Landing pages are a very important part of your online marketing, especially if you are using AdWords or other marketing that links back to your site. How many times have you clicked on a link for a particular product to be taken to a sites home page? All inbound links should be pointed to a great landing page that offers exactly what the user expects and gives them an easy path to purchase it or get in touch with you.

This short 2m23s video will give you some great tips on getting this right.

If Google doesn’t think your page title properly represents your page content they can change the title on the fly as they present your site in their search results page. Yes really!

The page title is the most important item on any web page and should be unique. It should describe the content and target subject of the web page.

When I do a web site audit this is one of the first areas I take a look at because if it’s not right then your site will have little chance of getting a good ranking for the subject matter.

Don’t put your company name in a title as you’ll already rank well for your company name, use the title to say something about the page. For example if you are a hotel in say Crail with a restaurant and you want to attract visitors to your restaurant page don’t use “Crail Hotel restaurant”. Try something like “Fine dining in Crail in our beautiful beach front restaurant” or “Restaurant in Crail offering superb food from local sources”. Think about what your potential customers are searching for and address their requirements. Your title should be no more than 70 characters long.

What I didn’t know was that Google can actually display a different title on the search results to the one you have created for your web page. This is very important as it shows how much importance Google attributes to this tag and it also means that if you’re doing a poor job Google will try and fix it.

Here’s a video from Matt Cutts at Google talking though the benefits of snippets. In the first 2 minutes he discusses the titles issue.

If you’d liek to read more you can see the Google Support page on the subject here http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35624

Undoing this work is simple enough.  Here’s what to do:

1. Find all your inbound links.  There are many tools to do this, some free but the best tools are paid for. You might even want to outsource this to someone with the software as it’s a one time task.
2. Create a spreadsheet and start running through the links to see where they go.
3. I create two spreadsheets, the original links list and a bad links list.
4. I then run through the main list moving bad links over to the bad links spreadsheet.

Now you’ve got a list of the links you want to remove here’s what’s next:

• Firstly try and get in touch with the link site owner and request to be removed.  Many will assist, especially if they are a current site, but many won’t.  Once you’ve exhausted this option continue with point 2.
• Log into your Google account. This has to be the account where the analytics and webmaster tools have been setup for your domain.
• If you haven’t setup Webmaster Tools then do so now.
• Go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/disavow-links-main?pli=1 using the same browser you are logged into Google with.
• From the dropdown select the site your are removing the links for.

• Click on DISAVOW LINKS
• Read the disclaimer and click on DISAVOW LINKS
• You need the links you want to ask Google to ignore for your site in a .txt file with one link or one domain on each line.  Here’s an example of the content for your text file. You can disavow a complete domain or individual links. Do not use a word processor for this, use a simple text editor. Create a text file with all your links.

http://www.example.com/subdirectory/bad-quality-comments.html

http://www.example.com/subdirectory/bad-quality-paid-links.html

domain:dodgyseo.com

• Use the CHOOSE FILE button to find the text file from the location you’re stored it in and then click SUBMIT.
• Job done.

Here’s Matt Cutts of Google video advising on the use of the Google Disavow tool:

Here a link to the Google Help area for the disavow tool.

Also, in my opinion, if you use your Gmail account for your business correspondence then no matter how much your trust someone you shouldn’t give them access to your main account, it’s too risky.

So how do you avoid doing this whilst giving enough access for your SEO team to do their work.  Actually it’s very simple.

Here are the instructions on how to setup your SEO person as an Admin in your Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools. You can easily unlink them as should the situation require it.

Google Analytics

• Login to your Google Analytics
• Click the ADMIN button in the top right and you’ll see this window
• Click on the breadcrumb marked in red and you’ll see this window

• Select the USERS tab marked in red and click on +ADD USER

• Add in the new users email address area and select the permission level. For full access select ADMINISTRATOR
• If you want to notify the user by email select this option then click ADD USER
• DONE

Google Webmaster Tools

1. Login to your Google account and get to the PRODUCTS area, usually in the menu on the left.
2. Select WEBMASTER TOOLS
3. Select the web site to add your SEO person to if you have more than one site on your system.
4. From the menu on the left select CONFIGURATION > USERS
5. In the top right select the link for MANAGE SITE OWNERS next to ADD A NEW USER
6. At the bottom of the page select ADD AN OWNER
7. In the email area please add the required email address and click CONTINUE
8. In the future if you want to remove me go back to this area and select UNVERIFY

Making the best use of your advertising budget does require you to learn a little about Google AdWords but it’s time well spent.

