Every business owner wants to rank number one in Google search results for their targeted keywords.  A few are lucky enough to get that number one ranking.

But, there’s a new concern in the SEO world – Negative SEO.  Negative SEO is based on the principle that if you can’t beat ‘em, take ‘em out.

If your business is sitting on a number one ranking for a profitable keyword and your competitors have tried and tried to outrank you for that position, they might resort to negative SEO.

What is Negative SEO?

In general terms, negative SEO is doing things to another’s website that will likely get them penalized in the search engine rankings.

Yes, that means competitors could go after you to intentionally lower your rankings so they can move up in the rankings.

This isn’t really a new threat since in some form, the potential to do damage to another person’s website has always existed.  But, it’s becoming a bigger concern due to Google’s latest algorithm updates.

Google Algorithm Updates

The updates (Panda 3.5 and Penguin) target low-quality content and spam, as well as the way Google evaluates links.  Although Google’s explanations of the changes are vague (as usual) the search world has interpreted the changes to mean that more sites with spammy link profiles will be penalized.

As a result of the recent changes, several companies have popped up that offer negative SEO services.  You can hire a negative SEO company to take out your competitors.  If this service works as stated, that means chaos for a lot of online businesses.

Here is a short list of some of the things that competitors can do to negatively influence your search engine ranking results:

• Insert malware into your site
• Report your site as SPAM
• Reporting your site as SPAM to sites linking to you
• Buying links from disreputable sources and pointing them to your site
• Creating SPAM blogs with duplicate content with links to your site
• Bombing your Google Places page with fake reviews
• Using fake emails to get “authority” links to your site taken down

The purpose of all of these tactics are to decrease the authority of your site in the search results.  Unfortunately, you can’t control who links to you but Google uses those links in their rankings algorithm.

While you can’t prevent this from happening altogether, there are some things you can do to minimize your risk.

• Maintain a clean backlink profile
• Give your site visitors a good user experience
• Create content primarily for visitors while considering on-page SEO
• Focus on building your brand authority and mentions online

Diversify

Only time will tell whether Google’s algorithm will allow this practice to thrive.  Until then, focus on building a strong brand, diversify your traffic sources and make sure you use social media to grow your business online.

Beautifully-designed images can convey an idea or message without the need to even utter a word. The ability to speak and engage with your audience through imagery is key if you want to set yourself apart from your competitor.

You have to remember, the attention span of your audience member is short. If they can’t find the information they are seeking, they’ll click away and be gone forever. This is why you have to “show them, not tell them.” Through innovative design, you are inviting your audience to stay awhile, dig deeper, and return again and again.

Here are a few tips to make sure your imagery grabs your audiences’ eyeballs:

+ Be noticeable – the average person is exposed to about 3,000 images a day.  You have to stand out.

+ Be memorable – now that you’re being noticed, it’s not enough. You want them to remember you.

+ Be branded- most audiences see something funny but never know what product/service was actually being pushed. Make sure your imagery supports and reinforces your brand.

+ Be different- you’re better than your competitor right? So, show them.

+ Be motivating – Call forward an action. You don’t just want them to think about you, you want them to do something about it.

+ Be integrated – make sure your imagery is consistent throughout all mediums: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, webpage, etc.

- Zack Bujazia, Incredible Director of Design

Is your business in need of marketing help? Call us, we are INCREDIBLE! 800-949-0133

Social media was once dominated by teens and young adults, but this is changing. Ninety-three percent of adult internet users are on Facebook alone. People are not only using social networks, but are on them for extended periods of time. On average, people spend 4.6 hours a week on social sites.

#2 Misconception: Social media is free

Although joining social networks is free, establishing an effective social media presence is not.

You need social media experts to:

-          Build your page and profile

-          Plan a strategic engagement plan

-          Create, update and share unique content

-          Interact with your customers

-          Monitor the success of your social media efforts

All this is labor that costs. However, this cost is worth it. Social media marketing efforts average a 95% return on investment.

#3 Misconception: Social media is like every other marketing medium

Social media is different than traditional marketing. In the past, your audience was targeted through ads or by them searching keywords related to you.

Your message organically spreads like wild fire through social media.  The more your current customers interact with you, the more potential customers see your message. They weren’t even thinking of you, your product or service, but now he or she is seeing your message simply because of a friend’s interaction.

#4 Misconception: You need content to get started

Content is crucial in social media. People tune in because of what you have to offer. That doesn’t mean you have to reinvent your company just to develop content for your customers. It’s already available on the internet!

-          48 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute

-          150 million blogs are online

Sharing your own content is a great way to establish trust and expertise, but so is sharing quality content of others. It does not have to be about your business, but it has to speak to your audience and paint your business in a positive light.

We’re social media experts at Incredible Marketing. Our dedicated team produces results-oriented campaigns.

Call us at (800) 949-0133 for a consultation!

KONY 2012. If you don’t know what the hell that is, you’ve probably been living under a rock this past week.

So, what is it? It’s a 30-minute film and campaign by Invisible Children to raise awareness for Joseph Kony, Ugandan warlord, who for 26 years has led the Lord’s Resistance Army.

