The Advantages of Social Networking

M. Shifley Leave a comment

A good article from the Search Engine Guide Blog demonstrating some of the benefits social media sites are providing for small to medium sized businesses (SMBs). Some of the most popular sites include Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, and YouTube however, it does not stop there as the list of sites is nearly an endless with new ones coming on board all the time. Even eBay and Netflix have jumped on the social bandwagon, allowing users to create social media profiles within their accounts. It probably won’t be too long before every site has some sort of social media or networking aspect built into it. This leads to the question of “what opportunities are available in this space to help SMBs?”

1. Branding Opportunities

In the same manner that it is important for companies to make sure they have all the various domain names that relate to their brand (.com, .net. .org, etc.), it is now becoming important for companies to make sure they secure their brand on social media sites – at least the popular ones. I wrote about this subject at the beginning of this year and made the following statement:

With all the social networking sites popping up everywhere, the idea of branding comes to mind. Sure there is the thought of how web sites can draw traffic from social networking sites, even sell product or services but in addition to that, what about protecting your brand before someone else beats you to it? This is especially important with respect to user names and unique URLs.

It was important back then and is even more important now. Typical with most social media sites, once you create a profile, you have a unique URL where you can access that profile. That URL, if you set it up correctly, will include your brand name (i.e. http://www.linkedin.com/in/searchrank, http://www.flickr.com/people/searchrank, etc.). The brand name is also used in the title tag of your profile. Why is this important? As I wrote in my last piece on social media, having a number of profiles spread out among various social media sites may help you to have better control over the first three pages of search results for your unique brand name. It also may help users of specific social media sites to find your company if they are actually looking for your brand. Finally, you keep competitors from sitting on your brand and/or people that may misrepresent your brand as I have seen in many cases.

2. Build Link Popularity

Websites essentially need three things if they are to experience good visibility in the search engines – 1.) good content, 2.) good SEO and 3.) good links. There are two ways to get links from other sites – naturally or pay (or beg) for them. Buying them is the easiest but due to Google’s recent declaration of war on paid links, they can fall prey to their big guns. So, natural is and always has been the best.

One way to obtain natural links is to link back to your original web site within the social media sites you set up. Many social media sites will allow you to include a blurb about yourself or your company and in many cases, add a link or links to your sites. Once you get these various social media profiles indexed, they will count as inbound links to your main site. You may even find it useful to include specific anchor text related to keyword phrases you wish to target and point them to pages that have been optimized for those same terms. The bottom line is that social media profiles create opportunities for natural links. Best of all, they’re free!

3. Attracting Traffic

Depending on the industry you are in, social media and networking sites can send quality traffic to your site. In one example, music and entertainment entities are successfully using MySpace to attract its millions of users. How many times have you seen movie URLs that are located on the myspace.com domain? Now if you manufacture and sell contemporary furniture, then you may not benefit much from MySpace traffic seeing its demographic is mostly comprised of youth but you may draw traffic from a photo sharing site like Flickr.

In another example, many companies are using YouTube to attract and drive traffic to their web site. BlendTec is a good case study of this with their “Will It Blend” videos, a series of short videos where they blend everything from golf balls to credit cards to even an iPhone in their industrial strength blenders. People just love to see stuff demolished and the videos have brought much attention to a blending product that many were unaware of prior to seeing the videos.

These are just a couple of many examples of how companies are utilizing social media to drive traffic to their sites. A good strategy is to select sites that are somehow specific to your industry and then let the creative juices flow. The bottom line is that just like millions of people are using search engines everyday, millions of people are using social media and networking sites as well. Creative marketers will discover ways to tap into these users in order to drive additional traffic to their web sites.

4. Interaction With the Public

The reason why it is called “social” is because it allows web users to socialize or interact with each other. This has been one of the biggest fears keeping small to medium sized business from embracing social media – the transition from “talking to” customers to “interacting with” customers. SMBs may be afraid that someone is going to talk about their businesses and it may not always be favorable. If this is your fear then I have news for you –  consumers are already talking so you might as well join the conversation.

Having the ability to interact with consumers is not just about dealing with bad mojo but also taking advantage of social media to bring further attention to products, services, company news or even put a personal face on the company. I reveal personal things all the time about myself and my company and have received numerous compliments from clients stating that they feel more comfortable doing business with us due to the fact that they now know something personal about us.

