Category Archives: increasing business visibility

Have my SEO tips worked for you?

Posted on Tuesday 4 June 2013 by Alice • 0 Comments

Isn’t it fabulous when something works? I’m delighted to report that my SEO tips actually made a difference for someone!

I don’t often get the chance to crow about a success, but when I read this I just had to share:

‘Well, this morning and, for the first time ever, I posted an original, creative, lively, personable post . . . a-n-d had my best day of hits since I began this Blog in 2007!’ (http://www.myestheticiansblog.com/2013/05/the-fairy-blog-mother.html)

Talking about bloggingThis blogger took on board my advice that you need to write your posts thinking about your readers’ experience: would they enjoy it, is it useful to them, are their lives improved by it, are they entertained, would they want to share it with their friends, are they compelled to leave a comment?

And suddenly when a post becomes alive, the result is amazing! Another SEO tip: compose your post’s title purely for the reader to entice them to read it, whereas your SEO title should stimulate the search engines to index the post.

The whole reason why I arranged my last Lunchtime Learning video around SEO tips was not only to tell people about it, but to get them to actually practice it and see if it made a difference. And here is the proof!

Haven’t read them yet? Here’s the resources sneeze page I created for my SEO tips and video, and if you want to join up to my mailing list to be ready for the next Lunchtime Learning subject, feel free!

And if you start to see a difference to your blog’s stats, do let me know! I would love to write about them and link back to you too!

 

Filed Under: Blogging education, blogging encouragement, increasing business visibility, Writing tips

How SEO uses the human factor

Posted on Thursday 23 May 2013 by Alice • 0 Comments

TransparencyGoing further into my SEO research for my Lunchtime Learning video this month, I am fascinated by how complicated it is. So I will need to be mindful of how I’m going to explain my findings in a way that isn’t too heavy for you!

The old way keywords were used was to make sure they were relevant, had a high readership with low competition, and their strategic positioning in the headline, post’s URL and the post itself. This was all well and good, and worked with the old style of search criteria and algorithms. There is no reason why this won’t work today too, except there are now some extras that need to be taken into consideration.

Search used to work a bit haphazardly, taking the 10 most probable answers to satisfy a search request. Now it uses an additional 200 metrics to arrive at its results so it can provide more direct answers than before. This is why it can work in favour of a site that is not heavily SEO-ed, stuffed full of keywords and therefore rendered unreadable.

Search engines are now favouring people rather than websites. They are placing themselves on the side of the searcher, the business content marketing provider, and how people use speech connected to human thought processes. There may be a downside to this, as by adapting the algorithms to respond to the true meanings of words, would the variances between UK English to American make a difference? We have yet to find out.

This has come about from the rise in popularity from social media. It is here where people react on the internet in a human way, responding in a conversational mode, flitting back and forth in a reciprocal manner, stimulated by real-time reactions. Things can change and adapt at breath-taking speeds, stuff can go viral at a drop of a hat, and information spreads like wild-fire to a potentially huge audience. This is all responding to the basic gossipy element of communication that is sometimes faster than which with the news media can cope and keep up.

Therefore search needs to transform from being unstructured to become structured. It needs to work on the concept of trust, authority, reputation, longevity and the user’s digital profile. In other words, the more active you are on the net, particularly with original and worthwhile content, the better the results will be, and not just because you’ve stuffed your content up to the gills with keywords.

The old keyword usage combined with link building and content duplication now take on a secondary role. SEO now needs to work on the basis of trustworthy content that generates valid and relevant comments, receives copious sharing on a variety of social media sites (bookmarking as well as networking) and reciprocal referral and recommendations by authoritative contributors.

Search engines also now need to assess the importance of content in relation to its relevance to the activity it represents, eg any links or call to actions to reputable and relevant destination sites. In other words, relevance plays a much larger part in confirming SEO in content marketing than before.

In other words, SEO is becoming more real, honest, transparent and, well, human!

 

Filed Under: blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility, online marketing, Writing tips

Hanging out with your target market!

Posted on Sunday 12 May 2013 by Alice • 11 Comments

Brit Mums Live!Blogging can be sometimes quite a lonely experience, so it is extremely nice when you can get out to meet other bloggers and find out about what they do. This is especially so if most of the people you talk to either don’t have a blog or don’t use it enough.

Recently I’ve joined up with a blogging coffee morning group in Henley. These are an interesting bunch of ladies, all with different values and reasons for blogging, such as promoting a book they have written, publicising a garment manufacture business, or merely writing for fun or to show off their expertise.

Having been thoroughly inspired by joining the world of bloggers I was inspired to find some more, so I have signed up to go to the BritMums Live! blogging conference in June. This is an exciting prospect: two days mingling with 550 bloggers in an environment that is totally blog based! Could I become over-saturated with blogs? Never! This is an experience I am definitely looking forward to.

