An SEO Summary

Overall Strategies

·         Unless you are not particularly tech savvy, avoid paying an ongoing fee to maintain your website.

·         Have your website built by a professional with a professional application like Microsoft Expression Web or Adobe Dreamweaver and  then have a simple Content Management System (CMS) like Cushy CMS http://www.cushycms.com/en  system built in for free. That way you can manage your own website.

There are three broad aspects to your website. All of them deal with the two ‘R’s’ of marketing. Reach and Repetition. The reach of your website is global. It’s always on – always there. It used to be said that before the internet you had to repeat your message 6 times before being noticed. Now is more like 22 times. Will you be found when people search for your product or service, will people coming back and refer others to your site? Here are the three broad aspects;

1.    Getting found.

2.    Keeping people engaged in your site, and

3.    Monitoring your site.

Getting Found: SEO for your site

Use the Google Adword Keyword Tool to find keyword(s) (KW) that people will type into Google to find you. You can do this yourself so there is no need to pay anyone to do it for you. Also consider your location if relevant as a ranking tool. For example, if you only do business in the Melbourne region, ‘Melbourne’ is a keyword. – see screen shot.

Put the KW in your Page Title, Page Description and Keyword Fields of each Page and sub page. Repeat the KW’s as text as heading (for example on the Home Page use the KW’s instead of ‘Welcome’. Repeat the KW’s in the first paragraph.

Google doesn’t read pictures, so give graphics a meaningful name and try to incorporate your KW’s in the hovertext to describe the image. Be aware that Google also indexes the graphics from your site.

Also use hovertext for links, including Page Tabs.

Next, consider the following strategies to increase the ranking of your site. Generally they comprise backlinks to your site.

• Social media – e.g. Twitter, Facebook.
• Your own Blog – e.g. Google Blogspot (free). Keep in mind Repetition and Reach; 6 impressions versus 22.
• Contribute to forums in your business field and try to mention your website address.
• Submit listings to on free line directories, e.g. hotfrog, LinkedIn.
• Ask to be listed on a higher ranking site. This is liquid gold. Do something for someone else for free and they might return the favour.
• Post a youtube video of your product or service.

Keep People Engaged with Your Site

Tips to make your site appealing so people stay on the site.

·         Use sans serif font. It is easier to read. This is a serif font. This is a sans serif font

·         Keep text simple and concise. Try to ‘tell, don't sell’.

·         Don’t say ‘Welcome’ on the Home Page. Use the KW instead.

·         Don’t call your Pages ‘About Us’, or ‘Contact Us’. Use ‘Contact’ and ‘About’.

·         Avoid writing about yourself on the Home Page or why you started the business (e.g. ‘I’ started this business because, etc, etc). Text and images should inform the browser what your are offering quickly. If you must have ‘I’ stuff, either wait until your business is well established, or at the keep it on the ‘About’ Page.

·         Avoid moving graphics – they tend to become a mesmerising focus.

·         Engage a professional web designer.

·         Follow the AIDA Principle when writing. (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). Make sure you have a strong call to Action.

·         If you don’t want to, or cannot use a professional web package, use a CMS that allows you to make simple changes without having to pay. e.g. www.cushycms.com 

·         Should you put your picture up on the site?

·         Have a Privacy Policy link at the bottom of each Page on your site.

·         Have a Terms link at the bottom of each Page on your site

·         Include a Copyright notice at the bottom of each Page. e.g. © 2011 yourbusinessname. All Rights Reserved.

·         Have a Site Map link at the bottom of each Page on your site. A site map tells the web crawler all about your site and its structure. These can be generated for free. See: http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/

How Many ‘Hits’: Monitor Your Site

·         Sign up for Google Analytics to track website visits (and much more). Tracking code must be placed within the html code of your website.

·         Have code built in to monitor downloads (if applicable).

·         Use the free desktop monitoring application, Polaris. It saves you from having to log in to Google Analytics.

·         Monitor all mentions of your site/business worldwide by signing up to the free Google Alerts.

Leverage Existing Customers with an email Newsletter

·         Use the free MailChimp  http://www.mailchimp.com/ for email Newsletters.

·         Register an email address in the form abuse@yourdomain.com with www.abuse.net It’s a clearing house for complaints and indicates your are serious about protecting clients’ privacy.

More Information: www.finetunebiz.com

New SEO Tricks

Google is changing the rules for search engines.
Although Google doesn't publish it's ranking formula, much is known from experience (see previous post). Now Google is adding places to it's ranking formula.
This means that businesses that can be found on a map will rank higher than those that do not specify an address. Not good news for small businesses, especially the ones that work from home.
However, listing with Google Places is simple and free.
See this press article: http://www.businessday.com.au/business/fear-as-google-revamps-search-20101030-1786d.html

More information: Contact FineTunebiz admin@finetunebiz.com

Why Should My Business Register a Trademark?

WHY SHOULD MY BUSINESS REGISTER A TRADEMARK?
Micro and Small businesses often overlook protecting their intellectual property so we asked Intellectual Property expert Jacqui Pryor at Complete IP Pty Limited (www.completeip.com.au), “What is a Trademark and why should I register one?”

A Trademark is a badge of origin. It’s the sign that you use in relation to goods or services that identifies those goods or services as yours and not those of your competitors or other traders. A Trademark can be a business name, a logo, slogan or other aspect of branding that is used in this manner. Here are a few reasons why you should register your trademarks;

TRADE FOR LONGER

Studies show that for each Trademark a business registers it survives on average 2.2 years longer than business’ that don’t register their trademarks!

