META descriptions

Today I am going to inform you about Meta descriptions. If you have a blog or website, this post should be of interest to you. For those of you who don’t know, a Meta description is defined as an HTML and XHTML element that describes your page to search engines. Meta descriptions provide and explanation of the contents of web pages and they are commonly used on search engine result pages to show a preview of the snippets for a given page. Meta descriptions are not important to search engine rankings, but they are very important if you want to increase user click-throughs from search engine result pages. The Meta description on your page is an opportunity to advertise your website or blog to searchers, and let them know if your blog/website is what they were searching for. It is important to use the site’s keywords strategically in the Meta description, and you should also create an interesting description that a searcher would want to click. Lastly, uniqueness and direct relevance to a page between each page’s Meta description is key.

SEO Best Practices

1. Write Compelling Ad Copy

When you are writing Meta description, you will want it to be a compelling description because it serves the function of an advertising copy. It is what attracts the searchers to a website, so it is a very important part of search marketing. To maximize click-through rates on search engine pages it is important to remember that Google and all other search engines bold keywords in Meta descriptions

2. Recommended Length-155 Characters

Your Meta description can be any length, but the suggested length is approximately 150 characters.

3. Avoid Duplicate Meta Description Tags

To avoid duplicated Meta description tags, it is important to make each Meta description for every page unique.

4. Not a Google Ranking Factor

“In September of 2009, Google announced that neither Meta descriptions nor Meta key words factor into Google’s ranking algorithms for web search. Google uses Meta descriptions to pull preview snippets of result pages as well as returning results when researches use advance search operators to match Meta tag content.

5. Quotes Cut Off Descriptions

If you have quotes in your met description, Google will always cut off the description. So, when you are writing a Meta description remember to never include quotes or non-alphanumeric characters in your description. If you feel that you need quotes, you should change them to single quotes instead of double quotes.

Source: https://moz.com/learn/seo/meta-descripton

Quick Start Guide for Hootsuite

In two of my previous "Social Media Marketing" blog posts I wrote about Hootsuite. I gave a background of what Hootsuite is and how it can make life easier for someone. I then briefly blogged about how to set up a Hootsuite account. In this blog post I am going to further write about Hootsuite, and I am going to give you steps that will help you successfully manage your social networks in the Hootsuite dashboard.

1. Create a Hootsuite account
To create a Hootsuite account, click the following link: https://hootsuite.com/ and then click Sign Up in the top right corner of the page. You should then click the "Get Started" button and  select the plan that best fits your needs. Lastly, you will be requested to enter your information and follow the prompts to connect social networks, add streams, and send messages.

2. Add social networks
Adding your social profiles will allow you to publish and schedule content, and monitor engagement all from your Hootsuite dashboard. Hootsuite allows you to add up to three social networks to manage on your account. To add social networks to your dashboard, click "Streams" from the launch menu, and then click "Add Social Network". When you click "Add Social Network" it will give you a list to select from to add your social networks. So, pick which your networks that you want to connect and you will be ready to manage your dashboard.

3. Set up tabs and streams
Now that you have finished adding your social networks to your dashboard, you can set up streams for each network so you can monitor content. Each social network has its own unique stream type. Tabs will help you organize your steams into groups.

4. Publish messages
If you want to engage your audience and gain more followers, you should definitely think about setting a schedule to post messages regularly. Hootsuite will save you time because you will be able to post a single message to multiple networks at once. To post a message, click "Compose Message", enter your message in the compose box, and then click "Send Now".

5. Install Apps
To install any apps you may want or need, select the App Directory from the launch menu. You will then need to click "Install App" next to the app, and then click "Finish" to install it.

6. Download Hootlet
Installing Hootlet will allows you to quickly share content to your social networks from anywhere on the web. Learn more about Hootlet by clicking the following link: https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/204585060-Share-content-with-Hootlet 

7. Download Hootsuite mobile
If you want to manage social media on a smart phone, you can download the Hootsuite mobile apps for android and apple. These can be downloaded from your device's app store.

Creating a Free Website

In my SEO marketing class, we were required to make a website. The professor gave us the option of creating a site on Google, or on Weebly. I chose to create my site on Weebly.com. I have not fully finished editing my site or adding content to it. However, I do plan on adding information about myself this semester. Last semester I added a couple pictures and created a contact page that would then send people to a landing page. The landing page was a simple page that said "thank you". The goal of this was to track how many people reached this landing page by submitting their contact information. We are now again using Weebly to further help us understand SEO.

