Tips to boost local SEO.

For merchants and small businesses who want to get found online, it is imperative that search engine optimization (SEO) is localized. To learn more about the do’s and don’ts of local SEO, I interviewed Kathryn McGeehan, a lead generation expert whose agency, Market Wise, specializes in internet and content marketing.

“Anything you can do to connect yourself to that local community, Google will reward you.” – Kathryn McGeehan

Here are her tips for improving your local SEO:

Do: Ensure you are listed in reputable online directories, like Yelp and Foursquare, as well as your local Chamber of Commerce.

Don’t: Pay to be in a directory – they are spammy, and search engines don’t like them.

Do: Make sure your name, address, and phone number are consistent online, from directories to your website to social media accounts.

Don’t: List your phone number as an 800 number; you must have a local area code for local SEO to work.

Do: Make sure you choose the same categories for your business in every directory.

Don’t: Ignore Google+. Because Google wants to promote its own product, search results in Google+ are visual – and people respond to visuals.

Do: Ask for reviews, because search results appear by who has the best social signals.

Don’t: Make it difficult for customers to review you; provide links to review sites in your email marketing.

Do: Focus on local marketing and public relations to improve your search rankings, such as taking part in local Chamber of Commerce events, getting write-ups in local newspapers, and sponsoring local events.

Don’t: Try to game the reviewing system. You are not allowed to promote a review or reward people for reviewing you. Additionally, reviews must come from outside your business – Google looks at the IP address of the reviewee to confirm that the review is authentic and independent.

Do: Optimize your blog for local SEO by including your address and phone number in blog posts and encouraging comments – Google likes to see blogs that generate interest and interaction. You can also invite other local bloggers to guest blog (and vice versa), and you can link back to each other.

Don’t: Hide your address. Because mobile is huge, map listings will help get people into your physical space.

Do: Optimize your site for mobile. Use responsive design to make sure people can read and navigate your site on their phone.

What have you done to improve your local search rankings?

Balance your page. To improve your website, balance your page because when users enter a website, their focus first starts at the top left of the page and hovers there before slowly tracking to the right. The web user is focused more on the text of the page, rather than images or graphics. This is where balance comes into place.

Clean backgrounds. The background textures and colour you chose have the ability to estimate the overall appeal of the website. Lots of texture and graphics in the background can be distracting, and the more texture you add to the background, the less noticeable your text and images become. If you are going to use a colour on the background, you should make sure there is significant contrast between the background colour and the text. You will rarely go wrong with black text and white background because it’s clean and easy to read. You have to be careful when using brighter and darker colours such as red or yellow. They cause visual fatigue (temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work) and the reader will lose their focus on the text.

For easy navigation, you should create a toolbar with links that are easy to navigate and position the toolbar in an area that makes sense. Web users often look for the toolbar across the top or down the left the left hand side of the page. You shouldn’t forget a link to your homepage. It’s often forgotten but very important to point your users to your homepage.

Text readability should make your pages easy to read, break up blocks of text and create short paragraphs. You should consider the key points on each page and create headings and subheadings use one or two fonts. You should select one font for your headings and subheadings and another for the body text and highlight key words and phrases by bolding or using a different colour. You should be careful when selecting colours, and not to use every colour in the rainbow. Many such as yellow and pink don’t stand out well if you’ve selected a white or black background.

Horizontal Scrolling. It would be better if you get rid of horizontal scrolling because users hate to scroll left to right. It’s disorienting and annoying, so if you’ve got it, lose it. Vertical scrolling is ok if you have to have it, but consider moving larger blocks of information to another page and providing links. There’s also the danger of missing vital information that falls below the screen if a user decides not to scroll down to view it. So if you’ve got to have a scrolling page, try to keep all your important information above the fold.

Make it quick. We all get impatient when it takes more than 5 seconds to connect to a website. Users want to make contact, and make it quick. You need to ensure that your pages load as quickly as possible. Eliminate unnecessary graphics, especially flash graphics they can be time hogs.

