What I Learned About Link Building

Hello again friends! Today I'm going to talk about link building. This is important when it comes to your Google ranking, because it shows Google that your website is reputable. So, to start off I want to explain what link building is. When you hear the term, "backlink" or "link building," all this means is that a link to your website exists on another website. You may be wondering, "Why would Google care if a link to my website is on another website?" The reason why they care is because every link to your website is kind of like a letter of recommendation. When Google see's that your link is on a well known website, they view your website as more reputable and popular. So, if your wondering how to get your website at a higher rank, start reaching out to popular bloggers in your market and ask them to do a piece on your website, or have people share your website on social media. Everything you do should lead to your websites name getting out to as many people as possible.

Social Media Marketing Tips

Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to learn about some basic social media marketing tips. As I have been reading into social media marketing, it seems as though there are some common tips throughout most blogs and websites out there.

The first tip is to set a goal for your social media. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to improve? Do you see anything frustrating that you'd like to change? By asking yourself these questions, you can start deciding on an end goal. Maybe you would like to get more likes on your posts. Maybe you would like to increase your followers by a certain amount. The point is to choose a goal you want to set and then plan how you will accomplish that goal.

The second tip is to create content that is visual. Yes, it's important to have a well constructed message, but the truth is that the brain processes images and video much faster than text. Social media platforms are giving priority to visual posts rather than text. So if your looking to grab a potential customers attention, you need to start taking photos and videos.

Basic SEO Tips

Hello again, today I plan on talking a little bit about SEO with tips to improve it. For those of you who are new to SEO, it stands for search engine optimization. In other words, it is the way you set up your website in order to have it appear on the first page of a search engine. For a lot of small businesses, it may not be in their price range to hire a professional marketer to monitor their website. That is why I hope to shed some light on a few important tips that may help with improving your websites ranking. Tip #1, the more social media shares the better. A lot of people may think that SEO is just a matter of proper keyword placement, but that's only a small part of the equation. Google looks at how many social media shares your website gets and will value that over the keyword placement. Even though keywords do play a role in the ranking of your website, an even bigger part is making your website appealing enough to be shared via social media. Tip #2, make your website mobile friendly. The truth is that many Americans own a smartphone and use it browse the internet more than ever before. If your website isn't mobile friendly, you have the potential to lose valuable customers who may have liked your product or service. Google also favors websites that are mobile friendly, so if you want a higher ranking, you might want to consider optimizing your website for mobile use. So there you have it, two great tips for improving your SEO.

The Basics of ROI

Hi there! Today I wanted to talk a little bit about the basics of ROI. To start things off, ROI stands for return on investment. When I talk about ROI, I'm referring to your investment in AdWords. A lot of businesses struggle to invest in advertising, because it is hard to tell how much money those advertisements actually bring in. AdWords has done a great job of tracking how many customers come to your website because of the ads you put out there. They even allow you to track how many clicks lead to sales, so you can easily determine your return on investment. The formula to calculate this is ((revenue - cost of goods sold)/ cost of goods sold). By tracking how much you made in sales and subtracting how much you paid for AdWords, you can divide that by your AdWord cost to find out how much money you're actually making per click. Just another handy way to improve your AdWords.

Tips for Good Ads

Hello again friends! Today I'll be talking a little bit more about AdWords. When it comes to creating an effective ad, I've learned a few really important tips that I hope will benefit you. To start things off, the first tip for an effective ad campaign is to create an effective headline. The headline is the first thing that people will read about your company. The headline should give customers an idea of what it is your selling and what sets you apart from the competition. Sometimes, it may be helpful to include promotional information such as, a discount, BOGO, etc. in the headline. The second tip is to set up a call to action. A call to action is an invitation for customers to do something after reading your ad. An example would be, "Save up to 20% off your first order today!" By inviting customers to do something you're more likely bring them to your site and make a purchase. However, you are limited to a certain amount of characters, so be sure to make short and powerful statements. So that's it, two tips for effective ads.

Basics of AdWords

Hi friends! Today's topic is Google AdWords. For those of you just starting to get involved in marketing, Google AdWords may be your next best friend. The purpose of AdWords is to help businesses target specific people looking for products or services they have to offer. The way it works is by targeting specific keywords customers search for. For example, a company that sells running shoes is essentially saying, "Hey Google, if anyone searches for running shoes, be sure to put our link at the top of the page, because we sell those." Because people are more likely to click on the top few links, Google AdWords places your website at the top of the page. Having said all that, I now want to talk about two general principles to follow when choosing which keywords to use. Principle #1, be specific. The last thing you want is for someone to click on the link to your business and then exit because it's not what they were looking for. To avoid this, you need to use specific words that describe your product or service. Broad words can come off misleading. For example, if I sell running shoes and the keyword I use is shoes, that could come off as women's, men's, kids, babies, business, casual, hiking, or even bowling shoes. Do you see the point I'm trying to make? Principle #2, use negative keywords. Negative means words you don't want associated with your business. For example, if I sell running shoes, I would want to use negative keywords such as business, casual, hiking, and bowling. This way a person searching for any of those words won't be lead to my site. So there you have it, a quick overview of Google AdWords and how to use them.

Setting Up a Sole Proprietorship in Idaho

Hi friends, if you're just joining us on this adventure of starting your own business, I'd recommend reading my previous blogs, "Fundamentals of Starting an Online Business", "How to Create a Website", and "Tips and Tricks for Good Website Design". There are many types of legal structures to choose from when you're deciding on starting your own business, but the one I'll focus on today is a sole proprietorship. Simply put, a sole proprietorship is a one man or woman show. You and your business are considered one and the same. You are the only employee (a spouse could be included, but not considered a separate employee) for your business, and everything you make or lose will be included on your personal taxes. Setting up a sole proprietorship is one of the easiest and cheapest businesses to set up. However, one of the downsides is that you will be personally liable, and your business assets are at risk since the business is not considered separate from you. The first step to setting up a sole proprietorship is to register your business with the Secretary of State. Typically, this is done by registering an assumed business name (ABN) or doing business as (DBA). All that means is that your registering your businesses name as something other than your personal name. Next, depending on what you're selling (service or product) you may have to apply for an Idaho Sales Tax Permit. To do this you simply apply online using form IBR-1. For most businesses the registration and permit are all you need to start, but depending on what you're selling and the type of legal structure, there may be more you need to do. If that is not the case then congratulations, you now know how to start your own business.