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Posts Tagged ‘content’
Saturday, February 4th, 2012
Having an online presence is very different to an offline one. Offline, you can publish a catalog and no one really cares if some descriptions are very similar if not identical (apart from name or color references). Online, the opposite is true. If you have products that have identical or near identical descriptions, then you could find that some of that content never appears in search results. The reason? Google won’t even index it let alone have it appear in search results.
Duplicate content on the web has been a big problem over the years. Search engines, in particular Google, do everything possible to filter out the duplicates. If you have product descriptions that are the same, then the search engines will consider some of them to be duplicates and filter them out. It’s not just on your main website either. If you are a little lazy and copy those descriptions to your blog, or if you have affiliates that publish your content, you could have similar problems.
Google has become fairly adept at determining which content should be classified as the original, however, it does get it wrong on occasions, so your blog, or worse yet, an affiliate’s content, could be indexed as the original. If you have a number of similar products, you have a couple of choices. You can write original content for each product or group them together under the one description. The latter generally makes the better option.
If you have a blog, be sure the content is original and that you’re not just duplicating what’s on your main website. If you have affiliates that sell on your behalf, be sure their terms include a denial of the right to copy content from your web pages. They too should be creating unique content to promote your products or services.
Finally, when creating articles for guest posts or article marketing, ensure that each article is only published in the one place. So-called ‘spinners’ rarely do a good job of rewriting content, and content produced is generally poor quality and hard to read. Avoid duplicating your content and you’ll have more pages indexed for search, and that means more opportunities to be found.
Tags: content, duplicate content, search results
Posted in Business Writing | 3 Comments »
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
If you have been an active publisher on the Internet, then you will most likely have content in a wide range of websites. You have probably also put together profiles on a range of social media websites. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all of your content linked to your name and searchable? It’s almost impossible to connect everything online at present, however, there is a lot that you could be doing that will make either (or both) your name and your brand more searchable, especially in Google.
There is a guest post on Marketing Pilgrim by Ann Smarty that goes into some depth on this issue, and she has some good advice on what you should be doing, and how to do it. I won’t go into the hows; you can read her article for that. What is important is that, in most cases, her tips are once off actions, and they don’t take too long to accomplish. The end result could be far more exposure in the search results than you currently see. Ann suggests three must do actions:
- Verify the authorship of your articles
- Create a master feed of your contributions
- Claim your brand (or name) in the major social networks
You should already be working to claim your brand and your name in the major social networks. The more popular you become, the more likely it is that someone else will claim it to capitalize on your hard work. That can be a real danger to your long term reputation management, especially if they use their account (with your brand or name) for negative, illegal or brand damaging activities. It can be hard to prove that the account being used is not attached to your business.
It doesn’t take long to complete the three tasks that Ann has suggested. The end result is better brand and name protection whilst helping to boost your presence on the Internet.
Tags: content, Social Media
Posted in Reputation Management | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
One of the platforms behind search engine optimization is content. “Publish useful keyword content regularly” has been the mantra for over a decade now, however, one wonders if that is all about to change and that content on websites could become defunct. I know that will raise eyebrows, but then, we do know that Google, the number one source of traffic for many websites, is trying to escape the inbound link component of their algorithm.
There’s an interesting article on TechCrunch which, while discussing privacy issues related to Google+ and Facebook, also had this to say:
Google’s PageRank algorithm is seriously out of date. It promotes pages based on the number of links to it. Today, pages are no longer the unit of publishing. Far smaller items than a page dominate our senses. And those smaller messages are produced in huge quantity and in real time.
Those smaller messages are references to Facebook, Twitter and many other social media sites, forums included. This raises the question of content on websites – will it become defunct and replaced by short messages? I for one hope it never comes to that. The content on Facebook and Twitter can never really adequately answer a question. Forums are a different story, questions are answered, often in depth, and with a lot of input from a range of users. You are more likely to find an answer in a forum than you will on Facebook or Twitter. Interestingly, most small messages on those two sites generally include links to more indepth answers often on blogs.
Logic would then suggest that the indepth answer is more relevant and more important than the smaller message on a social media website. Keith Teare, the article’s author, is right when it comes to the privacy issues facing social media. However, when it comes to content, I don’t think we’ll be losing that anytime soon. Yes, Google will find a way to reduce the effects of links in its search ranking algorithm, but that will be because they have found a better way to measure worth, and yes, social media mentions will most likely lead that change.
