Are you confused about SEO and how to use it in your business?

by | SEO, Small Business solutions

For most seasoned website administrators, SEO remains the holy grail of any viable marketing strategy. It’s the key to Google’s treasured vault of 1.52 billion search engine users and by extension the definite trail to unlocking leads and creating conversions.

For you, a small business owner; however, it probably is just ‘Search Engine Optimization,’ the only route you know to reaching a bigger audience.  And if you look at it pragmatically, there’s really no need for it to get more complex than this.

While SEO can indeed become the anchor of a broader marketing strategy or the cornerstone on which a whole brand is built, for a small business without a mega marketing team and deep pockets, it’s usually better off being just a means to meet a clearly defined and simplified end.

If your goal, for starters, is to get things up and running with your website, and reaching a wider audience is your primal target, here’s how to get SEO to do just that for you.

Google (and your users) remember fast websites

A few decades ago a page load time of say 5 seconds was by no means out of the ordinary. In fact, a handful of major news publishing websites had load times that averaged more than 5 seconds. It wasn’t a big deal, and search engines weren’t making a fuss about it.

Today, however, on the backdrop of an internet space predominated by ‘impatient’ users, speed and faster page load times matter, a lot! Per eConsultancy, no less than 40% of visitors abandon a website with a page load time of more than three seconds. 80% of these visitors won’t return to that site, ever again. It comes as no surprise then when search engines blacklist slow websites, placing them foot side of organic search engine rankings in preference for better performing websites. Google implemented the protocol to do this way back in 2010.

The key takeaway for you as a small business owner is that fast websites are a must, not a negotiable luxury. Assess your site, make sure its returning content to users in lighting fast speed. If this is not the case, make conscious efforts to optimize it for better performance

Quality content is still king, forget what anyone says

When developing content for your site, it’s easy to get caught up in a keyword and content optimizing frenzy that borders on intentionally fine-tuning everything for web scripts and Google crawl bots. While this approach was at one time effective, SEO has long gone past that phase. We’re in an era where quality content, the kind that attracts real-life users and drives engagement rules over that created to essentially tick all the checkboxes of Google bots.

Don’t get me wrong, keywords still matter. But rather than base the content of your website on emphasizing a specific tranche of keywords, it’s usually a better strategy to develop content that appeals to users. Search engines have a way of compounding several metrics to see if the content on your site is actually value-creating as opposed to merely keyword-harvesting.
The first step to developing quality content is understanding the needs of your target audience (consumers). Will they love visual cues more than text-based material? Are you better off writing in a professional, friendly or conversational tone? What topics in your niche pulls the crowd? These are the sort of questions you need to start answering.

Inbound linking is still the undisputed Queen

Inbound links, i.e. links of your website on other websites remain one of the most surefire ways to gain accelerated visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). And no, we’re not encouraging you to go on a link farming spree, that’s black hat SEO, and even though it might deliver some results in the first instance, it’s almost always tailgated by a backlash of punitive measures from search engines.

Instead practice link building the right way, the way it was intended to be practiced. Focus on creating high-quality content that engages the audience and attracts other content curators. If you don’t relent in this game of churning out killer content, other sites will in time start incorporating bits of your work, before invariably proceeding to give you credit by way of inbound links.

The best part is this process is more of a positive feedback mechanism – the more quality inbound links, the better your reputation and authority; and the more other sites feel inclined to link more web pages to your site.

Make use of all the tools you can lay your hands on

One good thing about SEO today is that unlike in the past, it’s no longer a game of hide and seek. You can proactively monitor, track and micromanage every aspect of your SEO drive with a growing selection of SEO tools.

Need to know how your site is performing on Google search, Google Search Console, Google Analytics and a slew of other analytics software are just a click of the button away. Confused on what keywords need to be integrated into your content, take your pick from apps like SEMrush, Google planner and Google AdWords. If you need to know what visitors are doing on your website when they come online; there are apps for that too.

One app we’d certainly recommend over and above is Yoast SEO. It’s a lightweight and intuitive content moderation solution that keeps you on top of your SEO game, content-wise. Yoast SEO allows you to specify everything from your Meta description, slug, title and alt SEO text with consummate ease and in line with current industry best practices. Best of all there’s a free version for users who are on a budget.

