Posted September 30th, 2010
Recently, I stumbled across a newbie business owner offering a raving testimonial about working with a local young graphic designer, who recently built them a web site from scratch for what sounded like a very pretty penny.
Importantly, this new web site had zero keywords, keyword site plan, keywords in the title tag, and keyword density. In essence, zip, zilch, and ZERO SEO (search engine optimization) for their new web site!
And the thing was, I couldn’t help but scratch my head and wonder when the market would wizen up to the difference between a REAL website and a FANTASY web site.
So, what is the difference between REAL and FANTASY in this scenario?
It is simple, a REAL web site drives serious traffic, generates sales, and makes money, PERIOD! A FANTASY web site may be pretty, but if it has been built as an oasis in the desert that no one can visit or find, what good is it to you the savvy entrepreneur?
Hmmm. Let’s see, no plan for traffic, no plan for sales, and ultimately no money making! Sounds like a business owner who just invested in a web site as a hobby. I know, harsh…but true! 
In truth, when I reflect on my journey as an entrepreneur and the internet, when I first got started over ten years ago building my web site, I did the same thing as this newbie business owner above. I focused on making my site pretty versus making money with my site. And boy, I suffered the pain of having my web site cost me money, not make me money!
And in today’s economy, driving traffic online has never been more competitive. According to Netcraft Web Server Survey, as of December 2009 there was approximately 244 million websites available on the world wide web.
So, be a savvy entrepreneur and invest your resources ONLY in a web site that drives you traffic, generates sales, and makes you money from the start! And importantly, if you drive traffic to your site, in most cases you can make money!
At my online marketing implementation company Business Viral Explosions, we help clients build traffic getting web sites from the start, in essence, the right way to profit quickly, as well as help them create cohesive branding online that increases their value line to generate even more sales!
Plus, we help implement new strategies to generate quality traffic to the FANTASY web site owners that approach us on their knees, ready to escape being an ‘oasis in the desert’ with their web site that has no traffic and makes them no money.
Here are 7 tips included in our comprehensive ‘Business Viral Explosion’ strategy to help you understand how to drive quality traffic to your website below:
#1) Keyword Research! -The foundation of how every blog, picture, video and website is found online starts with words! You type in words into Google (or your favorite search engine) and based upon what you type in results follow!
However, just like the newbie business owner I mentioned above, most people do not start building a website starting with doing extensive key word research and then building out a Keyword Site Plan -they just focus on it being pretty!
Not knowing your keywords before building your web site is almost like an architect building a building without any plan! Yikes! You are doomed to failure from the beginning.
When building most websites I suggest you start with at least 25-50 keywords on your ‘Site Plan! This way as you successfully target specific words for SEO (search engine optimization) you can move on and target additional words!
You may ask why so many keywords? The reason is each of your website pages should target a specific set of words. Also one set of words you are targeting will influence a different set of words you are targeting so by planning out in advance your keyword site plan, it is easier to expand your SEO targeting as you build on the keywords that you begin to rank for on the search engines, that drive quality traffic to your site.
#2) Remember your sites goal – Make Money! The top two goals of any website should be to sell your product and / or services and secondly to build your list! The numbers are unfortunately staggeringly low for the number of people that will visit your site and purchase immediately! As a result your number #1 priority of your site should be to build your list!
The majority of web sites are not laid out correctly to build your list! Every website page of yours needs to be created strategically to ensure your visitors to each page either opt-into your list or buy your product and / or services, or call you directly to buy, period!
There are numerous ways you can do this from how you create and post content to always having an opt-in box beside every blog with a scintillating offer!
#3) Drive More Traffic Via Your Website URL! Your website URL is critical for driving traffic! With so many websites out there Google over time has given more and more weight to the specific URL of your site! What is important to consider is using the specific keywords you are targeting in your URL!
If you have a specific example you would like help on or if you are a new company setting up a website be sure to contact us so that we can do research on your behalf of valuable keywords you may want to consider! Again if you get this wrong it could mean the difference between having a successful business web site that makes you money or a web site that just costs you money!
Good example of this is a client’s site we are currently designing who is in the business of Asian Matchmaking. The name they chose for their site is www.twoasianmatchmakers.com as they are actively looking to target Asian Matchmakers as keywords!
As a keyword research sit plan strategy, this URL is extremely valuable to these business owners it gives them extreme advantages in driving their ideal targeted traffic to their web site.
#4) Keywords in your Website URL directory and subdirectory. What this basically means is that the names you give your titles on your website, the name you give your blog, the names of your individual blog posts need to all include your keywords! What this will mean is that when you navigate to a specific page other than your home page your keywords will appear in the URL after the .com
So for example: http://www.twoasianmatchmakers.com/singles-events/
Notice above our keywords singles events appear in the URL. Not all sites are set up to automatically do this. Again this also shows the importance of a keyword site map!
#5) Keywords in the Title Tags. The TITLE tag is a descriptive name of a page that is shown by browsers as the page name in the browser window. This is incredibly important for driving traffic and your overall SEO plan, yet extremely underutilized by most web sites.
#6) Keywords Density 3-7%, with approximately 200-400 words per page. The copy or writing on your website page is critical for driving traffic! The two mistakes I most often see is firstly a lack of words on the page and then secondly, a lack of your keywords! Every page on your web site should aim to have 200-400 words on the page and of those words, 3-7% are your keywords!
#7) Back links. Beside things you can do on your site, there are a number of important things to do off your website! The most important action step is back links! This is critical as Google rewards you for social proof and influence.
Back links provide social proof and social influence, as it tells Google how many other websites have links back to your website. The more back links, the more you are rewarded with your rankings in the search engines. In the next few weeks I will discuss the process of getting back links in detail – so stay tuned!
