Successful Blog

What Google Penguin and Panda Updates Mean for Blogs

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by
Jen Thames

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Google Penguin and Panda Updates and Blog Search Engine Results

In the blogging world Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and placement in Google Organic Search isn’t usually at the top of the priority list. Bloggers blog to add value to the lives of other people. Google seems to have finally recognized this with their newest algorithmic update (still in progress) called Google Penguin.

Google has released two major updates recently in an effort to combat spam. They are called Google Panda and Google Penguin. It’s over simplification but basically:

Google Panda attacks the misuse of keywords
Google Penguin attacks the misuse of links

Great articles about Penguin’s affects on SEO in general can be found on the websites SEOMOZ and Search Engine Land . This article looks at what Google’s Penguin update means specifically for bloggers.

Bloggers Were Helped by the Google Penguin Update

Bloggers who are just out there producing great content may find their numbers skyrocketing after Google Penguin (most recent May 25th/May26th and June 7th/8th). Why? Well, the update looks to take away credit from linking strategies that have created unnatural organic placement for websites in the past.

Google uses more than 200 separate ranking factors for organic search. One of the results of Penguin’s update is that more “professional” sites are now trumped by smaller blogs especially for targeted keyword searches. As the larger websites fall the smaller blogs rise.

For example, researching a Lean Management book entitled Toyota Kata returned several small blogs in the top search positions. The author’s University of Michigan personal page for the book actually ranked below the blog reviews when searching for the words Toyota Kata Reviews.

Generally, longer blog posts seem to be doing well post Penguin update. Widely shared posts are doing really well.

Post Google Penguin: Things Bloggers Should Know

Despite the positive sides of Penguin for many bloggers the new updates can also cause a blog’s placement in organic search to decline. Here are some of the reasons your blog rankings may have declined post Penguin.

Penguin has hit many directories hard. Google has decided that many of the directories and bloggers rolls were just too spammy. They have lowered the ranking of many directories and this in turn can lower the ranking of your own blog.

Comments that have links to spammy sites and bad incoming links can negatively affect your ranking. Google is supposedly developing a disavow tool as we speak to give websites the power to remove unwanted incoming links when they occur. The ETA on this new disavow tool is 6 months.

Specific Blogs will do better post Penguin. Your blog may be too general and this can hurt your organic rankings. Here is why. Google places a higher value on incoming links that come from websites that are similar to your own. If your blog topic is too general the likelihood of other sites linking to you from unrelated sites is higher. For example, lets say you have a home improvement blog and somewhere along the line you wrote a large series on building doghouses. Through that series a group of pet supply stores started to link to your blog to show their customers how to build doghouses. Google’s computer bots might not get the connection between pet supplies and DIY.

Paid affiliate links can hurt if the ratio is too high. Provided the ratio of paid links to unpaid links is not too high the blog should be ok. However, this is something to watch.

Things Bloggers Can Do to Boost Traffic and Take Advantage of Panda/Penguin

Update! Update! Update! Do what you do and do it well. Google is completely on board right now with blogging. The more you update the better you will do in organic search.

Produce amazingly useful content that is widely shared. Here are three examples from blogs in different industries.

Accept posts and ask for guest posts from bloggers within your own industry. The links that connect guest posts are organic, useful for readers and OK by Google!

Do sign up for good blog rolls and directories. The safe list on SEOMOZ is a great place to start.

Learn Google’s rules and use their tools. Google tools are useful and they can quickly keep you up to date on all the new things happening at Google.

Don’t put all of your marketing eggs in one basket. Google is not the only search engine out there, and organic search is not the only way people will find your blog! There are a variety of other ways to market your blog that may be just as good at driving traffic as Google organic rankings. Alternative marketing strategies include:

  • Mobile marketing (for phones and tablets)
  • Local marketing (Google Places, Bing Business and Yahoo! Local)
  • Promotional product marketing (using real promotional products like green shopping bags)
  • Social Media Marketing
  • PPC marketing

Have a mixed basket and no matter what Google does in the future viewers will find you and the blog will grow!

