Search engines are the easiest and quickest way to find nearly everything what people commonly look for. Millions of websites are competing for search engine ranking and simply having a website is just not enough. Every page of it should be optimized for specific keywords.

What are keywords?

Search engines use keywords as a factor in showing your website in search results. These are words and phrases carefully selected and then included in your website’s home page and the rest of the other pages. They define your website and matter so much in search engine ranking.

Determining the right keywords to use involves a process. They are basically determined based on what searchers most likely type in the search box.  But keywords are not just selected for their popularity. The more popular keywords are the more websites compete for them. If you’re an online business website owner, the relevance of keywords to your website should also be determined in addition to knowing what your target audience will likely use to search.

There are tools available for generating relevant keywords. The Google Keyword tool is the most popular because it is free and easy to use.

What are keywords for?

Keywords are included in the information stored about a webpage, they are also minimally added in the title, heading and in the content of each web page. Keywords, whether words or phrases, help Google and other search engines identify your website. How they interpret your website is largely influenced by the keywords used in each page.

Practically all Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts are based on keywords. Search engines actually provide little insight on how to achieve better rankings. But most of them provide clues about the optimization and best practices to observe.

Search engines emphasize a keyword-rich content that matches what searches are looking for. Relevant keywords really do help improve your website’s ranking but they should be used with caution as they might also ruin it with overuse.

If you’re serious about search engine ranking but aren’t so sure whether your website is optimized for relevant keywords, let us help you do it. Roja Interactive has had great success with getting many of our customers’ websites on top of search engine results.  Sometimes a little web maintenance on your website can make all the difference in getting your keywords optimized for better search results.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is actually powerful and effective. When properly implemented, it can contribute quality traffic to a website and can generate qualified customers.

However, the implementation has been misunderstood by quite a lot of people. Too many misconceptions have also led to unfavorable search engine ranking (particularly Google ranking). This is something you need to give more weight because appearing on Google’s search results means a lot to your website. Imagine the wasted investment you’ve poured in if you don’t keep yourself updated with these changes and how they can potentially affect your business.

But why are we mentioning only Google’s search results? Google is by far the leading search engine today.  So it makes sense to just focus on their updates for now. Now let’s take a look at some updates that have significantly affected such changes.

The Google Updates

Too many websites have been affected by Google’s recent significant changes, and there are more coming according to Google’s Matt Cutts. That’s a fact that initially appeared confusing for a lot of SEO and internet marketing followers.

Remember the “Panda” update during February of 2011? It was primarily intended to improve the quality of search results by putting high priority on quality content over link-building techniques. Then there’s the “freshness” update at the end of the same year which gave greater priority to “fresh” content.

Another significant change took place in early 2012 dubbed “Search Plus Your World” where photos, posts and more of your social media connections are integrated into your search results through Google+ and You Tube.    Have you created your company’s Google+ account yet?  If not, you should!

The Bottom Line

A lot of things have actually changed in SEO recently. What was considered standard procedure years ago may not be as relevant and effective.  The majority of the techniques and practices which were used to improve search engine rankings are no longer as helpful as they used to be.

As a small business owner, what do all these changes mean to you?

SEO alone is no longer effective. Google’s search ranking system is getting more intelligent. The changes are actually ways to filter, detect spam and abuse in trying to trick the system by giving greater priority on quality, fresh and relevant content.

Social media presence also plays an important role. Google+ is one of the “populated” places where prospects and customers will find you. You can also expand your world through other social channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you would like to get more information about SEO, digital marketing, social media optimization and content creation, or website maintenance please contact us at http://www.rojaweb.com/ or call 267.202.5370.

An engaging website design should lead the visitor to discover exactly what they are looking for.  It should provide valuable information and offer options or a solution that will satisfy the visitor’s wants and needs.  Experienced web designers know that in addition to providing information, a quality web design should suggest a specific and clear call to action that every visitor should take before they leave.  It could be to make a purchase, to subscribe, to fill out a form or for most small businesses, it is known as call, click or visit.

Designing a business website or blog can be a challenging process. To help you do it right, here are 5 important rules to consider.

1. Designing a website involves planning

The most common problem in designing a website is figuring out where to start.  It actually involves creating a plan that outlines every detail, from the starting point to completion.  Before the construction begins, it is important to determine which platform it should be built on.  If you’re not familiar with this, the best option would be to find a professional web developer who can help you decide on the best platform to use.  HTML, CSS and PHP are commonly used and most experienced developers prefer to use them.

