’. This workshop is aimed at those who already have profiles but want to explore LinkedIn at a deeper level.  Everything you need to know about the day can be found by clicking this link.

I hope to see you there!

How are you doing with your LinkedIn strategy?  I’d love your feedback. And don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog too via the commentluv feature here on the site.

Until next time,

Joanne

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With the announcement last week from Facebook on the upcoming facelift to the Newsfeed (the first in Facebook’s 7 year history), I thought it might be helpful to outline 3 of the major changes and guidance on how to switch up your marketing approach to take advantage of this new roll out.

In the announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared that 50% of newsfeed content today is images and visual content so not surprisingly, visual display plays a key role in this announcement.  Take note that this isn’t all about us however….With Facebook’s purchase of Instagram (to the tune of $1 Billion), and the proliferation of mobile, they have to find a way to market and monetize it. And, while there was no mention of how Facebook ads will be affected, one can expect that ads will soon see changes (likely more visual real estate) in light of their IPO last year.

In a nutshell, here are some of the major changes to the newsfeed that we are about to see rolled out:

1. Larger images (see image above)

Prepare yourself for a much more visual newsfeed.  Begin thinking about ways that you can create more visually compelling content. If you’ve been previously posting text-based status updates and links, think about how you can convert those ideas into visuals.  As well, Facebook has also changed the way captions will display. Currently the captions appear under the photo. In the new version, captions will overlay the image so you so these should now be brief and to the point and action driven. Photo albums will get a facelift as well and video content will appear larger.

While the number of Likes on your Facebook page has always been important, the new newsfeed makes these Likes even more meaningful. Stories shared in the newsfeed, whether from individual users or business pages, will now also pull in elements of that person’s/page’s timeline, such as their cover photo, thumbnails of their friends/fans, etc.  So it’s important to have an impactful Facebook cover photo because every time someone Likes your page, that cover photo will have the opportunity to influence the friends of your new Facebook fan.

2. Streamlined newsfeed based on categories

Inspired by the idea that peoples’ newsfeeds should include a mix of content from family and friends as well as news and information from pages of businesses and public figures you follow, the new newsfeed will be based on categories. It is also felt that users should be able to filter out these messages from one another. So, users will now be able to switch between different feeds using a toggler.  According to Facebook, 30% of the content in the newsfeed is content from Facebook business pages rather than individual content.  What this means for you as a business owner is that even if someone likes and follows your business page, they may never see your posts because they filtered them out by looking at the content posted only from their friends.

What the solution to this? Focus on your tribe, those evangelists and customers (which may still contain your friends and family). Your tribe/evangelists are the lovers of your brand – the people who find you newsworthy and share your updates with their own Facebook friends.  So, whether they’re customers or just pure fans of what you do, these people will be key to your success on Facebook. Find out what these evangelists are most passionate about, what they love to hear about most from you and share content that directly targets them.  Don’t be afraid to have a call to action that asks them to hit that share button. That action of sharing will put the content in the friends-only feed of all the evangelists’ friends, increasing the reach of your content.

The good news about the newsfeed change is that we will be able to select items to show in chronological order again (YAY) which is something Facebook removed some time ago.  Note:  Not everything we publish appears in the newsfeed. Facebook still has its own algorithm that decides what goes into the newsfeed both personally and from our business pages.

3. More mobile friendly

A healthy percentage of Facebook lovers access FB via their mobile device. With the new design, Facebook will now have the same look and feel across all devices – mobile, tablet and web, creating a much more unified and simplified user experience. The left-hand menu will be accessible wherever you go within Facebook, and it’s easy to navigate to the very top of the newsfeed when you notice new stories have been posted. These new design changes will be rolling out slowly over the coming weeks on web and mobile (first on iPhone and iPad, and then on Android).  If you would like to be one of the first people to try it out, click here to get on the waiting list.

If you are a brick and mortar business, explore apps like Foursquare and tie it to Facebook. Or perhaps consider a Facebook-friendly mobile app of your own for your business. The possibilities are endless.