5. Networking Opportunities

A final reason how SMBs can benefit from social media is the networking opportunities. Trying to be the lone ranger of your industry is not always the most productive way of running your business. Personally, I have discovered many benefits from networking with others in my industry and getting well connected. Many social networking mediums offer opportunities to join specific groups of interest where you can then interact with like-minded people. Facebook is a great example of this – not only can you join groups, you can create new ones, add events and even build interactive applications that run within the Facebook environment.

For me, many of the social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, have allowed me to develop numerous relationships which are not only beneficial in day to day operations, but especially rewarding when attending industry conferences. The conference becomes more like a family reunion than a boring, uninvolved trade show.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Making SEO Work For You

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If you plan on implementing search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to your website it is crucial that the SEO basics do not get skipped. For example, it is very rarely explained how, exactly, when you get down to it, search engine optimization actually works.

The answer is really very simple, even if the methods of SEO aren’t. Search engine optimization uses a number of tactics to draw the attention of search engines to your site. The idea behind SEO is to make your site fit as closely as possible with the searches performed with your target market. This is achieved by streamlining the elements within the site in order to make it more easily read by search engines.

Of course, making your site easy for a search engine to find is only part of the journey. SEO is also designed to help make your site appear the most relevant to the searches your target viewers are likely to make. This is what makes SEO such a tricky game to play. While search engines, algorithms and computer behavior follow lines that are relatively easy to predict, human behavior is slightly more complicated and a lot more volatile.

This is where keywords come in. A keyword is a term that is commonly used in connection with the subject of a site. When a site is found to have a certain number of keywords that are related to those used in the search, it appears relevant to the search query. Sites are then listed in order of relevance, although this is calculated via a far more complex equation than is easily explainable or guessable.

A site can boost its relevance by becoming the authority within its topic area. Older sites have the edge on this, as the age of a site is taken into account in the search engines’ algorithms. This means that sometimes the key to becoming number one in search engine results pages is playing a good waiting game. In order to stay in the competition, however, work must be done to keep the attention of the search engines. SEO is an ongoing process.

Search engine optimization is unwittingly led by the search engines themselves. When a person searches on Google, the query is compared with stored information hauled back by the search engine’s spiders. How these spiders choose the information and how it is then sorted is a secret closely kept by the search engine companies. SEO techniques are extrapolated from observations about search engine behaviour. Search engines respond by dropping sites whose behavior catches the attention of spiders, but do not provide valuable results for searchers.

Optimization begins at the page level and branches out to include everything about a site that is on the web. From the page’s place within the site and its URL, through its code and content and out to its links, SEO tactics can be implemented to make it more search engine-friendly. Clarity is important here, but a certain amount of finesse and reaction to the changing world of the internet is also required, and this is why it’s always good to get the advice of our experts when planning SEO.

SEO is a form of communication. It is also a marketing method. It informs target viewers in an honest manner and at the same time tries desperately to win them over. It both works with search engines and tries to trick them. It is technical, but it is an art.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Press Release Writing Sample

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Dan Wiebold Ford Using A Bold Approach To Enhance The Car Dealership Experience

Google™-certified and Boise-based Seybold Scientific is providing social media strategy services to help elevate Idaho’s #1 Ford dealership to even higher levels

NAMPA, ID (October 20, 2009) – Dan Wiebold Ford, Idaho’s #1 Ford dealership, has chosen Seybold Scientific to spearhead the development of the company’s social media strategy to communicate more effectively with existing and potential customers.

By upgrading the traditional car dealership experience, Dan Wiebold Ford is proud to offer an additional opportunity to connect and interact with customers. Through the use of a new website – www.BoldFord.com – and social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, Dan Wiebold Ford will incorporate social media into the customer experience and show them “Quality is job 1.”

“This year Ford is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the car credited with literally changing the world, the Model T,” said Dan Wiebold Jr., president of the Nampa Ford dealership. “Our new social media strategy will by no means have the same impact, but we are always trying to harness a little bit of Henry Ford’s innovative spirit. By integrating social media we can provide our customers a quality product with top rate service in a new and inventive way.”

