InFrequently Asked Questions
When considering an Internet strategy, asking the right questions leads to good decision making. But information can change so quickly that sometimes you don’t know what to ask. InFrequently Asked Questions, is dedicated to those gray, fuzzy areas where you may need more information.
- What essential components contribute to my search engine optimization strategy?
- What do links do for me?
- Why should I be concerned with duplicate content?
- How does video benefit my strategy?
- I already have video, where do I start?
- I don’t have video, where do I start?
- How do I know which directory is right for me?
- I am getting traffic; how do I know I am getting business?
- Do directories affect my search engine optimization strategy?
Pay –Per-Click (PPC)
How do I decide if Pay-Per-Click is right for me?
Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of internet advertising where advertisers pay each time a consumer clicks on their website. PPC is highly sought after because it gives you the ability to control your website’s position for certain keywords. PPC is often the first step an advertiser takes to develop an internet strategy because it is quick, easy and you can see your position on the page instantly. However, without guidance a PPC campaign can become very costly and ineffective. Rosemont Media advises our clients to give a Pay-Per-Click strategy careful consideration through diligent research, the creation and manipulation of highly focused ads and the quest for “bonus buys.” We do not advise our clients to spray the money hose at certain keyword campaigns because their competition is positioned there (everyone is doing it) or because they want to be #1. We believe in a methodic well balanced approach that will give our clients return on their investment not just market share.
How do I track my return from Pay-Per-Click?
Google, Yahoo, MSN and the other search engines generate their revenue through paid advertising so in order to attract a larger audience they have created several programs, tools and help centers to better assist you in tracking your results. However, the most important step to track your return on Pay-Per-Click is to isolate the variable. In our Tracking and Conversion section, we discuss the role of a tracking website accompanied with a tracking number. The tracking website will define the statistics specific to your PPC campaign without mixing in results associated with your paid directories, search engine optimization or organic positioning etc. This will better assist you with defining user patterns, i.e. exit pages, navigation through your website, and email leads to track the conversion into paying clients etc. The tracking phone number which is specific to your PPC ads will provide you the name and telephone number of the caller. The tracking number can also record the conversation to better assist your staff with not only tracking the leads but evaluating where they can improve their conversion into scheduled consultations and surgery.
Search Engine Optimization
What essential components contribute to my search engine optimization strategy?
Search Engine Optimization can be described as a very complicated process that can only truly be mastered by self defined gurus of the internet. Search Engine Optimization is actually quite simple but it is very time consuming and requires patience and most importantly maintenance. The key ingredients to success with search engine optimization are: robust unique content, steady flow of new content, clean code, easy to follow navigation, page titles, and inbound links. The inherent goal of the search engines is to provide the best user experience possible which will inevitably create user loyalty. If we look at it from the consumer’s perspective they are interested in learning more, finding information quickly and easily, finding a legitimate source for the information and being entertained during the process. The consumer and the search engines share the same goals it is simply a matter of creating a website that is friendly to both.
What do links do for me?
Inbound links to your website act as a vote in the eyes of the search engines. If your website has several other websites linking to it the search engines view you as an authority on the topic and promote your website with better positioning. The ongoing maintenance of search engine optimization has a lot to do with the quest for new inbound links. However, it is important to note that not all links are created equal. Some inbound links have more legitimacy in the eyes of the search engines and ultimately carry more weight. There are also links that do not benefit your strategy at all and there are even links that can harm your search engine optimization strategy. A link campaign should be customized to fit your practice specifically. For more information on link campaigns click here.
Why should I be concerned with duplicate content?
Duplicate content is large blocks of content that have been copied from one online source and posted to another website. The search engines will give credit to the original owner of the duplicated content and ding the offending website by not indexing that specific page or by lowering their overall rankings. However, the search engines are not always accurate in accessing who the original owner of the content was. It is very important when optimizing your website to keep your website updated with fresh unique content.
Website
Do I own my domain?