Author’s Bio:
Jen Thames writes about marketing and business at SixSigmaOnline. You can find her on Twitter as @SixSigmaAveta

Thank you, Jen! Great information on the update. Love having it all one in place.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Improving Productivity – Meeting Madness

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by
Adria Saracino

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Meetings are often cited as being unproductive – either because they run on too long, are unfocussed, fail to result in actions – or indeed just because you find yourself attending so many of them you haven’t got time to get any actual work done.

Fortunately help is at hand – Simply Business has pulled together this productivity infographic detailing solutions to common productivity problems with meetings:


Click image to open interactive version.

Want to keep your meetings short, on-track and productive? Check out our tips below:

Do you feel like meetings are a waste of your time?

Marissa Mayer from Google holds an average of 70 meetings a week – so you can be sure she knows how to run meetings effectively – check out her tips:

  1. Set an agenda ahead of time which outlines what needs to be discussed and accomplished within the meeting.
  2. Ensure someone is taking minutes and capturing actions.
  3. Micro-meetings. Mayer slices longer meetings into 5-10 minute segments to discuss specific projects. This keeps even longer meetings tightly focussed and on-time.
  4. Don’t politic, use data. This is particularly pertinent when looking at design. Mayer doesn’t believe in making decisions based on ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ – instead data/metrics should be used to make decisions rather than personal taste or gut feel.

Do all meeting attendees come away with defined actions?

If not, they probably didn’t need to attend! That point aside, the prompt circulation of meeting minutes is critical. Apps like Minutes.io allow you to quickly take and circulate meeting minutes plus it works online and offline.

Everett Sizemore from SeOverflow likes to do a quick round up at the end of a meeting:

“A meeting strategy I often use is to sum up deliverables at the end. I don’t speak out everyone else’s list, but I always reiterate what it is that I am taking away as a responsibility. I have found that other people in the meeting generally follow-suit and before long it becomes the norm. Something is wrong if you regularly have meetings from which nobody leaves with a clearly defined to-do list.”

Are your meetings too long?

Try counting down the remaining time with a stopwatch – that’s what they do at Google. Or if you need to send a more powerful message check out C.O.M.A.. This app calculates how much your meeting is costing your company – ouch! Alternatively you might try initiating stand up meetings instead. Yep, that’s right, no more sitting comfortably around a table. With everyone standing the length of meetings drops drastically as no one wants to stand around for long.

Do you waste time traveling to meetings?

Sure meeting face-to-face is great and you’d never want to do away with meeting in person entirely, but do you really need to spend quite so much time on the road? Think about how much more you could get done if you weren’t spending time traveling to and from meetings.

Make use of tools like Google Hangouts or Skype video chat to get that face-to-face meeting vibe without the traveling.

Got some tips of your own to keep meetings productive? I’d love to hear about them via the comments!

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Author’s Bio:Adria Saracino is a marketer and blogger. When not consulting on business strategy, you can find her juggling fitness, graphic design, and writing about style on her personal fashion blog, The Emerald Closet. Follow her on twitter @adriasaracino to stay in touch.

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

6 Ways to Promote Your Business Online Using Green

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by Jen Thames

Green Marketing

A few days ago at a favorite deli there was a new sign. The sign said:

“We are now Powered 100% by Wind Energy,”

Unconsciously I gazed up. There aren’t any windmills around here! I thought. Yet the message stuck and it made me think: If a deli that specializes in large greasy meatball sandwiches on soft white bread is promoting Green, maybe more businesses need to start using Green marketing.

These days Green marketing thrives far beyond co-ops and solar energy companies. Other businesses need to think about adding Green to their brands. Most importantly small businesses and large companies alike can all use Green to enhance customer relations. It’s an easy way to connect to customers because the underlying message is, “We care about the same things you do,” rather than, “Buy our product or service.” Here are 6 ways to use Green marketing for a small business or a blog.

