Let it Rain Coin

Gatekeepers — Keep them happy!

Posted on 18 August 2012 by tj

Since it has been a while, I will tell a funny story in this post. I at least owe you a laugh for hanging around. I was talking to a friend the other day about “gate keepers”. She did not know what it meant. The gate keeper is the person you must pass through before you can get where you want to go. This could be a ticket taker, a call center person, a low-level manager, a receptionist, a secretary, etc. You must pass through them. Your success depends on meeting their approval, whatever it is, before you move on to either the next level gate keeper or you are finally at your objective. It reminded me of when I was a private.

When I was a Private in the Army, I was stationed with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. I finally had my first “real” NCOIC (non-commissioned officer in charge). The other NCO’s in my life before this were cadre. I went though a year and a half of training and although they are sergeants, it is different. But, I digress. He, SSG Beske, told me there were three people I needed to befriend and never piss off. They were the Mess Sergeant, the Supply Sergeant and the Motorpool Sergeant. I heeded his words. I went out of my way to do things correctly for them and be helpful. I was a Private. Ass-kissing is Private duty.

During Team Spirit in South Korea, my generator blew up. I was a Private. Generator duty is Private duty. It did not matter that I was a Military Intelligence Analyst. The Supply Sergeant immediately called around and located a generator for me. The Motorpool Sergeant delivered it to me out in the field at 1 AM, after driving over 150 miles to retrieve it. In case you were wondering, hooking up the generator is not Private duty. Standing next to him holding a flashlight is a Private duty. Lights were on! Yeah!

The next day was my birthday. Back at base camp, in Wonju, South Korea, before we deployed out to the field, I was honored to serve the officer’s dinner. Generals get served dinner. Serving duty is Private duty. Anyway, the Mess Sergeant and I were talking and I mentioned that we would be out in the field on my birthday. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the chow tent. The Mess Sergeant remembered and baked a huge chocolate chip cookie for me. It read “Happy Birthday Private!”

I would be remiss if I did not remind you of our website, www.openfirecookware.com Check out the skillets!

Because I was tired of frying in two skillets, I finally broke down and bought the 14″ skillet. I went to a pot luck and brought blackberry cobbler in the “BIG skillet”.

Posted in Just for Fun | Tagged being a private, gate keeper | Leave a comment

Google Thinks My Page Sucks

Posted on 30 May 2012 by tj

Implementing Your Keyword Phrases and Optimizing Your Pages

In my last post, I explained why keywords are important. Check it out, if you missed it. Now that you know why they are important, you hopefully have identified your primary and secondary keyword phrases for each page of your website. You need to do the keyword research, before you take the next step, or Google will think your page sucks, and it will never appear on the first page. So, where do those pesky keyword phrases go?

Here comes the Meta

Oh no. She is going to go all technical. I am not. You have enough knowledge to “mess with that technical stuff”, or just tell your webmaster. In case you are curious about what it means, meta data, by definition, is data about data. Meta is something about something. A meta-joke would be a joke about jokes. Get it?

Back to business. To make this easy for web site builders, Google put together a comprehensive guide to explain, in detail, the best practices in their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) starter guide to help you. I am a firm believer in if you want to know what Google wants, ask Google.

There really are only a few pieces of “technical stuff” that you need to concentrate on to get the most out of your keyword phrases.

Page URL. This is an opportunity to seriously tell Google what this page is about. If possible, you want to include the keyword phrase for the page in the title of the URL. Do not use generic names like page1, or home. Remember key words aid in navigation, and some of these are category pages. You should use the category name in the URL of category pages instead of catergory/123456/, and even product pages, should have a real name and not an item number. Product page URL’s need to be very specific to create unique url’s. This is how Google wants your site set up, with a hierarchical order, starting broad and drilling down to the more specific. Also, I recently heard that page urls should be in all lower case and not to use the underline in url’s for the spaces. I will implement that going forward. I am not changing my url’s because things already link to the pages.

Page Title Tag. Title tags are extremely important and should contain the keyword phrase for the page. Each page needs a uniqe title in the site or search engines will get confused. Keep in mind the goal:

To let search engines and people know what this page is about, so search engines know where to index the page (pages are indexed by keyword phrases), and people entering search terms (keyword phrases) can find it.

