Before the Myspace and the other social community revolution started to ravage the Internet landscape, small business owners had to either hire a web designer or use a template website such as Bravenet to create a web presence. Back then those template websites were very economical, but lacked all the customizable features that a web designer could provide.
Even though Bravenet has gone by the wayside and Myspace has taken its place as a way for small businesses to get a piece of that online market, it is not the best long term solution for a small business that is looking to enter the online business market.
There are several steps that need to be taken if you are a small business owner that is looking to revamp or even create a web presence from scratch.
1) A domain name that represents your business name is worth its weight in gold.
a. Just like a logo, your domain name is very important. You want to choose a domain name a close to the name of your business. That way consumers and internet surfers will remember your online presence with ease.
2) Looks are everything!!!
a. Even though templates are easy to put together, it comes down to being unique and separate yourself from the pack. Spend the time to pick the colors and overall structure of your website before you go to a web design company.
3) Being social is good, but you need a home.
a. Having a Myspace or a Facebook account to represent your business is a good thing, but should not be the overall solution. Those social sites should be used as a compliment to your main small business website. Those social sites are a great way to dive traffic to your main site and will be a great way to interact with customers.
So if you are a small business owner looking to get a piece of the booming online business market, remember to use the social community sites a compliment to your main site and if you’re looking for help with this, we offer a social media optimization package. Remember there is no place like home when it comes to having your own website and domain.
]]>PPC is an approach where a marketer bids on specific keywords that are tied to specific ads. These ads appear when any of the keywords are searched. You do not pay for this type of advertising unless an ad is clicked on. This approach allows businesses to bid against each other and compete for better ad position. SEO is the approach where improvements are actually made to improve the richness of web sites content in relation to specific keywords with the intention to improve its quality score in the eyes of search engine spiders.
So, which approach will best meet the needs of your businesses online marketing efforts?
Cost Effectiveness
Marketing efforts are an expense. That has to be taken into consideration when deciding which of these two strategies will yield the best return on investment. Many industry studies have found that SEO does indeed deliver a greater return on investment then PPC campaigns over long periods of time.
This is true because with SEO the cost is based on the maintenance efforts and not the cost per click biding structure. That is due to SEO being based on organic search listings. Most top search engines want to maintain their integrity and provide searchers with objective non-biased information related to the end users search. In other words the natural search will continue to be the search engines main objective and can only be reached through SEO because this section of real estate is not for sale.
Time Efficentency
In the modern business environment, performance is judged on a short term scale. Quarterly earning reports and projections can have drastic impact on a businesses stock price. When it comes to choosing an internet marketing strategy, PPC is far more time efficient than SEO.
PPC ads start to show on search engines instantly while the effects of SEO are more of a long term process. This allow a marketer to test and isolate what combination of keywords, landing pages, and ads perform best and focus on them while at the same time eliminating what is not working.
No matter if the purpose of the web site is to increase and capture sales or leads the benefits of PPC can be measured in almost real time from when the campaign is launched.
Best Of Both Worlds
The best strategy for an entrepreneur to consider when entering the world of internet marketing is to take advantage of what both PPC and SEO has to offer. By applying both strategies you can be assured that your target market will find you. This approach can also give you the needed upper hand in today’s ultra competitive market place.
Use both to gain more exposure on search engines and take up more valuable advertising real estate. The end result will be more traffic and ultimately more sales.
]]>Mystic Liquid tries to focus on three principles of small business website design that apply to all websites.
The first is Simplicity
This is such an important principle, that it can easily be made into the top three web design principles all by itself. The important thing to always remember is that a web site must be designed to be as user friendly as possible and that is because of two main reasons. These are:
You want to make it easy for any future updates.
You want to make it simple for a user to navigate quickly and seamlessly.
This applies to all aspects of the website, from the design, to structure and the code.
Our next principle is its Modularity
All websites should be built and designed in a modular manner. What this means is that you want to create the site as a series of modules/components instead of a run-on sentence.
