The Authorship structured data will slowly remove the anonymity on the Web and identify spammers. Not only will it help Google identify spammers, but it will also assist Google in providing the most credible and authoritative content based off of the author of the post.

Example

If Adam Schefter, an ESPN NFL Insider, writes a report on a recent trade in New England and Bob Nobody from Hoboken does too, Google will give more weight, based on authority and credibility, to Adam Schefter, therefore, ranking his report higher in the search results.

Regardless, in some degree, of the PageRank from where Adam makes his report, Google will give the post more authority because he is seen as an industry expert on the subject.

Potential Money to Be Made

We will all have to sit back and wait to see how this will affect our search results. My prediction is that people will begin literally “selling out” their Authorship clout for posts on other blogs, domains etc. Google will eventually bring the hammer down on “paid posts” like they did on paid links, but, during the time being there will be money to be made.

Do you think this change will be good or bad? What problems do you anticipate?

Google

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The possibilities within Google Analytics are seemingly endless. While most users log in to just check basic analytics such as; traffic, conversions, bounce rates, time on page, etc., there are far more resources that can and should be used to your advantage.

Here are 3 top-level tips to consider when creating content.

1.    Are your visitors new or returning

After logging into Google Analytics, find the Audience tab in the left hand column. Then go to Behavior. Under Behavior find New vs Returning and click to find your statistics.

Audience»

Behavior»

New vs Returning»

New vs Returning visitors will shed valuable insight into who is coming to your site and how you should be messaging your content. If the overwhelming majority of your site’s visitors are new, use this opportunity to create content that introduces you and your brand. If Google Analytics data is telling you that X% of visitors are coming to your site to discover your brand, stick your hand out and introduce yourself.

If the majority of visitors are returning, consider creating content that is more middle-of-the-funnel in scope. This will create brand awareness and value for your audience.

2.    Where do your visitors live

Click on the Audience tab and then locate Demographics. Now select Location. Continue clicking on the map to zoom closer into areas.

Audience»

Demographics»

Location»

The ‘”Location” feature informs you where your site visitors are originating from. This is valuable in finding where your site’s popularity is growing from, trending from and converting from. The insights that can be gained from this feature depend and vary from industry to industry. For example, a music artist could use “Location” to map out an upcoming concert tours, (Facebook Fan data would be beneficial as well) promotions, contests and even landing pages. Location data can also be used to discover your visitor’s lifestyle, average income, age and all around demographics.  This enables you to create content with those factors in mind.

3.    Create content around your highest converting keywords

Click on the Traffic Sources tab and then locate Sources. Now select Search. Select Organic from the dropdown. Above the Organic Search Traffic graph, just under the ‘Explorer’ section, select Goal Set.

(In order to utilize this feature, you must have your “Goal Set” established. If you need help setting this up in your Analytics, check out “How to Set Up and Edit Goals” in support.Google.com.)

Traffic Sources»

Sources»

Search»

Organic»

Goal Set»

Once your goals are established, you will be able to see how potential customers are finding your website in organic search. Even further, Google Analytics will display each keyword that is bringing in organic traffic, how many visits have come in for those keywords, and most importantly the conversion rate for that keyword.

When you narrow down which non-branded keywords are converting the best, then you can create new content around those keywords. In a perfect world, this will increase your rankings and relevance for those given keywords.

It would be a missed opportunity to ignore your highest converting keywords when creating content. If Google Analytics is telling you that people searching “[insert keyword]” are finding you in the search results and converting at 4.9%, what Analytics is really telling you is “You make money here!”

Are you currently utilizing any of these techniques to create your content? If not, what other ways do you utilize Google Analytics to shape your content?

Feel free to leave your own tips in the comments section below.

Google
 

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While posting quality content on your blog is vital, remember that user experience is also important. What you say with your blog’s presence can often speak louder than what you say in your content. The overall value a blog can offer your business will be found in following a few important details. Incorporating these blog tips will further your blog reach, give value to your brand and better generate leads.

In a world where there’s not a lot of scarcity of ideas, and where digital stuff isn’t going to be able to be priced based on scarcity, ubiquity is a better strategy. If you can help change the conversation, if you can say stuff that’s worth saying, the money takes care of itself.
—Seth Godin

 

1. If your content isn’t engaging, your potential audience won’t come back. Build content around your audience, .e.g., questions they are asking, problems they are having and so forth. This includes limiting the use of first person pronouns such as “I, me, my.” Engage your audience more effectively by using second person, “you, your, yours.”

2. Give an explanatory title to your blog post and immediately identify the purpose and message of your blog post in the first paragraph. Don’t beat around the bush.

