Contributors – Page 7

How to Rid Your Blog of Dust Bunnies

March 27, 2015 Beth Devine

repurpose your blog post — “Dust Bunny Large Enough to Have a Name” by Kim Carpenter, used under CC BY / Modified from original

Are your blog posts collecting dust bunnies? Or in extreme cases, is your blog attracting mammoth-sized versions of dinosaur bunnies?

Getting rid of your blog’s dust bunnies is a simple matter. All you need to do is a little spring cleaning, get out your duster ––er, your creative cap, and repurpose your blog content. Take those dust balls and brush them off when you extend the reach of your blog, and create new and relevant content that will add life to your hard work.

Repurposing your blog content can turn it into new media formats. This saves you time, money, and prolongs the life of your online marketing investments. By taking your old content and making it new again, you can offer a new audience an updated format, sending the digital dust bunnies off to distant oblivion.

If you’ve been blogging for awhile, or you have empty warehouse syndrome (aka, you’re out of ideas), and the dust bunnies have moved in for the kill, you’re not alone. Here’s the scoop on how to do some spring cleaning and repurpose your blog content.

Brainstorm: Which blog posts are best for repurposing?

Which posts received the most traffic? Which posts are evergreen (content that continues to be relevant long past its publication)? Which posts could use updating?

Once you’ve determined which content in your stockpile is best for repurposing, you’ll need to decide how you want to reuse it. Different formats appeal to different people and their learning styles.

Hit the Refresh Button

Some of your blog content will have a lot of value, but it just needs a little tweaking to be current. Depending on how things have changed, you will need to modify your content to be relevant with the new information that’s available. This could mean writing a new article, in which case you could add a note at the end with a link to the post’s original content.

If the changes are minor, plugging in a few alterations for a makeover allows you to salvage your original post. When you repurpose in this manner, keep the post’s URL the same so it retains its SEO value, but change the date to a new publishing date if possible.

Make Quote Pictures

Adapt the one-liners that stand out in your blog posts to create images with text. Name the new image with the post’s title, or write a totally new headline and include this as your image text. If you used a clever-sounding title the first time, change it to something more SEO-friendly and searchable.

Think about how you will repost your content with this image, and adapt it for that social media platform. Finding new images to repurpose content is easy with so many different free and legal online photo sources. My most recently discovered resource is Unsplash. Sign up and you’ll get ten free new photos every ten days.

Choosing which online photo editing site can often mean going back to your tried and true favorite, but try something new and see how you like it. Canva is great for social media because it has all the templates prepared for you. Or try an app like Wordswag for on-the-go creating.

This is the best time-saver in repurposing content. You created a new quote picture to share on social media, and you didn’t have to change any content in your blog post. Sweet.

Adapt Your Content for Tweets, Twitter Cards, and Other Social Media

Share your evergreen content by reposting it as part of a social media management strategy. This is a great way to make contact with people by hitting different time zones, using different headlines, and reaching new followers.

Your high-value blog posts will gain new value from their initial publishing date through re-promotion on different social media platforms that highlight different types of content. This Twitter research shows how reposts in the form of retweets can gain 75% of its previous number of retweets.

Twitter is an easy place to post repurposed content by turning snippets of content into tweets, and then linking back to your original post. Just be sure to use less than the 140-character limit to allow for retweets by your followers.

Try adapting content into Twitter cards and add a call to action to your blog post content. Twitter cards come in seven formats, including the Summary Card With Large Image. This is more likely to attract attention in twitter feeds, and a click on your image brings your followers to your blog post.

As a content creator, save yourself time and reap SEO benefits when you repurpose content. Remember to think about adding value to your original piece, and you’re repurposing efforts will grow your audience and extend your content’s life.

Say goodbye to dust bunnies and hello to a fresh start.

How to Convert Website Traffic into Leads

March 18, 2015 Beth Devine

If you sell a product or service online, the big question that arises is, “How do I convert website traffic into leads?” Turning traffic into leads begins at the top of the marketing funnel, where discovery happens.

The all-important secret to your business begins right here. By understanding who your audience is and what their needs are, you can direct your website traffic. Know who your audience is and it will help you with the following ways to turn traffic into leads:

Share Content Your Audience Actually Cares About

Cater to your audience by creating content that they’re interested in. Speak to the humans who are looking for answers. Use the term “you” as if you’re talking directly to them and their personal needs.

Use blogs as an online tool to share this content, making it easier for search engines to find your brand when your topics are Googled and searched. According to research by HubSpot, the average company that blogs generates 55% more website visitors, 126% more leads, 97% more inbound links, and has 434% more indexed pages.

