If you are the owner of a small business  and you have a blog, every dollar counts. In addition, if you are just starting out, an advertising budget is a luxury that you can’t afford. However,don’t worry, the Internet has turned marketing on its head and has given you the chance to draw visitors (and potential customers) to your blog.

In earlier WebNotes, we provided some  Tips and Tools for Becoming a Blogger and enumerated Common Blogging Mistakes. Both focused on blogs that were created to draw attention to a website.  However, there is another option: you can run a stand-alone blog, and through this blog, earn both a following and an income.

How can a small-time blogger make money? Ironically, through the very thing a small-time blogger couldn’t afford in the first place: advertising. Successful blogs enjoy huge revenues from advertisers, who are usually businesses who see the blog’s potential to reach certain market segments. But this can’t and won’t happen overnight. You’ll need to invest wholeheartedly into this blog and it will take a great deal of effort and a lot of patience. Expect long hours of writing, designing, networking and self-promotion.

When you write, write strategically. Figure out who your target readers will be and write specifically for them by finding a voice that you feel makes you sound both approachable and an authority on this matter.  Make a schedule and make it frequent and consistent. Try to come out with a post at least twice a week.

Plan out your content, making sure that it is relevant and the kind that your target readers will share. Figure out how SEO works for blogs and as you plot out your blog schedule, find ways to get certain SEO keywords into the article.  But always remember to balance SEO with your own personality and philosophy.

Get social. Get very social. Set up a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn account and post links to your articles as soon as they come out to get people’s attention. However,don’t forget to interact and interact actively. Start discussions and actively participate. Then offer options for followers to subscribe to your blog.

If you have some money, invest in a professional-looking blog. Get a good designer to design your logo and branding, making sure that your branding communicates what you are about. Make sure that you are using a reliable blogging platform that is easy to use and update.

Lastly, plant little seeds. If you are only starting out, offer free advertising space to businesses whose products or services complement what your blog is about. The two-fold objective is to let them try you out with the hope that when your blog’s following grows, that they’ll be will to pay for ad placement. Also, by displaying their ads on your blog, you draw the interest of other future advertisers.

Does it really matter where your content goes on your website?

You bet it does!

Where your content appears on your website (for example, your home page) is critical to how well it is received by potential customers. There are some items that simply have to appear near the top of your website because they are important and need to be seen. You might be surprised to learn this, but there is a term for this sort of priority that has bled over from the print world: Above the Fold.

 

What is “The Fold” and why should I care what goes above it?

Simply put, something that is “Above the Fold” is something that appears in the first 600 pixels of a website (measured from the top of the user’s screen) and anything below 600 pixels is considered to be “Below the Fold.”

A hold-over from the print world, the concept of the fold originated in newspapers and often referred to the positioning of headlines and other important information; in order to really get noticed, important pictures and headlines needed to appear above the fold so that readers would see them immediately after picking up the newspaper.

This concept has been adapted to web design by taking the size of the average computer screen (600 pixels tall and 800 pixels wide) and using it to establish a similar rule for web pages. The theory then evolved that if you wanted something to get noticed it needed to go above the fold, which is true, but only to a certain point.

 

You have to have visual priorities

Because the idea that all important information needed to appear above the fold, advertising soon took centre stage, often crowding out even the most basic elements like a business’ logo and contact information; essentially the information that visitors needed to see was lost in a sea of advertisements, never to be seen again!

Google took a dim view to this kind of advertising placement and made a point to penalise sites who had a high density of ads  above the fold, bringing the term back into the spotlight once again. “What is this ‘fold’ and where do I find it?” was a popular question that swept web designers and SEO communities all over the internet in late January of this year. Google’s Matt Cutts made an effort to explain exactly what the search engine giant was looking for when it analysed a website:

“Cutts actually took two yellow stickies and put them on the top of a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and indicated that even if this space was just one big ad it is too much and could be impacted by Google’s new algorithm change.”

While it’s never a lot of fun to be told what you can and cannot do in terms of the design of your website, you have to agree that at a certain point you aren’t doing your business or your customers any favours by making them scroll down past a bunch of advertisements to get to the content that they came to your site to see in the first place.

