Tip 32 - Keywords (again)

Now we have all heard the hype about keywords over the years, and whether META tags and your text play apart in your search engine rankings, or whether they are just old school and not worth worrying about. Well the fact is simple Search engines work on a set of search rules called algorithms, simply put they make a decison based on lots of criteria to show people who search what they are looking for.

Normally these rules are a whole load of things, including inbound links (sites linking to yours), where you are mentioned, your actual domain name to name but a few.

Now why I mention this is that I get lots of people asking me the best keywords to use for their website, now in reality the only person who can answer this is you. There are lots of great programs to help you decide which keywords are best, and which keywords your competition is using. But my advice if use with caution, using these programs will give you a nice list. But try not to simply copy your competition, take on board the keywords they are using and try to think they they are using them, and if they are appropriate to you then use them, but make sure when writing your text on yoru site that it makes sense, dont throw in random words just for the sake of it.

Next use the excellent, and free, tools provided by Google along with using Google Analytics will give you everything you need to see which words people are using to find you, where their from. All you need to do now is look at the search phrases and words people are using to find you, and ask yourself are they the things your want to be found for?

You may by now be asking yourself, how do you come up with keywords, the answer is quite simply really. Get a pen and a piece of paper and write down everything you can think of about your business and your website, no matter how big or small. Out of this brainstorming you will see a pattern of the words your actually want to be found for. So whats next.

1. Make sure to include your new list of words within the text of your website.
2. Included them in your signature, both in your emails, forums, social networking, etc.
3. In fact any where you write online, try to put these words in the text (press releases, news letters, etc)
4. BUT remember although you now know what your keywords should be, make sure everything you write makes sense, and you are not just stuffing your keywords where they should not go.

Happy keyword searching, and remember getting found online is more about getting quality visits over millions of useless ones.

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Tip 27 - Tracking & Building an Online Following

In the current climate of social media, it is all to easy to start reading a blog, or visiting a website regularly or even receiving a newsletter. This is a problem.

You may be thinking WHY? the answer is simple as it costs very little to build a following on the internet, you must track the entry points in order to build a successful marketing campaign.

What this means is that you must keep a track of the two areas.

1. Sites, Blogs, Newsletter You Read / View / Follow

You need to make a note of how you first heard about something, whether that something is a website, blog, newsletter. Try to write down exactly how you came to know about it, that way you may find an area that could work for your website. Did you get an email? Did you read about it on a forum?

What ever the way you heard about something, write it down as it may just be a good place for you to build your online following.

2. People who connect with you.

You must ask everytime someone connects with you, whether its an email, reply to your post on a forum, comment or what ever, how they came to know about you or the website they heard about you.

All it takes is a quick question, how do you hear about me?

So remember along with the following you must keep a point of the first point of entry of anything you view, read, watch and see if it will help you grow your online presence.

Now the following is a reminder of what basics you must have to help get the word out.

1. Put an email signature, including your website, contact details, social networking etc on all your emails.
2. Create a signature in all forums, website or anywhere else your post stuff.
3. Create and keep your online profiles up to date, whether its your Facebook, LinkedIn or anywhere else you live online, keep the content and all links up to date. Remember to at least have a link to you main website in all your profiles.

If this all sounds scary, please get in touch and Iwill be happy to help you start building your online following visit me at www.potissimus.co.uk for more info.

Tip 7 - Email Marketing

There are millions of emails sent each and everyday, and on average most businesses send a few hundred emails everyday.

Now ask yourself are you making the most out of this opportunity, probably not.

Getting started making emails work for you is really easy. Ask yourself the following questions

1. Do you have an email signature?
2. Do you know the email address of people who contact you?
3. Do you know who is visiting your website and what their email address is?
4. Did that customer who jsut left your shop have an email address?

No it is most likely that you will not be fully making the best out of email.

So here is a simple list of what you need to do to get started.

1. Put your website address and contact details in the signature of your email. This can easily be done using most email packages.
2. Ask people for their email addresses, this may be as simple as collecting business cards at events, or have asking for emails in your set welcome script for incoming calls.
3. Make sure your website has an area for collecting emails, be warned that people usually don't give out details for nothing so give them a reason, a newsletter, recommending your website.
4. If you operate in the real world try to build into your sales process the collection of email addresses, this may be as people make a purchase or when they enter or leave your store. Again the same rule applies give people a reason to want to give you their email address, such as money off discounts, latest news.

Ok now that you have the email address, what do you do.

MAKE SURE YOU USE THEM

I will discuss what to do with email addresses in a later post. For now jsut make sure that you are collecting them, so when I let you know what to do with them you are ready.

Are you making the most out of your website. The answer will most definately be no. Ask for a FREE report now. Go to www.potissimus.co.uk for more info.