Doing so entails actions such as creating logical divisions in the site structure. Simple things like extracting out common elements like footers and using ‘include’ procedures to reinsert those elements back into your pages. Another option is to use external
Modularity helps comply with the simplicity of the design as mentioned above. The thing I like most is that it cuts back on time and effort.
The final principle is the website’s Balance
The balance in a web page is one of those design aspects I see so many other designers take too lightly or forget completely. You need to balance out how much information is delivered on a page. You are basically deciding how much “stuff” to put on a page.
Do you want the page to be simple to look at or would you prefer it to be busy and exciting? These are two important questions when creating the balance. Just be careful that if you create a page that is too busy and overwhelming, more than likely a user will find it to be a distraction and will leave the site.
One of the first reasons why I love Wordpress is the fact that it’s so easy to install on to a server. Who doesn’t like not having to deal with all that messy code? No thanks! The less code I have to look at in a day the better.
The second reason is the fact that search engine spiders love crawling a site built with Wordpress. The fact that it’s a blog means that there is always new content added to the website which means they are constantly coming back to crawl the site.
The final reason is the fact that it’s so user friendly. Almost anybody can sit down and write out a blog post while maintaining the everyday SEO functions of it as well. It can be customized to fit any business niche or user experience.
How you customize it, however, is the difference between an ordinary blog lost in the search results on page three. While an optimized Wordpress blog is right there on the first page, getting visits and making you money. In order to do this, you need to optimize Wordpress for even further performance using plugins. Here is a list of plugins that Mystic Liquid have been using on all of our latest blogs built.
Akismet - You need this plugin if you are running a blog. There is no question about it. The good news is it comes pre-installed with Wordpress. Askimet helps you out fighting spam. Even an average blog gets hundreds of spam comments on a daily basis. Activating Akismet eliminates this annoying problem. The best part is Akismet automates the entire process by running a multitude of tests on potential comments, trackbacks, and pingbacks to ensure their validity.
Related Posts – I use this plugin to find other posts related to a current one using keyword matching. You then have the ability to display those related posts at the bottom of each article. It’s an excellent way to keep visitors on your blog for a longer amount of time.
Adsense Deluxe – If you are monetizing your blog or running one just to make money from Adsense then this is the best plugin you can find. Adsense Deluxe lets you automatically insert Google Adsense with little or no effort involved.
WP-Cache – This plugin is a must if you are expecting a large amount of users to visit your website on a daily basis. It creates a caching system which allows your site to run faster and more responsive. WP-Cache works by creating static versions of your pages which are then served to your visitors without querying the MySQL database.
Google Sitemaps - This plugin is a must if you expected to be taken seriously by the search engines and we know how important that is. The google Sitemaps plugin automatically creates a Google compliant sitemap of your Wordpress blog. What this means is that all of your pages are more easily indexed in Google.
Wordpress Dulplicate Content Cure – The name of this plugin says it all. While duplicate content isn’t the kiss of death for a website, it’s still something you want to avoid in order to not be penalized by the search engines. The duplicate content cure plugin prevents search engine spiders from indexing Wordpress pages that contain duplicate content by making your archives and category pages nofollow.
What are your favorite Wordpress plugins? Feel free to share them in the comments.
]]>I’m going to let you in on a pretty important business fact. Blogging is a proven and effective marketing tool for a wide range of businesses. While it may seem obvious to those of you who already are aware of this, there are far too many small business owners missing out on customers and sales because they are not using blogging as a marketing tool.
The problem is so many people don’t either realize a blogs full potential or they have far too many misconceptions about them. Here is a list of four of the most common reasons they don’t want blogs along with Mystic Liquid’s counter-argument:
My business isn’t geared towards a blog - I hear this all too often by business owners who don’t completely understand what a blog is and what it can do. It is possible that maybe your customers don’t subscribe to any blogs, or don’t read a favorite blog daily. But you know who does? The search engine spiders like the ones Google and Yahoo use to find websites and judge them for their results pages. If your customers use the Internet and chances are good they do, you can capture their attention with a blog.