Fasten your seat belt, there are no doubt more changes to come. I am excited to see what happens next!  Share your thoughts with me, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Leave a link back to your own blog too if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site.

Until next time,

Joanne

As a small business owner you have limited funds. I get that. I have been an entrepreneur since 1990 and I made my share of mistakes when I was starting out. I have learned over the years to not to waste time and money trying to cut corners. When I worked at IBM, we didn’t apologize for our prices. We didn’t slam the competition. We stayed professional, worked hard to garner respect and deliver great value. Customers deal with IBM because it is a stand up organization, the people are well trained and they have a great product.  It was a great learning ground. I have tried to carry these philosophies forward to my own business.

If you are a new or inexperienced business owner and are about to make a buying decision in the form of another person/company’s services that will have an impact on your own success, do yourself a favour and take the time to:

• Examine the knowledge and experience that the individual brings to the table. Try to get a handle on how successful they are. Ask:
  • How long have they been in business?
  • How many clients do they have?
  • Are they current in their knowledge?
  • Are they specialized?
• Ask for referrals and follow through by contacting those individuals to get feedback. Inquire as to:
  • How long have they been working with this individual/company?
  • Have they seen growth in their business since working with this person/company?
  • Does this individual/company care as much about your business as they do their own?
  • Would they recommend them to a colleague?
• Meet the individual, ask questions and assess whether or not this person is a good fit for you and your business. Consider:
  • The person’s personality (you may be working with them closely for a long period of time)
  • Work ethic – do they respond to calls and emails promptly? Ask for samples of their work.
  • What is their turnaround time on tasks?

Once you have made note of these questions, know that your business will be scrutinized in much the same way.  Strive hard to address each of these and your business will be successful.

It turns out that that prospect can afford my prices. And, as my newest client, she is learning that it’s not just about the money. We will work very hard to develop and grow her business. And we will do it together – as business partners. I can’t wait to see her successes!

Share your experiences with me. I love getting feedback. And don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog as well if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog via email, please click here to access the site where you can leave your comment.

Until next time,

Joanne

1. Type of Website

My recommendation is that your website be WordPress based. There are hundreds if not thousands of templates out there to choose from and the platform is ideal for relationship building. There are many which are highly customizable and the beauty of WordPress is that you can switch templates rather easily and give your website a whole new look in relatively little time. If you are a business owner, ensure you are using the .org (self hosted) version of WordPress rather than WordPress.com though.  Please refer to this previous blog post for reasons why.

2. Customized Banner / Header

Branding is extremely important. If you don’t have design skills yourself, get help. Make sure the graphic truely reflects who you are as a person and as a business owner. Slideshows are popular although they can be distracting so when you create your site, keep your end user in mind. Don’t make things overwhelming.

3. Font Size

Make sure the font size on your site is easily read.  Visitors will not hang around long if the type is miniscule. Use fonts that are generally available on most computer brands and operating systems or substitution can occur making it a guessing game as to what people will see when they land on your site.

4. Navigation

The average amount of time that anyone is going to spend on your site according to stats is 1-3 minutes. If people have to spend that much time just trying to navigate your site, they will not be back.  Keep tabs to a minimum, keep the tab descriptions clear and avoid too many sub tabs or levels of navigation. If you do opt for sub tabs, make sure people can navigate their way back to previous pages easily.

5. Syndication Buttons

In this day and age, people want to be part of the conversation and they are willing to share your content. Be sure you have some method whereby people can post your content to places like Facebook, Twitter etc., but also to the social bookmark sites like Digg, Stumbleupon and similar sites. This way, it’s not just you doing all the work!

6. Blog

A key component to your website should be a blog. This is where you can explore ideas and share your expertise with your readers. Make sure you have your comments enabled so that people can respond to you. And always answer back. This is an ideal way to start building relationships and encourage loyalty. In the case of my clients, we put the blog right on the home page where visitors will see what’s new when they come back to the site!

