Unlike Facebook, which by default only lets search engines find limited information, Google wants their Google+ pages to be found by search engines. To this end, Google+ pages are optimized to impact search results. Be sure when creating your Google+ page to fill in all the fields with consideration of the keywords you’d like to optimize for: every field is important and will be used to determine your profiles position in search rankings.

Let’s say, for example, that you have a Google+ page for your portfolio of freelance illustration work, and in your page you have provided links to your actual portfolio website. If somebody is following your profile, and puts in a Google search “freelance illustrator”, your actual portfolio website – not your Google+ page – has a chance of having its ranking increased.  If that same search is performed while not logged into Google+, you would see a noticeable decrease in ranking for your site. This clearly displays the power of the interconnectedness of the Google+ social platform and the Google search engine itself.

Aside from the ability of Google+ to boost your position in the SERP, the actual search results themselves are bolstered if they have been optimized for Google+. The ability to claim authorship for your articles by linking them to your Google+ page adds a nifty little avatar to the search result, resulting in more trust from your audience, and more valuable screen real estate being taken up by the search result. Look at this search for Toyota USA, and how much is taken up by just the first result, thanks to its integration with Google+:

Another factor making Google+ attractive is that a Google+ result on the Google SERP takes up far more screen real estate than a Facebook Page, for example. By integrating a “+1” button into your website (much like a “Tweet” or “Like” button), your Google+ activity actually shows up in search results. And because Google is both the social media platform and the search engine, far less SEO optimizing is needed for you to dominate search rankings with a Google+ page. This may seem like ‘cheating’ on Google’s part:  Facebook has for more users and far more authority in the social realm, but Google is able to boost the results of its own social platform above those sites which should naturally occur higher.

Keep an eye on the Gnu World Blog for more insights into the rapidly changing world of social media and how you can leverage its power for your business.

Although these ideas may seem plausible at first, the implications and amount of ongoing work that is involved is customarily not quite fully understood.

The motivation behind a community interaction or user-generated content is often incorrect and the cost of building and maintaining it cannot be justified.

Part of our role as a marketing, design and development company is to offer expert assistance to help our clients in making informed decisions when it comes to online marketing. Considering that projects have time constraints and limited budgets, items that have the most direct and effective results possible should receive the most devotion.

An example

Let’s look at a forum as an extreme example. In this case the client might mistakenly believe this is an easy way to “generate a buzz” about their product or service. In reality, someone who is willing to comment on an article is often not prepared to go through a registration process. An active forum requires constant moderation (often 24/7), costs a lot to set up and requires a large user base in order to function.

Similar objectives can be accomplished through simpler and cheaper alternative means such as professionally designed Facebook and Twitter pages.

A common goal

The budget for an effective web presence is divided into parts, all of which work together towards a common goal. A successful business website will receive appropriate traffic, establish a professional image and convert visitors into clients.

Design

A goal oriented, simple website design will establish a professional identity and employ an intuitive interface that allows visitors to quickly find what they are looking for.

Development

Websites require a solid back-end that is secure, scalable and easy to administer and update.

Marketing

An SEO and marketing campaign will drive qualified visitors to the website, resulting in leads and ultimately conversions.

A final note

More traffic does not automatically equate to more business. Unqualified visitors are like shoppers coming into a restaurant because they mistook it for a furniture store or to simply use the restroom.

Relatedly, a badly built website might be hard or impossible to optimize properly for search engines or could daunt potential clients through its poor usability, resulting in a high bounce rate.

Speak to the team here at Gnu World. We are here to help you plan your marketing strategy.

• Buying a specific product
• Visiting an affiliate link
• Downloading a file
• Filling in a form
• Registering an account
• Subscribing to a newsletter or feed
• Calling a phone number

Your call to action does not need to be the same on every page. Instead you can use smaller as “stepping stones” that help your website to achieve it’s ultimate goal or goals.

For example, the main purposes of a restaurant could be to increase the number of reservations and take-out orders.

“Stepping stones” or page-specific goals could include:

• Downloading a PDF of the take-out menu
• Sharing the website with friends
• Signing up for a weekly specials mailing list

The written content, photographs and site structure all work together towards these goals.

Potential clients of a web design company would certainly first want to see a portfolio of work before requesting a quote or consultation. Therefore, the secondary call to action can be to direct visitors towards the design portfolio page, with the eventual objective of selling a web design package.

Building trust and demonstrating value

Web users are becoming increasingly skeptical. Looking at the amount of worthless information and scams out there, you can’t really blame them either. Before you can drive a user to act, you will often need to create familiarity, build trust, demonstrate industry knowledge and often even offer something of value for free.