Use social media as a no-pay way to get attention as news feeds screech to a scrolling halt when they spy your eye-catching posts. Remember to communicate on each platform in the appropriate manner, including visuals whenever you can. Share your blog post links and photos, as well as entertaining items meant to capture your brand’s identity.

Writing and sharing your content is a critical step in getting your audience’s attention. You’re letting them know where to go for future information and entertainment value.

Keywords That Cater to the SERPS

You’ve heard the terms before: relevant, targeted, and organic keywords. It means using pertinent keywords to use in your site copy so your audience will find your brand in search results and ultimately land on your website.

Think about these keywords as you create copy. Optimized content helps with not only being discovered, but it’s proof that you’re knowledgeable and capable in solving the problems your audience is searching for answers to.

Somewhere out there they are looking for you. Help them to find you with a roadmap of keywords.

Offer Your Audience Something Compelling

They’ve discovered you at last. So what’s next?

This is where CTAs come into play. Call-to-actions are the go-to buttons for a compelling offer. These offers can be any type of freebie from a newsletter option to an ebook. Include the CTAs on your social media platforms, your promotional emails, and your landing pages.

Ask your audience for the most minimal information, their first and last name, and their email, allowing you to make future contact while giving them the opportunity to learn more about a program, sign up for a demo, download a white paper, watch a webinar, or get the deal. See Hubspot’s great CTA examples for a terrific source of inspiration.

If you include a CTA in your social media, it’s a good idea to use a URL shortener when you post a link that takes them to the landing page or designated form. CTAs are the most straightforward way to turn traffic into leads, so include them whenever it’s appropriate.

For your landing pages, CTAs are included as part of a clear and specific form, as detailed in Get Better Form Conversion With These 10 Tips. Don’t forget to label your CTA button with something besides “submit.”

Include an Email Subscription Offer on Your Blog

You’ve worked hard on your blog posts. Don’t let that effort go to waste.

Include an offer to subscribe in all your blog posts as a logical way to continue giving value. Take this database of email addresses, add them to your marketing email program, and grow your leads and attract potential customers.

Effective CTAs in your blog will help end your post with a bang. An enticing, concise call to action invites your readers to take a specific step by clicking on a button, or on a few lines of well-written text at the end of your post.

Make the invite as seamless as possible. Try something simple: “Like what you’ve read? Join us for our email update each week by adding your email to the form on the right.”

Or try something sassy: “Pssst. Want access to our blog updates each week and be in the know before all your friends have the scoop? Sign up here with your email and we’ll keep this our little secret.”

So what are you going to work on? How will you keep your content filled with inviting ways to turn traffic into leads?

Use Images to Speak Louder Than Words

March 6, 2015 Beth Devine

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera,” said Lewis Hine, a photographer whose work was instrumental in ending child labor in America.

Most of us have been moved by an image at some point. In one of my college journalism classes, each student was handed a book of photography and after a few minutes shared how the images affected them. My book was a selection of post-Civil War photos of freed slaves.

When it my was turn to speak, the “thousand words” that a picture’s worth represents had formed a bottleneck in my throat. No words could come out. After several moments of suffering an inability to speak, my professor saved me from embarrassment. “I don’t think we need to say anything further. This is what images can do.”

Words Aren’t Enough

This powerful ability of images to convey so much emotion, to communicate such a vast amount of information and hidden meaning is why visual platforms are continuing to grow. Visual communication is the growing landscape where regularly occurring bottlenecks form because words aren’t enough.

As communication demands ever shorter ways to convey messages, images are stepping in and being showcased everywhere online. This shift from tell to show, from lengthy, text-only posts to quickly consumable visuals, inevitably leads us to image-based social networks.

Communicating your story or sharing a message the visual way is faster to consume than even the 140 character limit of Twitter. It’s more eye-catching than a block of copy. Images are a vital component to making the connection with your audience.

Find a good balance with your images and text that will compel your reader to stay and keep reading. Images take up more space in news feeds, particularly on mobile applications, which increases your potential for getting views.

Here are some ideas for creating visual images to use in your social media, blog posts, and website.

Free Image Sources

Free images are an invaluable resource for your image-creating efforts. In addition to the ones mentioned in Free Photo and Image Editing Programs and Where to Get Free Photos and Images, here are a few others to hit the internet, all with Creative Commons options.

Pixabay is the source of “stunning public domain pictures” with a free account. They encourage you to get rid of ads on your acccount by uploading ten of your own photos as contribution to its collection.
Compfight gets you both free and inexpensive stock photos fast, with different search filters. Use the Creative Commons filter and check for what permission each photo offers.
Wikimedia commons has images as well as videos and sounds, all free to use with licensing clearly designated.
Freeimages.com has both free and low-cost stock photos from photographers and designers.
Picjumbo has free images in handy categories and is maintained by one man who started the site when stock agencies wouldn’t take his photos. Unless you become a paid premium member, it appears that the most search specific you can be is by selecting a category and seeing what’s available.
Photo Pin has both stock photos and free images pop up when you search. Free photos has attribution licenses ready for easy copy and paste.