7. Advertising and Banner Ads

Be careful with populating your website with a lot of advertising or banner ads.  It can be overwhelming and distracting. Google also penalizes sites that are overdone and that will be reflected in your search engine rankings. They are interested in sites with great content so focus your attention there instead.

8. Search Engine Optimization

I can’t tell you how many sites I visit where there has been NO SEO done at all. There are many web designers out there who can create a beautiful site but if no one can find it, you are missing out on a lot of traffic.  Make sure you do your homework when hiring someone to do your website and ensure they understand how to properly optimize your site. If you already have SEO in place, revisit the metatags and make sure they still reflect who you are and what your business is about. If you are not sure what SEO is, please click here.

9. Social Media

Your website should connect to your social media sites and vice versa.  Ensure that your audience can meet you in the space where they feel comfortable online. It’s not about you. If someone is more comfortable building a relationship with you on Facebook than your website, make sure you have a Facebook Like Box as an example where people can easily ‘Like’ your page and connect with you there. Likewise all your other sites should connect and drive traffic back to your website.

10. Content and Call to Action

Last but not least, the key to a great website is great content and making sure there is a Call to Action! Tell visitors what you want them to do! Showcase your personality, don’t be afraid to be different and above all else, provide visitors to your site with great information that says you are the leader in your industry, someone they can trust and that they will want to do business with! After all, people buy from people they know, like and trust.

Share your thoughts on this with me! I love getting feedback and don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog too if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. I look forward to connecting with you!

Until next time,

Joanne

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It’s important to note the rise of mobile web use and be sure that your website renders well to a mobile device! If appropriate, you might also consider creating a mobile app for your business as they now account for more than a third of social networking time across PCs and mobile devices.

It was also noted that while the PC based social media audience declined by 5% over last year, the time spent on social media increased by a whopping 24% meaning a deeper level of engagement.

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So, which sites were most visited and how did they perform in 2012?

Pinterest was the standout this year and experienced exponential growth. If you are a business owner in the following verticals, a Pinterest presence would be worth considering:

• Food
• Arts & Crafts/DIY
• Style & Fashion
• Home Decor

To read more about Pinterest, please click here to access an earlier post.

Overall however, Facebook continues to dominate and is still the second most visited site on the web next to Google. For more information on how to increase your level of engagement on your Facebook Business page, please click here to access a previous post.

Google+ also experienced good growth this year. It would be worthwhile exploring a Google+ account as many of the Google services are now tied into it – including Google Places and YouTube. Google continues to tweak its offerings, however it is also pulling many of the free services it has previously offered and they continue to test developers’ and SEO organizations patience with its algorithms that control the search engines.

Twitter and WordPress enjoyed modest growth and Tumblr continues to be quite popular with the youth.  MySpace and Blogger continue to lose ground.

LinkedIn growth was flat as LI struggles to find ways to allow users to engage in more meaningful ways. LI recently introduced changes to the profile, including the removal of the events function. They also did away with the Apps feature and added the ability to add media links to images, presentations, videos, and documents which is a welcomed change. They are also working on providing rich media functionality to the new profile, so if you are a Slideshare or Portfolio Display user, your content for these apps has moved to the “Summary” section on your profile on the new design. On a negative note, one clumsy feature is how you add your blog back in to your LinkedIn profile if you are a self hosted WordPress user.  You must now have a WordPress.com profile, tie it to your self hosted site, install the JetPack Plugin and configure it to link your blog to your LinkedIn profile.

Social Care (customer service on social media), is becoming imperative particularly for global brands, although I always caution small business owners to keep a watchful eye and ear to the ground as customers choose when and where to voice their questions, issues and complaints. One should be prepared to engage users in this space – good, bad or indifferent.  According to this Nielsen report, one in three people now prefer social care over contacting a company over the phone.

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Of particular interest is the shift in the customer decision making journey as brands no longer can control how and when customers will make a buying decision. Opinions, tastes and preferences expressed by larger pools of influencers  (friends, family and peers) now dictate what a consumer will likely do so it’s important to be part of the conversation – listening, learning and reacting to how consumers are relating to your brand.