Now all these people already have blogs, so why should I want to circulate there? Well, here is an opportunity to find out why people blog, what makes them tick, learn from their successes and failures, find out new stuff – basically by entering such a world I’m sure I can fill in many gaps in my blogging knowledge so that what I present to you will become all that much better!

There are plenty of fun things we can be doing in preparation for this momentous weekend, such as participating in a linky. How exciting – I will be answering some questions below and will add this post to the BritMums Live! blog in the hope that more people will read it and the rest of this website. So here goes:

Name: Alice

Blog: Fairy Blog Mother

Twitter ID: @alice_elliott

Height: 164cm last time I measured myself!

Hair: Short, brown and spiky!

Eyes: Brown, hidden behind purple glasses.

Is this your first blogging conference?

Yeah, believe it or not!

Are you attending both days?

I certainly aim, though unfortunately I may have to miss the last bit of Saturday.

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2013?

Getting the chance to meet lots of bloggers in one place and learning lots!

What are you wearing?

Oh, something purple – I always wear purple!

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2013?

By meeting bloggers I want to find out all about them, why they blog, what tips they can give me and maybe gain some knowledge that will help my business.

Tell us one thing about you that not everyone knows

I’m an ex-graphic designer and I did wedding stationery – most unsatisfactorily – with flowers and calligraphy. I absolutely love flowers, hence why I’m participating in a blogathon (posting every day for a year) with my nature blog!

PS You can learn more about me in this Liebster Award post.

 

Filed Under: Blogging education, blogging encouragement, blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility, successful blogging

Let’s get more people blogging!

Posted on Wednesday 24 April 2013 by Alice • 0 Comments

Build a Blog for Beginners WorkshopI came across a shocking statistic: only 13% of businesses have a blog!

After having a good think about this, I came to the conclusion that probably it’s because not many SME owners are aware of how beneficial blogging is for their business. Even if they have heard about blogs (as they are finally starting to be recognised as a business resource), they can’t see how a blog would work within their business, understand its relationship with social media, or even for digital marketing campaigns.

And then there is the rise of content marketing over SEO, for which a blog is a perfect medium for original writing and conversational communications with the potential customer base. Using a simple CMS (content management system) to explain, express and exchange ideas with the public so that they get a chance to understand a business better, is a vital part of customer relationship management.

A blog should be used as a hub of any social media campaign or activity. It is where the beef of your message is contained. The activity on social media is limited in its content, so this should be used to direct interested parties back to the blog with attractive headlines and relevant links. Structure messages on social media based on the call to action back to the blog, where much more information can be delivered to them for better comprehension, suitable persuasive content and further links back to the website where the business transaction can take place.

Blogs are actually very easy to set up. They don’t require any technical knowledge, and many are designed to be similar to other word processing platforms using familiar icons, etc. In fact if you can cope with updating your Facebook profile or page on a regular basis, this is no different to creating and maintaining a blog, as the system and reasons are the same. And if you are thinking why bother creating a blog as well as using Facebook, then consider the different audiences that use these platforms, and spreading a marketing message around the web will increase the exposure of it further.

For those who are not used to it on a daily basis, technology can be quite daunting until it is properly learned. And even then that process is not easy, as many people who technical proficients are unable to explain what they do without peppering their language with jargon and other confusing vocabulary. In fact, training and explaining about blogs in a way that anybody can understand does require some specialist knowledge, namely having been on the receiving end and experienced the difficulties each student is going through. Blogging jargon is mostly of American origin, so translating it into English and then relating it to everyday circumstances or the interests of the learner certainly helps in understanding and retaining that newly-founded knowledge.

Fairy Blog Mother aims to become one of the best WordPress trainers and tutor providers available for businesses and individuals. By being able to explain and teach blogging in a proficient and easily understandable way, blogging use will be increased and maximised to its full potential. There is so much a blog can do for a business, as long as it is totally and appropriately understood, appreciated and implemented.

Filed Under: Blogging education, blogging encouragement, blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility, non-jargon

Magic Moments: All about reblogging

Posted on Tuesday 12 February 2013 by Alice • 0 Comments

Blog tuitionReady for 2013 Google has changed its algorithms to disadvantage people who blithely copy their material around the net. This means it is more difficult to expose your posts to a larger audience merely by reproducing them word for word.

Ironically WordPress recognises that people will want to share their articles on other people’s sites, as this is a great way of getting more readers and ultimately more comments and followers. And it has done this through the reblog tab in WordPress.com.

Here is a post I wrote in another blog and I have ringed the ‘reblog’ tab in the black bar at the top which is visible once you have logged in:

Showing location of reblog tab in WordPress.com

This post is written by me, so I can reblog it on any other WordPress.com blog I am associated with.

