Search Engine and Internet Marketing Blog for Red Hawk Strategies

More Google Juice, Please.

Published
by
Michelle
on June 24, 2009
in Search Engine Optimization
. 0 Comments

If you have watched the SEO circles in the last few years you know that some how Page Rank plays into the idea of where you rank in the search engines. Actually that works both ways - your page rank is actually based on where you rank in the search engines, too.

Page Rank is the probability that a particular web page can be found by a random surfer on the web. The higher the Page Rank, the more “findable” the page is and the more probable it will be found.

The part that is often missed by folks who focus on ON SITE SEO is that PageRank also has a direct correlation to the links your web pages have pointing to them and a portion of page rank flows through that link to your website.

For a great graphic on How Page Rank Flows you can check this out by Matt Cutts

This topic piqued my attention today because of a Twitter Post from Vicky Akers with PR Newswire. (I had the privilege of meeting Vicky in person at #TWTRCON this year and it was such a treat.)

How can you get some google juice? @MPranikoff is explaining now #prnuk Google Juice is a loving slang term for Page Rank

My smarty answer was “At the Google Juice Bar” which half-heartedly is true - its just knowing how to set the tap. Her response was perfect …

Make your content accessible, easy to view, easy to use says @mpranikoff #prnuk #pr

That’s the way to tap the juice, uhm PageRank… Create content for your target market that people want and give it to them, point them to it, help them consume it, make their life easier and they are going to link to you. Period. If you see content you like, you link to it right? It works both ways.

If you want to get more links, give people something to link to. More Links = More Page Rank.

OK that’s really simplified I know. This isn’t intended to be a full primer on Page Rank or Page Rank Sculpting, it is simply to challenge you to create something worth linking to. Build it and they will come (uh wrong movie, sorry).

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Social Media ROI

Published
by
Michelle
on June 24, 2009
in Social Media
. 0 Comments

I knew it was coming, I have heard the murmurs, some whispers of concern, and now the real question - will I actually get ROI from “doing Social Media.” Well the correct marketing answer is YES, but the truthful answer is probably. It really does depend on what it is you are measuring.

I googled “Social Media ROI” yesterday and using Google’s witty new Show Options feature searched for Recent Results and found a great blog post by Reshma Kumar on the WebGuild.org

Measuring the ROI of Social Media

“It might also be worth comparing the ROI of using social media marketing to the ROI of not using it. Would the results be the same, better, or worse?!”

There it is … it’s been said. What’s the ROI if you don’t engage in this additional marketing channel? Companies are willing to extend budgets on Traditional Media that only shows where placement occurred, but no tracking mechanism to “the deal”.

Often you can leverage Social Marketing with a smaller budget, more trackable “clicks” but not consider the real ways to justify the spend. Is it a question of perceived value, since it is less expensive is the perception that true results are not fathomable?

Depends…

Social Media, Social Networking, Social Marketing … whatever you choose to call it is truly a marketing conduit with virtually unlimited channels. You still need to think about where the dollars are being spent. You still need to think about your demographic, you need to understand your message, you need to be willing to engage in conversations with customers, clients and prospects.

This is an extension of your existing marketing. It requires thought and planning, just like any other marketing plan. And I challenge you to definitely measure the ROI. You just have to decide what it is that you want to measure.

Do you want to see clicks from the social media placement to your website?

Do you need to check Google Alerts to see how many places your information has been taken with social drift.

Is it measured in the number increased repeat visitors to your website?

Are you looking for new actual buying customers?

Do you want to measure revenue?

Really it is up to you. What you measure you can improve. If you want to know if you are getting Social Media ROI … simply decide the results you want and measure it. And if you need help creating your Social Media Marketing plan … just give me a call or email lets see if there is a fit.

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How Bass Fishing Taught Me More About Conversions

Published
by
Michelle
on June 20, 2009
in SEO and Search Engine Optimization
. 0 Comments

Today I was watching a Bass Fishing Tournament on television, and I heard them spout off a tiring statistic. This angler had cast his line 204 times and actually caught only 2 fish. WHAAAAAA? He had a conversion ratio of 1%. 200 casts to get 2 fish in the boat?

He picked the location to fish, he chose the bait and equipment, the rhythm of the cast and retrieve, and still only 2 fish for 200 casts. Was he where the fish were? According to the broadcaster he had tried in 3 different parts of the lake, and at the end of the day, and more than 400 casts, only 4 fish in the boat.

Nothing he tried seemed to work - simply the fish weren’t biting.

Is that how it feels on your website? Do you put sample orders through just to make sure “its working”?

It got me to thinking, what can you do when the fish aren’t biting or in your case when customers aren’t checking out on your eCommerce website?

