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Google Will Search Plus Your World

On February 22, 2012 / Marketing / Leave a comment

With search and social seemingly getting more and more tangled up in Google and Bing’s algorithms, search engine optimizers cannot ignore social media. Close your eyes and accept it, you have to if you want to keep up. Bing incorporates Facebook data into its search results. Now Google have taken a giant and some might say taken a risky step with the introduction of Search Plus Your World (SPYW).

In a nutshell, if you are signed into your Google account, your search results will be stirred up and will now include content such as links, images and videos that have been shared by friends in your Google + social network, as well as the traditional search results. If this is new to you, please visit here for more info.

In this article I want to talk about how this new feature will affect your search engine results …

Search Results Visibility

The biggest and most obvious impact on search results is visibility. Let’s pretend I am the user in the official video here to compare the potential results.
The results from SPYW are definitely more visually appealing with more product images and thumbnails from people in my Google+ circles that have shared content on this subject. It is also more entertaining than the usual results, as it is full of opinions from people in my circles. So if I want to be entertained, and get a review of a product or service by people who are more likely to influence my decision, then Google SPYW is great.

However, SPYW is only as powerful to you as the people you have in your Google+ circles. If we use the example in the video, the people in my circles have shared content and opinions on paperclips in the past, making SPYW really useful to me for that particular search term.

I Blog, But Do I Need a Newsletter Too?

On February 20, 2012 / Newsletters / Leave a comment

So you’ve started blogging, but now you’re wondering if you also need a newsletter. You might be surprised by my answer. So please have a seat in my virtual office. I’d like to ask you a few questions.

1. How often do you blog?
2. How often do you plan to send your newsletter?
3. Do you have enough time to consistently produce this amount of content at your scheduled time?

Your answers to these questions will help you narrow down whether a newsletter is right for you. Remember, a newsletter is a way to gain the trust of your readers and potential customers. If you stick to a consistent schedule, regularly sending quality content, a newsletter will work in your favor. But if you rarely e-mail your subscribers, and the bulk of your newsletters are promotional and/or not beneficial, you’re wasting your time.

It takes a bit of trust for someone to sign up for your newsletter to begin with. So when someone does sign up, he is essentially shining a spotlight on himself saying, “I’m interested in your business and what you do.” Treat subscribers’ trust with respect, and deliver the kind of value you promised when they signed up.

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Simple Blog Posts Are Better

On February 13, 2012 / Business Blogging / 2 Comments

When it comes to blog articles, do you ever wonder what the best word count is? I’ve gotten this question from a few people lately, and my answer has two main elements. When asked about word count, I advise people to narrow the subject of their posts. Today’s video is about why it’s important to make your posts as simple, straightforward and narrow as possible. Find out why by watching this video.

So, to recap, how long should your blog posts be?

As long as they need to be. Don’t write purely for word count. If you can get your point across in 300 words, but cram in a bunch of unnecessary fluff to write 600 words, you’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favors.
Generally speaking, the simpler the article, the better. This refers directly to the topic of the above video. Because we’re all so busy and information overloaded, most people appreciate brevity. Don’t you?

Time and Money: Maximize Your Online Content

On February 6, 2012 / Business Blogging, Marketing / 2 Comments

This video will give you ideas to easily create and reuse online content for blog posts, videos, podcasts, webinars, white papers and/or e-books.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your online content. Here are more ideas for how you can easily leverage your time.

Other Ways to Create and Reuse Online Content

A juicy tidbit from an old e-mail newsletter might serve as a social media blurb.
Gather a collection of your best social media tips, and create a white paper around those ideas. Don’t know what a white paper is? It’s a freebie information product — typically a PDF. Offer a white paper on your website as a way to build your e-newsletter subscription list.
Record yourself speaking at events. Show clips of your speech, or have it transcribed and use it as blog posts or a white paper.
Get permission from your client(s) to record yourself giving a consultation. Package the videos or audios as an e-product for sale.
Record yourself being interviewed and release the clips as blog posts.

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How to Win at the Game of Pay Per Click

On February 1, 2012 / Marketing / Leave a comment

Guest post by Dominic Lidgett of Strawberry.

For small business owners or advertisers who are new to online marketing, pay per click ads (PPC) can be very useful tools to test the effectiveness of your site, using a budget you are comfortable with. If traffic from PPC proves successful, then businesses can invest more and grow. PPC can also be used as a tool to test keywords that an advertiser may be considering investing budget in for search engine optimization. Online marketing is all about testing, evolving and improving. The better your site is at reaching its goals, the more successful your online marketing will be.