If that was not important enough, the title also displays in a few key places. The title displays at the top of the page in a browser window, and it displays on the first line for the listing on the search engine results page (SERP). I separate mine with pipes because I like the way they look. Also, someone told me Google considers commas, as separators in the title, as “keyword stuffing” and I try not to do anything that might offend Google.

Try to keep it under 69 characters, because that is all that Google will display. Google wants the title to be descriptive of the page, and concise. I think, at a minimum, the primary keyword phrase, that you are targeting for that page, should go near the front, preferably first, then a pipe, maybe other keywords, another pipe and then your brand name. It should go first because think how you read a SERP, do you only see the beginning or do you actually read the whole thing? (Here is a good reference on title tag SEO, if you wanted to know more about SEO in the title — 40 different ways.)

What our site looks like

For our cast iron pots and pans site, this is what it looks like today. I did a search on open fire cookware. Notice how the word cookware is bold in the first line (title) and in the description (lines 3 & 4). I’m still fixing my keyword phrases since my epiphany. Looking at this, I really should add open fire somewhere in line 3 or 4. Then it, too, would be in bold. Also, I am not using all of my real estate. Adding more would probably rank better.

Keep it Interesting

Meta Description. The description meta tag should be a summary of what that page is about. It should contain, at a minimum your primary keyword phrase for the page. If present, it might be what displays on the SERP, otherwise Google will display what it wants, usually the first lines of the page. Since this is the first thing people see about your business, if they are using a search engine, I recommend putting a call to action verb at the beginning and then your primary keyword phrase as close to the front as possible. Treat it like an ad, and write it for your audience. Keep in mind the goal:

You want people to click on your link and go visit the page.

The more interesting you make it, the more likely they will click on it. It MUST be relevant to the content on the page or Google will penalize it. (I am not sure with Panda, if they would even bother to index it.) You should include your primary and secondary keyword phrases, but do not “stuff” them in. Humans need to be able to read it. Although there is no declaration by Google for the length, I have been told to keep it under 160 characters, including spaces.

Keyword Meta Tags. Use them. Right now, Google does not use them, but other search engines do. Also, do not put single keywords in this field. You need to put keyword phrases. Why? Because you will be wasting your time, and prime real estate, to try to rank for single words. It is all about moving up in SERP, for the words that you can realistically rank for. I have heard various things on quantity. Do not put more than 10, and put at least 3. (I do 5 because that is what I was told to do when I started this and I really have not seen a hard number.) I think it depends on your keyword phrases.

Content IS King!

Page Content. Get those words on the pages. Content is king and with Panda you need content. Do not cut and paste content between pages. Each page needs unique, original content. Change it up or you will be penalized. Your primary and secondary keyword phrases need to actually appear in the text of the page. Keep in mind that any text you have in a flash element is not seen by search engines, so it does not count. Google sees pages only as text, so when you right click and view source, this is what search engines see.

Each page should contain at least 400 words of text. (With Panda, some people are recommending 500 – 800. I am sticking with at least 400.) Keep in mind, it is ALL of the text on the page including the words in the navigation, the header and the footer. There is much debate about how many times they should be present. Some say they should make up 4 -6% of the text. I try to keep it at 4%. I use a text analyzer to check on my distribution. Others believe you should put it once in the first paragraph, once somewhere in the middle, and then once somewhere at the end. I do that and use the extra credit options to help.

Extra Credit from Google

Because Google believes that information “above the fold” is more important, I put the keyword phrase for the page near the top. I also use keyword phrases for navigation, so the secondary keyword phrases show up on every page as well. Google gives extra credit if you emphasize the keyword somewhere on the page, either with bolding or underlining. (I have not seen anything about italics carrying extra weight, but that does not mean that they do not.)

Header tags and Image tags. Another bonus opportunity. Google wants to see the primary keyword phrase used in header tags (H1, H2, etc) on the page. Also, because search engines can not see images, they want the image ALT tag used. Put your primary or secondary keyword phrases in the tag. I usually make the title and the alt tag the same for an image.