Don’t underestimate social media and other traffic sources

With a heightened (and justifiable) focus on search engine traffic, it’s easy for small business owners to sideline other valuable traffic sources. Don’t place all your eggs in one basket. Cultivate a social media following and improve your brand image – together these two work to deliver a steady supply of both new and old visitors to your site.

It, however, goes past just ushering in new web visitors, aside from guaranteeing more predictable and less volatile traffic volume, social signals – the way people interact (likes, pins, shares, views, votes and everything else) with your social media content – play a big role in your overall search engine performance. It’s on the record that SEO experts Moz.com moved to the top of SERPs for the key phrase ‘Beginner’s guide’ only after their guide was tweeted out by The Smashing Magazine.

Finally, if you don’t have a Google My Business account, now is the best time to get one

How do you easily outrank the so-called authority websites for broad, established and competitive search queries? I’ll give you a hint; the answer is not related to link building, onsite SEO optimization, fast webpages or quality content. Yes, you guessed it right, it’s the rather simple easy-to-effectuate solution you’ve been ignoring for too long – your Google Business Account.

In its last few search engine updates, Google has increasingly placed a heightened emphasis on local businesses. By virtue of this, registered businesses have a higher SERP priority especially in local searches for keywords related to the service they offer. Simply register your business and get a part of the SERP juice you deserve.

I hope these tips have helped you understand how to better use SEO in your small online business.

If you’re looking for more great resources for your business click here and access my subscriber hub

Rookie mistakes not to make during a summit

by | Blog, Telesummits

When properly executed, telesummits are able to quickly add value, credibility, and hopefully customers to your business. When done right, they increase your visibility, spread your brand, and build strong relationships that will greatly benefit your business in the near and far future – but what happens when they’re done poorly? 

Well, nothing good, as I’m sure you can imagine.  

 

Telesummits are online multi-speaker events, much like virtual conferences, that are meant to assemble multiple experts in order to educate a large audience on a specific subject. After selecting your topic, assembling your collection of speakers and properly interviewing them, the online event is scheduled and then launched, usually meant to last a few days for a substantial audience.

Most commonly, speakers and interviews (or classes) are recorded in advance in order to ensure a smooth summit, though occasionally a brave soul will volunteer to host one live in order to answer audience questions. Due to the speakers you’ve chosen and the topic you’ve advertised, your audience will likely be larger than you normally see on your own since it’s a compilation of all your speakers’ platforms and other “outsiders” interested in your topic.

What could go wrong with this?
Rookie Summit Mistakes To Avoid Making

  1. Not planning ahead.If you fail to plan ahead for you telesummit, then you’ll run into countless issues and miss out on multiple opportunities, including but not limited to:
  • Scheduling conflicts with speakers and recording interviews.
  • Upsell or down-sell opportunities.
  • Networking opportunities.
  • Landing pages and access page creation for your telesummit.
  • Promotion schedules, marketing materials, marketing campaigns, etc.
  • Autoresponder emails and connections.
  • Forgotten content, jumbled answers, unorganized schedules.

Telesummits take a lot of time and organization in order to proceed smoothly, without hiccups or glitches. It’s not something you can just pull together in a few hours or days, so be sure to take your time, consider all the details, and allow at least 2 months to plan a good, beneficial telesummit.

  1. Not asking for help.A telesummit is actually a huge investment of time and effort. They consist of a lot of details and require a great deal of organization. While you might be good at accomplishing these things, consider employing the help of:
  • A telesummit coordinator
  • A copywriter or editor
  • A coach

While these things might sound trivial and useless, you’d be surprised at how much it helps to have another set of eyes editing your content, scheduling your videos, and making sure all of your links work during a launch.

