All posts by drodecker

Check out the top SEO, search engine and Internet marketing industry news stories from around the Web this week.

Only 49% of Marketers Have Integrated Social Into Brand Building
According to a recent report from Forrester Research, only 49% of marketers have fully integrated social media into their marketing strategy despite all the hype surrounded by the marketing technique. The study also revealed that 92% of marketers realize its importance, agreeing that social media has “fundamentally changed how consumers engage with brands.”

Google Analytics Adds Backlinks Tracking to Social Reports
Google Analytics Social Reports is now offering marketers a look into their link graph with backlink tracking. The new backlinks reporting displays backlink URLs, post titles and links to page analytics and activity.

Google’s April Updates: Bigger & Tiered Index, Document Ranking, Sitelink Changes & More
According to Search Engine Land, Google posted a list of 53 changes it made in April that affect search results. Read about the changes in detail here.

Google Hangouts On Air Lives Broadcasting Ability Coming to All Google+ Users
Google is in the process of launching Hangouts On Air which allows all users of the social network to broadcast their Hangouts live for the world to see. The videos will be automatically recorded and uploaded to YouTube and the user’s Google+ profile for easy sharing.

Google Webmaster Tools Cleans Up With Dashboards, New Navigation and More
Google recently announced that they have updated the Webmaster tools including an improved dashboard, a new left-hand navigation and a new home compact view. Read more about these new changes here.

One great way to market your company online is with an entertaining or informational video. Videos are popular and often shared online, which means your company can get more exposure to potential customers as well as keep your brand in front of your current customers’ eyes with video marketing. Want to make a video but not sure how to begin? Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when creating the content for your first company video.

1. Have a goal in mind. Why are you creating this video? Is it to inform your potential customers about something? Is it to entertain your customers to improve your relationship with them? Who exactly do you want to reach? What measurable results to you want to achieve?

2. Put yourself in your target audience’s shoes. What are they interested in? Would they respond well to a funny or educational video? Think about what you would want to share with your friends, coworkers and family if you were your target audience then try to put that into your video.

3. Tell a story. People remember stories a lot better than they remember random facts and figures. People also respond a lot better to something they can connect with emotionally. A story to follow will help you convey your message in a way your target audience is more likely to enjoy and remember.

4. Show your audience what your product/service can do for them. This video is not about your company, it’s about your audience. They want to know how your product/service can improve their lives (i.e. save them time, money, bring them entertainment, etc.). In your video, make sure you show them.

5. Include a call to action. At the end of the video, let your viewers know what you want them to do, whether it be call, visit your website, or share your video with others.

If your company wants to boost your search engine rankings, try video optimization. There is much more text on the Web than videos. This means if you have an optimized video it is more likely to show up on the first page of Google when potential customers are searching for keywords that pertain to your business. If you create a funny, entertaining or informational video that your potential customers share with friends, your video will become even more relevant and more likely to show up high in the search results. So how do you optimize your video for search engines? Follow these directions.

1. Save your video to your computer with a file name that includes your business name and a keyword (E.g., Dave’s Kung Fu Dojo Newport Beach, CA)

2. Open the Properties of the video by right clicking on the file

3. Select the Summary tab at the top of the Properties box

4. Add business name, categories and keywords to the image – these will be picked up by search engines (if you need visual help with steps 1-4, check out our photo optimization blog.)

5. If you don’t already have one, create a YouTube account and add the video to YouTube

6. Choose “Upload” to begin uploading your video. While it is uploading, you can fill in the information box (See image below)

7. Now share your fully-optimized video on your blog, company Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter, Pinterest, and any other social media networks you belong to.

Title: Add Main business category, location, business name
Description: Add everything that was in the title, your phone number and the description you use in Google Places listing
Tags: Title, Google categories, city and state

All posts by drodecker

Top SEO News: Week of May 7, 2012

5 Tips for Effective Video Content Creation

How to Optimize Videos for Search Engines