When I changed my focus to the Internet I also changed the types of companies I work with.  No more billion-dollar mega-giants. No more Fortune 500′s.  Instead I work with start-ups, solo entrepreneurs and small to medium sized companies.

When I switched over, the gratification was instant.  I now get thanked all the time.  I get hugged by my clients.  I get invited into their homes. I go out for dinner and Big Mac cholesterol dumps with them. I have clients that are excited by the first call that comes directly off the Internet.  I have clients that have grown their companies by ten times and more.  Even though I could charge a heck of a lot more than I do, I don’t, because I LOVE working with my clients.  I love seeing their companies grow and I love getting thank yous, big grins and hugs.

Last week I got my first client KISS.  It was very public and very, very sweet.

I’ll set the scene for you.  I belong to a business mastermind that meets once a month. Over time all the mastermind members have also become clients.  Last week, in the middle of a meeting one of our members got up … came over to me and gave me a big warm kiss … right smack on the top of my forehead.

After much laughter, he proceeded to tell us that in the last week he had received several calls for his services directly due to Google searches.  If he made the sales it would result in well over a hundred thousand in start up fees.   WOW.

I’d love to take all the credit for what was an amazing turn around, but I’ll tell the truth instead!  Yes, SEO put his website in front of people who counted … people who had a budget and who were interested in buying.

However, the important thing to note is that once I got the traffic to the website … the website CONVERTED that traffic into qualified calls.

A website’ design can attract visitors, it can also “weed out” unqualified tire kickers. The website content provided enough information so that visitors can say “THIS is what I need and want.”  The website copy compels those qualified visitors to pick up the phone and make the call, or open their email program and make the inquiry.

BOTTOM LINE?  You’ve got to have both.  Your website has to keep visitors interested, it has to CONVERT qualified visitors and it has to compel them to take action.  You also need TRAFFIC.  No traffic, no conversions, no sales.

I love getting hugs from clients, but now I’m converted and want MORE kisses!

Melanie

PS.  I am the recipient of the big kiss … aka the kissee … my friend, client and the kisser is Dave Childs.  Dave Childs is an amazingly talented brander and brand marketing strategist. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about him because he truly is a branding wizard. Be sure to check out his website Living Blueprint.  It is an example of pure elegance, functionality and conversion.

“Search engine spammers rarely prosper.
Sooner or later, they get caught.
And when they do, it’s almost never pretty.”

One of my clients — Mike Averbach of Averbach Mortgages has been targeted by several competitors using Black Hat SEO Tactics.

The reason they are targeting him is because Averbach Mortgages is one of Vancouver’s top mortgage brokerage firms and has many of the top keyword rankings for the Vancouver and surrounding areas.

The tactics have misfired, because Averbach consistently monitors his top Google rankings.  A few days ago when he searched his own name, he found that a competitor was using “Mike Averbach” and several other terms as tags in his blog.  The result was that the competitor’s name showed up linked to Mike’s name on page two of the Google rankings.

A second competitor has used Mike’s name and company name as keywords that are triggering Google paid ads.

The first black hat tactic is actually illegal in most US states and has been the focus of some very high profile legal cases. In Canada, civil law suits are quite different matter and since I’m not a lawyer I will “decline to comment.”

Illegal or not, using a competitor’s personal name  or company name in tags or keyword metatags shows a lack of moral fiber.  Attempting to steal a competitor’s hard earned traffic is simply a NO NO.

If you have found a competitor trying to steal YOUR traffic … what can you do?

1.  Write a “cease and desist” letter.  Sure you can send an email, but sending a hard copy is a good idea and registering your letter is an even better idea.

2. If you belong to a professional organization, let them know what is happening. They will probably get their ethics committee or board involved.  This may involve an investigation and censure.

3.  If that doesn’t produce results, get your lawyer to write a follow-up letter.  This will probably do the trick by scaring the pants off the offender.

4.  Your final recourse is a law suit.

What has Mike done? 

Read Broker alleges espionage on the web.

