Content is King When It Comes to Drawing in Web Traffic

Posted on August 23, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy

Website Optimization Firm, Search Engine Optimization, Increase Web TrafficThe maxim “if you build it, they will come,” does not apply in the search engine optimization industry. Too many websites were built and nobody went to them. Companies and organizations are always wondering how they can increase web traffic to their sites. The answer is unfortunately not always as simple as people would like to hear. A successful and frequently visited website often requires a little help from SEO experts who can help to construct a multifaceted approach to bringing in more web traffic. While identifying the right keywords and building these into the framework of the site is often best left to the experts, there is an important fact that everyone can learn about increasing a sites’ popularity.

Content is king. The more interesting (and relevant) material that you put on your site, the more likely you are to have visitors and more importantly, return visitors. Think back to a website you once looked at that you thought was informative or amusing. If you were interested in the subject matter or in the market for a product or service they offered, you probably checked back at a later date to see if there was anything new posted on the site. If there was, there is a good chance you will continue to do so in the future. If the site was the same as before, there is little chance you are going to check back in the future. Make sure to update your content frequently or loose out on repeat web traffic.

Know what type of content to offer and what type of content your customers might be interested in are all components of a successful web marketing push that a website optimization firm can help you to construct and execute. The right content, when it is concise and well written, will have a natural flow to it that makes it more easy to read, and will also invite the reader to spend more time on your site, reading about your products and services, and in turn, make it more likely for the reader to make a purchase.

These are all proven practices in SEO. Content is KING!

Posted in Increase Web Traffic, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Uncategorized, Website Optimization Firm | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Turning a Good Website Into a Popular Website

Posted on August 19, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy

After months of checking up on your website in the search engine rankings, you’ve become despondent over its consistent absence from any of the first few pages of results. You know as well as anyone that people generally don’t comb through 6 pages of Google results and you have become determined to get your website noticed.

It’s only natural. Websites cost a lot of money to build and despite the idea that more money invested will always lead to a more popular website, this is not always the case. It is absolutely possible to spend a lot of money on a very artistic or stylistically wonderful website that nobody can find. This can be frustrating beyond belief. Wasn’t website traffic supposed come with the cost of the website? If you didn’t consult an SEO services firm at some point in the process – the answer is no.

It’s never too late to upgrade your website. Much like retrofitting an existing bridge, applying proven strategies and best practices to your website can go far to attracting targeted web traffic.

How does it work? An SEO services firm will look into who what types of keywords are driving your industry and your potential visitors. They will use these keywords to rebrand your website using more relevant terminology to your industry. This will not change the message of your business or make false marketing promises; it will simply help you to understand how people search and how search engines find you.

If you think that your website needs a bit of help when it comes to standing out, contact an SEO services firm and ask about getting your website evaluated with website optimization in mind. You’ll be surprised at the areas in which you can improve and the opportunities in which to do so.

Posted in SEO Services, Uncategorized, Website Optimization, Website Traffic, targeted web traffic | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Master the Web With Google Webmaster Tools

Posted on August 9, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy

As a business owner, you have many responsibilities. You wear so many different hats; some days you are a salesman, other days an accountant, and all the while you juggle the day to day needs of your business. The internet is a great tool and portal for most businesses, so of course you have a website, and all the headaches that go along with it. Chances are, you had someone handle your website design and build your site, maybe a friend or your neighbor’s son, or a cousin. Chances are, this person is also available to manage any updates and changes you need to make for your site. This is a GREAT thing!  Let someone else handle some of those responsibilities, right?

Sort of.

You might be inclined to let this person run things for you while you focus on other aspects of your business, but as the captain of your proverbial ship, you still need to make decisions and ensure things are heading in the right direction.  As much as we might feel the desire to just let someone else deal with this sort of thing, we need to know what is going on to make informed, critical business decisions. So for anyone intimidated by the amount of analytical information potentially available, your new best friend is here: Google Webmaster Tools.

ANYONE who owns a website, runs a website, or is involved in any way with the management of a website should stop reading this, go to Google, do a search for “Google Webmaster Tools”, and immediately familiarize yourself with it.  It is a vital tool. Whether or not you are trying to increase web traffic, make some tentative steps into online marketing for your site, or even if you just want to see who is visiting your site, you should be in Google Webmaster Tools.

Google Webmaster Tools provides you with so much information about your site.  Once you log in and have things set up properly, you will see a page called the Dashboard that give you a snapshot overview of some information; Search queries (including impressions and clicks), links to your site (the domain name and the total links), any errors generated as the search engines crawl your site, and finally a list of keywords and their relative significance to your site. This alone can be quite a lot of information to delve into and process, but there is even more info available! Your Dashboard also includes some navigation links to areas that give you even more detailed, in-depth information about your site, as well as hitting on social media with a new +1 Metrics section.