So in an effort to cater more to your business and the needs of your customers and other visitors to your website there are a few things that absolutely need to be above the fold if at all possible:

• Your logo
• Your business name
• The title of the content or an indicator of what content is on the page
• A way for someone to contact you

 

 

These are important because they are a part of your brand and speak to how you are going to treat the needs of your customers. Yes, ads will make you money, but at what cost to the business you might have done had X number of potential customers not left your site because of all of the ads right at the top of your page? “At the top” doesn’t always mean a horizontal banner ad either; sidebars (sometimes on both sides of a page) are often stuffed full of ads, leaving the actual content sandwiched in between them.

All of this is a guideline, and by no means a hard-and-fast rule!

In the end you are the one who decides how your business’ website should be designed and what elements will go where on the page. Of course it is wise to pay attention to the decisions at Google if you would like to rank well in their search results!

 

How do advertisements figure in your website’s design? Do you have large ones, small ones, etc and where are they located?

We’d love to hear more about what made the cut and appears “Above the Fold” on your websites!

 

 

“What can I do to get more traffic to my website?”

Believe it or not, this is a very popular question; bringing new visitors to a website and keeping them coming back for more is something that just about every website owner and blogger deals with at some point. And honestly most site owners and bloggers think about this question almost every day which should give you an idea of just how important it can be.

No matter what your company does or what you write about, the primary focus of everything you do should be the people who visit your website. If you can identify their needs, you can give them what they want… and if you can give them what they want, they’ll keep coming back again and again.

 

How Can I Give People What They Want & Get More Web Traffic Doing It?

• Be authentic – You might think that being authentic means promoting a genuine product, and you would be right, but not always in the sense that you’re selling something physical. Being authentic means being true to yourself and not trying to pretend to be something you’re not. If you’re not a subject matter expert and you still want to blog about something, just say so! Readers will appreciate your honesty. If you’re selling something, give as many references, testimonials, and reviews as you can for each product and then have a way for people to ask you questions in case they want to learn more from a real person.
• Be original – Originality is more than just being unique; unique content is going to help you out in the eyes of search engines (and never hurts with visitors to your site) but if it’s not original, all the uniqueness in the world won’t help you increase web traffic to your website or blog. Content needs to be unique and useful as well as original in order to be seen as truly valuable to someone visiting your site.
• Engage your visitors – You’re probably seeing all kinds of talk online about engaging your customers, and you’ll be happy to know it’s more than just a hot new buzz-word! Engaging your customers (or all of your visitors) means connecting with them and encouraging them to interact with you. For blogs this is often done through the comments, and all pages (websites, blogs, etc) can benefit from having a contact form ready in case anyone wants to get in touch.
• Be relevant – Stick to talking about things that are relevant to your business, blogs, etc. If you sell surfboards, your pages are not the best place to talk about taking care of a pet rock; just use common sense with this one and you’ll go far. The only exception to this rule are mash-up posts where a blogger will compare/combine two very different topics to create a useful and informative post. Approach this one with caution!
• Embrace different media – It’s not just about words anymore! Visitors are flocking to websites and blogs that make use of different kinds of media including text. Videos, audio, animations, and even interactive buttons and slideshows are all different types of interactive content that you can add to your pages to encourage people to stay on your site longer and then come back again later on.
• Be a little mysterious – It’s not a bad idea to keep just a little bit back for next time. This is especially true for bloggers and any website owner or blogger working with a larger marketing campaign. If you put everything out there the first time, then you won’t have anything left to share next time. This ties in to thinking for the long term.
• Stick to your brand – Don’t change your message just to attract visitors to your website; if you do, these people will likely realise that you’re not being very authentic, and this will lead them to question whether or not they can trust your message. Lack of trust leads to them leaving your site, not returning, and not telling any of their friends. The moral of the story, stick to your brand and be mindful of everything you do as it affects how people will see and remember your brand.
• Just give it away – Everybody loves free stuff! Free things you can offer through your website are only limited by your imagination; if you’re strapped for cash or items to give away, why not give away your time or something you can write? An eBook or other handout-style document is a great way to share information with people who visit your site and is a good give-away because PDF files can be downloaded and saved for later reference.
• Be consistent – Just like sticking with your brand, being consistent is one of the best ways to keep people coming back for more. People like to know that you’re going to keep doing things that are going to deliver the same quality of content again and again. You can change things like adding different types of media (if is improves the point of the information around it) and still maintain a consistent level of quality in your work. This also applies to how often you do things like post to your blog, interact with your visitors, etc. Keeping things consistent encourages website traffic because it assures people that you’re there and you’re serious about helping them.
• Think long-term – Make sure you’re thinking about more than just getting a lot of visitors RIGHT NOW. Sure, a jump in traffic will help you now, but if you do not plan ahead you might find yourself making a mad dash for new traffic more and more often as people are exposed to your site and then lose interest. If you’ve been keeping a little bit back (being mysterious) then you should have something new to share every so often, keeping visitors interested and eager to learn more from your site.
• Help people share the love – Two words: Social Media. It’s here. It’s hot, and everybody’s using it! By adding social media buttons, links, widgets, etc to your website or blog you are making it easier for people to share your site with people they know, and we all know how much we like it when someone makes something easier for us!

