Your page copy will be one of the more challenging aspects.  The idea is to be unique in an Internet full of competitors.  How do you write something which hasn’t already been written?  Use your own voice.  Think about how you run your business: quality of your product/service, training, retraining, even community involvement – all of these speak to the ethics of your business.

Write as you would talk to a potential client.  If you are animated – let your words reflect that online.  Do you use meaningful quote in speaking?  Give credit – include your source.

Read your competitors’ websites.  Find things you don’t like on websites – then mull over how you would turn that into a positive. 

Once you begin your copy – you’ll find it isn’t so daunting.

Website Design

Manage your online reputation by ackowledging those who have reviewed your business. This is an extension of how you appreciate your clients.  AND that one unhappy client.

Etiquette is simple – thank those positive reviewers for taking time to post and engage the unhappy one – calmly.   Avoid tit for tat.  You can admit a mistake, if that happened, and apologize.  If you have an offering to make amends, do so.

Your response doesn’t have to be extensive.  Potential clients will read how you responded.  Consumers know there are some people who are very hard to please, but a step toward addressing any negative review goes a long way.   More is telling in HOW you handle the unhappy client; and can speak well to potential clients.

Don’t avoid a bad review.

Connecting with new clients is typically a motivating reason for moving online.

Tired of paying phone book directories which seem to be archaic means a business has to be somewhere in order to compete.

Some of my clients wanted an online brochure.  Presenting your past workmanship is a breeze, with the ability to show more content than hauling portfolios to prospective clients.

A wesbite can serve to give basic information from your phone number to hours of operation for a past client who lost your phone number.  It’s a time saver for businesses answering phone calls to give this basic info – everyone is happy.  A website is your 24/7 contact point.

Here is the one which the Internet has taught us: a website adds legitimacy to any business.  When considering doing hiring a company their website is just the place to research them before picking up the phone. While they have built the website and control the message – it’s a beginning.

I recently needed a product which was “difficult” to find.  The online community  buzzed with resources to find this item.  A simple Google search on the company name and I found they are located 3 miles from me.  Despite the location not being a typical retail store, they do sell at this facility.  A huge time saver for me.

Not having a website is no longer an option.

http://www.brendasimon.com/website-design.html

This second website benefits the advertiser seller, typically giving them a tracking phone number – so they can report to you, which sounds good.  But the same can be accomplished by pointing to your website with your phone number, (Google AdWords do this very thing).  They simply give code to you to place on your website.  This hands the control back to you.

 As I’ve mentioned before, having a duplicate website (“mirror”, “second”) is NOT a good thing.  Google made this clear a year ago when it began penalizing and banning duplicate content.  Even if the content is not exactly duplicated the more one site looks similar to another – the less Google gives weight to it, thus effecting how it returns your site in searches.  Currently one client has a second website and both this mirrored site and his true website are suffering in Google’s ranking.

 Perhaps the simplest way to view advertising online is to ask: Is it strengthening YOUR website?

Every second, over 4,500 searches are performed across the Internet.  With that in mind, it’s critical that you are able to be found by those customers seeking your expertise. 

This is not a lock-you-in 12 month program as many large companies are offering.  It does not include a new website, to which these large companies direct these organic services and any new traffic (and not your existing “true” website) – which means once you cancel – it all goes away.  My program directs everything to your website.  If you decide to cancel – what you have paid for stays in place supporting your website.  This is a critical difference.  For large companies it is about their control over your product.  My offer is to support and drive your website – keeping YOU in control of your online presence.

I’ve priced my package at a competitive rate and I will continue to give you the same personal service I offered when we created your website.

I’ve outlined some of the components of Webmaster Services on my website to help you understand their relevance.  Please call me with any questions.  I look forward to working with you to build a stronger online presence.

Victory Baptist Church, NH

As an artist and musician copyright is of great meaning and value to me and my created work.

Now you have a profile photo and a “cover” photo.  The Facebook rules are – your cover cannot look like a real website banner.  No phone numbers – no sales pitch. 

The simplest way to be creative is to create an image 851 pixels X 317 pixels.   Make a montage of your logo, photos, graphics of any kind.  It’s a great size to work with.  Have fun and enjoy this one piece of the Timeline change you CAN control.

Here are some examples I’ve created:
BrendaSimonCreations
YoungsAutomotiveService

or use a big photo:
DouglasSimonPhotography

When Yelp came online and began finding their niche it was welcomed and steadily increased users who love to review restaurants and auto repair shops; and it continues to expand into all businesses.  People who belong to Yelp and post reviews call themselves “Yelpers“.

My clients have expressed trouble regarding their hard sales tactics.  Recently talk radio has been talking up accusations of bogus reviews targeting businesses declining Yelp’s paid advertising.  Clients telling me their positive reviews are buried, under the negative reviews and they are suspicious of who posted the reviews.  It is hard to determine what is truly going on.  Both sides are at odds.

It’s troublesome for your online reputation.  Reviews do matter. 

If you receive a negative review on Yelp, Google or any of the many directories - address it.  Sometimes it’s a case of mistaken identity.  The reviewer mixed you up with a similar business.  Look in your records  for the poster’s name, date or location (if included).  If you can’t find a record of the person respond to the review asking for an invoice number, or more information.  Present your business as trying to right a wrong and you’ll go a long way in damage control.

Some clients will never be happy with your service.  The public recognizes this, too.  The action of responding to a negative review will reflect your business practices and the reader will get your message.   Don’t respond with anger. 

Finally, walk away – if you have responded to the review and he’s not giving up - let it go. 

Don’t let these things drive you crazy.  The Internet gives everyone a voice: right or wrong – it’s the ultimate Soapbox!

Reciprocal linking is part of your search engine optimization plan.  Part of your ranking from Google is based on reciprocal linking.  Simply put, every link to a website is a vote for that site, which helps boost your Google ranking.  There are guidelines to be followed and it must be monitored to check link validity (based on relevance to your industry).

 Over the past two years, online directories have become invaluable.  These directories are small bits of internet real estate you can leverage to drive customers to your website.  Think of them as ads scattered over the internet and you’re controlling their message.  They now allow more content than ever before and, most importantly, many are review oriented.  Online reviews are another huge factor in gaining positive Google results. 

 Reviews on sites such as Yelp, Google, Yahoo, etc. are not screened by you.  As a result, customers trust the reviews to be accurate and that equates to added value to your products or services.  Yes, you may get negative reviews, but you can address any issue through the directory.  Again, that builds customer confidence in you and your company.

 Much of your traffic will come from search engine results. Keywords are indicators of the most important topics, service or product on each web page.  These are words your customers will use to find you.  Controlling your keyword strategy can make or break or your site.  If your site is more than 2 years old, it’s time to review your website.  Google has made drastic changes to the way it analyzes keywords and Meta data on a webpage. 

 I provide a package plan with these services and more. Visit BrendaSimon.com .