There is so much more I could go in to, enough maybe for a “Part II” to this blog, but in the meantime, you really owe it to yourself and your business to check out Google Webmaster Tools. Even if you are not all that interested in search engine optimization, there is bound to be quite a bit of information about your site you will find useful!

Posted in Increase Web Traffic, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Website Design | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Google+, +1!

Posted on July 28, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy
Google +1

Google +1

Google has been making quite a few changes lately. It seems to be wanting to go head-to-head with Facebook for domination of online social media, as we have seen with its new efforts in Google+ (or Google Plus), a new social network much like Facebook, and +1, which is Google’s equivalent of the ‘Like’ button on Facebook.

Personally, I feel competition is a good thing. With a monopoly, there is no innovation, no reason to change or offer more or make things better. With competition, each side is always striving to outdo the other, often resulting in cheaper prices or better service or other features that directly benefit the consumer or end-user.  While I have a few gripes about the Google/Facebook war (not being able to import my contacts from Gmail to Facebook really burns me!), overall I think it is a good thing for everyone.

But with so many initiatives being rolled out by Google, it all seems a bit confusing. Google Plus, +1, a revamped Places, all these Google products in such a short period of time is a bit overwhelming. It is time for the Cliff Notes version!

Google+: Think of it as FaceGoogle. It is a social network, like Facebook, but the genius of it is in how it integrates with pretty much everything you do. Got Gmail? Google+ integrates seamlessly, showing you notifications. Take pictures with your smart phone? Google+ will automatically upload those to your Picasa account. Currently Google+ is technically only available to individuals, with brand and business accounts coming at a future date.

Google +1: Designed to be the equivalent of the Facebook “Like” button, +1 is starting to pop up everywhere online. At one point it was thought that +1 would only work if you were logged in to Google, but even when you are NOT logged in, you can still see the number of ‘+1′s a site has in search results. If someone from your Google+ network +1′s something, you will see their name show up under the listing in search results. A big question is, does +1 influence search rankings? We’ve seen interesting results. When you are signed in to Google, and you +1 a site, the site does in fact rank higher for that keyword, however we also see that once you sign out, the ranking goes back to where it was.

So from an online marketing point of view, does it pay to get on board with Google+ and +1? Since Google is the king of all search we can’t help but think it is all inter-related and vital. And this is only the beginning! We here at ThinkBIGsites will continue to monitor these and other developments, and how they relate to search engine optimization.

Posted in Google, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Do It Now!

Posted on June 16, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy

What are you waiting for?

You might ask, “ThinkBIG Guy, what the heck are you talking about?”

What I am talking about, is if you have a business, ANY business, but ESPECIALLY an online business, you need to get in to the SEO game NOW! Search engine optimization is something that any business with an online presence needs to be working on. You need a strategy! The reality is that in this day and age, everyone has an online marketing strategy, and if you are not taking measures to keep up, you are going to be lost on page 10.

So what do you need to do? You need to make your presence known. Start a local business or industry blog. Start blogging and ask fellow business associates to write about your company in exchange for you doing the same.  Link exchanges can help! Start posting on local and industry blogs, leaving comments, and making sure to get your website link in the post. All of this will help increase web traffic.

Start a Facebook page for your business. Invite your friends to ‘Like’ the page and start discussions.  Twitter is another search-friendly tool. Start following people and businesses, and ask them to follow you as well. Offer incentives to your customers to follow you and to repost your tweets.  Also, create a YouTube channel, and create some videos of your business, your products and services offered, and some fun facts about your company. DO all of these things, and have them all start to link to one another and to your company website. Not only will this all help to increase your rankings, it will increase website traffic as well.

These are just some fun, social ways to get you in the game. You can also find a reputable website optimization firm to manage all of this who will also provide SEO services and blog marketing.

Posted in Increase Web Traffic, Increase Website Traffic, Online Marketing, SEO Services, Search Engine Optimization, Website Optimization Firm | Leave a comment

Google Panda 2.2 Update Coming Soon

Posted on June 10, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy
Google Panda 2.2 Update

Google Panda 2.2 Update

The internet is where most people turn when they are looking for current up to the minute news. It is also the best place to turn to for news ABOUT the internet. The big news today, at least to the world of search engine optimization and online marketing, is the announcement that Google is updating their Panda algorithm to 2.2.