Though WordPress has introduced a revolutionary blogging platform that offers add-ons and plug-ins with thousands of pre-designed themes which allow companies to build a site that can be customized according to their business needs, there are amazing benefits to having a professionally designed website rather than a do-it-yourself one.  Many web design companies, including Roja Interactive, will be happy to design a custom site using the WordPress platform so that you can still have a useful content management system.

2. It takes a few seconds to capture your visitor’s attention

Remember that website visitors only stay for a few seconds.  If they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, it’s impossible to hold their attention in the next seconds.  This is the reason why too much content on every page can be a disadvantage.  Your goal is to grab the visitor’s attention as soon as possible upon landing on your website.  Thus, immediately conveying the answer to their needs should be the highest priority.  You can grab your visitor’s attention in a systematic process by breaking down details in your website’s heading, subheading, and using the right amount of static information and interactive multimedia content, color and other necessary details.

3. Too much content is not necessary

As mentioned above, in most cases, too much content in a single page can be a detriment rather than an advantage.  For example, the home page should only present a specific amount of primary information that the visitor needs.  Remember that less is more.  Each page on your website only needs a minimal amount of content with relevant purpose along with a clear call-to-action.  Consider your target audience and the course of action you want them to take.  Offer incentives to drive them to the desired direction if needed.

4. Aiming for a larger audience

Every business aims to drive more visitors to their website. Of course, it takes a lot of effort and an efficient and effective online marketing strategy to achieve it.  Unique and engaging content, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media presence on networks where your target market participate, are all key ingredients to your online marketing menu.

Digital marketing activities are often better managed by an experienced professional.  Even if you have some knowledge about how to  implement and manage your SEO, blog and social media channels, the best option would be to have them handled by a reputable digital marketing company so that there aren’t any mistakes made, and you are able to focus on your business and your customers.

5. Never rush the web design process

Quality and creativity are crucial in developing a business website.  How your website attracts your target market across many types of devices is a major consideration.  Your product’s purchasing process and other design matters need to be properly planned and implemented.  Rushing the process will likely lead to poor results. Your website is more than just a business site.  It is a marketing tool in itself.  So, allow more time for the development process. Don’t ever rush.

I won’t keep you waiting, lets get right to the power words!

1. Foolproof

People always love something that is guaranteed against failure.  People are always afraid to fail.  Offering something that is foolproof suits best for sales copy and marketing materials as the word powerfully implies that it involves no risks.

Take note of this example:

The Ultimate Guide to Creating  Foolproof Sales Copy!

2. Cutting-edge

Who would dare resist the sophistication of this? A sexy word to introduce something brand new or something newly discovered.

Here’s an example of the way this hot word can be used:

6 Cutting-edge Marketing Secrets Now Revealed!

3. Unfair Advantage

Everyone likes fairness when it comes to self- interest.  But most individuals wouldn’t openly admit that they love to have an advantage that is exclusive only to them.  This kind of headline often works when no one is around.  It can actually be a simple button to click on!

Check out this example:

3 Social Media Tips That will Give You an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition!

4. Rock Solid

Similar to foolproof, Rock Solid signifies something (it could be a product or service) that is tried and tested.  People always look for something that is tested and proven to work.  Rock Solid is the most concrete way of telling that it really is without literally saying it.

Here’s one solid example:

4 Rock Solid Techniques to Turn Your Foes into Fans!

5. Little-known

Of course, nobody wants to be left behind.  Everyone would absolutely love to know what secrets others know!  Little-known is the perfect word to describe what is unknown to many people.  It simply means that you’re talking about something special, and it’s definitely one you can take advantage of to convert readers into buyers.  I love to know secrets, and your readers will to!

Who wouldn’t want to read this?

5 Little-known Strategies to Convert Visits into Profits!

6. Free

This single yet powerful word is certainly not a new word.  In fact, it’s classic yet still very effective.  A simple FREE button is a timeless ally of marketers for building their list.  Everyone loves to get something totally and literally free!

You’ll often see it used like this:

Download a FREE Training Guide on How to Turn your Trash into Cash in 10 Minutes!

