Are you a beginner online marketer? Have you been told you should be blogging? Has this made you wonder how to use a blog for business?

So what's this all about? Why should you bother with a blog and how can it benefit you?

A blog is the perfect platform for doing those things. Use the blog to tell people about yourself. 

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When I first started blogging I often wondered what the fuss about keywords was all about. Was it really important? How do they benefit me? Do keywords really matter?

Do you find yourself asking the same questions?

In this blog post we will answer these questions.

First let me state .... I'm not a keyword or an SEO expert. But I do a lot or reading and studying on the subject and I find that being a student allows me to share what I'm learning. I learn better and remember longer if I turn right around and teach what I learn.

I started my research by typing in the phrase "do keywords really matter" into Google Search. It seems I'm not the only one asking or writing on this topic. It's actually quite popular.

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There are right ways and wrong ways of doing just about everything ... would you agree? Writing blog posts and articles are no exception. At least not if you want to get read, and if you want people to take you seriously, and to come back for more.

Formats, styles, content, and how you deliver is ever evolving, but one thing remains constant, and that's how you write to get your readers attention, and to keep ​their attention.

The fact is, there are some critical basics for writing blog posts that never go out of style. I've listed a few of those here for you.

Get personal. Write like a fellow human being and like a friend. Tell your story. Weave it in with your topic and content. You'll be amazed at the difference in reactions and attention. People love it when they have something they can really relate too. Your story may be their story too. Everyone can appreciate a good story, and now you are not just writing, but conversing as well. There is nothing better than captivating the attention of your reader with something that has an impact on them. Stories can do that well. 

It's all about them ... the readers. How will your product make them feel, or make things easier for them, or change their financial situation. Regardless of what your product is, your readers don't care so much about all the features of the product, they care about how it will affect them. Tell your story, or the product story, in a way that makes it about them, the reader. How will THEY benefit?

Above all else ... just get started and you can perfect your blogging skills and your SEO knowledge along the way.Yes, Google will be looking for all the things I mentioned in the previous paragraphs. But that doesn't mean holding yourself back thinking it all has to be perfect or that you need to know everything. Writing blog posts is something that you will get better at as you go.

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I'm not an SEO expert... far from it. In fact I would go so far as to say I'm still an SEO beginner .. it's certainly not the main aspect of my networking business, but it is an aspect. I am aware of it. We should all be at least aware of it. I do some reading on the subject and I like to see my sites getting ranked on Google and my videos on YouTube. Any well rounded online marketer will know that search engine optimization does have some relevance.

Search engines are ever evolving. 

Google has an army of technicians tweaking their data daily. Most changes are good for the end user, but it does require us to stay on our toes if we want to keep up with the latest changes and updates. If a person does not catch-up, or keep up, it can be a little confusing and a bit if a guessing game.

Long gone are the days of keyword stuffing, and you don't want your content to look unnatural in any way, just to insert a keyword. There was a time that was acceptable and even recommended but hose days do not exist any longer. You will get the exact opposite result... in the form of penalties from Google. 

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Why? Because multi platform marketing boosts exposure, leads, and sales.

So what does this mean really … what is a platform? Every different social media site, website, video host, forum, search engine, etc, is a separate platform, also known as a channel. So it stands to reason, the more platforms you are advertising on, the more exposure, and engagement, you will receive.

Multi platform marketing can lead to higher returns on your investment, regardless of what you are marketing. If you are not getting your message out to a broad audience and taking advantage of all the platforms available, you are going to miss at least some of the audience you want to hit.

Having said this, there are some challenges involved in marketing this way. We’ll cover those now.

Keeping the Message

Have you ever noticed how users personalities and mannerisms can differ across separate platforms? Those on Linkedin may be distinctly different from the people on Facebook for example. You might find yourself trying to conform yourself to these different types of people. In doing so, however, your delivery might change and that’s not necessarily the best thing. Let’s not lose the message in the process. We might be on multiple platforms, but we will be constructing a link among all our channels, creating a path to follow. Stay recognizable throughout, and keep the same message throughout.

Consistent Branding

It’s crucial for our branding to be consistent as well. The goal is to be recognizable at a glance. Think of the big brands out there. It doesn’t matter where you are when you see them, you know who they are instantly. That will be our goal as well, although maybe on a slightly smaller scale, it’s as important to us as it is to them.