Link text. You should put your primary keyword phrase, in the text, that links to the appropriate page, for both internal and external links. You should also use it in the link title. With penguin, you need to vary it. Do not use the exact same phrase to link back over and over to the same page. I do not know how many times the same phrase can link back to a specific page. Anyone? (Add an s, some modifiers like “the” or “a”, rearrange the phrase, whatever to make it slightly different.)

If you are fixing your site, do you need to do it all at once? No. And actually, some people think it is better if you do not. Why? Because Google likes to see your site progress “naturally”. Keep in mind that Google likes fresh content, so by adding/changing a page a day, you will keep it fresh and make them happy. If you change your content regularly, Google will index your pages more often which means you will move up quicker in the SERP.

For fun: This is another photo from our trip out to Ocean Shores, WA. I am not sure what kind of hawk it is, but it looked pretty hanging out at the beach, with the wind ruffling its feathers.

If you have any other places or tips about implementing primary and secondary keyword phrases, please share. What tools do you use to check optimization, any recommendations? How do you think your page looks to Google?

Let’s make the Google Gorilla happy, and get those pages moving up in SERP!

Posted in On Page SEO, Search Engine Optimization | Tagged keyword phrase implementation, keyword phrases, On Page SEO, Search Engine Optimization, what goes in meta data, where do keywords go | 2 Comments

The SEO Magic Bullet

Posted on 21 May 2012 by tj

When people ask me for help with their website, social media campaign, content marketing, or whatever, I make a few assumptions. I assume that they have done the keyword research and that their website and other content, to this point, is optimized for specific keyword phrases. The keyword phrase research is critical to a successful online presence.

I also assume they have implemented their target keyword phrases, or at least identified each page’s primary and secondary keyword phrases. Since people have different meanings of optimized, and I recently had an epiphany, I thought now was a good time for a review.

There is a Magic Bullet

The first stage in the SEO process* is research, both keyword phrase research and competition research. Keyword phrase research is the magic bullet to getting on page one in search engines. The keyword phrases, which you discover during your research, are the mechanism behind search engines. They also are the mechanism behind your links, and they result in happy visitors.

Keyword Phrases Drive Search Engines

Keyword phrases are the things that drive traffic to your web page. People use these same terms (keyword phrases) to find content on the internet. A webpage needs to tell the search engines what it is about and it does this by using at least one major keyword phrase and one secondary keyword phrase. (I will cover where in implementation, the second stage in the SEO process.) You should select the keyword phrases that you realistically can target to get your home page, or any page in your website, on page one of the search engines results page (SERP). Time is always a factor. It takes time. It takes the actual passing of days and weeks of continuous effort to get there and still more effort to stay there.

Also, keep in mind that search engines do not rank websites. They rank pages. The site’s home page is usually the most relevant, because people optimize it. And that means, that if you optimize each page in your website, your site could occupy more than one slot of the ten on the first page of search engine organic results area for a given keyword phrase.

Using Google’s Keyword tool

I use Google’s keyword tool to find keyword phrases. I brainstorm a list. I set the filter to phrase match, over in the left column. Run them through the tool. Save it to Excel. Delete irrelevant keyword phrases and low volume/high competition phrases. Use the first list to drill down through the relevant keyword phrases to get more keyword phrase ideas and add them to your list. I examine the first five competitors that show up in the SERP for a specific keyword phrase and see if they are using keyword phrases that I have not considered. I use SEM Rush to see their keyword phrases. I use these tools because they are FREE. You can go google the term “keyword research tools” to find other tools.

Finding the Juiciest Keyword Phrases

I am looking for the “juiciest” keyword phrases with high volume, and low competition. No brainer, right? Somewhere between the two, is the “Goldilocks”, the one that is “just right”. You need to target keyword phrases that you can realistically out rank, and out link your competition for, to drive traffic to your web pages. (You need to do the science part. You need to analyze the impact of using a specific keyword phrase on your pages. In my world, analysis is the third stage in the SEO process.) What impact did the usage of a particular keyword phrase have on your web page’s position in SERP and traffic volumes?

Keyword Phrases are Essential in Links

Many people will get to your site by links, not search engines. Also, Google likes links. Everything that you do online, to drive traffic to your site, should be using your identified keyword phrases. This means you will write your blog posts using one, and link it back to the targeted, relevant page. You will write articles that use one of your keyword phrases and link it back to your site. All off-page, white hat, SEO tactics should use your identified, targeted keyword phrases. You should use them to drive your link building efforts, including social media links.

