It’s not difficult to do – all you need is:

• A Google Analytics account
• A Facebook Fanpage
• The FBML application
• Some generated code
• 10 minutes spare

There’s a fantastic guide to it here: How to add Google Analytics to your Fan Page

The basic premise is:

1) Add a new profile in Google Analytics

2) Use the Analytics Tracking code here to generate some code

3) Install the FMBL application on your fan page

4) Add the code generated in step 2 to the FBML page you want to track.

5) Check stats tomorrow!

The guide in the link above is great, and walks you through the process easily.

If, however, you’re having problems and can’t get it installed, then we’re offering a basic no frills installation in return for a donation. You can purchase it below. Why a donation? Because although it takes next to no time, we can’t offer it for free or we’d be inundated and have no time for ‘real’ work. This way, if Leigh spends 6 weeks adding Analytics code to Facebook pages, at least she’ll get paid for it! You can choose the amount you pay, so just pay what you think it’s worth.

This post was generated by an RSS Feed from Nikki PilkingtonYou may also like to read:

• Open Source And Live Web Analytics: SlimStat
• Publish Website RSS Feed in Facebook Notes
• Insert Google Analytics without editing your theme
• Facebook changes the rules on business pages AGAIN…
• Your Facebook Fan Page and SEO

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How do I add Google Analytics to my Facebook Fan Page? is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

There are ample of writers (including me) who do numerous mistakes while writing and don’t even know where they are falling short. Here, I have tried to investigate all the common faults done by writers and now putting them here. Go through them and do tell me if I have missed out any fault. Bad writing may be negated at initial stages but only by practice and conscious effort can the faults be removed.

This post was generated by an RSS Feed from Instant ShiftYou may also like to read:

• You’re not blogging for YOU, you’re blogging for THEM!
• How Small Business Owners Can Build a Blog Without Blowing the Business
• Is Your Nofollow Blog Disappointing People?
• Quick Facebook Fan Page tip – your web address
• How a Little Blogging Can Make a Big Difference for the Small Business

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10 Bad Writing Habits you Should Avoid is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

When my friend called me, there was a little panic in his voice. He owned a successful, customer-friendly small business, and was generally an easygoing person. But he didn’t know what to do. A long-time and loyal customer alerted him to a savage review of his business on an Internet Yellow Pages site. And so now he was turning to me to find out what he could do about it.

I asked him for the details and he ruefully related the story. When he read the review, he immediately knew who the unhappy client was, recognizing some details in the story. He told me that this client had been impossible, constantly changing her mind about what she wanted with no notice, and although he did his best to satisfy her, at the end he had to tell her that he had done all he could for what he had been paid.

Image via CrunchBase

He would have understood if she had honestly expressed her disappointment in him in the review (even though he felt she was expecting way too much), but what irked him no end was that her review attributed egregious bits of behavior to him that were completely made up from whole cloth. He had objective proof that some of her comments were lies.

This isn’t an isolated case. Although most reviews are factual, and some small businesses have it coming, there’s nothing stopping dissatisfied customers from responding in extreme ways. And the services that post such reviews, such as Yahoo! Yellow Pages and Yelp, don’t want to be in the position of having to discern who’s telling the truth, letting the “wisdom of crowds” sort things out.

So, what’s a small business to do? First, treat your customers well, remembering that they have more power than you think. Encourage your happy customers to post reviews online, so that the wisdom of your crowd is in evidence–that will dilute the power of any one negative review. (Yesterday, I posted some small business social media success stories that you can emulate.) When someone posts a bad review, consider engaging that person online to try to make amends.

Unfortunately, it might require that you develop a thicker skin, because the rudeness of some online reviews might be more than you can bear. One San Francisco bookstore owner was arrested for battery after responding to a Yelp reviewer.

But that’s no reason to accept outright lies. When it clearly goes beyond a difference of opinion, and you can prove you’ve been wronged, go to the review site and plead your case. Show them that it’s a lie and ask them to remove it.

That’s what my friend did, and Yahoo! Yellow Pages, to their credit, did remove the dishonest review. But my friend learned form the situation. Now, he solicits good reviews and he works harder to satisfy even the nut jobs. It’s a different world out there, so make sure you know how to make your way through it.

This post was generated by an RSS Feed from Search Engine GuideYou may also like to read:

• Do I need a small business website?
• Search Engine Optimization Tip: Adding Content to your Web Site
• 10 Benefits of a Website
• Are you just following your competitors?
• Running A Small Business Website

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What To Do When Reviewers Lie About You is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

by Stoney deGeyter

Whenever a new medium emerges and becomes the “it” thing. Everyone flocks to it until the next shiny thing comes around and then that becomes the new “it.” Inevitably, those on the cutting edge of “it” always decry the downfall of the previous “it” which then becomes “that”. “That” is obsolete. “That” doesn’t have long-term value. You need to give “that” up and put your money in “it.”

