Google recently added the (+) sign to its suite of products for both consumers and businesses in a bid to bury the failure of Google Buzz and create a platform to challenge Twitter and Facebook.

In fact, while Mark Zuckerburg may conclude the sole purpose of Google Plus is to overtake Facebook, Google begs to differ.

Google sees Plus, arguably, as a hybrid system that takes the best features out of both Facebook and Twitter to create something completely new.

And, if it’s right it may generate up to 400 million new users by year’s end. Currently Google Plus has attracted about 60 million sign-ups but there is some doubt as to how many of these are actively using all the features.

The Hangout feature is one of the areas Google Plus engineers are currently raving about.

This offers up 1-click video conversations with both customers and co-workers. The goal is face-to-face product feedback to mitigate rapid problem solving over video chat.

Another variation pioneered by Google is the ability to segment your customers into gold, silver and bronze customers. They call this feature Google circles which allows small business owners to separate out content for customers at various states of the sales pipeline. Thus, you could distinguish between:

• Suspects
• Prospects
• Leads
• Customers who purchased

As an aside, those using Google Apps for Small Business had to a wait a bit longer for the functionality to seep through to their management screens, which did cause a bit of consternation.  Google appeared to be very cautious in releasing this feature to business users, as it wanted to test reaction in the consumer market first.

As expected, there will be two different Google search results experiences depending on whether you or not you are logged in as a Google user.

If logged in, expect to see extra information, including personal data from your Google+ circles account.  This is another signal of the ongoing personalization revolution that is driving website content on the Internet.

This has long-term implications for how small business owners optimize their sites for search engines. The onus is now on customizing the experience for users who are registered on a search engine or network like Facebook.

This indicates a much more complex optimization strategy, which is built around integrating social media from all the major players.  Increasingly, users are diversifying where they spend most of the time, with the obvious benefactor and “king” being Facebook.

However, if the projected Google Plus numbers for 2012 are correct then business owners must get their Google Plus Business Page going.

And, let’s not forget about rival platforms such as LinkedIn or Foursquare. Both may mount a challenge to Facebook, Google and Twitter in the future. This requires a multi-pronged social media ‘page’ building strategy outside of your core website.

We’re on Google+ and while we’re still understanding how to use it we love to connect. Check us out.

Web design has changed dramatically since Tim Berners-Lee created the first HTML website in 1991. Twenty years later, an online website builder makes the complicated process of building a website, simple and possible for anyone to have a strong presence on the web.

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Since the beginning designers have tweaked the way websites look and feel; early sites were mostly text with very few images. Today, with advanced ecommerce tools, businesses don’t even need brick-and-mortar locations. Even a computer novice can design a website for selling their products online.

A decade ago, small businesses were mystified by the prospect of building their own site. Though more than 2.2 million websites were already online, many companies hadn’t grasped programming languages like HTML, CSS and PHP. Producing a website was expensive in a time when some questioned whether the Internet would even survive.

Of course the web grew and by 2003, there were 38 million websites and 782 million Internet users.

With the emergence of social media, Blogger and free, open-source applications like WordPress, web design became accessible to small businesses that could not afford to hire sophisticated design teams. Companies with huge sums of cash like Sony, Ford, People magazine and The New York Times were no longer the only ones able to produce polished, dynamic websites.

The same web-building applications became available to all and the effect has been astounding.

Though the Internet today has more than 2 billion users, this infographic shows how the playing field has been leveled even more for businesses hoping to compete online. More attractive, better functioning websites are created at a fraction of the cost 10 years ago. Tools today allow businesses to simply drag and drop elements of a website into place.

Westhost, a traditional web hosting company, designed the best website builder, DropClick, for those with no experience making websites. The website builder software makes it easy to add shopping carts, social feeds and image galleries. Users are given complete control of their websites while avoiding the expense of costly designers.

With the first 20 years behind us, who knows what the future holds for the world of web design?

Something has happened that’s never happened since we opened our doors almost 14 years ago… we designed a new logo!

It was an eventful trip and we wanted to share a few things we learned along the way.