Personal Photos

Using your own photos to tell a story is the simplest way to convey a message. An author friend of mine, Kay Bratt, uses hers in a simple collage to share a story on her blog. A search for a lost cat had an ending that words alone couldn’t tell.

Free Online Editing Tools

Canva makes it easy to custom create images for various platforms, including Facebook posts, posters, Instagram posts, general social media, business cards, and even a handy Facebook cover or Twitter header template.

There are short, interactive video tutorials to help you along the way, scroll-through workshops for digging deeper into design, complete with lecture notes. For the small business owner, workshop four “Branding Basics” is essential, and for the teacher, there are numerous lesson plans to select from.

This is a must-try for both the novice and the more savvy visual creator.

Pablo, the new image editing tool from Buffer, boasts a less-than-30-second process for creating social media posts without making an account or logging in. There are less overall options, but if you’re looking for fast and simple, this is the place.

I tried them both and I still love PicMonkey the best. The Monkey is pure shazam.

Make Your Own Infographics

Already a superb image editing tool, Canva is also great for making your own infographics.

Piktochart, Infogr.am, and Easel.ly offer similar infographic resources, with each limited to a small number of free templates and paid subscriptions offering much more.

The possibilities are endless. They include responsive infographics, like How Far Is It to Mars?, interactive infographics such as How Data Travels Around the Globe, and even animated infographics as in 42 ButterFlies of North America.

Take a Screenshot

Screenshots are simple with tools like Snagit, Jing, and Lightshot. Your computer screen is ready material for instant images to embellish your blog and social media.

Using images is a productive and fun way to help your readers stay longer and keep coming back for more. Words alone are no longer enough.

What’s Net Neutrality and Why Should You Care?

February 28, 2015 Beth Devine

It’s finally over. Or at least a historical decision has been made in a 3-2 vote this week with the Federal Communications Commission approving the policy called net neutrality. The FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says the policy will ensure “that no one — whether government or corporate — should control free open access to the Internet.”

The vote secured what the FCC calls an open internet, a principle that prevents Internet Service providers (ISPs) like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable from discriminating against the technology companies, websites, services, and apps that create content. It enforces equal treatment of the data from these companies, so, for example, Google doesn’t get priority over Netflix.

Without protections it is feared that small businesses and startups wouldn’t be able to compete, innovation would be discouraged, and the internet would no longer be equal playing ground. Small businesses who weren’t able to pay up (and can’t take their business elsewhere since there’s often no other broadband company who offers internet service) could see their websites slow to a crawl, causing users to shop elsewhere.

Was It Really the End of the Internet?

Tim Wu, a law professor at Columbia who coined the phrase net neutrality, predicts the possible dire fate of the internet without FCC regulations. “I think the worst case is that we see the Internet kind of wither and disappear as a forum for free speech and new companies getting started, a world in which to get started it’s more like cable television, you need a lot of money to even open a website and really reach a number of users, that things become entrenched and kind of frozen.”

Because ISPs are typically not supporters of net neutrality, it was initially worrisome when President Obama picked Tom Wheeler, a former top lobbyist for cable and wireless companies, to be the next chair of the FCC.

John Oliver, British comedian and host of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” weighed in on the debate with a thirteen minute segment devoted to net neutrality, possibly helping to turn the tide of the results at the time. Less than a year ago, with its new chair Wheeler at the helm, the FCC was deliberating on new rules to prioritize internet “fast lanes” for content providers who were willing and able to pay for it.

Oliver joked that hiring Wheeler was “the equivalent of needing a babysitter and hiring a dingo.” He then urged viewers to contact the FCC, which they did in droves, calling for net neutrality and reportedly crashing the site. Wheeler, it seems, was unperturbed, stating for the record that he is not a dingo.

It turns out that he most definitely isn’t a dingo, and small businesses can look forward to what some call unnecessary regulation by the FCC, where government bureaucracy will slow things down and prices for consumers will ultimately increase. We’ll find out soon enough if this is the price we pay for net neutrality.

“So today after a decade of debate in an open, robust year-long process, we finally have legally sustainable rules to ensure that the Internet stays fast, fair and open,” Wheeler said after the vote.

What Can You Expect From All This?

Without rules regulating ISPs, the concern is that they would force content providers to pay a premium for “fast lanes” in order to continue sending quality, high speed streaming to users. Small companies would only be able to afford paying for the second lane, or the slow lane, and be unable to compete with the high speed content delivery servers.

What is being protected according to NPR’s FCC fact sheet:

No blocking. Broadband providers aren’t allowed to block access to legal content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices.