Keyword Phrases Aid in Navigation

You should use keyword phrases in your website navigation. This helps define the hierarchy of the website. Google recommends that you use keyword phrases as category pages. They also want the site to start broad, and with navigation, work towards the specific. For example, the home page should start with the overall keyword phrase for the site. The next layer down in a website should be a little more specific. The next layer down from that is even more specific. And so on … For our Tiffany style lamp site, we start with the home page; the next layer is the category pages for the type of lamp (table lamps, hanging lamps, and floor lamps) and also the styles (Victorian, Mission, etc), and then they drill down to the very specific product page. Search engines like each page to have its own unique primary keyword phrase. Search engines like to see this hierarchical structure and visitors like the easy, straightforward navigation. Short navigation from the homepage to the checkout function makes for happy visitors and more sales.

Keyword phrases are extremely important to the success of a web site. Once you identify your primary and secondary keyword phrases through research, implement them, and analyze them you will have a better webpage, a better blog, more people finding your photos and videos (use keyword phrases in the tag areas), more visitors, more traffic … ending with potentially — more money.

Off to do some implementation. What tool do you like to use to do your keyword research?

Next up: Implementation – Where the heck do you put all of these keyword phrases?

* I consider SEO an art and a science. See my post about how search engines work. In short, I consider SEO a three-step, recurring process — research, implementation, and analysis (wash, rinse, repeat).

And for fun: We went on a photo walking tour in Seattle. Our guide was outstanding. This is a photo of the Gum Wall, in Seattle, WA. Phil took this photo. (Yep. Spreading the Google love. Notice what phrase I used to link back to their site? I am making their homepage “juicy” for photo walking tour in Seattle. I also put Seattle Photo Tours Pike Place Market as the title of the link. “Very specifically juicy.” I also could have linked back to their site from the photo and filled in the title and alt tag with their keywords too. Seriously spreading the Google love, but I chose not to.)

Posted in Google Juice, On Page SEO, Search Engine Optimization | Tagged Google Keyword Tool, importance of keyword research, keyword phrase research, On Page SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Seattle Photo Walking Tour, why you should optimize your web site | Leave a comment

The Spiders are Crawling My Website – Oh My!

Posted on 15 May 2012 by tj

Funny thing. I started to write a blog about Pandas and Penguins, Google’s latest changes, and include some tips to implement to improve your position in the search results. Then, I realized (thanks Phil!) that I made a huge assumption in what you already know and understand about how search engines work and what SEO means. So, I am taking a step back and starting more at the beginning — which I hear is always a good place to start.

There are only two.

First. You need to realize that there really are only two search engines: Bing and Google. Bing powers Yahoo! And Google powers ask.com and AOL. Bing and Google have different algorithms that they use to determine your ranking on organic/natural search results page (SERP – Search Engine Results Page. I just threw that in there so you know what it means). I am not talking about using PPC, (pay-per-click – the top and side ad spots on a page) to buy your way onto page one. Ideally, you want to rank naturally!

I’ve seen tons of definitions for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I prefer this one because it emphasizes that it is an art and a science and it emphasizes organic results. This definition comes from the SEO manager at Manta.com: “The art and science of enhancing a website’s visibility in search engines’ organic results and shaping inbound traffic.”

SEO is an Art and a Science?

What?!? It is an art because we do not know the algorithm and it is science because you can quantify the results using webmaster tools to monitor your sites performance and make informed changes to your website. Doesn’t that sound scientific? It is not magic. It takes work and time. It also takes effort to stay there, once you get there, so it is not a one-time thing. And lastly, it is not quick or easy. Now the good news, it is doable!

Why do SEO?

Because your competitors are doing it
Because it delivers results
Because it is free
Because it works 24/7/365

And mainly because it enhances your website and your site’s navigation which makes your visitors “stick” to your website. Yep. Makes it sticky! And the stickier the better.

