A New Home for My Blog

Hello Readers...
We are moving homes. While this blog will always be here to give you inspiration and hopefully, spark ideas, you can find all the old entries, plus all awesome new posts at our new address.

Thanks and hope to see you there!
Click here for Link to New blog

How to Increase SEO and Page Rankings

Great article on SEO and page rankings or how to get to page 1 in Google, or at least close. Please keep in mind these have to be done consistently to ensure results. Google is SMART! Article taken from: LAUNCH Private Label

Clients, (especially those releasing new brands or launching a new business), are always asking me about how they can get on page 1 of Google and other search engines. The answer has always been, well, it's simpler to get on page 1, than it is to stay on it. In this article, I am going to address methods you can employ to get better page rankings and make it better over time, so that, one day you can get on page 1 of Google.
I also want to add that the methods here must be used on a constant basis. Don't expect to see quick results or any results if you just want to put in 1-2 weeks of work. Building your online empire is like building a retail store from the ground up. Get smart, get consistent and be generous with your information and search engines will start to love you.

Content:
You've probably heard this before (or not), but to get great rankings, you have to have great content. Rich, informational content that is full of great keywords and links. Pay attention to the content on your website, your blog, your tweets and Facebook.

Your Website:
Before, websites were just places of static information. Today, websites have become more than that. Attach a blog page in your website where you can add articles, hence making your website more dynamic (plus, people are more likely to visit your site if your content is more dynamic).

Your Blog:
This is the firecracker. A blog, these days, serves as a great tool to dispense information about your products, services, related products, industry information, changing trends, useful links and more. Blogs work especially great if you're in a business where the industry is popular already (food, travel, beauty, health, legal, entrepreneurship etc.). But worry not, if you feel you're in an odd industry no one wants to read about, try starting a blog about something related.

Your Page Titles:
Make certain your web person titles your pages well using short keywords to describe the essence or product/service/location of your business (some pages just need the purpose of the page. Example, "Contact Us | Company Name").

Blog Titles:
Make sure you title your blog posts well.

Linking:
This can be a little confusing at first, but the key is, have lots of great links from your site to other sites. This is the age of shared information, so don't hold everything back! Give and you shall get.
Also, link your internal pages back and forth.

Facebook & Twitter:
Having an active FB and Twitter account with relevant updates can get people clicking and linking to your website or blog! It's all part of building your online empire.

The bottom of the line is the more your share, the more you link, the more YOU will get people clicking and linking to your site. THIS clicking and linking is what search engines love because it shows them your site is popular and active. I'll say it again, get smart, get consistent and be generous with your information and search engines will start to love you.

Revamp Your Branding Every So Often!

As you can see I decided to give the blog a spruce-up with some lighter colours and freshen things up a bit. Which brings me to an important point- VERY important point. It is crucial to spice up your marketing and design every now and then. That doesn't mean you need to spend half of the year's marketing budget. Just prioritize and allot a fixed amount of moneys for each project.
Here are some pieces you should be reviewing every so often (not some updates need to be monthly or quarterly, some can be annually or every 2-3 years):
1. Your website - this is the most important piece that you need to update as often as possible. Still getting the runaround from your web developer about changes you submitted 2 months ago? Here's how to fix that problem... go to a wordpress platform. A wordpress platform will allow you to make those changes yourself and it's super easy. Who can help you with redeveloping your site on wordpress? ME, of course!
2. Your main brochure or print collateral - revise language, freshen colours without losing the essence of the brand, update any facts.
3. Profile photos & Team member profiles - yes, update this at least once a year or more as needed. This keeps everyone looking sharp (and not so 80s). Plus, people like learning about personalities and who will be working on their projects... share something personal and interesting. If you just got married or had a baby, share it!
4. Logo - I know I know, don't freak out on me. I don't mean change the entire logo from all brown and geometric to pink and flowery. I mean update it. Look at the example of the Schnauz Design logo where I didn't change the essence of the logo, I just updated it. Over time, I updated the logo on various materials, social media etc. There are still some places it needs to be updated, but I don't have unrealistic expectations either. You can visit the schnauz design site to see all the delicious work we've done.