FAQs

If you believe that social networking is just a window dressing that your company “needs” (but not really), then think again.

Social media and community collaboration bring many benefits, including brand-building, customer loyalty and retention, cost reductions, improved productivity, and revenue growth.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion. Typically, the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.

Why Does My Website Need SEO?

The majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines – Google, Yahoo, MSN, amongst others. If your site cannot be found by search engines or your content cannot be put into their databases, you miss out on the incredible opportunities available to websites provided via search – people who want what you have visiting your site. Whether your site provides content, services, products, or information, search engines are a primary method of navigation for almost all Internet users.

Search terms or queries, the words that users type into the search box which contain terms and phrases best suited to your site, carry extraordinary value. Experience has shown that search engine traffic can make (or break) an organization’s success. Targeted visitors to a website can provide publicity, revenue, and exposure like no other. Investing in SEO, whether through time or finances, can have an exceptional rate of return.

Why Can’t Search Engines Figure Out My Site Without SEO Help?

Search engines are always working towards improving their technology to crawl the web more deeply and return increasingly relevant results to users. However, there is and will always be a limit to how search engines can operate. Whereas the right moves can net you thousands of visitors and attention, the wrong moves can hide or bury your site deep in the search results where visibility is minimal. In addition to making content available to search engines, SEO can also help boost rankings so that content that has been found will be placed where searchers will more readily see it. The online environment is becoming increasingly competitive, and those companies who perform SEO will have a decided advantage in visitors and customers.

What is Social Media and Should My Company Use It?

Simply put, social media is people having conversations online. That’s it. This happens on thousands of sites every day. People talk about everything from environmental issues to what they ate for lunch. At first glance, it can seem overwhelming, but it can actually add tremendous value to your business and provide a hefty return on investment.

From a business standpoint, social media allows you and your company to be involved in these conversations online. Imagine your best sales person at the world’s biggest cocktail party. A good social media team can be just that – they know how to find all the right people in the room, to listen and to sell or simply share information. Sometimes all you need to do is listen and respond when necessary.

So, where do you start? It’s important to remember that many of the same rules in traditional media still apply online. You still need to know your customers and public and have a solid marketing and public relations strategy. Twitter and Facebook are hot today, but there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. If you’re selling Medicare services, you aren’t likely to reach your audience via Twitter. But if you are an elected official and you want to rally your constituents behind a piece of legislation, Twitter may be the perfect tool for keeping them informed, minute by minute.

It does your company no good to dive into social media without a solid strategy, with goals, guidelines and tactics. What is your ultimate goal? How are you going to achieve it? Who is going to run it? How are you going to respond to negative feedback? Do you have a crisis plan in place? These are all important questions to ask, and it’s important to find the right people help you navigate social media. In your search for social media experts, keep in mind that individuals and organizations that are already using social media will have a great head start over those that are not.

Back to the original question: Does my company need to be using social media? The answer is yes, in some way. Don’t think of social media as something reserved for the technophiles. The question could just as well be “Does my company need to be at the world’s biggest cocktail party filled with prospects?” I think the response for every company would be a resounding “Yes,” with the right salesperson in place and a strategy to come away from the party with more than a good buzz.

Popular Phrases

“SEO” –Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion. “Social Media Optimization” - It is set of methods which are used to generate publicity through social media.
“Search Engines” – It is a computer program which is used to retrieve documents from a computer network. Three popular search engines are Google, Yahoo and Bing.
“Client’s Competitor” – It is an individual or a company which is in the same exact niche as the client and is targeting same/identical keywords in same/near by geographic location(s).
“Keyword” – Keyword or keyword phrase is a search term(s) which is used to retrieve information through search engines.
“Keyword Research” – It is a practice used by search engine optimization professionals to find and research actual search terms people enter into the search engines when conducting a search.
“URL”- It is the address of the web page on the Internet.
“URL Canonicalization” – It is the process of picking the best url when there are several choices, and it usually refers to home pages.
“Link Building” – It is a Search Engine Optimization technique which is used to get back links (or votes) for a website.
“Website Usability”- It means how easy it is for visitors to use your website.
“Website Accessibility”- It means how accessible your web pages are to your visitors and search engines.
“Conversions”- Also known as goals. They can be orders, leads, downloads, page views, sign ups, traffic etc.
“Conversion Rate”- It is the percentage of visits which result in goal conversions.
“Link popularity”- It is the measure of the quantity and quality of inbound links (back links) to your website.