Another platform that you can try for free is Wix. I used Wix.com which is a web development platform that allows users to create web sites and mobile sites through the use of online drag and drop tools. I used this platform to make a website for a product I had to create for my marketing strategy class last semester. The product I created was a pair of heat activated football receiver gloves. Wix made it very easy for me to add images and customize the website to look the way I wanted it to. It may not look as professional as other websites look, but for a class project, I thought it was a great platform to use. If you are looking to create a website and are low on funds I would definitely suggest either of these two platforms. They are both user friendly and free to use!

Facebook Insights

In this blog post, I am going to tell you about Facebook Insights. Facebook Insights is a tool that can be very helpful to businesses who want to track user interaction on their Facebook fan page. If you use Facebook Insights you'll be able to see what is the best time of day to post, the best time of the week to post, and what type of content is most popular to your target audience. The Facebook Insights tool is updated constantly to reflect your page's developments and to show any patterns that may evolve on your page. It would be beneficial to check this routinely to stay up to date on everything.

Below are the six steps that could be useful for anyone who is new to Facebook Insights

1. How to Access Facebook Insights
You can gain access to your page's insights by clicking on the gear wheel and then selecting "view insights". A graph will appear like the one shown below. This graph will show you the number of likes, the number of friends of fans available, how many people are currently talking about your page, and your total weekly reach.  All of this data would be important because it will allow you too look at what content has worked in terms of gaining likes and buzz, as well as what content has not really worked.




2. Virality of Posts
The virality of a post will help you what posts were most successful. Knowing the virality of your posts will help you create content that your fans may like which will hopefully increase traffic to your page and website. You will be able to sort posts by the following types: posts, photos, links, videos, platform posts, and questions. This will also allow you to see how many users engaged with a certain post, as well as how many spread the word about it, aka "buzz".

3. Likes
If you click "likes" you will be able to see the demographics of your fan base. For example, you can see the genders and ages of your fans as well as what area your fans are mostly from. Knowing the demographics of your fan base will allow you to develop personas which can be helpful when creating landing pages, and marketing messages.

4. Reach
The reach of your Facebook page will show how much of your content is reaching your fans, who is talking about your page, and whether or not your fans are referring your page to others or sharing images. This section also helps you see page views, as well as your reach in terms of organic searches, and paid and viral searches, all of which are important.

5. Talking About This
The "Talking About This" section will show who is talking about your page. It will show the demographics of the people that are talking about it as well as the percentage of people in different age groups. This is important because it will help you see how your content trends over time. It will help you better time the planning of posts and promotions on your page.

6. Check-Ins
This section will only be important if you have physical locations. It will show the demographics of the people who are checking in at your physical store location. This can be helpful in monitoring the social media impact on your sales.

If you want even more information on Facebook Insights, please visit the following link: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/guide-to-facebook-insights/

Hubspot Certification

In this blog post, I am going to talk about the Hubspot Certification that I recently passed. For those of you who don't know, "Hubspot is an inbound marketing software platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers." Traditional marketing is focused on cold calls, direct mail and advertising to consumers. Hubspot is focused on attracting potential buyers instead of interrupting them by cold-calling them or sending them direct mail. Inbound marketing involves creating content, optimizing it for search engines, and posting it to social media. You should then attract your prospects with landing pages, calls to action, and personalized emails and websites. That is what Hubspot describes as inbound marketing and the way you should market to human beings. If you want to learn more about what Hubspot is, visit the following link: http://www.hubspot.com/what-is-hubspot.

How I achieved a Hubspot Certification

I am currently taking an SEO marketing class and we were required to take and pass the exam to achieve the Hubspot Certification. I have the class twice a week and we watch approximately three videos from hubspot.com each class. For me, the videos were what really helped me pass the exam. I knew that I was required to pass the exam, so I made sure that I paid close attention to all of the videos. The videos discuss different topics that are important for SEO and inbound marketing. All of the topics that were discussed in the videos we watched were definitely covered on the exam in at least one of the questions. I was able to see what topics on the exam that I did well on and those that I did not do well on. After the exam was over it gave a percentage on how well I did on each topic. I found this to be helpful because it showed what I knew and what I should further look it to help me better understand inbound marketing. I was able to pass, however if you are unable to on your first try, you should pay close attention to these percentages. They will show you what you topics you will need to study for the next time you try to pass the exam. I suggest trying to pass this exam because it will improve your resume and be attractive to potential job recruiters.

