This is a very interesting video from SEOMOZ about negative SEO and how it can affect your business. To most small business owners, it isn’t an issue but for those who have educated themselves about SEO, then this will be an eye-opener and something to keep in mind when doing your own website optimisation.

If you’ve ever wondered how effective social media is for business to business situations, then take a look at this infographic from Inside View. Although these statistics relate mainly the the USA, it’s not far off the truth for here in the United Kingdom. Although Pinterest is the fastest growing social media network at the moment, LinkedIn is still number 1 for generating the most leads for business to business.

Selling Through Social Media to Close More Leads InsideView

I’ve been working through the FBInfluence program now for a couple of months and thought I would write a FB Influence review of this program for you. There are many Facebook training programs out there and I’ve done my share of them but this one really does stand out in my opinion.

Amy Porterfield is someone you should really pay attention to. I met her while on the Facebook Success Summit last year and thought that her presentations were the best. She spoke clearly, concisely and kept the hype to a minimum. So when this course came out, I felt compelled to sign up and am very glad a I did.

Those of us who know that Facebook is an important part of a business marketing strategy, will also know how difficult it can be to keep up with all the constant changes, new policy guidelines and sometimes just how to do very simple things. Since following Amy, I’ve felt that I have a clear path to follow now. She really knows about Facebook marketing. In fact, that’s all she does and does it very well.

This program is a compact course of videos and downloadable resources to help you get the maximum out of Facebook for marketing your business. It’s a complete roadmap for creating and leveraging the power of Facebook to get you more website traffic and also to build your business brand online. Everything is covered from setting up your profile right through to Facebook ads. All in simple and clear video tutorials.

Those of you I’ve helped get established on Facebook will really find this program a valuable tool in their online marketing strategy. Amy keeps everything up-to-date so if there’s any changes, they are promptly added to the program unlike so many others where you need to keep buying the new material.

So what do you get in the FBInfluence program?

Module 1: Includes the core Facebook marketing rules, how to brand your own Facebook page, create a welcome tab, dashboard overview and how to run your community. Plus the latest timeline changes and how to deal with them.

Module 2: How to build your audience on Facebook, how to grow your fan base, how to get leads using Facebook, how to make sure your updates show up on the news feeds of your fans. Plus the best options for social plugins and social sharing.

Module 3: Is all about engaging and developing a relationship with your audience. What to post and when to post it. Strategies for great engagement. How to promote your events on Facebook and also how to track your Facebook success.

Module 4: How to find fans and then turn them into super fans. Use Facebook for great customer service. How to turn your Facebook photos into free Facebook Ads. Tips and strategies for using Facebook ads. Building an online store for your Facebook page. Plus much more.

Bonuses: You’ll get some great bonuses as well. Such as:

• How to Create Your Social Media Strategy to Rapidly Increase Exposure
• The Three Step Lead Generating Facebook Blueprint
• ‘Change is Good’ Exploring Facebook’s New Features
• How to Cash in on Facebook Places and Deals
• Turning Fans into Super Fans

Plus you’ll get full access support to Amy’s private Facebook Group to give you all the help you need along the way.

Money Back Guarantee

If you’re not completely happy with this program, there is a full money back guarantee. No questions asked. So there’s really nothing to lose.

I thoroughly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to master Facebook for marketing their business. It’s the only one you’ll need.

Have fun with it!

… Deb

If you’re ready to sign up, then just click the image below to get started.

I was asked to do this interview by Joanne Allday and Kay Hebbourn about how small businesses can use social media in 2012 to market online. After having just completed the Facebook Summit it was a key time to go through everything social media but also all the other elements of online marketing.

Download Interview

Interview Transcription:

Good morning.

Kay:
I’m Kay Hebbourn and I’d really like to introduce you this morning to Joanne Allday who is a bit of a marketing celebrity in these parts. She’s a chartered marketeer and really well known for her quality work and with coming up with really creative ideas for her clients and is a revered speaker as well as a marketeer. So Joanne and I are going to be presenting a series of videos and this morning we’ve got the good fortune to have Debra Edom online.

Kay: Good morning Deb.

Debra: Good morning and thank you very much for having me.

Kay:
You’re welcome, it’s a pleasure. It’s a real honour. Debra has been working online, on and off and certainly using computers, for more than two decades. So it would have been about 25 years now.

Debra: Yes, far too long really.

Kay: Far too long, yes.

Debra: More than I care to remember but yes.

Kay:
So Debra has an awful lot of experience and she’s called on frequently by lots of people to answer techie questions. She’s a WordPress expert and her forte is in particular search engine optimisation. So Deb has, like the rest of us that have worked online, found herself working with social media and helping her clients use social media as well. So today we thought we would pick Deb’s brains and see what she can tell us about the Facebook Summit that she’s just attended. And also in general ask her for tips and advice about using social media as part of a marketing strategy. So good morning Deb again.

Debra: Good morning and thank you. Hopefully I will be able to enlighten you all on what I’ve experienced and what I can tell you about.

Kay: Brilliant. Could you start by telling us a little bit about your background and how you’ve come to be where you are now?

Debra:
Sure. Well my background has been totally in the computer software and internet industry. Basically when I left school in 1984 which doesn’t seem that long ago to me but it is, I went to work for one of the leading computer recruitment companies in Sydney, Australia. And that kind of started off my early years and my discovery of my love of technology and so I got into that quite heavily. And I wanted to grow that experience with marketing so I went and studied marketing which I completed in 1994.