Using Channels That Matter

Your audience might be diversified, but it’s not everywhere. If you know who your target is you can learn where they are gathering. Having a target audience doesn’t do any good if you are not putting your message where they are hanging out. This is a big part of getting conversions and results. Having the right people see the ads is as important as the ads themselves.

Learning How To Deliver The Message

We talked about it. Not all people are the same. They can still need and want what you have, but they may be more responsive to different methods of delivery. So while the message remains the same, the way it’s transmitted can vary. A quick example is Twitter with its 140 characters, Facebook with its very popular live feeds and videos, and Google search engines being good for blog posts, videos, and articles. There are many variations and some styles work better across alternate platforms. Learning how to re-package your content can have big advantages with multi platform marketing.

Knowing What Your Audience Wants

It’s important to know just what your audience needs and how they want to receive your message, if at all. What do they need to hear? Can your product benefit them? What are their hot buttons? Do you know their likes and dislikes? Do they have a problem that needs to be solved? If so, can your product or service solve that problem? It’s never about you…. it’s always about them.

Putting All The Pieces Together

Staying consistent and on point can be tricky across multiple platforms. But even though the platforms are different in structure and name with various formats, they still work together. Keeping a cohesive and well-balanced message and approach across your multi platform marketing will help your brand immensely. Your audience will recognize you and you will appear more organized and cohesive.

Good luck with your marketing.

by Brett Gurney

Striving for Excellence

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Because of all the talk lately about Google changing the way they are ranking sites and what criteria they are using, I’ve found myself paying more attention to any posts or articles I see on the subject.

Since I’m relatively new to the ins and outs of SEO, these revelations to me are a bit pleasing. It seems now there’s more equal footing among all the participants. I’m hearing that what used to work doesn’t work so well any more. Could this mean that some of the kings of the hill may have to re-access, or even re-train to hold their kingdoms?

Regardless, us little guys still have disadvantages I’m sure, but where there’s hope, there’s also a will to beat the odds…and I’ve always been one to welcome a challenge with open arms. I’m more than willing to learn the SEO tactics that work in today’s world, and put them into practice to see where they take me.

So I’ll just keep on reading, studying, learning, and writing … and see what becomes of it. One of my favorite learning methods that helps stuff “stick” for me, is to write about it as I learn about it.

So here we go.

The following is some of what I’ve been able to pick up on the subject of SEO tactics that work today, and what used to work that’s not working so well any more.

What used to work tactic #1: More links means higher ranking

I’ll say it again… having recently come on the scene, I never did perfect the art of back linking, but from what it sounds like here, that’s ok… it’s obsolete. According to Google’s latest algorithm criteria, quality over quantity… or maybe better said… “relevancy” over quantity. Now the question becomes what exactly is relevancy in Google eyes. We know the definition of the word of course, but in relation to ranking, what exactly is more relevant. I’ll be doing some more studying, and writing, on this matter.

But before I sign off this subject, someone said “when it comes to your website, don’t try to go after quantity in link building. Focus on building highly relevant links that are topical to the content on your website”. Those are the SEO tactics that work better now.

What used to work tactic #2: SEO is about writing keyword-rich content

Also known as keyword stacking, or keyword stuffing…. in regards to ranking it’s a thing of the past. Gone are the days of stuffing a post full of your targeted keywords to the point of over redundancy. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t sound good, and it doesn’t rank good any more.

Times are changing, technology is evolving, and somehow Google can decipher words that are similar. It’s now more about user-friendly posts that make sense, and that linguistically roll smoothly… not repetitive keywords that are obviously inserted where they don’t belong just to have “more”. Use keywords in your post or text, sure, if they fit and make sense and it rolls smooth and is understandable and user-friendly. Google will figure it out and rank you for providing quality content that people want to read, and for practicing the SEO tactics that work in this day and age.

What used to work tactic #3: SEO is just links, code, and content

That’s what used to rank… mediocre content, tons of backlinks, and keywords stuffed wherever just to optimize the site. No longer the case. Google is now looking for high quality content, easy reading that is valuable, and a site with a good social following. Social media now matters … to what degree is still debatable from what I understand there is a definite connection. Is your site popular? Does it have a social media following? If you want better rankings, don’t just focus on link building. Also focus on building up your social profiles.

What used to work tactic #4: More pages means more traffic

If google wants content well then we’ll just give it content … lots of it. We’ll just add more pages. Right?