You are sure to get explosive results when you try these hooks.  Though these words can be potentially powerful for successfully communicating your message and gaining enthusiastic response from your readers, it is important to remember that you’re also bound to deliver your promise.  Without that, then you have just wasted the readers time and they may be angry about it.  Angry prospects never become buyers!

More emphasis on fresh, quality content on a consistent basis

Content generation is seen as a top priority both for large and small businesses.  Google’s Panda and Penguin updates have proven how critical it is to produce original, quality content. This has led to the emergence of authorship which allows authors and brands to increase rank and build followers on Google+ as well as on many other social sites.

Google’s updates also made it abundantly clear, they now have an effective way of detecting spammy links and content.  This resulted in a more healthy competitive landscape in the organic search arena and social marketing space which provides bigger chances and more opportunities for companies to build their brands, increase their number of likes and followers and ultimately gain more traffic to their websites, which is the primary goal.

Therefore, going forward, giving more emphasis to quality content is likely to produce a much better return on your online marketing investment, as well as delivering more value to your prospects and customers.

Increase in Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) efforts

Since companies are focusing more on generating quality content, the next challenge would be to achieve better conversion rates to make the most of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and other traffic generation investments.  How do you get better at converting customers and buyers?  Once again, quality content will make a big difference.  High quality content not only provides value to your prospects customers, but it also establishes trust between your prospects and your brand, and reinforces that trust with your current customers.  Establishing trust with prospects makes converting them into customers much easier.  Reinforcing trust with customers makes it easier to make repeat and future sales.

In the coming years, we will see more businesses spending more on establishing CRO strategies.

Better platforms for analyzing and measuring internet marketing efforts

Data is king when it comes to business performance analysis.  More and more marketers are utilizing analytics tools to analyze and measure how their internet marketing campaigns are doing in the vast virtual marketplace.  Agencies providing similar services are likewise growing in numbers.  I can’t emphasize this point enough… you must own your date in order to make strategic business decisions.

Because of the emergence of these tools and platforms, analytics has become easier for everyone.  These tools and services make it easy for business owners to monitor the results of their marketing efforts and leverage data into actionable information that can help them grow their business.  I’m personally a huge proponent of Google Analytics for 2 reasons.  First, and most important, it is free.  Second, it is user friendly to both the Executive Branch of a business as well as the IT department.  Finally, it is extremely comprehensive and you can spend days analyzing data.  If you aren’t using it, feel free to reach out and I can get you started.

Learn more about internet marketing and which online campaigns are potentially effective for your business. Contact Us today for a free consultation or leave your questions and comments below in the comments.

In this episode, we discuss why PPC & Display are critical first steps to getting traffic to your small business website, why Facebook ads are the best mobile billboard you can buy with your marketing dollars, and why you need great customer service.

Please let us know your feedback.

Thanks

Jason & Adam

You can subscribe to our podcast by using this link.

The following are some of the steps Google takes to identify unwanted ads and advertisers.

1. As always, ads are flagged by their automated system.
2. All flagged ads are then manually reviewed by a Google ads expert.
3. They monitor ad and landing page content to identify malware, deceptive schemes, and spam
4. They provide spam reports for their users.

This development only shows why it’s really important to include relevant content when advertising with Google. This is especially crucial for businesses that rely heavily on Google advertising to drive consistent lead generation and business to their website and/or location.

For more information on how Google makes ads better, check out their video:

Here are Roja, we stay up-to-date on all advertising requirements and closely monitor our clients’ search engine ads, ensuring that all content is relevant and approved by Google. Contact us today to learn more about our online advertising management services.

Some of the new page features guidelines

• Unauthorized use of cover image belonging to someone else is not permitted.
• Pricing and calls to action should not be included in the cover image.
• References and actions such as “Like” or “Share” in the cover image should be avoided.
• Contact information such as email, website address, physical address and telephone should only be included in the “About” section of your page.

Facebook has recently revised some brand page guidelines in line with the new timeline format. These are some of the vital points to keep in mind. You may want to go to Facebook’s website for the full details.

Your cover image

The first thing you’ll see in the new timeline format is the larger size of the cover image which measures 851 pixels high and 315 pixels wide.  Note that the use of a cover image without permission of the owner and using it for selling or showing of pricing or call to action in the cover image is not permitted.

