Jun
17
2010
The main objective of this weeks post? Interviewing Your Potential SEO Company(part 2) is to cover the areas? of partnership between the prospective SEO company and your business. The blog consists of questions which help in determining?? whether the company is going to take an active interest in the success of your business or just punch the clock and charge the monthly search engine optimization fees. The basic questions that? a company must ask are ,
‘How often will we communicate’ , ‘What is our timeline and how will we define success’ , ‘Can you help build my business beyond your SEO efforts ‘ ,
Success can be defined in a number of ways like? a ranking on the front page of the search engines for the defined keywords.
………….. Read More
May
31
2010
The daily evolution of search engine optimization results in the birth of new myths on a regular basis but the old ones dont seem to die with the same regularity. This may be due to the idea that some myths make it easier for companies to sell their SEO services, while others just carry on under their own power. The following is a list of some of the new myths as well as those that might take either a silver bullet or a wooden stake to kill.
- That Google partners with or approves SEO companies – This one is unlikely to die any time soon as it sounds great in a sales pitch, even though it isnt true.
- You have to optimize your meta tags Spammers latched on to meta tags long ago to further their evil agendas. Search engines countered by virtually ignoring meta tags in their algorithms.
- Well register your site with hundreds of directories to improve your rankings Another fallacy that sounds great in a sales pitch. Besides, a high percentage of directories are specific in nature. Registering a website that sells dog collars on a directory for mobility scooters isnt going to help anyone.
- Using Flash hurts a sites rankings It doesnt hurt, but it doesnt help either. Flash used in moderation can improve the user experience while too much can slow down the site, irritating impatient visitors.
- I know my keywords so I dont need to research them Site owners may know their keywords, but they typically go with keywords which are too general or terms used by business insiders. Research will reveal the terms people are using to search for a companys products and which ones can be optimized for the fastest and most cost-effective results.
- Link building is optional Assumptions are that algorithms currently in use at Google, Yahoo, and Bing rely on in-bound links for around 50% of their ranking formula. Without link building the rest of SEO work is a waste of time in terms of rankings.
- You got to get to page one at all costs The get to page one part is true while the at all costs part is false. This is where keyword research comes in by defining the keywords which can make it to page while delivering a positive return on investment.
Listen for these myths in sales pitches to determine who is blowing smoke and who isnt. The second half this list will be covered in Part 2.
May
19
2010
Advances in alternatives and the decrease of associated costs have taken search engine marketing techniques far beyond the optimization of written content, blogs and articles. One of the most visible and well-known of these advances is YouTube, the video sharing site purchased by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006. A second advance, though not as ubiquitous as YouTube, is the podcast. A podcast is a digital media file which can be distributed over the internet using syndicated feeds for playback on portable media players, laptops and personal computers. Despite their name, podcastare not the exclusive domain of the IPod, a popular misconception.
Podcasts are also not the exclusive domain of the major media players such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and other large distributors of news and media who make their content available in podcast format. Open access, the ease of broadcasting, and the affordability of necessary equipment have made it possible for podcasts to be created and distributed by any individual or small company. With a miniature video camera like the Flip Camcorder and USB condenser microphone, anyone can join the ranks of podcasters for a total tab of approximately $300. These media files can then be uploaded to video broadcasting sites like YouTube or Vimeo.
Audio only podcasts can even be done be done using a mobile phone with sites like Blog Talk Radio (www.BlogTalkRadio.com). This is the simplest of podcast formats, allowing for a podcast to be uploaded to the site simply by logging in and speaking into the phone. Done in this manner, the quality of the audio can vary so upgrading to higher quality broadcasting gear is recommended.
The importance of podcasting for businesses is that it not only provides another medium to deliver content, it delivers that content to a demographic which is highly educated and highly paid. According to a study by Arbitron and Edison Research on podcast consumers, 63% had attended college and 21% had earned advanced degrees. In the same study, almost two- thirds of podcast consumers who stated income levels earned over $ 50,000 per year. Podcast consumers in an older study also cited their interest level in content as a reason for preferring podcasts over written material. A KnowledgeStorm survey of 3900 IT and business professionals found that 60% of B2B buyers preferred their research in podcast format over white papers and analyst reports because podcasts made the material more interesting.
In summary, podcasts are a relatively simple and cost effective venue to reach out to targeted and valuable demographic groups. Additionally, these groups have shown a desire for communications to be delivered in a podcast format. For a free evaluation on how podcasting should be integrated into your business marketing strategy, call GMR Web Team at (714) 731 9000.
For more details on creating and uploading podcasts read this old blog post. It is relevant even today.
