Google and the other search engines have a tendency to change their search algorithms (how they determine rankings) regularly. That’s typically why you need a company like Groove Web Marketing (hint, hint, subliminal sales message) in your corner, but did you know that there are several things that YOU can do yourself to help your SEO firm?

Here’s the thing, if everyone that visits your website finds it solely via the search engines, then you are missing out on an awful lot of business my friend.  AT LEAST 30% of your site visits should come from somewhere else. (i.e., Blogging, Social Media, mail campaigns, offline efforts, etc.)

Some web marketing and/or social media PR firms can and do handle these activities for you…for a fee. Some firms will even coach you on how to do it yourself…for a fee, but if you’re a small business owner, this may not be the most efficient or cost effective way to go. Plus, if your web marketing firm is like us here at Groove Web Marketing, then we consider it a team effort.  That’s why we have compiled a list of things that YOU can do to help online presence …all by yourself. That way you can just pay your SEO Agency for…well…Search Marketing.

(Pssst. These will also help your search rankings.)

Social Media: No one knows your business like you and no one interacts with your clients more than you. Keep up the interaction by sharing information and having conversations with your clients via social media.

Keys to a Successful Social Media campaign

• Leave the sales pitch out of it…at least most of the time. It is okay to ask for likes or a share on occasion, but be sure to not always be in “sales” mode.

• Share things that interest you outside of subjects related to business. Interesting pics, videos, funny memes, news stories, other businesses, other products, community events and so on make your business more interesting and worth someone’s time to follow, like or share.

• Be social. Ask your followers questions…especially engaging ones.

• Ask your customers to “follow”, “like” and/or add your social media pages.

How Does this Help my Online Marketing?

• It creates an emotional bond with your audience which makes them more likely to share your business, products and services with their followers and friends.

• Google and other search engines are now using social metrics to determine search rank.

• It further brands your business and products.

Blogging:  Enlighten, entertain and educate your prospective customers by writing brief articles on interesting facets of your business.

Keys to Successful Blogging

• Find your voice. Blogs do not necessarily have to be formal or resemble a legal brief.

• Don’t overly promote your services or business. It’s okay to have a snippet about what you do, but the entire article should not be a sales pitch.

• Include each of these in every post: A picture; a link to another website associated with the article topic; and a link to another page in your site associated with the article topic.

• Encourage your readers to share the article with others via Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, dig, stumble upon, etc.

• Write at least one blog article per week. More if possible.

How Does Blogging Help my Search Marketing?

• Every time you write a new article, a new “page” is created on your website. When a new page is created, you capture a little more online real estate. This gives you a little more clout with the search engines and gives the search engines and prospective clients more info about your business.

• You create added value for prospective clients. As a result, they become more engaged in your business and Google likes it. Win/Win.

• Gives you an outlet to promote your business in perpetual detail.

•  Two birds, one stone: You can share the posts on your social media pages.

Other Tips, Tricks, Thoughts & Hints.

• Always look for ways to share your website with someone…online and off.

• Ask your friends in non-competing businesses to put a link to your site on theirs.

• Ask your “happy” clients to go online and give you a review on Google+, Yelp and/or other review sites. Also ask them to share your social media pages, posts, etc.

• Spend 15-20 minutes per day on social media.

• Remember: Just because you think it would be a popular search term, doesn’t mean that’s what people are using to find your business.

• Not all of your new clients should come directly from the search engines. A well rounded online strategy looks to gain clients from other online resources like blog articles, web directories and social media.

• Some of your blog posts can be pictorials, but most of them should be dominated by text.

For more information on Web Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, General Search Marketing, and/or how your business can get in the “Groove” online, drop us an email.

The post Ways to Help your Web Marketing Firm Help you! appeared first on Destin Florida Web Marketing and Design.

A Case for Web Marketing

Do you think gaining additional clients or customers will help grow your business?

The answer to this question is overwhelmingly obvious, but unfortunately, most small business owners struggle with how to bring those new clients to the table. Advertising and Marketing, along with retaining quality personnel, are usually the biggest struggles of running a small business.

What would improved search engine rankings mean for your business?

According to Google’s most recent statistics, there are over 2.6 Billion searches performed for LOCAL businesses. Other Google statistics shows that consumers shop online, but buy offline. The higher your rankings on Google, Bing and the other search engines, the more likely consumers will be patronizing your business. It’s that simple.

Sure you have a website, but are people visiting it?

If you answered no to this questions, don’t feel alone. Very few small businesses are taking full advantage of the web. As a matter of fact, most web designers do not know how to market online.  This doesn’t make them bad people. It just makes them smart business people who stay within their realm of expertise.

In order for your website to achieve its maximum productivity, it requires research, proper copy writing, and rich content that both clients and search engines love. In order to maximize your entire online presence, your business and website information need to be strategically scattered throughout the World Wide Web in a content rich format.

So, what should you do?

Obviously, we think you should partner with Groove Web Marketing to handle your online marketing, but it’s important to know why.

• Groove Web Marketing is local to the Emerald Coast. We are a small business that supports local business. In other words, we have a genuine interest in your success.

• We are experts in all facets of online marketing.

• Our services translate to Mobile Devices.

• WE ARE NICHE/INDUSTRY EXCLUSIVE. Once you choose us as your web marketing partner, we will not solicit your competition as long as you are our client. We only serve one Industry niche per zip code.

• Although it’s best to take a holistic approach to your web marketing, it’s not an “all or nothing” philosophy within our service offerings. We’ll help you choose the best options for your budget.

• We are not a phone book posing as a web marketing company.

• We do business exclusively with our clients. We scratch your back…back.

• We are great at what we do, but our fees don’t reflect it. Small businesses must watch their costs and we understand that.

 For more information and a web presence analysis, Contact us Here.

The post A Case for SEO and Web Marketing appeared first on Destin Florida Web Marketing and Design.

1. Serve your customers- Provide information geared towards your customers needs. This will help keep them engaged which translates into higher click to purchase ratios.  In addition, search engines spider websites and blogs for relevant and fresh content. Fresh content keeps your site interesting and in turn, boost’s your rankings. If your content has nothing to do with your business, search engines will punish you by lowering your rankings.

2. Identify blogging frequency- Increasing your blog audience is a great goal but will it increase your bottom line? If your blog is an income generator thru product sales, then providing fresh content very frequently is most likely needed to increase sales. If you are marketing yourself as an expert in your field, then you might not need to post content as often. Either way, you should be updating your website and blogs on a regular basis. How often depends on your ultimate objective.

3. Keep the length of your posts reasonable- Some bloggers write 1000+ word posts. Most consumers looking at your products or services will stay engaged to your post or article longer when they are shorter. Statistics show posts between 200-400 words are better tolerated by readers. In other words, Less is More.

4. Check your web stats- After blogging check your web stats to see if they have increased. Your blog content and quality level may increase along with increased traffic.  New visitors beget new visitors…new visitors beget new customers.

The post Fresh Website Content for Maximum Online Presence appeared first on Destin Florida Web Marketing and Design.