Incorporate a Green Spring Giveaway into a Mobile Smart Phone Promotion

Mobile marketing through smart phones is a fast growing online trend. According to Google, mobile searches with a local intent were up 400% between 2010 and 2011. Signing up for a location based service like Foursquare or WHERE and offering a free Green spring give away can draw customers into your store and improve your image at the same time. Make the promotion fun and tailor it your business. For example, a children’s clothing store could have a free plant your own tree promo for kids while a bakery could offer a class on decorating spring cupcakes naturally without using food coloring. Get creative!

Offer an Online Green Promotional Product on Your Website

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream invented this idea with their Rainforest Crunch Ice Cream. A percentage of sales were set aside to help nut-shelling cooperatives in the Brazilian Rainforest. Unfortunately, the company was stretching the truth a bit and they were forced to pull the marketing from their packaging. Ben and Jerry’s is mentioned because Green claims need to be truthful with genuine intent or a promotional campaign can backfire.

Keeping Green product campaigns short is one way to get the message out, give properly and make money. In addition, time limited promotions encourage action. For example, “Buy from our website during the next two weeks and we will donate 25% of your order to Greenpeace.” A further advantage of a short Green campaign is that you can pre-advertise and post-advertise the campaign online through the press wires. Charity and giving pieces are almost always picked up quickly and spread widely. Press wires can drive online traffic for months.

Think about incorporating Green into your Business Brand

Make Green a real commitment. Then methodically publicize your Green stand online through every channel possible. There are separate marketing channels for Green Businesses like Green Tweets and Facebook Pages. Like the deli above, you don’t have to be a health food store to endorse Green and incorporate it into your brand image. Green makes people feel better about eating ice cream and 1000 calorie meatball sandwiches. Maybe it can work for your business too!

Use Green Promotional Gifts to Spread the Word

Traditional promotional gifts now come in a variety of Green alternatives. Green shopping bags and coffee carriers are an excellent way to get your brand out there while promoting a Green lifestyle.

Start a Green oriented blog, email newsletter and RSS feed to get your chosen Green message out.
The deli above chose wind energy so a blog about wind energy, clean energy and hiking (where you need to take sandwiches) would be fitting for them. Encourage customers to participate in the blog to lessen the writing work and gain fresh perspectives.

Turn Green Milestones into SMS events

Once the Green campaign is up and running use a quick messaging event to broadcast how well the campaign is doing or how well it went. This is a great soft-sell way to encourage further customer interaction and increase brand awareness and loyalty. For example, “Our store just surpassed our yearly giving goal to Greenpeace! A big Thank You to all our customer’s- we couldn’t have done it without you.”

Success often increases with giving. Green is a wonderful way to thrive and give back not only to your community but also to the world.

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Author’s Bio: Jen Thames writes about marketing and business at SixSigmaOnline. You can find her on Twitter as @SixSigmaAveta

 

Thank you, Jen. Great green ideas!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Customers Who Care: Four Ideas for Inspiring Loyalty

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by
Anita Brady

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Quality and Service

Some rookie business owners seem to think that they can swing open their doors and the world will step inside. Others recognize the importance of marketing, but put all their effort into selling their concept while allowing their product to suffer.

Smart entrepreneurs (and their employees) know that quality and service reign supreme. It’s rare that one exists without the other. I’m recalling the TV show Seinfeld’s ‘Soup Nazi,’ an episode where people stood in long lines for soup, despite horrible service, because the product was so good. That doesn’t often happen in real life.

Likewise, the most charming salesman might sell you a bad product once, but you’ll never buy another if it breaks as soon as you get it home.

The bottom line is this: Offer a consistent, excellent product with a smile, and customers will remember and return. Fortunately, in a competitive market place, there are plenty of ways to make your business stand out from the pack. Adopt a few of these ideas and you’ll have your own line halfway around the block — just be nice to them when they get to the counter.

Introduce Yourself

Down the street from my house, a new surf-themed restaurant and tavern opened last year. Eager to try something new, I gave them a shot their first week in business. Immediately upon entering, I was faced with a crowded bar of people enjoying happy hour drinks. I was scanning the room for a table when the bartender reached his hand across the bar and greeted me, “Hi, I’m Perry. Welcome to the Wave Bar. Grab a table wherever you like.”

