It really doesn’t have to be complex.  Defined by Wikipedia, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic” “algorithmic”) search results.   Basically, when your website is well optimized it significantly increases the chances a prospective customer will be able to find your products, services or information when conducting searches on major search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing.  The largest of the search engines, Google Search, processes over 1 billion searches per day.

So, the ultimate question remains.  Will your website “be found” by your prospective customers?  One quick way to find out will be to do a Google search that includes services, products, solutions, etc. that you provide but don’t include your company name.  Also, you can make your search more targeted by adding your city and state to the search string.  For example, “computer services repair orange county, ca.”

Okay, let’s examine the results:

• Page One:  Great news!  You can breathe a sigh of relief!
• Page Two:  No need to panic but it’s a good time to start strategizing on how to get to page one.
• Page Three & Beyond:  It’s time to Optimize!

Here a few key basic SEO tips to help your company be found:

Keyword/Content Review:  Take some time to review the content on your website. Think of how others would search for your services and be sure those keywords and keyword phrases are on your website. When you structure the content on your web site in such a way that important information is listed frequently and prominently, it increases the likelihood it will appear toward the top of a person’s search results. You really don’t want to appear beyond page three of a person’s web search, after all.

Page/Title Tags:   Title tags are very important when it comes to achieving high search engine rankings.  This HTML feature will quickly and concisely share details on your web site with a brief description within search rankings. A well-written title tag sums up your site in a few phrases and increases the chances of a visitor clicking the link.

Google Places Listing:  Be sure to claim/register your business with Google Places, a free local business platform that allows you to include photos, videos and special offers in your Google Places listing.  This will help increase your exposure among the 97% of consumers that search for local businesses online.

Start with the basics and help make it easier for others to find your company and grow your business in the process.  When done right, your website can be viewed by a captive and interested audience.  Good luck!

PRESS RELEASE : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Social Media for Business, a Power Day of Training: Talent Evolution and HUTdogs, Constant Contact Authorized Local Experts, team up to Provide a Full Day of Classes, Workshops and Networking in Ventura, California

(Los Angeles, Cal. April 11, 2012) – HUTdogs and Talent Evolution, Authorized Constant Contact Local Experts, join forces with the Ventura based business Arjay’s Window Fashions to present Social Media for Business a Power Day of Training.

“We are thrilled and honored to be hand-picked and authorized by an industry leader, like Constant Contact, to present their educational seminars,” said Chief Creative Officer, Merri Jill Finstrom from HUTdogs, “Plus, the Power Day of Training will combine HUTdogs’ signature workshops as well as Talent Evolution’s excellent training. The seminar will be held in Arjay’s new location, so the Power Training Day will literally be a warehouse full of ideas and networking.”

The Power Day of Training on Saturday, April 21, 2012, will be a two-part event. The first part of the day will feature Social Media Marketing Made Simple. In this introductory session, strategies and best practices will be presented focusing on how to leverage social media for business. Part 1 will be immediately followed by the Power Training sessions.

Part 2, the Power Training sessions, will expand on the first part of the day and offers three learning blocks, allowing attendees to choose their own curriculum from five different workshops; Facebook for Business 101, Constant Contact 101, Constant Contact Beyond the Basic Email, LinkedIn & Twitter 101, and SEO Search Engine Optimization 101.

“Joining forces allows us to create a very unique learning opportunity for business people and non-profits,” said CEO, Jared Smith of Talent Evolution. “As small businesses ourselves, both HUTdogs and Talent Evolution bring a very practical approach to using and understanding social media and email marketing.”