I am excited to see what 2013 brings! Who will be the newcomers? What will be the standout site? Social media is an exciting and challenging space to be in, but the rewards can be big and ignoring it would be a mistake. One thing is for sure, it’s fast moving and ever changing. Don’t get left behind! If you need help, consider contacting a Social Media specialist like myself or someone in your own area.

“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change -”. ― Heraclitus

Share your thoughts with me! I love getting feedback. And don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site.

Happy Holidays!

Joanne

]]> http://virtuallyyoursjb.com/press/2012/12/18/social-media-nielsen-report-2012-in-review/feed/ 0 http://virtuallyyoursjb.com/press/2012/11/13/3-key-reasons-why-blogging-is-important/ http://virtuallyyoursjb.com/press/2012/11/13/3-key-reasons-why-blogging-is-important/#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:52:39 +0000 Joanne http://virtuallyyoursjb.com/press/?p=2062 Many of my clients and prospects cringe at the thought of having to write a blog post weekly or bi-weekly. They are concerned that they won’t be able to come up with that amount of content or that their schedules are so busy they won’t have time.  As a Social Media Specialist, I counsel clients of the importance of being present and active in the blogosphere. So, why is blogging so important? Here are 3 key reasons you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

1. Provide Expert Information

Most people nowadays are searching for answers to their questions on the internet. And, they are looking for people who are experts in their field so they can trust the information they get.  As a business owner, blogging is an excellent opportunity to elaborate and showcase your knowledge and become known as the g0-to person in your industry. The goal is to become the person your client or prospect thinks of when they think of your product or service!  Focus on educating the masses. You may have to give away a little bit of your intellectual property but it will be well worth it in the end.

2. Search Engines

Google loves fresh content.  And, the social media sites and blogs tend to be heavily indexed by Google, meaning Google crawls these sites on a regular basis looking for fresh information to populate their list. By providing consistent, rich content, you signal Google to rank you higher in the search engines.  You see, it’s not good enough just to have a website; you need to get found when people are doing searches. Your goal should be to show up as one of the top 5 listings on page 1 of Google for your target words. Tip: Be aware that Google will penalize you for spammy content, too much duplicate content and/or a website that is high on affiliate or banner type ads.  Keep your content as original as possible and provide great value.

3. Buying Cycle

The bottom line is that people buy from people they know, like and trust.  But, it takes time to build those relationships so you need to be committed to blogging over the long haul.  Don’t give up after a few months of publishing.  People need time to digest who you are and what you are about. And, when you are writing those blog posts, remember to showcase your personality, answer questions and encourage dialogue. This makes it much easier for people to want to engage you and pick up the phone, email or press that ‘buy now’ button.

I’d love your feedback. Share your blogging ideas with me. And, don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog too, via the commentluv feature here on the site.

Until next time,

Joanne

10. Length of Updates

There are stats to show that status updates  of less than 80 words get more notice and engagement on FB.  The reason for this is that people are ‘scanners’, so keep you updates short and to the point. This doesn’t mean you can’t go over 80 words when necessary – but this is a good guideline.  There are also indicators that more people ‘hang out’ on Facebook on Thursday afternoons and Fridays. Test your target market and see when you get your highest engagement.

Tip: Don’t forget to add your business page link on your personal profile. You’ll find that on the About tab of your personal profile.

9. Landing Pages

Landing pages give you the flexibility of adding additional information; links, graphics, video, opt-ins etc., to your page. Consider it a mini web page that you can ‘attach’ to your Facebook Business Page. Be sure to include an arrow on this page to the Like box to encourage people to like the page. This used to be a good way to get people to like the page until Facebook eliminated your ability to set it as your landing page. However, it can still be used from outside of Facebook. Consider creating one (you can use a FB app or consider getting a custom one done) and put the link to this landing page in your email signature block.