Isn’t blogging what my kids do on Myspace? - If I had a nickel for every time I heard this, I wouldn’t need a job. While your kids may know more about blogging than you, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. If anything, look at it as free help running one whenever they are around. The truth is companies of all sizes and shapes have realized the benefits of a business blog.
Blogging is just a trend – Yea I remember hearing the same thing about the internet and the Beatles too a couple of years back. They sure got that right. The thing is no one, not even you, can predict the future what will be hot in the next few years. That still doesn’t mean you can’t jump on the bandwagon now. By not doing so now, you are missing out on a powerful, easy-to-use communication tool. I’m no psychic but I’m pretty sure communicating with your customers and prospects will never go out of style.
I don’t have time to blog – I can sometimes see someone’s point of view here until I realize that your blog is about your business and a blog post should only take you about 30 minutes at the most to write. I’m sure you can find a half hour twice a week to talk about something you love to do and know like the back of your hand. Another thing, it is worth the time spent establishing your expertise in your business’s subject matter, generate loads of search engine leads, and deliver your message to potentially thousands of people.
As you can see a well run blog can greatly enhance your business’s exposure to the world. Don’t be one of those people who miss out on this great opportunity by letting these misconceptions keep you from giving business blogging a chance.
Socially optimized websites present a unique set of challenges compared to a static website. I’m not saying one is better than the other. It all depends on the purpose of the website. What I’m saying is personally I like the challenge of creating a website whose content is based around the involvement of its users.
We run into different circumstances and problems in building and maintaining these sites all the time. Sometimes a website owner just doesn’t realize the amount of work involved with running one to going with a social media campaign for a market that just won’t work for it. You never know how these things will turn out but that doesn’t mean you can’t try.
Here are the five most common reasons why a social media website doesn’t last and fails:
Don’t forget that an online community or a socially optimized website is all about user communication and interaction. Encourage others to get involved and most importantly, have fun!
]]>Last week, Representative Couch filed a bill to make anonymous posting online illegal. Basically what it does is require anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and e-mail address with that site. Say goodbye to posting links on blogs, forum, social sites and anywhere else you want to drop an anonymous link since your full name would be used anytime you do.
If Couch gets this bill into a law, (which it probably won’t) the webmaster is forced to pay a fine if someone was to post a comment or whatever anonymously on their site. The fine isn’t small change, either. It would be five-hundred dollars for a first offense and one-thousand dollars for each offense after that. You tell me how many bloggers out there who can afford to pay that fine. Most of us are blogging to make a buck, not to give it away.
I have already emailed my local state and federal representatives and senators in hopes that they don’t get any foolish ideas in their heads such as this bill. I think they would be pretty surprised just how powerful of a medium a blog can be in influencing voters. I urge you all to do the same.
Tell me any comments you have on this.
Hmm….I wonder if he knows that most posts and emails can be tracked back to their original source quite easily…probably not…he’s too busy trying to make a name for himself.
]]>Luckily, I don’t consider myself a bad SEO but that doesn’t mean I hit the nail on the head every time I try to generate some popular linkbait. Creating one that works is hard work combined with a little bit of luck and timing.
I’ve learned a few tricks from reading other people’s blogs but mostly through trial and error. I’ve created some good linkbait pieces for Mystic Liquid and I also came up with my fair share of bad ones. I won’t link to these because it’s my blog and I would rather not embarrass myself.
But what makes something linkbait? I’ve read some industry people claim that almost anything can be linkbait as long as it elicits a need for people to link to. That’s only somewhat true. Yes, the idea behind it is to get a great amount of website owners to link to in a short period of time but it also needs to be on topic, not just any post you feel like throwing together.
