Internet Marketing | Mirna Bard - Part 3

Category : Internet Marketing

Ask Mirna: How Crucial is SEO for an E-Commerce Business?
Posted Mar 2nd, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Ask Mirna, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | No Comments

QUESTION:

“Hi Mirna. Just how crucial it is for a start up e-commerce business to invest in an SEO campaign, and when would you say is the best time to do that?” — Ali Badruddin

ANSWER:

This is a very common question and most e-commerce business owners fail to budget for (search engine optimization) SEO into their start-up plans. SEO for e-retailers is as important as e-commerce site functions and the products you are selling. Many end up spending a fortune on web site design neglecting to save dollars for SEO. This is a huge mistake because majority of online users go to the search engines to research products so it will do you no good if your site shows up beyond page one or two of the search results for your targeted keywords.

SEO should start at the conception of the web site during the web design phase. During this stage you will be making design decisions that will either benefit or damage your SEO efforts. Starting early can save you from having to put more time, effort, and money in re-designing the site later.

I recommend starting right away even if you start slow. If you are looking to outsource this time-consuming task make sure you do your due diligence and search for the right SEO firm or web developer who have experience with e-commerce sites. Unless you are doing the optimization yourself, I would budget at least 20-30% of your investment into search engine optimization since this an ongoing process and not something you stop and finish.

If you would like to get your questions answered by Mirna, please visit the Ask Mirna page.
5 SEO Scams to Avoid
Posted Jan 28th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 7 Comments

As a business owner, you know that search engine optimization (SEO) is important. Without it, your website will languish in anonymity. It can be very easy to get obsessed with getting higher rankings and more traffic, something that everyone wants. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people out there who prey on those desires to make your website the best that it can be and they set up scams to trap unsuspecting website owners.

It’s easy to be lured by a site that offers extra traffic or better SEO and while there are certainly plenty of legit operations out there. Here are five scams that you should be aware of.

1. Submitting to thousands of search engines.

This is a scam that has been around for quite some time. You pay a sum of money (usually astonishingly low for the service) and your URL will be submitted to not 10, not 50, but hundreds or even thousands of search engines. It sounds great because you figure that you’ll be covered no matter where people are searching, right?

Wrong. Most of the sites your website is submitted to are actually spam sites that may even pay the scammer for your site. You’ll be getting hundreds of spam emails from them which are a waste of time and energy and certainly not worth paying someone for.

2. Your URL submitted to 500 directories.

We all know that getting backlinks is very important and can raise our value in the eyes of the search engines, but just how smart is it to submit to 500 directories? Not very. The reason for this is because first of all, there aren’t that many good directories. The vast majority are link farms (yes, they still exist) which can actually lower the value of your URL. Google in particular notes when your URL shows up in “bad neighborhoods”. The second reason this is a bad idea is that Google gets suspicious when a brand new site abruptly gains 500 backlinks within 24 hours. You could end up in the sandbox or otherwise penalized for your “SEO” techniques.

3. An insider.

You’ll actually find that some SEO companies claim to have someone inside Google. This can be pretty appealing for several reasons, but it is 99.9% unlikely to be true. Even if someone were spilling the secrets of the search engine giant, it is an every changing algorithm, meaning that it would be virtually impossible to keep up with the changes. The algorithm is also far more complex than most people imagine, making it virtually impossible to crack completely and actually implement everything.

That being said, having someone on the inside could be useful in making sure your site is in the top results for your chosen keyword, but what happens when the mole is discovered, as they always are? Play it safe and stick to real SEO tactics.

4. Guaranteed top spots in Google.

Every website owner dreams of seeing his or her site in the top results for their chosen keywords, but the truth is that this is just not always possible. It’s quite ridiculous for anyone to promise it, since they can’t actually guarantee anything when it comes to Google. Even the masters move up and down in the rankings on a consistent basis and that is totally normal . . . but unpredictable.

Something else to look out for is which phrases they are guaranteeing top ranking for. Often these will be long tail keyword phrases that no one is actually looking for. You could easily rank for these on your own with minimal effort, but what’s the point?

5. Trade Secrets

Run away from anyone who claims it’s too complicated to understand and they fail to fully disclose and explain everything that is being done to your site. They tell you these are trade secrets; they can’t discuss their proprietary technology, or speak in quasi-mystical jargon and non-specific terms.

Real SEO experts have a true interest in their field and enjoy educating their clients about the details. They don’t hold anything back and more than willing to share the whole process with you.

What other SEO scams have you heard of?
5 Ways to Spot a Social Media Scam
Posted Jan 11th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Internet Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking With | 4 Comments

We all know that there are scams everywhere these days, but most people don’t really know what to look for in social media. How do you know when something is a scam or when they are actually as expert as they say? It can be difficult, but there are a few signs that will let you know when something isn’t right.

1. Promises of earning money. Social media is great for networking and making valuable business connections. It’s not great for earning money. If someone promises that you can build a full income with their help on Twitter or Facebook, steer away. You may earn indirectly, by driving traffic to your website or email list, but actually earning with social media is not very likely and people who suggest this are usually trying to get your information or charging a fee for their “expertise”.

2. Too many automated announcements. Some people do use auto announcements on Twitter or other forms of social networking sites, but if you see one particular program being used everywhere and the same exact message is sent out, you should investigate before falling for it. Many scams have been perpetuated this way, with the same exact message being sent out through hundreds or even thousands of users. Do your research, and then check out the actual site if you feel it’s a good idea.

