Right from the first days of the Internet and search engines called Excite and Webcrawler, the idea of search engines has been to help people find what they are looking for. Google rose above the rest with a complex algorithm that traced which websites liked others by linking to them.

This was better for websites than for people. Keywords and titles factored in and evolved continuously, but links were the name of the game.

Webmasters who excelled at the game could stand tall in the jungle of algorithms, beat their chests and boast, “me rank higher than you.” Website owners had to prove themselves by adhering to Google’s tastes and standards. Trickier sites found ways to use Google’s secret formula by playing at being a good site without having to create useful input. Spammers did well for themselves and searchers found increasing numbers of irrelevant results in their searches. Search engines had increasing complaints.

So the battle for survival and dominance keeps search engines constantly evolving. Google’s abrupt “Panda Update” earlier this year changed the game considerably, wiping out many well established rankings. New search engines pop up on a regular basis with the intent of out-doing Google. Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, has climbed to 30% of the market since it was started in 2009. Blekko, an “anti-spam” search engine has reached a million searches a day since its inception in 2007.

And now the game changes again. There is an astounding amount of data out there in the ever-growing world of social media and this is now factoring in as the search engines belatedly reach the conclusion that if people share your content, it’s probably quite good. Users were unable to vote for content with links, but they are now able to vote for content with clicks, bookmarks, tags and ratings, and they are sending strong signals to the search engines about who they consider the fittest for survival.

But there are resources out there that can help you develop the skills you need to use these new tools. Just don’t let the volume of these resources overwhelm you. Begin by having a clear plan of action, then pick a project, learn the skills and make it happen.

Here are a couple of resources you may want to check out:

Grovo: Their main product is approachable video content. Their site has a broad catalog of video tutorials on a variety of web tools, from Google Analytics to getting started on Facebook. And if you’re already pretty adept at using these particular tools, Grovo can expose you to new ones.

E-Business Now:
This is a particularly accessible site with instructional video workshops available on-demand at no cost. They start with basics like the value of  leveraging technology. Later lessons give an overview on topics like cash flow management. Here again, even if you’re a well-seasoned entrepreneur, these videos might provide a refresher course on the different options out there.

Good luck with that smoking computer. Still need help? We’re here for you.

If you’re not that lucky, there’s a site that brings national resources and name recognition to bear in a series of local networks. We’re talking about Yelp (www.yelp.com). This social networking site and mobile app has networks in all 50 states and eight countries. It focuses on local businesses with local directories and services with user-generated reviews. You can engage with Yelp’s active user community and take  dvantage of the specific tools for local businesses with Yelp for Business Owners (biz.yelp.com).

Foursquare (www.foursquare.com) is another site to check out. This useful and fun site lets you earn points and unlock badges for discovering new things.

Biznik (www.biznik.com) helps small business owners, entrepreneurs and ‘companies of one’ create and maintain connections with each other. It’s akin to holding conversations with your professional peers. They recommend not only thinking outside the box, but flattening it and  ecycling it.

For additional local interactions try Meetup (www.meetup.com) or Tribe (www.tribe.net).

Small businesses can take full advantage of these smaller social networking sites. Search the Internet to see if there is a group near you where  you can interact with others in your situation. Just be sure to keep in mind that all these groups and small social networking sites aren’t set up  to be used for sales pitches or self-promotion. They’re for strengthening your business, building relationships and uncovering new opportunities.

The secret with using LinkedIn to your advantage is by  creating a group that caters to your target audience. It’s as simple as  clicking on Create A Group. This creates a community where you can send weekly  messages and updates with articles and helpful resources. This is a way to  promote your personal and company brand to many instead of just to one-to-one. Join  other groups and contribute to them to build goodwill that will serve you well  when you encourage them to join your own group.

Don’t be tempted to bombard these potential customers with  self-serving material. Instead, offer help, make yourself available for  questions, and work to make people better understand your business. You will  pick up more customers by acting as a resource than by showering them with ads.

But don’t write off ads. LinkedIn Direct Ads (www.linkedin.com/ads) will let you  target professionals by location, industry and other factors. This is perfect  for those in service professions.

