Posts Tagged ‘content management system’
Google SEO Strategy for 2011
Posted on: May 20, 2011
Speed of the Site
With the right web platform, businesses are able to have access to a rich and powerful web application framework with a supporting cast of tools, servers, and technologies to help them succeed on the web. By choosing a web developer for your website, you are choosing a framework (PHP, .NET) with their own advantages and disadvantages. A web developer will choose the framework for developing a website depending on the requirements and his or her technical proficiency. Make sure it matches your strategy and not just your budget.
Good Control of CMS
Content is the key to a successful website. Solid content requires superior organization and better-quality management. Each business or organization has its own strategies for collecting, organizing, storing and maintaining the information intended for consumption by an audience.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMS is a set of processes, applications, and databases that help businesses create, store, coordinate, and publish information with a consistent method in a useful format and in a timely fashion. Companies need to spent considerable amount of time evaluating CMS platforms and their use based on the requirements set forth by each company. One important thing to consider is the skill level of the people who will be directly involved with the chosen platform on the daily basis.
Keywords and Internal Linking
Keyword research, competitive analysis and solid content are a must. Don’t attempt to go after the one 1 word keywords like “cars” “shopping” “lawyer”(reach for the moon why don’t you). Most people start with the most popular term in the industry, throw in a couple of variations and call it done. You need to learn your audience. Target words from your users, evaluate your traffic reports from the web tools you are using and constantly update your web content to support your rankings. One more reason why you need a good CMS in place: to edit, add, delete and create more pages-see CMS above. Know what it will take to compete and then build for success.
Your website’s content is filled with the opportunities to link to other pages throughout your site and help users find their end destination faster. For a successful internal linking strategy have your user in mind and go through your site sections and pages to see where you can insert some contextual links to other pages that you consider to be your most popular landing pages. The link connections should be valid, meaning that the target key phrases are seen on the destination page and are easy to spot.
Social Media Marketing and Distribution
The world of social media is vast and growing. Facebook with 500 million users leads the revolution that is disrupting advertising professionals, marketing experts, and small business owners alike. If you use social media the correct way, that is to build and strengthen relationships, you can build brand awareness, loyalty, and generate word-of-mouth marketing. Simple dissemination of your web content to 30 networks you just registered does not work. To succeed with social media marketing, you need to ensure that your branded messages to your audience provide meaningful content that adds value to the reader’s experience.
Watch this Google video.
One creative way to drive more traffic to your website and encourage interaction with your customers is by integrating your blog into your business website. Rather than solely using a blog or website respectively, using both together can improve the interactivity with your customers.
Interactivity is becoming increasingly important for consumers and their purchase decisions. A business website gives the consumer general information and a professional business presence. A blog allows consumers to see updated and fresh information, testimonials from recent purchasers, and even comments and conversations posted by existing customers.
Search Engine Optimization
Blogs are also great for increasing your search engine optimization, or your visibility online. By posting fresh content on a daily basis you increase your search engine ranking and the ability for people to see you online. Blogs can also drive traffic to your website by providing useful information while also using links and a call to action to direct your readers to your company site.
Personal Touch
Having a blog on a site like WordPress or Blogger will give your company a personality that many other companies don’t have. Publishing more personal content rather than pushing sales pitches gives you an advantage over your competitors. Because consumers are seeking more intimate relationships with the online companies they purchase from, a blog can be a great way to establish communication, relationships, and credibility with your consumers.
How To Integrate Your Blog and Website
There are several ways you can integrate your blogging platform and your business website. If you choose to use an existing platform like WordPress or Blogger, make sure to include links on every post you publish that directs your readers back to your website. Also, have links to your blog on the homepage of your business website. This encourages people to learn more about you, your company, your product, and your consumers.
If you wish to have a more seamless integration, consider investing in a content management system that includes a blogging platform. This means that your blog will be an actual page of your website and you wouldn’t need to send your customers away from your website in order to connect with them.
How To Turn Browsers into Buyers
Posted on: February 9, 2011
Once you have set up your business website with e-commerce capability, you need to be able measure some returns. Why is it that browsers mill about your website and then bail as soon as they need to make a decision? What can you do to get them to subscribe to you, purchase from you, and give you their information?
There are several things you can do to convert more customers. WSI Marketing has some great tips on their website on how to increase your credibility and provide a positive online experience for your customers, which will undoubtedly increase your conversion rate and your online business’s ROI.