3. Links take you to different sites. In some cases, what is being announced on the social media network doesn’t match the link. The text is only designed to make you want to check out the link, where you may be prompted to download something or sign up for something to give away your personal information.

4. People befriend you only to pump products. It’s happened to all of us, you start following someone who followed you on Twitter and they start sending you DMs trying to sell you something. While this could just be very aggressive marketing, in some cases, it is far more serious and can lead to actual scams that people are promoting. Pyramid schemes are particularly popular for this since they get people to sign up under the belief they can earn hundreds by following a few simple steps, which unfortunately involve spamming everyone in their social network with the scheme.

5. Ask you to give out too much information. Facebook is particularly bad for this in that many apps there feign harmlessness but request far too much information for their purposes. Be careful whenever anyone is asking you for information that could be used to guess your passwords or even your “secret question” for recovering passwords on some sites.

Social media is a great way to brand yourself, get your business recognized and drive traffic to your site, but the fact remains that these sites are also ripe with scams. A little common sense and some investigation can go a long way toward preventing problems with scammers, so stay alert!

What scams have you seen on the Internet?
7 Questions You Should Ask Your SEO Firm
Posted Jan 2nd, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing With | 3 Comments

SEO firms or consultants can be of great benefit to your business, but unfortunately, there are some frauds out there. You can’t just assume that someone is an expert in the field because he says he is. It’s up to you, the consumer, to take the time to do your due diligence, but the following questions can help you get a straight answer and figure out if the company is the right one for you.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

1. How long have you been in business? A company that has only just started might not be legit. That’s not to say that no new company is trustworthy, but you will want to know more about the people behind it and their experience with SEO before committing to them.

2. How is success measured? There needs to be a specific method of checking for success if you are going to hire someone to do your search engine optimization for you. Otherwise, there’s no telling if you are getting what you paid for.

3. What are some of your more successful campaigns? An SEO company that has been in business for a while should have some case studies of happy clients to show you. If they don’t, you might want to look elsewhere.

4. Can you share your general SEO process? This question needs to be asked because you don’t want spam tactics being used. A badly done SEO campaign can destroy your company’s online reputation and ruin your search engine rankings, so make sure the company isn’t using anything but white hat techniques.

5. Do you offer a guarantee? If the answer is yes, clarify, but be suspicious. It’s impossible for anyone to guarantee specific results when it comes to search engines, so if someone says they guarantee top spots, you should look elsewhere.

6. How will I know what you’re doing? Your SEO company should give you frequent updates on what they are doing. How frequent? That’s between you and your SEO firm . . . you should be able to request updates more often if you need them.

7. What is the long term plan? SEO isn’t just about optimizing your content and leaving it, a good strategy is ongoing. Check with the company to see what their long term plan is for your site.

Ask the right questions and you should be able to tell if the firm you are considering hiring is legit or not. What is your advice to selected an SEO firm?
Building Web Presence for Small Businesses
Posted Dec 10th, 2008 By Mirna Bard in Internet Marketing With | No Comments
While browsing through online forums, I noticed one question being asked over and over: I have a small business so why do I need web presence? This is a great question because many small businesses often do not have a clue why they have a website.

The Internet is an affordable, convenient, and effective medium which has become the best source of information for many computer-savvy consumers; therefore, it is very important for even the smallest of businesses to have web presence. It is not necessary for all businesses to have a website, but some sort of presence (i.e., online local directory listings, an e-mail address to communicate with customers, etc.).

In my opinion, there are seven reasons why businesses of any size can benefit from being active online:
1. Visibility: With a click of a mouse, millions of people are turning to the Internet to research products and services. If you want them to find your products/services, then you need to be on online.
2. Reach: A small business is no longer limited to marketing its products or services to its local area and can expand to national or international markets. The Internet is a great way to announce to the world that a business exists! Your business may be in California, but you may have potential customers in Japan.
3. Increased Revenues: Since you are now reaching more people, the chances of closing a sale are much better. On the Internet, there are no geographic boundaries to keep you from selling to potential customers across the world.
4. Increased Savings: An online business decreases administrative costs, telecommunications costs as well as marketing costs. Research shows that Internet Marketing has one of the best returns on investment (ROI) then any other form of marketing.
5. Customer Service: With online presence, your business is available to customers 24/7. If your website is operating on auto-pilot, there is no need for your customers to wait for you to open your store, they can log onto your website and find the information or products they are looking for anytime (We all know how many insomniacs there are out there!).
6. Credibility: The Internet can assist in building a strong corporate identity. In addition, having a professional looking website will add to your reputation and increase customer confidence in your business.
7. Competition: The Internet has given an opportunity to smaller businesses to compete with larger corporations. If potential customers cannot find you online, chances are they will find your competitors.
A small business can build its web presence with a minimal budget. The creation of a web site does not have to be outsourced. There are software programs such Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web that will assist in building a professional looking website for a few hundred dollars, or you can use the free software provided by your web hosting company.

A well designed site will communicate your vision and display your products and services. Once the site is built, optimized for the search engines, and ready to be introduced to potential customers, you can use the major search engines, such as Google and Yahoo! Both have very effective local search capabilities.

You do not have to be listed in 20 search engines, only the major players because that is where the customers are going. There are also many marketing tactics on the Internet that often do not require a financial investment, but can produce amazing results. These include article writing, forum marketing, viral marketing (i.e., Email, instant messaging, blogs, social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us and digg, and media sites such as YouTube and flickr. etc.)

So, regardless of the size of your business, establishing online presence can only offer a world of benefits for your industry.

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