Late Summer is considered the “dog day afternoons” when in late August and “Indian Summer” are hotter and damper days rich in humidity and a feeling of heaviness in the air. This often parallels the way our bodies feel during this period. Most of our clients go on vacation this time of year and business also slows down! Make use of this “down time” by preparing for September!

1. Write an article (or several): Write an article with some helpful tips, recipes or highlight a therapy, modality or popular topic. Post your articles on popular websites, newsletter and your blog or website. You will be surprised at the far reaching affects this can have on your business! It may not be immediate, but it helps you get found on search engines and by those seeking out information on your topic. Kept the article at about 200 words. Keep the article positive and upbeat and make it relevant. If you are gearing it toward a particular blog or web group, consider writing about something that is popular on these sites. Not use to writing articles or blogging? Start by journaling about something. You can write about your experience in regards to your vacation or a location.
Then, turn this into your article.

2. Offer a coupon or limited time sale: What better way to bring back old customers as well as, perk up the interest of new customers. People love to know that they can get something on sale or at a discount. Consider offering free shipping for a weekend or a BOGO (buy one get one FREE). Consider a sales “theme” (the dog days of summer sale, the super summer soaker sale or the ready for Fall sale. Your possibilities are endless. Keep the sale or coupon time to a limit so your customer knows they only have a “limited time” to take advantage of your offer.

3. Do a street fair or public event: Get your business out there. If you are only a web based business, maybe it is time to get out there and make a physical appearance with your company. People love the immediacy and the “hands on” ability to touch your products, read labels and see, first hand, what you are all about! Consider presenting yourself at a local fair or street fair. Perhaps your church or community organization will allow you to set up a table for a day or weekend or several weekends.

4. Introduce a new product. This is a great time to promote (or at least prepare) a new product OR product line for Fall! Remember – possibilities are endless! We are only limited by our imagination… so go out and get inspired… by nature… by the city…. by others! Come up with a great new product to add to your stable of goodies. NOW is the time.

5. Promote, Promote, Promote: Sometimes we get so caught up in life… that our business tends to take a back seat. Our intention can only be on one thing at a time. So now, bring your attention back to your business. Consider these ideas for promoting your business. Revise your marketing plan. Do you have a marketing plan? Update business cards, promotional material and website information. Network at trade shows, office events, conferences and business workshops. Do a mailing. Offer incentives. Advertise on radio, television, sidewalk signage, flyers, newspaper or magazines. Advertise on local community websites, theme related websites and social media. Do a Youtube video, Google adwords or Microsoft Ad Center. Consider a newsletter or email marketing campaign. Whatever you choose to do, keep it relevant, keep it current and keep it upbeat!

Success is gained by consistency! It is extremely important that the brand you create is something that you should plan on having around for a very long time. Deciding what it is that speaks to you is part of the overall plan for branding who you are and what you offer. The longer it is around, the more familiar it will become to others who seek out what you have to offer. No matter what it is… vitamins to greeting cards, candles to writing pens, your image, idea, name and the ability to locate you will all play a role in creating and maintaining your success.

Over the years, I have seen thousands of products, websites, email contacts and over all brands disappear. So much of this had to do with improper planning from the start. As a consumer, I often seek out what it is I need in the moment. On the flip side of this coin, I may be browsing and come across something that looks great and so I bookmark it for future purchasing. As a seller, I have come to realize that staying current, maintaining business relationships and remaining consistent has been the best game play!

Here are some Do’s and Don’t for building a brand and staying with it!

1. Choose a website (and product) name that’s memorable. What I run across the most, are websites with a mile-long name. The problem with this is that most people will not remember it. Avoid hyphens or dashes in your web name. People will not recall if it is a dash, hyphen, underscore or where exactly in your name that falls. Choose a name that rolls of your tongue. Choose a name that relates to what you do or sell. Consider using a web name that actually describes what it is you are selling or representing.