Now to the spiders …

I know you have heard of “spiders crawling” your website. So, what does that mean? It means, that search engines’ bots/systems (spiders) search (crawl) the World Wide Web looking for new content to index. How often it crawls your specific site is based on your SEO efforts, the freshness of your site (new content), and traffic volume.

and what they are looking at …

MetaData. Yep. Those dang html tags are necessary and extremely important.
Content. Quality, fresh, relevant content
Links. Internal and external relevant links
Characteristics. What type of page is it? Blog, store, forum, etc.

It gathers all of this information and puts it in an index based on the information it sees. Remember – It only sees text. It does not see images or anything inside a flash component. (You can keep the flash, just get more text on the pages — content.) To see what the spider sees, with your web page in your browser, right click on your page and click on view source. Boom. There you have it. Exactly, what the spider sees and … it is just plain text.

About that searcher and potential visitor …

Now, when a person enters a search term (keyword or keyword phrase) in the search box, the query is matched to the information in the index and the “best”, most relevant results are returned. That is a search engines job — to return the most relevant results for a given search term. Keep in mind that a failure to Google or Bing is someone clicking on “next page” or entering a different term. Either of these means that it failed to deliver what the searcher wanted.

And there you have it, a brief (maybe, not so much) explanation on how search engines work and spiders crawl. As you see, it is not magic. Questions ….

Next up:

The Three Steps of SEO:

Research – what the heck are keywords?
Implementation – where the heck do they go?
Analysis – how the heck did it improve my site?

There were tons of things I could have included in this post, but I felt that it would make it too technical, and too boring. If I left something off that you think is super important, please leave me a comment, so I can learn too. Also, let me know what you thought about it in the comments! Alright. Enough with the begging for comments.

And to keep it fun – Phil and I are enjoying the beautiful sunshine by taking a ride on the bike over by the Olympic Mountains.

Posted in On Page SEO, Search Engine Optimization | Tagged Google bots, Google spiders, On Page SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Search engine results page, Web search engine | Leave a comment

Tiger Blood — It is Not Just for Charlie Sheen

Posted on 30 April 2012 by tj

I am currently not smoking. This is my third week. No cheaters! That is what I am now calling cigarettes. Cheaters!! They are trying to cheat me out of living a smoke free life. Now, seriously, a friend told me that she was starting to quit today and I started this as an email and decided to make it a blog. The main reason I quit was the money. I remember telling myself that when cigarettes hit $1, I would quit. I guess the real dollar number was $10. I could not believe that I was spending almost $250 a month on cigarettes. We have a seriously high tax in Washington state.

Anyway …

I have been a smoker for thirty plus years. Usually, a pack and a half, occasionally 2 packs, but rarely just one. I’m a Veteran, so I am going through the VA’s smoking cessation program. I guess since the majority of Veterans started smoking while they were enlisted, there should be a smoking cessation class. Makes sense.

Smoking cessation class

It starts with the class and the belief that I could do it. The class is three hours long. They had the usual scare tactics with tar… a pack of cigarettes in a jar, the obligatory lung photo, you smokers know what I am talking about, similar to the new Surgeon General pictures that they want to place on packs of smokes. The interesting thing was they measured your carbon dioxide output. Yes. Smokers emit carbon dioxide. Who knew? Nasty thought! I should be carrying a plant around to offset my carbon footprint. I emitted 28 whatevers. Non-smokers emit less than 5. (She even told me about this one time, she had such heavy smokers in the class, that the air in the room was registering on the device. She had to measure in a different room.)

Quit smoking aids

At the class, she talked about things that I could use. I decided on almost all of them. Why not? I want as many tools in my toolbox, as I can. Anyway, they scripted bupropion, anti-anxiety, which I started ten days before I started quitting. Patches and gum. I passed on the lozenges. Did you know that you are not supposed to chew the gum? If you are not supposed to chew it, why call it gum? You are supposed to scratch it with a tooth and then park it between your teeth and lips. Like snuff. The first week I could smoke. I really did not stop, until the cigarettes were out of the house, meaning until I smoked them all.

Don’t forget the cinnamon!

She talked about using cinnamon to help. If you have a craving, use cinnamon. They say that a craving lasts 3 mins. If you can not smoke in those 3 mins, tell yourself, Phew! the crisis is over, and think of something else. Think of anything else! and Eat more cinnamon! Did you know they make cinnamon Altoids? They rock! Big Red gum – its full of flavor! They also recommended using cinnamon flavored toothpicks. You can buy them or make your own. I personally just thought that would look too hoosier, so I passed on that method. (I know, peanut gallery, what did smoking look like? When I was sixteen, it looked cool. Now, not so much.)

