Saturday, February 26, 2011

Social Media Is A Powerful Add-On To SEO NZ Strategies

What is Social Media and how can it benefit an online marketing campaign?

Why would you waste your time messing around with Facebook or Twitter?

Isn't that the site that the kids use to talk to their friends and to post pictures?

Wrong!

There is an assumption that is prevalent - particularly here in New Zealand - that LinkdIn is the only social networking site "professionals" would use. The other sites are spammy or for following celebrities or just plain juvenile.

Wrong again!

And this is in no way bagging LinkdIn. It is a very effective platform for networking and creating connections that could lead to business opportunities.

But... and I will go out on a limb here... the real business growth comes from three massive social media platforms!

What are they?

Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

Facebook has 500 million users, Youtube has over 300 million account holders, and Twitter is rocketing up the rankings with 190 million users.

Yes, big numbers, but how does that help business if these websites are full of piano playing dogs, movie stars going to the shops or teenagers posting weekend party photos?

The reality is that these sites have been used successfully to promote businesses for some time now. And the outcomes are extremely impressive.

With a potential market of millions and many consumers and business people around the world realising how effective social media is to market a business, product or service you would seriously be crazy to miss this boat.

So how does it work?

As each of these sites are highly interactive they rely on you as a user making use of the sites as they were intended, while making as many connections as possible. And it doesn't matter whether we are talking about subscribers, friends, followers, fans or any other derivation here - the numbers do matter!

This is not about ego either.

Having a huge following on Twitter, a large number of fans or friends on Facebook and big subscriber and friend numbers on Youtube work in your favour in a number of ways.

To be totally honest this is where most NZ business social media campaigns fall flat.

I am going to focus on Twitter here as this is the one that so many get horribly wrong! I will look at Facebook and Youtube in future posts.

I see many Twitter accounts where the person tweeting is sending out messages many,many times every day. Then I look at the number of people following this account and the numbers are low...

...very low! Anywhere between zero in some cases to maybe 500 followers is really wasting your time if you are serious about this game. People do not see your tweets if they are not following you...period!

And because Twitter is truly international remember that people on the other side of the world may well be asleep when you send your miniature piece of brilliance out. Or they may be on Facebook or Youtube or any other of the thousands of large Web 2.0 sites!

For some reason many think that the message is going out to millions of people just by being on Twitter.

It isn't!

And sending the same message with a link to your website over and over again is not going to get you results either. You have to know how to engage people with your copy and establish your business as one to watch out for in the Twitterverse!

Having a highly interactive Twitter account with large numbers of engaged followers has several advantages.

Firstly, when you manage it correctly Twitter is a magnificent traffic source which brings interested, targeted people to your website. As a source of targeted web traffic it is really hard to beat.

Basic principles apply - no spamming, keep posts interesting, have a unique and interesting personalized background, make sure your profile is complete and professional, reply and thank anyone who mentions or retweets you.

Oh, and a special note!

Do not abuse people even if it is in mentions. Do not criticize other businesses or people...ever! Anyone can follow a conversation thread - even the person you are talking about - nothing is secret or private.

Remember that!

Secondly, Twitter has massive influence online. This means that your active account has the potential to feature in the search engine results pages. A large Twitter account will get you top page rank for your name but that is not all. In most cases it will outrank even Facebook pages on Google.

Google is beginning to index individual tweets when you use specific targeted keywords. I am seeing page one results for Twitter accounts we manage for one solitary tweet with the correct use of a keyword. This is really powerful - but you need the Twitter influence quotient to achieve this.

The other remarkable benefit is that a link directing people to your blog from a post on Twitter is often treated the same as a comment or a "pingback" at your blog. This is valuable in search engine optimization terms - high quality back-links are always welcome.

Whether it is more web traffic you are seeking, or a big growth in sales, or perhaps you are wanting to boost your SEO results Twitter can never be underestimated. The tragedy is the number of businesses which try it for a while, get it wrong, and then abandon it as ineffective. I see so many Twitter accounts where some enthused person got stuck in for a couple of months then...

Nothing!

They may have left the company and their replacement had either no knowledge of social media (or interest!) or perhaps because the account wasn't being utilized correctly the sales were not happening and it was given up on.

"It doesn't work. All hype!"

Yet, take the example of one of our clients who was somewhat skeptical about social media. We created a purely social media based marketing campaign, which saw this client's online and offline presence grow to such an extent that they achieved their biggest ever November for sales.

Then they went on to record their biggest ever December and their biggest month for sales ever.

In a recession! Reversing a two year downward trend for their business!

It is all about the "how". SEO NZ expertise is a key way to shortcut the Twitter learning curve.

High Profile Enterprises has flexible Social Media enhancement programs and can operate these with or without the search engine optimization packages we use for front page search engine domination.

For more information on our strategies click this link SEO New Zealand

Or if you would like to speak with us leave your details at our contact page and we will be right back to you.

Finding Keywords - Great Keywords! - Why This Is So Crucial To Your SEO NZ Campaign!

Keywords!

What are they exactly?

