Mobes.biz

If you have ever added a picture to your site and didn’t take the time to name it, you have just missed another opportunity to put yourself in front of your target audience.  The search engines index photos similar to the way they index text backlinks (if they can).  It’s all about the text.  The web crawlers aren’t smart enough to figure out exactly what your image is all about, so you have to tell them by putting text in your code.  For example, I’ll use code exerts from my last posting:  Why You Should Care About the Google Heat Map.  I titled the picture “Google Heat Map”.  It may be hard to see in the photo below, but I was second from the right on images in a Google search for “Google Heat Map” on page number 1.  When someone clicked on the image, they saw the photo on the top of the page, but my blog also showed up underneath.  I grabbed a bunch of traffic just from this photo.

How you accomplish this.

It’s not as difficult as it seems.  The following is the difference between (more…)

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The Google Heat Map was created a few years ago by search marketing firms Enquiro and Did-it.com and eye tracking firm Eyetools using eye scan and click-through behavior to show what attracts users most consistently.  They tracked mouse actions as well as eye activity on search engine results pages (SERPs) to create a visual depiction of the cold and hot zones on a page.  What was uncovered was an “F” shaped pattern that was coined the “Golden Triangle”, stressing the importance of page position in both organic and PPC search results.

You notice that the hottest areas of the SERPs are on the top left.  As we’ve mentioned before with Google Local and local search optimization, it proves the importance of local businesses to get listed.  Right below the local results, you will find the top organic results.  As always, there are a couple of exceptions to the rule.  Sometimes right at the top of the page, there are the few paid results.  You can be there if you think the price is right.  Also, sometimes there will be a few organic results above the local map listings, but the map will usually still be above the page fold.

*Here are the results based as the percentage of total users tested (more…)

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With the evolution of the web, it’s no secret that the small business owner has been able to expand his or her customer base beyond what was once imagined.  Well, now Google and the other search engines have made it possible to also give you a leg up on the worldwide competition in your local market.

Example:  Do a search for a service or type of restaurant in Google.  You will usually see either Google Local map listings at the top left or a few results and then the map listings.  Next time you leave town (or call a friend), do the same search and see what comes up.  A great deal of the organic search results will be the same, but you will notice that the map listings are local to where you are at the time.  Google knows where you are by where you are logged on to the web and tries to deliver the results most convenient to your location.

The next question is “How do I get on the map”?  Believe it or not, you have some control over that.  Google takes listings from many different sources and directories to get the most accurate description and location of your business.  If you are already on the map, you can claim your listing for free.  If you are not, you can add yourself for free.  The benefit here is that you can control what people see when they find your business and how they find it.  You can add details, pictures, videos, coupons, etc.  The more data and interaction you have with your local listing, the more “love” Google will have for you.  They have also recently added built-in analytics to show you what people are searching for when they find you and where they are located.

Click Here for Google Local Business Center

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Before you go on reading the reasons for deciding whether you want to add a page or a group, the one fact that seems to make a huge difference over any other is:

Pages are indexed, like your public profile, by external search engines such as Google(), while Groups are not.

When you become a fan of either a page or a group, that information is posted on your wall for your connections to see and vice versa. They can also see it in your profile if they have the permissions. Groups are great for organizing on a more personal level. Pages are usually better for brands, businesseses, or individuals who want to interact with their followers without connecting with them on such a personal level, and need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.

Pages
Facebook Pages can be thought of in a similar way as normal profiles on the site. They have the ability to have friends, walls that fans can post on, the ability to post pictures, update their status, and have applications as well. They also have tabs that can show more detailed information. Pages also have two walls. One concists of what the owner writes, and one is for fans to use.

Groups
Groups are a bit different than Pages (more…)

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A growing trend in social networking circles is using Facebook to connect with business as well as personal contacts.  Traditionally, a great deal of people used things like Facebook for personal accounts and left the professional stuff to services such as LinkedIn.  After all, the accountant you were doing business with down the street didn’t neccessarily care if you went to the Don Williams concert last Friday with three old college friends.  Another option was to have multiple accounts and connect to people separately.  It can get confusing if you want to keep friends and family posted about both, unless you want to connect with them on separate accounts.  So how do you continue to share your business and personal information and keep your personal privacy while upholding your professional reputation?

Many people don’t realize that (more…)

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