Social media venues like Facebook and Twitter, when used correctly, enhance customer relationships by creating multiple pre- and post-sale touch points. Connecting with the customer in this way has proven to elevate companies to new heights by bringing in new revenue, increasing loyalty and brand awareness, and providing the company with a common voice.

“The way we employ social media within organizations creates alignment throughout the company. From sales to service, every person will understand the impact social media has on their job and their company,” said George Seybold, president of Seybold Scientific. “Businesses like Dan Wiebold Ford see the big picture and know that social media creates a positive impact on the employees and ultimately a positive impact on their business.”

An additional reason Dan Wiebold Ford is at the forefront of change involving the car dealership experience is the 8 new models the Ford Motor Company has introduced that are geared towards the 18- to 40-year-old market. Dan Wiebold realized the way this demographic buys today is unlike any other group and their purchasing habits are influenced by social media and digital word-of-mouth marketing.

“This is the opportunity that social media created and Dan Wiebold Ford is embracing it,” said Seybold. “They understand there is a unique shift in the way companies engage their customers. They understand that by connecting with their customers in the way they want and expect that they will be more aligned with their automotive needs.”

For additional information, please contact George Seybold at 208.272.9492 or george@seyboldinc.com.

About Dan Wiebold Ford
Located in Nampa, Dan Wiebold Ford is Idaho’s #1 Ford dealership. The dealership offers new and used vehicles and has been in business for more than 33 years.
http://www.boldford.com

About Seybold Scientific
Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Seybold Scientific is a Google-certified online digital business development company offering a range of services from Online Reputation and Brand Management, Online Business Development (including search and social media strategy and delivery) and Work Systems and Process Improvement. Seybold Scientific is a rapidly growing company enabling organizations globally through technology and sales-centric marketing.
http://www.seyboldinc.com

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The Importance of Link Building

M. Shifley 1 Comment

People that are relatively new to search engine optimization (SEO) often wonder what link building entails and why it matters for their website. Although there are many ways to accomplish link building, just knowing the basics will help you understand the importance of receiving and how to obtain links back to your website.

Consider a link as a vote towards your website for being relevant or popular on the Internet within a specific industry or niche. The more links you have from other websites, the more your website will benefit on search engines for specific user searches, while the likelihood of more traffic to your site increases.

For example, let’s say Website A and Website B are competing for the same consumers. Website A has a total of 10 links pointing back to their website while Website B has 100. Which website do you think search engines are going to “reward” more for its relevancy within their industry? Which website has the greater chance of having traffic go to their website because of exposure on the Internet?

Another important aspect is using specific keywords while link building, or in other words, utilizing anchor text as the link back to your website. Essentially, anchor text is the keyword/text of the link back to your website. Generally highlighted a different color and/or underlined, anchor text helps Internet users and search engines to understand what your website is relevant for.

Let’s suppose that Website A sold various types of baby blankets. If they wanted to rank highly in search engines for their product cotton baby blankets, it would be most helpful if they used “cotton baby blankets” as their anchor text for links back to their website. Doing this allows Internet searchers (if they stumbled upon that particular link) to have a good idea where that particular link would lead them. Also, the anchor text in this instance would help search engines to know more information about your website.

Of course, it’s always good to vary your anchor text (i.e., from our example, use “baby blankets,“ “100% cotton baby blankets,“ “organic baby blankets,“ “baby blanket store,“ etc.). There is a good chance that search engines may penalize your website if you solely use one phrase of anchor text for all of your links.

The following examples are different ways to receive some inbound links to your website:

• Directories allow you to list your website within a specific industry and/or genre, providing you with a link back to your website.

• Social bookmarking is a way for people to save and share websites of interest, categorizing the websites/links by tags.

• Writing an ezine article is a great way to utilize anchor text (keywords), but remember to write brand new, original content and follow the publisher’s terms of use.

Though link building by itself won’t guarantee top-ranking results (as you have to consider other factors like the age of your website, the website’s on-site content, etc.), creating a number of backlinks to your website will help improve its relevance on search engines and increase its opportunity for more traffic.