Posted August 11th, 2010
Have you noticed the great divide for entrepreneurs in today’s marketplace? There seems to be a bevy of entrepreneurs who are just trying to get by, unconsciously trapped in tough times and then bringing that reality to their business and life results.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are entrepreneurs who view today’s economy as an extreme opportunity to create significant wealth and have the business results to show for it.
The first group of entrepreneurs I call resource less, while the second group of entrepreneurs I call resourceful. But what you may not understand is that lack of money or financial results is ONLY a symptom of underlying issues.
If you can teach yourself daily to move from a place of resource less to resourceful, unlimited possibilities for your business income growth and your life are available to you right now.
I was thinking over the weekend about my own business journey and the continual habits I practice that distinguish my ability to move from a mental state of resource less to resourcefulness. As my students know, I struggled my first few years in business and almost went bust–this truly was when I lived in a state of being resource less.
However, when I began to learn how to tap into my unlimited potential daily, I consciously began putting daily attention and effort into strengthening my ability to be successful. Not only has my business grown between 50 percent and 100 percent each year in the past six years, but I continue to see how I am in training to move my company into 100 million-plus in annual revenue.
I always say, “Your revenue can only grow as much as you do!” So, how much are you growing these days?
All of the habits listed below have been learned from some of the most legendary and successful entrepreneurs of our time. If I can learn and profit from them, you can, too. Here is my short list for your review:
1. Movement. Tony Robbins teaches that one of the easiest ways to change your emotions and your mental outlook is through movement. I prided myself on being a yogi for a long period of time, yet my significant shifts in resourcefulness came with adding in cross-training, too, such as jogging a few times a week.
I believe it is impossible to have big business success and an extraordinary quality of life if you are not physically conditioning yourself for strength, resilience, tenacity and being resourceful. Every once in a while, my team will catch me going for a mid-day run during the week.
I do this to reach for an instant upgrade in my perspective and extra support in helping me move through a certain obstacle/opportunity that may have been presented to me that day.
I know I am guaranteed to have a shift in emotions and perspective post run that has a huge impact on how I manage the rest of my day and show up as a leader for my team. Got movement in your daily or weekly routine? It could be anything that sings to you, but I promise it works.
2. Questions. Just in the past few years, I learned to ask myself better questions consistently. Before, when things seemed to go off track in business, I would unconsciously move into a state of being resource less. I would ask myself questions such as, “What is wrong with me?” “Why didn’t I figure this out quicker to avoid this happening?” and “How bad is this?”
With these questions came some pretty challenging emotions and meanings I created about certain experiences that did not empower me as an entrepreneur and certainly didn’t help my business thrive.
What really shifted my ability to be resourceful as a business owner was when I began to train myself to ask questions such as, “What is good about this?” “What is great about this?” “What is the joy in this?” “What is the love in this?” and “What is the adventure in this?” And, wow, my emotions and my meanings for challenging business experiences completely shifted.
I began to reach a level of certainty regarding the unpredictability that comes with being an entrepreneur. No matter what unfolds with my business, I have enough “WINS” on the table to know deep within myself that something challenging will ultimately be shifted into some great opportunity for growth for myself and my company.
This experience of what most entrepreneurs unconsciously try to avoid helps me build an incredible reserve of resourcefulness. How are you building your reserve today?
3. Music. Yep, music. I have my little iPod nano that sits easily on my shirt collar, and I love reaching for inspiration and motivation to help me tap into the unlimited well of possibilities–in essence, to move beyond myself. I love to listen to new music and create new memories to it. I also love to reach for older music at times to reminisce or even help me move through challenging emotions.
Just yesterday I was listening to The Best of Leonard Cohen while doing a few lazy Sunday afternoon yoga stretches on my mat, and this album reminded me of a very specific time as a young, 18-year-old fashion model in New York City and Paris.
Reliving these memories was comforting and enlightening, as life has changed so much since those days. What a true enjoyment to have music provide such a powerful refuge, energy shift and support to transformation. How do you get your groove on?
4. CANI. My hubby and life partner Andor and I have lived by this Japanese saying ever since we first met: Constant And Never-Ending Improvement. Extraordinarily successful entrepreneurs are always seeking to learn and grow.
They understand that if they are constantly nourishing their mind, they are automatically upgrading themselves and giving themselves a competitive edge. You know the saying “knowledge is power.” It’s true. It has been significant and inspiring for me to watch the rate of growth of close business colleagues who understand and embrace CANI.
Funnily, in today’s marketplace, the entrepreneurs who practice CANI are the ones being most rewarded with fantastic business growth because we are officially in the information economy. And every time you upgrade your skill, knowledge and business-profit toolkit, the more you are guaranteed to skyrocket your business and life growth.
I pride myself on going to two seminars a year, but this year I will go to at least four and consume twice as many business books as usual to ensure I am practicing CANI to its fullest potential at a time when the marketplace is changing so quickly.
5. Affirmations. This is one of the first tools of being resourceful I learned many years ago, and it works. I have daily affirmations that I have said for so many years, they are etched on my blood cells–REALLY. If you don’t have daily affirmations, I list a few here below for your review.
You are welcome to take them and adapt them to your liking, but most important, you must plan to repeat them twice a day.
Vanessa’s Affirmations:
“Every day and in every way, I am getting better and better.”
“I am healthy, wealthy and wise.”
“It is fun and easy to be successful.”
“I am powerful and profitable.”
6. Forgive 70 times seven. I have learned in business that things may not always go the way we hope, be it with our vendors, clients, employees or even key partnerships. What I have also learned is that it is essential for me to practice forgiveness, just like Jesus said: “Forgive 70 times seven” or even “Love your enemies.”
In my recent years of bigger business success, I have weathered new storms in core business relationships changing. During these key business transitions, I have not always felt my generosity or loyalty in relationships reciprocated.
What I have learned is that relationships are always in transition, especially when the marketplace is changing so quickly. And I have also learned how important it is to bless those whom you feel have wronged you.
