Posts Tagged ‘seattle web expert’

Build a Better Website with Tips from Rory Martin

in Web Design and Development on January 5th, 2012 | No Comments »

Netcraft reported that as of November 2011, there were approximately 525, 998,433 websites out in Internet-land  – and many of them aren’t perfect.  Think about it:  when you look at your website, what do you see?  Do you see a sleek design?  Is it easy to navigate?  Do you see compelling imagery or a big block of text?  Are you missing the little things like SEO or a Footer?  Are you effectively using Social Media?  Or have you forgotten to actively add that element to your website?

To make your website more “perfect”, you need to think about all the things we’ve just mentioned.  Seattle Web Design and Social Media Marketing company, RoryMartin.com can help you perfect your website with a few tips on designing a better website.

It’s true that content is key when it comes to making an impact on the web, however design is also key.  There are a variety of browsers, processors and monitor sizes, so it’s important to design a site that looks great on all of them.  While you may use Firefox or Chrome, and so you may design for those two browsers, consider the fact that 40% of internet users STILL use Internet Explorer.  Cross-browser compatibility can be a difficult problem to solve, but producing a sleek design without all the extra bells and whistles can save you some time in trying to determine why this or that widget doesn’t work.

Design also plays a big part in your website’s layout and navigation.  Consider this – 60% of the time, users cannot find the information they’re looking for – and much of that is due to poor execution in navigation and UI design.  Making sure your site is simple but well-designed could save your visitors a lot of time and effort trying to find out where you’ve hidden that gem of information they’re looking for.  And where user interface is concerned, users report clicking away from a page that has pop-ups or plays music or video automatically when the webpage has loaded.

One big part of web design that is often overlooked is the footer.  Often, businesses forget all about the SEO properties and usability of their footer in favor of more visible elements like header images and information.  At RoryMartin.com, we build footers for clients that include copyright information, the company address and contact info, their business tagline and even quick navigation links for the web-user who’s made it to the bottom of your page.   We also recommend links to your social media profiles, because, as users arrive at the bottom of your page and want to know more, the footer can convert your web visitors into Twitter or Facebook followers.

Are you actively using social media?  Is it easy to find your social media links (and maybe even your Twitter stream) on your website?  Web marketing consultant Chris Brogan says, “Social Media puts the ‘public’ into PR and the ‘market’ into marketing.”  Social media is one of the easiest, most direct, and most prominent forms of both public relations and marketing, available to businesses today.  If you’re not using social media, and displaying your information prominently, you’re missing out on a huge target audience.  And, studies have shown that social media builds customer loyalty.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is probably the biggest key to driving customers to your site.  Using a correct combination of keywords and search terms throughout your website in strategic places will help propel your website to the front page of Google.  Of course, being on the second page of Google’s search isn’t bad either – considering a quarter of all web searches progress to the second page of Google.  But keywords aren’t the whole story:  Though 42% of users click the top ranking link on Google, the text that shows up beneath your link is REALLY the driving factor.  It’s this text – copy pulled directly from your website, that truly drives traffic to each site, while your strategic keywords ensure you’re listed in those search results in the first place.

If you’re looking to update your website, grab the wide world of social media marketing by the horns, or just looking to manage brand communications, our skilled staff of social media marketing and web design experts can help.  Find out more about what we can do for you at www.rorymartin.com.

 

 

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Twitter and Facebook Build Customer Loyalty

in Social Media Marketing, Social Networking on October 24th, 2011 | No Comments »

Twitter Image courtesy of Mashable.comAs a company that specializes in Seattle Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Marketing, the RoryMartin.com team likes to keep you informed about new studies regarding social media.  A recent study, generated by Chadwick Martin Bailey, states that Twitter users who follow brands on Twitter are more likely to buy from and recommend that brand.  The group also produced a previous study correlating Facebook users’ purchases with the brands they “like” on Facebook.