No throttling. Broadband providers aren’t allowed to impair or degrade lawful internet traffic on the basis of content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices.

No paid prioritization. Broadband providers aren’t allowed to favor some lawful internet traffic over other lawful traffic in exchange for consideration, i.e., “fast lanes.”

Supporters of net neutrality, oddly enough, include big tech companies like Google and Facebook. As Oliver says in his video, “It’s not just anticorporate hippies who think that abandoning net neutrality is a bad idea.” A two-tiered internet system with a fast and a slow lane, where the rich get fast internet and the not-so-rich get the slow internet, isn’t something anyone wants except the ISPs, because then they can charge more.

What Started All the Brouhaha?

Content providers like Netflix seemed to have tipped the scales in the net neutrality debate. As their popularity grows, the load of data they are sending out is overwhelming the ISP facilities and resulting in that buffering cycle you see when connection is slow.

The ISPs feel it’s only fair to charge these network-gobbling content providers a bigger fee. One solution outlined in Mashable’s video on how the internet works involves shortening the distance this data travels by having companies like Netflix and the ISPs have a peering or interconnection agreement.

The public got an eyeful of what net neutrality protections can do with this graph that Netflix made public. It shows how their download speeds declined during negotiations with Comcast for increased service fees, then skyrocketed once they paid up.

The tremors of this debate might have missed your doorstep, but they’ve been widely distributed on websites and social media. Companies banded together for Internet Slowdown day to show what it would be like if cable companies were allowed to charge for internet speeds. Netflix tweeted it’s sentiments with a dramatic show of slow speed traffic should regulations on the broadband providers not get passed.

What if the Internet was so slow it loaded one word at a time? Don’t let Comcast win. http://t.co/OCoIdQiIN3

— Netflix US (@netflix) February 25, 2015

The Battle for the Net has been won, at least for now. Enjoy the lack of interruption to your website’s speed.

How to Improve Your Google+ Brand Page

February 21, 2015 Beth Devine

Now that Google has ended its Google Authorship program, it’s more important than ever to give your G+ profile a boost.

What? Did you hear that right? Why would anyone bother with Google+ now? Because Google+ may have ended its authorship program, but its Author Rank lives on. More than that, Google+ is said to be better for your blog than Facebook.

Get your Google+ brand page tips and learn how to rock your profile.

Apply to be a Verified Local Business

This option remains available and will give your brand a silver-shield check mark by your company name indicating you as a Verified Local Business. By clicking on your business address, the user will be directed to your Google Maps page.

Being a part of Google+ Local helps users to discover and share your business. Unlike Facebook, which does not have Facebook maps, in case you hadn’t noticed.

Complete Your Profile

This is your “about” section that tells users what you do and how to connect with you. Include a link to your business website as well as any other applicable links, such as a link to your blog. By adding your website URL, you can link your brand page to your website and get a check mark by your website on your Google+ home page.

Completely fill out your profile by adding the categories that accurately describe your business. Don’t forget to sound uber cool, since we all know you are.

Use a Cover and Profile Photo That Stand Out

The large banner at the top of the Google+ page is your cover image and is the first thing a user will see. At 2120 pixels by 1192 pixels, this gives you the opportunity to make an awesome impression, so choose a stand-out image that best conveys who you are.

Next, since the circular profile photo (250 x 250 pixels) will also be the avatar on all your Google+ posts, comments, and +1s, choose one that represents your brand. Any updates in your followers’ newsfeeds will show this photo as well.

Are you still looking cool? Good, I thought so.

#Don’tBeAfraid to Use Hashtags

Social media is rife with hashtags, and Google+ is no exception. Help users track down subjects of interest and showcase your relevant posts with hashtags which will appear in the upper right corner. By holding the cursor over the top right hashtag, the other hashtags you added will appear.

Dr. Seuss is cool enough to speak for itself, but just in case, I added more hashtags about blogging.

Add a Google+ Badge

Google+ makes it easier to connect with your readers and help you increase followers with a Google+ Badge. Google+ is a place where people share interests. Other platforms are based on connections between people you already know, whereas your circle of Google+ friends is a culture of common ideas and shared interests.

This is what makes it a great place for businesses! Is Google+ growing on you yet?

Make a Vanity URL for Google+

If you want to create a vanity URL for your Google+ page, try Plus.ly. Instead of a long list of numbers, you can share something easily decipherable.

For fun, I created one for Web Savvy Marketers: http://plus.ly/websavvysuperheroes. Super cool stuff, in case you want to try.

It’s All About Content, Content, Content

Out of all the Google+ brand page tips that exist, there’s no escaping this one. To create an engaged community, you must create compelling content that educates, entertains, and inspires.