If I am not saintly enough to love my enemies, for the sake of my own health and happiness, I can practice loving myself enough to let them go peacefully in my heart.
7. Prayer and meditation. Prayer conquers worry and ultimately puts me in a state of absolute resourcefulness because I am reminded that I am not doing it alone. It has been documented that a habit of prayer can instantly relieve worry, fear and stress. Prayer also gives me a zest for life, more life and a larger, richer, more satisfying life.
I find having a practice of daily meditation helps me make consistent contact with the divine. I have a new Platinum client whom I am really excited to be working with who meditates twice daily and has an amazing energy about her.
In a recent conversation, she was telling me about her meditation practice and jokingly shared that she tells other people they don’t have to go anywhere to get what they want in business or life; all they have to do is just sit there in meditation.
I believe there is something powerful about making conscious contact with God daily, which catapults us into being extraordinarily resourceful in all our daily affairs, including our business.
Posted July 1st, 2010
Online marketing takes you from marketing one-to-one offline into marketing one-to-thousands online. Whether your business is service- or product-based, writing good copy that sells for your social media, e-newsletters, blogs, website, special promotions, sales pages, etc. is essential to get massive ka-chings (i.e., sales). These eight tips will ensure you get results fast.
Before you jump into them, I also want to ensure you that the biggest mistake you can make here is no mistakes at ALL. I hated English class in school, and I never seemed to “vibe” with the technical aspects of good grammar. Can you tell? (hee, hee)
What I “vibe with” is my passion and a deep desire to share my expertise to help other business owners profit, because when they work with me their revenues soar.
So, when I open a blank screen on my computer to begin an article for our e-newsletter, I am perhaps inspired by the following: Something my client said to me that day, an issue my client may be having, or just wanting to share information I find extremely valuable as a business owner myself.
Having said that, if you can write from a heart space such as this, the words will just flow–and although it may take some discipline to churn out good copy consistently, it is an incredible opportunity to connect with your prospects and clients by the tens of thousands all at once. So, ready for tip No. 1?
1. Focus on your reader, not your product or service.
Kicking out “old school”: The majority of business owners still have websites that read like a mini-brochure about themselves, their product and their service. Ding, ding, ding! Time to awaken to the WIIFM online movement that Google has mastered into the billions–the What’s In It For Me? movement.
Google has mastered the art of internet search impeccably. Take its uber-successful pay-per-click ad campaigns. These campaigns are completely customized for what the customer is searching for, and when you place ads that are meaningful to the customer and address what they want–ding, ding, ding!–Google rewards you.
You need to think along the same lines. Think of your reader. What’s in it for them? Give your copy an instant upgrade by inserting the word “you” at least five times more than any existing copy you may have. For example, go to your website home page and count the “you’s” vs. the “we’s” and “I’s.” You’ll be amazed at what you find. To immediately upgrade your copy, add the word “you” to make it more reader friendly, which sings into ka-chings.
2. Nail Down Your Benefits Quick.
What is the ultimate benefit for your product and/or service? Saving your ideal demographic expensive fines? Peace of mind? Optimal health and well-being? Making more money? Establishing them as experts? Here’s an example: If you buy a Coach designer handbag, you’re not just buying it because of the great quality leather craftsmanship. Heck no!
You’re buying the brand recognition so that you can look stylish, hip and cool. You don’t see Coach ads talking about how great the leather craftsmanship is. They push stylish, hip and cool to the max. So, know what your prospects and clients are really seeking, and give it to them with your fabulous copy.
Here’s an insider tip: People buy on emotion, and then back it up with logic. You may want to ponder this for a moment and think about your copy. Can you give your prospects and clients an entirely new emotional connection to your product or service?
3. Start With A Sensational Headline.
I learned not too long ago that when Tony Robbins produces a motivational product for sale, he emphasizes making the first 20 minutes of the first CD of a total 20-set audio CD series phenomenal. Why?
Because he knows that if he can help his target market connect with the material in those first few minutes, there is a very high chance they will consume the rest of the 20-CD-set series.
It’s the same thing for you with your copy; the very first thing your reader consumes via your headline can mean the difference between captivating your target market or having it opt out totally from your offer or message.
Headlines that address quickly and concisely the heart of your target market’s concerns vs. just being gimmicky or offering a play on words is the easiest and most effective way to make a connection and convince them there is something valuable in this opportunity.
Also, if there happens to be a dollar amount in your headline that is appropriate for what your copy is about, write $10,000.00 fine vs. ten thousand dollar fine. It makes the headline POP more and is much more captivating.
Or even, learn how to add an extra $100.00 to $1000.00 to $10,000.00 per month in extra income will go a lot farther than a hundred dollars, to a thousand dollars, to ten thousand dollars, too.
4. Write in a friendly, non-pitchy tone.
Ugh! This is one of the most frustrating pieces for me: bad copy that reads like a pitch or corporate sterile annual report. Online you have the opportunity to really make a connection on a massive scale with thousands with the click of your “send” keyboard button.
If you write boring copy that does not sing to your ideal demographic, it won’t work–and it certainly won’t ka-ching. Write to your clients and prospects along the lines that you would talk with them. Remember, online marketing is about establishing that you are REAL.
Why? People buy from people they know, like and trust. Get rid of the formalities and heavy ad-zy looking copy that reads like a bad direct mailer. If you can be more conversational with your copy online, you will sing your way to sensational sales that put you leaps and bounds ahead of your competitors!
5. Keep It Short & Sweet With Your Words.
Hey, I know this ain’t easy. I have written three books and am told I am a talker. But if you use fewer words and are more to the point, it makes it easier for your ideal demographic to consume. The faster you communicate your added-value benefits, the more likely people will keep reading, which directly impacts your bottom line.
