Facebook allows you to share photos of your business, provide information about the company, and even post news updates and promotions on your wall.  It is the hope of each business that more and more people will “like” your page (sometimes a coupon/discount as a little incentive helps), and eventually your popularity within this outlet will grow.  You have to remember, though, that these people can comment on your updates and post on your wall as well.  When these comments are pleasant and positive, a company would obviously be happy to keep them up and would hope others saw them too and became interested as well.  But what if someone has something a little less encouraging to say?  Do you immediately delete this post (sometimes more than once, as some will continue to try and get their point across), or do you acknowledge the comment and propose a solution to fix it? It might be an immediate decision for some people to remove the comment so as to prevent others from viewing your business negatively as well, but one suggestion is that you leave the post and take professional responsibility.

First of all, ignoring a customer’s complaint is never something a business owner should do.  Furthermore, deleting a comment from your Facebook business page won’t stop that person from speaking to others about the issue or using other avenues to complain.  You will gain much more respect by addressing the problem head on.  In fact, participating in the conversation in such a public network where others are able to see will show your concern for your customers and your willingness to right a bad situation.  Just because a customer was unhappy once, doesn’t mean you have to lose their business forever- acknowledging the issue, offering a solution and attempting to mend an unhappy situation could in fact create a lifelong relationship with this person- the same person who once could have prevented you from furthering your business could now be using Facebook to speak highly about your company to others.

So, when joining the social media world as a company, remember all of the potential positive and not-so-positive situations that might arise. Embrace the contributions from other people, even if they are criticisms that you do not agree with.  You might not always be able to please everyone, but a company that is showing their investment in their customers is one that will receive much more respect and potentially more praise overall in this online world where everyone wants to be seen.

- Casey Guntlow

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

Fresher Results – Google has made additional adjustments to their freshness update that was first released in November. This means that sites which are updated more frequently and provide relevant information are more likely to appear higher in search engine results placement

High quality site algorithm improvements – Almost everyone in the SEO world is aware of Google’s Panda update. In January they improved how Panda interacts and with indexing and ranking systems. They also released a minor update deemed Panda 3.2

Improved Image search quality – Improvements in their image search helps images with high quality landing pages rank higher. It is now even more important to optimize your images on your website, especially with pages that are updated frequently and rank well.

- Jeffrey Pucko

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

As with your regular site content and Google’s love of all things fresh and new, content rules the roof. Not only do you need to regularly update your blog, but you need for your blog posts to be worthwhile. It’s all about quality.

If you focus your content to your intended audience and not just share others’ information, but take the time to craft well thought out opinions, observations, and editorials about your business or products or industry trends, people will want to read it.

Also, make sure you know what you are talking about.  Be well-versed in your topic so the posts do not seem shallow or vague.   If your posts are educational or entertaining, that goes a long way to encouraging return visitors and referrals.

As a part of your SEO strategy, drop some of your keywords into your text.  But naturally.  Keywords and synonyms that do not stuff your content are another great way to optimize you blog content.

And remember, through some links outward to others.  Oftentimes, they will return the favor.

-Don MacMelville

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

The common perception for LinkedIn is that it is business driven; therefore it is better to market your business on LinkedIn rather than Facebook. Although Facebook is more socially driven, studies have found that business minded people are still in their business mindset while trolling around on Facebook. Given the high numbers of users, Facebook can be a tremendous marketing tool if used effectively.

Facebook has nearly triple the amount of users as LinkedIn and over double the amount of users over the age of 35. Just by looking at the number of users alone, you can see how Facebook can be a much more effective tool than LinkedIn. Since such a large percentage of the world is already on Facebook, it makes it much easier for a business owner to stay connected with their customers without the customer needing to do much (Easier is better!). Think about advertising for the Super Bowl. Companies pay millions and millions of dollars for a 30 second commercial because so many people are watching the Super Bowl. Same goes for Facebook, business owners needs to advertise where the masses of people are.

