Looking to improve your search engine rankings? Watch this brief video to learn a few quick tips from Metropolis.
5 Easy and Scalable Marketing Tips for 2010
January 11th, 2010
This should be the big year where we all take a turn for the better. The ideas below are all scalable — each one could take as little as a day, or could be a long-term project. Take a moment to review your company’s marketing strategy for 2010. With a little effort, you could make a big impact.
Re-assess Your Brand
Is your brand still on target? Does it resonate with prospects and your community like it did when you first created your logo, website, sales materials? Send an informal survey to colleagues, friends, family, customers, etc. Get feedback. User experience is key to good graphic design. PS. A recent analysis by Fred Reichheld, a Bain & Co. consultant and author of Loyalty Rules , found that even a 5% increase in customer retention rates results in a 25% to 95% increase in profits (depending on the business). It definitely pays off to keep customers happy enough to return.
SEO
You’ve heard it for years. Search Engine Optimization is the most tried and true way for constituents to find you online. It is well-known to some and downright mysterious to others. It starts with a keyword discovery process. You then apply those keywords to your website both in the copy and in code.
Metropolis Creative has successfully improved our SEO over the past year. Keywords were optimized on website, images and blog. Targeted search phrases were used in our outbound messaging (blog, twitter, and facebook) to link back to our site. With the help of good graphic design of keyword search and discover programs like Wordstream and Google Analytics, Metropolis was found at the top of most searches for our target niche.
PS Meta keywords, paid links and keyword stuffing are the practices that worked in 90′s and early 2000′s. Search engine algorithms are changing and if you stick to the outdated strategies, then one day your site may no longer rank in the previous postition and greatly decrease your rankings.
Landing Pages
Getting traffic to your site isn’t very helpful unless you can convert those visitors into customers. Traffic is driven to your site via channels. It could be a google search term, or it could be an email that you send out. It could be a keyword linked from a blog post that was picked up by another website, or mentioned in a social media post. The point is, you control the link to your web site, so link them to a page that makes sense. Minimize distractions here. Make a simple and obvious point, and give them the tool to contact you or make that purchase. The simpler, the better. A testimonial doesn’t hurt. And BTW — plug some keywords on this page too (for Google).
Test, Test, Test!
There’s no excuse not to use different versions of landing pages, email campaigns, and banner ads (among other things.) Its as easy as trying two or more versions and looking at the results. Learn from your successes and start over — every time. You don’t have to create two entirely different pieces, just tweak the headlines, reverse the order of the content, change the subject line. You have a golden opportunity to learn what works best every time to send a message out. Use it.
Get Social
Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passé…In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen. What are you using for social media? Use it for communicating, relationship building, reach, and even SEO. Build relationships with people who share interests with you. Then those people will tell others. It’s relatively easy to maintain existing relationships with occasional messages, useful resource links, and reciprocal comments. The culture of social media fosters information sharing. If you post something useful or interesting, it will be shared and re-shared. If you include keywords in your post that link back to your website, it will help your SEO standings.
Somethings don’t change — they just get better. With a little work, you can take a huge step forward in improving your brand, visibility, and conversions. Post a comment or question and I’d be happy to help you get started.
Does Your Website Pass The 4 W Test (In 4 Seconds)?
August 16th, 2009
Website design is an art. Website development is technology. Often the two don’t connect on a site. Great websites combine layout, imagery, and type with technology to deliver clear, concise and compelling messaging.
Stop reading for 4 seconds. Take a look a your (or any website). Put it to a test.
The 4 Second, 4 W Test:
1. Who are you? Is the logo or company name legible and prominently placed?
2. What do you do? What’s your message/tag line? Short and to the point — quicker than even an elevator pitch. Avoid marketing jargon and boil your unique value proposition down to a few engaging words.
3. Where. Hello SEO! Let search engines know where you are by listing your industry or target audience specific key words. Hint: This will also help convert viewers to buyers.
4. When should I do anything with the info I just learned? Umm, today please! Add a prominent call to action. Get started now. Contact us today. Have a rep contact me now. (Add your phone # and an email address here too!)
Time’s up! Did the site pass the 4 W’s, or after 4 seconds were you left wondering who, what where and when? But wait, there’s more! Did you have to wait for a huge or ugly flash animation to load, or even worse, an annoying talking website actor barking about quality, comfort and price?
