In our quest to bring our Cellar Door Consultants clients the latest information and make sure we keep up with new ideas and technologies, Melodie and I are attending an inaugural conference in Kennewick, Washington today. The focus is on “Learning About Web” and is focused on using the web to your business advantage.
We’ll be blogging throughout the day with insights and information.
Today’s Topics include:
1) What the Web can do for you.
2) Web Security
3) Link Building
4) Local Search
5) Site Architecture
6) Small Business Marketing
7) User Interface Design
Blogging for Business
9) Marketing to a Younger Generation
Stay Tuned. If you are attending email here.
Web Security with Adam Baldwin
Great information about site security and making sure the SSL is used for any eCommerce site or transactions. Everyone should have at the very least a security vulnerability analysis done on any site where you are processing any monetary transactions. Not just once, but on an ongoing basis.
More about Adam’s Presentation : http://www.learnaboutweb.com/class-schedule/security
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 10:09 am |
Link Building with Jennifer Laylock
Get Jennifer’s Pitching Checklist here:
1) Read at least five posts on their on their site
2) Comment on one or two existing posts (dig to find the ones you can add to)
3) Write at least two sentences that are unique to the person you are pitching
4) Have at least one other person read the email before you send it
5) Contact the blogger…
To see the rest of the list contact Jennifer at jennifer@searchengineguide.com
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 10:19 am |
Local Search with Matt McGee
You can find him at http://www.smallbusinessem.com
Excellent Presentation. Very Dynamic!
SEM = Search Engine Marketing
Matt Spoke about the Industry, The Algorithms, SEO and PPC Tactics, Finding Local Customers
Local Search includes the Google, Yahoo, MSN + electronic Yellow Pages
Google is the leader with 71% of searches
Local searches are primarily done on the bigger search engines.
Map and local services. Mapquest; Google Maps; Yahoo Local by ranking
Yellow pages sites. Evenly distributed useage
Where is local search going?
* Local Search Advertising is growing significantly
* Cell phone/mobile device local searches
* Small business is shifting advertising to online adverts
* National Advertisers are utilizing local search tactics
* Video is becoming a key tactic for attracting search activity
* Pay per call
* Neighborhood level searching (tie-in to maps and proximity searching)
Algorithms
Local Results vs Regular Results on a google search and pulls mapping and topic specific results
Search restaurants Kennewick, WA as an example
Two basic steps or processes Recall (possible matches) and Rank (putting them in order)
Factors for Recall:
Accuracy or Trust of business data
Use of SE’s Local Business Centers
Your Address (proximity to search item)
Your Business Name
Categorization of your business
Location of prominence of search item (level of competition in location)
Possible Rank Factors
Your Business Name
Your Address
Categorization of your business
Links/Citations in your Local/YP directories and other sites
Reviews/Ratings and user generated content (get your satisfied clients to rate you)
Traditional SEO factors (trust, links, on page elements)
SEO & PPC Tactics
SEO = Search Engine Optimization (free traffic)
PPC = Pay Per Click (paid traffic)
Basics
Address on every page
Submit to local business centers online (see handout for URLS)
Beyond basics
Search Engine Optimization Tactics
* Physical Address and local phone number on all pages (with area code for location ID)
* Write out location/directions (search engines find these)
– Business Name, Neighborhood name, Address city state zip
* Use them in the tag and the anchor text (internal and inbound) and include geo locators
* Give each location its own page
* Link to your Local Profiles
* Include Brand Names and city locators in your page text copy (geo and product names)
* Put address on a single line to make it easier on mobile devices to view
Pay Per Click Tactics
* Geo Target Ads – The ad is only shown to searches in a specific location (choose your area)
* Advertise on local search engines (yahoo! local)
* Internet Yellow pages
* Encourage ratings and reviews (searchers rely on them to make choices about your products and services)
Finding Local Customers
“Hope is not a marketing strategy”
* Be Unconventional and unexpected
* Not Illegal, spammy, etc.