Here a few other thoughts I have of what makes a great linkbait post:
·Create content worth reading - You can have an awesome looking website full of images and flash but if there is no useful information on it, then what’s the point? Your website’s content not only needs to be well thought out but also amazing. It needs to be something so incredible that everyone will be talking about it. If you can do that for your audience then the links will keep coming.
·While you’re at it, make it unforgettable and compelling - The better the quality of your content, the better your chances are for finding return visitors to your site. Sure it’s great to get people to read your blog post initially but the true sign of a successful site is by getting them to come back. You should start to see a return from your effort by seeing a greater number of links back.
·Tell something interesting - No one wants to link to your blog if it’s just another ordinary post that is so dull it will put you to sleep. I found that one of the more effective techniques in linkbaiting is by telling a story, better yet telling an interesting story. Give someone a reason to read it and like it so much that they recommend it to a friend to read. That’s the type of response you want from your linkbait post.
·Target a subject that’s hot right now - What are people talking about in the blogosphere? These are the topics you need to address. That means you need to be constantly informed of the latest industry news no matter what the niche market may be. Quickly scan through popular social sites or even browse the pages of StumbleUpon or Digg to see what everybody is talking about.
·Know your audience - Your linkbait should be targeted to those potential visitors. It needs to be written for people who want or are interested in what you offer. If you specialize in website design and your linkbait is about kittens, don’t expect any favorable results from your effort.
The simple fact is that linkbait is just like any other article, blog post, or picture on a web page. The only difference is that it is specifically done for the sole purpose of gathering as much links from as many different sources as possible.
Everyone always talks about their best linkbait ideas but I want to hear about some of your worst. Let us know some of the stinkers you guys have come up with.
]]>All over-dramatics aside, we do enjoy creating websites for Scranton small businesses as well as enjoy the fact we are the leader in the Scranton SEO field but it didn’t happen overnight. Learning about the different intricacies of website design and better yet all the different theories behind search engine optimization is a large task. The trick is knowing where to look. Here are a few posts that I read over the past few days I found extremely helpful. I hope you do to.
Search Engine Land has a fantastic write up on why they love small business SEO.
Lisa at Bruce Clay wrote an informative piece on 6 easy steps of SEO.
Aaron Wall has a video explaining why business owners need to start blogging immediately.
Brian Clark at Copyblogger has another great post on writing innovative and interactive content.
I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and give that special someone a day to remember.
]]>Personally, I love it when a website mixes a combination content and video successfully. The page contains enough content to inform the visitors and feed those spiders while the video does all the work in grabbing the attention of the user in the first place.
Don’t be shocked when you start to see more of our posts using videos. We are also starting to weave into our small business website design with some positive results so far. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.
The problem so many designers run into with video is finding the correct format to use. Here are some of the more popular plugins, players and video formats commonly used as a quick refresher course in video implementation.
· Flash - From everything I’ve seen, read, and used, I can honestly say that Flash is by far and away the most popular format for videos to go along with the widest computer support. The major problem with using Flash, well one of the major problems, is that Flash isn’t much value to the mobile market. Hopefully, we will see some vast improvements on that front.
· QuickTime - This video app made by Apple is one the cleanest players you’ll find. Anyone who owns an iPod knows about QuickTime. It used to be a poor choose to view videos with if you were running a Windows based PC but over the last year or two, that has improved by leaps and bounds.
· Real media – This dinosaur used to be extremely popular back in the day because of its compression and cross-platform capability but the increased developments in the other players left Real Media players behind the times. The one plus is that it is supported through some of the popular mobile devices.
· Windows media – Everyone who owns a Windows computer has used a Windows media player at one point or another. I really don’t recommend using it just because of compatibility issues. It isn’t the most user friendly video player going.
· Streaming video – Of all the video formats I mentioned, this may be the easiest to use. The only thing you really need is a camera. The only drawback is you need to get yourself a streaming media server as well as a decent understanding of firewalls and ports. Other than that, it’s a snap to use.
What do you use or recommend when you use video on your website? Leave a comment with any suggestions you have.
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