Hootsuite 2

 

As I mentioned in my last Social Media Marketing blog, I am going to dive further into to Hootsuite in this post and give you the steps it takes to create your own Hootsuite account.

Hootsuite University

To further understand how Hootsuite works, I would suggest clicking the following link: www.youtube.com/user/HootSuiteUniversity. These videos will give you a better perspective on social media. In addition to these videos, the Hootsuite Help section is also worth looking at. Hootsuite Help will help you understand the basics and things you can try. The links in this section are "Getting Started", "Hootsuite Status", and "Live Webinars". Each of these links will help you get better acclimated to Hootsuite. If you are interested, Hootsuite also even offers social media analytics which can be very helpful in tracking your results. The analytics will allow you to really see how your social media sites are performing.

Creating and Configuring a Hootsuite Account

So now that I have given you ways to understand Hootsuite works and what it offers, it is time to get started with an account of your own! To get started, go to hootsuite.com, and click "Sign Up".(If you are already signed into a social media account the screens may appear differently) It will give you the option of starting with a free regular account and a free advanced account. I would suggest starting with the free regular account for now. It will then ask you to enter your email address, name, password, and location, and then you will click create account. Next Hootsuite will walk you through the process of adding your own social media networks, meaning that you will be able to connect your social media accounts to Hootsuite so you can use Hootsuite to post to all of them. I would suggest adding Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. You can add these networks by simply clicking on them on the page.

 My main goal of these last two blog posts was to give you a background of how Hootsuite works, how it will help you, and how to get started with it. If you need more help configuring your Hootsuite account I would suggest getting your hands on CASA Marketing: Intro to Social Media Marketing. You can purchase the book by clicking the following link http://www.amazon.com/CASA-Marketing-Intro-Social-Media-ebook/dp/B0103LB4HS

Mobile Devices Upend Google Search

"Mobile Devices Upend Google Search" is the name of an article that was published in the Wall Street Journal. The the main focus of the article is centered around search engine optimization, and how mobile devices are changing it. In 2010, Chimani Inc. launched a smart phone app that would help guide visitors to Maine's Acadia National Park. At the time, Google did not include apps in any search results, so Chimani had to build a website and sprinkle in phrases such as " Chimani: mobile apps for outdoors". They sprinkled these types of phrases in their website because they hoped that it would help their app get noticed. This strategy has shown how mobile devices are upending fifteen years of SEO tactics created to attract search engine sites such as Google, or Yahoo.  SEO is now more about opening apps up to Google's computers, and/or feeding the computers product information, prices, or photos.

Google's Understanding of Apps
Just like Chimani Inc. had to change their strategy, Google has had to change theirs too. On the web, Google is able to see and analyze all information. However, apps which are self-contained programs are the opposite. Google needs help from app developers in order to see and organize the material inside an app. Currently, Google does have organized information inside more than 1,000 apps such as Twitter, and Facebook, however that is only a small percentage of the more than one million apps in Google's Play Store. Google also needs help assessing content even when it can see inside an app. Google ranks websites based on how many other sites are to linked to them. However, apps are not websites so they do not have links which means that Google had to find a way to rank them differently. According to Mr. Cristo (director of SEO innovation at WPP Group), Google seems to rank apps on the number of users, and how much time they spend in the app. So it seems that the best way to boost an app's SEO is to encourage product users to write reviews, give ratings, and share content because that is what Google seems to value the most.

Best Mobile SEO
According to Marty Weintraub (founder of digital marketing agency aimClear), writing a check to Google is the best mobile SEO these days. Google offers advertising that can be placed near certain search results. The Google product ads can have pictures, prices, and availability. These ads rely on continual data that is fed from the retailers who are creating the ads. It is also important to make sure that the data feed on the product ads are at least 95% correct. Correct data feed is described to be just as important as the keywords being used in the product ads. According to PMG and Kenshoo (marketing agencies) the product codes have to start with a numeral and product descriptions can't be in all capital letters.

The topics I discussed above are what I found to be most important in the article. If you would like to read the full article, you can visit the following link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/mobile-devices-upend-google-search-1456396202