THE RIGHT TO USE AND CONTROL THE USE OF YOUR NAME

Trademark registration gives you with the right to use the Trademark; so no-one else can tell you to stop using it. Registration also allows you to authorise use of your trademark by other people (eg: licensing). Without Trademark registration you may not necessarily have the right to use your own name.

VALUE ADDED TO YOUR BUSINESS

A Trademark is a saleable asset, just like real estate. Trademark registration therefore increases the value of your business. 

USING THE “R” SYMBOL – You cannot use the ‘R’ symbol unless your Trademark is registered. Displaying the R symbol deters others from copying and shows the marketplace you are serious about your business.

(TIP: As long as your name or logo is not infringing an existing Trademark you can use the TM symbol. The use of the TM symbol does not require a formal application or registration.

STOP IMPORTS WHICH INFRINGE YOUR TRADEMARK

Trademark owners may apply to Customs to have imported goods bearing infringing brands seized before they enter the Australian marketplace.

AVOIDING ACTION AND COSTS

It can be costly to defend yourself against infringement action if someone else registers a similar Trademark to the one you use in the marketplace and then tells you to cease your use. If you don’t have a registered Trademark, it is far more costly to take action against someone using the same name or logo compared to have not having registered the Trademark at all.

Thank Jacqui, that’s fantastic advice!

Jacqui Pryor, Complete IP Pty Limited, www.completeip.com.au

Best and worst industries for startups (Australia) in 2011

IBISWorld Special Report Sept 2010 details the best and worst industries for startups in 2011.

Need more information?
Contact admin@finetunebiz.com

Create a Sales Epidemic For Your Product or Service

Micro and Small businesses  think in terms of increasing sales steadily. A few percent a year, maybe more. Our brains are programmed to think that way. Take this example. If you could fold a piece of paper 50 times, how thick would it be? It startles most people when they hear that the answer is as thick as the distance to the sun!

In this article we’ll show you how you can change your marketing thinking and how you can finetune your marketing plan to make your product or service sales explode like an epidemic.

In many businesses people are content with slow and steady sales and that’s the way they market. Other businesses are really quite unprepared for sales explosions.  Colour TV, mp3 players, washing machines and even mobile phone technology didn’t grow sales by a fixed amount every year. Sales exploded like and epidemic and companies were really unprepared to meet the unpredicted demand.

Bass was the first to introduce the mathematics of this theory to product technology uptake. Malcolm Gladwell, in his seminal book, The Tipping Point popularised the idea and turned it into layman’s language.

The graph shows what we mean. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is cumulative sales revenue. For a while nothing much seems to happen. Sales hardly rate on the radar even though you have a good marketing plan and are following through diligently. Then there’s a real ‘ramp upwards’.  It seems as if you don’t need to do anything any more to make sales happen; they just explode. This  upward curving is the tipping point from which time on sales simply ‘take-off’ at a rate that defies explanation.

So what happens to cause the upward ramp? A few people here and there buying your product or service gives you a sales increase that’s linear. But what if you have just a few key buyers  who are influential. Like a fashion designer that uses your accessories on the catwalk, or a key customer that simply must buy your coffee or your cupcakes. Those customers spread the word for you because they are influential. One customer influences many; and with a critical mass your product sales explode like a multiplying virus.

What can you do in your business?

1.       Have a product or service offering that is very clearly distinguished from the competition. If you have no point of difference you cannot expect a sales explosion.

2.       Know or learn how to identify that key customer(s). Opinion leaders for your product or service. Get there feedback, provide the very best service. Do whatever it takes.

FineTunebiz was once asked, ‘who is your ideal customer?’ Our answer; ‘Any influential client who knows lots and lots of people who our service and who is so clearly impressed with our service and advice that they tell the people they know that they must use FineTunebiz.’ That single customer is our ideal customer because one customer leads to many more…and so on.

Michael Jackson didn't invent the moonwalk. But he was the one to make it an 'epidemic' worldwide.

Reasses your marketing plan now.

Contact admin@finetunebiz.com

What's Wrong With Business Plan Templates?

We're going to give you the heads up on business plans!

Firstly, very few people we see have them, so it's clearly possible to start and run a business without one.

So why have one? we think there's a really simple answer to this question, and it's because it minimises your risk. Consider two identical businesses. Identical location, identical skills. Our experience is that the owner who plans minimises risk; hence wasting less capital and developing faster traction in the market.

What is a business plan anyway? A business plan has the following key features. It is a sequential document in which you write answers to key questions structured in a particular order. It's sequential because, for example, you need to know how things like your premises needs before you go out and sign a lease. The answers to these sequential questions determine your branding and marketing plan so that your customer offering has a consistent look and feel. During the planning process unique strategies will emerge that you will collect in a strategic plan. The strategic plan is broken down into an action plan and money flows will be summarised in a cash flow statement.

When do I really, really need a business plan? A business plan is essential if you're applying for finance because it's like a viability assessment.

Where can I get a good business plan template? Right here:http://finetunebiz.com/services.htm . Scroll down until you find the Resources heading.

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How Does Your Business Measure Up?

How does your business compare financially to other similar businesses?

Many micro and small businesses don't have a comparison or benchmark. The first benchmark you should use is your own budget. Set one up using FineTunebiz Cashbook and monitor your financial performance against your own budget. If you have been in business for more than a year then monitoring your performance against budget means you are monitoring your performance against your past performance too; because each year you will set your budget bar a little higher than the last. That way you're striving to do better each year.

Next, compare yourself to industry benchmarks for your industry type. The Financial Measurements Research Corporation (FMRC) benchmarks for 2010 have now been released. Eventually you'll want to at least do as well as the average to make sure you are financially competitive.

Need more information?
Contact us admin@finetunebiz.com