I wouldn’t be tearing down content or reducing the amount published in too much of hurry. Rather, I’d be concentrating on content that individuals find important enough to share with others. Blogging for small business is still one of the best ways to communicate with the rest of the world, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
Tags: content, search engine optimization, SEO, social media marketing
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | 3 Comments »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Google has become mean concerning web sites and display advertising. If the advertising on your web page pushes the content down below the fold, then your site may receive a ding in the search rankings.
Why do I say “mean?” One poorly designed page could affect your whole site, not just that one page. If you’ve recently suffered a serious drop in search rankings, check your pages for advertising, have you overdone it?
There is a logic to Google’s approach. Google wants to present searchers with the best content. If a web page has more ads than content, and if a user has to scroll down below the fold to find that content, then, in Google’s humble opinion, that page is not quality. Furthermore, if that page is not quality, then neither are any of the other pages on that site. What isn’t clear is whether or not your own display advertising has the same effect – logically, it would since the emphasis now is content and having it readily available to users.
If you do have a lot of advertising on your pages, there are a number of approaches you can take. These include:
- reducing the number of ads,
- redesigning your web page so that content appears above the fold,
- using sidebars for display advertising,
- ensuring ads are relevant to the pages’ content.
Google is not anti-advertising. In fact, Google does encourage website owners to include Adsense ad units on their sites although they do suggest you follow their guidelines when it comes to quantity and placement. The rules related to SEO are constantly changing and so it always pays to stay on top of the latest news.
Tags: advertising, content, Display Advertising, SEO
Posted in Display Advertising | 3 Comments »
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
If you look at several websites, you will see different links that will take you to related content. This is a great way to pull your website into the related content. How do you do it? It’s actually quite simple and you will be amazed at why you have not used links more.
There are a lot of different techniques but the main one is using document sharing sites. On document sharing sites like Scribd, you can upload your documents into a pdf file. They can then be distributed all over the Internet. Create links in the document back to your website. This increases your chances of getting found in the search engines.
At the same time, you can also search for relevant content to add to your website. This is a great way of sharing information and using various ways of getting back to your site.
It’s also important to link to previous content within your own website. You may have written an article or something a couple of years ago. But it is still relevant and will get readers to read that as will.
Link building or link marketing has been around for a while but it is still a very resourceful tool for your online business. You can always visit with consultants to find out which link building technique or sites that are best suited to your needs.
One thing to remember, where you get back links is more important than what you do. Be sure to use multiple sources to get the best exposure.
Tags: content, internet marketing, link building, links, online marketing, small business
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 5 Comments »
Friday, December 30th, 2011
We talk a lot about Search Engine Optimization or SEO. That is one of the most important things a small business website needs. Optimized search engine results. It’s all about content and keywords.
Not only do you need your content about your business on your website, you also need regular content updated often. This means maybe add a blog to your site. Then add articles, or blogs to that section of the site. And, don’t forget back links. Link to other content on your site so that you can keep readers on your site.
Whether you write them or you use content providers (contract writers) it’s important to have content added at least three times a week. Even better if you add content every day. It does need to be something relevant to your business and not something that will make people think you have lost your mind.
Keywords are just as important. Your keywords need to be words that people will use in a search. Use keywords that mean something to your business and your products if you have that for sale on your site. You don’t have to use a ton of keywords for each content article or blog you post, but you do need to mix them up and use about 4-6 for each post. That way you have a few, it doesn’t look like spam and you will get people coming by using different keywords.
It’s a very simple concept and one that anyone can do. It just takes a little time and effort and everyone knows that it takes time and effort to run a small business in the first place.
Tags: blogging, business, content, keywords, online marketing, SEO
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | 5 Comments »
Saturday, December 24th, 2011
For most, it’s simple enough to understand that a small business needs a website. Alright, now that you have a website, how do you market it and what do you do with it? This question comes up a lot because it takes more than just having a website to make the site profitable to you.
You also hear a lot about search engine optimization. Once again, you understand it, but how do you do it? In order to drive more traffic to your website you have to continuously add content to the site. Even though you may be selling products, you don’t want it to just sit and become stagnant without visitors to the site.