From then on I worked for many large companies, I was very lucky to work for companies like Apple and Nashua, Gestetner and Xerox as well. And I was working in the software and IT divisions where we were dealing with companies and big clients like IBM, Microsoft and Sega Games. So I got to see first hand the big world of corporate IT, which was a huge learning experience and I loved every minute of it.

What I also got to see was the very early stages of the internet and how that developed back in the early 1990′s. At that time I had no idea how huge the internet would be. I thought this is a nice idea and gives us an opportunity to communicate with other offices and other people around the globe. This is great but I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the huge explosion the internet has had over the last 20 years. I think the most astonishing thing is how much it evolved and grown into something that we all rely on day in and day out. Not just for business but personal communication as well.

So I’ve been on an amazing journey and I’ve loved every minute of it. What I decided to do, I decided to move out of the big corporate world and set up my own training company which I did in Australia. I set that up in Brisbane and that grew quite a lot. The demand for training in IT has always been big and I think always will be with the continuing changes. So we set that up, myself and my partner at the time to teach people how to use the internet for their business. And it’s kind of grown ever since. We made a big move from Queensland in 1999, we moved from Australia to the UK as my husband’s from the UK. And we thought there were a lot bigger opportunities here for training and development and sure enough, we’ve grown our business which we started up in Scotland and now moved down to Wales and keeps growing and growing which is great.

There’s constant change on the internet which is a challenge to keep up with and that’s what I hope to a have a talk with everyone about today and how you can cope with all of that.

Kay:
That’s great Deb. So when you say you’ve grown your business, where have your clients come from? Have you found that you’ve made connections online that have helped you to grow your business or have you found that a lot of your clients have come through people who already knew you?

Debra:
That’s a very good question. I would say to be very open and honest with everyone that the biggest benefit I’ve had with getting clients is good old word of mouth. You can’t beat it, it’s free, it works. Clients will refer me once we’ve worked with them and they’ve been very happy with the work we’ve done, they will refer us to friends of theirs or other people or other colleagues. So number one is word of mouth referrals and recommendations. The social media aspect has had some effect. The biggest benefit of that has been communicating our audience and customers. The number one thing I got out of it the most is meeting other people. I know that you and I Kay have met through social media and that was great, and I’ve met a wonderful lady called Nicky Tustin who is an adwords expert. So that has been the biggest benefit to me is to meet other people we can work with, grow our businesses together and collaborate on projects. That has been a great achievement.

Kay: Thank you. Jo did you have some more questions?

Jo:
Absolutely. I’m really interested to know which of the social media tools because there are so many out there, that can be very confusing for people, so which of the social media tools have you found to be the best in terms of producing that collaboration and meeting people? Are there some that you’ve found to be better than others?

Debra:
For myself yes. You have to remember that each business as each person is different, so which network you use for which purposes does vary. I have found personally that LinkedIn is great for business to business type relationships, so you can meet other professionals on LinkedIn, get to know them and get to know their special skills and qualifications. Facebook has been great to engage and discuss with audiences about certain subjects. I know that Kay and I actually met through Facebook. Twitter is a great tool for chatting to people, having instant communications with them. So you have to look at each network and see what the uses are but I would say that LinkedIn and Facebook have been the number one tools for getting to meet people to collaborate with first and foremost.

Jo:
Thanks for that. And I believe you’ve recently attended the Facebook Success Summit so what was that like and was there anything new that you picked up from that?

Debra:
That was very interesting. The Facebook Summit is a month long program of one hour workshops. I think there were 16 in all, that’s sixteen hours of talking about Facebook. There was a lot of people a lot of experts there. People like Guy Kawasaki, Mari Smith, Robert Scoble, Dave Kerpin, I just bought one of his books, and Chris Tredaway. So you’re talking with some of the best people there.

Although it was a great inspiration to me, it went through so much detail that I felt quite overwhelmed by the end of it even though it was spaced out during the month. I hadn’t realised myself how involved marketing on Facebook is. So the overwhelming feeling at the end of that was literally overwhelm and I know so many people who don’t go to that detailed study of Facebook, do feel overwhelm as well. There’s just so many options, so many things to consider that if you want to keep on top of it all it is quite a mammoth task. I’m saying that quite open and honestly about it because it’s impossible not to feel overwhelm I think.

Kay:
Really appreciate that Debra because I think there is a lot of hype out there and people can really get sucked into thinking that they’ve got to keep up with every little thing that’s going on and feeling that they’re going to lose out, miss out somehow if they don’t keep bang up-to-date with all the changes in every network. That’s potentially a recipe for disaster particularly for small companies who are trying to fit that in as part of their marketing strategy and keep their business running.

Jo:
That’s why we wanted to do these kind of calls so we could get to the bottom of if you’re a small business what are the key things you should be doing and let’s get rid of the hype and actually get to the nuggets and get to the key points. I guess that leads to the question of how do we overcome that overwhelm? How do we help people through it?

Debra:
Well I do feel that there is a very logical way through all of that. I think that the first step really once you know you’re in overwhelm is to take a step back and realise that you’re there and say right, let’s look at this step-by-step. As I said before the overriding conclusion from the summit is of overwhelm but from everything that I’ve studied and all the years that I’ve been working on the internet there really is one very important thing to understand that no one really knows everything. There are no secrets, there are no magic buttons and most importantly, you have to understand that it’s impossible to do it all. It’s actually physically impossible to do it all. And the reason why it’s impossible is because what’s relevant today on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn may be out of date not only in a few months but as Kay said before, next week. Things are constantly moving and changing so although it’s very good to keep up, it’s important to keep up with what’s important for you and your business. So from my experience and the knowledge that I’ve gained I believe we can simplify this by taking a certain tactic and a certain step-by-step process.