To help you with this we’ve put together a 2 minute video that gives you the main principles of a successful Google AdWords campaign that you can easily apply to your Google PPC advertising. Enjoy…

Ironically SEO (I prefer Web Presence Optimisation or WPO) often works best for very niche business that think it can’t work for them.

WHY? Because the more accurately you can define your audience, the more easily you can target them.  Simple really.

Here’s a Perfect Example

I’m an engineer by trade and I love helping the manufacturing and engineering sectors, especially as they in in difficult times at the moment.

These businesses are niche areas that you wouldn’t necessarily go into your pigeon-hole labeled “exciting businesses”. But let’s consider what these companies do.

They build machinery and components that can be used for a variety of industries, from the military to the medical profession to science laboratories. If you can’t find something interesting to write content for in that industry, you really are going to struggle!

You just have to ask what “are the key objects of the business” and “who they are trying to reach”. Once we understand this two things there are huge opportunities for some great content. Using the right keywords in your content and making the content of interest to your target audience will get you great rankings in the search engines. Your goal should be to become THE authority in your profession.

It CAN Work For Any Niche

No matter how small a niche your business falls into, there will be an audience for it, we just have to find it! There’s no such thing as a boring niche, so as long as you can find an angle to tell an interesting story about your business or niche, then WPO (sorry to all you SEO fans) can work for it.

Great content sells. Think about how you use the internet for research and selecting a product. Just define your USP (Unique Selling Point), create great content, and put your best foot forward. Give people the information and comfort they need to make a decision and you’ll win their trust. There’s no trickery here just an honest consultative approach. If you can use images and video then even better. The people who visit your site want to be engaged by what you have to offer the moment they click through to you via the search engines. Don’t let them down.

WPO (sorry SEO) can work for any business.  Here’s a bit of background on the last very chaotic 18 months in Google’s world

Search Engine Optimisation has changed a lot over the past 18 months, with so much more emphasis being placed on the quality of content, how your website looks and the quality of the link portfolio that your site is obtaining. Two updates, bizarrely named after cute animals, Panda and Penguin, were released into the wild by Google in 2011/2012, and they soon became gremlins, demolishing poor quality sites in their wake.

Suddenly, SEO had a dirty reputation. But here’s the great thing about this, the updates only hurt the people who were using dodgy methods to try and trick Google. The good guys are winning so watch this space for Google’s next furry animal update.

Always remember Quality not Quantity!

If you listen to the marketing hype and social media evangelists you’d be forgiven for thinking that we all need to be on every platform at least daily. This is just not true.

There are 6 key social platforms and for me they all have different target audiences so I’m going to give you my take on what each offers.  There is some overlap so you may need to be on more than one for best coverage but you can be the judge. They are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube.

FACEBOOK

Facebook is about PEOPLE, period.  It’s a social network where people can stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues without having to physically be there.  It’s like a permanently running reunion.

As Mark Zuckerberg famously said “Facebook is where people go to waste time”.

Is Facebook right for  your business?

If people like your product or service enough they may be motivated enough to discuss it with or recommend it to their friends.  They might also want to get more information on what you offer in an easy to receive and digest form, so following your business on Facebook gives them this. To help this along you can run competitions, give stuff away, offer deals, or pretty much anything you believe people will be interested in.  But remember it’s not about you!  Make it fun and rewarding and you’ll be onto a winner.

What types of businesses work best in Facebook?

Consumer focussed business, large consumer brands, local retail, national retail, all hospitality based business and all “socially” based businesses.

TWITTER

Twitter is about immediacy and perceptions.  Twitter started as an event based service. For example if you were at the motor show you could follow the hash tag #motorshow to get instant information about what happening directly to your mobile device. We now get news through Twitter before the TV news channels have got it on air.  If you really want information in real time Twitter is incredible.

Is Twitter right for  your business?

If you want to tell the world about your business and you believe what you have to say is valuable, this is a great platform. Examples;  “Get a free coffee with any muffin for the next 60 minutes and my coffee shop”.  “We’ve just baked a fresh tray of scones, get them while they’re hot”.  If you’ve got something to say that’s relevant to now then Twitter is for you.

What types of businesses work best on Twitter?

Consumer focussed business, large consumer brands, local retail, national retail, all hospitality based business and all “socially” based businesses.

LINKEDIN

LinkedIn is about connecting with professionals. It started as a social network for professionals and has stayed true to that goal since its inception. It has been a little overwhelmed by recruiters but it still has great value for businesses.

