Update your website for a competitive edge

Get ahead of the competition by updating usability, including images and video, then creating a community of followers.

Is your website old? Has new business from it slowed or stopped? Do you have a new message but cannot easily update your content? Does your web presence lack visual media like photography and video?

A yes to any of these questions means it’s time for a website design tune-up. Internet marketing and website design have come a long way in the past few years. Competent design, compelling text and visual content are essential to be competitive and claim a share of your market.

Website traffic building tip

According to Forrester Research, video marketing now increases the chance of a front-page Google result by 53x. Internet marketing with short, informative video will give your website much better ranking on search engine report pages. Internet video.

When it’s time for strategic thinking, clear, convincing design, compelling visuals and persuasive copywriting ADimagination can help. Here are a few simple ideas that can help your website compete for attention and gain authority in the marketplace.

A Blog to sent traffic to your website

It doesn’t have to be the time vampire many think it is. When you post two or three articles a week, it enhances your credibility and forces you to think critically about your business. It also signals Google that your website has fresh content and they’ll return more often to index your pages. They are searching for reasons to rank your online presence better or worse than your competitors. When you frequent provide quality content Google awards your website greater authority and higher ranking among your peers.

A Simple Blog Post Formula

A post with a short, compelling headline,  written to make a single point about things your clients search for. Adding photography or video keeps visitors focused and reading about your products and services. When a visitor views a stream of informative or entertaining content they are far more likely to contact, bookmark or subscribe to your blog.

Social Media

Professional services, restaurants and specialty retailers are using YouTube, FaceBook and Twitter to form relationships with prospects and customers. If done correctly it can give your brand tremendous reach and frequency. Hosting an interactive dialogue in the context of your offer helps you effectively build a community of prospects that become loyal clients. Integrate your social media streams such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn directly into your site. This makes it easy for your audience to share your products and services with their friends. Social media is a great way to meet new customers and convert them into enthusiastic champions of your brand.

E-Commerce Accepting payment for goods and services provided on your website is a natural. There are plenty of ways to turn your website into a money making device that works 24/7. Experts who are willing to give away just enough information to prove it’s value can sell that expert knowledge if it is packaged and presented correctly.

Website updates will make you more competitive

The point here is to give your web presence a competitive advantage. We can redesign your website to help your prospects discover and navigate your site, then find and buy the products and services they want or need. Or redesign your website to persuade a prospect to request a quote or proposal that will compel them make a decision that favors you with confidence. It’s all about assessing your competition and presenting your offer with a clear competitive edge.

And you thought it was complicated!

Contact art director John Couté to get an uncomplicated proposal for website tune-up headed your way.

(949) 645-0123 or john@adimagination.com

Google’s +1 button gives friends your advice when they search.

Click +1 approval and friends see it when searching.

Google introduced the +1 recommend button in March. When you click see this button next to a website it reports to your friends while they search on Google search results pages that you recommend it.

As of yesterday you can click your approval of a webpage while you are on the page because Google has released the +1 button across the entire web. You will see it on websites large and small across the Internet.

You’ll also start to see +1 buttons on Android Market, Blogger, Product Search and YouTube.

+1 is as easy on the entire web as it is on Google search results pages. With one click you can recommend that camera, recipe or favorite new movie to friends, contacts and the rest of the world. When your connections search for something you have +1 clicked, they will see your +1’s right in their search results, providing your recommendations at the moment they’re most useful.

SEO basics for smart small businesses

At ADimagination we’re committed to helping small businesses grow. To compete effectively online your business must be included high up in the search results page being looked at by your potential customers. This post will give you a checklist for establishing authority for your website or blog in your marketplace. Follow these SEO basics keeping your website content updated and your business will be included in search results for the products and services your website offers.

1.       Content. First, write original, relevant information in short clear sentences. Include the words that your prospects use to search for your product or service. Communicate your expertise and knowledge on the nature of your business. Include information that your clients are looking for, your customer wants to make the best choice from the search results page. Share interesting pertinent information about your products and services that equip them to make the best decision and they are more likely to choose your website.

Search engines like Google and Yahoo! use techniques that evaluate your website content for relevance and writing quality. They rank you on those issues among your peers and report the results. Google updates their evaluation of your website almost as often as you update your content. This enables the search engine results pages (SERP) the most up to date results possible.

Describe your customers needs and how you satisfy them better than the competition. Clarify your location. Talk about the things that interest the people you want to do business with. We help small businesses communicate their message, so we talk website design techniques for small businesses.

2.       Keywords. A keyword points to your content, it’s an integral part of the SEO process. Think about what words your clients search for, identify them, and distribute them liberally on your website. Each post on your blog or each page on your website should target a few keywords. This doesn’t mean repeating the same keyword over and over again, that will count against your relevance score. Try to have about 1% of your copy be keywords.  For example, we are a internet marketing and website design agency for small business. That is the right frequency of keywords for about 100 words.

3.       Links. There are basically three types of links you need to know about; Inbound, Outbound, and Internal links. They each have different effects on your website, it’s important you know how to use them.

a.       Inbound links come from outside websites. They direct visitors to a specific page in your website or blog. These incoming links are very important for effective SEO. Search engines look for inbound links, rank how many there are and their relevance to your offer. Your page authority and relevance score is based on these links. Negotiate or create opportunities for as many incoming links as you can. Social media profiles like linkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are a great place to get started. Link farms that sell you incoming links by the hundreds are no longer effective. Your best bet is to develop legitimate links that come from websites that recognize your website or blog has quality information.

b.      Outbound links are links from your site to the pages of other websites.  Outbound links for websites are to be used carefully. Inbound links hold value, outbound links have little value. You need that value for the next type of link.

c.       Internal Links.  Internal links are links on your website or blog that point to other internal pages. These links help guide your prospects to the information they are searching for. The linked text is called a hyperlink, or anchor text. It’s important that the linked word(s) are relevant to the content it’s pointing to. “Click Here” other unrelated words do nothing to let the search engine know what the page the link points to is about. If we hyperlink the words Logo Design then both the reader and the search engines will know the nature of the content there.

Summary

These are basic SEO techniques for small businesses. If your website or blog isn’t ranking high enough to appear on the first page of search results for your business consider an expert to help you get your business recognized and established. We have a variety of solutions adapted to meet the needs of small business including local search.

Google Adwords now include call metrics

Search giant gives advertisers new option

Nov 2, 2010

Google AdWords advertisers can now add a unique toll-free number to their ads and track the resulting calls, along with how long they last and where they originated.

“We believe advertisers are actually getting a lot of value beyond clicks,” said Surojit Chatterjee, senior product manager at Google. “It takes it beyond clicks and online conversions.”

This is a welcome addition to Google adwords value and accountability. Find out how you can make your PPC and advertising work harder. Contact john@adimagine.com