Perry later walked over to my table and reintroduced himself as the owner. He asked me my name and learned that I lived down the street. A few weeks later, I returned, and Perry remembered my name.

Nowadays, it’s the first place I take relatives when they come to visit. They think I’m really something when everyone waves and greets me by my first name when I walk in the door. Had I not been immediately made to feel like a valued local customer, I’d have probably returned, but not nearly as often.

Seek Out Customer Opinions

There’s a difference between an anonymous comment box by the door and actively asking your clients for feedback. Don’t get me wrong — a comment box is still a great tool — but don’t be afraid to take criticism in person as well. If someone has spent their money with you, they’re already invested in your business.

The produce manager at my local grocery store once asked me if there was anything they didn’t carry that I wished they did. I told him that I often go to a competing store, farther away, because they carried tempeh, a tofu-like meat substitute that I often use in tacos and pasta (don’t laugh). He had it in stock the next week, and I’ve hardly returned to the other store at all.

Don’t be afraid to solicit your customers’ honest advice. You may be able to tailor the services or products you offer more to their needs, and they’ll then be far more likely to return and recommend you to friends.

Reach Out on Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest give business owners an unprecedented ability to play a role in their customers’ lives. Design attractive, informative pages at each social media portal for your business, and then carve out time to visit the pages of people who ‘Like’ or subscribe to your page. Don’t be afraid to leave comments on their pages, giving them compliments and offering advice.

This shouldn’t be confused with direct marketing — although there is a place for advertising via social media, we’re talking right now about acting just as a friend would. Don’t spam your customers. Engage with them.

Say ‘Thank You’ In Every Possible Way

Your customers are far likely to return if they feel appreciated. Start with the most obvious method — give each person who makes a purchase the most genuine, thoughtful ‘Thank you!’ that you can muster. If your clients are online, a quick “We really appreciate you” email can work wonders.

If it seems appropriate, even sending handwritten notes to large clients and customers will ensure that you’re remembered. Keep a stack of stationary on hand to make this easy.

I was recently shopping at a local boutique clothing store, and after making a purchase, the proprietor handed me an invitation to a cocktail-hour and special product showing the following week. The timing was convenient for me, so I stopped in, enjoying champagne and finger food catered by the bakery next door. Guess what? I couldn’t help but buy something that day.

Let your customers know that you appreciate them, seek their input, and stay in touch. As long as your product is good, you’ll find that they’ll take pride in your business and help spread the word. What other ideas have you used for inspiring customer loyalty?

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Author’s Bio: Anita Brady is the President of 123Print.com, one of the foremost suppliers of customizable custom designed business cards and other items for small businesses and individuals. She is an industry veteran who has managed strategic marketing and other efforts for companies small and large.

Thank you, Ann. Loyalty is key to a strong business.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

5 Tips to Start Your Small Business in the Strongest Way

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by
Abby Evans

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Your dreams of starting your own business may be the result of one or more factors; a life –long desire to make a career out of something you’re good at or a need to supplement your current income are two very popular reasons. The jobs we have may not always be the jobs we want and starting your own business, be it small or medium sized, may provide you with the career enrichment or financial autonomy you’re hoping to achieve.

Your Input Determines Your Outcome!

But don’t be fooled…don’t think that starting your own business will be any easier than working for someone else. The only way to guarantee your own success is by hard work. Sometimes the input required is more arduous than jobs(http://www.jobs.ca) you’ve had or have. At any rate, it requires dedication, thoroughness and a follow-through attitude. Here a five key tips to give your business starting efforts the jump start they need to be rewarding and triumphant!

1. Give The People What They Want!

It is a regular occurrence that when starting their own business, many people center it around a product or service they think will be successful rather than on an already existing idea that has a proven and functional market. Think about it – it’s much better to grab a slice from a large, thriving market than from an industry with no market standing at all.