Your domain or web address, www.example.com, is the most valuable component of your internet strategy. Your domain is intimately tied to your brand name and its longevity simultaneously gives you credibility with the search engines. It is very important that your domain is registered in YOUR name. You can easily check this by visiting Go Daddy.com, WhoIs.com, or Networksolutions.com. Simply do a search for your web address and select “click here for more information.” The information listed will consist of the Registrant, Administrative Contact, and the Technical Contact. Your name should be listed as the Registrant. If it is not, you should approach the Administrative or Technical contact and request that that you be listed as the registrant. For step by step instructions, please refer to our video on domain ownership.
Do I own my website?
This seems like an obviously question but websites are not always defined as your property. Companies often lease websites or build websites in a specific code which makes it impossible to remove from their server and transfer to a new host. The decision to buy or lease is not similar to buying or leasing a vehicle. It is more like buying or renting a home. One monthly payment builds equity the other flows steadily down the drain. By leasing a website or purchasing a website with proprietary coding, the online momentum that you create with the search engines is tied to the company who owns the website. If you decide to part ways or find a new opportunity, you will have to start all over not just with a new website but with the credibility that you have built over the years with the search engines. We advise our clients to build websites in a fashion that is both compatible with the search engines and portable.
Video
Hows does video benefit my strategy?
In a nation where 96% of homes have at least one television set, video has a huge impact on the consumer. Video on your website will allow consumers to meet you, view your facility, and listen to client or patient testimonials while simultaneously positioning you as a leader in technology. By adding video to your website, we have tracked significantly longer visit durations, more return visitors and a substantial increase the conversion to emails and phone calls. Video not only converts all of your advertising, as all of your external advertising points to your website, at a higher rate but it gives you a distinct advantage with the search engines. In May 2007, Google led the charge and announced that it would also be indexing video in its organic listings. All of the other search engines have now followed suit. In February 2008, Google also started testing video ads within their sponsored links. There is no doubt that the search engines have an invested interest in taking search to the next level with the inclusion of video.
I already have video, where do I start?
Great! The first step is to convert your video into a format that is easily and quickly viewed by all audiences. We suggest the use of a flash video player. Unlike Quicktime or Windows Media players, flash animation which is compatible with 98% of all computers. The next step is to select a host that can provide either “streaming” video or a progressive download which will enable your viewers to watch the video with minimal glitching or stalling. Every home and office is equipped with different connection speeds so it is important to be aware of all of your viewers….even the dial up users. Lastly, you want to take advantage of the video search engines like YouTube, Yahoo Video, Metacafe etc. to distribute and market your videos. Videos are invisible to the search engines so in order to have them identified with emerging trends such as Google’s Universal Search, it is important to consider Video Search Engine Optimization as well.
I don’t have video, where do I start?
Video production is a crucial component to your audience’s perspective of your practice or company. Your story can either be entertaining or incredibly dull. Consider your audience’s needs and create a production that is both entertaining and informative. (Should I add more here….or is that redundant?)
Directories
How do I decide which directory is right for me?
The role of a directory is to garner targeted traffic (i.e. your consumers) and redirect them to your website. The value of most directories is that they have national exposure under terms that your website could not possible compete for. The selection of which directory is right for you depends on what kind of consumer you are looking to attract, the price or cost-per-click, the conversion level and at times the search engine optimization benefits.
I am getting traffic, how do I know I am getting business?
The internet does not provide a detailed road map of how a consumer found themselves on your website or what exactly compelled them to contact you but you with the right systems set in place you can get pretty close. The day of simply asking your consumers how they found you is coming to an end. When you have invested in a robust internet strategy and you are found in a variety of different places across the web a consumer’s response “I found you on the internet” is just not enough to track the success of each individual investment. We recommend the use of tracking websites accompanied with tracking numbers to scientifically identify your users, phone calls and email leads.
Do directories affect my search engine optimization strategy?
Directories can benefit, harm or provide no value to your search engine optimization strategy. Some directories provide a direct “following” link back to your website. There are following directory links and directory links that do not follow. Depending on the type of link it can either provide no value to your strategy or this inbound link can be very beneficial to your SEO. Directories can also harm your SEO if they copy large blocks of content from your website and post it on theirs. This is considered “duplicate content” by the search engines and your website’s rankings could be negatively affected. Your content should be considered proprietary and coveted.