Search Engine Optimization is the phrase that haunts every website owner. It is one of the buzzwords that marketing gurus and web designers are recommending at every turn. “Search is the top driver of internet traffic to websites,” they say. You may have that feeling that optimizing your website is something you really ought to look into, but honestly, it’s daunting. Why is it important? Is it worth the cost? Here are some common questions webmasters ask – and some important answers you can’t afford to miss. Isn’t my engaging website enough? Not anymore. Over 86% of all online experiences start with a search engine. The majority of your customers may be starting their hunt for your website by searching – completely opening themselves to your competition, if you’re not there to beat them out. How often have you lost business because you weren’t easily found online? In ...
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Just because Google+ has not gained the popularity that Facebook or Pinterest have does not mean you should ignore it. Listing a business page on Google+ will actually give you more opportunity to show up in search engine results once you verify your local business. This process allows your Google+ page (after you have created it) to show up in Google's search engine results, along with your Google Maps listing and your actual website, and takes up the precious right-hand space where ads might otherwise appear (see photo below). Although some businesses and organizations find that LinkedIn or Facebook provide more opportunities to get in front of their target audiences, you may still stand to gain search engine traction by listing your business with Google+ simply for the search engine results and backlinks. Listing a business with Google+ is helpful for backlinks bec...
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As one of the most popular Pay-Per-Click (PPC) online advertising venues, Google Adwords can seem daunting and complicated at first (or second, or third) glance. It's part of the larger discipline of optimizating your website for search engines (SEO or more specifically in this case, search engine marketing - SEM). Here's a layman's guide to getting started with PCC through Google Adwords. What is Google Adwords? You pay Google to display a customized, keyword-driven text-based ad when it serves up a person's search results. You can also elect to have your ad show up on Google's affiliate sites (sites who get commission for displaying Google's ads). How do they work? As a business, you pay a predetermined price for every click that your ad gets. The price per click is determined by the competition for that particular keyword or keyword phrase that's found in your text...
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You're probably familiar with the story... Apple released the iOS 6 upgrade and forced iPhone users to ditch their familiar Google Maps function for an Apple Maps product. The result has not been pretty: fans are incredibly disappointed that their high expectations for a flawless system have not been met. The biggest complaint has been incorrect data, and a lack of data. Our family's personal opinion is that the turn-by-turn voice directions is a superb feature, and on a recent trip from SC to IL, we were only misled once when we were told a Starbucks would be directly off an exit (all we found were McDonalds and gas stations…those definitely don't count). But aside from all the whining and complaining, there is something important to think about: is your business listed on Apple Maps? Apple is extremely important to mobile marketing, so it would be wise to get the ba...
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