3. Format the blog post’s text into paragraphs. Don’t present the reader with one giant text block.

4. Keep your paragraphs short so they can be read quickly. This will provide value to the audience. Ease of readability will be attractive and encourage the reader to return.

5. Use subheadings in between paragraphs to keep the reader engaged. These subheadings can also serve as transitions into the next paragraph.

6. Always use a photo in your blog post. Photos enhance readability, give your blog personality and help tell your story.

7. SEO 101, use active keywords in your blog content to generate and increase organic traffic. This also applies to your blog title.

8. Update your blog on a regular basis. Fresh content will keep you looking good in the eyes of Google and your audience.

10. Integrate bullet point lists and numbered lists into your blog posts. Readers value lists, plus they will promote you as an authority on the subject matter.

11. Keep each post relevant to your audience. No matter how great of content you think you are creating, the real value of your blog is if your audience thinks your content is worth reading.

12. Always respond to blog comments. This builds relationships with your audience and depicts your business as personable and trustworthy.

13. Ask questions within your blog content to invoke a response. Allowing your audience to respond builds true engagement and trust.

14. Be sure to include internal links to other pages of your website or past blog posts. This will enable the audience to have quick navigation to valuable information and increase how Google sees your site’s topic relevance.

15. Share your blog post in all your social media channels. Be sure to add a link back to the blog post. Inbound links are an important part of SEO.

These simple blog tips are just a few items that will increase your rate of engagement and further your chances of generating leads.

If you have a successful blog story, feel free to share it with us. We would enjoy hearing from you.

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Your company may feel like it’s lost in a myriad of websites and search results, but there is no reason to feel hopeless. With proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO), your prospective clients can and will find you.

EFFECTIVE SEO INCLUDES:

» Canonicalization

» Domain Name Consolidation

» Page Redirects

» URL Optimization

» Navigation Structure Enhancement

» Page Template Modifications

» Internal Link Structure

» Site Map Enhancement

» Google Webmaster Configuration

» Google Analytics Configuration

“As lost as a needle in a haystack” need not apply to your business

Search engine optimization (SEO) makes it possible for your company to get found on search engines and allows your prospective clients to realize the value your business provides for them. With 91% of consumers using search engines and 59% searching on a daily basis, your company’s website can’t afford to be without effective SEO.

SEO may sound intimidating, but in reality it’s as simple as following a strategic plan throughout the entire framework of your website. Effectively optimizing your website starts by: defining your target audience, having proper coding within your websites architecture, providing quality content and utilizing incoming links from other authoritative sites.

You’re valuable only when the client can find you

SEO enables your target audience to efficiently locate your business. With proper SEO you can increase your ranking within search engines, such as Google and be visible at the top of search results. This also makes you visible to an increased number of prospective clients along with building credibility and authority.

Your website provides value only when the “right” consumers can find you. SEO provides an avenue for that client base to locate you and benefit from your services. SEO is more than just increasing traffic to your site; it’s targeting a specific and necessary demographic that benefits from your site.

SEO is the bridge between your service or product and the prospective client. There’s no reason to have a website that isn’t generating leads, promoting sales and providing adequate ROI.

Building brand awareness, generating leads and optimizing sales is possible. No matter if your past experiences might have resulted in lackluster results, our SEO team prides itself in helping promote aggressive businesses growth. By equipping you with the proper knowledge and offering you adequate resources, your website can get found and sales can occur.

With well considered SEO your website can be positioned high in the ranks of Google and the number of qualified visitors to your site can increase. Since SEO allows you to capture consumers searching for your product/service that are ready to buy, the ROI is measurable. View our base-line SEO packages or schedule a discovery conversation to learn how we can help you be discovered. Contact us today and learn how utilizing Search Engine Optimization can put you in touch with potential customers.

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A Brief History Lesson

In the not so distant past, there were only a handful of ways your website viewers could access your website. They would either view your website on their desktop, laptop, or an early model of a smartphone. That being said, designers concluded that your viewers would either be viewing your website on a decently large sized screen, or a very small sized screen.

With the two differences in mind web designers and developers decided the best solution to provide an optimized experience for “all” users was to create two different websites with entirely different content and experiences. A mobile website was designed and developed, and a desktop website was designed and developed.

At the time, this solution seemed to make the most sense. Designers assumed that mobile users would only need to access a certain scope of content from the website and delivered that content to provide an “optimized” mobile experience. On the other end, desktop users would require access to all of the website’s information, so those users received all of the website’s information.

