Showing posts with label Do It Yourself. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Do It Yourself. Show all posts

Saturday, December 26, 2009

I have uploaded more Tips and Hints pdf's

Check Your Website Ratings for Free
Go to http://websitegrader.com/ and enter your URL. Also put in your email address to send yourself a link. Save the link when you get it to a folder so you can compare this to later results. Save the displayed report as a pdf file for future review. Contact me for a link to a FREE pdf creator if you do not have one. I’ll send a link by return e-mail with instructions!


Does Your Company List for Local Search Results?
Proceed to http://getlisted.org/ where you enter your business name and zip code. Click and look for results. In case you need to add your listing or to edit one, contact me for a checklist beforehand. Things such as logos, photos, history, description, contact information, office/store hours, etc.
 

List if you work from home or have a mailbox drop. It might take a while if you do not have a telephone listed in a business name. Some sites may send a written snail mail confirmation.
 

For pdf versions of these and other Tips and Hints (with graphics if applicable)
go to our site DIYWEBJEM – DIY Guides
 

Contact us for a no-obligation consultation if you need help interpreting the results or to improve your ratings to increase your traffic and resulting sales through search engine optimization.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

What Do Search Engines See When They Visit Your Website? It Could Surprise You!

Enter your site's domain name in a Google search box. Click on the search function. Your site should be the first result on the page. Click on “Cached” at the bottom, next to your address. Your Web site's landing page should open up and it should look as it does on a monitor. Next click on “text-only-version” near the top right. All graphics and pictures will be eliminated and you will see the text or content as search engine robots do. This is what is read and categorized/indexed so search engines can match your information to their search engine queries. Be on guard if things look strange!

For a pdf version download with graphics, visit our site DIYWEBJEM – DIY Guides.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Has the economy slowed your sales? Try some newer Web marketing techniques when traditional methods do not work!

Old school marketing techniques such as telemarketing, cold calling, direct mail, e-mail campaigns, etc., are known as “Outbound” or interruption based marketing. They have put time starved consumers and businesses in a “do not interrupt me” defensive mode. Protective shields (voice mail, spam filters, etc.) guard against attacks.

Organizations must adopt to the consumer's altered buying patterns to survive these turbulent times. Realize how people search for information and answers to questions. They do so on their terms, not yours. They do so when they are ready and at times convenient to them. This is especially true of more affluent and higher educated people.

Where do they turn to for information and answers to their questions? The same place you turn to, the WEB. Of course they do! It is open round the clock. Consumers scour Websites, reviews, forums, blogs, and social networking sites such as MySpace, facebook, LinkedIn. Information is dispersed almost instantaneously via Twitter and other broadcasting means.

The key to your Web success is adopting to this newer “Inbound” or permission based marketing. I define this loosely as being at the right place at the right time. Or, in other words, when someone searches for your service or product, make it easy to find you, 24/7/365. Make it easy for them to find you and your information. Prepare your site for Google searches through optimization. Then get your self known by blogging, article marketing, video marketing, press releases, etc.

Comments are welcome.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Spring Courses for Website Owners to Drive Traffic and Increase Sales

I am proud to announce I will be teaching two short courses for the Buffalo Grove (IL) Park District starting in the Spring, 2010. The courses will be repeated in the Summer.

The first is "Considerations in Putting Your Business on the Web" for non- Website owners. It is a pre-requisite if someone does not have a site for the follow up course: "Increasing your Traffic (and Sales) to your Existing Website."

Look for enrollment announcements in about three months!

Fondly,

Michael

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Learn to Apply Today’s Chicago Tribune Article to Search Engine Optimization

An article appeared in today’s Chicago Tribune that has many lessons that can be applied to E-marketing your Web business. Part of the secondary headline caught my attention as did several parts of the story. Sandra M. Jones talks about retailers using special services to promote sales in the article .

Some of her very interesting observations follow. “Shoppers are motivated by price more than anything these days….” Sales are everywhere and shoppers “..are tuning out the endless barrage..”

She quotes Theresa Williams of Indiana University: “…there has to be a new approach rather than just run another sale.”

In this recession a sale is not merely enough. Ms. Jones continues: “Merchants are putting away their red pens and drumming up novel ways to tout a bargain without cutting into profits.”

Sandra mentions loyalty programs, new and creative ways to get people to shop, and more. As an example, Bottega M, an Oak Park (IL) shop, lets customers bring in old clothing and their seamstresses can be hired to do alterations.

The days of unbridled affluence and unlimited credit are gone and people are just not spending the way they used to with . Part of the change, according to Nancy Koehn of the Harvard Business School, is “the rise in consumer information…” People search the Web and “…find the best price for just about anything..” Add to that “..the decline of imaginative merchants.”

Read the rest of the story.

“Holy Toledo, Batman!” as Robin would say to his crime solving partner. I am sure we, as Webmasters, can all learn how to better promote ourselves if we study these principles and apply them. If we promote our passion and dare to be different.

Sell what makes you different, not what makes you the same. Identify a market niche where you excel. Learn about free tools available to do it yourself e-market on the Web. Commit to the sweat equity and use those tools to promote your business which will drive visitors to your Website. Learn more about do it yourself Web marketing at our Website.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Give Your Site the Exposure It Needs to Compete in this Market

Not getting the traffic results your need? Then click here www.KeywordSpy.com to give your site the exposure it needs.

Take your keyword advertising to the next level! Analyze the keywords your competition uses to get their results.

Choose from four powerful KeywordSpy packages to help you increase awareness in paid, organic and affiliate marketing. These tools offers cutting-edge analytics to study competitors’ tactics as well as monitor their online search campaigns.

Take a spin test to see how it can work for you!

Friday, June 12, 2009

How do Search Engines "Read" your Photos and Images?

Say a search engine crawls your site. How can it "see" or read your images or photos? It cannot, unless you have Alt Tags describing the images.

Alt Tags are descriptive words for images and other items that cannot normally be read by search engines such as Google.

A picture is worth 1,000 words! But not to search engines!

Adults are more attracted to pictures than words. Out attention spans are minimal when reading long dissertations. If you have a product that is best described with a photo, make sure you include the “Alt=” parameter to describe it.

Optimize your photos and images through DIY Search Engine Optimization tips. More E-marketing do it yourself tips available at DIYwebJem.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Do It Youself Search Engine Optimization Tips from Google's Matt Cutts

Matt Cutts gives some great common sense do it yourself search engine optimization tips. I posted a video on our diywebjem.com site for your to view, and offer additional free tips.

He talks about a lot of the same tips I discuss:

1. Use a common sense approach, Think about what people will type into the search bar to find your site and make sure those words (a.k.a. keywords) are on your page.

2. Write a good Title Tag to appear in search engine results.

3. Make sure your MetaTag Description does describe the page it leads to.

4. Write a BLOG! It's not that difficult once you learn about it.

5. Get involved with and learn how to use social media sites.

6. You don't have to pay to get Google to know who you are. You can submit your Website directly and add maps to guide them along.

Contact me for any questions.

Remember, we are here to get you optimized!