One area often overlooked for SEO is Videos. Videos can generate awareness and lead people to your site.
The word keywords, used below and so important in SEO, are words or phrases that you would type, or more importantly would expect someone searching for you to type, into a search engine query. Try to think like a searcher. Don’t use phrases only insiders might use if outsiders are the ones searching for you.
The primary areas of focus for SEO with your videos are:
• Title –
o Be specific and use appropriate keywords. Short cryptic titles or ones oozing generic words and phrases are not of much use.
• Video Description
o Here again include appropriate keywords and also include your URL. Overly long descriptions might be discounted, so try and keep it under 3 sentences.
• Tags
o List keywords and keyword phrases that describe your video. Be relevant and be specific.
• Views
o Get people to view your video. Encourage friends or customers or basically anyone to view your video. The more views, the more Search Engines might think someone is looking for, and might want to watch, your video.
• Transcripts and Captions
o This is a new area for SEO, but growing in importance. Below are a few tips and information to help you.
Once you have created your video you will need to make a transcript for it. There are services available that run about $2 a minute or less.
If you create your own transcript, you should type it into a plain text file.
Avoid using any special characters since YouTube will be using speech recognition software to match it with your video and add time stamps.
If there are long pauses in your video use a double line break. These can also be used to mark a new sentence.
If there is a change in speaker, add a tag like >> to denote the change.
Here, as in the Video Description, add your URL at the end.
To add this file to your video go to the Edit section of your video under VIDEO MANAGER.
Then select CAPTIONS and ADD NEW CAPTIONS OR TRANSCRIPT.
You want to select Transcript File under TYPE.
After the file is fully loaded select VIEW to check that everything is working the way you wish.
There are many aspects of search engine rankings that are out of your control so it is important not to miss the areas where a little effort can produce results.
You finally won a brief introduction with a potential client. Do you have your elevator pitch ready?
Wikipedia defines an elevator pitch (or elevator speech or elevator statement) as a short summary used to quickly and simply define a product, service, or organization and its value proposition. The name “elevator pitch” reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.
The elevator pitch comes in handy for any occasion where a concise presentation is needed. It can be used by a variety of people in business or personal scenarios and may be presented in oral, written, and video formats.
Keep in mind that as your business grows and changes, your pitch will need to also be updated. Your language, approach and what you choose to highlight should reflect these changes. Keep it fresh. Always be prepared to deliver your pitch. You never know when the opportunity will arise. Practice your pitch so it will be delivered smoothly and confidently. The pitch should reflect the passion you have for your business.
Remember the elevator pitch is not a full-blown presentation. It’s an overview and a pitch meant to catch the attention of a potential client and have them asking for more.
With the prevalence of web-enabled mobile devices out there it’s becoming more important to have a solution in place to reach that market. Whether your business sells designer hair clips for lap dogs or consults multi-million dollar companies, chances are that a large portion of your customers own a smartphone. Since you probably already know this, the next question might be which solution is best for your business, a native application or a mobile website?
One of the biggest determining factors of which route to take is really what you want your clients/customers to be able to do. If you really just want to be able to have your customers easily find your nearest facility or easily find your phone # or email address, then a mobile website seems like a good fit. If you want to leverage the functionality of a smartphone for things such as using the camera, microphone, Bluetooth, or accelerometer, then you’ll most likely need to develop a native application. The benefit of building a native mobile app is that you are no longer confined to the restrictions of a web site, you can really get creative with all of the tools that a smartphone has to offer.
So with my two example companies you might at first think that it would make the most sense to have the doggie hairclip boutique build a small mobile website and the consulting business have a full blown app that can be found and downloaded from an app store. But after learning the needs and vision of those 2 businesses, it could be that the consulting firm really just wants their clients to easily find the contact info for their consultants while the boutique wants to let their customers snap photos of their pets and use a virtual dressing room to see what different accessories would look like on them. So now a mobile website would be perfect for the consulting company and the boutique will really need an app to do everything they want.
Another consideration is that a mobile website can load on all web enabled devices while a mobile app has to be built for each of the major mobile platforms out there (Apple iOS, Google Android, RIM BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7). So it could take some time to get a version of your app into all of the major markets for users to download while a mobile website will start working on all devices as soon as it’s deployed.
In the end you could very easily wind up with both. Starting with a mobile website is a good first step to help you determine the size of your potential app’s user base. By using tools such as Google Analytics, you will be able to see what devices your customers who visit the site use (like Android vs iOS). Having that information will help you determine which mobile platforms to develop an app for and which one to do first.
So like everything else in life, there is no simple answer. But don’t just assume you need one or the other without doing a little research and consulting with the experts!
You might have seen these black and white squares popping up on many printed pieces. They are used on product packaging, magazine articles, advertisements, posters, brochures, etc. What are they? QR codes are a two-dimensional barcode that can hold large amounts of data such as a URL (web address), text, or other information. It can be read by a QR code reader.
How can I obtain a QR code reader?
Sounds expensive, doesn’t it? Well it is free! If you have a smartphone, go to the app store and search for a QR code reader. Download the free app onto your smartphone. Run the app and then hold your phone’s camera over a QR code to read it. Most likely the QR code will redirect you to a web page with additional information.
Why do I need additional information?
Knowledge is key! If you scan a QR code you could possibly receive promotions, surveys, special offers and subscriptions with just the click of a button. For example, if you scan a QR code on a package of graham crackers you might get a coupon, a reciepe, nutritional facts…the possibilities are endless.
QR codes are great marketing tools to share information about your company’s products or services to the public. Nowadays, people do not leave their homes without their smartphone so their handy QR code reader will always be close by. Call AGIS to see how we can help you reach your target audience through a QR code.
The truth is, for most sites, Google, Bing and Yahoo represent the greatest source of new traffic. While Search Engine Optimization (SEO) focuses a lot of attention on foundation type improvements, such as increasing links to your site and page optimization, the more dynamic aspects like Social Media and Blogs are gaining in importance.
SEO for the most part is left to specialized people both inside and outside a company who deal with SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) on a regular basis. Social Media and Blogs on the other hand can fall into the hands of a wide array of individuals, both experienced and inexperienced in SEO. As with SEO in general, for Social Media and Blogs there is no check list and a best practice today can quickly become obsolete in short time.
That said, one very simple concept that carries across all SEO, and for this example of blogs, is the idea of keywords and keyword phrases. Keywords for this discussion can be thought of as the words or phrases you would expect someone to type into a search query to find the topic you are writing about. The reason to include keywords and keyword phrases is to increase the keyword relevance to search engines for your blog, and therefore your ranking in search engine results
My topic is Blogs and Search Engines so let’s look at what I have included so far, often with multiple references: Increase Search Engine Visibility; Google, Bing and Yahoo; Search Engine Optimization (SEO); SEO; Blog(s); Search Engine(s); increasing links to your site; page optimization; Social Media; Search Engine Marketing (SEM); SEM; keywords; keyword phrases; search query ; keyword relevance; ranking in search engine results.
A Blog must be readable and worth reading, but including keywords and keyword phrases will not only make it more relevant to the reader but also more relevant to search engines. So, as you review your blog look for ways to expand an idea, or be specific rather than general, why say results when you can say search engine results? Never use 1 word when 3 will do.
