Business Blogging

Google is planning on updating their indexing algorithms in 2010 to add more emphasis on social bookmarking. In other words, Google will now not only look at how many quality back-links lead to your pages, but will also take into account the number of Twitter mentions, Facebook updates and Linkedin status updates which link to your pages (so, please, retweet this using the link in the upper right corner of this post).

One thing you need to add to your site (blog, preferably) are simple ways visitors can “share and bookmark” your pages (blog posts) to places such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, also Digg, Stumbleupon and others. This is easy if your site is a blog, there are a number of ways to add this functionality by adding a plugin to your WordPress-powered blog. Other blogging platforms also have similar solutions you can readily use.

If you have questions about blogging and social networking, you can start by reading this low-cost introduction. I’ve arranged a special $10 OFF for you as my networking buddies! For only $17 you will find easy-to-read information about basics of business blogging and online marketing.

Boris Mahovac R.G.D.

iBizAcademy - Online Marketing For Small Business

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Over this last weekend I upgraded our blogging software to the latest version of WordPress. Although our previous version was running fine, after more than a year and a half since I first installed it, it was time to upgrade. I like to keep up with changes in features and especially security upgrades that each new version brings. Among other things, the latest version of WP now makes it easy to upgrade, so from now on the upgrades will take place more regularly.

When you log in to your user account you will notice the new layout and styling immediately, with the main menu now running in the left column. If you haven’t used the blog yet, now it should be even easier to use.

Writing for this Blog
A reminder to those members who are yet to publish their first blog post, and those who have published only one or two, that your account level is Contributor, which means you are not able to publish directly to the blog, but have to submit your article for review first. This review is only technical in nature, so we’re not concerned with content or style, unless your article appears to be encroaching on other members’ field of expertise, in which case you will be advised to revise your article. Once you’ve published several articles (or you’re an experienced blogger running your own blog site) your account will be upgraded to Author level. This will also allow you to upload images and videos to accompany your blog posts. BTW, even at the Contributor level, you can always link to videos you posted to YouTube.

To our visitors the blog should look the same, except that now the List of Speakers article is “sticky” and will always be displayed first on the main blog index page.

Twitter
If you’re reading this post on our site (as compared to our RSS feed, or on our Linkedin group where your articles are automatically syndicated — one more reason for you to blog more for added exposure) you will notice another new feature: the Retweet button found in the upper right corner of each blog post. If you’re on Twitter, I’d recommend that you re-tweet this, and all other blog posts in an effort to promote individual members and our group as a whole to your Twitter followers. Also make sure you follow @OakvilleNetwork, too. I’ve recently created this account which will tweet automatically each time you post an article on our blog!

Here’s to your successful business blogging!

Boris Mahovac R.G.D.

iBizAcademy - Online Marketing For Small Business

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Do you write articles? Do you post them to your own blog sites and to article directories? If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, all I can say is Do it now!

Nowadays, the importance of having your own articles is huge. As a small business owner or solopreneur, to publish your own articles is going to be one of a handful of sure-fire ways to promote your business, today, tomorrow and for years to come – on auto-pilot.

Your own articles will create links to your web site, boost your search engine ranking, which in turn builds traffic of highly-targeted visitors to your site, who sign up for your ezine, and then, down the road, when they get to know, like and trust you, become your clients or customers. Do you see where I am going with this?

Although the main reason you would write an article is to give away useful information to your audience, your own primary interest is to use articles as a vehicle to promote yourself. Therefore, online articles have a somewhat different structure and requirements than articles written for magazines or other printed media.

Ideally you will write the articles yourself, so that each article will have your authentic voice; or you can have them written by a hired copywriter – either way, there are certain elements that must be present in the articles to make them successful marketing pieces.

1. Keywords, Keyword Phrases and Keyword Density

Millions use the Internet daily to find information. They will find your article if you use relevant keywords in your copy. For example, if you are a wine maker, write articles about wine: how to select wine, how to make it yourself, or how to pick a good winemaker, how to store it, etc. If you are a computer safety expert, you will write about protecting your PC, how to pick the right tools, how to practice safe web surfing, etc.

Once you find the right keywords and keyword phrases, use them throughout the article, and also use related keywords and phrases. This will give the article sufficient keyword density. Please note that search engines, as well as people, may ignore your article if its keyword density is too high, in other words, if you keep repeating a keyword just for the sake of building density (this is called keyword spamming). A balance is what’s needed here, and with some practice you’ll get it right.

There are many on line tools that can help in finding the right keywords and phrases related to your area of expertise. Find the right keywords and half of your work will be done.

• Google Suggest
  You start typing a keyword, Google will suggest other words to complete a keyword phrase, based on its database of searches people used in the past.
• WordTracker
  This subscription service is probably the best commercially available tool out there. For serious publishers, web masters, and SEO specialists.
• GoodKeywords.com
  Free downloadable software for Windows that lets you research keywords.