Why are so many marketers getting this part of the search engine marketing package so very wrong?

Time and time again I come across websites and content which have vague, generic keywords. The upshot of this is that all of the hard work creating content, optimizing sites is absolutely pointless.

If you are targeting keywords which are over competitive and which have front page domination by Government and authority sites, your business will be relegated to the also-rans on pages 2 or 3 or worse.

Result? Minimal traffic. Minimal sales. Under-performing website!

OK! Lets give a brief outline of what you should be looking for in keyword phrases.

Firstly - keywords are the phrases which people are typing in to the various search bars (mainly Google at about 70% of searches) when they are looking for an answer, a product, a solution to a problem or a service.

There are many different tools which aid the experienced marketer to uncover the most searched phrases online (we use several of these). By using these tools we can find phrases which are already getting high traffic on a monthly basis and we are able to dig deeper depending on whether we are looking at a global or a local search - obviously there is no point in a plumber being found in search results in another country. Having a top SEO NZ consultant is essential here.

But, here is the important part.

There is no advantage gained from marketing on particular keywords if they are not the phrases your potential customers are typing in. You may find top search keywords with an awesome amount of traffic but these people may not be your customers. Finding keywords which directly reflect the thoughts of your customers is the art here.

We want buyers, not browsers!

This is why we at High Profile Enterprises work very closely with each of our clients to get laser-focus on the mindset of the customers who already have their credit card out and are ready to buy!

Once we have established the best niche keywords we look at the keyword search popularity.

We will find the best keywords with the highest amount of traffic available.

Then we will analyse the competition on each keyword we find.

How many other websites are optimized for this phrase?

What is the page rank of the competing websites?

Is there paid advertising (Adwords) on this phrase? (this represents there is money to be made on this keyword)

How effective is the SEO of the competing pages?

What formats and platforms are used? eg articles, press releases, web 2.0, video, blogs, websites...

Using these techniques we are able to establish a very high likelihood of front page domination for this particular phrase.

Then we set about collecting a range of related keywords to use in the content in order to establish expertise in this area and to get rewarded by the search engine spiders.

Finding keywords which are going to translate into sales is the crucial skill here.

Keyword research is a highly specialized skill and is a foundation stone to your online sales success.

Imagine dominating multiple front page positions for a "buyer" keyword which has 10,000 monthly searches!

Imagine then if you were able to dominate 10 or more of these keywords!

If having large numbers of potential customers clicking through to your website is appealing (and it should be!)go ahead and send us a message on our contact page - click this link:  High Profile Enterprises

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

High Profile Enterprises | Your SEO NZ Experts!

More and more businesses are beginning to see the light.

More and more are recognising the incredible potential that marketing products or services on the Internet has for almost any business. Even the more conservative business commentators and media platforms are finally (begrudgingly) mentioning social media giants like Twitter and Facebook and the power of Google in their pieces.



But there is still a fear about this whole arena.

Is it full of hype?

How do I know I can trust it to deliver?

Isn't it hugely expensive and totally random?

And this little gem from the breakfast television business news this week - "Facebook is where you post your holiday snaps and talk to family - it's not really for business!".

Yeah right!

Let us take a look at who is really making waves with their business growth and who is quietly getting on with exploiting the amazing opportunity that now exists to seriously grow business sales locally and internationally.

It is the small to medium business! It is the vibrant, innovative, creative, usually young, go-getters who have realized the potential here and who have gone after the prize.

And they are getting incredible results!

The interesting thing is the lack of large established businesses who are using the Internet correctly - and there is a very good reason for this. Large sales and marketing departments.

In general these people have graduated with a degree in marketing from a respected institution some time in the last few years. They are well versed in most methods of marketing and do a great job.

But... the Internet has experienced such rapid growth that it takes full-time ongoing study just to keep up with the daily changes in platforms, strategies, techniques and the rules of the game.

Facebook for instance is six years old, has 500 million users and only within the last 12 months has it become a truly valuable marketing resource (last 3 months in particular). In this 12 month period the marketing techniques that are effective have changed several times.

So this lack of current understanding means that many of the big names do not even appear in the front page results for major keywords.

It is the small innovators -  marketed using search engine optimization techniques which are taking out the top Google spots again and again. And they are being marketed by small, cutting edge SEO NZ companies like High Profile Enterprises.

To show how important staying up with SEO developments is ask any online marketing person about Florida.

If they are in SEO and do not know what Florida means then I advise you do not use their services.

Florida is the term which has been given to a programming change Google made to it's algorithm earlier this year. It was put in place to stop some of the spammy behaviour of some search engine optimization companies. These companies were buying links, using software to create multiple back-links from unrelated sites and using other techniques to manipulate the search results.

The change happened unannounced and overnight thousands of companies plummeted from number one on Google to position 100 or worse. The resulting effects were likened to a hurricane which is why it was named Florida.

This is how it works in the world of SEO and online marketing. The best way to protect yourself from the disastrous effects of changes like this is to make certain your SEO services company really know their art and their science.

