
First Things First: Keywords.
Why do we go online? We're looking for answers to questions, to compare prices, get directions, read reviews or to watch funny video, right? How do we find these things? We type in keywords into Search Engines. Keywords are the foundation of any search and the place start if we ever hope to get found online. Use keyword research tools like Google's Keyword Tool to discover keywords that people already use to find your products and services, then tailor your website content to include these keywords. Use keyword research to not only create content, but even to determine your website domain name!
4 Basic Elements of a Presence Online: Website, Blog, Business Listings, Media
| Website - This is the storefront of your operation and involves a domain name, hosting, and a website design program. You can use an all-in-one program like Weebly for domain registration, hosting and design or look around and find other options. I use Weebly to design my websites, but BlueHost for domain registration and hosting. If you can do-it-yourself, great. If not, hire someone like me to do it for you, but keep aware of what's going on. It's still your business - not your webmaster's. |
Business Listings - Did you know that Google offers a place for business to claim a free listing on their Places or Maps page? This is a Big Deal! Claim your business listing and include everything you can. It's also a place for people to leave reviews of your business which is very important! This information probably won't change often, but if it does, be sure to update it on your listings as soon as possible. | |

To summarize: Getting found online starts with keyword research and regularly sharing interesting and relevant information about your business to web surfers and search engines. The four basic elements to a strong web presence are a Website, Blog, Business Listings, and Media like videos. | Use relevant keywords people are already using to search for your business offerings, then feed them the interesting content their looking for along with links back to your website. Think about new things to blog about and videos to create and you'll find yourself climbing the search engines. |