Don’t
* Spam
* Avoid the hard Sell etc
DO – Target
Use social sites and active discussion groups
http://www.flickr.com (join their geographically based groups)
http://www.facebook.com (geo reference on sign up, they present networked groups)
http://www.twitter.com (enormous chat room with access controls, connect to geo specific focus)
Forums and Mailing Lists
Newspapers are going online with comment/forums capability
http://www.freecycle.org (a way to give things away free)
Does any of this work?
http://www.PinkCakeBox.com example
Photos on flickr
picked up by CNN for a news segment
Freecycle example for Cari McGee with video tapes, stop by the office to pick them up.
Pulled in potential clients for contact. Free tapes ended with a real estate sales commission.
Great Presentation
Brad Smith
http://www.cellardoorconsultants.com
509-882-5600
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 11:32 am |
Site Architecture – Stoney deGeyter
Very Informative info to consider when building or optimizing website structure. Thanks Stoney!
Make it easy on the visitor and the search engines
Organize the site for easy navigation – able to find what they need (they don’t like to think)
Organize the site so that all pages have search information and relevance
Domain and URL structure
* avoid duplicate content issues
* domain names – keep it short
– register for 10 years
– make it memorable
– use keywords (if possible)
– avoid hyphenation
* buy alternate domain names to avoid confusion
– buy alternate spellings
– buy variations or abbreviations
– phonetically spelled
– buy the sucks.com and or sux.com to avoid negative campaigning
Redirect your purchased names properly
* Direct to actual redirected domain to avoid self competition
Favicons
* Special code for your pages will display your favicon in the browser address space
More info on favicons can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favicon
Keyword URL structure (folder structure)
keep your pages organized clearly NOT cryptically
Another good look into the mystical world of site architecture. We’ll be making some changes based on this presentation.
Brad Smith
http://www.cellardoorconsultants.com
509-882-5600
info@cellardoorconsultants.com
Link and Navigation Structure
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 11:51 am |
Luncheon Speaker – Jennifer Laylock
Old fashioned values in a new fangled world
“Why small businesses are poised to rule the web.”
Main Street to “Chain Street”
You have to figure out how to make your business stand-out.
- Local Business Searches
- Seth Goden “The Purple Cow” http://www.sethgodin.com/purple/
- It is not about being “trendy”
- It is about necessity, consumers have less money and must spend carefully
* finding what they need online
* shopping for value not just convenience
- You can meet the consumer in the middle by using the web to bring the voices together
* Avoid Banner Blindness, People trust their friends, consumers can now begin to trust online “friend” relationships which include online ratings, niche communities, geo communities, virtual friends all provide new ways to communicate and really listen.
What are people searching for?
- Increases (20%)in number of search volume
How do we reach people or build business?
- Know your customers
* Use of twitter as a viral marketing or method to “know your customer” and “build credibility”
- Anticipate the customer needs
- Value them as people
- Do what needs to be done
Apply the concepts of “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie as a model for social networking. http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814
Nice job Jennifer. See you on Twitter
https://twitter.com/CellarDoorBrad
http://www.cellardoorconsultants.com
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 1:51 pm |
User Interface Design – Douglas Waltman II
Douglas reviewed a number of very good points about images, text and fonts and colors.
Emphasis on continuity.
Use of text with images.
Avoid underlining text to avoid confusion with links.
Limit main headings to 3 to 7 items. (span of control)
Negative space (white space) used to emphasize or make elements standout
Technology vs your website
Accommodate as many browsers as you can
- Browser shot can help you see your sites in the various browsers http://browsershots.org/
- 1024 x 768 screen sized is used by about 44% of all users
- Recognize that web 2.0 is often dependent on web 2.0
- Offer download links or alternative content (flash, adobe pdf viewer, etc)
Remember that ease of use for the customer/visitor will help you reach your goal of more customers and repeat customers.
When you make your website work for your users, your website will work for you!
Described the F pattern for reading and visualization http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Great content in the presentation.
Brad Smith
http://www.cellardoorconsultants.com
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 2:11 pm |
Blogging for Buiness -
Mack Collier
http://www.theviralgarden.com
http://twitter.com/mackcollier
mack.collier@gmail.com
Comment by cellardoorconsultants — November 7, 2008 @ 3:05 pm |