 

Don’t limit yourself to just focusing on repeat web traffic; stack the odds in your favou by doing everything you can to encourage all kinds of traffic to your website from both unique and repeat visitors. Even if you only try a few of these things you are still making an effort to deliver a high-quality experience to your customers and they will appreciate it – and show this appreciation by coming back to your pages again and again!

Popularity isn’t everything…

…but when it comes to a WordPress plugin, popularity means that it’s working and people are loving it. WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms of all time and is amazingly versatile “right out of the box.” A fresh install of WordPress doesn’t do everything for everyone; this is where plugins come in.

Plugins for WordPress allow different features and functions to be added on an as-needed basis to your blog; imagine how bloated WordPress would be if it came with all of the known plugins and installed them automatically! What a nightmare that would be. Instead, bloggers have the opportunity to pick and choose which plugins are best for them, giving them just the right look, feel, and functionality for their blog.

 

And the best WordPress plugins are…

The best WordPress plugins are those that make your blog run faster, cleaner, and smarter. Do you have plugins for:

• SEO
• Spam
• Analytics
• Speed
• Inter-linking

If you already have other plugins that bring these features to your blog, that’s great! Please make sure to leave a comment and tell us what they are and how they work, we might be able to include them in our next post!

For SEO:

WordPress SEO by Yoast – This is one of the best SEO plugins out there for WordPress users. Many bloggers are so focused on writing great content that they neglect SEO which is essential for connecting the right people with the right posts. Yoast has done a wonderful job of bundling up all of the tools a blogger needs to get the word out about their posts and make sure that they reach the right eyes via top search engines.

For Spam:

Akismet – Who among us likes spammy comments on their blog? No one does (At least, we haven’t met anyone yet!) One of the necessary evils of blogging, spammy comments don’t have to pile up in your queue and ruin your day with Akismet on guard. Akismet weeds out the spam and lets you get back to doing what you love most, blogging.

For Analytics:

Social Metrics – A social media analytical utility that allows bloggers to see exactly how their posts are being shared across a variety of sites and networks. Curious to know how many people have “liked” your post on Facebook or shared it on Twitter? This handy little plugin also makes it easy for you to share your own posts through your social media accounts right from your WordPress admin area.

For Speed:

WP Super Cache – This plugin helps make your blog load more quickly by serving up static HTML files instead of dynamically generated pages. The difference? The static pages don’t require your server to work quite as hard which can be good news on both speed and cost if your hosting provider charges you for going over your allotted amount of bandwidth!

For Inter-linking:

LinkWithin – While there are other plugins out there that do similar things, LinkWithin is one of the most unobtrusive; it blends in with your existing blog design and looks good doing it. LinkWithin reviews your past content and suggests other posts you’ve made in the past that relate to the post a visitor is currently reading. This helps connect readers with posts they might not have seen otherwise and increases the traffic to different posts in your archives.