Creating content, or information, or articles, or blogs, whatever you want to call it needs to be done on a regular basis. Talk about your business, talk about your products, give advice or how to steps about something that your business offers. Customers and visitors love information and will come back to you again and again if you have good content on a regular basis.
Social Media sites are wonderful places to market your business, but your website also needs your attention. You have spent a lot of time making it look nice and getting everything in its spot. It can be very depressing knowing that no one visits your site.
In order for the search engines to find your site, you have to have a lot of information on your site with good keywords. The more information you have, the easier it will be for the search engines to find you when someone does a search for something in particular.
You can always consult with internet marketers to have them help you if you are just not sure how to go about getting the right content on your website. Several are available. Just make sure that the right internet marketer is working for you and putting your best interests first instead of just taking your money.
Tags: blogging, content, internet marketing, SEO, website development
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Everywhere you turn, you can hear someone talking about a blog. Whether they are writing a blog or they are reading a blog, one thing is for sure. Blogs are wildly popular. And one more thing is certain – social networking is the most popular thing on the Internet. You might as well jump on the bandwagon and market your business this way.
Blogs are like websites, but you have social interaction with your viewers. Many blog sites are free and easy to use, too. Each time you post a blog, it looks as if it is an individual web page. This can make for a more dramatic look when viewed by your visitors.
Putting your business ideas into a blog will bring your business more potential customers and an audience who wants to see what you are discussing. Not only can you post your ideas in your own words, you can also have a shopping area where customers can view your products and make purchases.
One of the key things to remember is SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. If you focus your blog posts on the proper keywords and phrases, then you’ll increase your chances of obtaining high search engine rankings. For instance, if you sell gardening products and a prospect Googles “gardening,” if you have a lot of the right keywords (gardening, garden, etc.) in your blog posts, Google will favor your blog posts over those of your competition that are not well optimized.
If you aren’t sure where to start, contact Small Business Mavericks for a free consultation. We have a lot of experience and can get you off to a good start with your new business blog.
Tags: advertising, blog, blogging, content, google, internet marketing, keywords, online marketing, SEO, Social Media
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 8 Comments »
Monday, October 24th, 2011
Internet marketers have had a phrase – a mantra – that we’ve repeated over and over since the very first days of the Web. That “mantra” is “Content is King.”
To the Internet marketing newbie, that phrase may not mean much. But to those of us who have been doing this awhile, it means everything. Content is the master of all. The big question is, Why? And does is still apply just as well today as it did in 1995?
You bet it does.
Here’s a question to ask yourself. If I build a website with no content and point a hundred links to it, getting it to rank No. 1 for a specific key phrase, will that benefit me? I think the answer is obvious, don’t you? A website that ranks No. 1 for a key phrase but that can’t close a sale due to lack of content is an ineffective website.
Now ask yourself this question: If I build a website with great content that achieves mediocre rankings and has no links to it, can it still make me money?
Yes it can. All you have to do is drive traffic to that website by any means and if if the content is well written with good calls to action, it will make you money. So content is king.
Ideally, you want a website with great content and great links. You should consider links to be a part of your overall content strategy instead of seeing it as a separate activity from your on-page content. Building a web business means doing all the things necessary to help you succeed. That includes building links. But it starts with writing great content.
Tags: content, content marketing, internet marketing, link building, SEO, website content
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 2 Comments »
Sunday, August 28th, 2011
Seth Godin, a veteran Internet marketer and one of the first business bloggers, is well known for his short bursts of blog content. They’re only about 200-300 words each, if that. But many other bloggers these days tend to write longer blog posts. Some bloggers won’t write one less than 1,000 words.
So that brings up the question, Does size matter? Are longer blog posts better than shorter ones?
In general, more content is better than less. In most cases. In fact, Google has recently penalized content pages for not having enough content on them. But what constitutes “not enough content?”
More important than lots of content is the idea of quality content. You can get by with shorter blog posts if your content is high quality and original. Seth Godin, after all, isn’t hurting in the search engines and his blog posts are some of the most read blog posts in the world. But he does have a reputation, one that he built both online and off line.
You are I, of course, are not Seth Godin.
For most of us, we cannot rely on reputation. We have to use all the tools at our disposal, and that means SEO. Long blog posts might be better than shorter, over all, but high quality original content trumps all. If you can write high quality original long blog posts, then your content will be golden.
Tags: blog content, blogging, content, Reputation Management, SEO
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | 4 Comments »
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