Inbound Marketing Infographics

Inbound Marketing Visuals

Published on September 26, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

This is our favorite inbound marketing infographic that we have seen this year. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Source: blog.hubspot.com via TigerSEO on Pinterest

SEO for Small Business

Published on September 24, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

Keyword Research

Before any positively effective SEO work can be implemented a business must have completed a thorough keyword research process. Because the purpose of SEO is to affect high search engine ranking it makes perfect sense to target the keywords that are highly relevant, and that are known to have high traffic. There are many free, online keyword research tools including those offered by Google, Yahoo and other sites. In consideration of the critical nature of having completely accurate keyword research a business owner may want to hire an SEO company to provide a refined keyword list.

SEO Page Title

The page title that is a within the website’s code, and located in the “head” area is an extremely important part of an SEO strategy. Every website page should have a unique title, and each title should be less than 70 characters in length. Ideally a title should be comprised of two to three word key phrases, separated by commas or vertical bars (“pipes”). Presently there are thoughts that each page title should end with the company name in order in improve branding and identification.

SEO Page Description

Like the page title, the page description for each page should be a unique sentence or two that is an accurate portrayal of the information on the page with a minimal, if any, inclusion of promotional language. In terms of the number of characters the page description should be limited to less than 150 characters. Starting the page description with a two to three word key phrase is recommended. It is highly advisable to not make frequent changes to the page descriptions as it may deemed to having been done for search engine optimization, and not for user benefit.

Link Titles and Image Alt Tags

The quality of your coding, especially as it pertains to usability, is something to which you should pay attention and that takes very little effort to put into place. Your link titles and image alt tags should be accurate, and should not be used for keyword stuffing. The inclusion of title attributes and alt tags provides a visible text message when users place their cursor on a link or image.

SEO Backlinks

Backlinks are a critical component in the SEO game. As search engine algorithms evolve the source of backlinks and how they are acquired becomes a more complicated process with specific regard to achieving high organic ranking and avoid being hit with search engine penalties. Current algorithms consider link velocity, which is the consistency of the pace at which the links are required. Acquiring links “too fast” may be deemed to be “unnatural link building” and bring algorithmic based ranking penalties.

XML Site Map

Unlike the viewable site map page that you should have on your website, an XML sitemap is a special type of file that helps a search engine to identify the individual pages that make up the website. Additionally the XML sitemap can contain information regarding the last date the page was updated, the relative importance of each page and other data that would be important to search engines.

The typical business owner can achieve moderate success from doing their own search engine optimization, however the best results can be achieved by hiring an experienced Atlanta SEO company.

Small Business Website Design

Web Design For Small Business

Published on September 24, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

Not for Beginner Web Designers!

I once heard a very naive person say "you can hire any high school kid to make a website". This was said by someone who should have known better, and seems to be a common perception among many business owners. The people with this belief are making a loud statement to the effect that they do not have a clue about what is required to make a good business website. In a tech savvy market like Atlanta it is even more important to have a professional web design company handle your website design and development project - this is no place for beginners!

Wordpress Is Easy!

Sort of. While some Wordpress sites, or similar do-it-yourself web design platforms are relatively easy work environments, it still requires a very good nowledge of web design fundamentals in order to produce a great looking website. In fact, when you need to customize your website (and you will need to do this!) it is nearly impossible to do without some knowledge of coding best practices and SEO best practices.

What about the quick plug-ins and widgets? Plug-ins and widgets are nifty little items for a Wordpress site. As with anything else, being able to acquire something does not mean that you will truly know how to use it. Compare Wordpress to Turbo-Tax, Legal Zoom or other do-it-yourself ways of handling what would otherwise be done by a skilled professional. Certainly you can fill in the blanks but you don't have the level of understanding that is required to avoid problems and get optimal results. Simply put, you know what you know but you don't know what you don't know.

It is well worth noting that your do-it-yourself project is going to be competing with the work of skilled professionals. The probablity of winning in this arena are incredibly low - and your business is what you are betting.

What Do You Need To Know?