But “that” doesn’t always go away no matter how much “it” gains in popularity.

Remember radio? Of course you do. We still listen to radio. Sometimes even listen to it on old fashioned radio tuners instead of over the internet or via satellite. But didn’t you hear? Radio is dead. Radio “died” with the invention of the TV.

Ah, the memories of old fashioned TV. Television died when the Internet came along allowing us to download programs on demand. But the television is still there, piping in hours of entertainment into our homes every night.

And then there was SEO. That died around 1992. Google killed it remember? Or was it social media that killed SEO? Oh heck, I keep forgetting because, well, SEO dies every year with some new proclamation of the new “it”. But then here we are, still helping people make their sites better so they deserve top placement in the search engine rankings.

Luckily the prophets of doom have been wrong more than they’ve been right. Heck, they are already onto their next death: the death of blogging. According to Wired Magazine, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook are the new “it” and blogging is on it’s way out.

We’ll file that right next to the death of SEO!

There is no doubt that Social media and micro-blogging platforms have diminished the need certain types of blogs and blogging. We no longer have to write long-involved posts about what we did last weekend, we can just twitter it as its happening. Pretty cool. But twitter and Facebook is hit and miss. If your followers are not there reading your updates when it happens, then as far as they are concerned, it didn’t, unless they go out of their way to read your specific history.

Think of twitter as live TV and blogs as your DVR. If you miss the live broadcast on twitter you’re SOL. But hey, if they blog about it, you can go back and get all the pertinent details on your own time.

Twitter, Facebook and even flickr updates only give you a small part of the story at any one time. It’s like trying to watch an entire movie in 3 minute chunks. Sure, it can be done, but it’ll take a long time and you lose a lot in the process.

I’m not against Twitter, Facebook or Flickr. I love them all. Each has their purpose and their place and they can certainly make it so you don’t have to blog as much as you used to, which can be a good thing for everybody.

The power of the blog

But blogging isn’t dead, nor do we want it to be. Especially for the small business. Blogs hold tremendous power that every small business needs to utilize.

Blogs bring traffic

Yes, people still read blogs. You’re reading one right now, so there is no reason to think someone won’t want read yours. It’s just a matter of having something valuable to say.

There are two primary ways people will come to read your blog. The first is via search engines. If you’re writing about your business’s topic, you need to be sure you’re doing keyword research. Find out what people are searching for that’s related to your industry. Then use those keywords in your blog posts. The more you write using keyword phrases the more opportunity you’ll have to bring in targeted traffic to your blog via search engines.

The second way people read your blog is through RSS readers. These are people who already found your blog, like your content and want to make sure they don’t miss a thing. Each blog post is imported into their feed reader which shows them all the new posts from your blog as well as other blogs they are subscribed to. From the RSS feed you can drive these readers into your site, whether it be your blog or your main business content areas.

Blogs promote your knowledge

Blog posts are a great way to share your knowledge. In any industry those that are viewed as the most knowledgeable tend to be the most trusted. Whether you are in a competitive field or a shallow one, you can make yourself–and your business–stand out by promoting your in depth knowledge of your topic.

Sharing little known tips, tricks, strategies, helpful tidbits, detailed instructions and tutorials all lend to your own credibility. Put enough of those together and you have your own e-book, or a library of e-books.

Blogs help people

Not an egomaniac? Fine, don’t think about blogging as a way to promote yourself or your knowledge. Just think of it as a way to help people. Because while you’re promoting your knowledge you’re also giving people valuable information that helps them in life, business or whatever. Your tips and tutorials are providing valuable information to people who otherwise may not have known. You are making people’s lives better by giving them an education.

Blogs build links

The more helpful your blog posts are the more likely they’ll be passed on or linked to. Twitter is great for passing around URLs. One good blog post can get a lot of distance through the social media platforms. As your resources get noticed you’ll start to build links. People will link to you in their blogs or websites or pass your information on via Facebook or twitter to other who may link to it. You’ll find your posts accessible from industry related websites and sometimes even direct competitors. People love sharing information and on the web, information is shared with links.

Blogs create customer and brand loyalty

The more you blog, and the more helpful your blog is, the more customer and brand loyalty you’ll be creating. Not every blog post is designed to get customers, nor should it be. But the more people who come to read your valuable information, the more likely they’ll be to become your customers when they need what you have.

But until your readers become your customers, you’re building up your brand. Brand recognition is extremely important as it plays toward perceptions… which are also passed along. Brand loyalty builds word of mouth, which in turn, builds more customers

Blogs increase sales

Building customers means one thing… you are increasing sales. Yes, your blog will have a lower conversion rate than your main areas of the site, but again, it’s primary function isn’t to directly build sales. But in the long run, that’s exactly what will happen. The more links you get, and the more your blog posts are passed around and/or read, the larger your reach becomes. As your reach grows, your sales grow.