First and foremost, the most important thing is to be yourself or be ourselves and be authentic. We’ve got to get back to who we are as people because we are all unique and so are each of our businesses. We’re all unique individuals running a business that we’re very passionate about. We all started up for if you like very altruistic reasons originally. Of course there’s a money making element but we want to be doing this, our business is our baby. Getting back to that why aspect of why we’re doing this which is very important.

Then and from there, there are core elements of marketing that you can simplify and number one is to have a good website. A really good quality website. Optimise it properly, that’s search engine optimisation. So people can find you. And also to have great content that people will enjoy and that’s a reflection of who you are. So your website is your shop presence, it’s who you are as a person and your business online. So it’s important to reflect your personality and to have that humanity about it which so many businesses just lack these days.

Optimising it, all that means is that you want to be found for what you’re selling. So your products and services are sitting there online and people need to find you. So unless you tell, not only humans but the search engines, what it is you do and what you’re selling, you won’t be found unless you do that. And that’s what search engine optimisation is really all about.

Having great content means people want to be there. It’s very similar to a physical shop situation. You go into one shop and the mood isn’t right, it’s not a very nice place to be, there’s not the right products on the shelves, the sales person just isn’t interested. As opposed to going in somewhere that makes you feel welcome and warm and interesting. A website can do exactly the same thing with content and it makes people want to hang around, read your content, interact with you on your website, which is all very very important. Also for search engine optimisation. And it’s a reflection of who you are and your business ideals.

Then moving on from that once that’s established, depending on the type of business you are, there are very strategic things you can do. For example, a local business, it would be wise to consider Google Places, Google Maps, local search and mobile, because what you’re wanting there is people to come to you, to your physical location. The best way to do that is with Google Places and Maps. You can get reviews, people are commenting on your products and services for example restaurants, they’ll leave a review of what they thought. People are going to Google Places to get that information. So if you’re there, if you’re found in the top I think it’s seven places now and people are leaving good reviews, you are guaranteed to get people through the door.

So local business, number one priority beyond a website is local search, Google Places and maps. And mobile search as well. That’s still a very new area that’s emerging here but it’s a very good idea to make sure, if you’re a local business, to have a mobile version of your website because people are searching on their mobiles more and more and you want to make it easy for them.

If you’re not a local business, if you’re more national then social media is probably the first step beyond having a website. There are certain networks that are best. You don’t need to be on all of them. You just need to be on the ones that work for your business. Now I will be honest and say sometimes this is a bit of let’s try this and let’s try that to see what works. From my experience Facebook for example is a great place to connect with engage with your audience and communities. It works for some businesses and no others depending on what you’re selling. So it’s great for business to consumer type organisations. Twitter is a very very good tool for real time consumer engagement. What I mean that is that you’re chatting to people at that moment and it’s great for customer service in that respect. If someone is having a problem, for example a b&b, if you’re expecting someone to turn up that day because they’ve booked a room with you but can’t find you, Twitter would be a great place to say well I’m having trouble getting to you, can you please give me directions. Or things like that. It’s also good for time sensitive offers. If someone had a cancellation, say I’ve just had someone cancel anyone interested in getting away for the weekend we’ve got a room, offer a discount, that sort of thing.

YouTube is a great tool for demonstrating business culture or product uses. If you’re selling products it’s a great way to be creative about the uses of your product or just demonstrating them in general. Anything that’s visual, you can put over the corporate feel or the company feel of what you’re trying to achieve if you don’t sell products. So it’s very very good for that. It’s a very emotive medium to use as well. So I really love videos and that’s a great tool.

Foursquare is great to reach customers when they’re at your location. If people are checking in at a particular location you’ll know that they are in the area so you can offer them. It’s like a mobile point of purchase, you can offer them special deals and things to drop in.

LinkedIn is perfect for business to business. If you mainly deal with businesses and professionals it’s a great tool for that and also for recruitment.

I think they are the main ones we can go through there. And just briefly, blogs are part of the social media equation. Blogs are fantastic tools to connect more deeply with your audience and to offer yourself as an expert in your area. And that can be for anyone. I know someone here that is a local cheese maker and he actually specialises in goats cheese. He blogs about what you can do with goats cheese and how it’s better for you and if you’re lactose intolerant and all these things. Probably more than I ever wanted to know about goats cheese but it’s fascinating and it captures my attention. I think oh well, I’ll try goats cheese with the meal this weekend and I’ll do that instead. So he’s really using that to his benefit.

Oh and the other thing is beyond social media you can then think about e-commerce. Now ecommerce, there’s Ebay, Bonanza that I think Kay’s used and she might want a chat about that and Volusion is another new one that’s come onto the scene. So if you’re retail and you’re not necessarily a local business then those platforms are ideal as the next stage in your plan.

So where have we come from. We’ve come from websites. If you’re a local business you go to Google Places and local search. If you’re a national business then social media is your next step. And when you’ve done all of those, advertising I would leave to the last. Advertising only really works if you’ve got those other things in place because then you can gather the most benefit from it. There’s so many options you can have with advertising. There’s Facebook ads, there’s Google ads and plain old traditional advertising. The most important message here is to not to get caught up in all of them because what you’ll do then is get into overwhelm. Thinking that you need to be on all of them and do everything because you don’t need to be on them all.

Each social network has it’s own demographics so you only need to be on the ones that fit with the demographic or psychographic of your customer. So it’s really about getting to know who your customers are. And then if you want more customers, you just need to be in those places where your customers are.

