SonicSpider LLC Blog

Creating Proper Meta Data for your Wbsite (title, keyword and description tags)

melmoore — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:15:54 +0000

This article will assist you in understanding how to better write title tags, keyword lists and description tags for each page of your website. There are many components to proper website SEO, meta tags are just one piece of the puzzle.

Rule #1 – Each website page should have unique meta tags for optimal website visibility!

How to write Title Tags:

Title tags are a brief description of what is on each web page. You should include as many keywords as you possible that pertain to that page. However, title tags should be 70 characters or less. You should place the most important keywords toward the front of the title tag. Also, leverage any brand names that you either provide as a business or the name of your business. Consider compelling title tags that will make your website visitors excited about staying on your website. You might also consider including the location of your business if you are looking for local traffic.

Title Tag Example: Environmentally Friendly Window Cleaning for Residences and Business in Los Angeles CA.

How to Create Keyword Lists for Your Website:

Essentially you want to create keyword lists before your write your title tag, because you will be using your keywords IN your title and description tags. You need to come up with a keyword list for each page of your website. It is important to brainstorm as many keywords and keywords phrases that describe your business and organize them into separate lists, one for each page. You want to come up with keywords that are both general and specific to your unique products and services. The more unique you can make your keywords the better your chances are for increased search engine rankings. You also need to check to make sure that those keywords are in the content of your website. Keywords in the content of your website have become increasingly more important for the overall optimization of your site. If you have a keyword in a page list and it does not appear in the copy of that page it either needs to be added to the copy or taken off your list!

Keyword List Example: organic widow cleaning, environmentally friendly window cleaning, eco friendly window cleaning, window cleaning, residential window cleaning, window cleaning for businesses, window cleaning in los angeles, window cleaning in la

How to Write Page Descriptions:

This meta tag is no longer used for search engine rankings. Is sole purpose is to appear in the search engine results under the listing. Therefore, this tag should be written as marketing copy to convince individuals to click on your website in the search engine results. In this way the page description IS a very important factor in driving traffic to your website. It is important to still use as many keywords as possible. The page description can be any length but it is recommended to keep it under 160 characters since that is about as much as search engines will show.

Page Description Example: ABC Window Pros uses environmentally friendly soaps to wash your home or business’s windows in Southern California.

Tips on Creating Social Media Accounts for your Business

melmoore — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:03:15 +0000

This article will provide some tips on how to set up social media accounts for your small business with a sensitivity to keeping your own personal online life separate or distanced from your business online life. This has become a concern to our team over the last few months. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide how integrated you want your personal interactions online to be a part of your business’s and vise versa. In some cases, based on the way some social media sites are constructed, it is more difficult to achieve this.

Google

We would recommend creating a Google account for your business and not use your personal account. Many social media sites now use your Google account as a login (like YouTube). You can also use the gmail address created for your business as the email address you give social media sites so that all emails go to this account and don’t clog your personal email inbox.

YouTube

YouTube uses your Google account as your login so if you have set up a business account at Google use that one. Creating a YouTube account is a great way to provide resources to your clients event if you don’t want to make your one video to post. You can create collections of other peoples videos that people can watch that support what your business is about. If you have recorded powerpoint presentations you upload those as your one videos or there are a number of great tools to create your one short videos about your business.

We also recommend spending some time customizing your YouTube page a bit with the tools provided. Also, find some other businesses or individuals on YouTube that post videos you like and follow their “stream”. This will encourage other people to follow you as well.

Our YouTube Channel >

Twitter

Twitter is very easy to set up a separate account just for your business. If you already have a personal one, I would also create a business one. It does not hurt to have two Twitter accounts!

You want to take some time here too to customize your Twitter account – upload your logo, change the colors to match, etc.

Check out our Twitter account >

Facebook

For Facebook you have to use your personal account to create a Group or Page for your business there no way around it. However you can still keep your personal interactions on Facebook separate from your business if you wish. We typically recommend that most businesses create a Page, but if you are more like an organization then a Group might be better suited for you. When setting up your business page take the time to fill out all the profile information and upload your logo. Also, then send out invitations to individuals that you think might be interested in supporting your business.