Because Google+ offers the ability to create custom circles, you can easily segment your content for specific circles and control what certain groups get to see. Each time you share something, you can select which circles you wish to publish to.

Google+ content relies on its image-rich nature. When you scroll through your news feed, the picture and video components are striking and bold. Take advantage of the platform’s visual character by sharing some of your own photos and re-sharing others’.

So on those days you feel text-deficient, share some visual content that will make your audience happy to know you, and get your brand page rockin’ like a beast.

Get Better Form Conversion with These 10 Tips

February 12, 2015 Beth Devine

Lead generation is the process of collecting registration information, usually in exchange for content, so you can increase your marketing database for email follow up, which means new contacts for sales and marketing.

To successfully capture audience information with lead generation, you need successful form conversion. More form conversion means more lead generation, which is why you’ll see it called “lead gen form,” a fancy term for your contact form. Marketers love their buzzwords, especially content marketers.

Here are 10 tips to increase form conversion by making your form as straightforward and easy as possible.

1. Don’t ask for a phone number.

While it’s okay to include your business number somewhere on the page (but not on the form), it’s good to avoid asking for a phone number unless your business is based on follow-up sales calls. People are leery to divulge personal information, and are even more reluctant to receive a phone call.

2. Show your privacy policy.

Because people are unwilling to share personal information, it’s important to reassure them that their details are secure. Link your privacy policy within the form as either a footnote or just beneath a sensitive field, which could be a field for a phone number. Let your visitors know what to expect from sharing our email, and reassure them they won’t receive email spam as a result.

3. Use trust seals.

Trust seals are logos or badges tell your visitors that your business and website are trustworthy. They are best used on ecommerce sites where customers want to ensure the safety of their transactions. Choose one that is backed up by a consumer guarantee, such as a guarantee of delivery, a guarantee of consumer identity protection, or a price drop guarantee.

4. Keep your form fields to a minimum.

The more information you ask to be completed, the more your rate of completion will drop. If you only need an email address to complete the signup form for your newsletter or blog, then don’t ask for job title, firm size, etc.

With every additional form field that needs filling out, the greater the chance of your visitors losing interest. Even when a form field is indicated as optional, the form appears longer and more time consuming, and therefore less inviting.

If you must include additional form fields, then try doing a test to compare how the different forms – one with all your fields, one with the minimum number of fields, and possibly one with a middle ground amount – and compare their conversion rates.

5. Find a good location.

The internet tells us that the best form conversion spots are in the upper right hand corner of the webpage, which probably has everything to do with how our eyes scan the page. Placing your form where it’s most visible at first glance also means placing it above the fold, so viewers can see it without scrolling.

A good test is if you can see the form in the time it takes you to blink, then you’ve found a good place, and visitors are less likely to miss it and bounce off the page.

6. Give your form some space.

Your form will attract more attention if it’s surrounded by white space and not crowded with clutter. Minimize dissonant colors and too much text, and use directional cues to help your visitor’s focus travel to your form.

7. Use power words.

When you describe your offer, include powerful, action verbs like “get,” “feel” and “have” to help compel your visitors into an active role. Include these power words in your headline to support your call-to-action. “Complete This Form” is an example of a headline that is too generic and not very compelling.

8. Never submit!

Never use the word “submit” for your form’s call-to-action button copy. Using submit will reduce your conversion rates by 3%. More specific button copy is more successful, such as “Click here for your free download,” Sign Up for Your Free Demonstration,” or “Get Your Free Copy.” This means the old standby “click here” won’t make a spectacular hit either.

9. To CAPTCHA or not to CAPTCHA?

Using CAPTCHA can mean a loss of lead generation, which means less potential sales. Unless you’re plagued with spam, it might be simpler to filter through a few spam conversions than scare away visitors. If you are going to use it, use smart CAPTCHA, which shows a human verification code only when there’s an indication of form abuse.

You can also try the honeypot CAPTCHA technique where CSS is used to hide a form field that’s meant to be left blank to human eyes, but not to a spam bot. When the form isn’t blank, you know it’s spam.

10. Make your field labels clear.

When Expedia made the mistake of including an optional field that wasn’t clearly marked, it cost them $12 million. Too many fields and too many decisions can result in more error. Make your labels clear by using specific terms your visitors will easily understand and respond to.

Indicate which fields are required with an asterisk or some other mechanism.

5 Easy SEO Tips for 2015 (That Don’t Require Cats)

February 5, 2015 Beth Devine

What do cats and SEO have in common? They both rule the internet. And, like it or not, they are both here to stay.

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, was asked on Reddit on the 25th birthday of the web, “What was one of the things you never thought the internet would be used for, but has actually become one of the main reasons people use the internet?”