Identify a need and offer an answer

Some time-tested sales techniques that can be effectively applied to increasing conversions include:

• Offering an incentive: Free gifts and discounted prices can sweeten the deal. Often, these free gifts can add value to the client, without being an incremental cost to you such as an e-book or automatically generated report.

• Create urgency: Limited time offers can motivate users to act impulsively.

Creating a focal point on every page

When it comes to the appearance of the call to action there are no defined rules, but plenty of guidelines. Ordinarily, the main call to action is visible above fold in the main content area and can be repeated at the end of the page if necessary.

It should stand out through careful application of colour, relative sizing and negative space.

The main idea is to keep pages simple and uncluttered so that there is a definite focal point. Focusing and limiting the content, choices and actions available on a page ensures that users aren’t overwhelmed or distracted and are more prone to complete the call to action.

Wording

Language usage on even simple elements such as contact forms or buttons is critical. A button labeled “Submit” tells the user what the process will be, which is largely irrelevant to them. A label such as “Send Message” or “Sign Me Up” clearly describes what the button actually does.

Avoid Dead Ends

Visitors to your website should not have to the think very hard about what to do next – tell users how they can react on the information they have just seen by leading them on. If the user reaches a dead-end they will leave without responding to your call.

Contact Gnu World today to find out how we can make your business website more goal-oriented.

The effect that the internet – and particularly broadband internet – has had on the world is astounding. It allows us to speak and share information faster than ever before. Besides making communication far simpler, the internet opens up possibilities for networking which previous forms of communication (telephones and cell phones, for example) could not.

The Effect of Bandwidth on an Economy

In 2009, the World Bank released a report on the Information and Communications for Development project, which found that access to broadband internet boosts economic growth in all countries, but most noticeably so in developing ones. A Harvard study found that in developing countries, like South Africa, for every 10% of broadband penetration (the amount of the population with broadband internet access) their economies grew by 1.38%.

Not only does internet access effectively lower the cost of communication and expand information flow, but it also extends market boundaries. It is easy to see how an investment in the upgrading of our country’s bandwidth capabilities is not only an investment in economic growth, but also an investment in development.

Bandwidth in South Africa: Where to From Here?

Telkom, the company with the monopoly of South Africa’s phone lines, has thus far failed dismally to provide the country with acceptable internet bandwidth, and charges exorbitant amounts for what little it does provide. Their CEO, Nombulelo Moholi, has herself stated in a recent interview that Telkom needs a ‘culture change’, and that the company is not operating as it should.

The plans that have been put in place to increase internet bandwidth are multiple. Various underground and sub-marine cables have been laid that promise to offer speeds that are comparable to world standards.

However, this does not change the fact that the cost will remain in a similar bracket, unavailable to the rural and disadvantaged sector of the population, and our broadband internet penetration rate will remain near to where it is now – a tiny 2%. However, 60% of Africa’s internet usage still comes from South Africa, which has an overall internet penetration rate of around 11%.

Mobile phones are now also a means whereby one can connect to the internet at speeds that can challenge even fixed-line broadband internet speeds. Now that mobile phones can connect, we may see a sharp rise in people connecting through them, and a dip in traditional broadband usage via desktop and laptop computers.

One thing is for sure: a growth in broadband access in South Africa will strengthen our economy, and as long as it stays so unattainable for so many people, our economy will continue to be strangled.

The way we access information online is rapidly evolving. Just as we are getting used to getting online on our mobile phones, we are now adapting to using things like iPads and other ‘tablet’ computers. Many of these new mobile browsing devices have awkward keyboards, if they even have one at all, leading some people to use voice-activated commands to operate them.

Besides operating our online devices in new ways, the way that search engines operate is also changing. Whereas search engines used to only display a list of links to answer your search query, they can now give answers directly to you on the results page.

Entering a search on Google for ‘Johannesburg weather’, for example, will show a weather forecast for Johannesburg on the results page, as well as showing the regular links to website results underneath. This shows us that search engines are learning to answer questions directly, and not just to analyze the words you’ve entered and bring up related websites.

Websites like Ask have been attempting this for years, but the technology is advancing to the level where the natural talking computers of science fiction may soon be reality. Google have announced that they are working on such a ‘Star Trek future’.

‘What’s the weather like in Jo’burg, Chips?’, you might ask your wrist device. “It is cold tonight Sir, only 10 degrees centigrade, but tomorrow should be hot and sunny.”

The Big Change is yet to Arrive

Even with this exciting new technology in the works, the ‘old’ way of searching is still very much alive. In 2011, in a survey conducted by pewinternet.org, it was found that 92% of adult internet users used search engines on a daily basis.