Actually, your site might not be that bad after all. Website design and development were divorced before before starting the Rocky Creek ATV Trail site.
So, what sites have you seen that don’t pass the 4 W test (reply via comment box below)? I could list 10 in 10 minutes. Don’t get me started.
PS. Give your site a second opinion. A Metropolis Creative designer will put your website to the 4 W Test and reply with results to see if you make the grade. Send an email with “4 W Test” in the subject line to: manager@metropoliscreative.com.
What You Can Do Without Paying a Marketing Company: SEO 101
June 23rd, 2009
Just three years ago, “Google” was added to the dictionary. The trademarked term is not defined, however, by the company bearing the name but rather the act of searching for something online using the Google search engine. This addition is just one example of how search engine use in the past decade has infiltrated most aspects of our culture. And it’s not a surprise: the use of search engines has skyrocketed over the past ten years. So it’s no wonder that companies are willing to pay for their page to rise to the top of a result page. A report released by eMarketer shows that paid placement on search engines and organic search engine optimization (SEO) are more effective than traditional advertising and marketing tactics and is the most cost-effective way to gain new customers. Channels of communication with consumers are evolving and growing significantly in online space, so making sure that your site shows up in a Google or Yahoo search is critical to businesses. Marketing firms have entire teams of people that work on optimizing your search engine placement, but here are a few ways to raise your SEO for those with a tight budget (we are, after all, in a recession). Many of the most-used search engines today (like Google, Yahoo, Bing, MSN, etc) are all crawler-based. They each have an algorithm that “crawl” or “spider” the web to create automatic listings. What they collect through the information provided in the title, body copy and elements of your website design is then put into the ranking algorithm that is eventually delivered to the searcher. But SEO isn’t rocket science, and there are several steps you can take without having to break the bank that will bump up your rank.
Enhance Your Page Titles
One of the first things that spiders look for is page title. Make sure you have a title that is specific to your product—don’t be vague or general about titling the information on your page. Having a static title on every page of your site that only includes your company name or the overall site name will undoubtedly drop your site on the search engine result page and make it harder for consumers to connect with you. Instead, include both the website title and the page title so that crawlers can pick up more information.
Only Publish Unique Content
It’s hard to know exactly how many websites exist at any point in time. But netcraft, a company that surveys the web in attempt to accurately report the number of pages in existence, estimated last month that there are over 235 million websites in existence. How can you stand out competing with hundreds of millions of other sites? With the ever-increasing number of sites competing for the same audience, the way to get hits on your page will be to have content that no other site has. And because so much of search engine results are based off of the content, it is almost necessary that your content be search friendly—don’t bother with Flash, Javascript or AJAX when it comes to the body copy on your page.
Think About Your Image Names
When you’re designing web pages, it’s easy to keep get lazy with your labeling system and save your images with nondescript titles, like “IMG_001″. But making sure that your images have relevant titles will help with optimizing your placement on the result page—put yourself in the shoes of the search engine user and try to anticipate what they would search.
Utilize the Tags
This advice is for all the bloggers out there (and companies or organizations that have a blog on their site). Blog search programs, like Technorati, search tags to deliver results to those using their services, so make sure you utilize them correctly. Try to stick to a rotation of no more than 20 subjects and tag every post with no fewer than two tags. Not only will proper tagging make page navigation easier for the reader, but it can actually bring more readers to your site.
Linking
The final thing that you can easily do to better your position on a search engine result page is to make it easy for others to link back. This step can be as simple as adding a widget that allows readers to easily “link back to this article.” If you really want to increase your presence online, though, it may take a bit more work. We’ve all heard the old saying: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Although admittedly clich‚, this phrase is fitting: networking is a fundamental part of running a website. Try to get other bloggers in your niche to link to you and encourage your readers to submit your posts to digg or StumbleUpon.
There you have it. Five tips that you could implement by the end of today. And if it weren’t obvious enough, don’t forget to link back to this post.
An Extreme Website Makeover Event in Boston — Move That Mouse!
March 29th, 2009
So what’s the connection between a website and a party? Consider your website as your brand ambassador — your host/hostess — smartly dressed but not over flashy. The overall theme is decidedly trendy but not so funky that it will become dated tomorrow. Can people find you (the host) and your location? (Note how many times this week you can’t find a phone # on a website). Then there’s content, your community and the conversation. Plan ahead. Match your theme to your attendees.