We won’t go into exactly what the video entails. But if you’re intrigued, you can check it out for yourself.  We dare you to not be moved. http://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Those who have watched the video were urged to “spread the word,” and that’s exactly what they did. As of right now, the viral video has been viewed an astounding 73 million times on YouTube since its premiere last Monday.

While the KONY 2012 campaign has sparked a wildfire of controversial debate across the country and world, the actions it has incited among its viewers to share, like, comment, and re-tweet serve as evidence to social media’s transformative power and its ability to move an individual to action.

Social media is changing the world. Accept it with open arms or get left behind.

Are you a Google product user? Than open your ears to this breaking news: March 1^st is the day Google’s new privacy policy goes into effect.

Watch Out! Your Google Web History will be shared! If you clear your Google Web History before the big privacy change, then you will be ok. Did you know that they have been tracking your web history, every search, and every site you have visited? In the past it has been separated from your other Google Products, but this Thursday it will be shared amongst your Google Products.

FYI, if you want to prevent this from possibly leaking out your deep, dark, secret online searches, you should remove it from your history and stop it from being recorded.  This means YouTube, Google+, and other Google accounts.

Quick instructions: Login to your Google Account and go to Account Settings. Scroll down to services and click Go to Web History. Click REMOVE. Voilà!

Way back in the day, Google ranked websites based primarily on the keywords found on the actual page. If you stuffed a bunch of keywords on the page, you’d end up at the top of the search results.

Google evolved.  They began using links as their primary ranking factor.  A link was a “vote” and the more votes you got, the better ranking you’d see.

Today, Google uses over 200 “signals” in their search engine ranking algorithm.  That includes links, social sharing, keywords, content and much more.  But, where is Google heading?  What does the future look like for Google search?

According to Amit Singhal, a Google Fellow and lead on Google Search, they’re heading deep into the world of entities.  What’s an entity, you ask?  An entity is simply a single thing or concept that exists in the world, according to the Freebase website.

Google acquired MetaWeb in 2010 and Freebase was a MetaWeb project.  MetaWeb created a system of indexing named entities to make it easier to identify, connect and search for references about that named entity.

Google wants to take that system even further and use entities to create search results that can identify context to give you better search results.  In essence, they are creating a huge knowledge graph of interconnected entities and the attributes associated with those entities.

If you look at Google Plus, you can already start to see the development of this system from a social perspective.  Different entities, people or businesses, can add different entities to their circles.  Google can see how all of these entities are connecting, what’s being shared and who is sharing what.

The more information Google gathers, the easier it will be for them to create a search product that can respond intelligently to queries based on their knowledge of those entities.

It’s very likely that an entity based system will build on the current link graph model.   Links are still an effective way of determining authority, influence or popularity.  But, an entity based system will require a deeper understanding of the framework of the entities so you can fit within that framework, if appropriate.

It’s not too early to start looking at your business and how you can use this new system to stay on top.  Understand your market, your community and the similarities that Google might use to provide information.

Focus on context and connecting and you’ll be on the right track.

Social media is a great way to expand your professional network.  Email marketing is a great way to connect with your current network.  Combine the two worlds and you get massive amplification.

When you combine social media and email marketing you can leverage your email list to increase your exposure.  In other words, you can expand your network and grow your business.

Most email lists are made up of people already interested in your business.  When they share your emails or newsletters through social media channels, they can help expand your brand and get your content in front of new people.

Here are some quick actions you can take to get the most from your email campaigns through social media.

Give People an Incentive

First and foremost, answer this question – why should people share your content?  Give them a reason to share.  Some businesses give discounts for sharing.  Some companies run contests.  Some simply have really great content.  Be as creative and unique as you want but you’ll be more successful if you give them a reason to share.

Send a Social Media Email

You always want to respect your email list.  But, there’s nothing wrong with sending an email to ask the people on your list to connect with you via social media.  If you’re active on social media, let your fans know that you’d like it if they connected with you.  Social media allows you to engage on a deeper level than just sending out emails.  The more you engage with your clients, or potential clients, the more trust you build.  Ultimately, that leads to loyal customers who will stick with you for the long-term.

Prominently Display Social Media Icons

When you send emails out to your list, don’t hide your social media icons in the footer.  Put your social media icons in an obvious place.  Don’t assume that people know what you want them to do.  Tell them what you want them to do.  If you want them to connect with you on Twitter, tell them.  If you want them to share your email on Facebook, tell them that’s what you want them to do.  Not everyone will take action, but you will definitely increase the number of shares or followers when you make it clear what you want and make it easy for people to take the requested action.

Use Facebook to Get Email Subscribers

One of the great things about having a Facebook page is that you can create tabs for specific functions.  A great way to increase your email list with a Facebook page is to create a tab on your page to encourage people to sign up for your email newsletter.

Simply create a tab and integrate it with your email service and you have another resource to build your email list.  When people visit your Facebook page, give them an incentive to sign up, ask them to enter their information and they’ll automatically be added to your email list.