It’s also worthwhile to cater to individual consumers when  you consider a study that finds 28% of LinkedIn users are senior executives  making more than $104,000 per year, and 30% are heavy users of the site making nearly  $93,000 per year.

Stay up to date by visiting these sites: the LinkedIn  Learning Center at learn.linkedin.com and www.lewishowes.com.  Lewis Howes, an expert on using LinkedIn to  help your business, regularly updates his blog with tips.

And don’t forget, we are always available to help you with  the wonderful world of social media. Just give us a call.

Tips for Using LinkedIn

Incorporate your Twitter account so items you post there will automatically be on your LinkedIn profile. Join groups that will offer valuable network connections. Keep your personal profile up-to-date. Add the Polls application to perform market research. Go to the Answer  Questions section to find questions where you can show off your expertise. Request recommendations from satisfied clients. Write recommendations for contacts that you think highly of. Ask contacts for introductions to those you’d like to reach. Put your LinkedIn URL on your email, business card and other marketing materials. Start a group on LinkedIn and begin discussions and weekly announcements. Add a photo.

On a cautionary note, be selective about who you connect with. People may use you to gain contacts, but they may not care about you, your company or your product or service. Ask why they want to be Linked with you.

And ask us if you need help with setting up this or other social media network. This is our business. This is what we do. Call today and we’ll help you start using these valuable tools.

Set up company and individual employee profiles with information about your services, industry, website, location etc. As you set it up, look at it from the point of view of a client who is looking at it and saying, “What benefits are in this business for me?” Keep it positive and up-to-date. List any job promotions, new hires, anything that says how well you are doing.

Sales managers should use LinkedIn to deal with customers. All your employees should join and say positive things about their jobs and what they do. Employees’ personal profiles should list skills, experience and any other professional examples of work. Employees can create or join groups within LinkedIn where business people meet others with the same interest, careers and duties. Keep these groups active with things members can respond to or share. Some employees may have their own profiles already so have them link themselves to the company profile.

Need help with these social media services? We can set you up with a website, a blog site, and links to Facebook and LinkedIn. Call us today. We’ll guide you through the wonderful world of social media.

Avoid Buying Links

Some companies provide “link services” for money. Too often these are what the industry calls “link farms” and are becoming more recognizable by the search engines as bogus elements. They do no more than link to your website from a page with thousands of other non related links.

Look For Industry Connections

The best place to get a link is from a website that is related to your industry. For example, Starnes Jewelers gets links to its website from its vendors and trade organizations. This helps them come up in the quality ranking phrases like Albemarle china and Albemarle crystal.

You’ve got several industry contacts, now get them to link to you website.

If you need help getting your website ranking improved in the search engines then call me, Huck Huckabee, at 704-438-2910

Too often design precedes content. You have the website with a blog page and a link to Facebook and Twitter. You’re ready to publish. Stop! Slow down. Do a little planning. Is your focus on branding, sales, information or entertainment?

Integration

Will your blogs be snippets of unrelated information from different departments in your organization or will they be smoothly integrated quality content.  Your organization needs a common platform for what you publish. That means a framework ensuring a consistent voice, tone and style. What should the content be, when should it be released, what story is it telling and what is its lifespan? Think consistent sustained story rather than short term campaigns that are often unrelated.

“What’s in it for me?”

Social Media is a two way street. You want to interact with your customers. Give them content they want to share, can use or find entertaining.  But remember that content needs to be specific to what you do or sell. Stress “Easy to assemble” if you’re selling children’s bikes, “Beauty advice” if you’re selling cosmetics, “Healthy eating habits” if you’re selling natural foods.

Presentation

Publishing is about presentation as well as content. Avoid like the plague dense blocks of verbiage. Good content must be presented in a usable usable and readable format or your audience will go away. Publish regularly with easy to read entertaining or useful content to stay on top of your readers minds when they are online. Be seasonally relevant.

Share

It’s really important to make your content easy to share. Meet your audience where they are rather than trying to get them to come to you. Create a mobile version of your site.

Help is a click away

Need help? We specialize in blog writing. Send us the information about your company you want online and we’ll work with you to create blog content for maximum effect.