Tag Archives: online advertising

Don’t Make These 4 SEO Mistakes

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local Search Techniques, Local SEO, , , , , ,

seomistakesAre you a search engine optimization (SEO) newbie? There’s so much information on the Internet about SEO that you may get confused when trying to distinguish the truth from the rumors. Let the experts tell you the real facts. Here are 4 common SEO mistakes to avoid from MarketingProfs.com.

Don’t assume social media is enough. Some business owners think that if they have an engaging social media campaign they don’t need SEO. Although Facebook and Twitter can bring in new customers and help build customer loyalty, without SEO you’re losing the opportunity to be seen by thousands of potential customers in your area via search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Don’t build a Flash website. Although Flash looks cool and can be appealing to the eyes, it’s not SEO-friendly. In order for the search engines to know what’s on your page and see keywords, tags, etc. you need an HTML version of your website for it to read. If the search engines can’t read what’s on the page, there’s no point of having any content to begin with because no one will ever be able to find or view your site.

Don’t keyword stuff. Keyword stuffing is loading your content with keywords in an effort to appeal to the search engines. However, overloading your site with keywords does the opposite. It will hurt your ranking and also annoy visitor to your site because the awkward wording will likely be difficult to understand.

Don’t only focus on the approval of the search engines. Focus on pleasing your visitors too. Make sure you create a site that’s both SEO and user-friendly. Without SEO it may be hard for visitors to find your site. However, you need to remember that once they do, you want to make sure they have engaging and interesting content to read that encourages them to buy your product or service.

Avoid these 4 SEO mistakes and your business will be getting found on the search engines in no time. Local Splash can optimize your business information for search engines and more. Find out more about Local Splash’s service here.

6 PPC Marketing Tips You Can’t Ignore

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014PPC Advertising, , , , , ,

ppcadvertisingAre you using pay-per-click (PPC) marketing and beginning to get frustrated on the lack of ROI? Before you give up, try these six PPC advertising tips. They could be the key to your business’s PPC success.

1. Make an excellent offer then reel them in with a “call to action.” With so much competition out there, it’s a great idea to make your potential customers an offer they can’t refuse. This will rope them in and entice them to use your product/service rather than your competitors’. Include a “call to action” phrase at the end of the ad, such as “Learn more,” or “Free download,” to let them know what to expect when they click.

2. Use long tail keywords. Long tail keywords are three or four word phrases that are more specific to your product. Long tail keywords are less popular, meaning bidding on them is less expensive. Also people who are searching using long tail keywords are usually further along in the buying process, which means once they come across your ad, they’re more apt to click and buy.

3. Create a landing page. Your website homepage is not a landing page. Your landing page is there for the sole purpose of enticing your potential customer to buy. The landing page needs to pick up right where your PPC ad left off, not confuse them with unnecessary content that the homepage sometimes is guilty of providing. The more the landing page relates to the content of the ad, the more likely it will be for your ad to appear higher than other PPC ads. When the keywords for your ad are more relevant to your landing page, it also lowers the bid on that ad. This is a form of PPC optimization.

4. Test your ads. Run two different ad campaigns at the same time and see which one does better. Also pay attention to the times during which your ads are at their highest conversion rate and restrict your ads to run at only those times.

5. Focus on location. Make sure to focus your impressions by location by using the geo-location features of the PPC service you’re using. These features allow you to target your market based on IP addresses or geo-specific keywords. Don’t forget to set these restrictions, otherwise your ads may be showing up in a location where your potential customers can’t even get your products/services.

6. Change the content of your ad at least once a month. No one wants to keep seeing the same ad over and over; it’s boring. Changing your ad copy once a month is a great way to test different call to action phrases and copy to see which ads get the most attention. Fresh content is more appealing to users, so write several ads and alternate them, making changes according to your monthly PPC analytics reports.

Pay-per-click advertising can be a difficult task if you are inexperienced. However, it reaps great benefits for many businesses who have figured out how to use it correctly. Local Splash has many Google Ads certified individuals who can help you set up the best campaign for you business. To get started, call 877-635-6225 or learn more about PPC advertising here.

Social Media Marketing Tip: Protect Your Business’s Identity on Twitter Now

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local Search Techniques, Local SEO, SEM Best Practices, Social Media Marketing, , , , ,

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Although Twitter is used by many businesses, it’s not currently offering businesses a way to verify their accounts. This means that potentially, your competitors could create a Twitter screen name and pretend to be you, tweeting on behalf of your business. This is a scary thought. However, there are ways business owners can increase the visibility on their Twitter accounts as well as make it more clear which account is official. Follow these tips provided by Mashable to protect your company’s identity today.

1. Link all of your social media accounts. Since Twitter’s user name policy doesn’t allow people to reserve user names, companies with a more generic name might find that their desired user name is already taken. According to Mashable, this might be a better opportunity for those businesses to better distinguish their brand if their business name is very common.

Another way to verify that your account is the official business account is to add a link to your Twitter account on your official website, Facebook, Foursquare or Google Places pages. Writing “official Twitter account for _____” in your Twitter bio is also a great way to indicate that this is indeed your business’s Twitter identity.

2. Customize your Twitter profile to make it more obvious that this is the official Twitter account of your brand. An impostor wouldn’t spend the time (or money in some cases) to customize a false Twitter account with your brand’s logo, colors, etc.

3. If you have a trademark over your business name or logo and another Twitter account is causing identity confusion, Twitter can step in. You can submit a help ticket and Twitter will examine the situation. If it finds the other account(s) is trying to cause a problem, it will likely suspend the account and give you ownership. However, this only applies if your name or logo is trademarked, otherwise Twitter cannot do anything.

Following these steps will help your brand keep its identity safe while social media marketing. When used properly, Twitter can be an excellent platform for reaching new customers, keeping existing customers engaged and enhancing your company’s image.