You can really go all out customizing your Facebook page, but at first keep if simple and manageable then you can expand from there.

Check out our Facebook Page >

Click here to start creating your own Facebook Page >

LinkedIn is similar to Facebook in that you have to use a personal account to create a business profile. Many small businesses just link to their personal account however if you have several key people in your business you may want to create a business profile where everyone can be linked. You can also add products and services and videos to your profile.

From your personal LinkedIn account, click on “Companies” in the top menu bar. Then click on “Add a Company” to the right just under the menu bar to create your one profile.

Check out our simple LinkedIn Profile >

New Oceanside Chamber Web Seminars

superspider — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:24:53 +0000

SonicSpider is very excited to be able to provide Oceanside Chamber a seminar series on web technology and marketing. This series is free to all Oceanside Chamber members and will provide useful information for small business owners to make smart decisions about doing business online – whether it is just a simple website or a shopping cart.

The series kicks off this November. They will be held on the second Tuesday of the month at the Oceanside Chamber. The seminar will consist of a educational powerpoint on various web technology and marketing areas and a question and answer opportunity for attendees. Handouts will also be provided for note taking and additional resources. Ebooks are also available on most subjects for further reading and assistance. SonicSpider also has a new “Ask a Web Pro” service that allows anyone to ask a web questions and get a free answer from one of our team members.

The seminars will be presented by SonicSpider technical director John B. Moore. With over 20 years in the industry and experience in eduction he is a huge resource to any business owner. There will also be guest experts in the SEO/SEM seminars so that attendees get accurate and up-to-date information about what opportunities are available online for their business.

The first seminar “eCommerce 101 – Overview of eCommerce for small businesses” will by on Tuesday, November 8th at 2pm at the Oceanside Chamber. If you are an Oceanside Chamber member you can sign up through SonicSpider’s Meetup page.

New Google+ a Plus for Social Media Marketing

melmoore — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:00:49 +0000

Just when you thought you had all your social media outlets organized and integrated into your business marketing, Google is going to throw in their own version of a “Facebook like” social media site.

If you already have a Google account you may have already been invited to join Google+…. but you might be wondering what it is?

Google+ appears to be Google’s version of Facebook, but it is also plugged into YouTube, Google Buzz and other Google services. So if you use Google a lot in your business it is a real plus… no pun intended.

One thing we did find out when playing around with Google+ is that it is very hard for companies to have a Google+ account. It appears Google wants to keep it more person-to-person than person-to-business or group. So if you are a business or organization wanting to communicate with your clients or followers and want to keep it separate from your personal communications it is near to impossible…bummer.

They also have new iPhone app so you can stay connected to what is going on on the run just like all the other major social media sites.

More plus and minus on Google+ coming soon in one of our blogs as we learn more about how the site works and how we can help you use it! Look for it!

HTML5 Allows for Cool Animations!

melmoore — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:26:18 +0000

HTML5 stops the dependence on Flash for Cool Animations, Slide Shows and Photo Galleries.

With browsers now supporting HTML5, developers can now take advantage of the capabilities to create slick animations, dynamic menus, slide shows and photo galleries with out using Flash. Many portable devices like the iPad and iPhone do not support Flash so this development is most welcoming for website owners who hand turned to Flash as a way to give their site some punch!

Tumult Hype HTML5 Web Content App

This App is a great tool for creating interactive web content like dynamic menus, photo galleries and other animations that are friendly to moblie devices like iPhones, iPads and Android.

The Bleeding Edge of Developing in HTML5

Because HTML5 is so new you run the risk of support from older devices and browsers. You will need to consider your target audience and what they are using to view your website in order to make an educated decision on whether to switch to HTML5.

Here at SonicSpider we will starting to integrate the use of HTML5 into our development based on client needs and with the increasing demand and support of mobile devices and browser compliance to web standards.

More information on HTML5 >>