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Marketing

Five steps to creating findable websites for small and medium-sized business

By Bill Heaton | Published: July 17, 2009

Documenting process becomes promotion of small business website sales…

In the past couple weeks I decided to focus on small businesses by making a goal to create a program that will help their website be findable. Beginning in 2004 I began to sell website design to local companies and still build websites for local medium size businesses in Orange County. I began to document the process of working together with business owners and managers. The first step was creating an offer, Recession SPECIAL: Custom ‘Brochure’ Web Site for $440 . Next, I build out a demonstration site http://demo.overhaulindustries.com for previewing how to use WordPress as a business website publishing tool. These two task formed my product offering of a templated business website ; basically an online brochure. Second, I created a brochure website guide on how to prepare content; my goal was to establish a fast turnaround, with content up front or early the project can avoid being held up for content. To speed up the process and get the business owner engaged I added a form to capture the conent online; adding a few links to push visitors to send my their content. Third, I added a PayPal button for the deposit/payment; this gets me engaged in delivering a site quickly. The fourth step was to document the process of delivering the website project; an effort to help the client get to know how to work with me. Finally, to close out the five step process… I set expectations on what a winning project should result in – creating free leads online; basically generating free listings on search engine results pages.

This process of documenting the experience of designing template solutions for small brochure website projects lead to creating marketing materials to promote sales. This content is a result of conversations I’ve had repeatedly over the years; why not use the product myself? The results was the best layout and design I’ve had on my business website in years, and using the platform I enjoy, WordPress. Being excited about this discovery, I sent out an invitation my email to friends, family and clients; I even had a good response. I expect that I may complete 3-4 brochure websites in the next couple weeks. I look forward to measuring the results. So now, I’m following up with the leads using this 5 step approach:

Documentation to help you get started with your website projects

Below are the links and outline of the process of working together with Overhaul Industries in order to help you design your website to be found…

Step 1: Getting started guide – to prepare your brochure website

Step 2: Partner with an expert – send us your content

Step 3: We start working on your project with a small deposit

Step 4: The process of delivering your website

Step 5: Review the results, your free listing in search engine results pages

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Winning the #1 Search Engine Result for Your Key Phrase

By Bill Heaton | Published: July 4, 2008
 
icon for podpress  Winning the #1 Search Engine Result for Your Key Phrase [0:07:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Internet Marketing Report and Social Media Highlights Newsletter – July 2008

This newsletter will mail out the first week of each month, please visit the link below to opt-in http://lists.pixelhandler.com

‘Bill’s Internet Marketing Report’ - Winning the #1 Search Engine Result for Your Key Phrase

-  Strategies and topics relating to the happenings I experience in the race of marketing, publishing and selling on the web.

Having the top result on Google for your main key phrase just feels great! Seriously, in this time of uncertainty, being number one even for a short time is pretty cool. It is also nice when a competitor enters the market and previously held the #1 search result which you now hold.

Search engine optimization : the search query is : noninvasive neuromodulation

  • We’re number one! Results 1 – 10 of about 92,500 for noninvasive neuromodulation.
  • Mid month the decision is made to update the web site with new terminology
  • Take a vacation and violá the search crawler does it’s magic and the result is favorable
  • the competitor who previously ranked #1 for the search query was bumped down but still on page one of Google

Recent changes in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) for google account holders:

  • While logged in to google the SERPs vary based on the same search query
  • Fresh/new content ranks higher then seems to drop as newer posts assume the search query’s freshness
  • Holding the #1 ranking in the SERP will required continued link building, hence this post!

Sites referenced:

‘Highlights in Social Media’ - Online Networks for Web Designers and Developers

- The Internet is bringing people together and making connections for personal and professional development. Being involved socially online is a way to build new relationships with like-minded individuals.

Last month I created a Ning network, at refreshoc.ning.com, and as a results was invited to join dezumo.com ; there I joined the conversations on web design and posted a forum topic "What are your favorite sites for inspiration on the topic of Web design?" Dezumo has about 293 members and has been around for about a year while the RefreshOC started a month ago and only has about 18 members. Dezumo is has a larger audience while RefreshOC is targeting a local metro area. Both were kicked off right here in Orange County. I enjoy the conversations on dezumo and am hoping the RefreshOC group will become more active as social networks become more of a source for making connections locally.

On the subject of inspiration for web design I did receive a few responses from the group, I visited the links and found some fresh sites to add to my del.icio.us bookmarks on the topic of design . While a couple people were eager to share links for inspiration sake one designer posted a note to creating new design without being tempted to follow the pack; along with this response were no links but a tip on seeking inspiration from the world around you. I am very fond of this concept of being inspired from life itself, but also find it very valuable to examine successful design concepts. Design techniques that work well should be mimicked, especially for the sake of user experience and usability.