Is LinkedIn right for your business?

If you are mainly business to business then LinkedIn can offer huge benefits. For example you may have a service or product aimed at a specific industry, let’s say this is in the oil industry and you are looking for people based in operations.  Using the ADVANCED SEARCH option you can specify these parameters, and many others, and bring up a list of possible people you could approach.  They have a premium service starting at £25 per month that allows you to get in touch through InMail so you don’t even need to be connected.

What types of businesses work best in LinkedIn?

All businesses should have a LinkedIn Company Page and a list of Products and Services as these are indexed by Google.  All business people should have a LinkedIn profile.

PINTEREST

Pinterest is about pictures and is the new kid on the block. It’s grown faster than any other social network and as of last year has more than 13 million users but I’m sure this is now much higher. At the end of last year they announced business accounts opening up a new channel for getting your content online.  Interestingly Pinterest active users are more female than male so if you have a female audience this one’s for you.

Pinterest is simply about pinning images onto a public notice board for others to find and enjoy.

Is Pinterest right for  your business?

If images are important to you then of course. That said bear in mind copyright an usage issues.  You can setup “secret boards” that are not public and then invite users by email.  This might work if you have a project and you need a place to add images that’s accessible to everyone.

What types of businesses work best in Pinterest?

If you are a business that uses imagery then this is for you. Fashion, hospitality, events, the list is a long one.

GOOGLE+

Google+ is about interests and shared passions. This is still a young platform and although it hass over 400 million registered users then number using it regularly is a lot less.  That said I believe Google+ will eventually outgun Facebook and Twitter.  Why? Because it’s got some great features, you can add people to areas (circles) and interact with each circle differently, but most importantly it’s owned by Google who have the money and talent to make it work.

Is Google+ right for your business?

At the moment you should at least open and account and try and get a username that describes you or your business.

What types of businesses work best in Google+?

If your business focusses on a niche area, for example Kayaking, then Google+ is a great way to find people with an interest and keep them up to speed on your offerings. Please bear in mind this is NOT a sales channel.  Add value with your content, details on kayaking trips, new kit reviews, and stuff that’s going to be of interest, if not like all other social channels you’ll lose the people you are trying to engage with.

YOUTUBE

YouTube is about video. Owned by Google YouTube is the place for free delivery of video.  It’s the 3^rd largest search engine on the internet after Google and Facebook so it can deliver spectacular results if you have good content.

Is YouTube right for your business?

It’s great for being found providing you use the descriptions and tags correctly. You can embed video on your web site and not have to worry about data transfer issues. If you have video this is a great platform.

What types of businesses work best in YouTube?

All business can use YouTube, just make a video and get it online.

The changes will be rolled out immediately, today in my case apparently, and are designed to streamline your LinkedIn profile offering. I quote, “simplified design, provide deeper insights, and surfaces new ways to connect and build relationships”. I’m not sure what “surfaces” means but we’ll see.

There are some changes to Apps as well.  LinkedIn call it “streamlining their Apps” which basically means they are discontinuing some of the apps you may use.

The only App I have that’s being removed is the WordPress App for my home page.  To be fair this isn’t a big issue as I now use dlvr.it to distribute my WordPress Blog posts across all my social platforms including LinkedIn. More on Apps here.

There will be a new “Rich Media Feature” which allows you to add outbound links to videos, images, documents or presentations. For me this is long overdue and a big step forward.  You can read how to use the rich media links here.  There are limitations on the sites you can link to but SlideShare, YouTube, Twitter, Spotify, Google Docs, Prezi, Vimeo, and Pinterest are all supported.  For a full list go here.

At this time that’s as much as I can tell you.  I’ve been informed my profile will be updated today so I’ll report anything else I think might be useful once I’ve had a look around my new profile. Very exciting…

Forms are so simple to get right. Let’s look at a simple enquiry form as seen on nearly every web site.  You might was to try your own form now and see what your users are seeing, then have a look at some of my points below.

1 – Keep the fields to a minimum and KEEP IT SIMPLE

What do you have to know? Name, email address, message.  Our goal is to persuade the user to get in touch so don’t ask for anything we don’t need to know, every new field is a barrier to completion.

2 – Make the form look attractive. It’s easier to fill in something you like the look of.

Layout need to be simple but easy on the eye. Fields should have labels. Field lengths should be appropriate to the data you are asking for.

3 – The form field ID’s (programming stuff) should match the content.