2. Quality Content

Always keep in mind that you’re writing for the human audience first, search engine robots and spiders second. Don’t just throw a bunch of keywords plus some filler copy together and call it an article! You need to write in such a way that your audience will be educated, and hopefully entertained. Write in a conversational manner, but be professional – think “business casual” in written form.

Your written piece is not a thesis, so don’t write long sentences and paragraphs. Convoluted sentence structure or obscure words don’t make for a good read. You don’t write to impress your peers (or competition), but to provide information to your target audience.

Do I need to say you must use correct spelling and good grammar? If you want people to regard you as an authority in your field, your writing style should reflect that authority.

A quality article will boost your expert status. With expert status comes trust, and the more people trust you, the more likely they will be to hire you or buy your products.

3. Links in Articles

Finally, one last crucial component of your article are links. As part of your general SEO strategy, you can create links to your own web site or blog, especially if you’re planning on posting the same article to article directories. These incoming links contribute to your site’s page ranking with search engines.

Depending on where you post your article – on your site only, or to article directories – your latitude in creating links will vary. Let me explain.

Some article directories limit the number and/or type of links you can use. For example, you may not be permitted to link to other web sites using your affiliate link, but it may be OK to link to the same site, indirectly, via your own custom domain name.

Let’s say you are an e-commerce consultant and you offer shopping cart solutions. You could sign up with KickStartCart as an affiliate, and then register a domain such as MyOnlineCart.com, and set up a redirect to KickStartCart using your affiliate link.

At the very least, article directories will allow you to place links in your “resource box,” or signature, which is usually a single paragraph that goes at the end of your article, where you can freely advertise your business. Here’s a good example of a resource box:

Urszula Szychowska publishes the free Health in Layman’s Terms monthly ezine to help you stay youthful, healthy, vibrant and active for the rest of your life – naturally. Sign up today and receive a free special report “Glutathione – Essential Antioxidant, Immune Booster and Detoxifier.” More info at ImmuneSource.ca

If you are posting the article to your own site, or broadcasting it via your ezine, you have complete freedom in hyper-linking.

A very important note: search engines prefer links that contain keywords (I think people do, too). For example, this link to a world-class hosting company with a local touch is better than saying: If you need world-class hosting company with a local touch, click here. BTW, this technique applies to any web page, not just your articles.

Conclusion

We are all hungry for information, and the Internet is where we find it. You are there to provide it in the form of articles and blog posts. Start blogging today!

Boris Mahovac R.G.D.

iBizAcademy - Online Marketing For Small Business

Sign up for my next Contacts2Clients Business Seminar

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Interested in blogging for business? Growing your email marketing list? Join me, Boris Mahovac, email marketing consultant, as I interview a couple of world-class experts on the subject!

Blogging for Business – a candid interview with the BlogSquad!

Blogging for your business is not an option anymore, but does it work better that email marketing?

The real questions actually is: How do you make these two marketing strategies work together to create a powerful tool to boost your small business or professional practice?

Our Patent Lawyer Camilla Nielsen has a remarkable story to share. Make sure you read about how OakvilleNetworking’s blog made a difference in her business!

I’ll be asking Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman some tough questions on how to use business blogging to build credibility and visibility on the Internet, and how to generate leads and prospects.

This is a FREE educational event, but you need to register.

Register for the tele-seminar today even if you can’t attend the live call, because a recording will be available after the call.

When: Wednesday, Feb 11, at 3 pm ET
Where: the comfort of your home or office – via tele-conference
Why: to learn about the power of blogs from the experts!

I just added a cool feature on our blog: now you can follow comments via RSS. Previously, you were only able to get new articles and other blog posts, but not the comments members make on an individual post.

If you don’t use RSS, you can still get updates on individual blog posts by email. To do this simply check the box where it says “Send me new comments via e-mail.”

See attached image.

BTW, in order to see the comments you must either a) click on a blog post title or b) “comments” link right next to the post author’s name, just below the blog post title.

Join the conversation, or just listen in – the tools are there, for you.

Setting up your blog will require a little research and review, but almost all blog software is very easy to use and offers a variety of plug-ins and other resources to make yours unique.

Blog platforms such as WordPress can be very helpful in getting you setup with a professional look, especially if you have limited design skills and are not working with a web or graphic designer immediately.

A professionally designed WordPress theme (or, template) may be just the right thing for you. Why not try Unique Blog Designs, a company that’s making great waves in the WordPress Premium Themes industry. They are actually running a contest to celebrate the 1st anniversary of their business. You could win an Apple IPod Touch or one of their WordPress themes.

One of the world’s largest domain registrars and web hosts, US-based GoDaddy.com now offers direct support to Canadian residents and business owners, who now can register and host “dot CA” domains with GoDaddy.

I’ve personally used and recommended GoDaddy to my clients, ever since I made the switch in 2006. Since then I’ve registered domains and set up hosting for my clients’ web sites, blogs, and FTP servers. I have yet to encounter a problem with this company. Some may not like their particular style of advertising, but their reliability and track record are spotless.

Highly recommended!