Considerations for your next logo design

1 – Logos Aren’t Everything

• Obviously designing a new logo was a long time coming for us. We had to remind ourselves that the logo is not our brand, just a small part of it. Dan Pallotta wrote a great article that hits the nail on the head, “Brand is much more than a name or a logo,” Pallotta said. “Brand is everything and everything is brand.” In a nutshell your brand is your whole business model encapsulated; strategy, marketing, internal and external communication, customer service, product, etc. not just the aesthetic awesomeness. The “walk the talk” principle embodied.

2 – Be Inspired

• Thanks to our one true love, the triple-dub (AKA World Wide Web), we were inspired by the work of so many other companies and designers; a simple search pulls up many articles and resources. UnderConsideration’s Brand New offers “opinions on corporate and brand identity” with many before-and-after logo examples. Logo Lounge was another favorite places to gain inspiration and see their idea of logo design trends.
• We paid attention to banded styling, with secondary dabbles using opacity and gradients to draw lines between colors in an elegant way.

3 – Timing

When to design a new logo? To do it, or not to do it; that is the question… Timing is an important part of launching a new logo and although we were flexible with the timing of our logo launch there are a couple good rules of thumb to follow. It’s good to know when to launch a totally new logo and when to brush up the current one, especially logos associated with a single product.
• If you are releasing an update to an existing product then a brush up is appropriate. Brushing up the logo indicates something has changed while sending the message it’s not completely different. See our example above or Photoshop’s last three logo renditions.
• If you have completely changed the product and the user experience has drastically changed then a new logo (even consider a new product name depending on the scale of the change) could be the route to take. A new logo obviously indicates a new product and/or a big change.
• Another big reason to change the logo is simply because it looks like that outfit you’ve been wearing since 9th grade; you know, the one your significant other keeps trying to donate to the thrift store because he/she can’t stand to been seen with you in public. Such was the case with us; it was time for a better, newer image.

The Photoshop logo is a good example of one that has changed over time. With new enhancements etc. they’ve released a new logo; sometimes a brush up, sometimes a totally new design.
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I’ll be honest, it was very hard to see the website with the old logo replaced because it has been with us since we began! However in just a few days we got over it and it feels great!

Thoughts on the new logo?

Been through this yourself or have an opinion? Please share!

An online research network, Chitika Insights, said the value of the #1 spot in Google over #2 is worth DOUBLE the traffic; that’s like one taco or two, $1K or $2K, a 100 mph car or 200 mph car!

Their methodology involved looking at a sample through their ad network in May 2010 of 8,253,240 impressions from Google, broken down by results position.

The first position drove almost as much traffic as positions 2-5 combined and captured 35% off all traffic in their sample. The biggest disparity lied between the bottom of page one and the top of page two; going from 10th to 11th position resulted in a 143% decline in traffic.

Here’s the breakdown:

So how do you get the bulk of the traffic? Maybe you don’t even know where you stand?

Check this out; our in-house design and development team just launched an SEO site analysis report providing you with an in depth analysis of your website. It’s not free but we are doing a 25% off promo; what type of a product launch would it be without a special? Get the SEO analysis for $75 now rather than the normal $99 later.

With many elements affecting your website’s ranking it is important to be aware of them and their effect. The analysis report will set you up to take control, increase exposure and drive organic traffic… the ‘knowledge=power’ philosophy at work.

The SEO report is easy to understand and shows how your site is performing, or not performing, in the SEO arena. It includes info on site speed, keyword targeting and performance, on-page optimization, competitive analysis, and other recommendations.

Ok I’m done with our pitch but it’s seriously worth your time and money… you could skip eating out and make your own lunch four times to save enough money for an awesome SEO analysis; do it!

Use our design quote form here to order the SEO Analysis.

That said, I give you 5 reasons why you should be online:

1. 80% of people search for local businesses online.

If you have a business it is and will be more vital than ever to have a presence online. Many search engines display local search results allowing customers to connect to businesses locally; which is much easier than competing with major websites in the same industry. In addition, mobile applications are becoming more popular; with the ability to suggest businesses based upon your location; but if you’re not online it’s impossible to be found. For less money than a 12oz Coke per day you can have a robust business website.

