Archive for August, 2009
Is Style Relevant to Website Design?
August 31st, 2009 | 
Author: Style is underrated. When we think about panache, certain people come to mind. There’s, Ashton Kutcher, Brad Pitt and Paris Hilton — to name a few. In terms of the company Website, style performs a major role: enables visibility, emphasizing design qualities and appearance.
Ashton, Brad, and Paris are the American prototypes of style. Highly visible in the public’s eye, their style is not based on good looks alone. These “celebrities,” dress impeccably. For the company Website, style serves a similar purpose for business.
Here’s how:
In order for a target market to find a business on the Internet, the Website must be search engine optimized for exposure.
Exposure is gleaned from an assortment of style features:
• Is the site’s layout clean and appealing?
• How long does it take a Website to load?
• Is the navigation clean?
• Are key words, describing the business bolded, underlined and/or italicized?
• Is the site properly linked?
Linked, bold and italicized content enable exposure or search engine traffic. Meanwhile, layout, navigation and page load punctuate a site’s style and Web design. These style characteristics are the difference between repelling and retaining new business opportunities.
So in the end, although, your site may not command the same popularity as Brad, Ashton and Paris– style does matter.
Get your Website tested for style, click here.
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Posted in other tools, search engine marketing, search engine optimization | 
Tags: search engine optimized, Web Design, website style | 
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How-to Develop an Influential Company Blog
What’s in a blog? The ingredients of a blog are quite rudimentary. The objective is to provide clients with engaging, useful information. Corporate blogs are influential when they impart intelligence of interest to the target market. At SEO-St. Louis, we compiled a list of blog-content development do’s and don’ts”:
Inform and entertain. Consider your blog to be an All-American personality that appeals to most of your prospective clients. The best strategy for evaluating content appropriateness is to evaluate whether the information influences or improves the consumer experience. If the information does not offer overall value to the reader, “kill the story.”
Don’t tout your causes. While personal interests and political agendas work on celebrity, entertainment sites, in the realm of cultivating client relationships, the best company blog is focused on providing information of interest to the target audience, only. Blogs are not a forum for an organization to push their political beliefs. In fact, such information can hinder business or deter potential opportunities.
Obviously, there is an exception to the aforementioned rule. For instance, if your company builds eco-friendly solar panels, and the government is considering a potential ban on production, then a feature story regarding controversy would be apposite.
Be consistent. Establish a regular and realistic publication schedule. Once a week is an ideal and manageable target.
Don’t bash the competition. On the Internet, libel suits are an emerging happenstance. Corporations are suing individuals and organizations for publishing information, they deem slanderous or detrimental to the productivity of their company. The best way to distinguish and highlight your company’s offerings to the competition is a testimonial or creating a factual chart of services to other companies, without actually mentioning the contending corporation’s brand.
Incorporate news. Depending on the marketplace, current events may impact a company’s offerings. For example, Information pertinent to your clientele
Delegate it. Maintaining a company blog necessitates a commitment to publish information on a regular basis. When all else fails, outsource your blog to an SEO company you can trust.
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How-To Create the Perfect Company Blog
5-Reasons Blogs Influence Consumers
It’s no secret that blogs and other social networking platforms are redefining how businesses reach their target markets. As print advertising continues to dwindle, blogs remain instrumental for effective online marketing. There are five underlying reasons that blogs are influential:
Awareness.
Exposing brands to the target market. Consumers are in quest of resourceful information. Sometimes, that content is smartly disguised on a blog. For example, Best House Floor Plans.com doubles as a homeowner’s design guide and an awareness site for House Floor Plans and More.
Information-value.
Awareness and information value share the responsibility of edification, specific to the target audience’s needs. For instance, the Best House Floor Plans.com imparts a wealth of intelligence, ranging from the home design tips, finding a floor plan and other useful homebuilding resources.
Entertainment.
Blogs are a passive forum for entertaining the target audience. The ability to upload a video or publish a humorous post, not only entertains the potential new consumer, but also influences a viral marketing effect.
Interaction.
Since most blogs are interactive forums, the target audiences are encouraged to leave feedback, post questions and get involved in online promotions.
Obviously, blogs leverage a site’s search engine optimization characteristics. But, these require the expertise of search engine marketing (SEM) or search engine optimization (SEO) firm expert. Next, time, we’ll review how to develop an influential company blog. Learn about hiring a St. Louis SEO company to manage your organization’s blog.
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Internet marketing Vs. Search Engine Optimization
Is Internet marketing and search engine optimization one in the same?
No, Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) are not interchangeable marketing terms. Analogous to a car, search engine optimization is the parts under the vehicle’s hood. Search engine optimization entails the programming features of your website. Navigation, key words, page titles and links are elements, which contribute to a site’s search engine visibility; thus, search engine optimization.
Internet marketing is comparable to the elements that enable a car drive: fuel, oil, and tire air pressure, etcetera, fortifying a site’s search engine optimization qualities. Effective, popular and economical marketing tools include:
• Email marketing
• Press releases
• Articles
• Blogs/Newsletters
• Social networking
Nevertheless—when it comes to exposing any business to leads and news sales, Internet marketing and search engine optimization are of equivocal importance. Internet marketing assures a site’s exposure to search engine traffic. For instance, if your site sells auto warranty coverage, the aforementioned Internet marketing tools support your site’s search engine optimization characteristics.
Read how one St. Louis SEO company provides Internet marketing and search engine optimization services.
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Posted in search engine optimization |
Tags: search engine optimization, seo, St. Louis SEO Company |
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Part II: Twitter Intelligence
How-to Twitter to Your Company’s Advantage
What do President Obama, Angelina Jolie and the St. Louis Cardinals have in common? They all use Twitter to promote and expose their agenda. In the business world, not many executives have the time to Twitter. Nevertheless, Twitter is the latest social network platform for connecting with the target market, establishing new business affiliations and assuring online exposure.
In the previous installment, we detailed a few tips for getting started with Twitter. This week, we’re exploring four other methods for marketing your business via Twitter.
Announce it.
Twitter is the ultimate stage for rolling out a new product. Entities of all sizes use Twitter to engage and interact with their followers. Mr. Obama is using Twitter to tout the benefits of his proposed health reform plan. A similar method works in the marketing department. Use Twitter, to announce the launch of a new product and to obtain feedback.
Be insightful.
Irrelevant commentary won’t do much for the marketing campaign. Insightful or humorous commentary stimulates the exchange of information. Instead of making the conversation centered on your company’s marketing objectives, initiate conversations around the interests and information value of your followers. It fortifies the consumer following. Offer free advice, inside tips and giveaways. The more value you offer, the better the likelihood others are to leverage your viral marketing campaign. Remember to contribute to other tweets–too.
Host a contest.
The marketing concept, “what’s in it for the prospect,” is applicable on Twitter. Contests, drawings and sweepstakes are the easiest tools for enticing Twitter engagement. Give your followers an incentive with freebies and gifts.
Mind your matters.
Twitter is about sending out a brief announcement in 140 characters or less. As a result, it is inappropriate to send out a continuation of tweets. Besides, excessive Twittering can be considered spam. Compose concise, relevant tweets. Anytime someone submits a tweet, be sure to respond within 24-hours or less.
Learn more about using Twitter to your company’s advantage, Contact St. Louis’ SEO specialists.
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