E.G. the EMAIL fields ID should be EMAIL. Why? Because form filling software like that found in modern browsers or applications like Roboform need to match fields, and if you use software like this (and you should as it’ll save you hours) it’s very irritating when the fields aren’t filled in automatically.

4 – Make sure you have a “Thank you” page.

When a form is completed you have the opportunity to redirect them to a new page.  Use this opportunity to look professional and make a good impression.  So don’t just say “Thank you for filling in the form”.

Here’s an idea for your thank you page:

*************************
Many thanks for sending us your enquiry. We will respond to you within 1 working day. If your enquiry is more urgent please call us on 0800 9885534 where our customer service team will be happy to deal with your enquiry immediately.

If you are looking for general information you might find your answer in our Frequently Asked Questions area here www.yourdomian.co.uk/faq

Very best regards,

The team at WSI Web Based Marketing
***************************

5 – Customer Service systems.

Customers now expect you to deal with them through multiple channels, phone, email, forms, social, and more. If they send you an enquiry form and then phone you they will expect these two actions to be linked on your system, so the Customer Service Representative (CSR) they speak to should be able to see their case when they call. There are several online web site platforms such as WSI’s eFusion that offer automated handling of forms so you can utilise the form response as part or your internal workflow. If your web platform doesn’t support this the incoming email from the form can be added to your customer service system in most cases.

If you’re a smaller business then it’s often easier as it’s typically the same person that is dealing with incoming enquiries.  Even so respond to incoming enquiries as soon as you can as they are just as valuable as an incoming call.

6 – An auto responder.

It’s often a good idea to send the user an email thanking them for their enquiry.  This is especially important if you have a system that allocates a case number to the enquiry so the user can quote this if they call you.  It’s also an opportunity to engage so make sure if they reply to the email it comes to a person.

7 – CAPTCHA, That irritating letter and number thing you have to fill in.

It stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

All CAPTCHA’s are irritating and the harder they are to read the less likely you are to get the enquiry.

My personal view is that they should not be used and you should deal with the span in house.  Even with CAPTCHA you’ll get spam.  If you have to use it keep it VERY SIMPLE.

8 – The SUBMIT button.  Please don’t use the word SUBMIT.

I can’t think of a less attractive work to ask someone to click on.  Use SEND US YOUR ENQUIRY or something that is a call to action, make it a pleasant experience not a submissive one!

I hope this helps and if you have time try one of your own forms now and see what your customers see.

Why don’t more of us use email auto responders?  Not from our main accounts obviously, but from our businesses enquiries@ or info@ or support@ email accounts.  In a world where no one sends a “read receipt”  it’s great to get an acknowledgement that your email to a generic email address has been received.

Most email systems, even basic POP3 ones, have the ability to send an auto response. Emails, and how you handle them, are a big part of how your business is perceived.  For example I got this response today from a company I deal with who will (but really shouldn’t) remain nameless:

We acknowledge receipt of your email, which has been forwarded to the relevant department.
We will endeavour to respond within the next ten working days.
Kind Regards,

So on seeing this what’s your first thought?

Mine was “10 working days, 2 weeks, REALLY?!?!?  for an email reply.  This is 2012…”  Either they are understaffed or incompetent, there’s no other conclusion to draw from this.

So how should you respond from your generic email addresses, and we all have them…  Here’s a suggested auto reply:

**************************************************************************

Many thanks for your email to support@wsiwebbasedmarketng.co.uk  We will deal with your enquiry as soon as possible but if the matter needs an immediate response please call us on 0800 9885534.

We use other communication channels that you might find useful, Facebook (linked to FB page), Twitter (linked to Twitter page), and LinkedIn (linked to LI page). You can connect with us in a way that suits you.

Best regards,

The Customer Service Team at WSI
support@wsiwebbasedmarketng.co.uk
0800 9885534 8am to 6pm Mon – Fri excl. Bank Holidays
www.wsiwebbasedmarketing.co.uk

**************************************************************************
If your system can personalise the response even better but in this response we are giving an alternative option if the issue is important, as well as offering other ways of connecting to us that may be preferable to email for many people.

We are also including our social channels and web site address so the recipient can just click to investigate.  The key here is to deliver on your promise of getting the email dealt with, but also giving the user easy options to connect with you.

I hope this is useful, all interactions with customers and potential customers count so make your email work for you with a good auto responder.

Have a chat with your email provider or give me a call if you want to do this.  The cost is minimal but the effect will be substantial.