Authority is one of dozens and dozens of factors search engines use to determine a web page’s placement online. And humans sort of look at authority the same way. If you have it, people and search engines both take you more seriously. Here are 5 ways to increase your business’s authority in the eyes of search engines and humans alike.
It’s to sell of course, whether you want customers to order right from your site, call you for an appointment or walk through your storefront, at the end of the day you want as many people as possible to “buy” whatever you’re selling.
What do your customers want though? A lot of business owners and even web designers are surprised. More than flashy banners, a beautiful design and a clever tagline, in surveys 76% of web users said they wanted a site that was SIMPLE.
For tweets, emails, and other areas where you can’t paste something like what you see below.
If you’re wondering where that leads (it’s too long to make it a clickable link easily) it leads here:
Or any ad for social media.
When was the last time you clicked on an ad you saw on a social media site? If you said a long time ago, or never, don’t be discouraged because people are clicking and people are buying. If you said recently then what did the ad look like? What drew you in? Did you buy, or give them your email, or call? Maybe you didn’t but you remember them.
Here’s the math of advertising, it’s not hard. You spend X amount hoping those pennies and dollars will result in a net gain, eventually. You measure it over time. If it does end in a gain, spend more and see if you gain even more business, and so on until you hit some saturation point where more $ no longer equals more sales. If advertising isn’t working it’s not the concept of advertising in general which is failing most likely, but your messaging, your target, or your product. It works. Ask AT&T, GM, Disney, McDonalds, Walmart, American Express, etc.
How is advertising on social media different?
You may have noticed despite every other set of directions screaming, “This is so easy!” It’s not because they skip steps and assume you already know what you’re doing. We won’t assume that, because how could you know what you’re doing… unless you are Google… are you Google?
411 Locals is here to help:
1. You need a Google account to do this. If you don’t really want an account, just make up the information on their “create an account” page. You can even start a new Google email if you’re really serious about not having another account to keep track of. Just go here. (Right click and select “New window” so you can read these directions while you’re making your map.)
2. Once you have your account, one you plan on using or one you’re going to forget about later, don’t sign out or anything, just got to https://maps.google.com/. Don’t worry, no passwords or anything, you’re set.
Don’t have the budget for an ad agency or in-house marketing department? Don’t worry; you can still make an effective ad. Follow these steps and chances are good that you’ll at least have a return on your investment.
1. What format will this ad be seen in? Television, print, social media, radio, an online banner, billboard, point of sale, decide what media you are going to use. This will determine the ad’s style, length, even viable objectives of the ad.
2. Have a clear and specific goal. This doesn’t include “make more money” or “be super awesome,” even though both of those things are good. It needs to be a calculated goal like; X number of phone calls per dollar spent, X number of clicks per dollar spent, X number of customers coming in the store per dollar spent—and there should be a way to measure it like analytics or a reserved forwarded number, even sales figures before and after a spot (though keep in mind additional factors that could affect those numbers like weather or tax returns). Or if your goal is pure branding, which is important if somewhat difficult to measure, you may want to consider surveys or long term sales measurements before and after branding efforts. If branding is the goal, be aware that it’s a long term investment. Imagine it like the difference in between regular exercise to keep your heart in shape, and nitroglycerin. Both work great, branding works better long term but is less helpful if you’re in the middle of a heart attack right now.