Sites referenced:

Found on the PodSafeMusicNetwork:
Listen the track titled, The Pain Of Numbers by Get Three Coffins Ready – at the end of the broadcast!

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Reasons for Business Blogging and Kicking Off a Local Socal Network

By Bill Heaton | Published: June 6, 2008
 
icon for podpress  Reasons for Business Blogging and Kicking Off a Local Socal Network [10:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Internet Marketing Report and Social Media Highlights Newsletter – June 2008

This newsletter will mail out the first week of each month, please visit the link below to opt-in http://lists.pixelhandler.com

‘Bill’s Internet Marketing Report’ - Another good reason for businesses to blog

-  Strategies and topics relating to the happenings I experience in the race of marketing, publishing and selling on the web.

I’m currently employed by a medical equipment manufacturer and distributor (I freelance too) and last month some very interesting news was broadcast on news radio and the internet about the LA Laker’s own Kobe Bryant and his back injury.

From latimes.com — May 13, 2008

"I tried to play and make drives to the basket where I could kind of withstand the pain without the back completely spasming and then put the next game really in jeopardy," Bryant said.

On Monday he addressed reporters while standing, as he did during Sunday’s postgame news conference. Bryant said he would receive round-the-clock treatment.

His regimen includes ice, heat, massage and stretching. Bryant also held his electrical stimulation device by his side, saying he would basically sleep with it the next couple days.

The reason why this news was inspiring for my employer is that the company’s main product offering does just what Kobe’s medical device does and more. This news became a great way for the company to share with clients about just how good their technology really is; also sharing the story about Kobe saying “he would basically sleep with it the next couple days.” In following up on the report, Kobe did not miss a game during this series and continued to score very well, while the Lakers moved on to the next playoff series.

The reason why this news was so valuable to blog about is that it allowed the company’s news blog to add valuable content supporting the site’s search engine optimizations (SEO) objectives. The general public may use different variations of the words that a business uses to describe its offerings. The blog format allows for a very quick response to optimizing the companies Web site with the terms used by the general public and reporters. The best benefit is that the reported did report on Kobe talking about a medical condition that my employee has a solution for, back spasms!

Once the blog was posted, the same day as multiple news agencies reported on the injury I sent off an email to a targeted group of clients that would be very impressed with the technology and hearing that a professional basketball player and NBA MVP says so. That perspective was a lot better than I could say, even though I used the technology after a broken leg and shoulder and loved how well the medical device blocked my pain.

The return on investment for this blog and email blast was that conversation were opened up with key clients who needed to learn more about the technology and how it fit in within the sports profession.

Sites referenced:

‘Highlights in Social Media’ - Starting up an online social network with NING

- The Internet is bringing people together and making connections for personal and professional development. Being involved socially online is a way to build new relationships with like-minded individuals.

Recently I became interested in social media and networking with other like minded Internet professionals. My favorite online social networks are linkedin.com and twitter.com, I use facebook.com and a few others less often. When I read about ning.com in FastCompany magazine and also heard about ning.com again during a local meetup in OC. This got my created juices flowing and since I enjoy networking with other professionals, and also have spent much of my career flying solo (as an in-house person or working from home), I was inspired to kick off a new network, refreshoc.com in alignment with the ‘Refreshing Cities’ concept… Refresh is a community of designers and developers working to refresh the creative, technical, and professional culture of New Media endeavors in their areas. Promoting design,technology, usability, and standards.

I am interested to find out how many other Orange County Internet professionals would be interested in networking and building a local community for sharing experiences on creating the Web that we surf on. At the end of 2007 I attended a PodCamp in Ontario (SoCal); there I was very interested in how people gather around a common interest or passion. I was able to learn from others who are doing what I wanted to learn, just by attending and participating in the unconference style of gathering.

One concept that I would like to discuss on Refresh OC is the possibility of growing a community of OC Internet professionals who would like to attend a facilitated, participant-driven gathering centered around building the Internet; where professionals share, learn and grow in an open environment. Perhaps this will happen once discussions begin on the topic of planning events and organizing discussions, demos and interaction from participants right Here in OC. Perhaps each event could have a 50/50 raffle or a more creative way of raising funds to benefit a local cause.

Sites referenced:

Found on the PodSafeMusicNetwork:
Listen the track titled, Surfin the Blast Wave by Nony Zero – at the end of the broadcast!

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Internet Marketing Report and Social Media Highlights Newsletter – May ’08

By Bill Heaton | Published: May 5, 2008
 
icon for podpress  Internet Marketing Report and Social Media Highlights Newsletter - May ‘08 [0:07:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Well, it’s about time! I finally committed myself to personal branding and sharing both professional topics and personal insights/news via an email newsletter. This mailing is managed by an online database for easy opt-in and out-out choices. I am sending you this message since we have been in contact either professionally or personally (friends and family included).