There is no doubt that blogs are a lot of work. It takes time to decide what to write and then put your information together in a compelling way. In my next post I’ll discuss ways that the small business can manage it’s blogging schedule in order to maintain a healthy blog while not ignoring their business.

If you haven’t started blogging for your business you need to start. If fact, if you’re not blogging or twittering I’d say start twittering and work your way to blogging. If you are blogging, start twittering and promote your blog! But you need to get to blogging. A blog can be set up in a matter of hours and ready for your first blog post. Start building your audience today.

This post was generated by an RSS Feed from Search Engine GuideYou may also like to read:

• How Small Business Owners Can Build a Blog Without Blowing the Business
• 67 SEO Pointers for Blogging Beginners – a free guide
• Blogging To Help Search Engine Ranking
• Just because I LOOK as if I’m wasting time, doesn’t mean I am
• Are your efforts online paying off? Really?

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How a Little Blogging Can Make a Big Difference for the Small Business is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

by Stoney deGeyter

I don’t consider myself a real blogger. To me, real bloggers don’t have jobs, they just get paid for writing about their opinions. Kinda like journalists.

I’m just a small business owner that happens to blog on a few times a week. But since my source of income is my business blogging takes a back seat to business needs. Most small businesses can’t afford to hire a full-time blogger or ghost writer so they have to work blogging into their many business-owner duties. And because those duties are so heavy on the business owner, blogging generally falls by the wayside as more pressing matters are attended to.

Many small business owners are out there thinking “Blogging? That’s just one more thing to add to my already over-booked work schedule. No thanks.” I feel you.

There is no doubt that sitting down to write a good blog post takes time. Add in artificial deadlines and blog posting schedules, that’s why most small businesses simply don’t do it.

But blogging is an important aspect of growing your business. The key to good blogging is understanding how to work it in, prioritize it properly, and not to feel obligated to anybody but your family and customers.

Establish your blogging priority

Many small business that blog find themselves torn between business obligations and feeling like blogging is one of the most important things we can do to grow their business. It is important but it needs to be prioritized properly.

Looking at the big picture, blogging isn’t just about communicating with our audience. Blogging, when done effectively, helps us improve our reputation, build a brand, get customers, increase search engine rankings and, ultimately, grow the business. Yet, missing a day of blogging here or week there certainly isn’t going to cause your business to fail or turn your customers against you.

As with everything else, you have to keep your blogging time in perspective and prioritize it properly. You don’t have to blog every day. You can set time aside on a weekend, or on your typically slow days and write several posts at once and publish them later. If your designated “blogging time” gets interrupted by more important issues, take care of what’s important. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get your post(s) completed on schedule.

Know when to stop writing

All of our time is limited so when writing a blog post sometimes we find it taking a lot more of our time than we anticipated. And BLAST!!! you still have two more posts to write today! Ok, stop for a second. Think about this. Can your really long blog post be broken down into several short posts? Snip here, cut there and you just met your blog quota for the week!

You can also break your blog writing time into several shorter periods. Write one post a week, spending 15-20 minutes a day until it’s done.

Change your blogging patterns

It is often not so much a matter of how much you blog but a matter of the content you provide. Not every blog posts has to be 1200 words. Some can be a few hundred, so long as the information you provide is valuable.

If you didn’t get time to sit down and write your typical blog posts, just think of something that you can share in a couple of quick paragraphs. Write it, post it, move on. You can always go back later and revisit on and expand the topic it later.

Short posts can often be just as good, if not better than, long posts. Quick bits of information can be fantastic to readers who don’t always have time to invest in reading long pieces.

Create a blogging schedule

How and when you blog is up to you, but I recommend that you work blogging into your schedule. Have certain times of the day or days of the week or month that is designated as blogging time.

It’s also a good idea to stay a few weeks ahead of yourself. I like to keep 4-6 weeks worth of blogs posts ready to go. This gives me a chance to 1) write a post and go back to it later for proofing, and 2) have blog posts ready to go should something interfere with my normal blogging schedule. Then you never have to worry about not having a blog post ready.

Blogging can be very important to the success of your business. There is a lot of value and potential growth you can get from it, you just need to make sure you set time aside to make it happen.

This post was generated by an RSS Feed from Search Engine GuideYou may also like to read:

• How a Little Blogging Can Make a Big Difference for the Small Business
• How To Write Articles For Blogs Or Websites
• Blogging To Help Search Engine Ranking
• SEO 101: Everything You Need to Know About SEO (But Were Afraid to Ask) – Part 1
• Just because I LOOK as if I’m wasting time, doesn’t mean I am

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How Small Business Owners Can Build a Blog Without Blowing the Business is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

Article writing/blogging is also essential for SEO. In essence, getting content out there makes it more likely potential customers or website users will find your article and therefore your website. Check out Beginners Guide to SEO for more information. However, the problem with operating multiple websites is coming up with quality content for each of them at a fast enough rate to keep your website visitors interested and benefit your SEO campaign.

In this article I will give you some tips for generating and creating content for your websites.

Writing Interesting Articles and Posts

1. Concentrate on one website at a time
   Concentrate on just one blog each day rather than trying to switch from one topic to another which can be difficult. For example, choose one blog each day and during the course of the day you can explore different aspects of the subject and hopefully come up with ideas for a number of good posts ready to write.
2. Create draft posts for your ideas
   I like to create draft posts for all my ideas in my CMS, some of which I may use, others I may decide against. Create a temporary title and note a few words about your idea in your CMS, also reference any URLs to go back and visit later for useful content. Do this for all your blogs so you always have a string of new article topics drafted in your CMS ready for exploration and expansion into a new article.
3. Find a topic for your article
   Decide what general subject you want to write about.  Think about topics that will be useful to, or interesting for your audience. Once you have a basic area to explore, begin to narrow the subject down and focus in on a more specific subject as this makes it easier to target keywords for your SEO strategy.
4. Research your topic
   What specific questions are people asking, or what specific problems are they experiencing that you can help with? Type some searches into Google for your topic and see what comes up. How do people need help, can you write a better article than is already out there and offer even more advice? The easiest way to create an article that people find valuable is to actually answer questions that real people are asking.
5. Identify the keywords for the topic
   Think about how people will find you article. What will they type into a search engine? You will want to use these keywords and phrases in your article. Read SEO for Beginners for more about keywords and keyword phrases.
6. Identify a title for the article
   Create an effective article title that will get a reader’s interest and entice them to read your article. You only have 5 to 7 seconds to catch the interest of your reader. Your title should state a problem and then give incentive to the viewer to read the rest of the article to find the solution. Ideally, the article title should include the keyword phrase of the highest importance to you.
7. Begin writing your article content
   Now that you have the topic, title, and content ideas, you can begin writing. If you have identified a good topic and done your research properly, there should be plenty to write and plenty of information out there to help you.
8. Write the introduction
   Remember, a basic article starts out with telling the reader what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you just told them. After you have written the article, it should be easy to tell them what you just wrote about. Introduction, Content, Summary. In that order.
9. Write the conclusion
   This should be easy because you are re-capping what you just wrote about. You could bullet point, leave a teaser, add a call to action, or reference a further article for reading. Make the reader want to read more of your website.
10. Proof read your article
    Once you have written it, look it over for grammar, spelling, flow, and if it speaks to the level of your audience. This is probably as time consuming as the previous stages all together. You want to make sure your article is ready for viewing.
11. Re-read your article and proofread again
    I suggest not publishing an article for at least a day. You’ll be amazed at the way your article reads to you when you look at your article again after some time off. Make the appropriate changes and then you are ready to finish it.
12. Schedule your articles for publication
    If you are on a particularly creative day and manage to write a number of posts, don’t publish them all at once. Save them ready to be published on a less creative day. Make sure you have a constant stream of regular updates rather than being sporadic. This is where scheduling posts comes in useful. Most Content Management Systems allow you to schedule a post by changing the post date and time so that it will just appear on the day and time you want it to. Using this method, you could write a months worth of posts, changing the posts dates so that they will come out naturally over the course of the next thirty days.
13. Let the world know about your article! Remember to redo your site map and resubmit it to get it indexed more quickly.

You may also like to read:

• Beginners Guide To SEO
• Blogging To Help Search Engine Ranking
• Ever Regret Your Domain Name Choice?
• Search Engine Optimization Tip: Adding Content to your Web Site
• Promote Your Website With Your Knowledge!

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How To Write Articles For Blogs Or Websites is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

I get asked all the time, how can I improve my website ranking? Well, at the very least you should follow these tips. There is no short cut, you have to read and learn. There is also no guarantee where you will rank on Google, no matter what you do to improve your ranking, but there are some basic things you can do to your site, to at least help positioning.

Here is an informative article on the basics of search engine optimization techniques.  This is a basic SEO and not a conclusive guide, but should give you some ideas to get you started.

1. Keywords / Keyword Phrases

Creating content for the web differs from normal writing. To write online copy, you need to learn about keywords, keyword phrases and keyword density at the very least. You need to adapt your writing style to target search engines, while also making you work enjoyable for readers.

A few years ago when building websites it was enough to simply add what was known as a “keyword meta tag” to the code which generated the website content. This meta tag was simply a list of keywords, like the following: <meta name=”keywords” content=”shoe, shoes, shoee, shos, footwear” />. This list of keywords helped Google identify what the page was about. Yes, you may even include mis-spelled words too.

It’s probably pretty obvious that this keyword tag was open to abuse, with people adding loads of keywords and even adding keywords that were not even relevant to the site content, just to get listed higher. It was not long before Google changed the relevance of this tag so that it had little if any bearing on position. Today, it is worth including the tag for other search engines but it does not affect Google position.

So how do you use keywords, keyword phrases and what’s keyword density. Keyword is actually somewhat of a misnomer, in fact you are best targeting a keyword phrase. People no longer use single keyword search phrases – the average search phrase contains 3-5 related words.