Clicking on the reblog tab brings up a menu:

Reblog tab menu in WordPress.com

This allows you to choose the destination blog from the drop down menu and add a comment in the status update field if applicable.

Then once completed, click on the ‘Reblog Post’ button:

Reblog successful in WordPress.com

And click on the link to go view your post reblogged on your other blog!

Post reblogged from one WordPress.com blog to another

I can only presume that Google will accept this method of sharing blog posts, because when you click on the ‘Read more…’ link you are directed back to the original post. This is not a method of recreating existing material, merely how to place it on a guest blog to find more readers or expose your writing to a different audience.

Filed Under: Blogging education, blogs and blogging, Free Wordpress blogs, guest posts, increasing business visibility

Magic Motivation: What would a gatemaker say?

Posted on Friday 18 January 2013 by Alice • 0 Comments

At networking meetings a common question I’m asked is ‘What on earth do I say on my blog?’. This is a common complaint by those who have yet to learn how to go into ‘blogging mode’ as I call it, or don a suitable blogging hat to accelerate their marketing methods.

So I have decided to create a series of posts that provide posting suggestions for various business ideas. And today starts with a business that provides bespoke gates and fences for the higher end of the housing market.

In this case there is a lot of scope for pictures, since that will certainly help sell this product. Obviously a load of gate images could be seen as being a bit dull, so these need to be jazzed up a bit with some scintillating words.

The subject of gates can be expanded in various ways: descriptions and information on the materials sourced and used; materials used for protection and beauty; properties of such materials that make the gate bespoke or solve a particular problem; most popular materials used and why; the different opening methods available for these dates, and which ones are the most popular; examples and case studies of gates fitted (with customers’ permission) to show prospective customers what is possible and in which environment.

Another idea is to search all the questions asked about gates and write FAQ posts about them. This could act as an extension to your customer relationship marketing strategy. Any repetitive questioners could be kindly redirected to the blog for further information or as a back up (with pictures) to the answer just given. It also shows that these queries have been satisfactorily dealt with in the past, and increases the credibility and knowledge base of the business.

For more variety, integrate the posts with videos of the gates in action, workmen installing the gates, and satisfied customers providing testimonials of their wonderful new gates, how proud it makes them feel and how easy it was to get them put in, not to mention that they would happily recommend these gatemakers to their friends. These videos needn’t be expensively made, even off-the-cuff videos made via an iPhone will have a better impact on prospective customers than professionally produced ones, and these certainly could go towards creating case studies for each new product or service provided.

Filed Under: Blogging help, blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility, Writing tips

Do you always say what you mean?

Posted on Wednesday 9 January 2013 by Alice • 0 Comments

Here is a podcast called Twang that I have created unedited, because in real life nobody edits what you say, especially when you’re in public.

Twang

In 2013 I’m experimenting with unprompted communications, developing conversations online in a selection of media, and not being afraid of the results. Here I am talking about words that are used out of context, exploring my misuse of vocabulary, and comparing words used in different parts of the country.

It’s also about expressing myself in a more spontaneous manner. In the past good ideas have melted away because I didn’t write them down, or acted impulsively to save them. Creating a quick audio of my thoughts is extremely easy to do, takes no time at all, and by accepting its defects and publishing it as soon as possible, my message is given a lease of life it probably wouldn’t have.

And here it is, warts and all. If you are inspired by its meaning, leave me a comment in the box below.

Filed Under: blogging success, blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility, non-jargon, use of words

Brad Praise Indeed

Posted on Thursday 20 December 2012 by Alice • 0 Comments

I may have been quiet on this blog (thereby not practising what I preach, slap wrists) but I have in fact been very busy creating and writing blogs elsewhere.

Publishing posts outside your business’s boundaries is a great way of extending your exposure of what you can do or provide. And it is equally fabulous when you capture the attention of someone prominent in the business world:

I’m not normally a person who likes to brag, but just occasionally something warrants a bit of publicity when I think it is due. Click on the link in Brad’s first tweet to find out more…

Filed Under: blogging success, increasing business visibility, Writing tips

Why I think you should start blogging

Posted on Wednesday 21 November 2012 by Alice • 2 Comments

Talking about bloggingI’ve been going on of late saying you should explore different media to get your message across. Words are all very well, but sometimes they cannot show your enthusiasm, your passion and the energy you have about your business or latest project.

Therefore I have created a series of podcasts taken from a radio interview I gave on Marlow FM a few weeks ago. Here is the first one (it’s an mp3 by the way):

Why I think you should start blogging

It’s always a shock to hear your voice, as what sounds in your head bears no resemblance to what other people hear. I’m amazed at how nasal I sound, and of course I fluff many of my words as a throwback of when I had a speech impediment. But the main thing is that I did it, and I’m not ashamed to share it with you.