Users are one thing; amount of time on the site is a whole different animal. It’s fine and dandy to have millions and millions of users, but if the users aren’t spending a lot of time on the site, it’ll be harder for them to find your business. Facebook users spend an incredible amount of time of the site, making it much more likely that they will find and interact with a company’s business page.
Although Facebook has now been around for roughly 8 years, remember not to overlook its amazing power and ability to reach the masses in such a quick, easy and FREE way.

-Mike Fedotowsky

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

When considering this topic, the main thing to remember is interest: Who is going to be interested in your company/services? Who would want to read your blog and will go back again to see what you are discussing?  And, who feels good enough about your business that they are willing to share a link to your website or even your blog with people that they know who might be interested as well?  Social media communities like Facebook and Twitter allow companies to reach out to specific people and/or groups that might enjoy or need your particular services.

For instance, say you own a high-end clothing boutique outside of Boston.  You might ask some of your friends on Facebook, specifically those who live reasonable close and would shop at your boutique, to “like” your business page.  You offer a link to your blog on your Facebook page where you post everything from information on the latest designers you’re selling to photos and news about the most popular styles that have just arrived in the store.  Your average “fashionista” will want to make sure she stays up-to-date with your store’s trends and so will her friends of similar taste. Before you know it, some of your friends are sharing this link with other people they know, more people are visiting your Facebook page and clicking on that link to visit your blog or website, and some are even writing down the address you have listed to come and visit your store.

You probably wouldn’t have such luck if you simply began adding random people to your Facebook community just for the sake of looking more popular because of your large number of friends (some think that this is all they need to get the additional coverage and results they want).  Using this approach and just providing a link to your Blog and/or your website and hoping that someone will click on them is doubtfully going to yield similar results.  Targeting the right people and making substantial connections can only help you and your online exposure.  You may even find other people with similar interests that are willing to work with you, agreeing to exchange links to help promote each other.  It is all about your goals and approach in the social media world that will determine whether or not things such as your company’s blog or number of back-links have the potential to expand in this particular venue.

-Casey

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

Guntlow

Understanding search engine marketing will help you avoid those programs that promise too much and deliver too little. Companies who promise unlimited clicks for a search terms should raise a red flag. The name Pay Per Click should tell you all you need to know. How can one company offer unlimited clicks at a set price when everyone else pays per the individual click? But sometimes it is not always that easy. Recently, localpaidinclusion .com offered a service promising inclusion into local searches on Yahoo, Bing and Google. This service would place your website at the top of the local map section but not in the clearly advertised paid sections on search results.  The concept sounded great. Unfortunately, no service or agreement with Google, Yahoo or Bing ever existed. Each Search directory publically denied the claim.

Google – “We are not working on any program that enables a site to pay to increase ranking in organic search results.”

Bing – “Bing has no interest in paid inclusion into the local algo that artificially impacts ranking of algo results…. Microsoft does not have an agreement with UBL today.”

So how does one move up in the local search results? It can be difficult to move your Google places rankings, but there are some tricks to help your business rise above your completion. Start by claiming your Google places page. This will allow you to add: business categories, pictures, business description, your website, hours, payment options and other important business information. If your Google Places page was not already claimed, this should cause a noticeable jump in your Google Places exposure. But what if your place page was already claimed? Search Engine optimization also  impacts your Google Places search results. When you run a search term, those words appear bold in the results. They also appear bold in the local search results. If these terms are not included in your website’s optimization, they will impact your Google places negatively.  Let’s look at an example of this.

This screen shot is for a Hair Salon in Boston. Notice the top local results all have those terms bolded in both the link and description. This information is taken from the search engine optimization performed on your website.  Notice that the listings below the top two have descriptions and page titles that have less search terms in them.  The top sites have performed SEO in Boston  properly and are being ranked higher in the Google Places because of it.