Join your peers and industry leaders Wednesday, April 29th from 6:00 – 8:30 PM at 28 Degrees in Boston to see what site deserves an Extreme Website Makeover!
I promise not to shout MOVE THAT MOUSE! But, I will do a before and after presentation to show how the winning website has:
• Branding — serves as a brand ambassador — a party host per say!
• SEO features — keywords and design to attract and wow a crowd
• Call to action — lead capture tools; ways to draw an audience
• A RSVP or more info spot
• Means to get the buzz into the community
These aren’t just nice things to have in a good web site design, they are required. So why do so many web sites fail? Why are so many parties boring? Because web technology, search, and social networking have rapidly changed the overall marketing and community landscape.
Keeping up with the latest technology requires constant effort. For example, when you scroll down a page, you move away from the navigation bar. To solve this usability issue on our blog, we found a nav bar that follows you down the page. Although there are multiple solutions for this, we chose one that has a smooth sliding movement — like a Travolta move (on most current browsers) and stays in a fixed position on older browsers.
“Search” is the hip party term for all things relating to Search Engine Optimization. Making your site searchable goes much deeper than just getting found. With concerted effort and smart design, you can get your company cataloged, linked to, and talked about. Searchability really is key. This can be done by carefully planning the hierarchy of content, and by using keyword-rich typography as a design element. Good design firms optimize the back-end code for search and include unique keywords on page titles. Extraneous code is separated from the main pages to allow for easier indexing of content by search engines. (See some upcoming trends on the Search Engine Journal blog.)
Social Networking blends both technology and search into an additional network of interactivity and community. (Read Bob Cargill’s post: Five Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Use Social Media) To start with, social networking helps your company on a brand loyalty level. Customers who “belong” will not only promote your brand, but will protect it as well through blogging, comments on other blogs, and recommendations. Social networking is also viral. So the more people who are in your network, the faster (exponentially) you are able to broadcast your message. And social networking offers opt-in subscription models to ensure that people who want to hear from you never miss your message.
Usability is often overlooked in favor of fitting all the “right” content on the page. Of course you have a lot to say, but you need to show restraint in your message. Say only what you need to in order to get the desired response. Other usability factors include section titles, navigation options, and e-commerce paths. Make it easy and quick for your users. Give them a positive experience so they talk about you and come back for more. Note to self: When is our next party?
Call-to-Action — What are you trying to get your site visitor to do? Buy a product? Download a demo? Sign up for a mailing list? Call you on the phone? Whatever it is, it should be everywhere and prominent. Stay focused on the call-to-action. The purpose of your web site may not actually be to educate the user about your product, but to get them to buy it. Educate only as much as you need to achieve that goal.
You’ll see what I’m talking about on April 29th. One lucky organization will be selected for a homepage redesign, social media PR makeover and email marketing offer. In front of a partying crowd of marketers, social media makers and my peers, I’ll show you a quick before and after presentation. Complete with gratis martinis and tasty apps. Networking and tweeting is optional! Sign up here!
Are You Ignoring Google?
February 15th, 2009
Google is THE advertising channel in the near and forseeable future. If your marketing plan doesn’t include Google optimization at this point, then you’re probably still hoping Betamax wins, you still buy cassettes for your Walkman, and your roller skates have four wheels — not in a row.
I recently attended the Web & Interactive Design Summit 2009 at the Harvard Medical Conference Center. Honestly, I was on the fence about going because they were mainly talking about how to use the new CS4 suite to design web sites, and I have a pretty good handle on that (although seeing the new CS4 features was kinda cool). But what impressed me most was Sandra Niehaus from Closed Loop Marketing’s presentations on Web Strategy in Search Dominated Environments.
Sandra’s first slide titled, “Opt out of the recession” says it all. The media landscape is no longer like the fertile fields of 1960′s TV where you had a huge captive demographic on one of 3 major networks. It is now so fragmented across TV, radio, outdoor, and social marketplaces (to name a few) that you can’t guarantee viewership of your marketing message. Technology has allowed your message to be muted, skipped, or just distracted from. But one channel that is growing is online usage, and if you want to be found online, then you better be speaking Google’s language.
Basically, you need your code to be Google-friendly, you need your content to be Google-friendly, and you need other web sites to link to your site. Of course, getting found is just the first step. I’ll speak about converting leads into customers in my next post!
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