If you are too wordy or miss out on adding the WIIFM benefits for your readers in the beginning parts of your copy, you may lose your prospects and clients altogether. Remember, your readers are busy and distracted.
Keep your words short and sweet, and watch what happens. When I write copy, I always make a final edit to try and lose as many words as possible while still conveying the same message. Not always the easiest task, but it works.
6. Facts Tell and Testimonials Sell.
One of the single biggest impacts you can make to your copy is including “happy raving fans” with testimonials of your products and/or services. What are you waiting for ? When you share heartfelt testimonials from your clients, you become more real and you put your prospective client at ease, especially if that client is the ideal demographic.
Think about making the testimonial easily consumable online via a mini-captivating headline in bold at the top of the testimonial that jumps out at your prospect or client as she reads along. And, if appropriate, say on a sales page, ad a head shot of your client to personalize the testimonial. Did you know that when you have the image of a human body, baby or face–your response rate jumps up a crazy 300-plus percent?
7. Give a clear call to action three times.
Online marketers say three times is a charm. Meaning, tell your prospective client what you want him to do three different times–most likely in three different areas of the copy. Make it crystal clear. If you confuse your reader or don’t have a clear call to action, your prospective client will do nothing. People who are confused, especially online, will always say no.
If you take a look at marketing pieces today, you will soon see a BIG difference between successful ones that have a clear call to action and others that forget to tell you what to do. If you want your prospective client to call or e-mail you for the order, schedule a consultation, fill out a survey or give feedback, be sure to tell her what to do next–don’t leave her hanging.
8. Double and triple check for typos.
I always run a spellcheck two times, and then I ask another Team Vanessa member to read the copy, too. I used to cringe at typos until I learned that some of the biggest marketing gurus intentionally place a typo in their copy. Why? It makes them more human.
So, don’t go getting any big ideas about inserting any typos or grammatical mistakes that will misrepresent your company. Just do your best to have your copy be perfect, and if by chance you have one typo–your copy will still have the opportunity to sing into sales.
Posted June 23rd, 2010
 Business owners like you are excited about social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. But, the trouble is, with such explosive growth and widespread popularity, how do you get recognized among 500 million Facebook users and get a piece of the action to drive your business growth?
The Answer: Set-up The Best Social Media Infrastructure, Tools, + Custom Branding to compete with the top players in your industry without paying top dollars!
Up until recently on Facebook, although you could make friends and have fans (which Facebook now calls “likes”), you could not build your list with your Facebook friends’, fans’ or likes’ direct e-mails. Which made it incredibly difficult for you to cut through the social media “noise” to produce tangible results.
Why? Direct e-mail marketing is one of the most powerful, proven and profitable strategies available to us for minimal cost and maximum returns as business owners today.
Yet, until now, Facebook, the largest and best-known social media network, did not allow you to collect direct e-mail addresses of fellow Facebook users, a big downside to producing profitable results.
Now, for the first time ever, an important new custom programming tool is available to you. (Drum roll, please.) You can now turn your Facebook presence into a powerful viral tool that ultimately converts Facebook visitors into real leads via a Facebook “Like” Page, which is actually a lead capture page that sits on your Facebook Welcome tab.
So, in effect, when someone goes to visit your profile on Facebook, he or she will first be directed to your Facebook Like Page (lead capture page).
 Take a look at my new customized Facebook “Like” Page to the right. There are a couple of important elements involved in making this cutting-edge tool work for you.
1. A custom-programmed welcome tab with your business branding to have your Facebook “Like” page set up to invite visitors to opt in to your list. That way, you not only capture your visitors as fans but–more important–you capture your Facebook visitors’ names and e-mail addresses–JUST LIKE A LEAD CAPTURE PAGE.
How valuable would it be to you to have your Facebook presence be a powerful lead-generation tool for your business and profitability? Very or VERY VERY?
2. A custom welcome video, shot and edited with a video marketing expert. That expert should work with you on customizing a compelling Facebook Like Page video script prior to your shoot, as well as direct you on your shoot day to ensure that you receive valuable footage and, ultimately, an effective video that provides an incentive for your Facebook visitors to opt in to your list.
This is mucho importante, because if you just throw up any old poorly produced video, your Facebook visitors won’t be tempted to leave their name and e-mail address or even become your fan.
3. A specialty 3D graphic for your Facebook Like Page FREE gift offering. After all, no one leaves his or her precious name and e-mail address these days unless you give that person something valuable. Not sure what that something valuable might be? Your video marketing expert will review this with you during your video script prep process. After all, you will be offering this free gift in your videos, so it all comes together! Ahhhhhh!
4. A custom tool embedded directly below your Facebook Like Page to invite your Facebook friends to become fans, and have your fans invite their friends to become fans (uh, did someone say viral marketing?)
This tool is key, as it offers you and your Facebook visitors an opportunity to directly invite their friends to do exactly what you hope they will do on this social medium forum: create a viral explosion by having friends tell their friends–and their friends tell their friends–about you and your business, ultimately becoming fans and grabbing your free gift by opting into your list.
Think about it. As business owners, have we ever had this type of marketing available to us before?
5. An e-mail auto-responder setup that automatically e-mails your Facebook Like Page visitors who choose to opt in instantly! Thus, you build a relationship with your prospects quickly and effectively.
This step is also why there is custom programming involved. Because as soon as someone leaves her name and e-mail address, an e-mail auto-responder campaign is generated to go out to your new subscriber with her free digital gift, whether it might be an audio file, videos or even a free digital report.
You build relationships in powerful new ways by utilizing this tool, which automates your marketing, extends your value line and warms up your new leads to be buyers very soon!
6. A 30-minute training session on how to operate successfully every element of your Facebook Like Page to ensure you successfully build your list quickly and effectively.
You want to know how to access all your new names and e-mail addresses so you can add them to your e-mail marketing campaign list and begin converting your new leads into sales.