By giving Google what they want - relevant, interesting, well-optimized but never spammy content which is exactly related to the keyword term you are chasing - you are on the right track.

Then by using expertise to make the most of complex linking strategies you will see a remarkable shift in your business results.

Combine this with giving real value through social media and web 2.0 interaction and you will get  great quality recognition from the search engines and this really is the icing on a very complicated cake.

Choose your SEO NZ partner wisely.

Visit our Contact Us page to have us evaluate your online marketing needs.

Search Engine Optimization Techniques Are The Perfect Way To Get More Web Traffic!

Search engine marketing and the correct use of search engine optimization techniques are a brilliant way to get more web traffic and to grow sales from your business website.

One of the important first steps is in identifying keywords to get your business top Google placement which will ensure more web traffic to your business website. What you want is targeted web traffic - your potential customers.

Page 1 on Google is where you want your business to be. People just don't have the time to look at pages 2 or 3 or beyond.

A great search engine marketing agency will work with you in identifying your needs and what your customers are searching for. After all, you know better than anyone what your business is all about and what your customers want from you.

What are YOUR customers searching for? How will you satisfy this need?

This is the crucial factor when using search engine optimization techniques to get more web traffic.

Here is where keyword research experts can identify which phrases your buying customers are using every day.

Relevance is the key here!

If the keywords you choose are not completely relevant to what your website is offering you are wasting your time and money.

So first of all make certain that your keywords are totally relevant to your products.

You want buyers flooding your website - not browsers! This is called targeted web traffic and is where High Profile Enterprises will bring you sales growth.

There are a number of ways these keywords are used to optimize both your site and the range of content produced to effectively gain your business the top Google spots.

Have you always thought that the answers that appear on the first page results of Google are the best answers?

The truth is, not really. You may be surprised to know that the first page results are there because people have used keywords and search engine optimization techniques to get material onto the front page!

This is a complex process but it is a process which High Profile Enterprises achieves again and again. We launched a new business and within 3 days we had taken the top Google spot against 75 million competing web pages! In 3 weeks we had the top 3 spots!

Taking the top google spots is great but having great copy is also essential.

There is no point having a fully optimized article if the copy-writing is flawed. From the title through to the last paragraph content must be compelling and enticing as well as structurally correct.

Very few customers will make it to your website if the writing is poor!

You have a real opportunity here to attract buyers to your website who are READY TO BUY!!

By using a range of content formats and a range of powerful publishing platforms (as well as a lot of SEO tricks and special promotional techniques) your business will be in front of a great many potential customers.

To find out if we can assist in getting you more web traffic to your site, and we mean targeted web traffic, simply use the contact page or email us at highprofileenterprises@gmail.com

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Search Engine Optimization Techniques To Grow Your Business!

Most businesses now understand the need for a Website. And most businesses do have a Website.

But, is your Website performing for you and has it brought you an increase in sales?

After all, wasn't that the reason you bought one?

Search engine optimization techniques can substantially improve your website performance and dramatically increase your sales.

This is where High Profile Enterprises, a search engine marketing agency, can supply the expertise necessary to get great online results.

Bill Gates said "by the end of 2002, there will be only two kinds of businesses: those with an Internet presence and those with no business at all."

He might have been overstating the case, but it has been proven beyond doubt that an effective Website has become an integral part of any business marketing today.

If you are up to date with business trends you will know that in order to grow your business beyond your current customer base, you have to be marketing your products or services online.

You will hear over and over again how the traditional ways of advertising have been usurped by the incredible power that the Internet provides.

Why?

Because the old ways of marketing your business offline i.e. newspapers, yellow pages, radio, television, etc. are extremely expensive platforms and it is very difficult to analyze specific results. Using these various media options can leave you wondering if your money was well spent.

And let's face it, as a business owner in today's unpredictable climate, you want to get the best bang for your buck.

So, how can you successfully market your brand to create more awareness and more customers?

How can you increase and measure the growth in your business that occurs and relate it directly to your advertising spend?


By making your Website work for you.

One of the biggest advantages of search engine optimization techniques is that you can track precisely where each and every sale comes from. By using applications like Google Analytics you can identify with pinpoint accuracy, the exact source of your customer, right down to what they typed in to find you and which site they came from.

Being able to find your Website in search engine results is the key, as more than 80 percent of traffic comes via search engines.

There are presently more than 4 billion Web pages and Internet traffic doubles every 100 days - are you missing out on this incredible opportunity to get your Website in front of these users?

With statistics like this, you definitely need to be in the game using every weapon you can lay your hands on to stay there.

Website design is important, BUT but it's how your Website is marketed that will bring you results.

Getting new customers to your site and more importantly, getting them to buy, is the only proof your Website is working for you.

Putting together a marketing strategy using search engine optimization techniques based on user behavior, content based on keyword research, being able to track and meet the needs of your Website visitors will definitely bring the results that you are looking for.

You've got your Website - now make sure it lives up to it's full potential.

Find out how High Profile Enterprises - a successful search engine marketing agency - can substantially improve your business performance by clicking on this link:

Search Engine Optimization Techniques