It’s a very very simple plan but it works. I’ve seen it work for the clients that I’ve helped. I work mainly with hospitality, alternative medicine, complementary therapy and organics. It works for them. It’s kind of a formula that’s simplified down, that any business can follow and get a return on it because that’s one of the things, I don’t think people are seeing, what are they getting in return for all the effort they’re making on social networks.

Basically it takes a little trial and error but in the end what you’ll get out of that is a formula that’s perfect for your business and it works every time. Sure things on the networks will change but it doesn’t take that long and as you said Joanne, keeping people up-to-date with the changes is a great great service. They don’t need to get bogged down with endless courses, books and programs. They can say what’s changed, let’s get on with it. Let’s incorporate that and see what happens. Hopefully that makes sense.

Kay:
I think there’s a lot of throwing things at walls and hoping they stick and what you’ve talked about you’ve talked about this morning, is having a clear strategy and that sounds like it’s really important.

Debra:
It’s important to have a clear strategy but also to understand it’s not complicated. There are far too many people out there making it sound overly complicated. Where essentially what has been around on the internet and what works on the internet, hasn’t really changed in all the years that I’ve known it. It’s good quality information, interacting with people and being open and honest. That’s just a human quality that I don’t think anybody is lacking in at all. Trying to work out the latest trick here and the latest trick there really doesn’t work and I think people are getting a bit tired of the whole social media thing, having to do this and having to do that. It’s the shiny object syndrome a lot of the time as well. As business people we have to remember to be focused and not get distracted by all the hype and remember the plan. We can adjust our plan from time to time but it essentially stays the same.

Kay:
I think you’re right about things being over complicated and made to sound more difficult than they are however, there are lots of businesses that don’t feel comfortable with IT or they don’t want to be in front of a computer a lot of the time. So what would you say about outsourcing?

Debra:
Oh absolutely. I think outsourcing is vital. The main thing you have to realise is that you can’t do it all yourself. You’ve got to outsource what you’re not good at. What you find challenging are the things that are a clear indication of what you need to outsource. I had a great comment from John Assaraf once, who I had the pleasure of working with, you probably remember him from the movie The Secret. He had a great saying. He said hire others who play at what you have to work at. When you think about that it makes so much sense because I know I’m not great at some things and it’s taken many years to get away from doing it myself and actually outsourcing it. The minute I’ve outsourced it I think why didn’t I do that sooner. Why do I try and do everything myself? Where getting someone to do it for you makes life so much easier.

Key thing is, don’t try and do everything, don’t try and do it all yourself. Outsource the things you find challenging. Find one or two key people that you have an empathy with, that you like and then follow them and no one else. Don’t try and follow everyone. Just one or two key people. Then do one thing at a time. Achieve one thing at a time then move onto the next. I would be the first to say that in the past I’ve tried to do several different projects at a time and believe me, it does not work.

Kay:
If you get distracted, you know if you go into your email to get a bit of information but meanwhile there’s two more emails that have come in. So you click on that, you end up on Facebook and think, how did I get here. You need to have that discipline and focus and finish a task.

Debra:
Absolutely. So in order not to get overwhelmed we have to remember the word focus. When I get overwhelmed I remember, focus, focus, focus. OK what am I focusing on today and it gets me back on track. Just remembering we don’t have to do it all, we can get help and we can follow one or two people for that trusted advice and then do one thing at a time. Most importantly we need to trust ourselves again. We need to trust our intuition our own gut instinct in business. I hear so many of the really big successful people saying we just did it on a gut instinct. We love our self belief and think others know more but really we’re the ones that know our business the most. I would say, save time, money and heartache and buy an hour of someone’s time to help you sort out any problems that you’ve got. Or at least point you in the right direction. That hour of someone’s time is the best investment anyone can make in their business. And better yet, get someone to work on a strategy that’s just for you and your business. So you’ve got a road map. Don’t waste time trying to work it all out.

Jo: Especially when it’s changing every few weeks.

Debra: Absolutely

Jo:
Great stuff. Fantastic. Well I think there was some amazing nuggets of information in there so thank you for sharing. We’ll probably bring the call to a close and then if people have questions I’m sure they can email them to us. If there’s anything specific maybe we can forward it to you Debra, if that’s ok.

Debra: Absolutely, it’s been great to talk about this. Thank you for having me.

Google Places is all about getting local businesses found, getting ‘on the map’ so to speak. Yes, we mean Google Maps but it’s so much more than just a dot on a map. Your Places page should now be ‘your’ business focus because your customers are making it ‘their’ focus.

If you’re new to Google Places or would just like to give your business more of an edge, then take a look at this introductory video from Google Places.

Say goodbye to the phone book and hello to local search

The yellow pages and white pages phone books have been around for some time. In fact a very long time but now with the internet, the ‘phone book’ has finally breathed its last breath. When was the last time you used it? I know I certainly can’t remember the last time I used one. Perhaps because I’m always online but more likely it’s because it’s so easy to look for something online, even if its local.

That’s what Google realised back in 2009 when it developed its local search idea which we now know as Google Places or Google Maps. The idea was to help local businesses get found for people who are searching for local products and services. Google realised there was a huge need for this and so Google Maps was born. Now I should point out that when I say Google Places and Google Maps, I really mean the same thing.

Google now puts local listings very often ahead of the organic search results. You can see in the image below what I mean. I did a search today for ‘b&b pembrokeshire’ and got the following results. The results I’ve marked in red are the Google Places pages. You can always recognise them because they have the small ‘teardrop’ with a letter from A to F. These listings often appear either mixed in with the organic search results or before them. So Google is actually placing their importance ahead of the regular organic search results.

