Confused? Not sure what to do next? Sometimes it just requires a fresh perspective, its time to book a consult.Find out more
Group Workshops can make the learning process easier and more effective both in efficiency and cost. Let us know if that would suit you.
Find out moreIf your not on Wordpress then you're SERIOUSLY missing out on a major advantage online. Feel Free to ask us about it!
Find out moreNeed to increase your business brand & exposure both online and offline? Let us help you make the plan for your budget that gets results.
Find out moreI got referred to this rather slap-stick video today regarding Inbound Marketing and thought it was entertaining but relevant enough to post about it. Hats off to the lass, Rebecca it seems her name is, for putting it together. Enjoy folks but do think about what she is saying, It does make sense!
To view the full sized image click the graphic or here.
The diagram above aims to explain in simple terms the relationships between:
keywords vs traffic vs competition vs qualityTo view the full sized image click the graphic or here.
Most of us are under the impression that we need large quantities of traffic in order to generate sales or enquiries via our website.
This is not necessarily the case. Search Engines are a service provider and want their users to find the correct information, something relevant, something needed, otherwise the user will simply switch to a different search engine to get the required results.
When we search we all begin in the general, usually one or two words. For the sake of an example lets choose the word “car”.
If I own a car dealership I would naturally think that I want to be in the number 1 position in the Search Engines for the word “car”. But do you really need it and will you make money, or could it actually cost you money AND reputation.
Using the diagram I can example my reasoning.
In the first blue triangle I choose 1 keyword. Following on to the pink triangle I see that it has the highest traffic at 5. The third navy triangle immediately tells me however, that it also has the highest possible competition with 5 and the green triangle shows me that the quality of the visitor will be considered a 1, or the lowest quality.
Why is the traffic so high?
Because the word “Car” is popular and searched for by millions of people.
Why is the competition high?
Because so many different companies, manufacturers, fans, collectors or clubs want to be gaining that traffic.
Why is the quality so low?
You sell Cars. Most of these searches will not have made any concrete decisions regarding the reason for their search and may not even want to buy a car. Also you may be restricted by real factors such as the model of the car and your geographical location. If a person does order a car will it be affordable to ship it to them and still be a competitive price or will you be wasting valuable time and effort dealing with these general enquiries only to miss the ones that are REAL sales.
So what now?
Well lets choose 4 keywords now and put them in this context:
Based on this and to illustrate this 4 word phrase could be:
HONDA CARS for SALE in my TOWN
Where the capitalised words are the important keywords in the search and words such as the, in or, but, and are irrelevant.
Looking at the triangle diagram now, in the first blue triangle we choose 4 keywords, in the second pink triangle we see that the amount of traffic is much lower, at 2. The third navy triangle shows me that the competition for this phrase is also low at 2 but the final green triangle shows me that the quality of the visitor is a high 4.
Why is the traffic so low?
The traffic is lower because the searcher has made a much more specific, refined and relevant search related to your product in your area.
Why is the competition high?
The competition is lower because of the localisation of the search. Your will be competing with the other businesses in the same geographical location as your current location or where your business has been established. A much more manageable competition pool.
Why is the quality so high?
Again it is because you have refined your product to match the search as closely as possible. The search engines will recognise this and hence produce your page as the most relevant to the searcher. The searcher is satisfied because they have found exactly what they are looking for and so they are much more likely to make an enquiry and much more likely to be converted into a client, producing a sale.
I have simplified this process to help illustrate the importance of researching the keywords you use in your website and also reflect the advantages of being more specific in your product descriptions and the types of service you offer within your geographical location. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule but these are few and far between.
I have been making efforts to explain the scope of social networking to many of my clients recently so decided that I would take the time to create a visual representation of the online “sociosphere” as I see it.
I’m hoping that this layout will help ease the process of understanding the inter connections between all the different social groupings on the internet and show the extent to which one can develop their online social media presence, if they so wish.
Of course, this wont be to everyone’s liking or indeed fit in with everyone’s schedule, channels or target groups, but this is part of the beauty of the social media and networking. It is so interlinked, so forgiving and can be so rewarding that we can pick and choose where we are present, how we present ourselves and when we are present without being subjected to penalties, aside from missing out on the latest information or feedback!
Of course, like most things, the more effort you put in and the more involved you are the more you get out as interaction helps grow your network and open new doors and opportunities.
Check out the Social Media Networking Map
To understand or explain this map begin at the visitor and choose any dotted line in any direction.
Predominantly on the left side are the associates and friends of the visitor, split into 3 groups but all possibly inter-linked. Though associated they may or may not be directly connected to the visitor.
On the right side are the mediums of the social network (a small selection but some of the more prominent) which are all directly related to your blog by the population of your content or by receiving theirs. As shown these mediums also have the potential to be interconnected directly but the end result will always lead to your blog itself.
As you create content in an effort to reach that visitor it will have to pass through any one, multiple or potentially, all of these mediums to reach the final destination and begin the return journey of bringing the visitor to you to interact with your blog. This can all occur in milliseconds.
The aim may be then to repeat the process within the groups that the visitor is associated with to grow and nurture more interested visitors who will continue the process and maintain the momentum.
This is why it is essential that you aim to achieve quality content on your blog as if the information is not engaging or of interest then the process will only serve to frustrate the visitor and the viral effect will slow dramatically or stop altogether.
I would be very interested in feedback and comments on this and if anyone should like a copy of the original artwork (done in Adobe Illustrator CS3 v13.0.0) would be more than happy to send it through or a copy in another format. Just add a comment in this thread and I will get back to you. If enough people want it I will post a link to allow download via FTP.