This is good news for businesses who are using social media networks to improve their marketing efforts, especially because Twitter and Facebook  users are some of the most frequent internet users in general.  The study showed just how Twitter users were interacting with brands, reporting that 84% of Twitter users who follow brands do actually read brand tweets, making Twitter an effective form of presenting your company and products.  Even better, approximately 1/4 of users who follow brands on Twitter do tweet about the brand.  1 out of every 4 users in your Twitter audience are likely to be talking about your brand right now.

Twitter is proving itself a very useful forum for customer loyalty.  It’s important to know your audience and to make sure you’re tweeting authentic content, though.  67% of users expect unique content from the brands they follow.  In the decision to follow brands on Twitter, customers cite exclusivity and promotions as some of the top reasons they follow brands. Here are the top five reasons users follow brands:

  • 64%: I am a customer of the company
  • 61%: To be the first to know information about the brand
  • 48%: To receive discounts and promotions
  • 36%: To gain access to exclusive content
  • 28%: To receive content/information to retweet and share with others

If your business is not using Twitter right now, you are missing out on a very valuable marketing method.  The report shows that businesses shoud be tweeting to their customers as a means of building brand loyalty.  Don’t know where to start?  At RoryMartin.com, we help businesses customize their social media marketing plans, provide customized facebook pages, overall website overhauls, web design, and perfectly timed tweets.

We can help you build a Social Media Strategy that reflects your unique brand and meets your business goals. From a one-time site analysis to full search engine optimization strategy and execution, RoryMartin.com makes social media simple.

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Make the Most of Linkedin for Your Business

in Social Networking on July 28th, 2011 | No Comments »

As a web design and web development, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media marketing firm, we like to keep on top of the trends – and exploring trends on LinkedIn is no exception.  We stumbled across this article that boasts 10 LinkedIn Tips for Professionals, that says:

Despite the hype over Twitter and Facebook, Linkedin offers the greatest opportunity for professionals to make connections that lead to business.

We agreed with Ian Brody’s article, especially the following tips

1. Don’t make your profile look like your resumé.  Brody says that the number one temptation when setting up a LinkedIn profile is to fill in all those prior job slots, but that’s ineffective where LinkedIn is concerned.   The business connections that you’re looking for are going to want to see solution-oriented details.  Add the business name and title, leave out things like,  “managed four people who perform business-related tasks.”   Explain where you went above and beyond the basic job task, improved something, saved money, or where you were excelled and were just plain awesome.

2.  Find Connections – Know your Strategy.  LinkedIn is social, and there are a lot of professional networks on LinkedIn, where you can flex your knowledge and show off your skills – for example, you might find us in the LikeSocialMedia.com group.  Of course, like any social network, it’s best to get a feel for the pulse of the community.  Listen, watch and learn; find out what other pros in your industry are doing and saying and be cautious at first about sharing dissent.  Like anywhere (or any social network) first impressions are lasting impressions.   And Ian Brody notes, “Create a connection strategy to build valuable discussion.”

3. Ian Brody suggests updating your status to remind people what you do, and what you’re currently working on.  If you connect with a lot of people, staying current with status messages can do anything from help you connect with someone who’s looking for YOUR expertise to keeping you up to date on news in your field, to helping you and your brand grow in ways that your clientele are looking for.

What do you think readers?  Have anything to add to Brody’s tips for LinkedIn?


If you’re curious about how to use LinkedIn for your business, contact RoryMartin.com to find a strategy that fits your social networking needs, as well as the social tools that simplify your social media integration.  We offer a comprehensive set of services from website design and web development to search engine optimization and search engine marketing and social media marketing.  If you need creative ideas, easy implementation, and a limited investment into your social media campaign, RoryMartin.com has experts available to assess your needs, provide excellent customer service and innovative marketing tactics before you’ve even signed a contract.

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The State of LinkedIn

in Social Media Marketing, Social Networking on July 12th, 2011 | No Comments »

Have you ever wondered how LinkedIn actually affects your business?  Ever asked yourself why LinkedIn is important to your company’s potential?  At RoryMartin.com, we’ve been researching ways for businesses to use LinkedIn to build a better social media strategy.

The State of LinkedIn 2011

Having your business profile out there on the web WILL help increase your organic search results, so if you’re not optimizing sites like LinkedIn, you’re not fully optimizing your search engine potential.   LinkedIn also helps your business look more complete, and is an established tool for reputation management – especially through customer testimonials.

