Tag Archives: local splash

The Value of Pinterest to Your Brand

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, Social Media Marketing, , , ,

Pinterest LogoPinterest is a new social network that has really taken off within the past few months. The visual site allows people to “pin” photos and videos they like onto their boards. Many people use these boards to plan events like a party or a wedding, but recently people have begun to create boards just for fun. Users can follow friends’ boards on the site and “repin” photos or videos from friends’ boards to their own as well as “like” photos and videos. Pinterest is now connected with Facebook so your Facebook friends can see what you are pinning.

Pinterest may seem useless to companies that aren’t centered around visuals, however you don’t need to be a photographer or designer to use this new social network for your advantage. Infographics and videos are also allowed on Pinterest and there are many advantages to pinning for your company.

• Photos are more popular than articles. Photos catch the eye of Web users much faster than the words in an article and are often added to articles for that very reason. Infographics are very successful in particular because they provide factual information without resorting to the usual blocks of text. Many people are visual learners and a graphic simply explains the point faster than an article. Pinterest is a great place to display your Infographics and videos and allow others to learn and share information about your industry and company.

• Pinterest will help your SEO efforts. Every photo or video that is pinned links back to the website where it’s originally from. This helps build your link juice with inbound links and will drive traffic to your website.

• Build connections with your target audience. Like any other social media network, Pinterest gives brands a platform to share and interact directly with their target audience. Sharing interesting and visually captivating photos and videos will encourage your followers to repin and share with others.

• Pinterest allows users to target which topics they’re interested in. This means the people who are seeing your photos and videos are more likely to be interested in your company. Since everything you pin links back to your website, you could find potential customers on Pinterest.

So what are you waiting for? Ask for an invite to Pinterest and start pinning for your brand. You’ll start engaging a whole new audience and boost your SEO efforts.

4 Keyword Research Don’ts to Avoid

Local SEO, , , , , ,

keywordresearchConducting keyword research is one of the first things you do in order to help boost your SEO and encourage higher rankings in the SERPs (search engine results pages). There are many techniques to follow when researching which keywords would be best for you to optimize for. However there are also a few pitfalls to avoid. Before you start your research, make sure to stay away from these three keyword research don’ts.

1. Don’t forget about your competition. Although it’s important to target popular keywords, it’s also important to consider how many other businesses are also competing for that keyword. The more competition, the harder it will be for you to rank for a particular keyword. Use the Google Adwords keyword tool to try to find keywords that are being searched for but aren’t being targeted by a lot of businesses.

2. Don’t target only single-word keywords. Single-word keywords (i.e. restaurant) are extremely competitive and not specific enough. People commonly type in longer keyword phrases (i.e. Mexican restaurant Santa Ana CA) when searching, so instead of going after the highly competitive single-word keywords, try a long-tail keyword to help target your audience more precisely.

3. Don’t forget to track and analyze your results. If you’re not tracking and analyzing the results you’re getting with the current keywords you’re optimizing for, you’ll never know whether they are working. Use Google Analytics to track results and figure out which keywords are sending users to your site so you can continue to optimize for the ones that are working and find new keywords to add to your list.

3 Google+ “Don’ts” to Avoid

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Organic SEO, , , , , , ,

googleplusSince Google+ is a new social network, your company may be having trouble getting the hang of it. As your company integrates Google+ into its social media routine, here are 3 don’ts to keep in mind from Hubspot.

1. Don’t post inconsistently. When Google+ launched for businesses, many companies rushed to set up their page. Some companies posted a few times during the weeks that followed, then as time went on the posting started to die down. When you don’t post consistently, you hurt your chances of gaining a regular following. Try to get into a routine when posting on social networks to avoid this. Whether you post once a day, or once a week, your readers will know what to expect when they visit your page and won’t be disappointed.

2. Don’t forget to apply for Direct Connect. Google+ Direct Connect lets users quickly navigate to a Google+ page using Google Search. When people search +YourCompanyName they’ll be able to get to your Google+ page from the Google search engine. If you don’t apply for Direct Connect, it will hurt your company Google+ page’s search rankings.

3. Don’t forget to utilize Circles. Circles is one of the main features that sets Google+ apart from other social networks. Circles allows you to put people into groups so when it comes time to share you can direct your posts toward the groups that would be most interested. Don’t just make every post “Public,” put thought into your Circles and post only to those who will be most engaged by the information you are sharing at the moment.

Google+ is still a new social network and it will take time to get into the habit of posting on it as well as figuring out all the features it has to offer. Be patient and don’t abandon it; Google+ is here to stay and those who embrace it in the beginning stages will have the most success with it in the future.