Q: Is this custom-programming Facebook Like Page a free application that I can just find and plug in on Facebook?
A:
1. Your custom video shot, edited and dropped onto your Facebook Like Page
2. A tool that invites your Facebook visitors to become fans/likes
3. A 3-D image of your FREE gift to incentivize your Facebook visitor to opt in to your list
4. An opt-in box for your visitor's name and e-mail address
5. An invite-your-friends tool at the bottom of your Facebook Like Page asking visitors to invite their friends to opt in and claim their FREE gifts and become fans/likes.
6. Training on how to actually manage your Facebook Like Page, from accessing your new leads' names and e-mail addresses, to inviting friends, updating your e-mail auto responder campaign, and navigating the software.
Q: What should I look for in working with a vendor to help me set up my Facebook Like Page?
A:
1. Your vendor should cover all the steps listed above. For example, if you only receive a graphic without the custom tool to have your Facebook friends invite their friends, you are missing out on the viral marketing piece. Or, as another example, you want to be sure your e-mail auto-responder campaign is set up properly and that you know how to manage it. After all, there’s nothing worse than new subscribers to your e-mail list being unhappy that they did not get their FREE Gift.
2. You want to be sure your vendor is going to help you prepare your video script and shoot a video that is professional and highly effective in converting your Facebook visitors into fans/likes and ultimately opting into your list with their name and e-mail address.
Posted June 9th, 2010
 In today’s competitive business landscape, you need the internet to help you drive sales. Period!
With that out of the way, it is imperative that the keywords you specifically choose are geared at serving two masters; the clients as well as the search engines. Keywords are the defining element of Search Engine Optimization.
Your search engine keywords are what leads your ideal demographic searching for your product and / or service to you, thus being the reason you must make sure your site is properly optimized for your specific keywords, successfully allowing ‘hot prospects’ to find you expediently and regularly.
In essence, key words allow people to search for you and surprisingly enough, find you. Search engines are designed to distinguish as well as differentiate you from your worldwide competition.
So what does this mean for YOUR business?
1. Easiest and Most Effective Way to Start: A Blog!
How will adding a blog to my website help bring in additional sales? 
A blog allows you to use your key words time and time again, thus automatin highly targeted traffic back to you.
A blog is one of the most efficient and simplest ways to have your site rank high with the search engines regardless of how often search engines change their algorithms.
Making sure that your site has an abundance of valuable information and is keyword rich will result in an immediate, efficient, and effective way of driving ongoing prospects to you that convert into clients, repeat clients, and referrals.
A blog is one of the cheapest and smartest ways to build the content of your site quickly because every new post counts as a new page to your site! The more blogs you publish the “deeper” your site content will become!
Publishing approximately 3 blogs a week will result in Google rewarding you for adding valuable content on an ongoing basis.
Lastly, there are several points you must remember when writing and publishing your blog:
1) Key words must be imbedded into your title.
2) Key words need to be in your very first line.
3) The key words in your first line MUST be bolded in order for search engines to give your blog top priority.
4) at least 3-7% of the text should consist of your key words creating a high key word density for your blog.
2. Having keyword-optimized images on your site will help to drive traffic back to your home page!
Many search engines, including Google, include images in their search results. 
Making sure you have keyword-optimized images allows your website to be picked up by the search engines resulting in higher web traffic being directed towards your site.
In addition to images being picked up by search engines they also act in complimenting your website and making it more enjoyable to consume. Blog posts are an especially good place to include images that will engage your visitor.
Also, in the HTML code that links your images to the page, make sure you include a top keyword in your image “alt” text.
(If you’re blogging in WordPress, use the “Title” field. If Blogger is your platform you’ll need to click on “Edit HTML,” find the “img” code for each picture, and then go in and manually add alt=”keyword-rich text” within the image tag — a big pain, but it’s worth it.)
3. Using videos online as an effective marketing tool.
Adding videos to your web site is the ideal way to help 
bring web traffic to your site. One important part of adding online videos that you must remember is to ALWAYS have your keywords embedded into the title of the your video.
Adding a transcript to help search engines recognize the key words in your media content will also direct traffic to your desired web site page. Videos are also a great conversion tool that personalizes you and your message, ultimately converting viewers into clients.
Online videos are in the greatest demand on the internet with over 60% or more of web traffic searches currently being video.
Think about it, video offers individuals surfing the web to retain the same amount of information without having to devote as much time as if someone were to read about the subject. Also just having someone stop on your page to watch your uploaded video keeps them on your site 3 times longer than if there were no video at all.
4. Social networking and the web.
Be aware that in today’s society people are increasingly  ignoring search engines altogether!
Instead, they’re relying on their social networks to find services and products as well as reliable recommendations for both.
According to Nielsen 20% of the people on social networks use those social networks as their main online navigation portal.
Building profiles with updated posts and comments surrounding your key words are an effective way to make everything relevant and easy to locate and share.
More and more often search engines are starting to return results from Facebook and other social networking sites as search results. This is a convenient and effective way to engage with your clients in addition to your prospective clients.
Executing these simple yet effective recommendations will help take advantage of some of the most powerful SEO opportunities out there and PROFIT!
© 2010 Vanessa Summers Companies LLC.
Posted April 8th, 2010
As my clients know, I have been hesitant to recommend going gangbusters when it comes to social media sites to grow your business.
Why?
It is often difficult to cut through the noise of social media to ensure you are getting the maximum return on your time (ROT) and return on investment (ROI).
It also truly depends on not just your business size, but it also depends on your target market.
For example, I teach business owners with real offline businesses how to leverage the internet with proven and simple tools to generate more clients, repeat biz and referral biz.
Up until this point, these business owners were not going to social media sites looking for online marketing solutions. By contrast, businesses that have a target market that is more consumer-oriented by industry may find social media more effective for their online marketing efforts.