LinkedIn is also a powerful tool to analyze your company and its connections through your employee network. An article on Mashable notes that, “…it will automatically calculate your company’s median age, top schools, and other companies that they are well-connected to.”  This can be effective for recruiting job candidates, and networking in your industry.  Through LinkedIn you have the ability to post polls, and receive answers, letting your business know what your clients are interested in, and keeping you up to date on industry standards.

If you’re curious about how to use LinkedIn for your business, contact RoryMartin.com to find a strategy that fits your social networking needs, as well as the social tools that simplify your social media integration.  We offer a comprehensive set of services from website design and web development to search engine optimization and search engine marketing and social media marketing.  If you need creative ideas, easy implementation, and a limited investment into your social media campaign, RoryMartin.com has experts available to assess your needs, provide excellent customer service and innovative marketing tactics before you’ve even signed a contract.

 

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Deciphering your Bounce Rate

in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing on July 7th, 2011 | No Comments »

In trying to keep visitors on your site, knowing your bounce rate is half the battle.  It can be difficult to determine how your bounce rate is calculated and which factors affect your bounce rate.  We found this cool infographic from KissMetrics that shows which factors you can work on to retain visitors, and it even shows the industry standard for your industry.  Check it out!

bounce rate infographic

As a Seattle Web Design company that specializes in Seattle Search Engine Optimization and Seattle Social Media Marketing, RoryMartin.com can help you build a Social Media Strategy that reflects your unique brand, draws and keeps visitors on your page.  We help implement exciting content and social tools that will make your business stand out.  From a one-time site analysis to full search engine optimization strategy and execution, RoryMartin.com can help your business grow.

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Make Your Keywords Pack a Punch

in Search Engine Optimization on June 28th, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Keywords play a large role in search engine optimization, and are a key factor in social media marketing.   Having the right combination of keywords will generate hits, increase traffic and drive sales; however, it’s not always easy to determine which keywords are right for you, and where your keywords aren’t packing a punch.  At Rory Martin, we specialize in helping business come up with relevant keywords that drive traffic to their site. We do the research so businesses don’t have to.

- Ask yourself: What would my customers search for?

This seems relatively easy enough. If a customer would find your services by searching “freelance writer Los Angeles”, put that on your list. Your keywords might be words your competitors use or words that are industry specific. Think up simple terms and phrases that specifically target your site or business, but know that using one word is going to decrease the likelihood that your site will stand out in a crowd.

You will get higher search engine ranking by choosing a mix of specific longer phrases, and general targeted keywords.  Look at the breakdown of search terms as they show up on Google:

Number of Google Matches

Term

11,600,000

writer

1,200,000

real estate writer

48,000

freelance real estate writer

9,000

freelance real estate writer los angeles

Source: WebsiteHelpers.com

You’re going to have an easier time getting click throughs if you narrow it down a little – by adding your location, but be cautious about being too specific.   For example using “Neon Helmet Tacoma WA” won’t drive people to your site. Phrases that are just too specific may offer you the #1 slot on Google, but still won’t deliver the clicks you’re looking for, because they’re not keywords that people would search for. Ranking #1 on terms that nobody is searching for is just as bad as ranking #300 for terms that everybody is searching for. You can’t get the traffic if people aren’t using your search terms, no matter how well you’re ranked.

When you have a list of possible keywords, check out tools like Google’s Keyword Tool, that will help you determine whether or not people are actually searching for those keywords, by populating a list of terms related to the keyword you entered. Look for targeted keywords, and specific phrases that are relevant to your business and your industry.

Search Engine Optimization through keyword analysis is one of the most effective ways to increase targeted traffic to your web site. At RoryMartin.com, we put our Seattle Search Engine Optimization experts to work to research your target audience, determine what keywords they are searching on, and then make sure, through proven search engine optimization tactics, that your web site is the one they find.