Website Design! Graphic design requires knowledge of the use of space (which really does include EMPTY spaces), color psychology and how to coordinate colors, content layout and presentation and more. Add upon this the need to understand online user behaviors because user friendliness and intuitive flow is absolutely critical.

Copy Writing! Writing effective copy is far more complicated than typing out everything you know about a particular subject. Knowing how to structure the presentation on each page, and across the website is vital. Knowing how to create a logical flow of information and paying attention to special callouts, pull quotes, bullet lists and otheer text treatments is important. Knowledge of grammar, punctuation and composition is essential. And you will definitely need to know how to implement SEO tactics into your copy development.

Graphics Design! You will need to create custom graphics to create a high performance website. Copying images from other websites, or downloading images from a place like Google Images to use on your website is very illegal! Such activity can cost you as much as $250,000 per incident for copyright infringements or violation of intellectual property laws. You will need to take photos or otherwise acquire licensed images, and create special graphics in expensive software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

Internet Marketing! You will need to understand SEO practices, website conversion strategies, effective use of calls-to-action, and a LOT more. Simply adding a lot of words and some pictures does not create an online experience that will engage or entice potential customers.

A Website Designer Costs Too Much!

You may think that an Atlanta website designer costs too much but this thinking works only if you compare their costs to your free labor. What you are failing to recognize is the is all of the new business that "will not happen" when your website is ranked on page 12 and looks like a high-school project. Hiring a qualified company that offers web design Atlanta, and that can include Atlanta SEO, Atlanta digital marketing services and general Atlanta search engine marketing services is your best option for online success.

If you live in a town of a few thousand people it might make sense for a friend or relative to do your website. If you want to compete in a major market like Atlanta, you will find that it is no place for a web design beginner.

Atlanta Inbound Marketing Services

Digital Marketing Services

Published on September 24, 2012, written by James H. Hobson

Internet marketing strategies are continually under review and revision because of the rapid changes in internet marketing opportunities, changes to search engine algorithms, and new creative ideas. The concept of "inbound marketing services" is the current wave that is hitting the internet marketing and SEO industry.

What Is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound Marketing refers to a more holistic approach that concentrates on combining, coordinating and leveraging SEO, social media marketing and content marketing. The concept of inbound marketing is based on the need for a company to be found by potential customers that are seeking a product or service. Inversely, what would be considered to be "outbound marketing" are mediums that are driven at the consumer in an attempt to generate awareness or interest.

Why Is Inbound Marketing Better?

Inbound marketing services are far more effective simply because "you're there when the customer wants you". Outbound marketing is often viewed as annoying or bothersome because the ads or information are being force fed to the consumer when they may or may not have any interest in the particular product or service being promoted. Inbound marketing provides information that is desired, whereas outbound marketing typically provides "unwanted information".

Inbound Marketing Services

Inbound marketing services are available from established internet marketing companies who are already well versed in the key elements of internet marketing including organic SEO, local SEO, social media marketing, PPC management, internet press releases, article marketing, blogging, video marketing and related services. While there are a multitude of companies that dabble in these areas, it is essential to hire an Atlanta inbound marketing company that understands HOW to coordinate these elements in order to achieve the greatest impact. Additionally, the needs of each business are somehwhat, if not very, unique. Your company's customer profile, sales process, market conditions, and other factors will play a significant role in determining how your inbound marketing program should be structured.

Content marketing, a key part of inbound marketing, is where most efforts fall flat. Creating useful, informative content requires a fair amount of time and good writing skills. Additionally, the need to integrate good SEO practices complicates the process of producing high quality content.

Costs For Inbound Marketing

The costs for inbound marketing services should mirror the program your company needs. This means that any "package pricing" is a clear indicator that you are being sold a "price point" and not being presented with a fair price for the services that you need - no more, no less. Price point packages are a holdover from yellow pages sales techniques, and are used quite often when service providers need to make things easy for a salesperson to present to a customer. Finding an inbound marketing company that will act as a consultant to understand and evaluate your situation and objectives, and then create a custom strategy and program is the key to getting optimal results from your internet marketing services and inbound marketing program.