“Kittens,” Berners-Lee replied.

The best practices to consider for SEO in 2015 include more than cats, despite their overwhelming cuteness. SEO continues to evolve, with changes in how searchers use queries and engines crawl, index, and rank site pages. What hasn’t changed is SEO still figures big in improving your brand’s visibility and traffic.

Here are 5 easy SEO tips to follow in 2015. Cats are an excellent SEO plus, but aren’t strictly required.

1. Link building vs. content creation

The way to create links is through building great content and sharing it. This same content can be used for your blog posts, web pages, guest posts, and social media pots. This will generate relevant and varied sources that link to specific information.

Content creation and the resulting link building takes time, but Google will never penalize you for making unnatural links (the dirty word for 2015 is this sort of link building: trying to rank by using link building schemes).

Ethical SEO involves upfront attempts to get other websites to link to your website and improve your rank. This is where content creation comes in.

2. Secure your site with HTTPS

Most website’s URLs start with “HTTP,” or HyperText Transfer Protocol, which is the underlying protocol for how messages are sent over the web. HTTPS is the HTTP Secure version that gives users an added layer of security.

Google has announced that it has begun using HTTPS as a signal in their ranking factors, albeit a small one for now. However, although Google states that high quality content is more important for ranking, they also said that eventually they might want to make secure protocol a bigger deal in ranking.

2015 is the time to make the switch by following Google’s instructions for moving your site by changing its URL.

3. Google doesn’t need help finding you, but your visitors do

While you don’t need to submit your website to Google in order to rank in search results, you do need to get on board with Google My Business (which has morphed from Google Places, Google Places for Business, to Google Plus Local, to this current version). This gives you a storefront on Google Maps for free, helps your site get found in Google Search, and lets people engage with and review your business online.

For 2015 this online business directory is indispensable. Get your business directly connected with your customers and get registered with Google My Business.

4. Keywords are only as good as their location

No longer is keyword stuffing the way to optimize your website, but having a central keyword idea and placing keywords strategically is more important than keyword frequency. Google breaks your site down into a hierarchy, starting with meta tags and headers, followed by copy, then footers and sidebars last.

Keywords that focus on this one idea should be in your titles, headings, and image alt text, rather than cramming it a bunch of times into copy.

WordPress sites make this easy with plugins like WordPress SEO by Yoast. Keywords can even be variations of the central idea, making it possible for even a searcher’s misspellings to lead to the keyword variation used for your site.

5. Don’t forget meta descriptions, titles, and headings

As Google gets smarter in determining what’s on your web pages, it looks beyond the keywords to interpret the data to form a decision. Google looks for meaning, not just specific keywords and keyword phrases.

It’s important to include meta descriptions to help search engines and searchers to understand what the site content is, and if it’s relevant to the search. Indirectly this is a giant SEO bonus that doesn’t impact rankings, but affects the navigation results.

Along with your meta tags, there are titles and heading tags to consider. Search engines use title tags to display in search results, and they tell search engines as well as searchers what is contained in the web page. They should be no longer than 50-60 characters, since that’s all that Google will display in its SERPs.

Heading tags are identified in your CMS (Content Management System, such as WordPress) through the built-in code, and they also help search engines understand what is on the page, as well as indicating the level of importance of the content with Heading 2 and Heading 3 tags.

By covering these SEO signals, you will help Google distinguish your site as a credible site and business. The days of Google Authorship, which handed out bylines and author photos like internet prizes for anyone who wanted to build authority and trust, are over. You can still build strong branding and authority by practicing basic SEO principles, even if you insist on leaving out the ubiquitous cat.

Do You Know These 5 Marketing Trends for 2015?

January 30, 2015 Beth Devine

It’s important to look back over the previous year and reflect on what you did that was successful, significant, or slipshod. Thinking backwards has its uses, but thinking forwards is a good opportunity to see how you fit into what’s expected.

Here are five marketing trends gleaned from the web that make the most sense for small businesses in 2015.

Content Marketing That Matters

The amount of free online content continues to overwhelm us. Your customers are probably growing bored, overstimulated, and underwhelmed. The answer is not to create more content to try and win attention.

The answer to today’s online content overload is marketing with a content strategy. Whereas the old mantra was “always be closing,” today’s could be “always be publishing,” but publishing with a focus.

Give your customers and prospects content that they can’t get elsewhere, is targeted to meet their interests, and is well-planned and well-written. Look to other industries for inspiration, including their social media pages. Check out their Pinterest, Facebook, blogs, and Twitter accounts to fuel your ideas for quality content.

Go Social or Bust

The social media landscape is continually changing. Small businesses must stay tuned to what platforms are the most relevant to your brand.