Having said that, the social media landscape of new media is evolving rapidly, and how we do business will continually be impacted. It is important to participate from the ground up and make a new media plan that can deliver proven results for your business.
To get you up to speed, here are five essential social media sites you need to know more about:
Facebook. This 350 million user-plus site is the Mecca in social media today and is growing at warp speed as I write this . At any given time, 3 percent to 5 percent of its users are logged onto this portal.
Not to mention, mainstream companies, such as DKNY (with its 65,000 Facebook Fan Page) are turning to new media to debut new clothing lines and videos, vs. using traditional media.
Facebook is the No. 2 website in America, according to research house Alexa.com, and its fastest-growing demographic is people over age 35. Do you have a fan page? If not, start with a regular profile, invite customers and prospects to be friends. Then, once you gain traction, you can invite your friends to be fans.
YouTube. YouTube has hundreds of millions of views daily, and this behemoth is the fourth-biggest U.S. website. YouTube is quickly becoming a mainstream marketing tool. Have you checked out Toyota’s new ads for its mini-van?
Video is the hottest ticket in town, and YouTube delivers exactly what more than 60 percent of internet users are looking for.
Do you have your own YouTube channel for your biz? What frequently asked questions (FAQs) + should-ask questions (SAQs) could you answer and upload that would enhance your brand along with creating a connection with your clients and prospects to create excitement about your business?
LinkedIn. This is the place where 50 million-plus and growing business owners network to find leads and joint ventures, and to connect. Cool, recently added features allow you to link up your Twitter posts and also display your Word Press blog on your home page.
Twitter. The site that allows 140-character posts salong with hashtagged trending topics is definitely one to keep your eye on. It has more than 18 million U.S. users and had a phenomenal growth rate of 343 percent in the past year.
Popular new features, such as retweet tracking and lists are helping users form new connections. You, too, can sync up your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to feature your tweets, so you are streamlining and automating your social media online presence.
Blog. Adding valuable expert insight and feedback to your business blog can be an effective strategy to not just showcase your services and/or products, but a great way to be rewarded by Google in your search engine rankings.
You see, your blog posts/content updates help your site’s natural search rankings, as Google rewards you for consistently adding relevant added-value content.
These top five social media sites are definitely important to the new media marketing strategy you implement as you move your business forward. It may seem overwhelming to get a system in place that produces real results. But once you do, it will be well worth your efforts. FYI: I will be debuting a simple system for your new media strategy at my upcoming Create Your Own Economic Boom Time’event here in Los Angeles, Learn More + Register Here.
Posted March 30th, 2010
If you are still scratching your head and wondering about “online video,” especially given the amount of time it probably already takes to run your existing business–check out the following eight compelling reasons to make a little time to produce and post videos on your website.
1. Video Is A Minimal Cost. With flipvideo.com in full swing, you can do it yourself on the cheap. You also can post a simple ad on Craigslist.com to find a local college film student to film and edit a low-cost but quality video.
2. Video Is The Ideal Attraction For Your Targeted Prospects and Clients. Think about this: Everyone prefers to consume the value and expertise of your services and/or products in different ways. But Google has proved that video is absolutely the most popular form of consumption on the internet, given that 60 percent of all web traffic is VIDEO!
3. Video Improves Your Search Results. Google favors added-value popular content, such as blogs, video and images, to what their engines index and return in search. Google even revealed recently that this type of content is returned in one of every four searches.
4. Video Is The Ultimate Way To Showcase Your Value. Think about this: Market research has already proved that your prospects and clients prefer video vs. static text. Your videos have the ability to answer valuable FAQs (frequently asked questions) and SAQs (should ask questions) that help build trust and credibility, and warmly convert interested prospects into clients.
For example, if you are a landscape designer, you could show a before-and-after static picture or–even better–you could have a short video showing a before or after of your work. Hence, video allows you to interest prospects by offering free samples of your expertise and service or product results.
5. Video Is Customer-Service Friendly. No handing over a long, boring manual. Customers can play a video and learn how to set up your product or even how to schedule an appointment. You also can educate them on how to get the most value out of your service and/or product.
6. Video Builds Know, Like and Trust. Being seen on video or having a company executive talk to the camera about what you do and why you’re better than the competition takes building a relationship with potential prospects to an entirely new level.
7. Video Taps Into The Power of YouTube. Besides posting your videos on your own site, you can also post them on YouTube. Research tells us that one-quarter of all internet users visit YouTube, viewing hundreds of thousands of videos.
This video portal is an increasingly important site for a business owner to showcase the value of her business’s services and/or products–giving you a chance to find highly targeted new clients outside of your existing marketing systems.
8. Videos Increase Your Brand Value. Your prospects and clients will value your business at an entirely new level because you are up to speed on new technology that excites them. It reaffirms to them that you are growing, not stagnant or dying.
I cannot emphasize enough how the business landscape has changed. Differentiating yourself from your competition by showcasing your value and driving targeted traffic via video is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your business grows and profits during this time.
Posted March 17th, 2010
Every week you are experiencing changes in the marketplace as business owners. During certain market cycles, it is easy to ride the crest of the wave and rack up profits. But we all know it ain’t all peaches and cream, by any stretch of the imagination, right?
I am witnessing from behind the scenes business owners doubling their clients, doubling their revenues and doubling their market share. All the while, I watch other business owners “bitch and moan” about dwindling revenues, dwindling clients and dwindling market share. Which camp are you in today?
