Tag Archives: Web search engine

Apr 04 2012
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Marketing Tips, Web

Keywords? SEO? Ranking?

The web runs on keywords and, yet, most website owners don’t know the first thing about how powerful keyword research can be or how to integrate it into their websites.

A keyword or keyword phrase is a word or series of words that a user enters into a search engine. Keyword research refers to the process of choosing a few of the infinite number of possible keyword phrases to use in search engine optimization efforts for your website.

For example, if you’re planning a family trip to Disney World and want to find the weather forecast, you might search for the phrase: “average Orlando weather in June.” Google takes this text and compares it against the billions of web pages in its index, using its complex algorithms to determine which sites represent the best matches.

Here’s a look at what you need to know about keyword research for your site, why you should care and how to get started:

What makes a good keyword?
Getting a high rank in search engine results pages is important, but it’s the specific keywords you’re ranked for that can determine how successful your website will be.

To understand the difference, compare a site that’s ranked for “make money online” to one that gets a high ranking for “online tutorials on underwater basket weaving.” Because more people are searching for the first phrase, a search engine ranking for that term can generate significantly more traffic and hopefully enable the site to make more money.

Two important concepts help us determine which keywords to target: search volume and competition. Volume refers to the number of people who enter your chosen keywords into the search engines. Greater search volume is usually better, enabling your site to draw more natural traffic.

But search volume should be tempered by a careful analysis of the competitiveness of the keyword phrase. In the example above, the keyword “make money online” receives significantly more volume, but it will be much more difficult to get your site bumped into the top 10 search results for that phrase than for “online tutorials on underwater basket weaving.”

Related: How Backlinks Can Boost Traffic to Your Website

How do I conduct keyword research?
The first step involves researching potential keyword phrases to target. There are plenty of tools that provide this data, but one of the easiest to use is Google’s freeAdwords Keyword Research Tool.

You can enter phrases related to your website or just your site address, and the program will generate a list of keywords to consider. The tool also will provide data on how many global and local searches occur for a particular word or phrase each month, as well as Google’s estimate of the difficulty of getting ranked for the keyword.

Unfortunately, there are no “search volume versus competitiveness” rules to follow when choosing keywords to target from this list. But keep in mind that while the competitive keywords will require more time and effort to build a high ranking, they can pay off in increased search traffic to your site.

As you research keywords and integrate them into your site, you should start to see a pattern in terms of the ideal mix of search volume and competitiveness. Much will depend on how big an investment you’re willing to make in search engine optimization.

Related: How Using Microdata Can Improve Your Website SEO

How do I integrate keyword research into my website?
Once you’ve identified a few potential keyword targets, start integrating them into your site. To increase your chances of getting ranked for your chosen terms, you’ll want to follow standard search engine optimization practices, including any of the following:

  • Create pages on your site featuring helpful content based on your target keywords.
  • Incorporate your target keywords into your page’s HTML in various places, including your site’s title, heading and meta description tags.
  • Build backlinks pointing at your site using your target keyword as anchor text. The anchor text of a link refers to the part that remains visible and underlined on the referring page. For example, the link <a href=”http://www.yoursite.com”>keyword phrase</a> would appear like this: keyword phrase. This lets the search engines know that this phrase is relevant to your site.

It will take some effort to target particular keywords but, over time, your research should yield significant improvement in search traffic volume.

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Jan 26 2012
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Web

.com – What you should know before buying your domain name.

You’ve decided to put up a website. Now you need a domain name, so your customers can use your website. YourName.com is taken, so what should you do? Let’s talk about your options and why .com is not the end all. Incase you didn’t notice, our very own website is found at J2Marketing.co. That’s right, .co, not .com.

Many people subscribe to the idea that the only good domain extension is the .com. We disagree. The .com is, however, the most popular and most easily recognized, but there are far too many options out there to say .com is the only one. Let’s look at a few others.

.co – great for the .com domain you can’t get.

.info – perfect for a simply informational site

.net – the second most popular domain

.org – great for your non-profits or churches

.me – for your personal website or blog

.mobi – we use this one for our mobile site. Try J2Marketing.mobi on your smart phone.

There are a whole host of other domain extensions, but these are the main six. Using one of these is the safest bet when choosing a domain name.

Simplicity

The other thing to remember when choosing a domain; simple is better. Recently we searched for a domain for a new client. We found a domain at .name. .name is not an ideal extension because it’s not widely known and when printed, doesn’t always look like a domain, more like a typo. However, the domain was one word which was his industry. This simplicity is sought after in the domain world; you can find general, one-word domains for thousands of dollars, compared to the average $10.

Simplicity can also refer to an easy to remember phrase. It could be your motto, or adding a ‘my’ before your name (MyAccelerators.com). Also, try to avoid lots of dashes or random letters.

Relevance

Make sure your domain has relevance to your business or industry. This seems basic, but it’s very important to remember.

Creativity

If you’re struggling to find your ideal domain, be creative and think outside the box. There’s a local church in our city that has a common name. They chose to go with HonoringHim.com because their ideal domain was taken. This domain fits in all of the proper categories, simple, relevant, and creative.