 

Awesome! Now how do I add these to my blog?

There are two options at this point:

• You can add these plugins to your blog yourself
• You can find someone to add them to your blog for you

If you’re not overly tech savvy, finding someone else to take care of this might be a good idea. Many web developers and programmers would be happy to take care of this for you; an added benefit to hiring someone to help you add plugins to your blog is that you have someone more knowledgeable working with your blog’s code, and if something goes wrong you have an extra set of eyes to look over the problem.

If you are comfortable with working on your own, these plugins are all user-friendly and can be installed by blog owners with minimal effort. See each plugin’s documentation and information to make sure that the current version of the plugin is compatible with your version of WordPress before installing that plugin. The benefit of taking care of your own plugin installation is more security (fewer people accessing your admin area) and of course less money spent on the project. The only caution to this approach is of course making an alteration to your blog that causes some sort of issue later on down the road.

 

Plugins give WordPress users the ultimate opportunity to customise the look and functionality of their blogs. With so many plugins available (free as well as premium versions) it is easy to see why WordPress is such a popular platform for bloggers all over the globe!

 

Which WordPress plugins are you currently using on your blog?

 

Inspiring trust is the first step to making a favorable impression

Your business has taken the all-important step of creating a website and making it available to visitors…now what? If you’ve taken care of all of the details like optimisation for search engines and lots of high-quality content, and still aren’t making as many sales as you would like to be making, what can you do?

Building trust and inspiring consumer confidence is one of the best ways you can can safely increase your conversion rates (i.e. make more sales) and keep people coming back to your website. Consider the situation from the point of view of someone visiting your website; would you want to make a purchase from your company?

 

How can I make my website more trustworthy?

Different people have different things that they consider essential to a trustworthy website, but here are a few of the most popular items visitors rank highly on their own lists:

• reviews / testimonials
• chat / feedback opportunities (i.e. a contact form)
• social media for public engagement
• professionally constructed / well-crafted website

High visibility

Being considered to be trustworthy (for a business) is all about being accessible and not being afraid to show the bad along with the good. Studies have shown that customers weigh reviews and testimonials in their decision to to do business with a company; a website for a business that does not have a place where visitors can read reviews and testimonials is thereby missing out on a potential opportunity to make a great impression! Allowing less-than-positive feedback to be visible to people visiting your website can also help your business appear more trustworthy because it proves that while you might moderate your feedback, you are not afraid to let people see that you’re not perfect.

An open door

In addition to being able to see feedback from other people who have visited the website and done business with your company, you can help your website appear more trustworthy by allowing anyone who visits your website to leave feedback for you. Whether you do this via a live chat option or through a contact form, it is important to have some way to get in touch with you if they have a question, comment, or concern. Don’t discount the value of a simple link that allows someone to send you an email using their own email client; consumers sometimes feel unsure about using a contact form because there is no way to track their comment once they send it. By using their own email client they are able to know for certain if their message made it safely into your inbox.

Accountability

Social media is the new hot ticket item for promoting your brand, but did you know the presence of social media contact points on your website can make it appear to be more trustworthy? It’s true! People like knowing that there is a way that they can get in touch with you in a “public” setting because it makes you more accountable. Unlike email which can be deleted with the public being totally unaware, if a customer contacts your business via a social media account, it is out in the open for the rest of your customers to see. Your website will be much more trustworthy in the eyes of many visitors if you have social media icons or other contact points (such as links) displayed on your home page for their use.

Professional polish

Nothing inspires consumer confidence quite like a professional looking website. Many visitors are willing to forgive a business that doesn’t have any reviews or testimonials available for them to view if the website looks good and functions well. The theory is comparable to the standards most people use to evaluate traditional brick and mortar stores; would you buy from a business that had a shoddy looking building or one that was clean and maintained? Appearance can certainly make an impression, so in order to make the right one on the people visiting your website you need a professionally designed and implemented design solution. An important thing to remember is that the website needs to function smoothly and be as easy to use as it is good-looking; otherwise visitors will leave your site to find one that might be less attractive but at least does what they need it to do.

