Archive for Blog
Duplicate Content and Article Marketing Exposed
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There is a lot of confusion about duplicate content and article marketing online, especially when it comes to whether you should publish an article on your website and then distribute it to article directories. As most of us know, the king of search engines is Google and getting your content to show up in key word searches is crucial.
So, I’d like to do a little debunking and get some answers.
Duplicated or syndicated content has been frowned upon because it can take away traffic away from your website. For example, if you submit an article on ezine and have a duplicate article on your website, you don’t want all the traffic to go to ezine, right? In the same respect, you also want your blog posts, press releases, forum posts, social networking, and the like to be working for you, not competing with your primary website.
Here are some ways to duplicate content and article marketing work for you:
Repurpose: The idea of repurposing is to take one idea and rewrite or repurpose it in various ways. If you repurpose an article, you can be strategic about your content and drive traffic to your website first and foremost.
Repurpose tip: Your website should have the original and best version of the article. Your job, then, is to take that article and make a few subtle changes. One suggestion is to change the headline, first paragraph, and those final sentences where you emphasize your point for the last time.
Don’t duplicate on your website: What this means is that if you have two web pages on your domain with virtually the same content, Google is going to get confused and ignore one of them.
Duplication tip The most important part here is actually your titles and meta tags. Make sure they are different on each page. If you’ve got duplicate content due to having a printer friendly version of a webpage on your site, do Google a favor and block search engines from indexing the printer friendly version. In this way you’re actually going to get more hits on your content because the page you want people to find is getting indexed correctly. Also, be sure to use relevant keywords and descriptions—and make sure each of your web pages is unique.
There are many article directories out there and ways to truly leverage great content. Make sure your duplicate content and article marketing efforts are distributed and repurposed correctly for best results.
Multiply Your Facebook Fan Base
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Now that Facebook Fan Pages have gotten rid of the wording “Become a Fan” and replaced it with the “Like button,” chances are more fans will be showing their support. This new language makes it simple to capture the interest of fans. As fan pages are shared and promoted, this is the perfect opportunity to expand your fan base.
Rather than following the standard strategy of creating a fan page and inviting all your friends at once, there is a smarter approach. In the article 21 Creative Ways to Increase Your Facebook Fanbase, some good suggestions are given. Here are some highlights:
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Use your email list to invite subscribers. Since these are people who have already shown interest in your website, utilize them first by encouraging them to become fans and write on your fan page wall. In addition, you also also include a link to your fan page with any email signature. Remember, your fan page is an extension of your website and just as important to promote.
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Put Facebook widgets on your website. This is a softer way to advertise your fan page to interested users. Above the widget, write an action headline to entice visitors to become a fan and use the “Like button.” Use Twitter and Linked in as well to promote your fan page.
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Create a good landing page on Facebook. Just like your website, a strong landing or welcome page for a fan page is important. Consider incorporating video and interactive elements, such as encouraging comments.
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Use Facebook advertisements. Now that the “Like button” is in place, more Facebook users are going to press it. Use Facebook advertisements to get your name out there and encourage fans to join in.
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Add Google Analytics to your fan page. Facebook now has a Google Analyics tracker device that is free and easy to use. Check out the article How to Add Google Analytics to your Facebook Fan Page and follow the 3 steps that are outlined. After all, your fan page is an extension of your website, so tracking visitors is important.
As you can see, it’s an exciting time to multiply your Facebook fans. Try out some of these tips and let me know how it works for you.
60 Seconds to Using Twitter Hashtags
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Twitter hashtags are kind of a mystery if you’re new to Twitter or have never used them. Even if you’re a power user on Twitter, it’s still good to brush up on hashtags and how to best utilize them. They are actually one of the most simple and interesting features on Twitter.
If you’re not familiar, a Twitter hashtag is a phrase or name contained in a Tweet message with the # symbol listed (i.e., #jobs). Basically, it’s a way of identifying a subject so that others with the same interest will read and find your Tweet. All hashtags with the same phrase are categorized so that if you write a Tweet with #jobs in it, your Tweet will automatically be listed with all the others mentioning the same hashtag. As long as your profile is public, your Tweet will be in a searchable list. This is a great way for finding people with similar interests and phrases surrounding a key word.