The change is yet to arrive, but we can expect to see search engines giving us much more than just indexed websites that are related to your search query.

People are still, for the most part, using search engines in a way that web marketers expect them to: by entering search queries and clicking through on the links they are provided with that seem to offer the most relevant information.

Keyword Based Searches: Still your Best Bet

So, while we may soon see a completely different way of searching in the near future, keyword searches are far from being extinct.

Furthermore understanding the keywords relevant to your business and the way that they interact with the online search market will continue to be critical to developing optimized marketing strategies.

For example, an awareness of what search terms are driving traffic to a website that sells sports apparel will allow a sitemaster to position frequently searched for products more prominently on the site, and to work towards further increasing the exposure of relevant pages for these keywords on search engines.

• Make it easy to contact you online by including a simple contact form. Respond as quickly as possible.
• Ensure your site has a logical structure and user-friendly navigation.
• Always display the full contact details and physical address of your business in a very prominent place. You can expand on this by adding a Google Map, live chat and even a photo of your premises (where applicable).
• Keep your website updated. Remove outdated content, continuously add new offers. Check that no internal or external links are broken and ensure that all contact details are still relevant. A Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress will allow you to manage you website without needing to hire a developer to do content updates or minor changes.
• Prove to potential clients that you are knowledgeable about your industry by regularly publishing relevant articles and news that could benefit and educate them.
• Show the faces behind the business. People like seeing people. Make your website personal and familiar by telling users about your business and your employees and even include photos and short introductions to your directors and sales staff. Don’t ever use generic stock photos.

  

  Stock Photos: Nobody really believes they are speaking to a hot model in a powersuit.

• Limit banner ads, contextual ads and animated content. Don’t be greedy – it makes your website look cheap.
• Include real testimonials from previous clients. Where possible, show full names, a quote and a description of what you did for them. For events or products that are bought online, display reviews.
• Prominently showcase any industry recognition or membership, qualifications, certifications, positive press coverage, awards and official business associations.
• Make it easy for customers to check up on you. When presenting any facts or statistics, back up your claims with hyperlinks to reputable sources.
• Tell people the purpose of your site if it isn’t obvious. Usually visitors will immediately understand the purpose of your site, be it online sales or advertising space. Your honesty will get rid of misgiving they might have had.
• Avoid silly errors. Poor spelling and grammar, pages that don’t display correctly in all web browsers, broken links and missing pages can severely diminish the credibility of your business website. Hire a professional to write and proofread your content and test your website rigorously before it goes live.
• Don’t buy generic, pre-made templates. These websites might be cheap, but they are often badly coded and do nothing to build your brand and establish your professional image.
• If your website requires users to log in or supply personal information, provide plain English, printer-friendly “Privacy Policy” and “Terms & Conditions” pages. Customers need to rest assured that their personal information is safe.

We can help

Let us take a look at your website. Contact us today and we can assist you in improving the credibility of your website.

WordPress helps to keep things current

A big turnoff for visitors is outdated content such as advertisements for events that have taken place, special offers that have ended and contact information for employees that have quit. WordPress makes it extraordinarily easy to create and delete pages and posts. You don’t even need to know what HTML is.

An uncomplicated administrator “Dashboard” with a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface allows editors to restructure menus, write or style rich text and add lists, tables, images and videos.

Blog posts are organized according to dates, categories and keywords and can be subscribed to via RSS feeds, making it simple for subscribers and return visitors to keep abreast of new content.

WordPress is very SEO Friendly and complies to Web Standards

Being accessible to Search Engines such as Google is extremely important. A beautiful site with no visitors is rather useless and a little sad too. Standard WordPress features including XML sitemaps and automated search engine friendly URL’s are utilized to ensure that websites are 100% search engine friendly and comply with all Web Standards.

Using WordPress is easy

You don’t need to buy a book or attend a lengthy seminar to figure out how to run your website. Most people have no problem understanding the back-end interface. However, if you get stuck or are unsure how to do something, there is always a lot of help right at your fingertips:

• Ask Gnu World. We are always happy to help you get the most out of your website.
• Watch YouTube. There are many excellent WordPress tutorial videos.
• Visit www.wordpress.tv. for training videos.
• Search for answers to your questions in community forums. Chances are your question has already been answered in detail.

WordPress gets better every day

Improved versions of WordPress with new features are released often. Developers are also continuously writing new plug-ins to extend the functionality off the CMS, making it more powerful and versatile than ever before.

Contact Gnu World now if you’re looking to set up or redesign a WordPress website.