2. Renaming web pages is a no-no. If someone has bookmarked your page and you go and change the name, you will not be found. If you change the web page name, it will then get re-indexed in the search engines and will take twice as long
to come back into its current position before you changed the name. If you change the name of the page and you are not found, many times people believe you are out of business. Choose a webpage name that tells others what the page is about or what its purpose is.

3. The key to success is consistency. On every level. If you always have the same web address, contact email, same phone number… you can always be counted on. When these foundations change… your business changes. Usually, for
the worse. Your service must remain consistent. How you treat your customers… bringing them ease of transitions, dependable service, reliable help… THIS, will make you the “go-to” business, others seek out.

4. Represent your brand in a true and easy to understand way. What is the saying…”there are only 100 good ideas…the rest are variations on a theme”. Over the years, I have certainly found this to be true. We can only re-invent the wheel so many ways. BUT, it is how you market that “wheel”, that makes all the difference. Is your brand, product or service clear to others? Is it represented in the most easy to understand manner? Do people know what it is? Sometimes, if you need to call your service by a certain name, using a by-line under it, helps define it.
For instance, my acupuncture business is called ProAcuMed. Inc Looking at this title, you may not know exactly what it is… but with the by-line Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine underneath this, it completely tells the consumer who and what you are and do. An associate of mine had a car service he started about a year ago. When he first had his business cards done, he had a picture of a beautiful red Ferrari on the card. When he would pull up to a client’s home or office to pick them up… he told me the client was always disappointed because they thought they were going to be picked up in a red Ferrari and NOT the Chevy four door he would show up in. He finally changed his cards!

5. Poor marketing responds, does not always mean it is a bad idea. Most times… it takes time. Time to get your message across. Time to be heard. Time to be found. Is your product understood to the masses, not just a few? Is your brand seen as “too out there?” or is it lacking definition? On the flip side, what you may think is a fantastic brand or marketing idea, may fall flat on its face. BUT… the only way in knowing the true outcome… is following through, staying the course and believing in what you have to offer. Sometimes the slightest changes make a grand impact. For instance, I have a wonderful line of incense that I was selling for several years. Although they were selling, they were not “flying off the shelves”. I changed the image of the product and added color to the names of each incense group representing what they stood for. They are now my biggest selling incense line. Sometime, it takes a little imagination and common sense to bring about positive change.

6. Remove your EGO from the equation. Oh boy, this can be a hard one for many of us. There is no place for your ego in your business. Ego is what causes us to take our business personal. Of course, it is difficult when our business or brand or service is not understood the way we want it to be…. but within this, lies a lesson. It is a good opportunity to understand where the “miscommunication” or misunderstanding falls. It is a good time to step back and look at WHY someone may be “interpreting” what you say or what you sell as something else entirely. When we have a “knee-jerk” reaction to someone’s opinion… this is our EGO response. Let go of Ego. Embracing peace of mind, optimism and the ability to forgive. Along with a sense of humor, these are all good ways to allow the ego to step aside and make room for some humble pie, as well as the opportunity to learn and grow.

by Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac

Describing your product for sale is both a creative process and a technical one.
Technical, because it will be important to add keywords, target words and a marketing strategy WITHIN your copy. Creative, because you will need to reach your prospective buyer’s emotions and senses!
So, let start out with this exercise:

Step 1: Simply name the product you are selling. Now from this name, consider other names that your buyer may call it. For instance, I want to sell an Easter Basket. Others may call this an egg nest, egg basket, Easter gift, Ostara Basket, Sabbat kit or Holiday basket.

Step 2: Write down 10 – 15 keywords that you would associate with this product. A helpful hint for this, is to look at the SEARCH engine of the site you wish to sell it on. Write the name of your product “Easter Basket” in the search engine of Etsy or Goggle. You will automatically start to see a list of keywords that are associated with this product and the popular keywords people are searching for. Your list should include words that truly describe your product. Make each word count. These “keywords” or target words are going to be the words that bring your prospective buyer to your door.