Well … maybe once upon a time, but hold on now not so fast. Google wants content yes sure… but good high quality relevant content, not just lots of it. Adding more content won’t necessarily help you, especially if it’s mediocre content. If the pages are not high in quality they won’t rank well. Don’t create sites with thousands of pages. Focus on creating high quality content.

What used to work tactic #5: You need a lot of text to rank well

No…. not any more. Images, videos, infographics, charts, podcasts, and more will add more quality content and boost your rankings. Mix it up, keep it fresh, keep it relevant, keep it interesting, easy to read, user-friendly, but worthwhile and valuable.

So this is what I’m concluding based on the information I have seen, read, and heard… if you’re old school and notice your sites are not ranking like they used to, there might be some tweaking in need. Stop doing what’s obsolete, and start doing what Google wants to see done now. The SEO tactics that work today, have evolved from what worked yesterday.

by Brett Gurney

Striving for Excellence

P.S. Stay tuned for more Internet Marketing Tips & Techniques and guides to building the brand of YOU.

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Are you aware of the changes taking place in the SEO world, and that content quality now trumps keyword quantity?

I have never been an expert at Search Engine Optimization, and probably never will be… in fact it’s not a desire of mine to be..at least not now. There are so many different ways of spreading your message and leveraging your time and efforts to establish yourself as a leader and a person of authority in your niche, that for me, spending so much time on that one thing now I think would be counterproductive. Don’t get me wrong…. I’m a firm believer in choosing one thing at a time to become really really good at, before tackling the next. It’s just that there is so much to analyze, scrutinize, study, and test….and still from what I read no one ever really knows for sure, that I’m better perfecting that which I’m already somewhat good at and comfortable with.

There will come a time when I’m ready to get more into the finer details of SEO marketing, and I know it’s important, but I’ve also been reading and hearing that it’s all changing as we speak anyhow. Apparently keyword stuffing is no longer the way…it’s more based upong quality content.

Here let me share some points with you that I picked up in a few recent articles.

In the old days “optimization” was heavily determined by the certain locations (on the page) of keywords. Today that’s no longer the case for two key reasons …

•  Google and Bing algorithms are more complex and don’t look for that so much any more

•  Strategically placed keywords usually don’t create a smooth flow in the content of the page. Now it’s more about a well written and well worded page

One of the experts said …”Personally, I’m happy to sacrifice “perfect” keyword placement in the title element or a URL for better user experience, a higher chance of having my content shared on social networks, or a better click-through rate in the search results”.

General consensus for best practices for a page went something like this…

• Unique content (the exact same words in the exact same order do not appear elsewhere on the web)

•   Unique Value (equal value cannot be found on other pages)

•   Easy to UNderstand

•   Loads quickly

•  Visually Attractive

Although the keyword placements do not carry as much weight as they used to, there are still some important factors of placement for them… The following are still important:

• Page Title – At least once in the title and as near to the start of the title as possible

• Headline – A searcher expects to see a matching headline on the page they visit

• Body Text – Keywords (in a relevent way) in the content of the page are important

• URL – Use your keyword phrase in the URL

• Images – The image’s title, filename, and alt attribute all matter from a ranking perspective

• Meta Description – The meta description tag, if it employs the keyword query, usually shows up in the search results

Built to be shared through social networks – A well-optimized page should help to make social sharing as easy and seamless as possible, including:

•  Using obvious social sharing buttons that are targeted to the page’s audience.

•  Make content that has inherent viral value. Think about a social influencer and ask yourself, “would I share this page if I came across it?”

•  Craft URLs that are short and descriptive so that copying/pasting (for those who prefer) is painless

So you see..there are some things even us SEO marketing amateurs can do to move up in placements and establish our identities and brands using search engine traffic…and I don’t know about you but I will be continuing to better my SEO marketing skills.

by Brett Gurney

Striving for Excellence

P.S. Stay tuned for more Internet Marketing Tips & Techniques and guides to building the brand of YOU.

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We all want the content on our websites, blogs, and social media platforms to rank high on the search engines right?

Statistics show that seven of the 10 most important factors for SEO optimization come from social media. Is this an area you are taking advantage of? Are you leveraging your time and efforts through social media channels to get yourself noticed online?

Here are 8 tips you can work on to enhance your rankings:

1. Have a content strategy – Establish your niche and your target market. Keep it narrow to set yourself apart from the competition and to create a certain target market. Ask yourself: What are my customers’ challenges?  How can I help them? – Create a solution to a problem. Determine what your target market can benefit from and provide that. What kinds of content will they like and what are they most likely to share.