How to Win a Game of PPC

Recently I watched the football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey Spanish Cup. These two teams have a rivalry as intense as ever. Barcelona has had an edge over Real Madrid and many of Europe’s top teams over the recent years, claiming multiple trophies along the way. However, Real Madrid has an outstanding team and coach capable of beating Barcelona on any given day.

The outcome of the game left me disappointed after a great start with an early goal from Real Madrid. The tactics that Real Madrid used were a defensive 4-3-3 formation making superstar Ronaldo track back to join the back line in midfield. Once Real Madrid got the early goal, they were happy to sit back and hardly crossed the half-way line for the rest of the game. The result? 3-1 to Barcelona.

So what has this got to do with PPC? In PPC, I view the page fold as the half-way line on a football pitch with the top ads been the penalty area. In PPC, you are always looking to be in one of the premium positions (penalty area) whenever possible to convert (score a goal) – not ruling out that it’s still possible to score in the side positions. Having said that, you won’t win the game if you don’t cross the half-way line.

How Do You Blog?

On January 30, 2012 / Business Blogging / 4 Comments

If you haven’t published your first blog post because you’re stuck wondering, “What do I write about?,” and “What if I don’t have anything relevant to say?” then this video is for you.

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How Do You Blog?

Decide to focus your content on one main topic, as it relates to your expertise. You don’t want it to be so narrow that you’ll run out of things to write in a half year, but you do want it to be a focused topic. The topics of self-improvement, or becoming a better writer are good examples.
Make a list of the blog posts you might write pertaining to your topic. Ask yourself what questions people have about your expertise. This will help you decide what to write. The narrower the focus of your blog posts, the more you’ll have to write about months and years down the road. Plus, most of your readers will appreciate it if you condense the information into smaller chunks of information, as opposed to thousand-word long articles.
Narrow down the best blog post topics on your list, and add them to a calendar. Refer often to your calendar, using it to keep you on a regular posting schedule.

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Leverage Your Time

On January 25, 2012 / Uncategorized / Leave a comment

As you know, I typically only post once per week here at the blog, but this is a special occasion in honor of me adding a new web content writing service to my offerings.

And I’d like to celebrate this launch by giving you another tip for the week. Here it is: Outsource when you can. Hire stuff out.

Why Outsource?

We small business owners are an overworked bunch with lots on our to-do lists. As individuals, we are great at some things, and some tasks we love to do. Now consider the jobs that make you want to pull your hair out, and the ones you’re not so great at. These are the things to hire out. It doesn’t matter if you’re outsourcing business tasks or checking things off your personal list. By outsourcing some of the work, you’re leveraging your time so you can do the high-impact work you excel at.

It Doesn’t Have to Cost Much

Now I can just hear you thinking, “But I’m bootstrapping right now. I don’t have the money to outsource.” I beg to differ. You just have to look for those good opportunities. For example, if you’re a fellow Austinite, there’s this great new website called Twentopia where you can hire people to do all kinds of things for you for only $20. Some of the things I’ve seen listed there include getting two pairs of pants hemmed, getting a professional logo made by a graphic designer and even getting your lawn trimmed for $20. Not bad! On the flip side, if you have a product or service to offer, you can get on board at Twentopia and be a seller, which is a good opportunity for more exposure.

If you don’t live in Austin, I’m sorry. Just kidding! There’s bound to be a service like this in your area. Scan Craigslist, and check the search engines for low-cost services. Once you hire the work out, focus your attention on high-impact projects and watch your business grow as a result.

Profitable Blogging: An Interview

On January 23, 2012 / Marketing / 3 Comments

Today’s post comes from a Skype interview I did early this month with Jane Hinchey, of Ace Insiders Club. I shared on the subject of profitable blogging, which Jane had some truly juicy questions about. If you’ve ever wondered how to get your website on Google, watch this video. It will give you the basics of search engine optimization. These basic SEO tips are worth implementing into your blogging routine, so when you’re done watching, do some keyword research and install that WordPress plugin I mention. If you don’t use WordPress, just do the first half of these SEO blog tips.

To get the entire Profitable Blogging interview, go to Ace Insiders Club and become a member. As the founder of the Ace Insiders Club, Jane is on a mission to connect small business owners with experts like myself who want to share their knowledge without a heavy sales pitch. If you’ve ever trolled the Internet looking for comprehensive answers to your business related questions, Jane’s Ace Insider’s Club, of which I’m a member and featured expert, is a great resource. She does targeted interview sessions with experts of diverse skill sets. Oooh! I love a good info-packed interview, and Jane delivers.

Search Results Visibility

So, to recap, how long should your blog posts be?

Other Ways to Create and Reuse Online Content

How to Win a Game of PPC

How Do You Blog?

Why Outsource?

It Doesn’t Have to Cost Much

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