This solution seemed to provide the best outcome for everyone, but there are two major flaws with this approach in today’s ever expanding Internet.

Mobile Users Want All the Content

Though designers concluded that mobile users only needed a certain amount of information from the main website, the fact of the matter is that mobile users use their phones to access your website for non “on the go” purposes. This renders the assumption that mobile users only need a limited amount of information for their on the go needs incorrect.

Yes, there are specific instances of when this “mobile content” is relevant. However, how many times have you clicked the “Full Site” link in the footer of a mobile site because you were frustrated about not finding the information you were looking for? I assure you that you are not the only mobile user to embrace that little link at the bottom, and you most certainly won’t be the last.

The Number of Screen Sizes Is Expanding

Between the years 2007 and 2010, there were only a handful of Android devices, Blackberries, and the iPhone that were able to browse the internet via WiFi or a mobile network. However, the release of the Apple iPad sparked a revolution in the way users are browsing the Internet. Gone are the days of knowing that a user’s screen was either the size of a mobile phone or a desktop computer monitor.

The number of devices, and subsequently screen sizes, that are now able to access the Internet is increasing by the month. These devices are no longer limited to desktops, laptops, tablets, or phones, but can also include smart TVs, refrigerator doors, and even cars. There is no way to predict the development of technology, but we can be certain of this: the screen sizes of Internet accessing devices will continue to expand.

The Solution? Responsive Web Design.

Here’s the big reveal, and the answer you’ve been waiting for. Responsive Web Design solves both of these problems and delivers a website that is optimized for every devices, no matter the screen size, with the site’s content in its entirety.

With enhancements in technology, web designers and developers are now able to comfortably nest content into every screen size to enhance the experience for every device size. No more pinching, zooming, or scrolling side ways to read a paragraph of text on your company’s web site. We can safely and effectively ensure that your smart TV, desktop, laptop, smartphone, tablet, and even refrigerator door users receive a web experience catered to the needs on their device without sacrificing the precious content you’ve worked so hard to compile.

Conclusion

There is no telling where the Internet will be nested in the distant or even near future. With developments by Google, we may even see the Internet begin to gravitate towards glasses or contact lenses. With any great amount of growth, there are going to be growing pains; however, we have the ability to optimize your website for most known and future Internet accessing devices. Responsive Web Design isn’t necessarily future-proofing your website, but it’s pretty darned close.

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When planning a website design or website redesign, business often times think from their own perspective rather than walking in the shoes of their target audience. Having a clear definition of who your target audience is vital for any aspect of marketing and especially true for your website. When defining your website audience, you’ll want to know how they will be using your website and what they hope to get from you website.

Who Uses Your Website?

The first step is to define who your website’s users are? We can begin by detailing out some pretty basic demographics:

• Business or consumer
• Age
• Sex
• Education level
• Income level

Consumer Demographics

Then we can document more consumer related characteristics:

• Understanding of the need – which would warrant them purchasing your product or service
• Familiarity with your product or service as a option
• Have they purchased this type of product or service previously?
• Have they purchased from your business previously?

Consumer Psychographics

Lastly, we should also define their psychographics or psychology behind why they buy:

• What challenges to the users suffer from?
• Why are they motivated to buy these product or service – what are they motivated by?
• What do they fear when deciding to purchase these products or services?
• What are their expectations with not only the purchase process, but also how the product or service will perform?

Secondly, you’ll want to establish why these people are visiting your website? What are they hoping to get from your website? Do you want them to buy a product – if so, what products are more important than others? Do you want them to be educated and be able to take tangible information away from your site – such as how-to guides, case studies or white papers? Do you want the website visitors to be informed of your service offering and understand how your solution is unique and can remedy their problems?

Keep It Simple

While defining both who your target audience is and what they are hoping to accomplish when visiting your website can be a challenging process, don’t over think it. Keep it simple but do capture this information in a document or report and make sure there consent amongst the leadership team as missing the mark with defining your audience can be setting your website up for failure.

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The Blueprint to Your Website

A content map can be thought of as the blueprint of your website. It allows you and your team to be organized and visualize what the site will become, but it can also be a valuable tool when working with a web design company to produce your website. When designing a website, many people will focus initially on the visual design of the site, but crafting your content map first will help you understand how to architect the navigation but also understand what content element your visual design needs to incorporate. Your content map should also spell out the various types of content your site will house. This could vary from pages, to videos, to photo galleries to case studies, etc. and this information will help guide the development requirements of your website.