Step 3: Now write your “copy” using these keywords or target words. Try stringing the words together with as few “the” , “and” or “also”. You are now starting to form what will be the product description or product copy. After you have connected your keywords. Go back and re-edit your copy. What words do you really need or don’t need?

Step 4: Now is the time to get creative. You want your prospective buyer to use their senses and emotions in order to draw them into wanting the product you are selling. You do this by using words that stimulate our 5 senses. Your prospective buyer should be able to taste, smell, touch and get an idea of how this product would feel in their hands or on their skin or how it would “look” in their home! Look at this example:

“this basket is made with twigs, stick and moss. It is lined with grass. It can be used by placing goodies inside. You can store anything in the basket or fill it with your favorite things. It has a plastic liner inside so nothing leaks out.”

NOW LOOK AT THIS:

“this gift set comes complete with a beautiful, all natural hand woven basket with twigs, stick and Asian moss. It is stuffed with a heavy cushion of reconstituted green cypress moss. It can be used as a “wish basket” by writing down your intention on a piece of paper and placing it inside. You can store your crystals, oils or incense in the basket or fill it with your favorite empowering tools. It has a plastic liner inside and makes a wonderful “easter basket”.

We have embellished on the “look” of the basket, described the image and feel of the basket and its contents. We have given the prospective buyer an alternative use for the basket and have used superlative to accentuate how good the product is!

Step 5: Re-read and review your finished copy (over and over). How does the copy read to you? Does it sound attractive, appealing, almost good enough to eat? Is it something you would buy? Get a second opinion. Preferably one that is not to “close to home” and/or someone who would give you their honest input. Don’t be afraid to re-write the copy, rearrange certain paragraphs or delete some of the words or phrases. Every word should count!

Selling products is not always as easy it appears, but when you make your product appealing and more attractive to the buyer, utilizing their emotions, senses and urgency to have this product for several great reasons, you will see your product fly off the shelves!

“Transparency” seems to be the magic word of the moment. Customers want to be able to “see through” your business in order to feel confident about buying there. As I browsed around Etsy, I noticed how many sellers have zero information about themselves, their business or about who they are. This not only instills a lack of confidence in a business, but customers, in turn, will think twice about buying there. They will be twice as skeptical in giving over their hard earned money to you if your business appears to be “incognito”.

I would like you to consider why new customers feel confident about buying merchandise from you? When confidence is high, more people will perceive your company as a safe and reputable business.

The “look” or design of your business website is important. How clean is the design? How easy is it to navigate? I personally want to give customers so much information, when they come to my website, that sometimes, they can get lost in the information and forget the product. It is great for education, but alas, sales can be lost or put on the back burner if you do not redirect their attention to the reason they came to you in the first place. So, less can sometimes be better, as long as they have an option to read more, if they choose.

Quality = Who You Are. It is important to have a good quality product. Sometimes we are in such a rush to get things out there, that we may sacrifice the last step, or put out something that we think is “good enough”, when in fact, it may not be. Good quality work takes time (but not unreasonably). Good quality work is a direct reflection on you. I noticed one patron’s reviews. Someone ordered something from a store. This customer received the merchandise and then wrote a review that was expressing how poorly the workmanship was. The seller responded back by making excuses and admitting they were in a hurry to get the product on the market. Again, this does not instill confidence.

Good, clear, photos of your product will clinch your sale. If you are taking your own product photos, it will be important to learn how to take great pictures. Since the advancement of digital phones, we have high quality, high resolution cameras and photos at our finger tips. Photos in natural light tend to come out the best. Different angles or highlighting features on your product is also important.

