Tag Archives: SEO

10 Tiny Tips for 2014 Small Business Success

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In the spirit of end of 2013 lists I wanted to share with you my top 10 tips to help your business succeed in 2014. They’re TINY because I know time is limited….and the less to read the better! SO, here goes!

  1. Get your website in order. It should be easy to navigate. Don’t make people work for it!
  2. Figure out what your business/you stand for. ie. are you upscale and chic or friendly and knowledgeable.
  3. Talk to potential clients about what you can do for THEM. It’s all about them, not you!
  4. Implement basic SEO on your website. Help potential clients find you more easily.
  5. Track, track, track! Use Google Analytics to track your website info and help make every thing you do even better.
  6. Use words your clients use, not jargon. ie. Instead of “RMT”, say “Massage Therapist”. Instead of “vestibular disorder” use “vertigo”.
  7. 
Be inclusive. You never know where a connection or business will come from. (and it’s good in life too!)
  8. Have a marketing plan. If you know where you’re going you’re more likely to get there, and waste way less time!
  9. Pick fewer social media and do a better job using them.
  10. If you really dislike doing something (ie. Marketing!) outsource it as soon as you can.

If you want a little help getting your business to the next level, check out this Small Business Marketing Workshop in Toronto. (with an early-bird signup before Jan 16)

For more tips directly to your inbox sign up for my super-useful small business marketing newsletter.

Feel free to add your own tip for small business success below…..and best of luck in 2014!!

5 Ways to Get More Website Visits!

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If you’re anything like me, you’re happy to have visitors coming to your website, and happier if you don’t have to work too hard to get them there!

In order to help you with this, here are five ways to increase the number of visitors to your website.

1. Optimize your website


SEO Title Tag

Title Tag

I think this is a really efficient way to bring more people to your website. By using keywords in specific places (ie. the description) people will be more easily able to find your website. Small businesses take note: you can often do the basics yourself and it’s free. Here’s an article I wrote that will help you optimize your website.

2. Build backlinks 

Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. They’re great for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you should receive visitors to your website through the site on which you’ve listed your business.

And secondly, Google sees backlinks as a “vote of confidence” for your website, and the more you have (especially from credible websites) the higher you’ll show up in Google searches.

Yelp Review Marketing TorontoIn Canada I’d recommend listing your business on any websites/directories that are specific to your industry, plus Google Maps and Yelp. (Yelp is an online review website….so you’ll want to ask former clients to post reviews of your services.)

Here’s another list of websites (US and Canadian) where you can list your business.

3. Join a social media, and actually use it

Most small businesses know that part of a good marketing plan can involve using social media. However, they sign up for Twitter or Facebook (or any other social media) then don’t actually participate.

If you’re regularly using any social media you’ll not only be able to connect with people and they’ll look up your website themselves, but you can also direct people to your website (via special offers or blog postings). Also Google will also see that you’re active and you’ll rank higher in search.

4. Use Google PPC – pay per click advertising


Google adwordsThese are the ads people see when performing a search, and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

Small businesses can really benefit from Google AdWords because it allows you to control your costs by setting a maximum daily spend. It’s also valuable because it shows you what words or phrases bring the most number of visitors to your website. It does take a bit of time to setup and get working though.

5. Share content (ie. blog posts) on other websites
If you’re already writing a blog, or articles, consider sharing them on other websites.

This helps the other website by providing them with a new and interesting article to share with their readers. And it helps your business because it introduces you to a whole new group of people. (Include your website in your byline!)

So there you have it! Hope these keep the visitors rolling in to your website!

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For more information on how I can help your company, visit my Toronto Marketing Services page, or email me.

Simple SEO to Get More Business

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If one of your goals is to get more clients one of the easiest and least expensive ways to do so is to optimize your website. I can’t tell you what a difference this can make for your business – it’s that important! Below are some basic SEO tips that aren’t overly technical.

First, a couple of definitions:
“SEO” stands for Search Engine Optimization, and “optimizing” is just a short form of SEO.
“Meta tags” are information contained in the code of your website that give information to web browsers and search engines.

1. Use Relevant Keywords
In my opinion this is the #1 most important thing you need to know in order to attract more clients. Find out what words or phrases your potential clients are using to find you or your competitors. 

The Google Adwords keyword generator tool is an invaluable free resource to figure this out. You can even use the keyword tool to find out what keywords and phrases people are using for your competitors websites!

Now, where to use those keywords…..

2. Include a Title Meta Tag

SEO Title Tag

Title Tag

The title tag is like the title of a book – it tells people what your website (or specific page) is all about.

And just like people judge a book by it’s cover, they’ll also judge your website by it’s title. Use keywords people are actually searching for. ie. if I’m searching for “small business marketing” I likely won’t click on something that doesn’t have a similar term in the title (or description)

Also, title tags should ideally be 65 characters or less. Any more and you risk the title being cut off.

3. Include a Description Meta Tag

A description meta tag explains the content of the page. It’s often (though not always) used in search engine results pages, so it’s important to include keywords that are relevant to what people might be looking for. 

Description tags should ideally be between 150 – 156 characters long.

If you use WordPress, I’d recommend the “Add Meta Tags” plugin; you can enter both title and description meta tags for each page very easily with this plugin.

meta tag description

Description Meta Tag

4. Add “alt” Tags for Images

Image Meta Tag

Where to insert Image Meta Tag

Did you know people can find your website through photos and images? That’s why it’s a good idea to include “Alternative text” for your images. This is what people will see if images don’t load, and also Google uses it to figure out what your website is all about.

Alt tags images

Get found by using Alt image tags

In WordPress you can set the “Alternative Text” and “Description” right when you upload the image.

And, take a look below at all the images that come up when I searched for my website — these are all from my website, blog and Facebook pages.

There is *always* more you can do to improve optimize your website. The above is a bit time consuming – you have to have different title and description tags for each page of your website, but you’ll find it’s worth it.

If you have any questions about SEO or want me to help with yours, just email me.

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