2. Plan your social media marketing strategy – which platforms are you most familiar and comfortable with. Are your customers or prospects there? Don’t feel like you have to be all things to all people…or that you have to be on every single social platform. It’s best to perfect one or two first. Get some content out and see how she goes. Watch for feedback…likes and comments. Determine what is gaining the most attention… is it images? … surveys or questions? ….. or stories maybe. Informative content and educational marketing creates engagment. Check and adjust as you go.

3. Research Keywords – Study and learn what google is looking for now days. Read their Help pages and Google Keyword Tool. Learn to use relevent keywords. Keyword stuffing is no longer the way to go… there’s a big difference between “stuffing” and relevent responsible keyword selection. Too many keywords is not easy or natural reading. It needs to flow – that’s more important…and Google is more concerned now with quality content that relates to or fits the story.

4. Create relevant content – Determine what your customers or prospects want to hear and give it to them. Provide information and education related to what you are selling or to the message you want to get across. Don’t just tell people to buy your stuff, show them and tell them why they should buy your stuff. An informed person is more open to purchasing, and if you are the one doing the informing they are more open to purchasing from you. Lead in this way and they will follow.

5. Blog – Your blog is your hub and it’s where you want to send your traffic. Companies with blogs produce 67 percent more leads per month than companies without blogs. Add social share buttons to your blog’s homepage and, ideally, to the end of every post. Blogs are not static.. they tell stories…about you and about what you are selling. The story continues on a regular basis.People will re-visit your blog to find out what’s new and what’s happening. They want to be fed information.

6. Send email newsletters – Provide an opt-in form on your blog to generate subscribers. This will keep people in the know that haven’t been back to the blog in a while.Your newsletter can coax them back… begin a post with a “continue reading” link that points back to the blog. Be consistant so your subscribers come to depend and count on their weekly info, and provide relevent and good quality informative content. Include links to your social media channels in the newsletter as well.

7. Understand why content, social media marketing, and SEO work together – Search engines favor high value content and social media sites like sharable, linkable content. Combine the two and you will have a competitive advantage for attracting customers, whether people search on Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Some stats to consider:

• 70 percent of people would rather learn about a company through an article rather than advertising.

• 68 percent of internet users spend time reading content about brands that interest them.

• 80 percent of U.S. internet users interact with social media sites and blogs.

Once again the best practice is to be sincere, real, and a source of information. Create relationships by providing high quality content so people want to hear what you have to say. Offer solutions and assistance. And link all your sites, blogs, and social media channels together…and you will be found.

The post 8 Tips For Your Social Media Marketing That Will Boost Your SEO appeared first on Internet Marketing For Beginners.

Sales Funnel Conversions…Are you satisfied with your lead generation?

Is your blog converting the way you would like?

In this post we’ll help you identify weak points in your sales funnel.

Content drives leads that’s all there is to it. If your funnel process is without weak points, and your content is strong, your blog will convert. If there are weak points your conversion will suffer.

Let’s confirm your funnel is simply the path that visitors take on their journey to becoming first leads, starting with awareness, and ending with action, and preferably on to sales. If that’s not happening then there is a breakdown somewhere in that path… be it at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom.

Let’s also confirm your blog is your hub… that’s where it all starts and it’s where you should be sending your traffic.

Here’s some steps to making sure your funnel is strong.

#1 Create Awareness at the Top of the Sales Funnel

The top is the traffic… how are you drawing visitors in? Your goals here are to create awareness, get attention, establish a relevent topic, and support or coincide with your branding and your niche.

If your conversion going through the tunnel is good but your traffic getting to the funnel is low here’s some things to work on.

– Search friendly blog content. Study and learn keywords, tagging, and optimization, SEO PLugin by Yoast is good to know.

– Write guest blog posts – this gets easier as you establish yourself and create allies in the industry. Guest blog writing offers these benefits to your traffic generation. The posts improve your link popularity, make your site more likely to rank higher in the search engines, and finally it will strengthen your network and your brand.

– Share your content. Create networks across as many different platforms as you can and and share everything you publish across all your networks…and after you publish some material then creat a supporting video and post it on YouTube. You can even turn it into a slide share or power point presentation.

– Publish list posts. Numbered lists get more clicks…they set expectations, they are organized and scannable,and they provide multiple items of interest. For Example: 10 Ways to Get The Most out of Your Facebook Marketing.

