What is the point of Thanksgiving?

We need to take the time to appreciate the important things in our lives, to be truly thankful, and to be grateful for the people that are in our lives. Surrounding ourselves with family and friends makes Thankgiving such a special day.

I would like to express my immense appreciation for a business that has been growing stronger each year and for the clients that have been with Designedbycarla for over 13 years. Designedbycarla would not be here without your support and your business. I truly have been blessed.

Even with the strain of the economy and the ever-changing market, we as individuals need to be grateful for the things we have and not want for things we wish we had. Hard times make us stronger; because without challenges, there is no progress. Therefore, I am thankful for every opportunity.

Remember to give to those that have nothing because when you do, they are something. Share a smile or kind gesture, it makes a world of difference in someone’s life.

Thank You - Carla
Designedbycarla
carla@designedbycarla.com

Think Globally, Act Locally

In an increasingly complex technological world online marketing can seem daunting. Where does a business with a limited budget begin? Once you have a website, what is the best way to promote it?

The simplest, most effective way to begin is the same as it was in the days before the internet. Local directories provide listings for business targeted for local customers. Doesn't it make sense to advertise your business to local customers? You get exposure to customers most likely to patronize your business or services in a straightforward manner they will feel comfortable with. Both Google and Yahoo offer local directories and there is always YellowPages.com. The best part is that most local directories offer free listings.

As with any form of online marketing, the most important element is always keywords. Using the right keywords is the best way to ensure that your listing will attract your target market. The keywords associated with your business listing will be the keywords associated with your business.

Additionally, try to locate niche directories to list your business with. Remember, the more specific you can be with your listings, targeting your specific local area and your specific market, the more effective your listings will be.

In the end, isn't that the goal -- delivering your message and advertising your presence in a way that translates into dollars?

What Do You Know?

by Scott Jemison
DesignedbyCarla

Beware of any professional, SEO or otherwise, who is unable or unwilling to answer your questions. Recently we had a client who wanted us to justify why we were making the changes we wanted to make. I, for one, have no problem with that.

SEO, or Internet Marketing or PPC Advertising or any variation thereof, is not magic. If you are working with a consultant who is reluctant to discuss the rationale behind decisions or can't explain the intended effects of a certain technique, beware! There should be no "smoke and mirrors", only action and reaction.

I never mind explaining myself to a client. In fact, I enjoy it. I appreciate their interest and applaud their curiosity. This is a client who will appreciate your knowledge and your work. A client who is willing to sign a check and cross their fingers will too often be led blindly to the well.

Admittedly, the world of internet marketing is in a constant state of innovation and flux. It is built around secrecy and besieged by those who would sieze any opportunity to "game" the system. It should therefore be the commitment of all internet marketers to professionalism and transparency.

Be willing to say why. Be able to say how. Be ready to outline the test metrics and Analytics stats that will determine success or failure. In the beginning it may be costly and irritating to "explain yourself" but the trust you will build will be invaluable.

Focus - Is the New "It" Word

I have serious projects and real productive work, and completing these task gives me the highest of satisfaction. With Facebook, Twitter, phone conferences, email and searching for the latest technologies, its a wonder that these daily task are accomplished. It tends to take a huge amount of my time through out the day; but if I was not a productive producer, then I would never be able to manage my own business. Sure, there is more on the list than I can complete in one da,y and yes there is always interruption, but I try to stay "focused".

I realize that with the economy in "recession", it has been very hard to say "No" -- but we all struggle with that word. So, my work load is bigger. I realize that this still can be done. All I need to do now, is "refocus" and re-organize my daily task. Sometimes it can be overwhelming when none of the daily task are accomplished and I feel like I am working in circles.

Multitasking is such an easy term to identify with ourselves that we seem to short change the task that we accept. So, I decided to "focus" the first 90 minutes of day to the major projects on my list for the day. That means; no email, phone, or social media blogging and eliminate any outside distractions. Now, I am not perfect but it seems to get the job done, and at the end of day I write down the next day's tasks so it keeps me "focused".

Being productive means I handle more projects and improve self-discipline because it's quality, not quantity that creates the bond with your client.

Your Website Traffic & Google Ranking

Website traffic can mean the number of hits the site receives, number page views, or the number of unique visitors to one site. All of these can increase over time. Some individuals want to increase web traffic while others want to increase page views by keeping the visitor or potential customer on the site longer. One of the most important steps of increasing traffic is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This involves the development and proper use of appropriate keyword phrases that describe your website business.

You probably know your competitors in your local area. However, knowing your competitors locally is different from knowing online competitors based on appropriate keywords phrases. This consist of several relevant keywords phrases.

Important to the process of increasing website traffic is to avoid individual keywords like "boots" or "jeans". They are simply too competitive in the online market. Just searching for the term "boots" in Google, you are competing against 105,000,000 with this particular term; whereas, searching for more a specific term such as "Justin Boots" reduces the number of competitive searches to 1,280,000.

Understanding what your online customers needs are and how they search for a particular business is no different than someone walking in your store. When a client wants something, they are going to ask for it by name brand, this is true of online searches. Knowing some of the terms that are most frequently used will give you the advantage online.

But -- here's the hint, you're better off defining your terms in order of importance like primary terms, secondary and tertiary. This can help direct marketing of the site when creating Pay Per Click ads or writing specific content based on those terms. The frequency of the keyword phrases on the page, how often a term appears in a page title, meta keywords words, using them in alt tags and headers give you the edge in optimization.

Every unique and re-visit must be treated as potential prospect. Increasing your website's popularity is essential to improving website traffic. Updating the website on a regular basis, maybe include a blog article area for regularly updated information based on the terms are most searched, can increase your visibility.

"This was based on the new website for The Barn Online www.thebarnonline.com. They have been in business locally for over 30 years and Designedbycarla is structuring an online marketing strategy to improvement search results".