Business · Web · Strategy
Today, every business must have an online presence. Perhaps, more importantly, they must continue to update and maintain said presence due to the dynamic nature of the web. Here are a few starter tools/strategies you should be aware of to aid in your online business strategy.
Finding your business online:
The number-one source for online referrals is almost always through search engines, and the number-one search engine is Google. Having your business rank highly on Google in related keyword searches for your products or services has become both an ART and BIG business.
Keywords & AdWords
While there are thousands of websites and best practices you can read about online, here are a few quick basics to get you started.
First, set up a Google AdWords account by going to www.adwords.com. Even if you don’t want to pay for AdWords (paid ads on Google and affiliate networks), you can use the many web tools Google offers for free. These tools will provide you with insight into what keywords are most often searched for within your industry by your prospective clients.
An AdWords account will also provide you with Google Analytics, code you can add to your website that provides valuable insight about your visitors’ interests on your site, how long they stay, what content they favor, etc. Again, that is all FREE!
Google Places
Another feature Google favors when it comes to search results is its own Google Places. Try this: Search a couple of keywords for your business or service and add “+ (yourzipcode)” For instance, “haircut + 92123”. You are likely to see any competitor in the area with a Google Place show up and a MAP with their relative location. Google’s job is to produce relevant, valuable results, and it uses Google Places information for local searches for services. Ensuring you claim your Google Places company and populating it with current data and reviews is helpful for results!
Your Website
Assuming you have a website (you do, right?), you may want to consider moving it to WordPress (www.wordpress.com ). WordPress can be likened to a framework/architecture for your website that is essentially a content-management system and/or blogging platform. There are many reasons why WordPress is great, but perhaps the most important is that Google LOVES Word Press, and sites on Word Press tend to rank higher when updated regularly. WordPress is also an open-framework, which supports thousands of feature-rich plug-ins to make your site even more powerful. Plus, you can find thousands of pre-designed WordPress templates (search “word press templates”). This could save you thousands in website design requiring limited or no modification of design from many of these premium-based templates.
Video!
You won’t go wrong by creating a few (or many) 2-3 minute videos (as professionally done as possible) that represent your business. Even a welcome video with associated keywords will help bring you new accounts, since Google often serves up video results.
Yes, Google owns YouTube.
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