8. Tagging

Upload images and video and tag individuals. This goes out into the news feed for that individual and their friends whether those people are connected to you or not providing the person you tag allows themselves to be tagged. Be judicious and fair when tagging people in your content.

7. Share Button

Encourage people to share your content.  Again, this goes out into the news feed increasing the virality of your posts. Return the favour! Don’t be myopic. It’s not all about you. Make sure you are visiting others’ pages and engaging. What goes around, comes around in this space.

6. Email Signature Block

Put a link to your page in your newsletters and your email signature block. Include the link to your custom landing page instead if you create one. (see item 9 above).

5. Invite Friends

Invite your friends to ‘Like’ the page. The more the merrier.  Those who have not yet acted upon the invite, or those who have already liked the page will no longer be ‘clickable. But those who opt not to like the page will be come an active invitee again.  Just be mindful of inviting the same person too many times or they might un-friend you.

4. Facebook ‘Like box’/‘badge’

Put a Facebook Like box or badge on your site. You may require the services of your web or technical support person to help you do this, but it is a good touch point to add to your site or your blog. You’ll find these under the Resources tab when you edit your page.

3. Facebook Contest

Consider running a Facebook contest. Ensure you follow the Facebook rules. You can create your own custom contest tab (requires some tech skills or help) or consider a third party app like Wildfire.

2. Facebook Ads

If you have the budget and a wide enough/accessible target market on Facebook, consider Facebook ads. This is a bid process and can be costly particularly in North America. This is Facebook’s revenue generating proposition so it has the most options. My advice would be to opt for the pay per click option.

1. Content is King

In my opinion, the best way to get and maintain likes on your page is to be consistent in providing great content to your audience.  Keep your audience engaged, informed and demonstrate that you are the go-to expert in your field or industry. Remember to check your stats on Facebook to see what is working for you. This is called Insights and it’s available on your admin panel.

As always, it is important to remember that Facebook, like all the other social media sites are meant to help you build relationships and address the beginning stages of the sell cycle. It’s not about buy my stuff.

Share your favourite ways to engage people on your Facebook biz page. Don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you need help, feel free to contact me. And if you have a minute, please like my Facebook business page. You’ll find it here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joanne

Knowing the following domain information is critical:

• Who is your actual domain name registrar and provider?
• Do you have access to the control panel? (this means knowing the website, username and password)
• Do you know when you have to renew your domain?

1. Registration of Your Domain Name

There are many domain providers out there like Tucows for example. But you don’t actually purchase the domain name from them, you get it through one of their extensive list of resellers. This is the company that handles the transaction. So if you do a Whois search to find out who owns your domain, it may say Tucows, but the actual reseller will likely not be listed and it is them that you will be dealing with to renew, cancel or move your domain when the time comes. So, you should do your homework to make sure this domain provider is reputable. Are you choosing them because they are the cheapest option?  You should be asking many questions before you choose. Find out how easy it is to renew your domain name, move it or cancel it. Ask your business associates about their experiences. Look on the internet for reviews on the company.  Talk to a website person and get their feedback. Try contacting the potential registrar to see if they answer the phone or reply to emails. If they don’t, it’s a signal to keep looking.

2. Purchasing the Domain

Don’t allow someone else to purchase the domain name (and pay for it) on your behalf. The responsibility of the Registrar is to protect the ‘owner’ of the domain. If their name is listed as the administrative contact and their credit card is tied to your domain name, they in essence, own it. If something happens to your relationship with the purchaser and they don’t want to hand it over, you will have a next to impossible time retrieving your own domain name.

3. Administrative Details

Make sure you have all the pertinent information printed off (don’t leave it solely on your computer in case of a crash). Make sure the contact information, especially your email is kept up to date and you know when your domain is due to be renewed. Don’t wait until the last minute to do it. Make sure you know ahead of time how to renew your domain or get your technical support person to handle it but give them plenty of notice.  Normally you should receive notification from your registrar about a month before that your domain is due to expire. If you have your domain name set to auto renew, ensure the credit card on file is up to date so that the transaction will go through smoothly.