Improve your business credibility
Is your website professional? According to WSI Marketing, “consumers can be skittish, especially online. The slightest sign of impropriety can send them back to their search engine results to find another site, which may have a more professional and trustworthy appearance, even if it means paying a little more for the same product or service.”
You can make very simple improvements to your website to increase your credibility in the minds of your consumers. Some of these improvements include:
- Consistently display contact information like telephone numbers for your business.
- Post genuine testimonials and case studies of customers that are happy with your product.
- Have an organized and easy to navigate website design, nothing too flashy or distracting from your main objective.
- Have complete product information.
- Double check all of your links and make sure they are working.
Have control of your website
If your web hosting service requires a fee every time you want to make a change, it can detract from the effectiveness of your website. It’s extremely important to have a content management system that allows you to have total control over your website content. You need to be continuously updating your content as you discover issues that your customers are having.
If you notice that you are getting a solid amount of website traffic but people simply aren’t buying, you need to have access to your content in order to make improvements to solve that problem. Also, if customers are asking the same questions (such as what is your warranty policy?), you should have the answer readily available on your website.
The key is to be adaptive. Be aware of what your customers want to know and need to know before making a purchase. Continuously updating the content on your site is the best way to convert browsers into buyers.
Picture this: You’ve finally set up a website for you small business, you’ve hired the best designer in town…and nothing’s changed. If this sounds like you, you’re pretty much stuck until you gain control over your content.
As a business owner with an online presence, having the authority and access to your web content is crucial to your website’s success. If you want a professional site that successfully represents your company, brings more customers to your business, and increases your revenue stream, there are a few techniques you need to use.
Use a Content Management System
It’s your website. Essentially, it’s another branch of your business. Because it’s not quite as straight forward as your brick-and-mortar location, you might not realize exactly how much work goes into making your website an effective location of commerce.
If you have a content management system, you can easily update content to keep up with the ever-changing consumer demand. You also have control over the keywords, meta-tags, and meta-descriptions that drive traffic from search engines to your site. This is important because keywords are always changing and your website needs to change with them.
Eliminate Clutter
Definitely avoid using industry-specific jargon. People are interested in buying your product to solve a specific problem. If you clutter up your content with too much information that is beyond the level of even the most basic customer, they can quickly be put off by it. In the simple words of Jen Udan from ChooseWhat.com:
“If they don’t understand what you’re selling, they won’t buy.”
Keep Your Website Simple
While flashing lights and fun graphics are always cool, they might actually render your site ineffective. People are looking for answers to their questions when they reach your website. If at anytime they feel confused, it doesn’t take much for customers to leave your website and visit a competitor’s.
Make sure everything on your website is clear. Your homepage should have basic information about your product and its benefits. In addition, every page should have a clear call to action. This call to action needs to be identified by you, the business owner. What do you want your browsers to do after reading your information, call you? Subscribe to you? Order from you? These questions need to be answered before writing any content because it should provide the framework in which you write any and all of your information.
If you have a small business website, you need to continuously update your content in order to keep customer attention and quite frankly – give them a reason to buy from you. If your content is starting to look at little stale, it could be time to revamp your website.
An article in Small Business Trends explains a few ways to amp up your content for 2011:
1. Highlight your strengths.
You’ve probably heard it a lot over the past year – marketing is storytelling. Each sentence on your site should be part of a larger effort to tell your brand’s story and lure readers in. To capture people’s attention, your content has to be telling a story that displays your product/company’s strength and tying it back into how it will solve a problem they’ve expressed.
2. Know your competition’s weaknesses.
Part of knowing where your product succeeds means also knowing where your competitor’s product fails. Maybe you deliver superior customer service, maybe it’s a price point issue, or maybe they’re nowhere to be found on social media whereas you’re dominating and ever-so-accessible. Whatever their specific weakness is, make sure you account for it when highlighting your strengths. Don’t do this in a way that speaks badly about your competition, but in a way that highlights something that you do really well.
3. Tighten your calls to action.
One of the most important things you can do for your website is to use your analytics to find your high-traffic/low-conversion pages. You know that a large number of potential customers are landing on these pages, but for some reason, they’re abandoning before they can convert. Why? Often it’s due to too many distractions on the page, or maybe your calls to action aren’t as compelling as they should be
4. Reassess keywords.
Two years ago you used keyword research to help you determine how users were searching for your products and which terms you needed to rank for. You then developed content based on those terms. But have you checked back in to see if you’re still on the right path? By tidying up your keywords you ensure you’re attracting the right people and optimizing your search traffic.