Some companies have employed subtle ways of upgrading their Facebook timeline and have managed to insert their profile picture in the cover photo. Though it seems complicated, but there are some tools that can help you with it.

Your choice of a cover image is something that should be taken seriously.  There’s only one chance to make a good impression. You need to make the most out of it. You absolutely want a cover image that is related to your brand’s message. You may want to invest time, thought, resources and money in it. In case you don’t have something that might fit, hire the service of an individual or company that specializes in photography or graphic design. If you don’t have a budget, you may want to search for free images on royalty-free stock image websites.

Landing pages

The loss of a default landing page is one of the changes that is receiving tons of complains.  Unlike the old system where you can direct the customer to different landing pages, the new system allows you to have a single default landing page.

Engagement and Messaging

The most dreaded thing that companies fear regarding social media is the fear of people posting negative comments about them on their brand page. But it is something they have some control with the old system. Now it’s no longer part of the new system, what they can do now is engage in private messages with their customers and fans. This erases the fear of some organizations about getting involved in Facebook and social media channels.

Pinned content

Important messages, posts and offers are now pinned to the top. Pinned updates will only last for 7 days. You’ll see a little ribbon at the upper right corner when you’ve successfully pinned your updates.

Milestones

The brand pages can now have milestones similar to personal pages. This feature is useful to communicate your brand and company milestones to your customers.

The 4 tabs feature

The old system provides multiple tabs, but now only 4 tabs are available. The first slot starts with the photos tab, the three other tabs are left to your control, so use them to your benefit.

Brand name changes and vanity URL

Now with the new changes, the moment you pass the 100 fans/followers threshold, there’s no way to change your brand page. The minimum 25 fans/followers that allows you to get a vanity URL will also be removed. So, if you don’t have a brand page yet, make the right choice when it comes to your brand name.

Now that you’re aware of the Facebook brand page timeline upgrade, find some ways on how you can use the new changes to your advantage.

Roja is a web design company that also offers social media design services for online businesses. Contact us to make the most your social media involvement.

The following tips will be helpful for small businesses and even for larger businesses in building backlinks and customer base.

Establish a weekly goal

Algorithms change dynamically. This could likely affect your search engines rankings drastically if you rely on one or two types of links.  Building a wide variety of links will help protect your rankings from sudden changes. This can be systematically achieved when you make it a goal to focus on different types of links every week. This can significantly help you build a diversity of links and will help keep you motivated, for example, this week for social media, the next week for niche directories and another week for connecting with customers.

Conduct the research

It is essential to know and identify whom to build quality links with. You can do this by spending some time on research.  This doesn’t have to be expensive. If for some reason you can’t do this yourself, you can hire an individual to do this or seek the help of an SEO company that provides link building services.

Get help from your customers

Your customers have a great influence in building your brand. Politely telling them that their recommendation contributes a lot for your growth and for the expansion of markets on the web, it is possible for other companies and big businesses to see you as worthy of their linking as well. You may want them to sign up for your monthly newsletter or request it from your customers who call in.

In addition to your facebook fans and twitter followers that can recommend your business, you can also find customers who may be influential bloggers and journalists – or even a twitter user with a large twitter following.

Lastly, another approach to inexpensive link building is to seek the help of loyal customers to promote your brand. Even if you’re a small business you can promote your brand in a way that is similar to how big brands market themselves. This is one of the huge advantages of doing business on the web.

Link building plays a major role in the internet marketing and branding of a small business on the web, especially if you’re a young and growing business.

As a company that has first-hand SEO and link building experience, Roja understands the concerns of small businesses that are still trying to grow online. Contact us today to learn how we help small businesses with limited budgets get seen online through search engine optimization.

Small groups have amassed hundreds of thousands and even millions from spam, phishing, hacking and other fraudulent marketing techniques. Then, there’s the threat from the new breed of scam artists who take advantage of credit card and financial information over the internet along with identity thieves who are making it big at the expense of legitimate online businesses.

Fraudulent practices victimizing credit card holders have become alarming. Online merchants of goods and services suffer huge losses via chargebacks from the financial institutions who serve the victimized credit card holders. These online businesses have to take the risk of immense losses. Yes, such cost can be forwarded to the customer, but the prevalence of these schemes destroys the entire online industry especially for the ecommerce development of small business owners.