I do not want to gain weight

And yes, I am afraid of gaining weight. Exercise is a great idea. A treadmill is even better because you can’t blame it on the rain, like I can in Seattle. I read that people, who exercise while quitting, are 40% more successful than non-exercise people. Another recently quitting friend, joined the gym. She said that she was too tired when she got home to think about smoking. I’m not that motivated. If you get a craving, do some jumping jacks, go for a walk, just get distracted, so you stop thinking about smoking.

Do you have chocolate in the house? Get rid of it. You will eat them all. The whole bag. Before you know it. Gone! Keep them out! Keep all sugar out because you will start craving it too. Just stick with the cinnamon.

Hand/Mouth Thing

Yep. It is a problem. It is a problem because I mentally see myself smoking. I actually notice that my hand is not moving to my mouth and my mind says I need to correct that problem. It is not normal for my hand to not be going to my mouth. When this happens, get up. Move. You need to change your perspective. Another friend of mine, who recently quit smoking, told me that she could not sit on her sofa anymore and watch TV. The craving was too high and difficult. She sat in a rocking chair instead. It helped.

I am surprised at how much “learned” behavior is a problem. You need to unlearn it. Easier said then done. I also always carried my cigarettes and lighter in my hand. It feels strange to leave the house, or even move from room to room without my smokes. It feels disconcerting to not have them. I feel lost. I guess they really were a crutch. I have been doing this same behavior for almost all of my life, so this is where Charlie Sheen comes in.

What about Charlie?

Changing the smoking behavior is a problem for me. I know that I joke about my inner Charlie Sheen, but it works. (I am sure he would love to hear that.) I use it to squash cravings. I actually do tell myself that I have tiger blood, and I do not need a cigarette. I AM NO LONGER A SMOKER! I AM A WINNER! And then, I do something else.

Do you have any tips to help me or anyone to continue to not smoke? I would love to see them in the comments.

And for fun, and because I like to include a photo — This one was also from our stroll around our neighborhood the other day. It was such a glorious day that even the weeds looked pretty.

Posted in Just for Fun, Smoking Cessation | Tagged smoking cessation, tiger blood | 5 Comments

The Isle of Pinterest

Posted on 26 April 2012 by tj

My latest social media SEO travels take me to the Isle of Pinterest. It is yet another avenue to promote our businesses. Pinterest is a virtual pin board that people use to organize interesting images of things they find on the internet. Pinterest likes to say people are creating a visual collection of interests.

How does my business get a little SEO?

When an image is “pinned”, using the Pin It button, a link will be created that links back to the original image on our site. Traffic. Also, people will “repin” the images, if they find them interesting, spreading the reach of our business. More traffic. Of course, certain niches work better than others, but any business can use it. Be creative, think outside the box, browse other boards for ideas, and get pinning and promoting your business!

How do you start “pinning”? (This works for any account, so my non-business friends, now you will know how to do it.)

1. You have to ask for an invite.

Go to www.Pinterest.com and click on the link to “request an invite”. They will send you an email. Or, you can ask someone to send you an invite and then you will get the email immediately.

2. Answer the email to activate your account and login.

3. Fill out your profile information.

You can change any information, any time, by clicking on your user name in the top right. Pick a nice profile image.

4. Create a pin board.

Click Add (top right), then Create a board. Give it a name and put it in the best, relevant category. People search by categories and you want people to see it. Decide who can pin to the board and click create. You can have as many pin boards as you want.

5. Grab the Pin It button and save it to your bookmark bar.

Click on About (on top), then Goodies (on the left), and then follow the instructions. They will be specific to your browser. I put my Pin It at the top of my bookmark list for easy access. Remember: The Pin It button creates a link back to the site of the original image.

6. Start pinning and adding to your board.

The easiest way to pin is to use the Pin It button. When you find an interesting image, click the Pin It button on your bookmark bar. All of the images on the page will be displayed in a list. Select the image, comment on it and “pin” it on the relevant board. Remember: Pins will create links back to the original image. You also can add a pin by entering the images URL in the appropriate box after clicking Add a pin. You can upload an image from your computer by clicking Upload image and selecting it.