As a Seattle Web Design company that specializes in Seattle Search Engine Optimization and Seattle Social Media Marketing, RoryMartin.com can help you build a Social Media Strategy that reflects your unique brand and meets your business goals. From a one-time site analysis to full search engine optimization strategy and execution, RoryMartin.com can help match your keywords to your SEO needs.

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Create the Best Copy for Your Website

in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing on June 17th, 2011 | No Comments »

There are a lot of tips out there on how to create effective copy for your website – especially for businesses who maintain a blog, regarding their services. Of course, these guides may be incomplete and often overly general. Fortunately, we’ve written down our favorite tips for generating effective copy that will drive traffic to your site, showing your business’s authority in your industry.

- Make sure your content is easy to read.
Keyword stuffing, technical jargon, and long-winded posts are often indicators of poor copy. These problems will make your website’s copy hard to read, especially since most web users scan web pages rather than read them word for word. To make your content easy to read, try using fewer words, simple terms, highlighted keywords, and bulleted lists. Another tip – try writing in inverted pyramid style, like you’d find in a newspaper. Try writing your conclusion first, then back it up with the details.

- Your copy should reflect your audience.
Be familiar with your audience – is there a common tone or style of writing that your audience expects to see?  Think about how you’d tell someone about your product in a conversational way – you’re giving your reader tips (tips from Me to YOU).  Highlight the benefits (not the features) of using your product. Include answers about what the product does. Write for how people will search for your page, using words your target audience would use to look for your services. Offer solutions, be entertaining and informative, grab your readers’ attention, use bold (but not cheesy) headings and brief explanations. And don’t just rely on keywords – use words that elicit emotion and action from potential customers.

- Avoid dense copy with no breaks.
Smaller chunks surrounded by white space are visually easier to digest. The use of effective headings is one great way to break content into chunks, using boldface type for emphasis. When using headings remember a few things: keep them to eight words or less; include important keywords; avoid the use of adjectives and prepositions (and, a, the, of); be clear and concise, avoiding wordy, wishy-washy phrases. Headings are great because you can place them on your homepage as a link to content, or use them in title tags around your links.

- Don’t let your website become a dead end.
Offer links to other information in your industry, and build relationships so that other sites link to you. Often, search engines like Google are based on their ability to find you from links on other sites. The web is all about being inter-linked.

- If you’re stuck, hire a professional.
RoryMartin.com has a team of Seattle Search Engine Optimization and keyword experts who can help you draft engaging copy that reaches out to your audience.   We help clients educate their markets and build brand awareness while winning and retaining customers with engaging and impactful websites and web marketing.

RoryMartin.com, a Seattle Web Design company that specializes in Search Engine Optimization and Seattle Social Media Marketing, can help you build a strategy that speaks to your audience and puts your business on the map.

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Make an Impact on Facebook

in Social Media Marketing, Social Networking on June 15th, 2011 | No Comments »

One of our focuses at Rorymartin.com is helping customers create and execute their social media campaigns. An effective social media campaign should be married with your marketing campaign, and should use a wide variety of social media tools – including Facebook. Facebook is one of the most useful social media marketing tools out today; yet many businesses don’t quite know how to implement Facebook into their social media strategy. One key point to Facebook as a social media tool for business is building interactions.

Initially, Facebook didn’t offer pages, and so businesses created profiles as a way to reach out to users, especially since messaging users has continued to remain a feature reserved for profiles. Yet, one of the most common mistakes businesses make on Facebook is creating a profile instead of a Facebook fan page. What these businesses may not know, is that profiles have not been as visible and don’t necessarily get the visits that pages do. While Facebook updates may seem like a way to alert fans to events and news – showing up like messages in users’ inboxes – a very small percentage of updates are actually visible to fans, because of an algorithm called EdgeRank.

EdgeRank gives every post a quality score – measuring the number of comments, likes, and shares per post against the number of fans a page has. Businesses who want to be seen need to build up their EdgeRank, by making their posts interaction friendly – which means businesses need to spend more time building community with their fans. Fans don’t interact with self-promotion nearly as much as they interact with conversation. Your page needs to have a conversational, community feel – a give and take that makes your brand appealing to your fans and their friends. To really optimize your Facebook experience, mix up the types of posts to include blogs, videos and engaging questions.