Where your brand should focus its presence is based on one simple fact: where your customers are. Knowing which platforms to avoid and which to engage in is even more critical as changes in Facebook and Twitter limit the reach of your pages and push business users to use paid advertisements.

Know the emerging technologies and where to look for your customers. Trends include messaging services like Snapchat, growing in popularity with 1 billion Snapchat stories viewed every day. The new social media darling is Instagram, the mobile photo-sharing site that is attracting users and investors by the truckload.

Watch for analytics to become available to marketers through more social platforms. As with Facebook, which offers Page Insights after you receive thirty likes, expect to see Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr do something similar.

Measure With Analytics

As the wave of social media analytics grows, it is important to take advantage of the digital data that is available. If it’s digital, it’s measurable, giving you critical understanding of product-market fit, user experience, customer behavior, and more.

Getting the right focus is the challenge. Using metrics to help you make the best decisions involves measuring many different things, including open rates, number of followers, and traffic. Focusing on what variables connect to revenue and growth is key.

Facebook recently added conversion lift to its analytics platform, allowing advertisers to measure conversion rates from digital ads. This tool is one example of how data can be used to help you focus your online efforts and your advertising dollars.

Less Words, More Visuals

Using less words and more visuals continues to be the trend for 2015. As non-professionals increasingly use smartphone cameras to shoot videos and photos with instant results, the potential for marketing also grows.

Visual storytelling is growing, and social media is quick to jump on board. Facebook was first to push video, with Instagram’s 15-second video quick to follow. Now Twitter is launching native video, giving users application-ready viewing and playing of videos as a way to add to the conversation.

Twitter already figured out how short our attention span is: 2.8 seconds to be exact, or how long it takes us to read approximtely 140 characters. 90% of information that your brain receives is visual, with visuals processed 60,000 times faster than text.

If you haven’t already, begin adding more visuals to your website and social media. Your content is being consumed by people who favor images, so that’s what you have to give them.

The IoT (Internet of Things)

Mobile data is continuing to expand with user-friendly options that will include wearable devices. The technology being used to transfer data over a network in devices such as heart monitors and automobile sensors is surfacing in smart watches and exercise bands, and is expected to become more popular as new solutions develop.

The IoT is a vast communication network of more than 25 billion objects, all online and gathering information, and using sensors to correspond with each other. Collecting data and sending it has never been easier.

It’s not always about knowing how this will affect your marketing. Sometimes it’s just about being aware of the newest breed of online connection and understanding what consumers are interested in. Anticipating marketing trends will help you move towards a more connected future where you’re prepared to address challenges as early as you can.

What Your Profile Picture Says About You

January 22, 2015 Beth Devine

worth a thousand words — “Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, The First Council,” by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, modified version, public domain photo.

It’s believed that Napoleon first said, “Un bon croquis vaut mieux qu’un long discours,” which loosely translated is, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” (“A good sketch is better than a long speech” also works.)

There’s no better place to begin with this philosophy than social media. Social media is a large part of our lives, and our online presence is much more than just a personal statement.

How you represent yourself online professionally is an important piece to your overall appearance on social media. Your LinkedIn profile picture, or any image meant for professional use, should make a good first impression.

What does your social media picture say about you? These tips will help you decide.

Get your profile picture rated for free.

Find out what others think of your photo with a site that tells you how your picture rates. Photo Feeler bases its results on the votes of other participants. In order to receive feedback, you can either purchase credits, or receive credits by casting your own votes.

For a business photo, the qualities of competent, likable, and influential are rated. For sites geared to social exchange, votes are made on confident, authentic, and fun. There’s even a dating option, in the event you’re interested in casting the net online.

The no-show photo.

According to recent studies, recruiters spend 19% of their time on your profile picture. When you elect to omit your profile picture, professional recruiters will think one of three things: you’re lazy, tech illiterate—you don’t know how to upload one, or you’re hiding something.

You’re also less likely to have your profile viewed by associates. Let’s say you want to connect online after a networking event. It’s much easier to remember who’s who when you have a photo to make the connection to the business card.

Your age is about a decade (or two) off reality.

Imagine walking into an interview looking years older than your profile picture. Not only will your prospective employer think she’s got the wrong person, you’ll look deceptive.

Keep your profile picture an accurate representation of what you currently look like. The best way to convey a positive appearance is with a photo that exudes good energy through good posture, a genuine smile, and a relaxed demeanor.

Casual dress or not?

A professional profile picture should include professional attire. Dress as if you are going to a job interview. For certain industries, however, the dress can be slightly less formal.

Check and see what other people in your industry are wearing for their profile pictures to be sure you’re adopting a similar standard. If you’re unsure, a dark-colored blazer is a safe bet.

Keep the background neutral.

Avoid backgrounds that will distract the viewer from focusing on you. Instead of wondering where you were in the photo or what was going on, the intent of the photo remains central: you and what you have to offer.