Social Media for Business, a Power Day of Training starts at 9:00am on Saturday, April 21, 2012. It will be held at Arjay’s Window Fashions, 5917 Olivas Park Drive, Ventura, CA 93003

Registration is required: http://conta.cc/powertrain

About HUTdogs HUTdogs is a creative-services business rooted in graphic design that loves to share their knowledge. Based in Los Angeles, they are known for eye-catching graphic design for print, web sites and social media. They are recognized as leaders in teaching valuable workshops to help businesses and non-profits build their on-line presence. www.hutdogs.com

About Talent Evolution Talent Evolution helps its clients learn how to effectively use blogs, social networking and digital media to enhance the client’s brand and achieve their goals. Based in Southern California, they offer web site development, SEO enhancement, and Mobile marketing solutions. www.talentevolution.com

About Arjay’s Window Fashions Arjay’s Window Fashions has been providing residential & commercial window coverings in Southern California since 1975. They specialize in designing high quality treatments that bring beauty, privacy, improved comfort and energy efficiency to windows by installing shutters, blinds shades, and award-winning draperies. www.arjayswf.com

About Constant Contact, Inc. Constant Contact is revolutionizing the success formula for small organizations through affordable, easy-to-use Engagement MarketingTM tools that help create and grow customer relationships. More than half a million small businesses, nonprofits, and associations worldwide rely on Constant Contact to drive ongoing customer dialogs through email marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, and online surveys. All Constant Contact products come with unrivaled KnowHow, education, and free coaching with a personal touch, including award-winning customer support.

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Though change is constant it can be a tough pill to swallow at times.  I do understand the frustrations that many small business owners have expressed but after taking some time to get familiar with the pending changes I am happy to say that I welcome the changes and look forward to new opportunities and what the changes may bring to my company.

I am READY to evolve with Facebook!  Are you?

Here are five reasons I embrace the Facebook Timeline for businesses:

1. Visual Impact:  The new layout gives you the opportunity to tell a visually compelling story about your business or brand.  You can set the visual tone with the enlarged (851 by 315 pixels) cover photo image that is featured at the top of the page as well as the supporting profile photo that is placed as a box within your cover image and accompanies your status updates.  In addition, four of the twelve Facebook tabs with photos are prominently featured just below the cover image.  This is your opportunity to create a unique image that conveys your story and the personality of your brand.

2. Milestones:   Milestones give you the ability to highlight significant moments and/or achievements that are unique to your business.  You can add details to your milestone like date, headline, location and include a photo.  The milestones are expanded to widescreen and get great visibility on your page.

3. Pinned Posts:  Have you ever wanted extend the life of a great post?  Well, you can do that with a pinned post, which are basically posts that admins can choose to display at the top left of the page.  You will know it’s a pinned post because it will have a flag icon in the top right corner. For up to seven days you can pin a popular post to the top of your page.

4. Messages:  A great new feature that allows visitors to send you a private message that does not post to the page for all visitors to see.  This is an optional feature that can be turned off.

5. About Section (More Prominently Located):  Now you will be able to see the “About” section more easily as it is featured under the cover photo image.  Visitors can easily link to the about page that contains more details about your business.

Actually, there are several other great features but these are just a few of my favorites.  There is no time like the present to embrace change and evolve your business.  Good luck and keep me posted!

A major component of what makes mobile marketing effective is the use of video and recently in the MediaPost Vidblog I found an interesting article, Mobile Video Ads Growing Fast; Will Mobile Video Trump Online Pre-Rolls? , The part that really stood out to me was this..

Mobile phones generate a much higher click through – 4.5 times – than that of online video, according to a new report from video vendor Videology. On mobile phones the messaging is often more targeted, the calls to action are stronger, and consumers are also more connected to their phones, Videology said. A mobile phone feels personal and thus can elicit more response.

Video is just a natural fit for mobile devices and if you have been sitting on the fence about investing a little time and money in producing video for your small business maybe now is the time to jump right in.

SmallBusinessTrends.com has some great tips. Here is my favorite.

1. Make it personal.

If your video doesn’t have a personality, then neither does your business – at least not as far as the viewer is concerned. Generic shots of b-roll office environments and stock photography tell viewers that your company is just that – a generic, stock, unoriginal service. People want professional, but they don’t want boring. Don’t be afraid to show footage of actual employees – maybe a few seconds of greeting from your CEO if possible. This will yield a more personal feel and a better connection with potential clients. A sense of humor can also establish a sense of personality – but don’t overdo it! You don’t have to be doing standup comedy in your office, but a few quirky scenes or funny lines can be what keep your viewers from clicking away.

Read more to get the other 4 tips…

If you have any great small business video success stories, please share. I would love to hear about them.