Of course I don’t sound like a trained actor, because frankly having my words said by one would be boring, bland and show little meaning. This is an incident when perfection is not on the agenda. You need to listen to me, warts and all, because it is not only what I say, but how I say it.

Express your passion aurally through your blog. Recently I’ve been stepping out of my shell and started giving presentations at networking groups. This is really scary, especially for someone who prefers to sit in the shadows, but doing that won’t help my business. Therefore I have deemed it important for you to hear me as well as read the words I write.

Let me know what you think, and whether you have also gone down the road of creating podcasts and how they have worked for you.

Filed Under: blogging success, blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility

How train reliability relates to blog continuity

Posted on Tuesday 6 November 2012 by Alice • 0 Comments

Content, CopywritingLast Friday I tried to get from Reading to Marlow on the train. Normally this is a relatively simple journey, changing at Maidenhead since Marlow is still on a branch line. But what I didn’t reckon on was First Great Western having trouble with their main line equipment.

The British trains are notorious in their lack of time-keeping, delays and cancellations. It is an infrastructure that is extremely heavily used, with much needed repair-work always scheduled for weekends. Also at the moment Reading Station is undergoing a transformation, as it expands to cope with its increased demand as the second busiest junction in the UK (next to Clapham Junction). All this needs to be done while the station is in full use, and inevitably problems occur that inconvenience passengers.

I had found out which trains I needed to get me to Marlow in time for my radio interview. Unfortunately the main line trains were running so late many were cancelled or rerouted to catch up with the schedule. This included the train to Maidenhead that I needed. First Great Western weren’t concerned because the next train was only in 15 minutes time and I could catch that one, never mind that my connection to Marlow had been scuppered.

Fuming, I tried to calm down by going into blogging mode to compare the poor customer service First Great Western had provided with a neglected business blog.

Cancellations

Missing posting times does not reflect well on a blog. There may have been plenty of well-meaning excuses by the author why they have not been regular with their input, but the reader doesn’t know that, all they see is an old post with a date from some months ago. The distinct lack of posts reflects badly on the blog and the business it represents, as it suggests a lack of commitment and reader appreciation. Visitors require new content to keep them happy, notwithstanding the search engine spiders; they do not tolerate an absence of reading material when they expected some to be there.

Missed connections

You never know who will visit your blog at any time. Therefore if there isn’t any up-to-date content for any potentially important visitor to read, not only will they failed to be impressed, this may result in a missed opportunity for doing business. Blogs are an excellent medium for allowing you to express, explore and describe your business more fully than your website can accommodate. Here is the chance to show potential customers all the extra, fascinating parts of your business and what it does in a freer, more expansive mode, so don’t fail to provide regular updates to keep yourself ahead of the game.

Infrequent service

A lack of service provision can easily upset users so much they can abandon everything and leave, never to return. The failure to provide an adequate service does not reveal how much the business cares much for its customers, and not communicating with them in a regular manner gives the impression that they don’t consider their custom worth while, nor their opinions or preferences. Not only do blogs provide that extra information that could sway a customer’s decision towards a more favourable position, it also can be used for market research, feedback and interaction purposes. Today’s internet usage expects customers to be able to leave their own input into a business’s communication strategy, through the comment section combined with social media interaction and mobile phone apps. Businesses should welcome this exchange of ideas and information with open arms.

Bad announcements

Lack of communication doesn’t help anyone. It is important to be transparent, clear and pertinent with your messages. Just saying sorry and not providing any form of recompense or added value does not stand any business in good stead. What may be considered a suitable alternative could be interpreted as a poor substitute, since the disrupted needs have not been satisfied and the inconvenience still continues to breed resentment and additional problems. A blog can become an archive for frequently asked questions, solutions to previous problems and case studies for examples of past successes and happy customers. This content can be brought out and dusted down before being presented in a more attractive and relevant way, knowing that its past performance has succeeded before and its solutions will help solve the situation. And since a blog can act as a reference point, customers can be easily directed to its pages to find the information they require without wasting their time elsewhere.

Poor impressions

A neglected business blog gives the impression that the company is not trading successfully, that business is slow and things are not going very well. The opposite may be the reality, since it is usually due to lack of time that results in the absence of blog posts. But the readers don’t know this, and their brains are not wired to think in that direction, as all they see are old posts they’ve read before. It is important to plan ahead and include regular blog updating as part of your everyday marketing strategies, combined with a healthy editorial calendar, if you are to maintain visitor and search engine interest, thus ensuring your blog’s success in the future.

Filed Under: blogging success, blogs and blogging, increasing business visibility