If you need help with building links or search engine optimization, please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Drive More Visitors To Your Website

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The Internet is becoming increasingly crowded with lots of new e-commerce businesses starting every day.  How can you be sure your website won’t get lost in this vast crowd?  By using experienced search engine optimization (SEO) copywriters like myself who skillfully embed targeted search terms with appropriate density into your website’s content.  Content is critical because search engine spiders (programs Google and other major search engines use to survey your website) only read text.  One of the determining factors in where Google ranks your website is the relevance of keywords and phrases in your site’s content.

I  have experience in properly using SEO copywriting techniques to create content that will improve your search engine positioning for your targeted search terms.  I create content that is original, well-researched, on-topic and search engine friendly.  I seamlessly fold keyword phrases into content that flows smoothly for the reader.  Quality SEO copywriting is invisible to your site visitors.

Benefits Of Our SEO Copywriting Services Include:

  1. Improved ranking in the SERP’s (search engine results pages)
  2. Greater volume of visitors hitting your website
  3. More narrowly targeted traffic leads to higher sales conversion rates
  4. Promoting your website as an “authority” site in your field
  5. Establishing trust with your site visitors
  6. Developing a new customer base while solidifying your existing one

In today’s uncertain economy, every online marketing dollar is precious.  My proven SEO copywriting services can help you increase your income without busting your online marketing budget.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Professional Copywriting Services at Affordable Prices

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The copy on your website can make or break your business. Stale or unappealing content will drive away your existing visitors and won’t attract new ones. My professional copywriting services allow you to have talented copy at your fingertips without the overhead costs of full-time employees.

I am a professional copywriter based in Boise, Idaho. I am a skilled, experienced writer that can create content that showcases your products or services using proven techniques such as search engine optimization (SEO) to help you increase sales. I can offer you or your business clients results-oriented copywriting at reasonable rates.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

The copy on your website can make or break your business. Stale or unappealing content will drive away your existing visitors and won’t attract new ones. Our professional copywriting services allow you to have talented copywriters at your fingertips without the overhead costs of full-time employees.
CopywritingServices.Org is a professional copywriting service with offices in Charleston, South Carolina. Our team of skilled, experienced copywriters can create content that showcases your products or services using our proven techniques to help you increase sales. CopywritingServices.Org offers our clients results-oriented copywriting at reasonable rates starting as low as….6 cents per word!

Questions about Search Engine Optimization and Copywriting

M. Shifley 2 Comments

A few questions and answers about copywriting in regards to online marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

  • Do you think making some of the keywords like “example 1″ “example 2″ etc. as anchor text links pointing to articles on the site might be a good thing? Only if those are terms being targeted on the pages. You want to keep the same keyword throughout. They should be a matched set. If you put “example 1″ or “example 2″ in your title tag, description tag, page copy, ALT tags, etc., then yes, you can use those terms as anchor text with links pointing to the pages. But don’t target a page to “blue widgets” then use “example 1″ as anchor text pointing to it. That defeats the purpose.
  • I have over 100 articles on my own site, all original content. 30 days after they have been posted on my site, I submit them to specific article directory sites with a back link to the original article as well as multiple links to the site I am trying to promote. Do you think this is a valid SEO strategy? Yes. I do not want the sites I submitted the article to, to out rank the original article. Why not? As long as the reader still has access to the link back to your site, what difference does it make? If they are interested in what you offer, they’ll click to your site.
  • Do you think that by adding a backlink to the original article this will tell Google who had the article on the web first and who should be ranked for the article? It doesn’t work that way. Google will know you’re the original source for the article because it was published on your site/blog/forum/whatever first. Once it’s spidered and included in the index, you’re good. They know you were the first. Being first to publish doesn’t mean you automatically get ranked higher than others. There are LOTs of elements that go into deciding which pages get ranked where for what.
  • Does it help to wait 30 days to re-publish the article? No. Once Google picks it up, you’re good. Just type the title of your article into the Google search field (using quotes). When it shows up, go for it!
  • Also would you syndicate all of the articles to various sites or maybe 10-20 articles to 5 different sites? It’s not the quantity. It’s the quality. There are a bazillion article directory sites online and most of them are fly-by-night pieces of trash. They have no visitors (thus, no people to read your article and click to your site), they have lousy PageRank, etc. Be selective. Don’t worry about quantity. It’s not the article directory link that will do you a lot of good anyway. You get the power of article distribution when other sites pick up your article from the article directory and republish it on their high-quality site.
  • When marketing people talk about a “127% lift” in conversion rate what does that mean? Will I get a conversion rate of 127%?No. That’s a common misunderstanding. The lift is the amount of increase shown. So, if you started with a conversion rate of 2% and you experience a 127% lift (or increase), your new conversion rate will be 5%, not 127%.
  • I know you can split key phrases with punctuation. But can you split key phrases with line breaks, paragraph breaks or bullet points? Will Google ‘jump over’ the gaps and see the key phrase in its entirety?You can split keyphrases with *most* punctuation. The common stuff like commas, periods, semi-colons, dashes, etc. Tildes, brackets, etc. are iffy sometimes. When in doubt, check. Go to Google and type in the keyphrase without the punctuation and write down the top 5 sites. Then type in the query with the punctuation and see if the same top 5 sites come up. If they do, Google sees it as the same thing.Yes, you can split with line breaks, paragraph breaks and bullets. Spiders will read right through. Except that bullet points count as special formatting and *might* give you an extra point or two as far as SEO goes because the info in the bullet list would be considered important.

    Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Professional Copywriting Services in Boise

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Copywriting for Brochures and Catalogs
The printed brochure or catalog, has an important role to play in marketing your business. Whether you need a fresh look at your company identity, or require a stand-alone sales tool, I can help you create the most effective brochure or catalog, with a strong and lasting impact.

Website Critique and Enhancement Services
A comprehensive package of services designed to analyze and improve your website’s marketing process and content. A valuable opportunity to get a professional second opinion on what you already have, and practical solutions to increase conversion rates.

Copywriting for Direct Mail and Sales Letters
I will write persuasive messages or rewrite your existing material. Writing effective letters means creating messages that target your potential customers and get direct, immediate results.

Copywriting for Magazines and Newspaper Ads
With magazines, advertisers have the opportunity and space to deliver a sharp message and to really distinguish their products or services from the competition. The best magazine ads are the ones that have been created with the special features of the medium in mind, using a wide variety of creative options.

Copywriting for Posters and Postcards
Messages on posters must be brief, and lettering must be large enough for easy reading. The most impressive, attention attracting posters must include both a strong, intelligent slogan and a well written text. I have vast experience with both posters and ad post cards.

Writing Press Releases
My press relations (PR) service can deliver ad messages, marketing materials and business information. Using professional PR ncreases the credibility of sales messages. PR improves a company’s credibility in the marketplace by acquiring neutral third-party endorsements for its services or products. I create professionally written materials, that people read to be challenged, persuaded, or to become informed.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Copywriting Services for Boise and Beyond

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Ad copy doesn’t have to be annoying or patronizing to sell. It does, however, need to be distinct and creative, and a good freelance copywriter will make sure it’s both. And you have come to the right website because I can help create a clear message with you copy and cut through the clutter.

Are you in need of a slogan? Well some people do call them slogans, but in the ad biz they’re known as tag lines. A good tag line is important; it sums up the key element of your product in one smart line that people will remember. As an advertising copywriter, I can create the perfect tag line or slogan for your company.

Another copywriting need that companies are in demand for is search engine optimization (SEO).People come to your site for information, so it better be good as well as short and easy on the eyes. A smart SEO writer can make your web content appeal to the major search engines like Yahoo and Google by optimizing your site so search engines find you and list you ahead of your competition.

Anyone with a pen can write, but if you want your advertising to stand out, consult a professional copywriter. I’ve done it all and would be more than happy to help you or your company out.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.

Getting your company found online

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Do you want your website to show up in search engines? I know a dumb question but one that some companies will emphatically answer yes but do not realize how to make that happen. I can help.

Optimizing your website for maximum search engine visibility is a little bit art and a little bit science. I have a great track record for increasing search engine visibility for my clients and more than 5 years experience in the art of online marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

If you are interested please give me a call or shoot me an email and I will start by conducting an analysis of your website to identify content, keywords and structural issues that might hinder organic search engine indexing and ranking. From there I will tweak and optimize your site and content. Every SEO campaign is unique and requires a tailored approach to meet the client’s specific objectives.

Please give me a call today at 208.598.0084 or contact me at matt.shifley@yahoo.com for more information to discuss how I can help you or your company with its search engine optimization, online marketing, or copywriting needs.