Here’s what a typical Places page looks like:

This is one that a local business has claim and updated. It has complete and up-to-date contact information, links to their website, the correct categories and photos of the business. Most importantly, it has customer reviews on their page. Now these reviews are put here directly from customers who log into Google and then leave their review. This is probably the number one most important aspect of any business’ place page. Reviews are what new customers base their buying decisions on and they can see these reviews even before they arrive at your website.

Reviews, ratings, photos, maps and referrals are all what we call ‘local search’. It’s here to stay and gaining momentum every minute of every day. Therefore, it’s vital that you pay attention and claim your Google Places page.

It’s not just Google

There are other players in the local search game now. Yahoo Local and Bing Local are on the rise too. Although here in the UK, they are still in development mode. You can’t directly apply for a Yahoo Local listing except through their current service contractor. Bing Local is not yet available in the UK but will not be too far away.

How this affects your website’s search engine rankings

Your business can no longer get both a local listing and your website listed high in the search engines. Most likely if you have a business that relies mostly on local customers, then your Places page will appear on page 1 of Google and not your website. True, local listings are not showing for all search queries as Google tends to mix up the results on a regular basis but it’s more likely than not that these Google Places pages will appear first.

If your business has been around for a few years then it’s highly likely that Google has already set-up a places page for you. How can they do this, you may well ask? Well, they scrape information from all over the web and put together what they have about you and create a Places page. You can then claim your Place page and update it with accurate information. If you’re a new business then chances are there won’t be anything listed yet and you’ll need to start from scratch.

Why it’s important to claim your Google Places page

As I’ve said earlier, these Places (Maps) listings are appearing ahead of regular search results on Google, so your customers are seeing this information about your business. If you haven’t claimed your Places page and updated your information, then your customers are seeing outdated information, if anything at all. So it’s vital that you claim your Places page and keep it up-to-date.

Reviews, reviews, reviews

Most likely if you are in the businesses of hospitality or food, you know all about reviews and how important they are to growing your business. Well, customers can leave reviews directly on your Google Places page. All they need to do is log in and go to your Place page and leave a review … good or bad! This is then read by all future customers, so it’s very important that you know what your customers are saying about you.

Reviews are important for ALL types of business and not just accommodation and food. They are just as relevant to musicians, therapists, dentists, garages, piano teachers, literally anything. Your customers are talking about you and are leaving reviews online. One of the most important things you can do as part of your online marketing strategy is to be aware of what your customers are saying.

Local Search is the future

So this is just a brief introduction into Google Places and local search but it is clear that local search is the future for small business and the internet.

If you would like to talk about how to get your business found locally, then get in touch with us on 01348 874 539.

I often get asked about SEO pricing and website marketing it always seems to be with apprehension and quite understandably. Many clients don’t know what they are actually paying for or what is done to help them. Here, I hope to shed some light on that and the following graphic from AYTM provides information from surveys done across the world on SEO pricing. Don’t worry if it’s all gobbledy-gook, read on and I’ll summarise it all.

Infographic by SEOmoz & AYTM Market Research

Now, what does all this mean?

First, let’s look at who was involved in this survey. Over 600 responses fuelled this information, not comprehensive but enough to show the trends in SEO pricing. Where the UK is concerned there were fewer statistics but trends here tend to follow that in the USA.

Countries included in this data:

• USA with 287 responses
• United Kingdom with 76 responses
• Canada with 34 responses
• Australia/New Zealand with 28 responses
• Europe with 34 responses
• India with 31 responses

The main points revealed about SEO pricing

1. Hourly SEO rates vary from country to country with £45 to £125 per hour being most common
   The highest rates are in Australia/New Zealand followed closely by the USA and Canada. The lowest rates being in India. So I guess the UK is somewhere in the middle in terms of the rates for SEO.
2. By-Project Pricing is the most popular at around £650 to £4500 per project
   Just over 70% of agencies offer project-based pricing which is the most popular option for clients. Around half of the respondents worked in price ranges such as £650 – £950, £950 – £1500, £1500 – £3200 and £3200 – £4800. These prices are based on the size of the project and the number of hours required to complete it.
3. Monthly Retainer SEO Pricing varies
   Ongoing monthly fees for seo varied quite widely with the most common being £160 – £320 per month and £1,600 – £3200 per month.
4. Hands-on Help still very popular
   Nearly 90% of respondents said that they provide ‘hands-on’ help when it comes to making seo changes to sites and link building. Very helpful for clients who really don’t want to manage that side of SEO.
5. More offering a broader range of services
   Agencies that just focus on SEO are now being replaced by agencies that offer a wider range of services including seo but also social media, content, conversion, analytics and local search.
6. Web Design/Development Agencies that do SEO
   This is the most popular type of agency here in the UK. Website designers or developers that also offer seo services were better represented than just SEO focused agencies.
7. Agencies focus on helping smaller businesses
   Regardless of the impression that SEO agencies are really only for big business, over 40% of agencies help small businesses with SEO. Businesses like restaurants, b&bs, retail shops and the like.
8. Agencies offer ongoing monthly seo  and hourly rate services
   Although project based pricing is the most popular with small businesses for seo, most agencies offer ongoing monthly retainers and hourly rates as well. Important for keeping projects performing at their best.

So there you have it! Not a definitive answer to SEO pricing but at least you can see what is being charged in the UK on average. Let us know what you think of this and make your comments below.

… Deb

I’ve just had a frantic week here in the office, trying to get the daily tasks done and squeezing in a few new website marketing client visits. It was these client visits that has prompted me to write this post.