Picture this, you’re starting up your own business, just barely getting it off the ground, and you want to take the next step. You want people to know the name of your company, or you want people to be able to choose your company over competitors for a reason. If this sounds like you, there is only one answer. You need to start working on building your brand identity.
I spoke with a very successful retired marketer yesterday, and had an extensive conversation of how marketing is going to change in the future. Robert Silberberg, a former marketer from New York, has a pretty clear understanding of how things are going to change in the future.
“Everything is going to be online, obviously. Traditional marketing is dead,” Silberberg said.
Social Media is Vital
You can absolutely use social media to build your brand identity. However, the game has changed. Because consumers who avidly use social media are becoming more and more desensitized to the existence of social media marketing, people will eventually start ignoring marketing efforts online. So what can you do with social media to avoid being labeled as just another marketing ploy?
The answer is: (dun dun DUN!) interact with people on social media. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogging to your advantage. However, instead of bombarding your followers and fans with links, images, and offers, actually open up a two-way communication channel with customers.
If you want your company to be seen as a resource for people who are looking for your product, you need to encourage conversation online. Post a question every week that actually encourages people to respond. Use your status to encourage feedback and opinions. If you can use people’s opinions to find opportunities for improvement, you are well on your way to mastering the power of social media.
Have an Effective Website
One of the most vital things you need to have a successful marketing strategy is an effective website. You need a content management system that allows you to continuously update your content in order to keep up with changing demands. Your website should allow for comments and feedback from browsers. Your website also needs quality content that gives your customers a plethora of reasons to transform from browsers to buyers.
Top 10 Business Ideas for 2010
Posted on: October 11, 2010
For those of you venturing into the world of entrepreneurship, finding a successful idea for your small business can be challenging. First off, you need a product or service you will be successful at selling. Secondly, it must be a product that can be marketed and advertised towards a reachable audience.
Noobpreneur.com, a resource website for small business owners and entrepreneurs, recently published an article about the top 10 small business ideas for 2010.
If you are interested in starting up your own business, being your own boss, and seeing results, here are the top 10 ideas for you to consider and learn from, according to Noobpreneur:
1. Online business (and make money online)
I heard and read too many real life success stories of people who have gone from zero to hero making money online. I also heard and read too much opportunities online that are still pretty much low in competition but high in demand – every entrepreneur’s dream. For those reasons, I cannot see why online business should not be the #1 business idea of all.
2. Green consultancy
As more and more businesses are going green today, starting up a business helping other businesses to go green – e.g. implementing green practices, reducing inefficiency in energy consumption, etc. – is not only a smart business move, but also a socially-responsible one.
3. Outsourcing
Nothing new here, but outsourcing is indeed increased in demand and importance. As businesses cut costs, outsourcing service providers are well-sought after. Related to #1 (online business – make money online,) doing business operations (or errands) can be astonishingly profitable. A tip: Instead of going solo, hire a team to do tasks – Your main job: Cash in the opportunity, as the opportunity is (still) wide open to explore.
4. Everything organic
Organic clothing, organic food, and others are the type of products that continually grow in demand. Offering organic version of something niche – e.g. organic chewable pet toys – can offer you a great chance of success.
5. Internet-related services
Thousands of sites are established every day on the Net – most of those site needs domain names and web hosting services – Why don’t you start one? Starting up a web hosting company won’t take more than $500 (if you are on a reseller plan of a web hosting provider) but can make you $2000 per month – Yes, Internet-related businesses are HUGE in potential. Some other ideas: starting up a web design/development business, an SEO/link building services, a social media marketing business, etc. can help site owners to do well online.
6. Green construction
Green homes and buildings are in demand and start gaining momentum in construction business trends – why? Because they use less resources, create less waste and promote healthy living for those who live inside.
7. DIY green energy
Green living dominates this list, indeed – This time, Do-it-yourself green energy, which is essentially self-made green energy generator, commonly using either solar or wind energy. Supporting those who are interested in DIY green energy by providing how-to guides, materials, and/or accessories can make a great and sustainable business idea.
8. White label fundraising
There are times when you are really want to make a difference by running your own charity, but don’t know how. There are white label fundraising companies that, in essence, partner with non-profit organisations and charities to provide a chance for someone to raise funds for his/her favourite charities or non-profits without all the hassle of resource management and reporting. Even better, he/she will receive good income to cover the fundraising activities by receiving a percentage of the raised funds. A win-win solution for all and being the one who meet the organisations with independent fundraisers makes a good business idea.