#2 Create Desire in the Middle of the Sales Funnel

The middle of the funnel sets the stage for desire on your visitors part. Give them compelling reasons to want more information and to look forward to continuing the journey. Educate and engage your prospects, and get them to go deeper with you by subscribing to your newsletter and connecting with you on your social media sites. If you are not getting shares or comments on your blog, your email list is not growing, and people are not returning, then you need work in this area.

– Write engaging and informative posts that help people solve problems. How-To posts work great for this and you demonstrate your expertise and brand yourself as helpful. How-To’s compel visitors to subscribe and to want more. They will follow you.

– Partner up with other professionals and experts…those who are known and trusted by your target markets. This is also one that will come more with time and as you establish yourself. This perceived endorsement strengthens your brand.

– And finally… be personable, approachable, helpful, and real in your writings and posts.

#3 Generate Action at the Bottom of the Sales Funnel

The bottom of the funnel is where all the work pays off. Converting visitors into leads and then into sales is what it’s all about. These are the fruits of your labor, and cause to celebrate when you get conversions. Build trust in you, inspire them, and communicate on a personal level… start conversations and answer questions. If your conversion into sales is low, work on this area.

– Build you – tell stories, offer solutions, and show your expertise. Let your subscribers know you are serious, you are helpful and supportive, and you are a hard worker.

– Show evidence of your services or accomplishments. Use data, facts, and numbers.

– Answer questions and be available. Let them know you are there to help and ask them what you can do. And finally just make friends. The best converter in the world is simply to give people reasons to want to work with you.

Thanks,

Brett Gurney

Striving for Excellence

P.S. Stay tuned for more Internet Marketing Tips & Techniques and guides to building the brand of YOU.

P.P.S. If you find this information valuable please subscribe to get future posts delivered to your email, and please leave us a comment…thanks!

This post was inspired by Michael Stelzner’s Social Media Examiner.  The original post can be seen here.

 

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Do you know the difference between Affiliate Marketing and Network Marketing, sometimes referred to as Multi-level Marketing?

Are you unsure which is best for you?

We love the Network Marketing industry..and we are fans of Affiliate Marketing as well. There are differences to point out for those that don’t know, so they can make a more informed decision.

In this article we are going to give you the benefits, and some pointers, about Affiliate Marketing.

The goal of all your marketing efforts is to get your prospects to give you their contact information. Affiliate program owners are great at this… they know all the programming, coding, and system development necessary to put duplication in place for their affiliates. Everything is done online and it can get extremely intricate and detailed so they have to be pro’s to make it work.

The number one benefit of Affiliate Marketing – most of the work is done for you….all you have to do is drive traffic to the affiliate offer. There’s a product, marketing pieces, customer support, and a follow up system. All the heavy lifting is done…you just come in and generate traffic. If you don’t know how to generate traffic, well it’s only one thing to learn…perfect especially for the beginner. You don’t have to worry about a website, a squeeze page, the sales funnel, writing letters, or any of that stuff. You just learn traffic generation.

Choose one traffic method, be it Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, Twitter, Linkedin, Craigs List, Solo Ads, Mailers, Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click, etc. and study the heck out of it. Get good at it. Become an expert at that one thing before adding another. This way you are not overwhelmed, or bouncing all over the place. I’ve talked about this before… it leads to business frustration, which leads to quitting.

Network Marketing Companies are not Affiliate Marketers. They don’t set up good online systems, with sophisticated tracking and coding like Affiliate Marketers do. Most of network marketing is designed to be sold face to face. This is why much of their marketing training (if there is any at all) is focused on what some might consider antiquated methods such as approaching all your warm market, making lists of one hundred people you knew throughout your life, and the three foot rule, the elevator speech, and scripts of what to say to people. But if you are someone that wants to learn internet marketing… using the internet to generate leads and drive traffic to your offers, and eventually creating your own products to sell, then Affiliate Marketing might be best for you.

The Renegade Network Marketer System and Daily Marketing Coach are perfect examples…they have an intricate system developed by Affiliate Marketing programming that does all the work for you. You just share the product. So you see we monetize on the front end and sell products on the back end. There are plenty of other good examples… just as there are plenty of good Network Marketing companies. In the near future we will review some of these as well.

Thanks,

Brett Gurney

Striving for Excellence

P.S. Stay tuned for more Internet Marketing Tips & Techniques and guides to building the brand of YOU.

P.P.S. If you find this information valuable please subscribe to get future posts delivered to your email, and please leave us a comment…thanks!

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