Assuming the customers exist and can find your website, let’s look at some real basics.

Are you selling things people want to buy? (Is your bait tasty?)

Is it easy to find what they want? (Is it the right bait?)

Are your descriptions / content relevant and helpful ? (Are your hooks sharpened?)

Is it clear what they should do next? (Does that bait look real?)

Is the shopping cart easy to understand? (Are you steady cranking with an appropriate tease?)

Do you look trustworthy on the credit card page? (Are you setting the hook or yanking out of their mouth?)

Is everything pointing them to FINALIZE order? (Applying just the right pressure to get them to the boat?)

If you do it right, often enough you’ll put them in the boat!

Not sure what may be wrong ? Hire someone to buy something from your website - someone who has NEVER been to your site before - and then watch them. Visually watch where they struggle. Chances are if it is a struggle for them, it is a struggle for many other customers too.

Want to learn more about conversion and analytics? Stay tuned, we’ll be blogging about analytics more, soon.

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MC Hammer at TWTRCON

Published
by
Michelle
on May 31, 2009
in Search Engine Optimization
. 0 Comments

Share photos on twitter with Twitpic

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TWTRCON

Published
by
Michelle
on May 29, 2009
in Twitter
. 0 Comments

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Business Networking

Published
by
Michelle
on May 19, 2009
in Search Engine Optimization and Videos
. 0 Comments

The hustle and bustle has taken most of us to “cramming” every minute of our schedule with hardly breathing room in between. We rush hurriedly from one meeting or client to the next, arrive late, apologize for being scattered and then leave quickly realizing we’re late for our next appointment.

As Famed Infomercial Personality Susan Powter would say “STOP THE INSANITY”

It is crazy - we are not building our brand, our business, our marketing with these “quickies.” A week or so ago I attended an event where I knew there would be folks to meet who could refer me and who may want to hire my consulting services. And I did network, and made some great connections, but what I saw there actually shocked me a bit.

Other folks like me, who were clearly there to network and see the “latest” info being dished arrived late and left the moment the event was over. Now granted the event did run long, but the reward of going to a business networking function is to create new relationships and deepen existing relationships. That is really all that marketing is … and networking is an in-person vehicle for doing that.

The next time you are going to an event where there will be networking, follow these tips:

When possible, plan ahead to know who you will want to meet in the room. Think about what you can do for them - what business you could refer to them - ways you can deepen that relationship.

Arrive early - leave yourself time to find parking, go to the restroom, pull your networking smile and handshake together - do not arrive frazzled and seeming pathetic.

Spend quality time with each person you meet. This is not a race to COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS, it is a relationship building opportunity.

Do not automatically add folks to your email list without their permission.

Follow up with a HAND WRITTEN note card. RIGHT AWAY! Not weeks away - send it the same day or the very next morning out in the mail.

That’s it … those are the basics. Make the most of your next networking event.

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7 Tips For A More Successful Website

Published
by
Michelle
on April 28, 2009
in Marketing and Search Engine Optimization
. 0 Comments

As a SEO Marketing Strategist, my clients are looking for success from their websites. They want ROI - Return on Investment and frankly, so do I. Here are 7 things that I work diligently to educate my clients about their web marketing experience.

1.) Do you know why you have a website?

Understand for yourself, why you are choosing to have a website - are you collecting leads, selling online, online brochure or just trying to outshine your brother-in-law’s website.

Was it designed to do the purpose you intended?

How well is it performing that purpose?

2.) It is not about traffic, it is about conversion.

Traffic tells us how many “hits” or “visitors” our websites have. Conversion tells us how many take our desired actions.

If your website receives 100 visitors a week and 2 visitors request more information your weekly conversion ratio is 2%

If your website receives 100 visitors a day and you sell 1 order per day, your daily conversion ratio is 1%

It is the number of actions that bring sales to your company - not the number of visitors.

In terms of Sales Revenue - 1,000 visitors who take ZERO action are probably worth less than 10 qualified visitors who take the DESIRED ACTION on your website.

In simple math: 1,000 x 0 = ZERO … 10 X 5 = $50 (assuming that action was worth only $5 to you)

3.) Know what you sell

As you are developing your site - you do need to know what it is you sell - and incorporate those products and services as keywords on your website. And be specific.

For example: If you are a Plumber, don’t just include the words plumbing and plumber, you will also want to include clogged drain repair, or toilet installation. If you are a financial advisor - perhaps your niche is retirement planning or 401K Rollovers.

4.) Know what your customer is buying

That seems simple, right? Not always. Many industries use cryptic abbreviations, industry terms and code words that ONLY other people in that industry understands. Treat your website as if you are explaining your services to 12 years olds. You are not trying to impress the customer with how smart you are, but how good you are at the products or services you offer. People buy promos and imprinted pens, not specialty advertising.