Shopping safe is what SSL is for. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It provides a secure connection between internet browsers and websites, allowing you to transmit private data online. Sites secured with SSL display a padlock in the browsers URL and possibly a green address bar if secured by an EV Certificate. Your shoppers want the confidence in knowing they are shopping on a secure network and that their information will not be compromised. Make sure this is displayed on your website when customers order.

What are your shopping policies? How do you conduct business when a client makes a sale? Do they know your guarantee? Do they understand your return policy? Are they aware that the information you provide pertains to that product? Display these policies in a prominent place on your website.

Who are you? This brings us back to transparency. Do you have a photo of yourself on your site? Do you have a storefront? Is a photo of your storefront on your website? Your potential customer wants to know. The more you tell them, the more they believe you are a “real” business. Information builds confidence. This confidence builds trust. Trust builds sales. Give your potential client confident to clicking that “add to cart” button.

1. What are you marketing?: Take a good look at your product(s) or services. What exactly is it your are selling? Is it a physical product, an idea a dream? What is your reasoning for marketing it? You obviously want to bring it to the world and make money, so how do you define it? If you can’t define it, no one else can. Be clear as to what it is you are putting out into the world. (that applies to life, in general, as well).

2. Why is this useful?: The purpose of your product is an important part of your marketing. Why are you offering this product or service to the world? Why would the public want (need) your product? Answer this question. Then sell it! Get your products/service in directories, on bulletin boards, in treasury lists and in special sections devoted to your market. The more eyes that see your product/service listings the better your chances of gaining a client.

3. The time to market your product is NOW: Over the years, I have sold more Christmas candles during summer and more cold stone massage kits in winter, than I can tell you. All though these are seasonal items, it never ceases to amaze me, the amount of people who purchase these items “off season”. So it is important that if you have a product available (and its ready to sell), put it out there. Let people know about it. Do not wait. Nowadays, you will find shoppers (especially Internet shoppers) browsing for Christmas items in July or Easter gifts in December.

4. Where else are you marketing?: If your website is the product, where else are you talking about it? Blog about it, write articles in reference to it and consider promoting it through social media. Also remember that the greatest searches are still done on Goggle. So, marketing your products through search engines are very important. Consider search words, ad words, keywords.

5. “Set it and forget it”: DOES NOT apply here. Marketing your business calls for consistent work. Slapping up a website and think the money will come pouring in, is probably the biggest misconception of website creation. Regular marketing strategies (in daily, weekly, monthly intervals) and the content you market, should attract visitors to your site.

by Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac

Your shop, website, business, life… are an extension of who you are. It can be the many aspects of who you are. So who are you? Defining this is not an easy task. No one is asking you to define something so complicated, but I would like you to take a moment to discover what you are interested in.

1. Make two columns a).Write down 5 words to describe the 5 most wonderful subjects you are interested in or drawn to. b). In the opposite column elaborate on each of the 5 subjects by writing KEYWORDS (a few words for each subject) that give you a little more detail.

2. If you were going to turn one or more of these subjects into a shop: a). choose one and create a shop name: b). you can do the same with the other 4 subjects if you wish:

3. Now, write a brief paragraph to describe this shop.

4. If you were going to write a message to prospective buyers, write out what you would say to someone who has come to your shop to buy something.

5. Now, in one paragraph, tell your buyer, who you are…. (remember, one paragraph).

6. In number 1b, you where asked to write out KEYWORDS to further describe the 5 subjects you were interested in. Here lies a story….(your story?) In two paragraphs, connect these subjects and keywords into a story. Besides yourself, what are their common bonds and why are they so important to you?

Well, in a nut shell, you have just created your own shop! This could be a launching pad for you to explore a more in depth shop (and self). This can give you ideas for items that inspire you to buy as a shopper or to fine tune your current business as a shop owner. I have found, that sometimes, starting with a very basic image, idea or keyword can be the “spark” that leads you to a brand new place in your life!

In happiness,

Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
Peacefulmind.com