Claiming your Google Place page and optimizing your site are two ways to help improve your local placement. Customer reviews are a great source for keywords and content. When Google displays search results it pulls keywords from your reviews as well. Encourage customers to post on your Google places page to help increase your total number of reviews.  This will increase the number of keywords for your business and in turn improve your Google places standings.

- Matt Wilkos

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

Google is calling this update a data refresh from the earlier Panda updates and they stated that no additional signals or algorithms have been changed.Google says “”We’re continuing to iterate on our Panda algorithm as part of our commitment to returning high-quality sites to Google users. This most recent update is one of the over 500 changes we make to our ranking algorithms each year.” Since this new update, many webmaster have been complaining that their search results have begun to drop without reasoning. On the other hand, many sites that were initially hit by the Panda update last year, are now gaining their search result ranks back to pre-Panda levels.

            Many business owners are very frustrated with this news because they feel that the initial Panda update has undeservingly penalized their company site for this few months span that their rankings drops, therefore losing out on a lot of money and business.

Many webmasters, SEO specialists and business owners have been thrown off by all of these Google updates and the constant changing of their Google rank. The one thing you must remember moving forward is that Google is looking for High-Quality content. Sites that are repetitive or basic will be penalized in Google search results. Also, allow time for the new update and page rankings to settle before making any drastic changes.

This is the Panda update schedule as confirmed by Google:

• Panda Update 1.0: Feb. 24, 2011
• Panda Update 2.0: April 11, 2011 (about 7 week gap)
• Panda Update 2.1: May 10, 2011 (about 4 week gap)
• Panda Update 2.2: June 16, 2011 (about 5 week gap)
• Panda Update 2.3: July 23, 2011 (about 5 week gap)
• Panda Update 2.4: August 12, 2011 (about 3 week gap)
• Panda Update 2.5: September 28, 2011 (about 7 week gap)
• Panda Update 3.0 : ~October 19, 2011 (about 3 week gap)
• Panda Update 3.1 : November 18, 2011 (about 3 week gap)
• Panda Update 3.2 : ~January 18, 2012 (about 2 month gap)

-Mike Fedotowsky

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

One important concept, at even the most basic level, is quality vs. quantity.  What is more important: the value and potential benefit that each person has to you/your company, or just getting as many people as you can to follow you?  As seen in the article, and in my opinion as well, the first option can be much more promising.

When joining a social media outlet, Twitter for example, it is important to make connections with advocates; people who are of quality and will engage with you and have true interest in your content and what you have to offer.  If you just spend your time searching for anyone and everyone to follow you, yes, you might have a larger community built up, but have you created a stable foundation?  Are these people interested in what you’re promoting and will they bring you more potential clients and business? It is probably less likely.  Instead, when you are developing your social media identity, make your community one that is the most promising for further connections and opportunities.  Target valuable audiences: ones that can help you expand and also ones that you can help in return (don’t be greedy!).

Though you might be discouraged by the size of your social community at first, it is important to remember the overall goal: more interest and more business.  Spend your time and efforts on those who have or could have the desire to pursue your services, and also make your company one that appears approachable and personable.   There is always the opportunity for growth within your social media outlets, you just need to utilize them in the way that creates the successful optimization.

- Casey Guntlow

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com

Do your customers like your product?  Would other people be interested in it if they could see it?  Pinterest might provide the help you need to get more people to see and learn about what you do.

Imagine the bulletin board in your kitchen or office.  Now put that online and let other people see what you like and are interested in.  The “hmmm, that looks good” or “oh yeah, I need one of those” experience now offers you a place to store that info and possibly create even more referrals.

Pinterest is seeing a major surge in popularity bringing over 7 million people to its site in December alone.  That’s good traffic.

Currently, Pinterest requires an invitation to join, but you can ask for one when you first visit the site.

-Donald MacMelville

If you are interested in more SEO techniques or would like to hire us to manage your reputation online contact us at: sales@getfoundquick.com or call 857.526.0096.

Boston Web Marketing | 215 Lewis Wharf Boston | MA 02110 | www.getfoundquick.com