Anyway, Keywords or Keyword phrases are those words or phrases which a customer, or potential user of your website, would be likely to type into Google to find you. Choosing the right keywords to base your site optimization around is an important first step. General or generic keywords are usually not the best approach, and sometimes it’s better to be a little more specific and focus on niche keywords, relating to your product or service. Some keyword phrases can be ultra competitive, such as “make money”!

Taking for example a website selling fashionable shoes to young men and women. The problem is, there are a LOT of shoe retailers out there with websites, so how can we get our fashionable shoe website to appear in Google’s top 10 rankings? Well, we can try to optimize for the keyword “shoes” but I can guarantee that alone would be a tough task, as it’s far too general. We need to be more specific, which means:

1. Targeting a more suitable market that is looking for your type of shoes
2. Competing with fewer websites targeting the same keywords
3. Optimizing for keywords that people actually use when performing searches

Now there are a few ways to check how competitive your keyword phrases are, but keeping it simple, the easiest was to see how many sites you are competing with is to do a search on Google, and note down how many results are returned. The more sites that are competing for your keywords, the harder it will be to get on the front page. So sticking with our shoe retailer example:

Results 1 – 10 of about 56,100,000 for trendy women’s shoes. (0.25 seconds)

Results 1 – 10 of about 1,560,000 for fashionable women’s shoes. (0.29 seconds)

Results 1 – 10 of about 62,700 for fashionable women’s shoes Leeds. (0.28 seconds)

Get the drift?

Alternatively, to get a rough indication of how many people are actually searching for the keywords you want to optimize your site for, use the a keyword poularity tool. It’s not exact, and doesn’t measure Google searches, but it does give a very good estimate. You can also use Googles own Keywords finder. It will also provide you with a list of similar keywords, based on the keywords you enter. This can be a great way to find other keywords to optimize your site for.

Now you understand keywords you need to learn how to use them, so read on.

2. Website Content and Keyword Density

There is one thing that the pages at the top of google have in common and that’s good writing. Lots of content, which is well written and relevant to the website. It should not really be a surprise, as Google often stress the importance of good website content. However, most SEO “experts” or “specialists” never mention it, preferring to concentrate on the technicalities of SEO, like optimising title tags, page titles, alt tags, etc etc. You know, all that stuff that sounds really impressive in the report they offer you to improve your website, while at the same time confusing the heck out of you!

So what is well written content? What does google look for? Here are some suggestions:

• Frequently updated content, make sure you write new posts, articles, blogs at least once a week. Google likes to see pages and sites that are updated. How they see it, a dynamic site is more interesting to their users than a static site that has not been changed for months. Further, more content means more pages for Google to index, Google likes larger sites and each page can be written to target specified keyword phrases. Quite simply the more content you have out there, the more chance you have of being found.
• Spelling and grammar should have few or preferably no errors. Whether or not Google rewards or penalises poor spelling and grammar, it should be taken into account. Firstly, there is nothing more irritating to someone reading a web page than lots of mistakes. Secondly, no one really does know what the 100 factors in Google’s algorithm are, and it is entirely possible that spelling, at least, is part of their scoring system.
• Use Paragraphs, sentences and lists effectively in the page to emphasise the content and break up the text. Now this is more for readability, but again, who knows how Google judges content, and if they see a huge block of text without paragraphs for example, they may penalise the ranking because it would appear none user friendly.
• Keyword relevance within the text on the page. Numerous terms related to the keyword, as well as variations of the keyword. Make sure keywords or keyword phrases are used regularly, but not over used in the text on your page. As a human when writing for other humans we try to use variations of words to make the text more readable. When writing for search engine’s you should not substitute your keywords too much, even if it makes the text read better. There is a fine line between writing well for your users while also getting the most from your keyword density.
• Keyword Density is the last thing and most important thing to consider when writing your web page content. Think about your keywords and keyword phrases. Use the keyword(s) as frequently as possible without keyword spamming the page. Under ideal conditions, your article will have a keyword density rate of 5-7%. What this means is that 5-7 out of every 100 words in your article is your primary keyword/keyword phrase. The 5-7% is the keyword density. Now don’t take this as thinking you can spam your web pages with loads of the keywords. Firstly, this will ruin readability and annoy your potential customers, but secondly, Google will penalise this too. Yes they are aware of all the tricks of the trade! Further, make sure your opening paragraph includes your keywords preferably in the first sentence, as this tells the search engine that this is what the focus of your copy is about.

3. The URL and Title Bar

Two of the most determining factors in Google’s ranking are your domain name and title tag.

Sometimes there may be reasons not to include keywords in the domain name, or the domain name may already have been registered, so it’s too late to change. Well, the alternative, and also a useful tactic for everyone, is to add your keywords into the names of your pages.