Building the interactions your Facebook page is just one part of a good social media strategy. Seattle Social Media Marketing company, Rorymartin.com focuses on helping our customers build their EdgeRank. This helps our clients educate their markets and build brand awareness while winning and retaining customers with engaging and impactful websites and web marketing. We offer a comprehensive set of services from website design and web development to search engine optimization and search engine marketing and social media marketing.

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Social Media Marketing – The Value of Business Blogging

in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing on April 29th, 2011 | 1 Comment »

There is a common misconception among business owners as to the value of business blogging. Many believe that they do not have time to effectively implement a Social Media Marketing campaign or that there is little return on investment. RoryMartin.com a Seattle Web Design company that specializes in Seattle Search Engine Optimization and Seattle Social Media Marketing can help you build a marketing strategy that reflects your unique brand and meets your business goals.

A corporate blog is a marketing asset and therefore, an asset to your business. Properly executed, a blog will continue to drive traffic and leads to your business over time and should be viewed just like Search Engine Optimization, a due diligence process that is not a short term experiment, but a long term investment.

There are many reasons to consider a business blog.  By delivering fresh, compelling, keyword-rich, original content you will bring users back to your site on a regular basis, helping increase awareness for your brand and driving your site up in ranking. In addition to gaining search engine ranking and generating leads, blogs engage your current customers and place you in a position to provide thought leadership to your industry, strengthening your brand.

Optimizing a blog that engages customers and prospects while furthering your company’s mission and business objectives, is much like optimizing a website. By implementing search engine optimization, your blog can rank much higher than static website pages in the search engine results. Over time, this drives up the ranking of your company website.

In order to measure Social Media ROI you must define clear measurable goals. RoryMartin.com’s online marketing campaigns deliver both measurable revenue as well as ancillary brand building benefits for your company.   It is important to understand the value of a visitor. Each visitor becomes one of three things; a browser, an influencer or a transacting customer.  A transacting customer delivers immediate financial impact which can be measured as ROI. Browsers and influencers are measured as ancillary even though they directly affect your financial bottom line, just not in the immediate sense. Their value falls into the category of non-actualized potential.

Some of the most substantial benefits of a social media campaign will be difficult to measure directly. There is no concrete financial value that can be assigned to reputation management, branding and customer service. However, every business owners knows those values are indispensable.

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Five Leading Contributors to Facebook Fan Value

in Social Media Marketing on April 25th, 2011 | 1 Comment »

As growing audiences migrate to social networks like Facebook, a brand’s ability to connect and influence these customers must shift from traditional marketing strategies.

Facebook offers a great platform for developing stronger relationships with your customers. Facebook fans represent a significant opportunity to drive revenue enhancement, brand, and loyalty without incurring the considerable cost-per-person of conventional marketing.

The five leading contributors to Facebook fan value are:

  • Product Spending
  • Brand Loyalty
  • Propensity to Recommend
  • Brand Affinity
  • Earned Media Value

How you interact with your Facebook fans is more important than the number of non-engaged fans your page has. So the question is how to manage this platform to build loyalty and generate sales? Fans are an extremely valuable segment of the Internet audience and should be addressed with specific strategies to nurture their ongoing participation and influence. RoryMartin.com offers comprehensive Social Media Marketing services to help your company tap into the power of social media.

Facebook Strategies Allow for a Discernible ROI That is Not Allowed by Most Other Approaches.

  • More than 10 million users become fans of pages each day.
  • On average fans spend an additional $71 on products for which they are fans compared to those who are not fans.
  • Fans are 28% more likely than non-fans to continue using the brand.
  • Fans are also 41% more likely to recommend a fanned product to their friends.

RoryMartin.com helps clients educate their markets and build brand awareness while winning and retaining customers with engaging and impactful websites and web marketing. As a Seattle Web Design company that specializes in Seattle Search Engine Optimization and Seattle Social Media Marketing, RoryMartin.com can help you build a Social Media Strategy that reflects your unique brand and meets your business goals.

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