As the SEO community and business owners know, when Panda/Farmer was released in February, it wreaked havoc on a lot of sites. While most people are trying to increase web traffic, Panda was doing the exact opposite. Many people have complained that not only have rankings dropped, but site traffic as well.  For some, not only did they see their rankings drop, they saw sites that scraped their information actually ranking higher!

While not much is known about the Panda 2.2 update, a few bits of information were made public. One of the major pieces of the update is an improvement in regards to detecting the scraping and re-publishing of content from one site to another. We also now know that Panda will continue to be updated, and while the exact schedule is not known, it is expected to be every few weeks.

And while we may not know the ins and outs of this algorithm, here are some questions straight from Google we should all be asking ourselves:

  • Would you trust the information presented in this article?
  • Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?
  • Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?
  • Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
  • Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
  • Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
  • Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?
  • Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
  • How much quality control is done on content?
  • Does the article describe both sides of a story?
  • Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
  • Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
  • Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
  • For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
  • Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
  • Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
  • Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
  • Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
  • Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
  • Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
  • Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
  • Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
  • Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

There is so much more information, speculation, debate and discussion in regards to the Panda/Farmer algorithm and the updates. For many, it is too much to process, and the entire issue becomes unmanageable. This is just one of the many reasons you need an honest and reliable SEO company to manage your website optimization and online marketing campaigns.

Posted in Increase Web Traffic, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Optimization | Leave a comment

Beat the Competiton With Local Search

Posted on June 6, 2011 by The ThinkBIG Guy

Here we are, in the first week of June! On Long Island, and in most of the Northeast, we’ve been having some truly fine weather as of late, and all of these warm sunny days remind me I need to get working on my yard. I am a busy guy, with work, a family, and some sort of social life, so while I love being active and outdoors, the little free time I do have I don’t want to spend it on my hands and knees, weeding, gardening, and sweating away. I’d much prefer to let the experts do that, while I reap the rewards of my manicured lawn and of course take all the credit for the work.

So being the internet geek that I am, the first thing I do is open Firefox, go to Google, and type in “landscaping”. At one point in time, this may not have been the correct approach. I mean, think about it, you put any phrase into a search engine, and its going to search the entire internet for the most relevant websites, anywhere in the world.  Trying to find a local result would require you to add a town name, or zip code to your search phrase, and then sift through the results for something you MIGHT be looking for. With the advent of localization in search we no longer need to do that. Since I am logged in to Google, once I type in “landscaping” or any other term, Google’s “Places” local search kicks in, displaying my local results right on the first page.

On the very first page!

For a consumer, or anyone searching Google, this is an extremely useful feature, taking a lot of the “leg work” out of the process (can we call it “leg work” when we are sitting at our computer?). For pretty much anything we are searching for, we just type it into the search box, and local “Places” results show up right on Page 1.  Not only is this great for the consumer, but it is beneficial and dare I say IMPERATIVE for local businesses to take advantage of this to increase website traffic and their business.

Look, we know everyone wants their website to rank number one on Google. Unless you are looking for a very specific product, no one is going to look 4 or 5 pages down for something. You need to be on the first page to get traffic. Search Engine Optimization is a powerful and necessary part of the online marketing approach, with big businesses spending enormous amounts of money to ensure their rankings. But here, with local “Places” search results showing up right on Page 1, small businesses and “Mom & Pop” establishments can now have a noticeable presence online, without breaking the bank.

I’d love to write more on this subject, and probably will another time, but for right now, I have a few local landscapers to call!

Posted in Google, Increase Website Traffic, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Website Optimization | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Success with SEO

Posted on May 17, 2011 by admin

There are many tools businesses can use these days to maintain a steady flow of traffic for their websites.  Is your business doing all it can to maintain and increase website traffic right now?  An increase in traffic to your website will generally mean an increase in sales, so it’s important that your business strives to use all of the different strategies available.

If you feel like your website is really lagging in search engine results, have you considered working with a search engine optimization company for workable solutions to this problem?  The right SEO company can work with businesses of any size and budget on many different issues; website optimization is often a great place to start.

Having some professionals take a look at your website and offer suggestions for how to make your site’s design cleaner and more user-friendly can do wonders for any business’ bottom line.  The advantage of an outside perspective taking an objective look and giving constructive feedback should never be underestimated.

The second thing an SEO company will help your business with is how to increase your search results ranking through the process of organic search engine optimization.  Using the best keywords on your site that you possibly can will make a difference in how potential customers find you, and a variety of available SEO packages to select from gives each business the opportunity to find a level of involvement that works for them.

A third area in which an SEO company can help your business is through the purchase of backlinks.  When one website mentions another website, it’s kind of like a “vote” for the second site.  The more votes a site has, the higher the ranking the site can achieve in the search results pages.  Your business can buy backlinks through a variety of link packages to help climb the search results mountain.