Your title tag is equally as important as your domain name. The title bar is the blue bar right at the top of the browser shown below:

Using keywords in your title tag can improve your Google ranking significantly. Trying to achieve to a balance of professionalism with keyword density in the title tag however, is sometimes a little more difficult.

Now if your website is built on a CMS, (if you can update your website using an administration tool to add your own page content) then this CMS should be built so that you can affect your page titles. Most Content Management Systems do this automatically for you, by creating page title from the name of your page. In your CMS you will be asked to create a page title and this will show in the blue bar.So choose a title wisely.

Usually the CMS will also automatically add your domain name to the blue bar too. Further, if you categorise articles, then your CMS will more than likely add the category to the page title.

Google spiders like titles, it gives them a great idea about what the page is about. For example, in the image above, you can see the page title of one of may website pages; page title, article category and lastly the name of my website. It’s got lots of keywords in the title bar.

If your website developer, or whoever is responsabile for your website has not optimised this title bar then have a word, it’s very important!

Another little tip is, the closer to the front of your title tag the keywords are placed, the better. For a start some search engines can only read a few characters in this title bar and you don’t want to risk them cropping the tile and losing some of your keywords.

Keep the title fairly short and succinct.  Now many CMS’s actually put the domain name at the beginning of the title tag, this is all well and good if it includes good keywords, but if it doesn’t you may want to move your domain name to the end of the title tag.

4. H1 / Headings / Titles In Your Content

If you use a CMS and What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) Editor, headings in your system may be marked as “heading 1, heading 2, heading 3″ or “H1, H2, H3″. In HTML, the tag for headings is <H1> <H2> <H3>.  Headings along with the page title are extremely important in SEO. Once again it tells the search engine what your page is about. Text is in a heading on the page is deemed more important than the content by search engines. Search engins also rank the headings in order of importance too.

Here’s a quick example:

<h1>Google sees this text as more important</h1>
<h2>than this</h2>
<h3>and this is the least important title on the page.</h3>
<p>this paragraph is less important than the headings, but as it is the first paragraph, any content is more important than the next paragraph.</p>
<p>This paragraph text should have good keywords, but is not as classed as important as the first paragraph.</p>

5. Linking Strategies

This is the toughest part of the Google SEO process, back-links. Back links are websites that link directly to your website. Google loves back links. Each link from another site to yours is classed as a vote for your website. The simple reason is, if another site is linking to you then your content must be good, right?

The general principal is the more back links you have, the higher your pages will be ranked. Now how google classes back links is unknown, again we can only guess. It’s likely that back links from directory sites such as Freeindex and Yell don’t carry as much weight as those from non-directories. Again, if a website linking to you has similar content to yours, if it is about the same or a similar topic, it may carry more points. If a website that links to you is ranked high on google, it may give your site more of a ranking boost than a site that is ranked low.

It’s all common sense really, but either way, getting people to link to your site is a must, whilst remembering that the links must be quality links. Just getting anyone to link to you may actually do you more harm than good…….remember google is always looking for those who cheat and don’t take it likely.

Setting up back links takes time. I would recommend emailing 5-10 websites each and every day to request back-links or partnership links (keeping in mind that the sites contacted should be relevant but not competitive). Within a couple of weeks, you should have a good 100 or so sites happily linking back to yours! It may take time for this influence to be shown in your ranking, but I have found it is one of the best ways to raised your Google ranking!

Google can be one tough search engine to crack. Hopefully, however, in this article we’ve provided you with enough basic tips to get started optimizing your website. SEO takes time, anything you change can take as long as 6 months before google notices it. Be careful what you change and have a plan. If you are not doing any of the above tips, then get started, it will help.

In summary:

• Plan your keywords and keyword phrases, choose about 5 for each page on your website.
• Make sure the keywords and phrases are in the URL, page title, headings, first paragraph and evenly distributed throughout the text on the page.
• Regularly update your website with new content, write interesting articles for your customers and potential customers to find.
• Request links to your website from related but uncompetitive sites.

You may also like to read:

• What is Google Page Rank?
• Internal SEO
• Ever Regret Your Domain Name Choice?
• Do I need a keyword rich domain to do well in Google?
• What is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

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Beginners Guide To SEO is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

I have tried to make these steps as simple as possible, if you do not understand anything then simply leave a comment for me.  Hopefully, you will be able to understand how simple it is to link your blog to your Facebook profile using the Notes application from these easy steps:

1) Log in to your Facebook Account.

2) Check your Profile page and if you see the Notes option shown in image below, then simply click on it. Otherwise you will have to install it to your profile by going to the Notes Application page, then click on “Go To Application” button on the left side of the page and install it to your account.

3)  After adding the Notes Application to your profile, click on “Import a blog” under “Notes Settings”.

4) On the settings page shown below you will need to add your feed address. It usually looks something like: http://www.yourdomain.com/feed, depending on what type of feed or service you use.   If you don’t know it, just click on the RSS button on your blog and it will take you to the URL that you can then copy.

