About Pam Sissons

The first Google Panda sighting and update of 2013 was rolled out on January 22^nd.

According to Search Engine Land, the self-appointed Google Panda  watchdog, estimates are that the latest changes to the Google algorithm will affect approximately 1.2% of English search queries. The last update was on December 21, with similar affected results.

History of the Panda

Google Panda updates have been instigated on a regular basis for the last two years. Panda is essentially Google’s quality control mechanism, designed to identify and prioritize search results according to the relevance and quality of the pages being found for any given query.

Panda started by affecting rankings for sites that had poor content – that didn’t offer any value to the searcher. Directly in the Panda crosshairs were those sites with scraped or stolen content and those dubbed “content farms” for their high volume, low quality pages aimed strictly at rankings. Google’s objective is to return relevant results that align as closely as possible with the intent of the search query.

How Panda Updates Can Impact Your Website

The Panda updates are designed to affect low quality websites, or sites that include spammy or “Black Hat” seo tactics.

For those sites, retribution is swift and sure, as Panda returns a site-wide penalty.  Without any specifics given, if Google decided your overall website didn’t meet their content quality guidelines, you are booted to the bottom of the pile. (Aka page 50 in search results!) The affect can be swift and sure, as in this example:

A noble cause for the war on spam and an inevitable requirement if Google is to remain at the top of the pile for relevant search results. Unfortunately, many legitimate, well intentioned sites get caught up in the fray and find themselves suddenly invisible in search, losing traffic, visits, and business.

How to Prepare for the Panda

Simply knowing that Google has a strong bond with content, it’s in your site’s best interest to focus on creating great content. Use your knowledge of what your customers find helpful and relevant to generate  good content for your website.

Great content  can be added to your website in a variety of forms, including:

• Blog posts
• Whitepapers
• SlideShare presentations
• Videos

While there are numerous formats for how to share great content, emphasis should be placed on what kind of content you’re producing. By providing relevant, informative, and easy-to-understand information that your customers find helpful, your site has a better chance of steering clear of these frequent search engine updates.

How does your website stack up? Contact us for a free website website and marketing review!

The holiday shopping season is a busy one for businesses and shoppers alike!  How can you put yourself above the fray and connect to your audience? We recently shared some  BtoC content marketing tips with you – now we’re offering some last minute social media marketing tips and some unique ways to put your business out there with last minute deals, holiday specials and promotions, and even some creative gift-giving of your own!

Build Excitement

• Plan a “deal of the day” for now until the 24^th
• “There’s still time…” – create urgency and immediate interest by letting those last-minute shoppers know you have a solution

Get Visual…Very Visual

Pictures are worth a thousand words!

• Change your Facebook profile and Twitter background to something with a festive and fun design!
• Create a YouTube video of you or your staff doing something holiday-related, whether it’s trimming a tree, donating your time or creating a live holiday greeting.

Solve a problem

Helping your customers solve a problem is a marketing strategy that goes into hyper-mode during the holidays!

• Offer tips for everything from how to string popcorn and cranberries to choosing the right mobile phone for grandparents, to what to buy for a last-minute gift.
• Suggestions for budget-friendly gift giving
• Give last minute shoppers some hope for finding an awesome gift – well – last minute!

Exclusivity Sells

Contests and promotions were made for holiday marketing!

• Still time for holiday giveaways! Local winners?  If you are presenting the winner in person, capture the moment with a photo and share it with your fans that entered the contest!
• Shhh…. Create a ‘whisper code’ promotion for special discounts at the register!
• Don’t forget the “after effects” – many people are still shopping after the holiday (you know who you are!). Get a jump-start on that business with hints about post-holiday sales
• Use Twitter hashtags to help you connect to a holiday audience: #lastminutegifts, #Christmas, etc.
• Create a  Pinterest topic board for your products…Gift Ideas, Wish Lists,  Last Minute Gifts, etc.
• Create a Community Pin Board and invite fellow Pinners to share their favorite holiday gifts relevant to your brand or industry (BONUS: this typically requires that participants feature the community Pin Board on their Pinterest page, providing more exposure to your community Pin Board!)

Give new meaning to the word “Sharing” 

• Share photos of your holiday decorations, the first snowfall of the season, your favorite clients or customers shopping at your store (with their permission, of course!)
• Give directions (with images or – better yet – video!) on how to use your products, or how to wrap them if they are odd shaped or oversized.
• Giving back a percentage of your sales to charity during a certain time period is a win-win for everyone.

Don’t oversell

People are inundated with sales promotions – ease up on the hard sell and set yourself apart. Have some fun, share some joy, and give your social media connections a reason to keep coming back.

As a business owner, you may or may not realize that your business blog is one of the most valuable tools you possess, but knowing what to write about in a business blog is another story!

A business blog is different than a personal blog, or one meant strictly for entertainment.  A business blog has a goal, pure and simple:  lead generation.  The fact is that companies who blog get anywhere from 65-88% more leads per month than those who don’t.

What makes a business blog successful?

There is one basic feature that will increase the value and relevance of your blog, encourage others to engage with it, and recommend it to others: problem solving.

No matter what your industry, product or specialty, there is always something someone wants to know about it…questions that they need answered.   You have a unique opportunity to highlight your industry knowledge and apply it where it counts…with giving customers benefits.    As you continue to solve problems, develop relationships and build trust, your blog becomes a measurable asset for your business, building visibility, traffic, and qualified leads.

So…what should you write about on a business blog?

Read the rest of this page »

Just like your home, car or storefront, maintenance via a consistent, ongoing SEO program is critical to the health of your website and your business. Your business has made changes over time (um…remember rotary phones or dial-up?). Your online visibility requires a higher-level maintenance and updating on an even more consistent level.

You can avoid “digital decay” with an authoritative, ongoing SEO plan.

Read the rest of this page »