This newsletter will mail out the first week of each month, please visit the link below to opt-in http://lists.pixelhandler.com.

Internet Marketing Report and Social Media Highlights Newsletter…

‘Bill’s Internet Marketing Report’

-  An ongoing theme in my newsletter. I will publish strategies and topics relating to the happenings I experience in the race of marketing, publishing and selling on the web.

This month’s topic is linkbait. One of the best ways to increase search engine optimization performance is improving your rankings by growing your list of inbound links to your Web site. This is one strategy that takes persistence and pays off over time. Without a strong link building strategy it can be very difficult to gain higher rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs), especially for competitive keywords or search phrases. The goal is to be number one on the first page of your favorite search engine using a phase that is searched for very often by your desired audience. The linkbait that I am currently offering is a free website theme for bloggers.

This month I released downloadable file as blog theme for photo enthusiasts in order to gain more inbound links to my personal blog. My site is managed using WordPress, one of the most widely used open source Web applications for online publishing. The WordPress site has a large community with a high volume of online traffic, of which a large segment of users desire to customize their own blog with a custom design, free of charge!

Because I enjoy the benefit of the contributions made by this online community, I finally took the opportunity to give back, by offering Shoot It! a free photo blog theme. This professional web design should prove to be a favorite among photography enthusiasts and professionals alike. Within a couple days of uploading the Shoot It! theme to my blog, I noticed ten downloads have taken place. I believe the numbers will grow even faster once the theme is listed on the WordPress theme site.

As a demonstration site, I launched a pro photo tips blog, Take Better Photos Now, with content provided by a very seasoned photographer with a passion for sharing tips to help people take better photos. Michael Kitada plans to publish tips for photography enthusiasts and this will benefit his photography business as well by providing inbound traffic to his main Web site. His new blog using this photography theme already has about 100 unique visitors with the first couple weeks while creating the Web site design. I anticipate that the volume of links will be begin to grow from the promotion of this free offer and also from the links created by bloggers using the free theme.

Sites referenced:
http://takebetterphotosnow.com

‘Highlights in Social Media’

- Second theme with a focus on building your personal brand using online networking. The Internet is bringing people together and making connections for personal and professional development. Being involved socially online is a way to build new relationships with like-minded individuals.

Last month, my wife and I attended a meetup in Irvine on the topic of internet marketing. We both were able to learn new information and meet others involved in selling and promoting on the Internet. This came about by visiting meetup.com and searching for internet marketing. This is the second time that I have searched online with the intention of learning something new, then followed up by meeting a group of like-mined people (offline and in person) who share their knowledge openly among the community. Some time ago, I wanted to learn about podcasting (broadcasting audio using electronic media); then ended up at a very open convention, podcamp, where I was able to ask seasoned veterans specific questions about new media publishing – giving me a kickstart with my own podcast. Both of these experiences proved to be great networking events as well.

I recently became a fan another very popular social media Web site, twitter.com, which works the opposite of email. You choose who you want to follow (allow to speak, or tweet, with you) rather that filter out the messages you want to block. On a Saturday afternoon, you may find very influential people online sharing breaking news like Microsoft (MSFT) backing out of their offer to buy Yahoo (YHOO). The news appears between highlights of someone bragging about a great meal or fun with friends. Twitter (micro blogging) is fun. At times, I will read a short comment (currently twitter only allows up to 140 characters per micro message) then I’ll hear the story on the evening news and think to myself, wow, publishing has really changed. For example,  on May 3rd, I first heard about this MSFT/YHOO story on twitter; then later, on May 4th, I see the story published on the New York Times Web site. The internet is bringing conversations together among like minded individuals who naturally attract an audience with similar interests and speeds faster that ever before.

Sites referenced:
http://www.meetup.com/
http://twitter.com/pixelhandler  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/technology/04soft.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Found on the PodSafeMusicNetwork:
Get Three Coffins Ready is a Denver based Instrumental Surf-Rock band. Listen the track titled, Action! – at the end of the broadcast!

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Answers for Internet Marketing, SEO, Business and Promotion

By Bill Heaton | Published: April 9, 2008
 
icon for podpress  Answers for Internet Marketing, SEO, Business and Promotion [16:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week I spent some time getting social with LinkedIn.com I answered a few questions related to my profession. This episode (6) covers the questions in short form with links to the original questions with the linkedin community answers, you will need to log-in at linkedin.com to view the links in this post. The audio player above includes the additional explanations to these questions and comments on the answers submitted by the linkedin members. Also, I play a song titled, "Finish What We Started" by Headway and can be found online at… http://www.podsafemusicnetwork.com

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Conversion Optimization by Strategic Design

By Bill Heaton | Published: March 26, 2008
 
icon for podpress  Book Review: Web Design for ROI [0:10:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Book Review: Web Design for ROI by Lance Loveday & Sandra Niehaus

Each year I find one or two books that really stand out. This book, Web Design for ROI, changed the way I look at current eCommerce projects and helped me identify better strategies for building web sites. This 10 minute review highlights the key points in the book that helped me learn the process for ‘conversion optimization’ – converting my site visitors into customers.