Below are 10 tips to help you prevent online fraud

1. Identify whether the country is a high risk country.

One survey showed the top 12 international sources for online fraud are Ukraine, Indonesia, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Romania, Egypt, Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia, Israel, Pakistan and Malaysia. That same survey also showed that the 12 countries with the lowest fraud rates are New Zealand, Austria, Taiwan, Spain, Norway Japan, South Africa, Switzerland, Hong Kong, the UK, Australia and France. If the card or the shipping address is on the list, it’s an indication that you need to pay more attention to this order. Though it doesn’t always mean that if the origin of order comes from these high risk countries it automatically indicates fraud and that orders that originate from countries with lowest fraud rate are safe, but you can use this information as a guide or precaution.

2. Match the credit card issuing bank’s country with the billing address country.

Making sure that the issuing country matches with the billing address country adds more authenticity as minor banks do not always have strict identification procedures.

3. Geolocation by IP address

One significant ecommerce development is the ability to know the online buyers’ geographic information, which substantially helps prevent fraud. Geolocation technology allows the identification of geographic location by IP address of the computer from which the order is placed in real-time online transactions.  This is a great tool to identify locations where the probability of fraud is the highest such as the identification of the user’s exact location and the calculation of the distance between the billing address of an online buyer and actual location of the customer entering the order.

The use if this service allows you to utilize more authentication measures or identification for those transactions which show a great difference of distance.

4. Check further for anonymous e-mail address.

Free and/or anonymous e-mail providers are almost untraceable and pose a much higher probability of fraud as opposed to ‘real’ email addresses. Notice that almost all businesses that make online purchases use their own domains as contact email address. The larger the company making a purchase, the more likely they are authentic. However, if your customer provides a free email address, it is helpful to locate them geographically when they place their order, so as to know which orders need further checking for authenticity.

5. Make sure that phone number is valid and located within the correct ZIP code.

Orders with invalid zip codes or a mismatch between the zip code and area code are also a hole for fraud. This case is growing at a fast rate. Verifying the validity of zip code and the area code is absolutely helpful when included as a part of the authentication process. You may want to delay the shipment and wait for the clearing of payment for customers using V.O.I.P phones.

6. Compare the IP address country with the billing address country.

When a computer is logged on to the internet, an IP address, which serves as a unique network identifier is issued by an Internet Service Provider. Make sure the IP address country matches with the billing address country. When the customer’s billing and shipping addresses are in the US and the one placing the order is logged in from an IP outside the US will definitely need further checking and the application of other precautions. The cost of calling the customer’s US phone number to confirm the identity of the credit card holder is nothing compared to the amount of the fraudulent purchase.

7. Investigate whether an anonymous proxy server was used to place the order.

Proxy servers allow businesses to protect internal networks. Fraudsters take advantage of this to remain undetected. Proxy servers allow a computer to remain anonymous. To hide their real identity, internet users hide their real IP address through anonymous proxy server’s IP address.

8. Verify the validity of the credit card by calling the issuing bank.

To rule out possibility of stolen credit cards being used and if you have any doubt about an order and need to confirm the details about the credit card holder, you can call the issuing bank to ask and confirm the general account details. The first 6 digits of the credit card number are known as the Bank Identification Number (BIN) in which the issuing bank’s phone number is based.

9. Identify whether the mailing address is a mailbox or ship-forward service.

Unscrupulous customers always want to remain untraceable while collecting their ordered merchandise. A public P.O.Box, a private mailbox, or a drop shipment forwarding address as a temporary point of receiving are among the ways to do it. The real identity of the receiver is virtually undetectable, so avoid sending your merchandise using these methods.

10. If still in doubt, ask for more identification.

Consumers value their privacy and fast processing of online orders. But if customer identity details such as the customers’ name, credit card number and expiry date seem insufficient, it’s alright to call them for verification through phone or ask for a photo ID to be faxed if you still have doubts.

Online fraud is not easy to eliminate, but there are ways to control it.  As an online merchant, it is imperative to be aware of the different tricks used by fraudsters. Understanding your customer and adopting online security measures based on the level of risk in each purchase are among the most essential precautionary measures for online fraud prevention.

We Keep Security Top of Mind

At Roja, we offer security-focused advice and development to our customers to ensure that their website, web application, or ecommerce store is as secure as their project budget allows.  Feel free to drop us a line to discuss ecommerce development and how we can help you to get your products or services online quickly and securely.