That’s it, now your feed should automatically show in your notes page every time you create a new post.

Enjoy!

You may also like to read:

• How do I add Google Analytics to my Facebook Fan Page?
• How to promote your Facebook Fan / Like page to your Facebook contacts
• Recommended WordPress Plugin – Facebook ‘Like’ Button
• Recommended WordPress plugin – Photodropper for WordPress
• Adding someone else as an Admin on your Facebook Fan Page

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Publish Website RSS Feed in Facebook Notes is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

Here are 10 of the main reasons why you could be losing visitors:

1) Poor Accessibility

Have you tested your website on the most popular web browsers – Internet explorer 7 and 8, Mozilla FireFox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera? Your site should be tested on all. Your web developer should tell you which browsers they support. Website code needs to be changed slightly to cater for the way differnet browsers render web pages. If this is not done pages may not render correctly and a website that looks cool in FireFox may look rubbish in Internet Explorer.

No matter how great the website is, it is completely useless if the visitors are unable to access it. They have no option but to leave. Browser incompatibility is one of the prime reasons why websites fail to be accessible.

2) Confusing Navigation

Ever been on a website and become frustrated by not being able to find what you want quickly and easily. No matter how flashy a website looks, if a potential customer cannot find what they are looking for they will leave and probably not come back. Navigation is a determining factor of how visitors browse through the website to find information. Devote plenty of time and attention to design your navigation system. Make pages easy to find, include a good search facility. Get a friend to critic the website and tell you how easy it is to find what they need; perhaps set them a task to find something and ask them how easy it was to do so. Listen to their comments and if necessary re-think your navigation and make it more intuitive.

3) Over Advertising

Advertising is the main way to generate revenue for websites, especially websites that are not selling a product or a service. However, too much advertising can be highly irritating for visitors and make them leave in frustration. Before you plaster adverts all over your site, think about your target audience, what they will be interested in, and put them in subtle places where they will get noticed but not become distracting!

4) Inadequate Information

Think about what information your visitors will be looking for and make it easy for them to find it. Visitors come to a website looking for something, or for some information and when they don’t find what they are looking for, they just choose to leave. It is very important to understand your industry audience and know their needs and requirements.

5) Slow Loading Pages

This really is one of the most common complaints of visitors leaving a website.  The connection speed of users also influence this. Therefore, it is important that you design pages that load easily even on slow Internet connections. Use Google Analytics to determine the percentage of users who have slow or fast Internet connections. Make sure is you are using a CMS such as Drupal or WordPress, that any new plugin you install does not slow your website up. The more “stuff” you have on a website, the slower it will become.

6) Automatic Audio and Video Play

Background music as soon as you open a website can be extremely annoying. Video plugins which start automatically are also just as irritating for visitors.  So why are they becoming so popular? Leave the option for the users to decide whether they want to watch it or not and it’s best not to have such items start automatically on page load. Make sure your visitors can control music and video on your website. Visitors can often get irritated with the uncontrolled music and videos and leave the website altogether, even if the website was good enough.

7) Out of date Information, Product and Services

Visitors will stop coming if you do not have up to date items on your website. Make sure that you regularly review website content. Remove out of date information and add up to date content. Remove any products or services that you no longer have or provide. If a customer comes to your website or does make that phone call only to be told or receive a message “sorry its not in stock”, they probably will not come back very quickly.

8 ) Spamming Website Subscribers

Ever signed up to a website and then become irritated by the number of pointless emails they send you? Annoying isn’t it! If you are lucky enough to have someone sign up for a newsletter or offers email, then make sure any information you send to them is relevant and not too frequent. Repeatedly sending out emails of special offers to website subscribers too often could affect a visitor’s decision to return or not and simply just hack them off.

9) Poor Customer Service

If your customer makes an enquiry via your website, make sure you reply as soon as possible. I was once making decisions on which web hosting company to use for my customers; with so many out there it was a difficult decision. In the end I was swayed to my choice by the speed of response to questions I had, from the company I finally chose.  Slow response to website customer enquires will definitely lose you customers.

10) Payment Options/Security

Customers want to know that they can trust you with their financial information. Choose a payment provider that offers a secure way to transit orders and credit card information – such as Google Checkout or PayPal. If possible, offer more than one payment option to give your customers the ability to choose how they will pay. Make sure your website is secure and where necessary uses https and security certificates. Advertise the fact that your website is secure for online payments too, have a page that explains how it is secure if necessary.You may also like to read:

• Learn SEO from Your Spouse
• Google Analytics For Better Search Engine Marketing
• How To Optimize Website Speed
• Search Engine Optimization Tip: Adding Content to your Web Site
• Running A Small Business Website

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10 Ways to Lose Website Visitors! is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website

When the Internet was first established all small businesses had to do was get a good, professional looking site out there, write a little content and lo and behold customers would be calling. However, in recent years, its become so easy and cheap to get a website up and running the situation has changed somewhat. Many potential customers have now been caught out once or twice. Many realise that just because a website looks nice and professional does not necessarily mean the company is. Further, how do they know that what you say on your site is the truth?