No. 1: Diversify Your Messaging
Businesses that lead in their industry have one BIG thing in common; they dare to be bold by stepping out of the box of how things have traditionally been done. What new marketing messages can you implement? How can you “sing” to your prospects and customers? Meaning, can you come up with meaningful marketing pieces that really speak to them? For example, did you notice above in this article that I used the words, “bitch and moan”? Hmmmm. Perhaps this is not the most traditional e-zine publishing etiquette. Yet, my ideal client is successful, empowered and doesn’t want to dilly-dally when it comes to building his or her business and making more money. This phrasing helps draw out my ideal clients from the crowd and definitely sets me apart from what has been standard in my industry. What can you do that could work wonders for your biz marketing?
No. 2: Research Your Competition
When you have significant shake-ups in the marketplace, some of your competitors will surely buckle under the weight of having to change and transform how they do business in order to thrive, while new competitors will enter the scene. Make it a part of how you do business today to research existing and new competitors. Jack Canfield, a highly regarded author, speaker and coach in the seminar industry who has sold more than 1 billion “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books, explained to a colleague of mine that he makes it a point to attend at least two seminars per year of his competitors. Secretly, I used to dread learning more about what some folks were up to “across the pond,” especially when it meant I had to attend their seminars. Today, I find it so much fun! I always walk away with at least five incredible new ideas on how I can step-it-up and lead my industry, moving forward. What businesses do you need to be researching today? Oh, and remember, you want to seek out competitors that are doing something that seems to be working, or at least appears to be working when you conduct your research.
No. 3: Partner up with Your Colleagues or even Your Competition
So, this is easy, fun and highly effective. Some of the biggest names in my industry, as well as other industries, are partnering up to cross-refer warm leads from their respective list of clients. Heck, I have even learned of BIG business competitors in the marketplace coming together in cooperation to partner up on promotions and other joint ventures that would have never ever opened this door of exploration in other market cycles. So, ask yourself, with whom could you create an alliance today to help expand your business? Remember, you want to partner up with someone who is equally successful, if not more successful than you are, and who has a similar ideal demographic.
No. 4: Move Quickly
Quite frankly, “Money Likes Speed.” You know the savvy and successful biz owners I mentioned above who are doing booming business today? One big reason is that they are taking action and adapting quickly to all the changes taking place economically. Think about the evolution of the species. Only the strongest creatures that adapt to their new environment survive. I know when I chat with a business owner who is struggling, I can almost guarantee you he or she is doing just the opposite: sitting around paralyzed by fears about what is going to happen, and taking very little action. Yes, I know, we all have fears, especially as business owners today being challenged by a sea of new, choppy waves. But in today’s marketplace, “If you do what you have always done, you will surely NOT get what you have always gotten.” Think about this: If you position yourself successfully today, when things turn economically, you are already off and running while the competition is still at the starting line!
No. 5: Spot Great Talent
In California, there is 10 percent unemployment. Wow! This is screaming “opportunity” for us entrepreneurs. And the recent statistic nationally was more than 651,000 layoffs last month, up from December 2008 numbers of approximately 500,000. Today you have a golden opportunity to discover some amazing talent in the marketplace, people who would be overjoyed at the thought of working for you. Imagine having great marketers and salespeople on your team, even on a part-time basis? Now you get to recruit the best. These new recruits will be even more committed to you and your business vision to ensure you achieve your outlined goals. How could these new recruits impact your business growth? Maybe just a touch, huh?
Finally, entrepreneurs today need to be savvy marketing machines. Remember, your customers are still out there. But their needs may have changed and it is your responsibility to ensure you know what their new needs are and adapt to meeting those needs–to ensure your business makes more money and continues to THRIVE!
I promise, embrace change, put the steps into action and enjoy your new, desired business results!
Posted March 5th, 2010
As a business owner, you have an incredible opportunity to get it together when it comes to your website being a key tool to generate traffic, appeal to visitors and, ultimately, provide a powerful gateway to more clients + sales along with more revenue + profit.
So, if you aren’t generating biz from your website, here are a few tweaks you could make to enjoy more traffic and appeal much more to your audience:
1. Valuable content hidden “below the fold.” Research tells us you have seconds to capture your website visitor’s attention. If your visitors need to scroll down your home page to view valuable content about your services and/or products, you’ll most likely lose them. Similarly, if you have a call to action to subscribe to your e-newsletter or blog (which, good God, I hope you do!), place it where it will be visible without scrolling down the page.
2. Jumbled page. Some websites have too much going on; they look unprofessional and, quite frankly, like a hodgepodge of different things lumped onto one site. Others have ads that fill every nook and cranny. What can I say? Such sites are overwhelming.
Today, as small-business owners, you have the incredible opportunity like never before in history to have an online presence for little cost that competes successfully with the biggest players in your industry. Ensuring you have a website, brand and overall look that are professional and uncluttered is essential to driving big sales and big business through your website!
3. No call to action. What do you want your visitors to do when they visit your site? To subscribe? To call your business for more information or an appointment? To leave a blog comment? To buy? Your job is not to give everything you have; your job is to give your visitor enough to take the next step.
Let them know what to expect and, if your request is reasonable, they may very well comply. If you don’t ask, they may not know what to do, and they’ll leave–perhaps forever–without taking action.
4. Distracting ads. Unless you are going to rake in big bucks with pop-up ads, blinking ads, glaring banners, sexy ads, etc.–just leave them off your precious web pages. Why water down your message and brand with these type of ads that yield little ROI?
Remember the saying “KISS’–Keep It Simple, Stupid.” There’s something to it when it comes to ensuring that your website makes you money! If your ads are your content, then please disregard everything you’ve read on this blog.
5. Making it all about you. The old broken-down model of websites for us business owners is one that somewhat mirrors a print brochure and, sadly, a lot of business owners have yet to get the “WIFM” online marketing memo. Meaning, ‘What’s in it for me?’
How many “I’s” and “we’s” do you have on your website’s home page vs. “you’s”? Communicating to your visitor in a value-added direct tone that makes it all about them by emphasizing the “you’s” is a key ingredient to any successful online presence. In fact, go count the “you’s” now on your home page–there should be a ratio of at least 75 percent “you’s” vs. 25 percent” I’s” and “we’s.” Be prepared to be awakened to quick, powerful shifts you can make ASAP with your home page to begin!