It’s kind of like putting key words into Google, only you’re doing it through the platform of Twitter hashtags. Because you don’t want to see every Tweet with the words “job,” adding the #jobs hashtag is simply an easier way to search.
There is no formal or official way to use hashtags, but the practice seems to have evolved over time. On Twitter you’ll notice that are trending topics based on hashtags. The trending topics change daily, depending on things going on in the world, and they are especially popular during natural disasters. According to Mashable, hashtags became popular in 2007 during the San Diego wildfires with the #sandiegofires making the rounds on Twitter.
These days, Twitter hashtags have expanded to cover businesses, networking and sporting events, conferences, and pretty much anything in the popular media. While the trending topics come and go, some hashtags have stood the test of time. For example, #followfriday is a recommendation of Twitter users that are worth following. This phrase, which started as one weekly hashtag on a Friday, turned into an international and daily phenomenon. Do a search for “followfriday” and you’ll see what I mean.
To find more ways about using hashtags, read my article, A Guide to Twitter Hashtags.
Tips for Getting Enthusiastic Customers
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After reading the blog post Secrets to Earning Passionate Fans, I wanted to chime in about some good customer relations tips. To summarize, the post talks about some of the things that set apart customers from fans, and why some businesses are simply liked, while others are loved. What sets these businesses apart? Is it what they are selling or what they are doing or a mix?
Well, it turns out that for the most part these are the businesses that go the extra mile and do it deliberately. They do things like giving away goodies, working to improve employee relations, and thinking of customers first. Notice, I said they do these things deliberately. An action, when done deliberately, is obvious to a customer base and people will sit up and take notice.
For example, one Canadian company is sending out “humble pies” for their mistakes to customers (yes, these are actual apple pies!). Another bicycle company in Connecticut lets customers test-drive bikes without any form of ID required. Other businesses, including my own, make donations to important charities, like breast cancer research.
When working to create a business that people love and rave about, some other important tips include focusing on reliability, good hiring and employee relations, and making sure that the employees understand the greater purpose of your business. These are some great customer relation tips to try out in your own practice.
You see, when you’ve got a loyal and enthusiastic fan base, you’ve got a surge of word of mouth marketing. This is basically free marketing and takes no time or effort on your part, other than continuing to provide great products that your fan base love and having a platform for them to interact.
What special things could you do?
Do You Really Need a Privacy Policy for Your Website?
Posted by: | CommentsAsk yourself this: do you ever bother to visit a website’s tab labeled “privacy policy,” even when it’s right there, on the site’s home page? Most likely, the answer is no. So why then should you bother to invest your precious time and internet real estate on a post explaining your own website’s privacy policy? Is having a privacy policy on your site’s home page really that important?
The simple answer is yes, absolutely!
A well-conceived privacy policy not only protects your users, but also your company and your website. The question then becomes, what should you include in your website’s privacy policy?
If you actively collect data from your visitors, such as an newsletter sign-up form, then you must announce this in your privacy policy, however redundant this may seem. You also need to state what you will do — or more importantly, what you promise not to do — with their personal information. But what if you don’t have an email submission box on your website? Are you then exempt from this disclosure?
The simple answer is no, you are not!
For instance, do you use an analytics program, such as Google’s? Most webmasters do, and that constitutes user information collection, however indirectly.
There are basic elements that should be included in every website privacy policy:
- Basic Terms & Conditions (note that any changes to these must be posted immediately)
- Notice of User Consent
- Description of the Information Collected
- Explanation of How that Information is Used
- Contact Information with E-mail Address & Phone Number (should the user have privacy questions or concerns)
While it is fine to borrow the basic language of another website’s policy when formulating your own, it is crucial that you tailor it so that it reflects your site’s own, unique policy. It is a good idea to check with the privacy policy requirements of any advertising and affiliate programs your site employs, to ensure you’ve covered your bases.
As with most legal documentation, you may only need that website policy once in a blue moon, if ever. But, like an insurance policy, come the one time you do need it, it will be there to protect your users, your business, and your site!