I’ve been aware of a growing trend from small business owners to completely distrust anything and anyone to do with the internet. Some of my visits were received with a guarded welcome and I was aware of the puzzled and judging looks (that is becoming so common) of the client who was trying to work out whether what I was saying is true or not.

Of course it takes a while to get to know someone and anyone who has known me a while, will know that I only bother talking about what’s true and worthwhile about the web. I think what has shocked me so much is how much people mistrust the internet and anyone who has anything to do with it.

The truth, the valuable and the worthwhile on the internet

To be honest, I don’t really blame them. There is a lot of bullshit out there. Even I have been misled, oversold and taken in by programs, ebooks and people who prance around in their posh home offices professing to be the king or queen of this or that on the web. It’s easy to be taken in, taken over by what others say you ‘must have’ or you’ll be left out in the cold.

Perhaps it’s because of this that I’ve sought the truth, the valuable and the worthy in the world wide web. I too am sick of listening to (again) how much money someone has made by using some secret or magical formula that, for you too, will work wonders.

What’s the way forward?

Here’s the thing though ….. if we disbelieve everything and distrust everyone on the internet, then there’s no way forward. We remain stagnant, stuck fast in our own fears and judgement of others. We can’t move forward. It’s like standing at the front doors of a major supermarket and not venturing inside because we’re afraid that we might fall for a 2-for-1 special deal.

If we allow fear to control our every decision to make progress, then progress is impossible. We stay where we are and all we can do is watch as others who are more daring, to pass us by on the road to success.

Yes, the internet is full of sharks, charletons and bullshit merchants. Yet there is a small and amazing (and growing) group of people and businesses that are doing wonderful things on the internet. Doing things with integrity, honesty and most importantly, without the hype.

This is my definition of what markers do when creating hype:

Highly exagerate

Your

Perception and

Expectations

What’s true and what’s not?

I guess that I’ve worked online and in the computer industry for so long now that I can see clearly what’s true and what’s not. I tend to trust my gut instinct about this most often and it’s never let me down.

If something seems to good to be true, it probably is. If someone says this is a last opportunity to get something, they’re usually lying. If you feel something is just not right, then there’s probably a very good reason.

BUT, and I stress this. That’s not a reason to suspect everyone and everything. “Trust but with verification” has been a motto that has steered me very well over the years.

The bottom line is that the internet is an amazing place of opportunity for small business. It does level the playing field for small business to compete with the big corporations. There are truly beneficial people, products and services out there to help you.

What’s a good way to spot them? They’re usually the quiet ones, busily getting on with supporting their customers and creating value for money. Good people doing good work.

What do you think?

… Deb

I’ve recently been working with a local business and the prickly issue of customer reviews came up. So I thought I would get this one sorted out once and for all. I wanted to find out if it really is important for small local businesses to get reviews and have a Google Places page. Does it really matter to their business growth or not? What part does it play in overall website marketing?

This particular client is in accommodation so they work closely with review sites like Tripadvisor. This being one of the biggest online review sites, I wanted to get inside information on what they do to help, or hinder, business owners when it comes to reviews. So I go on the phone and called their support department, which after the usual dial number whatever for this and that, got through fairly quickly to a human being, who was actually very helpful.

My initial concern was that soliciting reviews was something they frowned upon. So I was pleasantly surprised when they provided the following information.

I explained that I’m a website marketing consultant working on a business that is listed on their website. They explained all their support features for businesses to market themselves online including how to get customers to leave reviews. In fact, they actually lend a helping hand with widgets that can be added to your website and review cards that you can download and print out for your customers.

So in hind sight this all made very good sense considering Tripadvisor is one of the biggest review sites online. Getting customers to leave good reviews can be difficult because people don’t think about reviews when visiting a local business. If they’ve had a good experience then they’re happy and more often than not, they’ll recommend that business to their friends and family (particularly on social media sites). To get people to then go online and leave a review on a review site is perhaps a step many won’t take. That’s why companies like Tripadvisor help businesses to encourage their customers to leave reviews and assist in whatever way they can.

Customers who’ve had a bad experience never need encouraging to leave a review. It has been statistically shown that they will jump through hoops if necessary to express their opinion and leave their comments. Then that comment is ‘out there’ for the world to see.

I was also pleased to hear that it is OK for businesses to offer incentives for leaving reviews (whether good or bad). For example as a thank you to them taking the time to do so. That is between the business and the customer and does not involve review companies at all.

So how do reviews affect your business?

Let’s first of all say that reviews affect all types of local businesses. Not just accommodation, restaurants and cafes. A local plumber, dentist, florist or even pet store can get reviews now on their Google Places page.

Reviews are BIG for your local business!

Being listed on relevant review sites for your industry is now becoming essential for the growth of your business. Potential customers will search for reviews for your business online and if they cannot find any, then they make consider a similar business that does have reviews. People will buy from you if they trust not what YOU say but what OTHERS say about your business. Reviews give people the confidence that they won’t be mistreated, misled or ripped off. They also give people encouragement to buy from you when the reviews are good. I’ve done this myself many times where I’ve gone with someone who has slightly better reviews than another.

What about bad reviews?

Of course good reviews are great but bad reviews can also be turned around. The most important thing to do is don’t ignore them. Respond as quickly as you can and don’t ever attack or criticise your customer. It doesn’t matter if they were in the wrong or whatever stars were in alignment that day. Turn the situation around by apologising first and offer compassion for the experience they’ve had. Ensure that you’ll make it up to them the next time they visit. Doing this not only turns the negative into a positive but you’ll also show other potential customers that you really care and value the experience people have with you. I can’t say strongly enough how much this will have a positive effect on your business. It’s good business to do so!

Do reviews affect search engine rankings?

