online presence Archives

Online, one of the most significant keys to success is getting website traffic. The more visitors you have, the better your sales and profits. Presumably you have a niche and you know your keywords, and regularly conduct keyword research to stay on top of what’s popular. Based on those assumptions here are five quick and easy tips to get website traffic fast!

Tip #1: Make sure you’re actually tagging your keywords

Do you spend a lot of time optimizing your content and then neglect to tag them on your webpage? Tags are where search engines look and if there are no tags they’ll pass right by your web pages. Here’s a quick brief on tags.

There are a number of tag types, including:

* Title tags. Title tags are quite possibly the most important place to situate your keywords. Here’s what they look like – <title>Primary keyword phrase here. </title>

Your title tag is where you place your primary keyword or keyword phrase. The sentence will describe your business in less than 90 characters.

* Header Tags. Header tags are next in order of importance to search engines. They’re ranked in order of importance and look like this – <h1>Primary and/or Secondary keywords here</h1>

The “1” designates this header as the most important header on the page.

* Meta Tags. Meta tags provide the small descriptive text found underneath the title tag on the search engine results page. Like title tags these should be kept brief, informative and up to date.

* Alt Tags. Alt tags are used to provide a text description of a graphic. Each graphic on your site should have a description and an alt tag.

Tip #2: Add content to your site daily

Content is essential for traffic and a top search engine ranking. Content is what search engine spiders look for and index – without it there’s nothing to index or rank. Give visitors and search engines a reason to visit and index your site. Make a commitment to provide daily, optimized content and your traffic will soar.

Tip #3: Procure valuable and relevant incoming links

The more websites which link to your webpages the more valuable search engines perceive you to be, though not all links are created equal. Search engines give more leverage to links from sites which are popular and credible and from sites which are relevant to your website topic.

There are different types of links.

– A direct link looks like a basic website address, for example, www.yourwebsite.com

– A text link occurs when the webpage address is embedded in the text. Readers simply click on the link and are redirected to a new website page.

– If the link is to an internal web page, for example an article published on a website, rather than the home page, it is called a “deep link.”
You can encourage linking to your website by:

* Adding content to your site.
* Submitting to article directories.
* Publishing press releases.
* Blogging and participating in social networking forums, chat rooms and social networking sites.

Tip #4: Be Social!

Now more than ever before, internet marketing is about building a community. Whether you offer a forum on your website or you participate in social networking sites, social networking is a valuable traffic generating tactic. Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be powerful tools for generating links and traffic to your site – create a profile and then post comments, links to your site and ideas which generate conversation.

Get involved – many chat rooms and forums are industry specific, find those which cater to your industry, and begin participating. Speak to and connect with a highly targeted audience.

Tip #5: Advertise for more exposure and traffic

Advertising, when handled strategically, can be used to promote your content and products or services. PPC advertising is often the tool of choice because you control the advertising budget on a daily basis and have the tools to test and track your advertising efforts. Once you’ve honed your PPC ads the return on investment can be phenomenal in terms of traffic and purchases.

For maximum results, create a traffic and SEO strategy. Outline your plan and your goals and then take the necessary action. Take advantage of these five traffic and search engine tips to boost your business.

Being found on the web is a numbers game. The more places you show up, the more likely you are to be found. Here are five things you can do right now to ensure that your online presence remains fresh and relevant, and easily located:

1. Update your website

Update your website with fresh images and content. Visitors to your site want to be engaged with new information and experiences. A static, non-changing website means certain death to your traffic flow.

Do not have a website? Get one. If you have a business, sign up for a domain and put up a site (even if it is a “canned” package site – some presence is better than none at all). If you do not have a business, put up a personal site with a <your name>.me domain. About.me is a great place to put up a free one-page site about yourself.

2. Create a Facebook Fan Page

Facebook currently has over 800 million users, with the average user being connected to over 80 community pages, groups and events. This is a huge market for anyone who has a product or service to sell, a story to tell, or a call to evangelize.

The best way to showcase your product, service or cause is to create a Facebook Fan Page. A fan page allows you to get your message out to the millions who use Facebook daily and encourage them to “like” your page so that the message spreads to their base of friends. The basic fan page is free with hundreds of options to enhance your page by using third-party software.

3. Create a Google+ Page

Google Plus is a relatively new player in the social network services game. However, in its short existence, Google Plus has already amassed 44+ million users. The Google Plus claim-to-fame is its ability to allow you to divide your community of friends or contacts into “circles”, so that you can target specific messages and content to certain groups of people (e.g. friends, business contacts, association members, sports clubs, etc.).

By placing your business, organization, or your personal profile on Google Plus, you increase your likelihood of connecting with others by moving up in the Google search rankings, giving you another platform on which to be found on the web. Best of all, like Facebook, Google Plus is free to use.

4. Create or enhance your LinkedIn Profile

A LinkedIn profile is an absolute must-have if you are a business professional or team member of any organization. With over 100 million users on LinkedIn, you are bound to network with other professionals who share your interests. Plus, LinkedIn allows clients or colleagues to write and post referrals on your work, giving you instant credibility for other members who might have an interest in working with you.

Since LinkedIn is a professional networking site, you have the opportunity to list all of your accomplishments at work, in civic organizations, and from school. LinkedIn is an online resume of sorts. Google does rank your profile and you will turn up in search results. By adding certain keywords and location words, you can increase your visibility on Google.

5. Join professional or association sites

Professional and association sites are a great way to enhance your online presence. Many of these sites allow you to post a profile about yourself or your business and allow others to rate your work and your expertise.

Look for professional sites with your industry. For example: if you are a lawyer, you might consider joining LawLink or Legal Onramp; if you are a doctor, consider joining AVVO; if you are a real estate agent, consider joining ActiveRain. All of these sites are geared towards showcasing your expertise and increasing your search rankings.

Where to start?

Choose one of the above action items and get busy creating your page or profile. Remember, being found online is a numbers game, both in quantity of locations and quality of content. By updating your website, coupled with joining social networking sites and professional or association sites, you will enhance your online presence.