2. Up-to-date portfolio/resume.

Each of you has a talent to share and promote. Whether it revolves around a product or your internal genius; people are looking for talent you possess, be there for them. Having a controlled place of residence that can be accessed from any computer has obvious benefits! You’ll ensure potential employers or customers will never have outdated information. Plus you can impress them with your mad internet skillzz online.

When I graduated from college I contacted many potential employers. Each time I contacted them I told the regular things… which they heard all day from everyone else, who I am, what I like, etc. The reason I am here today is because I could end each email with a call to action to click the link to my website containing more information, which is what I did when I landed a job with WestHost. Same principle applies to designers, construction companies, financial firms, anyone. In my experience it usually converts very well.

3. It’s a great job, make some money.

There are so many ways to earn money with a website. One of the easiest ways is through affiliate channels. Here’s how it works; paste a banner (or a unique URL) on your site provided to you by the company, like the one below; when someone clicks on your banner (linking them to the company’s site) and buys something you get paid. Our affiliate program pays each affiliate up to $200 for each sale they refer to us!



A lot of affiliates write a simple blog post reviewing a product or service containing their unique URL scattered through the post. Your visitors will then click the link and buy whatever you suggested having been solidly referred from your post.



4. Your website works 24/7 for you

A website is the best employee and advocate you’ll ever have. It works through the night, early mornings and will do everything you say. As support to a traditional brick and mortar store or a full force e-commerce shop your website will give your customers what you need when they need it.

5. It’s the cheapest office space you’ll every have.

If your business model can function without a physical location, other than perhaps your living room, a website is the cheapest storefront you’ll ever have… but on the other hand the sky is the limit. You could spend thousands on dedicated servers and professional design. In most cases you’ll come in around $10/month for basic space.

One post could never give all the reasons why having a website is beneficial so share your thoughts! If you have a website, how’s it helped?

Everyone wants a killer domain name these days. With estimates of over 10,000 domain registrations per day, sometimes it can seem like good domains have become an endangered species. Consider yourself lucky to live in a day when mainstream internet is still in its teens and with a little effort you can find a number of good domain variables out there. The challenge is finding a domain that is available, relevant, memorable and intuitive. With that said, here are 7 tips to help you register that perfect domain name you’ve been searching for.

1.) Make it Memorable
With so many different domains online, it’s easy to get lost in a crowd. One of the best ways to stand out is by crafting a domain that is clever or witty. Making your domain uniquely odd will gain attention and be remembered. For example, if I have a side business selling baseball cards, the domain CrackerJackCards.com is shorter and much more memorable than BestBaseballCardSeller.com. Consider using lingo from the industry that is relevant for your market rather than common terms that could already be taken. Using uncommon words also gives you a better chance at finding a shorter domain.

2.) Go for the .com First
By far the most popular Top Level Domain (TLD) is Com. Here are a few of the more common TLDs to consider if you aren’t familiar with them: Com, Net, Biz, Info, and Org. The majority of searchers out there will put a .com on the end of every domain. Many people still think there aren’t any other domain extensions available. If you don’t own the Com extension, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic.

3.) Consider Misspellings
To protect your brand and prevent misdirected traffic, consider registering any common misspellings of your domain. If you find yourself misspelling your domain, chances are, other people are too. Domains with double letters in them are constantly misspelled when the second letter is omitted. As an example, if you owned the domain WeddingGuestRegistry.com, you should also purchase WeddinGuestRegistry.com. In addition, typosquatters and competitors are always on the lurk. Protect yourself by owning these misspelled domains. Once you own the misspelling, just redirect them to your homepage as always. Here’s a typo generator site that will spit back a list of common misspellings of your domain.

4.) Buy other TLDs
When it comes down to it, paying an extra $15+ dollars a year isn’t too much to ask for all the additional traffic and peace of mind you’ll get by registering other TLDs. Cybersquatters and competitors are always looking for ways to increase their profits, and you should too. If you don’t register other TLDs of your domain, chances are, your competitors just might. Our domain registration page will let you check for domain availability.

5.) Keep it Short
It goes without saying, the shorter the better. If you have a short domain, it will be easier for people to remember and find. Short enough for ya?

6.) Don’t Include Hyphens or Numbers
Although you might see a lot of domains with hyphens in them, I would suggest doing otherwise. I know it’s so tempting when you see that your desired domain is taken and all you need to do is insert a hyphen and you’ve got it! Inserting odd characters like a hyphen in your domain name can often cause you to miss out on traffic. Many times, people forget to include the hyphen and be directed to the other domain that you originally wanted. The hyphen can also get lost in translation, like when you tell someone over the phone. The same thing goes for substituting a number where a similar phonetic word would go. I’m not pointing any fingers (numbers 2 and 4), but you know who you are.

7.) Consider a domain for Promotional Purposes
When running a promotion, try buying a domain that fits the name of the promotion and use the domain as a landing page. That way, if you were to do any advertising for that promotion, you can mention the promotional domain name so it sticks with your audience even better.

Did I miss any? Of course I did. What other tips do you have when choosing a domain? I know there are plenty of hilarious and often sad stories about domain registration out there waiting to be told. Let’s hear them.

Additional tips:

• If you want to protect your personal information from the public whois records when you register your domain you should consider getting domain privacy. For all 4.0 WestHost clients, you can check out our Domain Privacy (Whois Privacy) service to help you with this. Login and click on “Domain Registration.”
• If you’re not intentionally registering for a misspelled domain, make sure you check the spelling of the domain BEFORE you purchase it. Let’s just say I now know that the word “fashion” is spelled with an “i”.
• If your domain is simply a side project rather than your business name, and you are just trying to test it out to see how it goes, it’s best to do a 1 year term. This will save you from overpaying for a sunk domain if doesn’t work out.
• If you have a new business idea, be sure to check the domain availability of your new business before you register the name legally or begin printing those T-shirts and fliers. If you plan on selling the business in the future, it will be more profitable if you also own the domain of the business name.
• If you register your domain for 1 year but you aren’t sure if you’ll want it after the 1st year, make sure you set a reminder a few weeks before your domain us up for renewal so you don’t lose it when it expires. You can also or consider setting an auto-renew if you’re worried about forgetting.
• If all else fails and you can’t find your ideal domain available, you can always take the route of choosing a commonly know, zany, single-term domain. This method has been known to work out for some companies.

Web site speed has now become a more important factor following Google’s recent announcement that page load speed will be introduced to their 200+ factor algorithm. In a video interview with WebProNews software engineer for Google, Matt Cutts, said “It should be a good experience, and so it’s sort of fair to say that if you’re a fast site, maybe you should get a little bit of a bonus. If you really have an awfully slow site, then maybe users don’t want that as much.”

With their announcement, Google and many others have constructed tools to test the many characteristics involved with Web page load time. What you might not know is that most of these tools test the site itself and provide information that you can do something about, independent of your service providers.

First of all it is important to know how Web site speed actually works and the factors involved in moving your data. Secondly, the most common reasons you may experience poor site performance; and finally a handful of great resources for testing your site.


Web Site Speed
Perceiving the speed of your site also involves many factors.

• Depending where you are in the world, your route to the server will take different paths called hops. A major factor in Internet speed depends on the speed of the network hops between you, point A, and your destination, point B. Just because you connect quickly to one Web site does not mean you will connect with the same speed to another.

  This is illustrated by a trace route from a server to Google.com

  Traceroute to www.google.com (74.125.19.99), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets
  -1 69-36-160-13.WEST-DATACENTER.NET(69.36.160.13) 0.466 ms 0.43 ms 0.625 ms
  -2 206.130.126.18.west-datacenter.net(206.130.126.18) 0.858 ms 0.82 ms 0.818 ms
  -3 206.130.126.42.west-datacenter.net(206.130.126.42) 0.799 ms 0.78 ms 0.748 ms
  -4 ge11-1-0d0.mcr1.saltlake2-ut.us.xo.net(65.46.56.217) 1.20 ms 1.193 ms 1.175 ms
  -5 216.156.0.5.ptr.us.xo.net (216.156.0.5) 17.629 ms 17.855 ms 17.838 ms
  -6 207.88.13.101.ptr.us.xo.net (207.88.13.101) 17.816 ms 17.882 ms 17.850 ms
  -7 216.156.84.30.ptr.us.xo.net (216.156.84.30) 17.870 ms 17.845 ms 17.822 ms
  -8 72.14.239.250 (72.14.239.250) 18.786 ms 18.759 ms 18.737 ms
  -9 209.85.251.94 (209.85.251.94) 23.953 ms 24.177 ms 24.160 ms
  -10 nuq04s01-in-f99.1e100.net (74.125.19.99) 18.646 ms 18.899 ms 18.854 ms

  As you can see, there were 10 servers hit, or hops, between me and the eventual IP of the server hosting Google.com. Each one had a different connection speed, measured in milliseconds (ms). In this case, nothing was abnormal; but sometimes a server between you and your destination can be extremely slow or overloaded causing timeouts and other nasty errors.

• Your personal Internet service provider connection could be slow. You can check this by viewing your Web site from a computer connected to a different network.

Common Issues
If your site is slow due to issues between your chair and the keyboard, it will typically be one of the following reasons:

1. You may be using a greedy add-on or plug-in on one of the many content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. CMS applications have extensive, active communities who develop oodles of neat little add-ons and plug-ins to add to your CMS site; however, many of these are extremely greedy and eat-up server resources resulting in slow Web site speeds.
2. Some developers create scripts (mail scripts, image management scripts, etc.) that, if developed improperly or used too frequently, can cause problems in the backend and affect the speed of your site load time.
3. You are getting too much traffic. This simply means you have outgrown your current hosting package and it is time to upgrade. Congrats!
4. Your pictures are too large! Many sites contain images that are much larger than necessary and cause slow load times. You can decrease the file size by compressing the image to reduce the resolution and shrink the pixels or size of the image itself. Most programs have an option to save a file for the Web which automatically compresses the image. It is also important to remember that most digital images are much larger than the area you are trying to fill. For example if you take a picture of your family with a 3.1 megapixel camera the image will contain more than 3 million pixels, and a picture that is 2048×1536 pixels. Most of the time an image this size is much larger than necessary and will bog down your site.

Resources

5. Google Code
   Google’s resource to make the Web faster. Through this link you’ll find hundreds of great articles, active forums, and several great tools providing real-time tips to discover site speed variables, script compilers, and more.
6. Yahoo! Developer Network
   Yahoo!’s resource for developers. Offering tools, Yahoo! APIs, and other resources to help developers build a better site. Perhaps the favorite tool here is YSlow. It is a Firefox add-on created to provide a grade for each site based upon Yahoo!’s algorithm of best practices.
7. WebPageTest
   Originally created by AOL for use on its own sites, WebPageTest provides a more technical, location specific, “waterfall of your page load performance as well as a comparison against an optimization checklist.” WebPageTest is available with any URL and can be searched from a few different US locations with 2 different browsers.
8. Web Page Analyzer
   A private company offering a free tool providing information to increase site speed. You simply need to enter a URL and the system calculates page size, composition, and download time. The script then calculates the size of individual elements and sums up each type of Web page component. Based on these page characteristics the script then offers advice on how to improve page load time. The script incorporates the latest best practices from Website Optimization Secrets, Web page size guidelines and trends, and web site optimization techniques into its recommendations.

Another great post created by WebDesignBooth offers additional resources.

What resources have helped you develop a fast site?

Depending on your goals, you can produce a great video without spending a lot of money and without a professional camera. We have all seen many videos that look like they were shot with a mobile camera phone; in fact many of the most popular videos were shot with a cheap camera. The following tips will help you capture more compelling videos no matter what type of equipment you use.

How do you produce a great video?

1. Rule of Thirds – Think of your frame divided into nine small sections, two equally spaced horizontal and two equally spaced vertical lines; like a tic-tac-toe grid. Align your subject on the intersection of the guide lines or along the lines themselves. Doing so makes the video much more compelling and pleasing to the eye. In the example below the tree sits at the intersection of the two lines and the horizon is placed on the lower line.

2. Leading Lines – Used frequently in photography and design, leading lines guide your audience through the video to a set point. This is a powerful tool especially if you want to focus on a specific person, location or thing. Combine with the rule of thirds for powerful imagery. This great example comes from my uncle, James Neeley. Notice how your eye is lead along several lines to the main subject, the bridge.

3. Drop Down and Get Close – Change the level of your camera angle, meet them at their eyes. If your subject is small drop down to catch their compelling smiles and gripping looks. Rather than using the zoom button, close in on your subject. By simply getting closer to your subject you’ll improve picture quality and successfully avoid rickety shots.

4. Use a Strong Background – Ensure your background is quiet, and contrasts well to your subject. The goal is to lead the eye of your audience to your focal point/subject. This can be quite hard if there is a lot going on, whether it’s messy space or people traffic.
5. Be a Producer – Add some props, get a different view, move your subject. Props can be an influential tool to gain attention and provide consistency throughout your video. In addition moving your subject to an interesting location or arrangement adds a nice natural touch. My alma mater, Utah State University, produced several great videos exemplifying a great background with interesting props.

Do you have a good example of online video? Please share your tips!

SEO stands for search engine optimization. Search engines attempt to satisfy you (the searchers) by providing the most relevant results based on your keyword search. If you can easily find what you’re looking for from the search engine results, consider yourself a satisfied customer and you’ll likely return to that search engine in the future.

Results found on the left-hand side of the search engines are called organic or natural results. Achieving high rankings in these results is the aim of SEO.

In some aspects, SEO is similar to PPC with respect to keywords. Before you do anything, you should choose relevant keywords that you want to rank for. Keep in mind that it is going to be much harder to rank for generic keywords than it is for specific keywords. If you service a specific area, I’d suggest including a geographic indicator like a city, state, or region within your keyword.

Although there are many things you can do to optimize your website, SEO can basically be broken down to on-site and off-site optimization. This can literally be interpreted as optimizing your website structure and content (on-site) and optimizing the volume and manner of backlinks to your website on other sites (off-site).

Don’t be fooled by those SEO specialists or firms that guarantee you a #1 ranking or claim to do it in a short period of time. Many of these individuals use “black hat SEO” tactics. While it’s true that they may achieve a high ranking for you quickly, your ranking will just as quickly fall and your site will be penalized or even black listed from the search engines. In order for you to achieve a high ranking with longevity, it will take time.

Depending on how much work is done to optimize your site, the quality of work, and your keyword selection, it could take anywhere from 3 to 6 months just to see noticeable increase in ranking. To put it lightly, if you’re competing for common keyword terms, you should get comfortable and expect it to take more than a year before you reach your desired position.

If you’re able to achieve a high ranking for your desired keyword terms, you can expect to see more traffic than any of your PPC rankings. As mentioned in part I of this series, the majority of clicks from any keyword search go to these organic results.

I’m a big advocate of SEO. While the initial time and money—should you hire an SEO agency—can be a difficult investment, it can reap incredible results.

One might say that social media can be considered as any form of online interaction or expression. Think of it simply as online buzz. Social media has exploded online and it appears that, as the newest member of the online marketing family (PPC, SEO, online directories, social media) it has the potential to ultimately become the leader.

The reason why social media can be such an effective form of online advertising is because it can spread quickly, be done with little cost, and most importantly it carries credibility with it via word of mouth.

Here is a small sample of the reigning social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Flickr, Sphinn, Reddit.

These days there are many businesses using social media as a primary source of marketing. With the recent surge of Twitter, great deals and promotions can be found in abundance from big businesses. If you’re capable of putting together the right kind of promotion, you can get quite a following.

Just last week on Twitter, Air New Zealand started giving away 1 free flight to New Zealand every day for the next 30 days. I started following KiWeets last Thursday when there were about 80+ followers. Now they have over 2,200!

Don’t forget that blogs are a big part of social media. Even if you don’t have many subscribers to your blog, sometimes it only takes one good post to put you on the map.