I bet you think this photo’s about you, don’t you?

You’re so vain, or you would be if this wasn’t the moment to make it about you and nothing or no one else. In addition to a plain background, don’t include your pets, children, or significant other. Avoid using them as your Facebook profile picture as well, unless you want to convey the various meanings each one communicates.

There are unspoken rules to social media profile pictures. What your profile picture says about you speaks volumes, and you don’t want it to scream clueless.

Saving-the-world photos are good, aren’t they?

Thanks to the site Humanitarians of Tinder, what might appear to be genuine altruism can be misconstrued into less noble attempts of empathy. While there are places and times to demonstrate your involvement in a worthy cause, using photos of yourself posing in developing countries as your professional profile picture won’t necessarily be one of them.

Try using a photo that can’t be mistaken as superficial. If you insist on using third-world selfies, save them for Instagram.

Bad lighting is for a Seinfeld episode.

The lighting in your profile picture can make the difference between your appearing as the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Seinfeld episode “Two Face Girlfriend” depicts this with comic clarity. Each time Seinfeld sees his new date, she bounces between being either pleasantly attractive or a ghastly ghoul depending on the light.

The lighting can be the sole culprit of a really bad profile picture. See these 9 Tips for Taking a Great Profile Photo in Natural Light and take your profile image to the next level of greatness.

You don’t have to guess at which photos are better. Follow these tips to get the right photo and see your online opportunities grow.

How To Be More Likable

January 14, 2015 Beth Devine

liked at work — Flickr photo “Pals” by jeffreyw, modified from the original under CC BY.

“When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion.” — Dale Carnegie

We all want to be liked. Google how to be more likable, and the evidence is there—you’ll come up with plenty of self-help advice to answer your need.

Because the majority of people spend most of their time at work, how to be more likable at work is a popular focus for improvement. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest American Time Use survey, employed adults spend nearly twice as much time working as they do at a leisure activity.

Start by being more likable at work with these 5 areas of self-improvement. Based on the vast amount of internet advice, I’ve distilled it into 5 categories centered on personal characteristics.

1. Be a Better Listener: Be Deferential

Listen without interrupting. It’s annoying when someone butts in or rushes you, or attempt to compete with you in conversations as if they have to top your story or one-up you in some way.

Deferential listening involves more than just being quiet while others speak. It requires conversation reinforcements, questions, and most of all, being present. Make a point of not looking at your phone or letting your mind wander, and place your full focus on the person talking.

By being deferential and listening attentively, you’re creating an authentic bridge that will allow you to connect with others. And eventually they will like you for it.

2. Be Willing to Get Personal: Be Vulnerable

Know when to take things to a personal level and share what’s really happening in your life. Without being overdone, sharing is a way to communicate trust and break down walls, making emotional connection a possibility.

By being honest about yourself, you’re showing a vulnerability that makes liking you easier than if you always attempt to show how impressive you are.

Admit to mistakes and failings, show the real you. People will gravitate to your honesty.

3. Be a Positive Force: Be Complimentary

One way to practice being more positive is to find something to compliment people on. It’s hard to appear negative when you’re focused on making compliments to people.

Instead of finding what’s wrong with a situation, use the same positive energy to figure out what can be done to make it better. Tell someone every day how fabulous they are and why. Most of us are so fixated inwards that it requires simply being aware of your surroundings to find something to remark positively on. They’ll not only appreciate you for it, they will be more likely to listen to you when you do bring up a negative point.

4. Be Concerned About Others: Be Genuine

Ask questions about others and give them a chance to talk about themselves. By prompting people with honest questions about their lives to further your understanding, you show you’re genuinely interested in them and making a deeper connection.

The other side to revealing your vulnerability is displaying a unique concern for others. By not always settling for small talk and superficial exchange, you’re opening the door to a stronger relationship, one where you’re far more likable.

5. Be Warm and Fuzzy: Be Sincere

Don’t underestimate the power of touch. Social touching on the upper arm, shoulder, or hand can influence how others behave as well as make you appear friendlier and more attractive when done right.

This means it is done casually and sincerely. Touch can break down the perceived barrier of distance and and decrease the natural barrier of emotional resistance.

Out of these 5 personal characteristics, sincerity is the most difficult to adopt with artifice, so don’t bother doing this if you can’t muster up real solicitude. If people can smell a rat, they can sense it even better with a false touch.

Of course there are many ways to show sincerity. All of them will help you be more likable. There is one single thing you can do to influence the practice of all five characteristics listed here and be more likable. It’s very simple.

Smile more.

People will lower their guards when you smile as you greet them with a “good morning,” leave them with a “have a great day!” and take the initiative to acknowledge them.

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