 

  1. Not testing everything before launch.This is a huge mistake that could be detrimental to the success of your telesummit. If you miss this step, then you’ll end up with multiple typos, faulty web pages, unpublished landing pages, failing emails, or more. Before you launch your telesummit, be sure to check:
  • Links. Watch out for broken links, placeholders, and 404 errors.
  • Buttons. Make sure the buttons that are clickable lead to where they’re supposed to.
  • Spelling or grammar errors. Proofread absolutely everything, including the names of all of your speakers, titles, headings, etc. Typos will present you as unprofessional.
  • All videos and photos. Make sure they load and show up where they’re supposed to.
  • Guest offers. Opt-ins for any of your guests should work as expected 

Remember that a telesummit should be fun rather than stressful, irritating, or overwhelming. Enjoy the process, talk about things that are enjoyable to you, and keep your content interesting and beneficial to your audience.
While these are some of the most common mistakes made for beginner telesummit starters, there are surely more. Be sure to consider your marketing and monetizing plan for the telesummit, be sure to network with your chosen speakers and be sure to give your audience good content.

Wanting to host a telesummit but not sure where to start? Overwhelmed by all the details? I can help! I’ve been helping online business owners run successful, lucrative telesummits for years! I know all the tricks and most effective strategies for running an enjoyable, empowering summit.

>>>YES!! I would love to chat about hosting a telesummit and get support!!

I look forward to meeting you soon!

Do you think telesummits are still popular?

by | Blog, Telesummits

Happy New Year! 

Are you excited about this coming year? 

I took some extra time off this past holiday season to recharge my batteries and it did me a lot of good. I had time to relax, spend quality time with family, read a good book (and binge watch When Calls the Heart on Netflix) and of course I took time to plan my business goals for 2019. 

 

One of the items on my to do list for this year is to host another telesummit. If you’ve never attended or heard of a telesummit before, then think of it like an online conference. There’s usually a theme for the entire summit, meaning that it’s abundantly clear who the conference is for and what the attendees will get from it. This not only helps your desired audience find your telesummit, but it also helps you provide excellent structure.  

For example, an online marketing agency might design a telesummit to talk about different techniques business owners can use to increase sales via strategic online marketing. The telesummit organizer will then find a number of speakers to participate in the summit, all of whom bring their own expertise and advice on the chosen topic, thereby enriching the experience for attendees and making the summit an irresistible buy.  

The organizer usually has a lot of helpful information to share, but by bringing in other experts, you not only network and collaborate, but you also offer a bigger incentive for people to attend your telesummit.  

A telesummit is often scheduled to last between 3 to 10 days with 1 to 5 speakers sharing information each day at predetermined times. All of this must be planned out, carefully organized, accurately scheduled, and properly timed before the summit can begin. 

Sound daunting? There are many details to organize, but with the right support, you can run a successful and effective telesummit to boost your online business! 

Why Host a Telesummit? 
There are a lot of good reasons for hosting a telesummit, but here are just 3 for you to keep in mind:  

Increase Reach & Visibility
This is a great way to reach a lot of people relatively inexpensively and comparatively easily. Think about it this way: there aren’t a lot of ways to reach thousands upon thousands of warm (or even hot) leads all at once, but a telesummit helps you do exactly that. Hosting a telesummit helps you grow your audience, due to the cumulative reach of all the speakers you’ll have involved. Not only that, but if you’ve focused your telesummit properly, then all the people attending your telesummit will actually be interested in the services you provide, making them warm leads looking for your help.

Give Great Value To Your Audience
Your summit will create a lot of value (and you will learn a lot!). With all of the speakers you’ll hopefully invite and all the information they’re bound to share, not only will your audience learn a boatload of golden information, but you’ll most likely learn some new things as well. By getting to know your guest speakers and listening to anything they have to share with your summit audience, you’ll likely come away with many ideas for how you can improve your own business. Not only that, but your audience will come away with such enriching information (which is the real goal here). Never underestimate the benefits of networking and collaborating with other like-minded people or sharing helpful information with a potential customer.

Become A Leader In Your Field
You’re positioning yourself as a leader in your field. By organizing an online conference like this, you’re not only putting yourself in a position where your desired customers see you as a leader, but where businesses much like yours see you as a leader as well. This opens the doors to collaboration opportunities, growing your email lists, growing your customer base, and much, much more. Who wouldn’t want that?