If your business is not using social media to its fullest, you are definitely missing out on a lot of potential customers and the revenue they can bring.  The best SEO companies can help you in this area as well, because they hire folks who know and understand social media marketing services and how to make them work for businesses of all shapes and sizes.  Everyone is on Facebook and Twitter right now, and if your business isn’t, or if your business isn’t using these tools effectively, you will likely be left behind by even your most loyal customers as they forget about you while they gravitate to sites that are in their face everyday.  Out of sight truly does mean out of mind when it comes to marketing.

No matter what kind of online business you run, you need customers to keep it going.  There is so much competition out there that you have to do everything you can to stand out from the pack and get noticed.  The best SEO companies know just how to do that.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Accept the Challenge of Social Media

Posted on May 16, 2011 by admin

Social media has changed our world and how we view it and our place in it, and also how we operate in it.  It used to be that a select few decided what was interesting and newsworthy and then those elites distributed the information to the masses via tightly controlled channels that offered limited access.

These days, access to information of all kinds is available to nearly everyone in whatever method they prefer.  Social media has made it possible for everyone to actively participate in the process of information distribution.  So not only do the people themselves get to decide what they find interesting and newsworthy, but that information can be spread at a lightning fast speed and consumed almost immediately.

How do these changes in creation, distribution and consumption of content relate to your business?  Social media marketing services have changed the way businesses and consumers relate to one another much the same way social media has changed how we learn about events taking place in the world at any given moment.  Businesses can take advantage of the ultra fast way information spreads on social media by making important announcements regarding products or sales or other major events on their Facebook and Twitter accounts, saving tons of time and money by reaching millions of people all at once.  Instantaneously your business can relay anything to anyone, and you don’t have to purchase commercial air time or print space in advance to do it.

Another great avenue that has been opened up by the use of social media is that content isn’t handed top down anymore, but created by the users who consume it.  This means that customers who follow you on Twitter and like you on Facebook can share content that they have created with other folks who like and follow your website.  Instead of paying advertising executives to come up with all of your campaigns, you can get insightful input from the people who really matter, the people who visit your site and buy your merchandise.  They become their own community where social media solutions are created and constantly evolving and taking new directions.

Taking a sort of hands off approach by letting the users choose the direction of the conversation allows businesses to find out what people really care about right now, without the need for traditional research techniques like focus groups.

If you want to get in on these platforms on the ground level to see how they can change your business but you don’t know how to get started, consult a social media expert for advice.  These professionals know and understand the world of social media, and they specialize in guiding businesses in the right direction.  Take on the challenge of using social media to the maximum today.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Aim for Record Breaking Sales this Quarter!

Posted on May 15, 2011 by admin

How is your website traffic flow lately? Are you seeing consistent traffic or does it ebb and flow over the weeks and months? In order to keep your sales steady, it’s important that businesses do everything they can to keep their web traffic steady.

So what strategies are you employing right now to keep traffic to your business’ website consistently steady? If you’re not taking proactive steps to increase website traffic then you are going to be losing out on potential sales. No business can afford to sit back and just hope that customers will click on their site and spend money with them. If you want to reach new customers, you’re going to have to reach out to them. Sure, some people will just stumble upon a site and find something they want to buy, but far more people or going to run a search and check out the sites that top the results page to find what they are looking for.

When potential customers use a search engine to find what you sell, where is your business in that list of results? Do you even know? If you don’t know where you rank, then you are not being proactive enough and you need to work with a search engine optimization company to find where you rank and help your business get to the top of those results. Why does your search result ranking matter? When was the last time you waded through dozens of pages to find something you were looking for instead of just clicking on the sites listed on the first page? That’s right, most people don’t bother with that either.

So if your business is buried pages and pages deep, no is going to see it! Fortunately you can use organic search engine optimization to work your way up to the top in a reasonable amount of time. The search engine optimization process has been made super easy by the folks who specialize in this area. They have a variety of SEO packages available to meet the needs of any sized business with any kind of budget. The SEO experts know how to tailor a program that will work for your business and can take you from the tenth page of results to the first page in a relatively short time. No business can afford to waste time being hidden in the cyber wasteland of search page results. In order to increase traffic and thereby increase sales, every business has to work hard and go out and find new customers and draw them in. Businesses have to continue to grow or they will collapse. Don’t get left behind in the dust of cyberspace while your competition celebrates record breaking numbers. Be the business throwing the party next quarter after your search ranking goes to the top with search engine optimization.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment