Twitter.  Know what it is?  Do you really care?  If you are a business owner, you should.  There are several ways Twitter could help your business right now, TODAY.  How?  Read on…

Earlier this morning I read a nice post predicting the 10 ways Twitter will change American business.  It’s a lengthy post but draws some logical conclusions and, if they prove to be true, certainly would change the way business (not to mention government) operates.  Only time will tell, but that is the future and I want to tell you about NOW.

First of all, if you don’t know what Twitter is a quick primer:  Twitter is an online service that allows people to connect with others online and exchange small messages, including links.  If you’re thinking texting, you’re on the right track…except you can “text” (or Tweet) to hundreds or even thousands of people at once.  And they in turn (if they like your tweet) can send your message (called re-tweeting) to all of their contacts.  Oh, and it’s free.

So, how can Twitter help your business?  Especially if your customers are local?  Here are some ideas:

- Hyper-Local Marketing:   With Twitter it’s possible to develop a highly focused following based on interest, or geography, or both.  Let’s say you own a pizza shop.  You want a way to reward (and retain) your customers so they don’t start ordering from the Papa Hut chain place.  You could setup a Twitter account (free), invite customers to “follow” you by adding your Twitter username to inserts, signs, etc. (no more than what you’re paying now), then Tweet exclusive offers, discounts, events, etc.  Let the word-of-mouth advertising begin!

- Measure Your Existing Advertising:  A slight twist on the above, add a Twitter username to your existing ads in phonebooks, newspapers, billboards, etc and measure the response you get.  Heck, set up different accounts for each (it’s free, remember?).

- Get Real-Time Feedback:  Tweets are sent and received in real-time, so you can ask a question and get direct feedback instantaneously.  Ever wondered what your customers really think, or what they really want?  Ask them!

Interested in learning more?  You can follow me on Twitter, or contact me directly - I’d love your feedback.

I got a tweet this morning from someone linking to an article titled, “Five Tips for Avoiding Deceptive SEO Companies“. I like to read articles like this when possible, as it often helps me relate better to potential SEO clients.

While the best advice I could give someone was featured prominently in the article (avoid any SEO company that guarantees a specific ranking for keywords), I was a little disappointed the five tips listed were actually deceptive SEO practices - and not tips someone looking for SEO help could use to sort out whom to hire. From my experience providing SEO for business owners, I’m concern that many wouldn’t be able to identify if these deceptive practices were being used or not.

Therefore, here’s my quick list of the five tips I’d recommend to business looking for SEO services and wanting to avoid “deceptive” SEO firms.

5) References: Most reputable SEO firms can provide references of their past work; “deceptive” companies probably cannot. It’s important to note that SEO is a field where confidentiality agreements are common; therefore you may find case studies without company names, or references to names without specifics on results.

4) How They Get Results: When discussing or interviewing a potential SEO provider ask how they have been able to get results for past clients. Deceptive SEO is often quite complicated and sometimes just sounds “fishy”. A reputable SEO follows a fairly straightforward philosophy that’s pretty easy to understand (in my opinion) and applies it uniquely to each client based on their goals and objectives.

3) What They Don’t (or Won’t) Do: To quote Jimmy Buffet, “The well-seasoned pro knows how far he can go.” Everyone has limits, and there are boundaries we all should respect. I think a key difference between reputable SEO and deceptive SEO is the ability to acknowledge (and explain) the line between so-called “white hat” and “black hat” SEO.

2) Associations / Organizations: Just as in other industries, reputable SEO includes more than just providing a service to make money. There are several active SEO communities online, as well as local Chambers of Commerce and other groups that may be supported by reputable firms. Deceptive firms? My guess is not so much. Check a firm’s website or simply ask what’s important to them in addition to SEO.

1) Cost: The cost of SEO is certainly a topic of much debate, and I am definitely not in a position to settle it in any way. That said, my belief is that reputable SEO (again, similar to reputable companies in other fields) will make very clear their costs and what you as the client / buyer are getting for your dollar. I don’t believe that happens with deceptive SEO - or deceptive anything else, for that matter.

One of the biggest factors affecting website search rankings is how frequently a site is updated.  Why is this?  Mainly people want to see new, updated information rather than the old, stale information.  The more frequently your site is updated (with relevant information, of course) the more likely your site will be found by your target customers.

However, most businesses have neither the time nor the expertise to update their website as often as they could.  That’s where we come in!

We can handle all your website updates in a timely manner - usually in 24-48 hours and often less.  Once we’re familiar with your business and your website, just send us your updates and we’ll take care of the rest.  We can even contact you and get updates over the phone if you prefer.  We will make sure all your updated content matches your existing website’s font, size, color scheme, and more.  And we can remove old content that needs to be replaced just as easily.

You can choose between pay-as-you-go updates on an hourly basis or pay for a block of time at a discounted rate.  For the largest discounts, sign up for one of our Membership Packages and receive a host of premium website services for one very low monthly rate.

If you have used a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, or MSN you are no doubt familiar with the ads that appear along with your search results.  Many businesses advertise on search engines, but with varying results.  While they can be an extremely effective form of advertising, pay-per-click ads (or PPC Ads) can also be an easy way to waste ad spending when not properly planned and monitored.

Whether you are considering PPC ads for the first time or want to get better results from your pay per click advertising, let eNCarolina Web Services manage your PPC Campaign for you.

We will review and optimize your ads on major search engines.  We will evaluate all aspects of each ad, including the title and ad copy, the ad placement, the targeted keywords, how your ads are triggered, your bid strategy, and more.  We will also monitor your ad performance daily and make adjustments as needed to give you the most “bang for your buck”.  You will be able to see your ad performance in real time as reported by the appropriate search engine.

Our PPC campaign management fee is based on the number of ads we manage, NOT the size of your ad budget.  We do this because it seems more fair, since the work we do is based on your ads and not on the size of your budget.

Our PPC campaign management fees begin at $100/month per ad, with discounts starting at 5 ads.  For the biggest discounts, sign up for one of our Membership Packages.

I’m going to try a blog post series on design issues I (and others) find in business websites.  The purpose is two-fold; the main purpose will be to highlight and educate specifically why some design issues are harmful to the business in hopes they may be avoided….the other purpose is to hopefully prod me into posting on a more regular basis

So let’s begin with what probably is the worst web design mistake that can be made:  Poor Content.  There’s an old online saying that “content is king” - meaning that the Web is all about information, and sites that have and share lots of interesting, timely information (or help others find the information they’re seeking) are the “kings”. 

Unfortunately there are a lot of “pauper” sites out there - few things sadden me online more than a nice-looking blog or online store that is completely devoid of information.  I came across one earlier this week in the form of a potential client who requested a free website analysis (if you’d like a free analysis simply request one here - and I promise not to reveal your identity if I blog about your site later…).

This client had a great look to the site, and a nice store with several items focused around a fairly particular niche.  The problem was that clicking on an individual item produced almost no information about it - if I selected a shirt, all I basically got was the cost and the available sizes.

An example I included in their analysis was that they carried a variety of sarongs, which happens to be a pretty strong niche in terms of search volume.  However, people are not searching for simply “sarongs” but “how to tie a sarong”, “how to wear a sarong”, “styles of sarongs”, and so forth.  The website I was reviewing had about one sentence describing their entire sarong collection.

The bottom line is they didn’t have nearly enough content to rank for any related search terms, so the chance of sarong-seeking customer finding this site is practically nil.  However, with just a little creativity to describe (in words) and illustrate (with pictures and/or video) specifically demonstrating the many versatile uses of a sarong, this site would certainly gain search rankings and customers as a result.

The takeaway:  Fully develop the content on your site.  While it’s very important to stay on-topic and avoid rambling, don’t be afraid to thoroughly explain your business, your products, your services, and go into detail with relevant examples.  On product-oriented pages especially, lots of web user testing shows that people are much more likely to buy when a webpage answers their questions instead of leaving them guessing.  With little to no information about a product, it’s almost a guarantee the visitor will the leave the site without purchasing. 

Provide more content, not less, and you’ll stand a much better chance of gaining new customers from your website.