For me, it’s a no brainer to use social media to market your site because most of it is free and ready to use. Consider social media as a way to get personal with your target audience. The more time and attention you devote to them, the more loyal they’ll become to you and consequently promote your site.

Conclusion

In summary, online marketing can be an amazing tool because no matter what your site may be about, you can easily locate and serve a unique niche. Now get out there and find them, they’re looking for you.

There’s an old adage that says “If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Although the answer is debatable, I pose a similar question pertaining to today’s internet world: If you create a website and no one knows about it, does it exist?

This brings up the omnipresent dilemma of marketing your website online in the hopes of drawing visitors. Regardless of what you have to offer on your website, your visitors are the lifeblood of your website.

So, how do you get visitors to your site? There are traditional marketing mediums to draw attention to your site, i.e., TV, Radio, Newspaper, Magazines, but I suggest online marketing. There is one big difference between traditional marketing and online marketing: Traditional marketing requires you to search for your audience, while most online marketing has your audience searching for YOU.

The main means of online marketing are online directories, pay-per-click (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. I’ll go through each of these in detail to explain exactly what they are and how they can bring more visitors to your site.

An Online Directory is similar to a traditional phone book providing you with listings of local businesses. Just type in your desired product or service and your location. Results will render the name, address, phone number and sometimes short description of a business or website.

There are many online directories today. Some of these include Superpages.com, Yellowpages.com and Dexknows.com. Many online directories will offer a free listing option as well as an upgraded paid option.

Rather than submitting your information to online directories one at a time, you can consider using an online directory distributor like Inlocal.com or UniversalBusinessListing.com who will get your website listed in a network of online directories as well as search engine local maps.

If you don’t have a website but would like to have a dedicated page to list your business information online, then a free business profile like this one from InLocal.com is a perfect solution.

Online directories are an easy and inexpensive way to drive some added visitors to your site without having to do any future maintenance once your listings are up. If you want to go one step further, I suggest using an online directory distributor for even more exposure and affordable cost.

PPC stands for pay-per-click. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing allow websites to advertise through the “Sponsored Links/Results”. These Sponsored Results are called pay-per-click ads. These short ads show up on the right-hand side of the search engines and sometimes above the organic or natural results. PPC ads include a title, two-lined description, and display URL. You only pay for the clicks your ad receives, not when it’s simply viewed.

Basically you choose keyword terms that are relevant to your site and then bid on them. You can show up in the search engine results page (SERPs) for most any keyword term that you create. These keyword terms can be as long or short as you wish. Keep in mind that shorter and common keywords will most likely have more competition and higher bids.

As a general rule, the higher your bids, the more traffic you can expect to receive. Some keywords will only require you to bid around a dollar or two to get on the first page. Other popular keywords will have bids reaching the “teens” in dollars for first page placement. Search engines also include a quality score to determine ranking and relevancy.

To help you get the best results for the cheapest price, you must first take into consideration your ideal visitor. If your website promotes your local business, it would be best to include a geographic location within your keyword. This will help lower the amount of competition and bid price.

Let’s use an example; if you live in Portland and your business is renting mountain bikes, it would be best to choose keywords like “Portland mountain bike rental,” or “rent mountain bikes in Portland.” Bidding for these keyword terms will be cheaper than terms like “bike rental” or “mountain bikes” and they will also provide your website with more targeted traffic.

Depending on which search engine you use, PPC ads receive anywhere from 15 to 20% of all search engine clicks. This leaves the rest of the clicks going to the organic results. I’ll explain more about these organic results in part II of this post.

Although PPC can bring in a good amount of traffic, it can also be a time-consuming and pricey marketing option. Unless you’ve got the time and patience, you might want to consider using a PPC agency to handle your paid search. Depending on how much your monthly spend is, a typical agency will charge you around 12 to 20% of that spend for their service.

If you’re interested in trying PPC and you’re looking for new hosting, you can get a $50 Google Adwords credit here: Google $50 credit.

Look for part II of this post next week to learn how SEO and social media can be used to increase your site traffic.