Absolutely! The more activity there is on a page that is linked to your website, the higher up in the Google, Yahoo and Bing search engine rankings you’ll appear. All search engines love activity now and Google has clearly defined that ‘activity’ (classed as people doing things like comments, voting, etc) is now a ranking factor.

For example, if you have a listing on TripAdvisor then that page links back to your website (hopefully). That page points directly to your website and if that page is ‘busy’ then so much the better. All review sites should provide a link back to your website thereby getting you another incoming link. Incoming links are the number 1 most important thing you can do to improve your online search visibility for your business.

Google values reviews so much that they allow reviews directly on your Google Places page. If you haven’t claimed your Google Places page yet I strongly suggest you do or get some help to do that for you. Google Place pages are vital for local businesses but that’s the topic of another blog post.

The fact is that reviews are not going away … ever! Search engines actually go looking for and display reviews because they understand that this is what people are looking for online. Google actually says:

“Google provides reviews to help users name informed decisions on businesses and services. We believe that overall the reviews system is an opportunity for great businesses to shine and attract more customers.”

Conclusion

So what’s the conclusion about reviews? I’d say they are definitely worth your time and effort. Get more and don’t be concerned about whether they are good or bad. Getting feedback on your business is fantastic for development and growth. You can turn your business around to be one that people love and enjoy visiting time and time again.

Let’s end of with a question ….

What has been your experience of reviews? Whether you’re a customer or a business owner, what do you think about them?

… Deb

Facebook have recently changed (again) the way people interact with the content on your Facebook page. In order for people to post content on your page, previously they have to first ‘like’ your page. Now, any user whether they are a fan or not, can post on your page. They can also like and share the content, as well as making comments. This is great news for your Facebook marketing strategy as the focus is now on your engagement with people, rather than just a popularity contest.

What does this now mean for your Facebook page?

Well this has now taken the focus off getting more likes or fans to your page, which may be huge relief. What is now more important, in terms of Facebook marketing,  is the number of shares, comments and likes on your post. This is often called ‘engagement’ and if you look at your Facebook page insights you’ll see this information as ‘People Talking About This’. This activity is what’s important for reaching more people and a vital part of your website marketing strategy.

Think of it this way, the more people that share, comment and like your posts, the more people your posts are reaching. It’s not just the people who are engaging with your content directly but their friends can also see your content. So, what you say has far reach effects and potential positive results for your Facebook marketing.

So how do you make your posts as engaging as possible?

1. Photos are always eye catching

If they are funny, sad or even controversial, then they are bound to get seen. Photos also tend to get seen more in people’s News feed as they have a higher EdgeRank score. Key is to post often but not much. You want to create variety on your page’s wall. So mix up photos with links and videos for the perfect mix. Also, when posting photos, make sure they look great as smaller images as that’s the size most people will see. Sure you can click on the image for a larger view, but you want people to recognise what’s in the image even when it’s smaller.

2. Don’t talk too much

Just like in real life if you’re talking with someone who goes on and on, you’ll probably switch off at some point. The same goes for your posts, if you ramble on for several paragraphs, most likely people won’t read it. Value people’s time which is always in short supply. Give them something short and sweet. Optimum is around 80 characters or less but play with this. If your page is about something that needs more explanation, then perhaps a longer post is ok. Just keep an eye on your page insights to see how people respond and then adjust your post length.

3. Who are you talking to?

Write your posts as though anyone could be saying it. Talking in the first person is great to keep things personal but that’s just it, it’s personal. Your opinions and views may not be shared by others. So experiment with your wording.

 4. Tell people what you want them to do

Now this is a biggie and I’ve often forgotten myself to ask people to take action. Ask your friends, subscribers, fans (and their friends) to share your posts with all their friends, fans and subscribers. This is what we term a ‘call to action’ and works very well. Ask people to ‘click like if you agree’ or ‘share this with your friends if you like this’ are just a couple of examples. Get creative on how you can ask people to do things. You know your audience best and perhaps being a bit cheeky or even direct works for you.

5. Offer topics that are helpful and provide resources for your fans

Posts that give people something are always valuable. This might be simply just news from your industry or perhaps links to useful articles, photos or videos. It’s important to keep in mind what might be considered valuable to your fans, not just yourself. After a few weeks of posting you’ll be able to see from your Page Insights what people are responding to the most. Get into the mind of your fan and think, ‘what would I find valuable from this business’. Then create that content or link to resources that provide something similar, as long as it doesn’t compete with your business.

6. Try mini blog posts

I know I said don’t talk to much in point 2 but sometimes it can work well to create a ‘mini’ blog post on your Facebook page. This would depend upon the topic but it would be something that warrants a longer post, for example, a good cause or issue that needs further explanation. Facebook now allows you to post up to 5,000 characters so you won’t be restricted. Experiment with this as it’s a good way to offer information quickly without going to the length of writing a full post on your blog, which always takes longer than we think.

 7. Ask questions

If you’re really wanting to get the most from your Facebook page, then start asking questions. Find out from your fans what they’d like to see on your page. After all, they are the ones you want to please and then they will recommend you to others. Ask them what they think of the posts you’ve been offering. Perhaps ask them questions about the problems or issues they have that relate to your industry. It’s a hugely valuable resource and if you then craft your posts to provide exactly what people want, you’ll be a star.

Keep these seven things in mind when you’re posting on Facebook, in fact any social network, and you’ll find much more activity will be the result. Most importantly, have fun!

… Deb 

Google has finally launched their Google+ Pages for Business. When Google+ started up in June this year, only personal profiles were allowed. Now, much like Facebook’s Fan Pages (Business Pages) Google is now allowing business and brands to have a profile for promoting their business via Google Business Pages.