7. Start networking.

Search Pinterst using the search box for things related to your business or interests, then repin, and follow similar “pinners”.

This is a great article on how ten businesses are successfully using Pinterest. It could be a case study on what a successful Pinterest campaign looks like. Check it out!

For fun: Phil and I took a stroll through our neighborhood the other day and came across some of the most amazing color. Enjoy! And feel free to pin it to it to your Spring Flowers Collection.

Hope this helps you get started in Pinterest. Let me know if it was helpful.

Share your pin id and I will follow you. Feel free to follow me!

Posted in Google Juice, Pinterest | Tagged Pinterest, Social Media SEO | Leave a comment

How does the Mission Control of your Business Look?

Posted on 2 April 2012 by tj

It finally arrived – the Facebook timeline now is on your business page. Facebook calls it Mission Control. I find that funny. Anyway, did you make it? I wish I could tell you to go check out my page for our Tiffany Style Lamp site or our cast iron cookware site. But I can’t. Why not? Because it has not made it to the top of my to-do list. If someone tells you it is easy to build a website, they are correct. What they fail to tell you is that it takes a ton of work to get people to visit your site, yet alone purchase something. OK. I digress. Since, I meant to have our Facebook pages done for both sites by now, I did some research. (You all know how I love to research.) So, guess what? I will share some of my knowledge with you while it is still relevant. This also is useful for your own personal page on Facebook.

In my mind, it breaks down into two components – the pictures and the story. You need to care about how your page looks, as well as what it says. Pictures are extremely important in your page setup, as well as in your posts. And yes, more content! (Remember – content is king!) With the changes, your content rich posts become ads. People will like, share, and spread these “ad posts” through newsfeeds, tickers, and sponsored stories.

Things to do:

Cover photo – This is the first thing a person sees. It takes up a lot of real estate. Ideally, Facebook recommends that it should be a JPG file, 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. It must be at least 720 pixels wide. It cannot contain promotional information, calls to action or business information. (Business info belongs in the About section.) Make it interesting and grab their attention. What does the image convey? What are you telling people about your business?
Profile photo – This is the photo that everyone will see with your comments. The profile photo displays as a square. Experts recommend using a square image of your business logo that scales from 180 x 180 px to 32 x 32 px.
About – This is the same as before only it now displays directly under the cover photo. Add a short description of your business. This is the only place you can sell your business. You can include key word phrases and your website’s URL.
Views and Apps – Tabs are gone. They are now apps and they appear below your cover photo. You can control which three apps you want displayed. Photo displays by default and takes the first position. Which ones do you think your customers expect to see? There is room for 12 but only four display under the cover photo. Application icons are 111 x 74 px, in case you need to change one.
Milestones – Identify your business’s milestones. These will display as events on your timeline.
Timeline – It tells the history of your company. Add specific events relevant to your company or brand — milestones. Set your favorite posts as “allowed on timeline”. Also, you can add events to the timeline before Facebook started.
Star and Pin posts – Star or highlight posts so they display prominently in the new larger post format. Pin or anchor your favorite posts to the top of your page. They will stay there for seven days. You can only have one thing pinned at a time.
Clean up old posts – People can now easily navigate through your posts by date. You should review your past posts and remove any that are no longer relevant like monthly specials, or old products. You should also review your past posts for “starring”, so they display prominently in your timeline.

Some tips:

Create a calendar to keep track of you’re publishing
Add events that happened before Facebook
Pin a post once a week
Publish early in the morning or late in the evening, when most people are on FB
Promote your Facebook page everywhere you promote your business
Connect your online presence with your FB business page with social media buttons
Photos and videos encourage more interaction and sharing
Take advantage of the larger post size
Post daily, preferably with a photo
Use the admin panel to manage your pages

Here is a great visual aid for the timeline that Mari Smith put together.

Question: How does your brand/business page look? What was the hardest part of the conversion? Let me know if this helped! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Just for fun! Phil and I went to Ocean Shores,WA for a week in March.

Waves Crashing on Rocks

Posted in Facebook, Google Juice, Social Media | Tagged Facebook Timeline, social media, Social Media SEO | Leave a comment

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