2. Keep Your Costs As Low As Possible

Stimulating a steady cash flow will be moot if you’re spending more than you’re making. Especially where starting a new business is concerned, you don’t want to spend the formative portion of its inception in debt. One simple standard to adhere to at any stage of your business’ development is – Don’t Pay Retail! Wherever possible try to source wholesale prices on your purchases and always try to negotiate a discount. Trust us, it adds up.

3. Too Much, Too Little…

This one’s pretty basic but is a useful maxim to apply when you’re starting your own business – overestimate your costs and underestimate your revenue. Being conservative in your incoming revenue expectations isn’t saying that this is what you’re hoping of aiming for; at the start of your own business it just gives you a greater wingspan with which to maneuver. Likewise, overestimation of your expenditure is just plain smart – how many times have you PLANNED on spending XXX amount of dollars on something and by the end you have to shell out three times that amount?

4. Testing Testing!

Whatever you spend your money on must directly and consistently prove and maintain value. Don’t let emotion or tradition be the rationale behind what you fund within your business. Test that what you’re paying for is actually commensurate with a real, functional value. For example, don’t spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on a marketing scheme that isn’t bringing customers to your door for the sake of it. Constantly evaluate the return statistics of every level of investment you make in your business.

5. When In Doubt, Ask!

If you’re worried about making a certain move or you just plumb don’t know what something will mean to your bottom line, seek professional help. There are a plethora of free SMB mentorship programs available that can pair you with seasoned professionals. These people provide valuable advice and perspective and can save tons of money and prevent you reinventing the wheel.

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Author’s Bio: Abby Evans is an avid blogger who writes on everything from how to find jobs in Toronto to outlining the principals of how to write a killer blog post.

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

5 Steps to Increasing Your Blog Comments

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How to blog series

by
Virginia Cunningham

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You’ve created a blog, made a few posts, maybe even installed some ads for the extra income. You’re locked and loaded to take the Internet by storm. But where are all the comments? Where is the dedicated audience breathlessly hanging on your every word?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to succumb to the tumbleweeds just yet. If you’re eager for more fans, here are five steps to increasing your blog comments.

1. Comment On Other Blogs

Before anything else, you need to establish your presence in your field. This is most easily achieved by commenting on other blogs and making a name for yourself as someone worth listening to. By making smart, funny and helpful comments on other blogs, readers will be interested enough to follow you back to your own.

2: Respond To Comments

No one likes to be ignored, and if your commenters feel like they’re shouting into an empty void, they become much less likely to comment in the future. To gain (and keep) an active community of followers, you’ll need to make a habit of responding to their comments. Answer their questions. Suggest new tech. Outsource their problems if you have to. Regardless of the content, just make sure their comments don’t go unnoticed. They’ve taken time out of their lives to comment on your blog; the least you can do is offer them the same courtesy.

3. Create A Community

It’s basic psychology: people like to belong. Take advantage of this by turning your commenting pool into a community – a place with its own language and lingo, a place where people can build friendships and swap stories without feeling out of place. If something happens to one of your followers, spotlight it. If you think two people would really get along, mention it. Make introductions among your followers. Create memes. Reference inside jokes in your updates. When new visitors feel the urge to “fit in,” you’ll know you’re doing it right.

4. Ask For Opinions

The best thing that can happen to any blog is a lively debate, so inspire some passion by soliciting the opinions of your followers. Make polls, ask leading questions (“what do you guys think?”) and encourage the most vocal of your readers. Don’t be afraid to touch on scandalous topics, because those often create the most heated (and long-running) exchanges.

5. Be Interesting

What makes you comment on a blog? What pushes you from a mere reader to an active participant in an exchange of ideas? It wouldn’t have happened if the blog wasn’t interesting or engaging enough to merit your response.

To this extent, if you want comments, you just have to be a good blogger. You need to be active, interesting, and well-informed in your field. Your post should be entertaining and relevant. Your comments should be smart and useful.

Simply put, if you want more comments on your blog, make your blog worth commenting on.

Author’s Bio: Virginia Cunningham is a freelance technology writer based in Los Angeles, California. She currently blogs about id security, social media and gadgets.

Thank you, Virginia! Engagement is always a noble quest.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!