Online Content

Anything you see online is content - the written words, images, video and so on . Content can amuse or inform but it is also a powerful tool for catching the attention of search engines and customers looking for your products and or services. Many Small Business' are discovering how to use the different types of content to reach customers and raise brand awareness with results.

There is no better time than now to do business online, thanks to the web you can use endless tools to promote your business and or brand and many of them are FREE . All's you need to do is tap into your creativity ! It is important to remember that not all content is equal . For example, blogs are usually text or image heavy while video requires recording equipment and more technical knowledge. However , all are easy to maintain and have the ability to drive traffic and sales to raise awareness for your company.

Social Media Buttons

Social Media buttons have two functions , the first is the Follow button that cross-links visitors to multiple elements of your web presence . The Second is the Share button that enables visitors to easily share your content or website with others. It is important to place these buttons near the top of a page or article where you place key information .

Optimizing your Facebook Page

Next to blogs Facebook Pages offer the highest number of opportunities to use Search Engine Optimization to reach customers who don't already know your brand.

Try the following techniques when creating your Facebook Page .

• Use an easy to remember version of your business name along with or combined with search term/s
• Once you establish a fan base of 25 you are able to create a custom URL or Facebook Page name instead of seeing a string of random numbers in your Facebook URL.  Be careful when selecting your name as it cannot be changed . 
• Complete the About Section of your Business page and list all relevant website links including your blog and other social media profile links.
• Place keyword content in the first paragraph of each of the boxes, all of which help with on site product searches.

Remember - The more Facebook fans you have the more internal links you have to your own page. When fans comment or share your content Google see's reciprocal links between your page and your fans pages which could increase your page rank.

The Importance of updated content

Search Engines like Google love to see that a website is updated regularly . Updates are a sign that a website is cared for and providing that most current information to customers. Easily updated content is one of the reasons for having a company blog. It is important to change a paragraph of content on your website monthly.  If you follow no other Search Engine Optimization tips , make sure that you at least update often and optimize the first paragraph of text on every web page.

Importance Of Keywords

Your customers enter search terms or phrases into search engine query boxes, websites or social media search bars to locate information they seek . The trick to online success is to identify the most popular search terms that your customers are likely to use.

For visibility on a search term , your site or social media profiles need to appear within the top 10 positions on the first page of search results for that specific term . It has been said that only researchers and obsessive compulsive's are likely to search beyond the first page. It is important to remember that everyone's brain is wired differently leading to different choices of words and different ways of organizing information.

Try to come up with a list of at least 40 search terms that can be used among different pages of your website and or social media profiles. You will have to continuously juggle these terms to see which ones provide the best results .

Here are some tips for building your list of keywords:

• Ask your customers , friends , employees or co-workers for ideas
• Include the names of your products or services
• Incorporate all industry specific terms and jargon
• Incorporate your local in terms - Calgary Bakery or Calgary Plumbing
• Go to Google and start entering search terms, then click related seaches option to see other phrases users have tried 
• Look at your analytic results and see which phrases people are already using to find you
• Consider using a keyword search tool like Google keyword tool or Word Pot 
• Check your competitors search terms - 
• Visit Competitors Web page 
• Right click to view source code
• Keywords they use are usually listed near the top of the source code