Here is my situation, I am working on an eCommerce site with over 4,000 unique visitors each month but the checkout rate seems fairly low, and the analytics show a large percentage of potential customers exiting the checkout process at the confirm stage. Also, a large volume of visitors landing on the home page bounce without entering in to key areas of the site and responding to my calls to action (buying product or completing a form).

The major shift for me will be creating a larger return on investment for my search engine optimization and marketing efforts by creating a larger percentage of goal conversions with my current volume of web site traffic.

This will have a lasting and recurring benefit since a small decrease in bounces and abandoned goal funnels will generate a higher percentage of growth without buying more traffic. This process of conversion optimization has the biggest band for my buck (or sweat) and helps with growing conversions with my current pay-per-click campaigns. Also, the strategies presented will help me communicate more effectively with my audience. The book inspired me to apply a conversion optimization beginning at my check-put pages, working my way back to the home page. After adding a secondary goal on my detail pages I noticed an increase in online sales. This optimization process creates results!

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New Web Site/Domain Indexed by Google in only 3 Days from Launch

By Bill Heaton | Published: November 10, 2007
 
icon for podpress  Indexed by Google within 3 Days after Launch [22:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Question: How long does it take Google to index my new Web site

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Twenty Questions to Plan Your Web Site Project

By Bill Heaton | Published: October 27, 2007
 
icon for podpress  Twenty Web Project Questions - Pixelhandler 003 [8:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Every Web project needs a solid plan to work through the estimate to the site delivery. Here is a list of project questions to plan your Web site with considerations for marketing, design, SEO, unique selling position, E-commerce, and more…
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Your Web Project, Marketing Strategy Mash Up

By Bill Heaton | Published: October 6, 2007
 
icon for podpress  YourWebProject-Pixelhandler-002 [17:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pixel Handler Episode 2, Your Web Project, features web project elements and how they mash up with your marketing strategy. Questions addressed:

  1. How do the following mash up to produce results… design, development, search engine optimization, Web standards, current trends, Web analytics, content, SERPs, usability, marketing strategy, and goal conversions?
  2. And, why does it matter?
  3. So, what can I do about it?

Wrap up: Keep the main thing the main thing! If your unique selling position is intimately related to your passion then it will be easy to communicate your message to your target audience.

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Commentary from PodCamp SoCal, event in Ontario, CA

By Bill Heaton | Published: September 27, 2007

 
icon for podpress  Pixelhandler 001-PodCamp SoCal 07 [5:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This event is attended by both techies and non-techies alike. Many in the group are advocates of media publishing, including musicians, macintosh computer enthusiasts, Christian media publishers, businesses and people just in it for fun. The beauty of this event is the collaboration of people who share their expertise and experience in a free flowing mix of presentations and audience participation with questions, answers and advice.

The podcast concept is taking up speed as more publishers join the movement. One caveat is that many potential listeners (target audience) have a learning curve prohibiting them from becoming a podcast listener. A common opinion among media publishers is to promote their broadcasts using alternative terminology like internet radio or web tv show instead of the `P-bomb`. Many listeners may get turned off by the technical terminology, “podcast”. The movement began in 2003-2004; one proposal is that the first podcast was as early as 1945.

The main difference between radio and podcast broadcasting is that the latter can be repurposed across many delivery systems: mp3 players, internet, iPhone, email; and, the potential distribution is world-wide. A common misconception is that a podcast is recorded (not live) and radio with a live presentation is more interactive and appealing to the listener. This is just not true, many podcasts are broadcast live, using the internet with call-in and live chat interaction. While the podcast will not replace TV or radio it has the added value of a more select and targeted audience. This type of focus and trust relationship between the host and listener will most likely be sought after by advertises who would like to chime-in with a message to consumers.

For businesses this may prove to be a big bang for your buck promotion tool, or another vehicle to extend their brand impression. The key is targeting a niche market, many business will likely become a podcast advertiser in the not-so-far future. Also, business may find a creative way to provide value to their clients using this form of audio and visual broadcast over the internet. With tight or empty advertising budgets, many companies may begin to publish a promotion series on podcast and even distribute their message on an MP3 player or video iPod.

Also with this post is a video (click to download) featuring Chris Brogan co-founder of PodCamp, a free unconference that explores the benefits and uses of new media community tools. Brogan begins with an anecdote from a Bradey Bunch episode then wraps up with encouragement for a community of new media enthusiasts at PodCampSoCal 2007 in Ontario, CA. Click the gray arrow below to play a sound clip from the presentation.

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