Conclusion

Harness the power of social media in your email marketing campaigns.  Let your email list know where they can connect with you and how they can share your content.  The more you share and connect, the more your business will grow.

After experiencing unprecedented growth in 2011, Incredible Marketing, an internet marketing company, is preparing for another year of exceptional growth in 2012.

Over the past three years, Incredible Marketing has been focused on helping its clients build incredible websites, improve their search engine rankings through effective SEO, and manage their social media presence.

“Since many of our clients are in the professional field, such as healthcare and law, we’ve built a strong reputation for quality and results in the professional services industry,” said Incredible Marketing IEO, Sam Peek.  “A lot of our new clients are word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied clients. We do not have to ‘sell’ our services, our results speak for us.”

This year, Incredible Marketing will be branching out deeper into the legal arena.  Incredible Marketing understands what it takes for a law firm to get more clients through online marketing, SEO and the proper use of social media.

“Our team has a special advantage in understanding the legal market and focusing on what attorneys and law firms need to be successful in this growing, competitive market.  I have shared my personal legal education and law firm experiences in shaping successful game plans for our clients,” says Mr. Peek.

To mark this expansion into the legal arena, the Incredible Marketing team will be attending the American Bar Association Tech Show March 29 – 31, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.  The Incredible team will be offering site reviews and personalized tips on how to get better results with a custom website optimized for search engine traffic.

If you want an incredible website, better search engine rankings and a social media strategy that gets results, contact Incredible Marketing, an international SEO firm based in Irvine, California.  You can contact the Incredible Marketing team by calling 1-800-949-0133 or visit their website at http://www.incrediblemarketing.com.

If you put it bluntly, Social Media is a chore, and if you are going to do it right you need someone dedicated to spending time and resources to keep up with the fast past trends. Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering hiring a Social Media agency…

Do we have the people in place to invest in Social Media? You will need to designate someone to be your community manager, content creator, and strategist. Also, does this person have experience doing this for a business already? The right social media agency will be able to handle all of this for you and help you manage your social media efforts without tying up a current employee.

Do we have internal expertise in Social Media? In Laymen’s terms: Why would you hire a sales executive with no sales experience? You don’t want to learn on the job, so hiring an agency will eliminate the wasted paid hours of a learning curve. Your brand will be at risk if your employees do not know what they are doing. Social Media agencies have worked with numerous businesses on their social campaigns and have acquired expertise that his hard for someone without experience to imitate.

Have you ever used Social Ads? Do you even know what they are? Did you know that 10% of online ad spend in 2011 was on Social Media sites? Social Media offers ad options like no other, and you can target your clients down to their interests and type of pets they have! Social Media agencies that offer ad campaign services are golden, and they can help you micro target your audience and get your business in front of potential clients because they know and understand how it works.

How creative are you? Ok but do you know how to implement it? Social Media is about engaging with your audience and communicating your message. You need to be creative to get people to listen and stay tuned. A good agency will provide creative experience to your social campaign by making it socially interactive to spread awareness about your business.

Make sure you select an agency that brings experience and examples to the table. If are not confident in tackling the above points you might want to consider a hiring an agency to run your social campaign for you. Some agencies specialize in various industries so make sure you pick one who understands your business and message!

If you are a smart and strategic business owner, you will listen to the following advice: If you don’t have a Facebook Fan Page, you better get one fast! You customers are turning to Social Media to leverage their good and bad experiences with your brand. Get your offense ready!

Your customers are online, so shouldn’t you be too? Utilizing Social Media for good customer service is how you are going to build a team of brand ambassadors! A new study came out that happy customers who get their issues resolved tell an average of 4 to 6 people about their positive experience. How does this translate? Happy customer = brand ambassador. Not only will they help answer other peoples questions but they will share their positive experiences with others through word of mouth marketing! Directions:

1. Quick Response- If an upset customer is posting on your Facebook wall or tweeting out their issue, they are wanting a quick response to their problem and you will want to provide a fast one too, news travels fast online! 25% want a response within 1 hour, so make sure you give a response promptly.
2. Be Transparent- Good customer service through social media is being completely visible and out in the open. Even if there is a problem, you want your other customers to know that you will take care of them if need be. Show you care, show you want to help. Get others involved in the discussion so that you can understand your customer’s wants and needs to better accommodate them in the future. This will build a strong support system.
3. Consistency is key- If the same question is being repeated make sure you stick to the same response. Don’t be all over the place; communicate a good solution across the board. You customer wants a consistent product, so provide consistent customer service to encourage brand loyalty.
4. Keep your ducks in a row- The only way you can provide consistency is if you are organized. Social media is a full time job if you are going to do it right. Customers will feel turned off by your business if they sense that you are disorganized. If you are running Social media in house make sure everyone is on the same page and that you define clear roles in handling your Social Media presence. Give your team the tools to help your customers.
5. Your customers don’t want to talk to a machine- Customer service should remain as human as possible. Even though you are talking online, don’t sound robotic. Make your customers feel like they are a priority by responding to their questions, staying interactive with them, and in return they will want to share with their friends their positive experience with your business.