4. Domain/Hosting Lapse

If you are in a highly competitive industry, you won’t want to allow your domain renewal or your hosting to lapse. You could face having to wait for your domain name to become publicly available again and have to repurchase it – that’s if someone doesn’t beat you to it first!  If you rely on your website for e-commerce, this is another good reason to stay on top of the renewal process.

In the case of one of my new clients, she incurred a hefty fee for having to reinstate her domain and hosting after it lapsed. Luckily we were able to get this reversed. In the case of the other, it has been very time consuming as we had to transfer her domain to a different, more customer-service focused company under a real time crunch.  In both cases, this could have been avoided with the steps above.

These things sound simple enough but most of us get caught up in our day to day business activities and this is one of the things that is likely to slip and before you know it, you are scrambling.

If you have questions about your domain or hosting, feel free to comment right here on the site. Remember to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one, via the commentluv feature here on the site. Or you can contact me by clicking here.

Until next time,

Joanne

Most business owners understand that in this day and age, you must have a website. Your prospects will look for you and check you out. But it’s not enough just to have a business card with your web address on it. How does the rest of the world find you? So, what is search engine optimization anyway?  Wikipedia’s definition of SEO is: the process of improving the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s “natural” or unpaid (organic) search result.  What the heck does that mean?

Here is the simplest way I can explain it.  Natural or organic search results occur when you are sitting at your computer and you are looking for information on the internet. Most people will use something like Google although there are many others. When you go to Google and you type in the keywords for what you are looking for – say for example you are looking for a chinese restaurant in Newmarket Ontario, you will likely type in ‘chinese restaurant Newmarket’ or something similar.

When you type these words into the search engine, Google must then go and search the millions of websites to come up with the results you are looking for.  Did you ever wonder how they do that given the millions of websites (and growing daily) out there?

The search engines use what are called ‘spiders’ or ‘robots’ that scan your website on a periodic basis (some more often than others). When they scan your website, they are looking for keywords that they can then use to add to their database. This is called indexing your site. When you have a well indexed site, you have a better chance of having your website float to the top of the results pages. For many of the clients I work with, they have a website but these keywords have either never been identified in the proper format that Google can use or they are inadequate.

The goal in getting your site properly indexed by someone like Google, is to get your site ranked in the top 5 on the first page of results for the query so it’s important to get a good handle on what keywords you want to get found on. While aiming for a high ranking however, it’s prudent to mention that being ranked #1 on page 1 of Google is like trying to hit a moving target. There are many intricacies involved, not the least of which is that every individual with a computer accessing the internet is on a different server, so the results that show in Google for a specific keyword search can be different when viewed in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome etc. and this can be different from home to home.  The main thing to keep in mind is that you would like to be found on the first page of Google and top 5 would be an excellent result.  The reason for this is that most people will not leave the first page of Google to get the answers to their query.  The real question is how do you properly index your site so that you maximize your chances of getting highly ranked.

As you can imagine, Google and the other search engines keep their algorithms close to their chest. They would love you to pay for advertising. These are the search results that show up at the top of the first page in the faded yellow box. These are paid for results and not results you would find in an organic search. There are many (myself included) who never click on these sites because they are in my opinion, forced and it can be quite expensive to compete for this space (it is a bid process) particularly if your industry is highly competitive. In my experience, it is not necessary to pay for adwords to get a decent ranking.

It is common knowledge however that the social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for example are highly indexed by Google. This is because the search engines love fresh content and they find it in these tools. So, using social media as part of your marketing strategy is a good way to get ranked higher up in the search engines. Having a blog is another excellent strategy. Working with locally based clients over the past few years, I have developed a strategy that is working well and getting good search engine results.

If you would like to know more about SEO and the strategies used for getting your business properly indexed, I would love to hear from you.  Don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog too if you have one, via the commentluv feature you’ll find here on my site.

Until next time,

Joanne