Great Content

Sure, sure most businesses would argue that they do have great content but often times businesses are very self-centered when it comes to the content on their website. To have truly effective and quality content, you first must understand that it’s not about you – and it is ALL about the customer, prospective customer, or in this case the web site visitor. This is a difficult comprehension for most businesses to grasp. It’s difficult to get away from talking about ourselves – after all we think we’re pretty good at what we do otherwise we wouldn’t be in business now would we.

Content Map

To begin mapping out the content for your website, we need to go back to the second phase – Defining the target audience for your website. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Refer back to your target audience definition and map out the content that your audience is seeking. Start very top level, but don’t be afraid of getting down into the details – after all it is information that our website visitors are looking for.

Let’s start at the top most level and categorize your sites content. If you’re a retailer your categories are likely your product types or lines. If you’re a service provider your categories are likely the services your consumers are seeking to solve their problems. From there we’ll map out the various sub-topics under each category, and ultimately down to the product, service or detail page level. Additionally you should consider if your consumers are looking for educational pieces, or thought-leadership content, that they can download or share. These elements can be in the format of a “how to guide” or view the “10 things to consider guide” – all information that is educating your prospective clients on how to value your solution or service offering.

A good rule of thumb here is to create the content your consumer is looking for. Make sure you have an answer to any potential question they may be asking about your product or service, and you should have all your bases covered.

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The first step in planning a successful website design or re-launch is to have a clearly defined objective for your website. What role will your website play within your business? How much influence will your website have in generating revenue / sales for your business? Some may even ask what percentage of sales will come from your website? If the objective is not directly measurable in terms of dollars or orders, what do you expect your website visitors to accomplish when they clicking through your site? Define measurable objectives.

Website Driving Sales

If you business is online retailing, then likely your objective will be number of orders or total sales – keeping in mind of course some marketing activities, such as search engine optimization, will be needed to drive visitors to your site.

Does Your Website Have a Call to Action?

If your business is not transactional and is promoting a service or solution, your objective may likely be a call to action. Perhaps is download a “how to guide” or view the “10 things to consider guide” – all information that is educating your prospective clients on how to value your solution or service offering.

The objective for your website is not generic and should be specifically crafted for your business and compliment your unique value proposition.

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What to Consider When Choosing a Web Design Company

Approach

Each web design company is different and has their own area of expertise. Some specialize just is the visual design, some only in the coding and development, while others do both and other types of Internet marketing such as SEO and/or email marketing to help you attract and retain customers. Make sure you have them explain their approach and areas of expertise, and balance them against your needs.

Content Management & Support

Your website is a living and breathing organism and it should continue to evolve and grow. To continue growing your content you’ll need the ability to make frequent content updates. There are two general options here: 1. You make the updates, or 2. You pay your design company to make the updates.

If you prefer to make the updates yourself, which gives you the most control over your site and will reduce long term cost, you’ll need to have a Content Management System (CMS) for your website. A CMS allows you to make surface level changes to your website, such as adding or removing pages, editing content, adding documents and photos, etc.

If you plan to be hands on, make sure your website has a content management system. Otherwise, make sure your web design partner can provide maintenance and that you’ve budgeted both time and money to do so.

Search Engine Friendly

Consumers are using search engines, such as Google, more and more to find services, solutions or products they need. Enabling your website to be found on the search engines (by potential customers) is called search engine optimization, or SEO for short. While there are numerous factors and complexities that go into effectively optimizing your website, we can generally brake it down to your website’s architecture (coding and presentation of content), quality content on your website and links coming to your site from other relevant and authoritative websites.

To compete at the top of the search engines, your SEO campaign needs ongoing consulting and continued production of high quality content and relevant back-links to your website. While SEO does provide the highest return on investment (ROI) over any other marketing tactic – this level of expertise and the continue production can cost between $2,000 – $5,000 per month.

If your business model is not able to support the investment required for a 6-12 month SEO campaign, at a minimum you should make sure your website is search engine friendly. Making your website search engine friendly, or in other words using the proper html coding structures and organizing your content so the most important content is easily accessible, will prevent you from not being found on the search engines at all.

Cost

The cost of creating a website can vary dramatically – for micro to small business websites, the cost can range from $4,000 – $25,000. There are generally two types of websites: brochure websites that are more informational and ecommerce websites that sell products. Both brochure websites and ecommerce websites require planning, design, content creation, and coding or development.

However, ecommerce websites require more development and functionality to allow for the products to be managed, organized and the product options to be displayed. Ecommerce websites also require payment processing, a secure certificate and greater hosting services to accommodate the product and customer data. Ecommerce websites are typically more expensive than brochure websites, with an initial development cost starting at $7,000 and ongoing hosting and payment processing fees starting at $75 / month.

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