Here is what Rashid Temuri said about his Twitter experience.

“Honestly, I never looked at it as marketing nor I had that in mind when I started @ChicagoCabbie account,” Temuri told Ars. “I started Twitter thinking I’ll talk to people about taxi industry of Chicago. I feel there is a gap between taxi drivers and customers and there are lots of misunderstandings. They both are in such a defensive mode. They both feel like they have to protect themselves from the other and it’s just so wrong. I joined Twitter to eliminate the gap between a taxi customer and taxi driver.”

Rashid is a wonderful example of someone who sees social media as a way to connect with his customers and really that’s what it’s all about. It’s not always about the discount or sale, just connecting and sharing.

Please read the full story here to see how impactful social media has been for @ChicagoCabbie and follow him on Twitter, to see how he makes those personal connects that lead to repeat and new business!

If I am ever in Chicago, I know who I am going to connect with for a ride!

Read the full ars technica article…

I just read an article on QR Codes “Use QR Codes so You Don’t Get Thrown Away After Tradeshow” discussing all the creative ways you can use them during a tradeshow.

QR codes are catching on quickly in the US now that more than 35% of American adults own smartphones. In fact,QR code usage shot up 4,549% in Q1 of 2011 alone, with 9 out of 10 scans being done to find more information about a product or service.

Here is a great tip from the article;

TIP: Instead of distributing hard copies of marketing materials, you can distribute electronic copies via email. Simply create a QR code that triggers an automatic email when it is scanned by a smartphone. The email can contain a preformatted message from your company along with links to your sales materials.

What has been your experience using QR Codes in your small business? Share your stories of success, failure or confusion.

“Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.”
 ~William Shakespeare

Here is what AdAge said about Google+ pages today.

Google announced on Monday that it will offer Google+ “Pages” to brands, businesses, and celebrities, so that they can trumpet themselves across the search giant’s fledgling social network.

Much like Facebook Pages, these Google+ destinations are places where commercial names can not only broadcast news and propaganda to the world at large, but also interact with their fans and critics. You can sign up here at the new Google+ business site.

It will be interesting to see who will win on this social media front. Stay tuned.

Read the entire AdAge article.

By Kristall Lutz

1. Create a strategy

What is your dream position? What are the top companies you wish to work for? Make your job search less about aimlessly applying to everything you see on internet job boards; instead focus on getting the job you really want. Create an overall job search strategy and break it down into tactical efforts. Even if your dream company isn’t hiring for your position, take the time to connect with people who work there (through networking or informational interviews).

2. Get past the software

When sending your cover letter and resume via internet job boards or directly through application processes on a company’s website, 9 times out of 10, your resume must first pass through the keyword HR program before a real person sees it. With that in mind, it is important to tailor your resume to fit the job description given. If you see words or skill phrases repeated throughout, make sure you use those same words and phrases.

3. Tap into your network

Whether it’s an alumni club or your son’s soccer game, chances are you know people who can help connect you to that dream job and/or company. Don’t be afraid to ask, but make sure you’re not too pushy or impatient. LinkedIn and other social media tools are great for connecting too, but be very careful in contacting people you have never met offline and asking for help. It is better to seek organic ways to get to those people (whether it’s ‘six degrees of separation’ or attending a networking event they have published to their LinkedIn account).

4. Curate an online presence

With all the free tools for creating online presence, there is no excuse that a Google search of your name doesn’t yield results pointing to your professional work and/or a curated snapshot of who you are. At wordpress.com, you can get a free blog with tabs for your resume and work portfolio. Use the blog only to display these, or take it a step further and write blog posts about what interests you in your field of work. At the end of the day, a company’s hiring decision is based on more than just a resume. Give them an early glimpse into your passion for the work you do or industry you’re in. If your friends are prone to tagging you in weekend party pictures on Facebook, make sure your account privacy settings are at the highest level so a recruiters’ first impression isn’t of you in a compromising situation!

5. Keep communication formal

In our current world of text messaging and emoticons, we often get lax with our communication. Remember that job searching is a formal process. Always address letters formally, mail thank you notes after interviews and follow up as directed by the interviewer (don’t forget to ask!)