It’s important to note that any personal profiles on Google+ that are actively (and obviously) promoting business will get shut down. Now that pages are available for businesses I think they’ll be less tolerant of these infringements. So if you have a personal profile but want to promote your business, or even just for website marketing, then head over to Google+, login to your personal profile, then you’ll be able to create a page for your business.

How to Get Your Google+ Page for your Business

To get started on your page head to plus.google.com/pages/create. Once you’ve logged into your account, you’ll be asked to create a page in one of these five categories:

1. Local Business or Place
2. Product or Brand
3. Company, Institution or Organisation
4. Arts, Entertainment or Sports
5. Other

Local Business are Different

If you are a local business, you have extra options available to you including being able to add your phone number. This is what Google says about local Google+ pages:

“Local Google+ pages are unique from other categories of pages because they have features that allow customers to easily connect with that business’s physical location. For example, local pages include a map of the business’s location and feature its address, phone number and hours of operation.”

This is very similar to Google Places pages which many small businesses have already claimed but these are separate (at the moment) from a Google+ Page for businesses. Google says;

“Currently, Place pages and Google+ Pages must be managed separately. A Place page provides information about a business and makes it easy for customers to find local businesses on Google Maps and local search; while a Google+ page provides business owners with additional ways to engage, build relationships and interact directly with customers.”

Creating your Google+ Page for Your Business

Here is what you’ll see when you log into your Google+ account and click on your home icon.

In the right-hand column, at the bottom, you’ll see Google+ Pages – Create a Google+ page. Click on this link and you’ll be on your way to setting up your own page.

Important Note: Whoever creates your page, most likely you, will be the page administrator. So it’s important that it is the right person creating the page as it won’t be transferrable later to someone else. Perhaps Google will allow others to administer pages later on but at the moment is unfortunately a one man show.

Next, you’ll see this form where you can choose the type of page you want and enter your business information.

Choose one of the five categories for your page and click on that image. Then fill in your business information. If you are a local business, enter your country and phone number and Google should find you, that is if you have your Google Places page claimed. Click on the correct listing or if your business doesn’t show, just click on ‘Not found’ and you’ll be able to add your business.

Another important point to note is that unlike Facebook, you cannot have a ‘vanity URL’, that is a URL with you business name in it. On Facebook this looks something like www.facebook.com/DebTheWeb and you can promote this easily. On Google+ your page URL is fairly ugly at the moment and we don’t know if they will change this.

One positive note is that you can change the name of your page if you don’t like it. On Facebook you cannot do this once you create a vanity URL.

What can you do with a Google+ Business Page?

You’ll need to access your page via your personal account, just like Facebook. Then you can choose whether you post as yourself (personal profile) or as your page (business profile).

Choose your page from the drop-down list under your name

You can do many of the same things that you can do on your personal account, as your page including;

• sharing photos
• sharing videos
• sharing links
• hangouts

10 Facts About Google+ Pages

1. Pages can’t add people to circles unless your page is added first or mentioned.
2. Pages can be created for a variety of different entities, whereas profiles can only be made for people.
3.  The default privacy settings for your page is set to public.
4. If your page unfollows someone, then they will automatically unfollow you.
5. Pages have a +1 button so you can ‘vote’ for the page.
6. Pages cannot +1 other pages and they cannot +1 content on the web.
7. Pages don’t receive notifications via email or text.
8. Pages don’t have the option to share to extended circles.
9. Local pages have special fields that help people find your business’ physical location.
10. Google+ Pages can’t mention you unless you are connected.

I can foresee problems with some of these fact but no doubt, Google will update and improve their service and times goes on. Although, one plus already is that you have have multiple Google+ pages for your business, brand or projects.

Badges for Your Website

Google has launched a new icon to encourage people to follow your page. It’s similar to Facebook’s ‘facepile’ badge but as of writing, only a new icon is available. The badges will be available soon.

To create your badge visit: https://developers.google.com/+/plugins/badge/config and enter your page number. You’ll find this number (it’s the long number) in the address bar, when you click on the Home icon on your page. For example; https://plus.google.com/b/116401658629170500505/ my page number is 116401658629170500505. Once you add in your number you’ll be able to choose your badge and then copy and paste the code onto your website. It’s that simple.

Google+ Direct Connect – Searching on Google+

Searching on Google+ is easy too. Your page can be found through Direct Connect. If someone searches for your business with a + symbol in front of the name, then you business page should quickly show up. People can then select the page and they’ll be taken directly to that page where they can follow you.

Here is a short video explaining how search works.

Someone Else Can Create a Page for Your Business So Get Your Website Connected

One big gaping hole in these new pages is the fact that anyone can set up a page for your business or brand. Verification will be forthcoming from Google I’m sure but not at the moment. The best way to safe guard your business is to get your page set-up and establish Direct Connect by including a badge on your website and linking to your website on your page. Check out these two articles below to ensure you’ve done this correctly.

1. Linking to your website
2. Linking your website to your Google+ Page

There will no doubt be much more to discover with Google+ Pages but at the moment the set-up is easy (unlike Facebook) and it promises to be a good addition to your social media marketing efforts.

DebTheWeb has a Google+ Page at: https://plus.google.com/b/116401658629170500505/ 

Further reading:

Need Help With Setting Up Your Google+ Page for Business?

Get in touch with DebTheWeb and we will ensure your business is set-up properly on Google+. We’ll link your website to your Page and vice versa. Plus add the relevant Google+ badge to your site.

Call on 01348 874 539 or email us to get started.