May
11
2010
Keeping up with innovations in the alternatives to written content could be considered a full time job as the role of websites continues to evolve from simple information dissemination sources to whiz-bang multimedia experiences. While the options have expanded dramatically, the ultimate purpose of any research based, optimized content remains the same; to bring visitors to the site and then keep them interested while they move through the conversion process. With visitors becoming more discriminating, the sales process may require multiple visits prior to conversion so a variety of content and multiple ways to deliver it can make each return trip to the site a fresh experience. Going beyond written content can include any of the following:
- Videos: Can be of two kinds, product information video or product use video. Add it to your sales pages to increase conversions. According to industry statistics, conversions increase by 30% if an effective video is added.
- Video conferencing: Good for B2B customers.
- RSS Feeds: Use these feeds to advertise your product.
- Webinars: suitable for knowledge product sites
- Live Chat: Suitable for all websites, it instantly resolves problems and questions by prospects
- Interactive Features like Twitter”" and Facebook on social networking: This is the new WOM (word-of-mouth) sales pitch. Others talk about you in fact they recommend you while you just act as an information facilitator or a problem solver.
- Flash(Now that Google/Adobe are working to make it readable by crawlers): Interesting Flash makes the visitor stay longer on the website and the probability of clicking on a link increases by 23%.
- Podcasts: Get interesting interviews done, throw in some humor suddenly you’ll find people liking you and your products more.
As a result of increasing competition which makes standing out from the crowd more difficult, many businesses are now using these written content alternatives to offer a more dynamic experience to their visitors. Some of these features, such as videos and video conferencing, can either be embedded on the site or linked out to third party providers, depending on the budget of the website. In fact, advance at video conferencing providers such as SightSpeed and Vidyo have now made the services both cost effective and robust enough to host larger conferences.
Two things which haven’t changed are the need for extensive keyword and keyphrase research as the foundation for SEO initiatives as well as constant testing to see what is working and what isn’t. The bottom line for any of these features, after all, is to deliver on their intended objective. Research and testing can confirm its value. If research and testing capacity isn’t available in-house, consider outsourcing these tasks to experienced web design and search engine optimization agencies.
With increasingly high expectations from visitors and an intensifying competitive landscape, websites which add alternative content delivery features must pay more attention and be open to testing and analysis of them to see that they are providing optimal results. It is at the web pages themselves, after all, where information is collected, conversions occur, and success of the site is determined. For that reason, using only the features which visitors see as valuable is imperative in terms of delivering a company’s message and enhancing the perceived value of the site in its entirety.
Apr
29
2010
Visitors who has arrived at your site, like what they see, and go to your shopping cart to make a purchase are much like patrons at a restaurant who have perused the menu and have decided on what they want to order for dinner. While the order is being placed the restaurant’s waiter or waitress usually plays one of two roles; that of an order taker or that of someone who is trying to enhance the experience of the diner by suggesting appetizers, side dishes, and/or a bottle of wine to complement the main dish. This activity continues after the meal is finished with dessert, coffee, and after dinner drink suggestions. Done properly, the patrons of the restaurant don’t feel like they are being ‘’sold” into buying anything. The feeling is that their server is genuinely interested in making their experience as positive as possible. Needless to say, these subtle suggestions result in bigger tabs and bigger revenues for a restaurant, especially when practiced on a consistent basis.
This type of activity, known as ”push marketing”, should be taking place on your website as well. What this means is that instead of playing the role of order taker, your site should be suggesting additional products which are closely related to the product or service being purchased. The timing of these suggestions is critical and should take place when your customer is taking an action such as making a purchase, leaving contact details, or signing up to receive information from you. Amazon conducts this type push marketing when someone buys a book with their ”Customers who bought this item also bought…” list of books by either the same author or with similar themes.
Websites which offer these types of upsells through their push marketing efforts generally see increases in their average per-transaction amount of 15 to 30 percent. It’s a significant increase, made easier by the fact that the additional sales are being generated by customers who were already in the process of making a purchase. If you’re not already offering upsells, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- The cost of the additional item being suggested should be less than the cost of the item being purchased. Test for upsells at approximately 20% of the value of the initial purchase and make adjustments based on your level of success.
- Don’t go crazy with it. Suggesting upsells on every item can confuse the buyer so start slowly with a couple of items on a few of your most popular products.
- The upsell suggestions should be highly relevant to the primary item being purchased. Do some testing, make adjustments, and expand your upsell offering once it’s warranted.
It’s likely that the shopping cart on your site has the capability for upsells. Start slow, test for results, and make changes accordingly. Stay with the process and you should see a gradual increase in your average transaction size, much like dinner tabs with an additional bottle of wine or two.
Follow Us On
-
-