Where to buy

There are domain registrars littered throughout the web. Choosing the right one can be like finding the right paint color. Many are exactly the same, and the difference between them is negligible. Here are a few the we like:

GoDaddy.com – GoDaddy is probably the most popular registrar. We like them (not because of their scandalous commercials) because they offer almost everything you need to get a website up and running. Their services are reliable, and the hosting is fast, which means your website loads quickly. We don’t like their commercials, and we don’t like some of their prices (however they do have deals on domains at times).

GoToNames.com – GoToNames is our first choice. We like GoTo because they offer the services we need (domains, hosting, emails, etc.) at a very affordable price. Last time we looked, we have purchased around 100 domains through them. The downside we see with GoTo is that they don’t offer some of the less popular extension (like .co).

Those are the 2 registrars we recommend. There are many other choices, but these two will satisfy any web needs you have.

When to buy

If you’re wondering when you should buy your desired domain, the answer is now. If you know which domain you’d like, and you have the $10-15 needed to purchase it, don’t wait. That domain could be snatched up by someone else, even your competitor. Recently one of our clients wanted the .com version of their domain, but they waited too long. Now that domain is being offered to them for $5,000. That’s a little out of their price range. Lesson learned, don’t hesitate. Even if you’re not ready to put the website up, having that domain tucked away is very beneficial.

So, if you’re ready to make the step into the world wide web, do your research, choose the right domain, and make the purchase quickly. If you’re still lost in this process, we can help you.

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Dec 30 2011
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J2 Marketing

Marketing with Video

As more people use the Internet in search of information, online video becomes increasingly important for reaching and connecting with followers, fans and customers. Video’s rise in power as a marketing tool is due to its attractiveness to web surfers. By adding a smile and a friendly voice, you can build rapport with your customers faster and help them relate to your business on a more personal level.

Video connects customers on a deeper level because it covers and reaches out to different types of learning styles: the visual where people learn by reading or seeing demonstrations of a product or service and the auditory where people connect by listening to audio.

Videos also help sites show up higher on the search engines. Browsers and search engines are becoming savvier and are spending less time reading endless web pages of text. Instead, they are picking up on keywords tagged on videos appearing on sites.

As a growing business, it is important that you integrate video into your online marketing efforts. Even if you start with a basic video tip on how to best use your product or service, just get it recorded and post it to YouTube, your own website and/or blog. Although most people like humor and creativity, they also like messages that help them save time or money or makes their life easier, and that’s what you can provide.

Related: How to Start Video Blogging for Your Business

 Here are seven things you need to keep in mind when creating video marketing pieces:

1. Offer value. 
Every video you offer needs to include something of value for the viewer, whether it is a tip, resource or just a laugh for the day. You shouldn’t record video just for the sake of having video. The following approach is an excellent way to begin your video efforts and get you comfortable with video creation and marketing. This great technique comes from trafficgeyser.com. Create the following four videos:

  • Two FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). These are questions frequently asked by your customers or clients. For example, as a fitness trainer, you might record an answer to “What are the best ways to prepare for a marathon?”
  • Two SAQs (Should Ask Questions). These are questions your customers or clients should be asking but aren’t. This is additional valuable information that will make their lives easier or save them time or money.

2. Include a call to action. 
Many businesses create great videos and yet include no call to action. If you want clients to call you or visit your site, ask them. You can also ask them to sign up for your email list or share the video with friends. If your video is focused on how your business can help your customers — that is, what’s in it for them — then you’ll have their undivided attention.

3. Tag. Use relevant keywords in the video titles and descriptions when you upload them to sites like YouTube. Search engines will find it much easier to index your video file. Make sure you include your URL within the actual video at the end of your video–use a clearly visible font at the bottom middle for better viewing and exposure. Finally, give your video file a relevant name so it will show up better in search-engine results. The file name should be understandable and relevant to what your customer is looking for. For example, if you’re selling widgets, then “SmithCompanyWidgetsFAQ.mov” is better than “9077709845wdgt.mov.”


Related: How to Use Video to Market Your Business

4. Address objections. 
Respond to any objections that have surfaced about your products or service. Videos are a great way to connect with upset customers because they can look at your face and see that you are sincere.

5. Pick a focus. 
Make sure the video has the essence of your brand personality and carries a single message or story. Do not try to cover 15 things in a 60-second video. But be creative, whether you choose to create FAQ and SAQ videos, or film on-the-road footage, candid-camera laughs, bloopers, or even product demos.

6. Upload them to your site. 
Make your video’s visible on the home page of your website. Don’t hide your marketing on some obscure page that an online customer will never find. Including a short video on your homepage can often keep visitors on your site longer. Make sure you keep your video above the fold on your site, meaning people shouldn’t have to scroll down to view it.

Related: Secrets of Crafting a Top-Notch Online Video

7. Keep it short. 
Videos should be short and to the point. Remember, the less people know about you, the shorter their attention span will be when watching your video. Prospective customers often know little or nothing about you; they simply want to know who you are, what you do, and most importantly, what’s in it for them. So give them the message in less than two minutes.

This article is an adapted excerpt from The Social Wave: Why Your Business Is Wiping Out with Social Media and How to Fix It (Entrepreneur Press, 2011) by Starr Hall.

 

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