Small businesses now have to convince potential customers that they are not an unethical, fly-by-night operation?  How do they do this? Well, the best way to do it is through a properly structured “About Us” page.

Your “About Us” page must not only introduce your company to your potential customers, but must do so in a way that it explains, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why they should trust you and your company.  The best way to structure your about us page is explained below.

Who are the Real People Behind the Website?

OK, the first mistake small businesses make is to try act like a large business. What is wrong with being a one man band? Why say “us” when you really mean “me”. Why try to convince your customers that you are a huge team of people when really its just you and a mate. Some people actually look for small, independent trustworthy people rather than large businesses, so all your doing in trying to act large, is miss out on local people who want a friendly, trustworthy face to help them with their problem.

People are getting tired of large, bureaucratic companies displaying all the usual service quotes and Americanisms.  “Your call is important to us”, “money back guarantee”, “market leader”…….truth is they have heard it a zillion times before! As a small business owner, you can give your customers the personal attention they won’t get from the big guys. Get that message across in your “About Us” page. Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself and your passion for the business, and by all means include your picture.  The message you want to convey is that behind your business there is a real human being who has his or her customers’ best interests at heart. You offer something different to the big guys, so don’t try to be them! Offer the alternative, don’t try complete on their playing field!

Where is Your Business Based?

Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to list your full physical address. However, as a small business it’s not always what you really want to do. As a freelancer I am weary of providing my address on my website. For me there is not really a need. If a client wants to meet me we can arrange a location. I don’t have an office since I don’t need one, it would just create overheads that I would have to pass onto potential clients to build their website. If you need to explain why you do not show your address.

However, when it comes to shopping online there is something reassuring about a “bricks-and-mortar” location, even if your customers will never visit you. A physical address shows your prospective customers that you don’t have anything to hide. Include your full contact information, including your physical address, in a conspicuous location within your “About Us” page unless you have good reason not to.

How Do You Make Money?

Ever visited a website, been approached by someone, received a phone call, where you are told everything is free, you pay nothing? How has that left you feeling? I bet you thought, hmmmmmmmmm, why would they offer that, how do they make money? Ultimately, you became suspicious and probably ran a mile! You know the cliche: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. If you don’t show your visitors how you make money the first question they will ask themselves is: “what’s the catch?”.  If you offer too many things for free, or price your products too low versus your competitors, prospective customers question your integrity.

Use your “About Us” page to explain what your main revenue streams are, and why do you charge what you charge. To many businesses this may not be that relevant and the value you offer customers is truly evident, but if you offer a service and the way you make money is not clear, then its best to be honest and upfront and explain how you make money on your service or product.

How Long have You Been in Business?

People tend to regard longevity and stability a important qualifiers to determine trust.  Since most small business tend to be very young, it may be hard to use the longevity card to solicit trust. If that is your case, you can talk about your past experience instead.  For most small business owners, their past experience is highly relevant to their current businesses.  Use your “About Us” page to talk about it, and how does it relate to and benefit your current business.

How Do You Prove You Are Trustworthy?

The best way to show your prospective customers they can trust you is through testimonials.  To be effective, these testimonials must provide some form of contact information of those who offer them, a name and a link to a website  is a good start. A little quote from them is good too. The best testimonials are those that you cannot edit. Use a third party like a Freeindex to verify your quotes, that way your customers know that you cannot edit them to suit, if you get a bad one it will show! Freeindex provide a handy little widget that you simply drop into a page on your website and it pulls al the testimonials for your business back, without you having to update the list. Check it out!

Are You a Member of Trade Bodies, Do You Have Qualifications?

Another way to establish credibility and trust is to belong to community, trade or professional associations. Use these associations to your advantage in your “About Us” page. Add any logos for associations or communities that you belong to, that will instill trust in your customers!

Can they Trust You with Private Information?

If you collect any personal information from your customers on your website then you should have a privacy policy clearly displayed somewhere, and you should link to it from your “About Us” page.  Make sure you have a clear terms and conditions page too. This alone may make the difference between prospective customers buying from you instead of from somebody else.

Summary

On the web, it is very difficult to determine if a company is good and reputable. The first place a potential customer will probably look when visiting your website is the “About Us” page. If you get this page right then you have a good chance of getting people to buy from, or hire you”! A good “About Us” page must answer the most common questions prospective customers are likely to ask themselves to determine if they should give you their trust.  Take your time getting it right, don’t include too much, just include the important answers to all the questions above. Keep it brief, clear and concise. Answer all the above questions and you will be somewhere to having a GREAT “About Us” page!You may also like to read:

• Do I need a small business website?
• 10 Benefits of a Website
• Running A Small Business Website
• How to Promote a Website
• Choosing a Domain Name

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The About Us Page for Small Business Websites is a post from: Build Me A Fab Website