Consider the fact that a Facebook fan page is nothing ore than a web page. Search engine optimization works wonders with web pages, and social media sites are no different.
Using SEO techniques to optimize your Facebook Fan Page content and hyperlinks can result in impressive ranking that puts your business at the top of results for relevant searches. Apply a few optimization strategies to your fan page and watch impact on the traffic your page receives as a result.
Provide regular status updates. The more content you provide on your fan page (e.g. hyperlinks, photos, video, etc.) the better. It gives your fans something to look forward to, encourages community discussion and invaluable feedback. Make sure to respond to fan comments regularly. It encourages participation.
Your Facebook page should include the name of your business. The name of your Facebook page will be the first thing people see in the search engine results. It only makes sense to include the name of your business when assigning a name to your page. If possible, include researched keywords in your page name as well.
Spend time developing your “about” box. The about box is basically a profile for your company. Make sure to add relevant content descriptions using targeted keywords. This is important since this is the only area on your page that allows you to customize your content that will provide the search engines with vital information about your page.
Customize your page. A customized page signals credibility to anyone who comes across it. To be honest there’s not much customizing you can do on Facebook. You can, however, alter the appearance of the tabs on your page.
While there is no one Internet marketing strategy that works for everyone, article marketing still has the ability to give websites and blogs a pretty significant search engine boost. Why does it still work so well? Two reasons: unique, compelling content and inbound links.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of helping a site rank high in the search engine inquiries. Be aware that you’ll often find lots of “gurus” sharing tips, tricks and other methods to improve a site’s search engine rank, but it’s best to avoid black hat SEO strategies like keyword stuffing, link farming, cloaking, etc. because of possible penalties. You’re much better off sticking to these legitimate, proven SEO methods:
• Provide readers with quality, relevant content
• Make your site user friendly
• Create inbound links to your site
Why inbound links work so well
Article marketing involves writing informative, interesting 400-500 word articles your audience wants to read. It’s important to optimize your content with one to five researched keyword terms sprinkled throughout the content so that anyone searching for those terms on the web can access them.
Submit your article to article directories making sure that your name and website appears at the bottom of the article, also known as the author box. This is where the power of inbound linking lies. As your article spreads across the Internet, so does the link to the website you’re promoting. Each time someone clicks on the link in your author box, it redirects them to your website. This is what makes article marketing one of the fastest, most effective ways of promoting your website.
Increase the chances of readers clicking your inbound links and increase visitor traffic to your website with these tips:
• Write well-organized articles free of spelling and grammatical errors.
• Focus on a specific niche related to your website. This is essential for Google ranking and establishes you as an expert on your topic.
• Remember your keywords – article directories give you the opportunity to use HTML code to hyperlink keywords in the resource box to show the search engines which keywords need to be associated with your site.
Your USP, or unique selling proposition, is what sets you apart from your competitors in a good way. It’s not just a slogan although one of the best USPs I know of belongs to Domino’s Pizza: “Fresh, hot pizza in 30 minutes or less.” It should give your customers the idea that no other product or service compares to yours.
Your USP Should Fill a Need
Your USP will be an important part of branding. If you’re just getting started and have yet to develop a USP, here’s a useful tip that might help. Start by saying: “Unlike most businesses…,” and try filling in the blanks with all of the things that set you apart from your competitors.
Highlight something special
You can also develop your USP by highlighting a unique feature or benefit only you provide. The key to creating a successful USP is to create one that fills a void, or solves a problem, in the market. Make no mistake, every business needs a USP.
If you want to know whether or not your web copy is doing what it should – converting customers – there are five questions it should be able to answer. You don’t need fancy copywriting skills. As long as your web copy answers these five questions, you’re in good shape:
What is the problem?
It’s important to diagnose the problem because some members of your target audience may not even be aware that a problem exists. Here is where you can bring it to their attention.
Once your readers recognize the problem, you have to show them that you understand and care about helping them solve it.
Why isn’t there a solution to the problem?
This step is essential to help build your reader’s anticipation of your solution. You need to address reasons why there is still a problem and the consequences of this lingering situation.
What can be done?
This is where you encourage your readers to begin thinking about the possibilities of finding a solution. For example, if your reader’s problem is acid reflux after eating certain foods, your goal is to help them picture the possibility of being able to eat those foods again without stomach discomfort.
How will things change?
This is your opportunity to introduce who you are and how your product or service can solve the problem. Your UPS (unique selling proposition) is the perfect way to communicate this. Your USP should be the thing that makes you different from your competitors in a good way.
What can be done?
Answering the previous questions helps lead your audience to realize that you may just have the answer. Now you instruct your audience to do what you wanted them to do from the very beginning: buy, register, sign up, call, etc. This is commonly known as the call to action.
Answer these five questions in your web copy and start making sales.
By now you probably know that people online are not reading your content word for word. The quickness and convenience of surfing the web has made online users impatient, so it’s important to make sure that the information you provide online is scannable.
What makes web copy scannable?
Scannable copy makes it easy to get the gist of what’s written just by quickly skimming a web page. A reader will automatically stop to read more closely when something catches the eye.
Tips for writing scannable copy
Understanding how to write your own scannable copy is important – especially if you have important information to share, or have a product or service to sell. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1) Use bulleted lists
2) Highlight important information by using bold or italics to help readers scan your web content more easily
3) Write clear, meaningful subheads so that readers know exactly what each section is about
4) Keep your paragraphs and sentences tight and short. It’s okay to have one or two sentence paragraphs.
5) Write in a conversational style that is easy to follow.
6) Follow the inverted paragraph style of writing. Provide readers with a summary of the important information and conclusions first followed by less important supporting details.
If businesses and entrepreneurs knew just how something as simple as blogging can increase online traffic, visibility and provide an opportunity to get their target market’s feedback and opinions, there be thousands more blogs than there already are. A blog is one of the cheapest ways to promote your online, or offline, business. If you don’t already have a blog, consider the following:
1) The financial investment for setting up a blog is almost nothing. Who wouldn’t mind being able to effectively promote their business on the cheap in this economy?
You can purchase a domain and hosting at an insanely low price. Blog platforms like Word Press and Type Pad are relatively simple to use. You could invest in having your blog designed and set up for you, but it’s not necessary if you have a bit of technical expertise. Otherwise, it’s a wise investment.
2) Blogs are very “Google-friendly.” Blogs are generally structured in such a way that search engines tend to boost their ranking as long as there is a steady supply of content published. This means more visibility for your business, especially if your blog is an extension of your website.
3) Blogging is easy. Some people are intimidated by blogging in the beginning. They are shocked to discover just how easy it really is to publish content. You simple write (and proof read) your text and then upload it. That’s it.
The biggest challenge of blogging, besides increasing traffic to the site is keeping your readers supplied with fresh, interesting content. Content is the lifeline of your blog. Update posts at least every other day to really reap the benefits.