5.) Give them what they need

Create a flow that allows QUALIFIED customers the ability to decide to do business with you. Provide information, give great data, ask for their info, give them a way to CONTACT YOU. Make it simpler for them and they will give you more of their business.

(Side Note: If you currently have a 1% conversion ratio on the web - and can take that to 2% - you will DOUBLE your results). In other words if 2 people sign up out of 100 instead of the original 1 - that is twice as many opportunities for sales. ) A 100% increase - not a 1% increase.

Remove roadblocks that keep them from doing business with you.

6.) Answer their questions

This can be done in two ways - first, have great Frequently Asked Questions with answers on the site / service / product page and second and more importantly - when they call you or send you and email or fill out your online form - RESPOND FAST! The early bird gets the worm is in the past - now its the fastest bird.

7.) Build your website to attract and convert customers - not win design awards.

Don’t get me wrong - a website should look good, credible and reputable - but that should NEVER come at the expense of the ability to attract and convert customers - EVER. If it is beautiful and no one ever sees it, it really doesn’t matter that its there. If it has amazing colors and fantastic design elements that match perfectly with your letterhead - YAH - but if it does not drive customers / sales - it really is nothing more than a billboard at the North Pole.

Sometimes I butt heads with great designers on this, but sales and profits trump pretty and branding.

So that’s it - to me it is really that simple. Know what they want and build a website that attracts and convinces them to take the next step to do business with you. AND NO… this is not just about online retail. It works for Dentists, Lawyers, Restaurants, E-Commerce, Consultants, Plumbers, Marketing Agencies, all of them.

Want to know more ? I’d love to come and present this to your group, corporation or students. Lets continue the conversation - drop me an email at michelle [at] redhawkstrategies.com

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Twitter Search : Like a Wire Tap for the Web

Published
by
Michelle
on April 22, 2009
in Twitter
. 0 Comments

Will Twitter help my website?

How can Twitter help me grow my business?

Isn’t Twitter just a waste of time?

What is Twitter?

I have Twitter account, but I still don’t “Get It”

Why do I care what someone had for lunch?

Why is there all this crap on Twitter?

These are just a few of questions my friends, family and clients have asked me of the last year, all reasonable questions. If you are looking at Twitter as ‘full of junk’ you may never get the value that is out there. YES, Twitter is definitely full of clutter and misuse - as is much of the “no/low cost media.”

I won’t go into great detail about what twitter is, I have another blog post for that. In short Twitter is a 2-way broadcast application that functions via the web and SMS text networks on mobile phones. BORING but true. It is a gateway, nothing more, nothing less. Ahh but the information that is on Twitter, that is where the fun begins.

I like to think of Twitter as a legal Wire Tap for the web - I do use it as a broadcast tool, but I really like to use it as a listening device.

Want to know what’s happening at any given moment in the twitterverse? Just visit the Twitter Search Tool and type in what it is you want to know and POOF. It truly is a wiretap - with results that were posted just seconds before.

And if you leave your page sitting on that search it will continually refresh and let you know when that topic has had new twitter posts, too. So is it a way to attack and send a provoking marketing message? Uh, NO, not if you want to be taken seriously. You can use it to find like minded folks, people who have the same interests or interests in line with your marketing offers.

You can also use it to see when your company name or product appears in Twitter too …so you can monitor the conversation, engage and help when possible. (Just check out @comcastcares )

So what will you listen for today?

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Think Locally, Act Googlely

Published
by
Michelle
on April 21, 2009
in SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Videos and Website Traffic
. 2 Comments

Local search is booming, period.A few years ago we didn’t really go to the web to find brick and mortar businesses, but WE DO NOW. With searches like “restaurant Nix Boatyard in St. Augustine” actually delivers in the first spot, my favorite restaurant in St. Augustine Florida - The Creekside Dinery, but sometimes the name just escapes me.

I know that it has happened to you, too. Is there a time that you just couldn’t remember the business name, or perhaps you didn’t know the business name, but you are searching for a business type in a very specific area of your town? Guess what? Your potential customers ARE doing the same thing, too.

Let’s take that one step further, Jacksonville Florida is a large city, in fact the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States. We don’t have tiny towns one next to another like in many other parts of the U.S. We really don’t even have “suburbs” as much anymore. Verbally it is often referred to as the Metro Jacksonville Area or the First Coast made up of 5 counties. Well if you haven’t visited us before our First Coast is nearly 70 miles from the North to the South and 50 miles from the East to the West. Bottom line — it’s HUGE.

