SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
By Kristoffer Howes, SEO Specialist, and author of Building
A Better Online Presence
Welcome To MyFace- Using Social Media
The current proliferation of social media sites is the most pervasive
phenomenon on the Internet today. Not since the dot.com explosion
has the there been an Internet trend that is so widespread in its
popularity. Social media is here to stay. Maybe not all the big names
will survive, but the concept will. In the meantime, I jokingly refer
to the Industry as MyFace.
Social media has brought about a profound change to the online visitor’s
experience. By utilizing popular social media websites, you can experience
an enormous increase in your own website’s traffic.
Listed below are 8 simple steps to follow:
- Declare who you are to the online community.
People should be able to relate to you. Create an About Us (Me)
profile page and list your company’s achievements, abilities
and aspirations.
- Create a MySpace or Facebook page and link your
biographical page (step one) to your social media profile. Don’t
forget to link back to your website as well. Spend at least one
hour per week developing your network. Invite friends to write
blog articles about your website, products or services.
- Install a Blog on your website and publish at
least one article a week. Be certain to provide an easy "bookmarking" feature
to "bookmarking" websites such as del.icio.us.
- Provide visitors with a forum. This will encourage
users to discuss your products and services. Do not delete negative
comments; however, be certain to censor hate speeches and bantering.
Register your forum at BoardTracker- a forum search engine.
- Provide RSS feeds for new products, blogs, forum
postings, etc. An RSS feed provides "tidbits" about your content.
Internet users often use RSS readers to scan "tidbits" and visit
your website for more information if tidbits interest them.
- Create short "how-to" or new product videos and
post them in social video sharing sites like YouTube and
Google video. Provide a few start and end frames in these videos
to introduce your site with your site URL. Post these videos using
catchy titles, "tidbit" descriptions, and appropriate tags; making
them easy to discover.
- Use social photo sharing websites, such as Flickr
and Photobucket, to share pictures related to your business, products
or services.
- Provide a "Tell a Friend" feature to your website.
This feature will send articles, product/service descriptions and
savings announcements to selected recipients via email.
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