An intro to social media and google rankings

1. Carla Lowe Pendergraft Carla Pendergraft Associates www.carlapendergraft.com PO Box 1232, Waco, TX 76703 254/855-7354 carlap@hot.rr.com An intro to social media and google rankings

2. 5 features your Website should have Email newsletters MySpace/Facebook YouTube Blogs Podcasts Wikis 3 ways to get better rankings What we’ll cover

3. What questions do you want me to be sure to answer during this presentation?Don’t be shy!

4. How many of you would like to start a new “pipeline” of younger guests who become enamored of the B&B experience? Question

5. Old days: 3 TV stations, 1 newspaper Modern days: Cable TV, many outlets You advertise in more than one to try to attract various audiences Old days on the web: 1 website Modern days on the web: Many websites in various “channels” in addition to your main website Old vs. new

6. Any site that allows users to share opinions and experiences with each other. • Generally free of charge • Usually serves up ads to pay the bills • Can really increase your visibility and rankings. • Link back to your main website. Social Media – the youth channel

7. Many businesses have a MySpace page to reach the youth market – and are getting results. It doesn’t cost anything but time. It doesn’t require much technical knowledge—only patience. Myspace

8. Myspace – eld house B&B, wa

9. Really not designed for use by most businesses • Forces you to choose age, height, etc. • Difficult to match the look and feel of your business graphics • Moving/blinking ads impossible to remove • Some businesses block access to MySpace Myspace/facebook drawbacks

10. Facebook – lists many b&b’s

11. Facebook – applebook B&B, nh

12. Link to your main website using your best search phrase • “Click to visit the Bastrop Inn Bed & Breakfast, Bastrop, Texas Website” • Include your contact info – name, address, phone, email, fax • Include some interesting body copy about your B&B • Doesn’t need to replicate your regular website Facebook, myspace, etc.

13. Usually about 3-6 min. videos Free and easy to use Some B&B’s have discovered YouTube and have put up videos. Do not have to be professionally produced. YouTube - Pennsylvania Bed & Breakfast- The Queen B&B Bellefonte Pa. youtube

14. Blogs should provide extra value—don’t just promote. Blogs should be personal and honest. Blogs should be a conversation between you and the people you serve. Blogs should be updated frequently. Blogs should always allow comments. What a good blog should be

15. They can become very time-consuming. • Many sound fake—done for marketing purposes only. • Easy to start – Easy to let die. • It takes fearlessness to have a blog, because dissatisfied people won’t hesitate to flame you or your business on it. Blogs - drawbacks

16. Google’s free Blog - www.blogger.com

17. Audio or video broadcasts, usually in a regular series, like a radio or TV show. A bit harder to learn the technology Podcast software for a Mac: Garageband Podcast software for a PC: Audacity Usually an MP3 file Podcasting

18. SEO is crafting a website so that it does well in the “organic” listings of search engines for various search phrases. It involves both “on-page” factors (things you can see) and “off-page” factors (code behind the page, things you cannot see) What is Search Engine Optimization (seo)?

19. “Spiders” crawl from link to link, indexing the info and putting it into a huge database • The search engines analyze the website based on body copy, title, incoming links and many other factors. • A person types a phrase into the search engine’s search box • The search engine lists websites it thinks will have the information you are searching for. How search engines work

20. Google (www.google.com) MSN (www.msn.com) Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) Major search engines

21. Keywords in actual copy on page • Keywords are search terms a person might type into Google or another search engine, to find your site. • Links coming into page • Links = “votes” for your page • TITLE Optimization Big Three

22. Copy must be actual text, not text in a graphic image Must be pleasing and make sense to humans Must include plenty of keywords-the words people might type in to find your site How to write seo-friendly copy

23. Use Google’s Keyword Tool: • https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal • It will make all sorts of suggestions based on actual search data. • pet friendly, dog friendly, accommodations, b & b, b and b, bnb, cottage, guest house, inn, lodge, romantic getaway, travel deals, weekend getaway, vacation, last minute, boutique hotels, 4 star, lodging vacancy… • Work some of these into your copy in a natural way. How do you know what keywords to use?

24. “Looking for a last minute weekend getaway in the Bastrop area? We offer a romantic bed and breakfast/guest house that accommodates up to 6 people in 3 bedrooms. We are pet friendly, so bring your small cat or dog (under 20 lbs.). Like a boutique hotel or romantic inn, we have authentic Victorian furnishings throughout the bed & breakfast, and a fireplace in every room. If you are expecting 4-star prices, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the affordability of our b & b. Most other b and b’s in the area are over $150 per night. Call us for pricing. We have plenty of weekend vacancies for your vacation getaway. And while you’re in Bastrop, visit the Lost Pines State Park, the Bastrop County Museum, golfing at Colavista and much more. “ example

25. They are considered "votes" by the search engine. The more votes you get, from relevant websites, the higher your site should be ranked. Trade them with others – but watch quality Professional associations Ask your vendors to include them Links

26. The TITLE tag is the most important SEO element of any web page. • It shows up in the blue bar of the browser. • It is used by the search engines both to rank the page, and as the name of the site. • A good title is generally a 4 to 8 (12 max) word description of the page contents. • Use keywords while still remaining readable to humans. • Use different titles on different pages. TITLE tag

27. Title “Wedding music-Smith String Quartet – Waco, Texas”

28. Don’t use “tricks” such as using invisible text Don’t submit to 1,000 Search Engines Don’t overuse keywords (“keyword stuffing”) Don’t use “link farms” or sell your links Don’t link to poor quality sites Don’t use the same title on every page Don’t duplicate your content on multiple pages Search Engine don’ts

29. Go to Google (www.google.com) • Enter the following: link:www.yourwebsitename.com How can you measure your links?

30. Getting into google local search

31. https://www.google.com/local/add/ You can specify the exact location of your business on Google Maps, put in contact info, a coupon, and more. Just fill out the form. You’ll receive an automated phone call to confirm you are a human. The listing appears in a week or two. Getting into google maps

32. Read about • http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors For further reading