6. Difficult to connect. Write for your ideal demographic only. I am not seeking to connect with everyone; I am seeking to connect with entrepreneurs who are committed to growing their sales and revenue and to being more profitable –oh, and are interested in using the internet to help support growth, too. If you visited my website and you are not an entrepreneur or at least not one looking for new marketing and business success solutions–you will not stay on the site very long.
However, if you are my target market, you will stay and most likely subscribe to our e-newsletter list–yep, our “call to action.” That’s what research shows via our analytics.
7. Spelling and grammar mistakes. There ain’t no excuse for bad spellin and grammar. However, I would be fibbing if I told you we haven’t had typos on our home page before, ‘cuz we have.
But you want to do your best to have a system to continually check for these errors on an ongoing basis. We happen to love Microsoft Word in this office and are continually running new content through the program to ensure that we address these errors. Like right now, as I write this article for you!
8. Old content. Fresh content is good for driving traffic via search engine optimization, as Google rewards you for “fresh, relevant, good quality content” and for attracting repeat visitors, along with more business. Think about it, do you really want to work with a company that has old content that looks circa 1999?
The more you see a business grow and innovate, doesn’t it attract you to want to do more business with it? If a business has content that appears the most relevant to your needs today in this current market cycle, doesn’t it also create a level of immediate trust that the business knows what it is doing with its products and/or services? That it is a true expert at what it does?
Your website is kind of like your credit score, in that it’s a moving picture, not stagnant. The more effort you put into it being great, the more business it will drive for you and fuel your overall company growth. You need to remember, as you expand your online presence, that your website will expand with you.
You will learn more about what does and does not work. What to upgrade and what to let go of. This is the beauty of the internet; it is always changing, and it is always open for business. Make a plan to implement these steps and re-review your site on an ongoing basis (i.e., every 30 to 90 days at minimum) to ensure that it upgrades with you as you grow your business.
Posted February 24th, 2010
Have you claimed your listing in Google Maps and made sure the information it displays is accurate? If not, you need to do it now–even if you don’t have a website yet. This step is vital.
Why? You reach millions of internet users, quickly and for free. Think about it: More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it’s important to make sure your business listings can be easily found on Google Maps, Google.com and even Yahoo.com, Bing.com and Yelp.com. Creating a great listing takes just a few minutes and doesn’t cost a thing.
Plus, you control your listing and speak for yourself. For example, your business may already show up on Google Maps and Google.com, but you should still claim your listing and make sure its details are accurate and thorough. Your improvements will start appearing as soon as you verify them.
Your listings are also an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website yet, as you can really authenticate your business message to sell for you by adding photos and videos; custom categories like your service area, brands you sell and how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchases.
In fact, local search–including sites such as Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and Bing Maps–is quickly becoming one of the most dominant sources of online traffic. The local search market already generates about $33 billion a year. And with the growing popularity of smartphones such as iPhones, Blackberries and Droids, it’s about to get a whole lot bigger–fast.
That’s because people who have smartphones search differently online. If they’re looking for a nearby business, chances are they won’t use the regular Google search engine–they’ll use Google Maps instead. Many smartphones have built-in GPS capabilities and can automatically determine the user’s location. That information gets transmitted to Google Maps, which automatically shows them where particular businesses are in relation to their location.
For example, say you’re on holiday in Puerto Vallarta and you’re craving Chinese food. With a GPS-capable smartphone, you can simply type “Chinese restaurants” into your Google Maps application, and your smartphone will show you where the nearest Chinese restaurants are. You don’t have to type in your address–or even know what it is.
Here’s how you do it…
1. Go to Google Maps and run a search for your business. You should be listed, unless your business is so new it’s not even listed in the local Yellow Pages. When you see your listing, click on the “more info” link.
2. Click on the link that says “business owner.”
3. You will be taken to a page in Google’s Local Business Center where you can add, edit or suspend listings. Click on the “edit my business information” option.
4. You’ll be shown a long screen of information that you can edit and add to. Make the most of this listing. Not only can you make sure your phone number and address are correct, you can also add an e-mail address, your website URL (if you already have one. If not, you can return and add this information later), your hours of operation, your payment options and photos of your business. You can even add up to five YouTube-hosted videos to your listing!
5. Make sure the information about your business is correct, then click the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. Google will want to validate that you are the owner of your listing. It will send you a PIN code and activation instructions for the business address associated with your listing. You can then use that PIN to sign in and claim your listing. After that, you may edit your Google Maps listing as often as you want.
Congratulations! You have just completed your first internet marketing task.
But wait! What if you don’t see yourself listed? I’ve got you covered: Follow the instructions below to claim all your most pertinent listings. It only takes a few minutes to complete, but the payoff will be huge.
Google Info to Get Your Biz Listed:
Google’s local search results are available at http://maps.google.com. You can submit a free listing by logging in, but first you’ll need a Google Account.
Yahoo! Info to Get Your Biz Listed:
Yahoo!’s local search results are available at http://local.yahoo.com. Local listings are free, but listing enhancements can be purchased for up to $25 a month. You can submit your local listing here:
Bing Info To Get Your Biz Listed:
Yelp Info to Get Your Biz Listed:
Yelp is an online city guide made up of user-generated reviews. A listing here is most appropriate for consumer-oriented brick-and-mortar businesses, but could be used for any business.
- Read the Yelp business owners guide.
- To add a listing, first perform a search for your business name and location. If no results come up, you will see a large, red “Add Business” button on the page. You will need to sign up for a free Yelp account.
YellowPages.com Info to Get Your Biz Listed:
Yellowpages.com does offer a free listing. Follow the instruction and your listing here:
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