Organizing, scheduling, and making sure everything runs smoothly can be a lot of work, but working with an expert in telesummits can ensure you and your participants have a great experience. 

I have been helping online business owners run successful telesummits (over 200 last count) for over 5 years! If you’re ready to take the leap into this new experience, let’s talk! I’ve opened up some space on my calendar for consultations where we can create a blueprint for your telesummit and see if I’m the right fit for you. 

>>>Click here to register for a strategy call with me.

Spaces fill up quickly this time of year, so reserve your appointment now! 

How To Do A Digital Detox During The Holidays

by | Blog

It’s the holiday season, which is a truly spectacular time of year for many people but can often lead to overwhelming circumstances for others. It can be difficult to remain present among your family and friends or to enjoy the simple moments of the season, with all the stresses and pressures of daily life creeping up on you in phone updates and emails.

Perhaps you might consider taking a break from the abundance of sensory overload this holiday season! If you’re feeling the need to detox your brain and body, to break free from all the stressors and devices holding you hostage, or to simply have more time to spend with your loved ones, then consider a dedicated digital detox. 

Here’s how you can manage one this holiday season!

How To Do A Digital Detox During The Holidays

Spending time away from your cellular device, TV, or computer is going to be much more difficult than you might anticipate. Whether you decide to detox from digital devices for a few hours every day, a few full days at a time, or even the entire holiday season, be prepared for some difficulty ahead! 

The truth is that technology has brought human beings limitless opportunities to gain insight, understanding, and connection in the world today, which is honestly wonderful, but there are also endless distractions and side effects we forget that we rely on. You might find yourself far more attached than you originally realized when you make the attempt to disconnect, so be sure to set some rules, have realistic expectations, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

Beyond that, here are 5 tips for getting through the holidays on a digital detox:

Remember that escaping noise and distractions is good for your health. If you’re like many of us you might find that you frequently check your phone for texts, social updates, emails, work notifications, and more throughout the entire day. You might find that you habitually check your phone without any real reason to, or that you spend multiple pointless hours on social media, reading news articles, or watching Youtube videos every day. Not only does staring at a screen for hours on end lead to digital eye strain, but it also uses up a lot of time that could have been spent on more productive, healthy, or family-oriented things. Giving your eyes a break from this strain will help your eyesight, but it will also boost your productivity and give you much more time to spend with people you love or on things you enjoy.

Relearn how to entertain yourself without the use of a digital device. In today’s day and age, we often think that television shows, video games, or social media surfing are the only ways to get real entertainment, but that simply isn’t true. Try playing some games, going for walks, picking up a hobby, or just enjoying time spent in other people’s company this holiday season. Read a book, or read multiple books! Spend some effort learning new ways to have fun and enjoy your time rather than resorting to a digital device to entertain you.

Hide your phone. Now, this doesn’t mean you should put it in a place you’ll never find it since you probably need your phone to be handy in case of any emergencies or just out of plain necessity. Instead of keeping it face-up and within reach, however, put your phone somewhere out of reach with the screen face-down or covered so every little notification doesn’t disturb you. You can be sure to keep the sound on high so you’ll know if someone calls or texts, but this way you won’t feel a desperate need to check every single notification that pops up.

Delete your social apps. Things like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are great for keeping up with distant friends and family, but they’re also really good at distracting you from the what’s going on in the moment. Consider uninstalling these apps for the holidays and re-installing them once the holidays are over. You can catch up with all your notifications and random Facebook suggestions later.

Mark a physical calendar with the rules of your detox. Whether it’s for a few hours every day, multiple days in a row, or the entire season, be sure you know how long your digital “fast” is and don’t leave it up to checking your devices for a reminder. Make sure you’re clear about the rules of your detox and let anyone you care about know that you’ll catch up with them after the holidays. Then prepare to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy your time with family!

I hope you enjoyed these 5 digital detox tips!!

Have a wonderful week!

Robyn Bennett 

PS: If you’re looking to start the New Year on the right foot schedule a call with me now where I can help you make your next launch a success! Click here to schedule now!