9. Freemium-based
Freemium is a business model (usually online business) that allows free but limited access to a product or service, in which a premium is charged if you want a full-featured access. Twitter will do it, Flickr has done it, and you should join the bandwagon. The premise: free is what attract people, and getting 1% of those people to pay for the premium should boom your business – think about it: you can create revenue offering something for free, with no obligation or any hidden policies.
10. Personalised products and/or services
People enjoy personalised products and/or services that are made specifically to their specifications. With growing interest in everything custom and personalised, starting a business offering design-your-own, make-your-own or choose-your-own products and/or services is a smart move. A couple of examples: Tutti Frutti fro-yo (off line) and Custom Ink custom t-shirts(online)
Whatever you choose, your business needs a successful online presence. The three most important components of having a successful website it an easy to use content management system, a social media marketing strategy, and effective search engine optimization methods.
Search engines are getting smarter. In order for your website to appear higher on any search engine, you need to optimize your website with the right keywords and phrases. The problem is, how do we know which words will work and which ones won’t?
Here are a few tips to follow to boost your position in search engines.
Separate Keywords with Punctuation
When search engines crawl through a website, they do not register punctuation, bullet points, line breaks, capitalization, and other stylized forms of writing. They only rank letters. This will help you use more keywords without disrupting the flow of content
Example:
In order to boost your exposure, dive into the world of social media. Marketing towards individual consumers through social networking sites will help build your brand equity.
Put Keywords into Bullet Form
Using lists are great for your readers specifically because they are easy to read and draw the readers’ attention. They are less cluttered than big blocks of text. So by expanding on the frequent viewership of bulleted lists, insert keywords into the list because again, search engines do not register style, only letters.
Use the Opposite of Your Keyword
By talking about the opposite of the image you’re trying to convey, you can still use keywords and also discuss important points with your readers.
Example:
Search engines are getting smarter. In order for your website to appear higher on any search engine, you need to optimize your website with the right keywords and phrases. The problem is, how do we know which words will work and which ones won’t?
Here are a few tips to follow to boost your position in search engines.
Separate Keywords with Punctuation
When search engines crawl through a website, they do not register punctuation, bullet points, line breaks, capitalization, and other stylized forms of writing. They only rank letters. This will help you use more keywords without disrupting the flow of content
Example:
In order to boost your exposure, dive into the world of social media. Marketing towards individual consumers through social networking sites will help build your brand equity.
Put Keywords into Bullet Form
Using lists are great for your readers specifically because they are easy to read and draw the readers’ attention. They are less cluttered than big blocks of text. So by expanding on the frequent viewership of bulleted lists, insert keywords into the list because again, search engines do not register style, only letters.
Use the Opposite of Your Keyword
By talking about the opposite of the image you’re trying to convey, you can still use keywords and also discuss important points with your readers.
Example:
Search Engines filter information based on objective algorithms. They rank your website by the way you use your keywords or key phrases. Depending on how often you use a particular keyword, a search engine will determine how relevant your material is to the search query.
More relevancy leads directly to high page ranking. A search engine placement report will allow a search engine optimization expert to optimize a website most efficiently for both organic searches and pay per click campaigns.
An effective Internet marketing campaign will exploit areas of opportunity in both natural search and pay per click optimization. Higher search engine rankings result in more leads, which in turn generates more revenue.
The Benefits
Banner ads or paid search engine placement will work for a period of time, but once the market budget is depleted, the site will undoubtedly lose visibility. The most important factor is that customers trust companies that are ranked higher in search engines.
A highly ranked website gives people a certain familiarity with the company and its products, regardless of their actual personal experience with the company. Surveys show consumers are twice as likely to recognize businesses ranked in the top three in search engine results than those appearing in banner ads.
How Vesta Digital is Ranked
Vesta Digital is ranked in the TopSEOs Website. It is a comprehensive database that ranks the best internet marketing agencies and tools. According to TopSEOs:
IntelBuilder Social Media Platform, developed by Vesta Digital, is a content management system and social media marketing platform for publishing content on the web and intranets as well as a web application framework.
IntelBuilder is designed for easy control, maintenance, adding content pages, edit existing content, and removing outdated material from websites.
The benefits include:
- Automatic updates of web content and blogs on all registered social networks
- Automatic submission to major bookmarking websites
- Automatic SEO based on the content of websites and blogs
- Extensive website traffic and statistic reports
- Automatic RSS distribution to Google News and other major media providers
- Effective management and tracking of subscribers and readership
Vesta Digital Blog 