Online search trending tools are proving to be critical to this part of search engine optimisation. By analysing search, social media and general interest trends these tools providing assistance with keyword ideas and combinations.

Here are some free tools and tips on using trends for keyword research.

Google Trends

Google Trends shows how many times a search term is entered relative to the total number of searches for a particular region. This free tool allows you to compare 5 search terms, evaluate singular and plural versions of keywords and view related searches. Take a look at Google Trends Hot Searches for daily content ideas for and article marketing keywords.

Although Google Trends does not tell you how competitive your chosen keywords are, you can still go back to check them on the Google Adwords Keyword Tool.

Google Insights for Search

Google Insights presents more detailed information than Google Trends. Search keywords can be filtered by web, image, product or news searches. The site offers a wealth of free data including:

• Worldwide top rising searches
• An animated map showing the changes in regional interest over time
• Top search terms
• Rising searches statistics
• Regional interest

Trends Buzz

Use this resource to keep up with hot topics and search trends across Google, Yahoo Buzz, Bing, Twitter and even Wordtracker. This valuable tool has the ability to view searched words for an exact moment as well as top searches for the entire day.

Trend Hunter

Loaded with information from fashion, art, news and pop culture, to social media and search trends, Trend Hunter can be a bit overwhelming due its huge amount of information. However, it is a worthwhile research tool for websites that focus on viral news, social media, design, fashion, culture and technology.

Twitter Trends

Trending Now can be used for getting an idea of real-time search and online discussion trends. A simple search on Twitter Search for your keywords or related phrases can also give you an idea of how many people are actively discussing your topic, product, or even your company name.  Check out Trendistic for more Twitter statistics and trending topics over 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days.

Competitor Sites

Don’t forget the valuable information you can pull from keeping an eye on what your competitors are up to online, what keywords they use and social media strategies they implement. Arming yourself with this information will be crucial when conducting keyword research as it provides an insight into successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) keywords and phrases.

Keyword tools and resources:

• Google Adwords Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
• WordTracker Free Keyword Suggestion Tool: http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com
• Keyword Basics: http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/keyword-basics
• Google Search-based Keyword Tool: http://www.google.com/sktool/#
• Google Trends: http://www.google.com/trends
• How to Spot Keyword Trends: http://www.seobook.com/how-spot-keyword-trends
• Keyword Discovery: http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/
• Microsoft AdCenter Labs Keyword Forecast Tool: http://adlab.msn.com/Keyword-Forecast/default.aspx

As opposed to a website that just provides static content to users, Social Media websites promote and heavily rely on user interaction by encouraging people to share their opinions and information. The bulk of the content available on Social Media type sites is dynamic and user-generated. You probably frequent these types of websites recreationally.

People are talking about their experiences with your business whether you like it or not. Social Media gives you the chance to find out what your customers are saying, interact with them and expose your business access to a larger (but often more targeted) audience.

Examples of Popular Social Media Websites

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Digg
• YouTube

A Common Misconception

The numerous links to your website from Social Media sites such as Twitter and Facebook will not directly benefit your search engine ranking as they are set to “no follow”. However, they do a great job of directing traffic to your website and the Social Media profile pages can be indexed by Google.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

More Control Over Your Brand Name

If a potential client types your brand name into a search engine, you want the top results to be of pages that are owned and run by your company and marketers. Social Media helps you to manage this task by usually offering URLs that are unique to your brand name. This also hinders spammers and competitors from abusing or misrepresenting your brand.

Increased Traffic and Exposure

Social Media sites receive and generate massive amounts of traffic. According to Alexa ratings, Facebook & YouTube are the 2^nd and 3^rd most visited websites in the world. Creating indexed profiles for your business on various Social Media platforms can expose you to a wider audience and increase organic traffic to pages on your main website.

Customer Interaction

A Facebook fan page for your business is a great example of how social media can help you interact with clients by replying to their compliments, complaints, criticisms and concerns. It is also a good way to feature incentive programs (“Like” our page and get a 10% discount) and limited time special offers.

Increased Transparency

Customers appreciate seeing the people behind the brand. Allowing customers to meet your team and read testimonials helps to establish trustworthiness and familiarity.

Industry Networking

Social Networking allows you to connect with professionals in your industry. It gives you the chance to develop business relationships, share ideas and advertise job opportunities.

Price

Social Media marketing is relatively cheap compared to other types of marketing campaigns.

What now?

Not every business will necessarily benefit from Social Media Marketing. Get in contact with our Social Media experts and let us help you make informed decisions on how to spend your marketing and advertising budget.