For special occasions I will make the 47 mile trek to St. Augustine to enjoy an Oak Plank Oven Grilled Steak at The Creekside Dinery in St. Augustine, but that is not my usual place to eat - and I bet your customers are the same way.

Years ago I served time (read: held a job) in the marketing department for a commercial real estate firm and learned some pretty interesting facts. Most traditional retail business measure the demographics in 1, 3, and 5 mile radius loops around their location. Small retailers (including restaurants) will draw the majority of their customers from people who work and live within that range. Big box retailers and national restaurant franchises draw from a larger area, however a concentration of their business is still very likely within a 10 mile radius. That’s probably no surprise to you - but did you tell your web designer?

When you are laying out your website, do you include neighborhoods, towns, nearby places to be included? If not you may be missing the boat. If you have a mobile business, is your service area limited to a section of town? Include that on your website.

Help your customers find you when they are looking by including “clues.” The search “italian restaurant jacksonville, fl” turns very different results than “italian restaurant san marco jacksonville, fl” even on the Google map. In the past I have discussed the idea that you can include a ZIP code in the Google search and get VERY TARGETED results.

Some creative ways to include neighborhood information:

On your Find Us page include directions from nearby areas where you may attract business. In Jacksonville it may be:

  • From Jacksonville Beach …
  • From Atlantic Beach …
  • From Arlington …
  • From Orange Park..

Or how about including a nearby thoroughfare or large neighborhood?

  • Conveniently located near Queens Harbor Country Club just off Beach Blvd

What about the nearby towns - this is especially great when you have many small townships close together

  • Proudly serving our customers in Green Cove Springs, Penny Farms and Middleburg for more than 20 years.

And this isn’t just for RESTAURANTS, either. It can work for the Hardware Store, the Florist or any other kind of brick and mortar business that attracts customers to their location. And even mobile businesses that work a specific area:

  • Our mobile detailers serve Downtown Jacksonville, The Southbank and San Marco

Even for me, in SEO consulting, I am not actually limited to a geographic area, but certainly clients really like that I am nearby and I will be working harder to let folks know that I am available in the small towns around Jacksonville, too. If you search Google for SEO Orange Park (which is the next closest town) we show up in the Google Local Results - not because our office is in Orange Park (yet) but because no other SEO companies are in the Google Local listings with addresses in Orange Park.

Google Local results are really local — unless you are geographically close to me, the results you see typing in SEO Orange Park are not the same results I see - not on the Google Map and not on the Organic SERPS and not in the Pay Per Click. Yes, even Pay Per Click can be localized. (More on that later).

If you do not have enough customers beating down the door to your local business (and are there really ever enough?) you really should think about how you can leverage the Google Local to draw more traffic in. And oh, by the way, Yahoo and MSN have local search now, too. So don’t forget them as part of your efforts.

How do you know if you need a “Local” presence for your website, here is a really simple test.

  • Are the products and services you provide useful or usable for customers in your area?
  • Do you have a cash register / service log to ring up walk-in transactions?
  • Do you deliver, install, or provide mobile service customers in your area?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions. You may want to seriously consider making your website more “Local”

What companies may not benefit from “Local” … Companies that don’t offer any walk in services and never have direct in-person contact with clients may not need Local. For instance Amazon.com - they serve an international office and don’t need local visitors.

What about B2B? Well you probably do still need to think about local. While you are selling to a Business, it is still a person that is researching to find the products and services you offer.

The old saying seems most appropriate now … Think Globally - Act Locally.

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Direct Marketing - Old School Style

Published
by
Michelle
on April 19, 2009
in Marketing
. 0 Comments

I just wish I had a camera with me today, sadly, I didn’t. The kids on the corner had a “Lemonade Stand” - they weren’t selling lemonade, but the sentiment was still the sign. It was perfect, and of course I had to stop the car and buy.

The kids were all holding handwritten signs - and the message was very clear.

“If You’re Thirsty, Stop”

I was thirsty, so I stopped.

Is your message clear?

Do you tell your customers what to do?

Is the call to action actually doable?

Think about the message that your clients are receiving - in person, on the phone, in correspondence, in advertisements, collateral material, email ? The next time you create a campaign - of any kind - check yourself.

My attorney told me the other day that a contract was not written to be clear between the parties - it is written to be clear by the third party / judge / mediator who may eventually have to interpret it. The same message applies: BE CLEAR. Just because you and your team think its great - doesn’t mean the customer will.  Ask the customer - test the message - try it out.

Claude Hopkins’ amazing book Scientific Advertising, though written more than 70 years ago, is still relevant today. I found a public domain copy of Scientific Advertising that you can download. If you have not read it, you should.

In a time where seconds count, be clear, be concise and tell your customers what you want. Just remember, if you’re thirsty, stop.

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