The Rocket Blog » Viewing May 2010
Everyone's a Web Critic...
You are looking for a new doctor near your office. The first thing you do is Google Doctor’s in Downtown Memphis (for instance). As you begin to click through the links you start noticing each site’s design and functionality. Can you find the navigation easily? Is the information you are looking for right there for the taking or do you have to go on a wild goose chase to find it?
All these things come in to play when picking a doctor, a restaurant for lunch, or a hotel in another city. If the design is not pleasing to your eyes, or there is a man walking across the screen talking to you without your permission, you might be more inclined to reject that business.
A business’ website is basically the face of the company. More and more people are looking to the web to find businesses to fulfill their needs. It is important to have a great looking and highly functional website. You don’t want potential clients taking one look at your site and saying “No, thank you.”
In all likelihood, you are a website snob. You need to assume that everyone who comes to your site is a snob as well.
0 Comments
ShareSearch Engine Optimization Scams to Watch For
People are constantly being bombarded with scams and get rich quick schemes. It’s almost become an unavoidable part of everyday life. Now once you get your web presence going people are going to start knocking down your virtual doors to aid you in your new online adventure. Whether they can get you to the top of Google by Friday (on the map) or they can submit your site to Google for a one time fee of $$$, these scammers can take advantage of you and your hard earned bankroll.
- “I can get you listed on the Maps Section of Google Search”
Well, no kidding. That is what the Google Local Business Center is for. In the business center you can enter your business and website to the Google map in search results, along with the categories your site applies to. When filled out properly this can put you on the map, literally. - “I can submit your site to Google so it can find you”
First of all, not submitting your site to Google does not mean that you will be sucked into a black hole, never to be seen or heard from again. With proper CSS and a little page optimization, your site will eventually get picked up naturally. Yes, Google Site Submission can move things along a little faster. However, you can do it for free in no time. Adding your URL is as simple as clicking a link and entering your URL and a comment. Don’t let someone charge you money for something you could do in less than a minute for free. - “I can track your website traffic for you for $$$ a month”
Your answer better be “So can I, but it’s free.” Setting up Google Analytics (as long as you have a way to add a small code to your site) is easy as 1,2,3. Enter your gmail address (which you will need for all of these tips) and sign up for analytics. It will give you a code that needs to be entered into your website. Once Google detects this code, your sites information will start pouring in. - “I can get you in the top 10 Search results by the end of the week”
Legit or what we call “White Hat” search engine optimization takes time. Sometimes months, to start seeing a real difference in qualified traffic. When someone tells you they can get you “quality” results in a weeks time, they are practicing “Black Hat” SEO, which is practically like cheating and can most of the time end up hurting your site in the long run. As wonderful as “now” sounds in our impatient world, you have to realize that the methods getting you on that first page are probably dirty. Whether they are hiding the words “Britney Spears” and “American Idol” on your site, or they are stocking your meta data with popular keywords that have nothing to do with your site, they are doing something shady. Patience is a virtue, especially when we are talking about SEO. - “We can submit you to THOUSANDS of directories”
Great. Just what you needed- to be listed in a directory called DirectoryDump with a page rank of 0. Some companies say they can save you hours of your precious time by doing a mass directory submission for you, but this can end up hurting your credibility in the end. Google wants you to have links, but they need to be quality. This means page ranks of 4 and up. If you are submitted to a “Link Farm” then this will bring down the quality of your site.
Keeping informed on what you can and can’t do for yourself is the only way to keep from getting scammed. If you have questions about whether or not something is legitimate, ask a friend, google it, or ask your friendly neighborhood web guru.
How Does Facebook Know I am in the Market for a New Tent?
Why Facebook Advertising Rocks
Every time I sign into Facebook, I find myself mesmerized by the ads on my page. Of course I would love a new Saints jersey. Thanks for asking. Women’s bike clothes on sale? Great! I will check it out. But where did all these engagement ring ads come from?
Oh yea. My profile. Facebook has the ultimate advertising strategy. ULTIMATE. You put all your likes and dislikes on your profile, as well as where you are in your life. I say I like to ride bikes, cheer for the New Orleans Saints, and I have been in a relationship since 2007. Of course ads for Saints gear, bike clothes and engagement rings will follow me.
When advertising on Facebook you can target the ads to people so specifically that if you want to advertise to a woman in North Dakota that collects stamps and works in advertising, you can. Even Adwords can’t get that specific. The only downside to Facebook is that your target audience may not be on Facebook, but that is a dwindling problem. There are 200 million people on their Facebook page daily. Even my dear Granny is on Facebook.
The more thorough our profiles get, the more specific the ad targeting can get. Think about all the business you could be missing out on. If you need help with starting your own Facebook advertising or Internet Marketing in general, give us a shout. We love this stuff!
Written by Rocket Rachel
National Media Should Take a Hint from Social Media in Nashville Flooding
We are close neighbors to Nashville and we all probably know someone who lives there, whether it be a friend or a family member. Hearing from friends about the destruction and immense flooding that has happened, we want to see for ourselves. The national news, however, has not really done justice in depicting all the damage. Instead, we are seeing pictures and videos all over twitter, facebook and youtube.
Social media and web savvy news sources like TechCrunch and Mashable have picked up on the news and spread the word, but as for the large outlets, not so much. It was only late this afternoon that MSNBC and the New York Times picked up on the story and placed it on their homepages. You would think by now the national news people would start stalking social media for stories to look into.
The video posted below has been circulating around the web and it captures the reality of what is happening in Nashville right now. We have heard from friends that people are still trapped in their homes (yes, it is that bad), and they are bracing for more flooding. Contact the American Red Cross if you would like to find out how you can help.
Subscribe to RSS feed