 

The moral of the story is…

To be trustworthy, you need to be transparent. Give the people who visit your website multiple ways to contact you and engage you in a conversation be it in public via social media or in private via email. Consumers want to know that the businesses they are interested in dealing with are also interested in dealing with them. By reaching out to your website’s visitors you are letting them know that you care about them and are standing by to answer their questions no matter what they are.

 

Is your business website trustworthy? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

 

What Pinterest Is & Why You Should Be On It

 

Pinterest is the latest darling on the social media scene; what began as a small start-up in the Midwestern United States has bloomed into an international haven for all things inspiring, relatable, and visually appealing. Pinterest is far more than just a place to find some pretty pictures or score some impromptu fashion advice / cooking tips / etc. Many businesses are discovering the untapped potential of Pinterest for market and trend research. Want to find out what’s hot? See what’s being pinned by people in your target demographic…

 

Making Pinterest Work for Your Business

 

Pinterest is great for businesses because:

• It can be used to connect with consumers and develop relationships with existing customers
• All kinds of content can be shared as long as there is a relevant image to go with it
• It can be used to increase visibility of your business and build brand awareness
• It can bring traffic to your site from all over the world
• There is no limit to the inspiration at your fingertips
• It is easy to promote your own products or those of your affiliates / partners
• It can be used as a market research platform if you have the resources to monitor it

 

It’s All about Resources

But I don’t have the time / money / etc to focus on another social media site…

If this sounds like you or your business, don’t despair! The beauty of Pinterest (especially as a place to go for ideas, inspiration, and market research) is that unlike Facebook and Twitter (to name a couple) it doesn’t require daily upkeep / activity to maintain a profile there. As long as you log on once a week or so and pin or repin a few interesting things you can get by the rest of the time using it for whatever reason you signed up.

There are plenty of other more complex and involved systems that can track trends for you if you need that level of focus or if you need to track the progress or evolution of a trend or other pattern over time; but if you just want to keep your finger on the pulse of your target audience and see what is hot RIGHT NOW, then the occasional peek at what’s being pinned, repinned, etc on Pinterest is a great way to stay in the know.

And because everyone likes to learn more about new, interesting things, here are some extra tips for you from top bloggers:

• How Pinterest Can Benefit Your Small Business – by Shira Levine
• Five Ways Pinterest Can Benefit Your Business – by Kelly Kautz

 

What Else Does Pinterest Do?

Pinterest helps drive traffic, pure and simple. More and more businesses are discovering the magic of Pinterest and learning that it’s not just about directly linking to their own content or something that they have a vested interest in sharing like an affiliate product; Pinterest is all about making your business seem real and relatable. Using Pinterest to share content makes your business more of a group of people working toward meeting the needs of their customers than a faceless business that only wants their money.

For example, take The Weather Channel; they have the typical weather photos and stories on their Pinboards… but wait, why do they have one for clothes? This is the magic of Pinterest at work! Because they have a board for outfits perfect for different kinds of weather they have a way to encourage other Pinterest users to interact with them and their company, and if the company posts a few too, that just shows that they’re participating just like everyone else and working toward a common goal. Way to be accessible and relatable!

 

To Sum it All Up:

 

Pinterest is a great place to meet people and get ideas. It is also an opportunity that many companies need to recognise and take advantage of.

Should your business be on Pinterest?

• Do you have graphic content that is interesting and suited for Pinterest?
• If you answered no, can you get some?
• Do you have at least 1 hour per week to devote to using the site?

Spotlight: Can Your Business Benefit From Pinterest? – by Rieva Lesonsky

 

If you answered yes to these questions, then your business might be well-suited to the image-focused community of Pinners from all over the world!

Is your business on Pinterest? If yes, how’s it working out for you? If no, why not?

 

If you found this post to be absolutely Pinteresting, please share it with someone you know!