There are NO good reasons to use Black Hat SEO techniques.  There are literally dozens and dozens of ways to get traffic to your website.  SEO, SEM, Internet marketing strategies, off-line marketing strategies and social media strategies are only a few of the ways you can build your business.

Give me a call at 604-899-9403 to discuss how I can help build YOUR business.

Time is a big concern for me, so I am always looking for (and testing) solutions to save me not only time, but also cut the effort, energy and frustration.

One of the programs I constantly use is  called Maxblogpress Ninja Affiliate   and I can’t imagine life without it anymore!

Let me share with you a few KEY features about this 100% plug-n-play application:

First of all, it enables automatic conversion of keywords into affiliate links, instantly. You can now update any keyword on your blog with the affiliate link of your choice, on all posts, in a split second!

Secondly, it helps you create professional redirect links – instead of promoting a long and ugly url, you’re having the option to setup a shorter link on your domain name which re-directs to the url of your choice.

And guess what? It also helps you fight affiliate commission theft. These online pirates would do anything just to steal your commissions and disappear in the night.

With Maxblogpress Ninja Affiliate you’re 100% armored.

I think this is a tool for every affiliate wanting to save time and money for real. So it’s in your best interest to download this tool today; each second counts!

P.S. I forgot to mention this – you’re guaranteed to receive FREE on going upgrades for your copy of MaxBlogPress Ninja Affiliate! Grab your copy, before your competitors find out!

“How do I find and follow someone on twitter?”

1. Go to your twitter account:

http://twitter.com/your-twitter-name

2. Log in: user: your-twitter-name Pass: your-twitter-password

IF you know the name of the twitter account:
1. Visit the page of the account (person) you want to follow:
http://twitter.com/xxxxxxx xxxxxxx is the account (persons) name.
2. At the top of the account page is the account name and photo/logo/avatar …. right under that is a button labeled “Follow.” Click on Follow.

IF you do not know the name of the account, you can try searching for it. Here are three ways to search:

Use Twitters “Find People” Search
1. At the top of every twitter account is a menu bar. Look for “Find People”
2. Enter the name of whom ever you are looking for.

Use the Twitter Search Engine:
** Note, I don’t think the twitter search engine is as good as it could be!
1. Go to http://search.twitter.com
2. Enter the name of the person you are searching for.
3. If the account comes up in the search results … click on it and then click on “follow”

Use Google:
1. Go to google.com
2. Search for: First name + Last name + twitter i.e. Melanie Rockett twitter

If you have a business, you really need to consider joining Google+ with a Business Profile.

Take 2.5 minutes to watch this and see why!

Reporters and professional bloggers submit their questions, ask for quotes from experts and look for story sources.  YOU as the topic expert, submit your answers, quotes or information and connect with the reporter.

This is a fabulous way for the reporters to get fast answers to their inquiries, and a great way for you to position yourself as an expert.

There are over 29,000 reporters registered with HARO  … and they ask over 200 questions a day.

Here is a quote that pretty well says it all!

“HARO has helped put us on the map! From responding to journalist’s inquiries, we have gotten articles posted, radio interviews, and an opportunity to drive members to our knowledge network. HARO is a real resource and a door opener for business.”

Amy Kopelan
The Guru Nation

If you want to appear in the media more often, do check it out.  There is a free option as well as several paid options.

One simple trick to writing more popular tweets.

Previously a visitor had to LIKE your page before they could make a comment or post on your fan page wall.  Now visitors can share comments and posts without having to LIKE your fan page first.

Though we all love to have our number of LIKES increasing, this change gives users more flexibility.  I know that on occasion I have found a fan page but have hesitated to LIKE it.  Basically, I want to kick around the content a bit more before giving it my endorsement.

This change means that instead of putting all your focus  on getting more likes, you need to focus on increasing the number of times each piece of content is shared (liked or commented on).

Each of your updates needs to inspire your visitors and fans to share your content with their Facebook networks.

How do you do increase shares?   By posting content that is interesting and/or valuable to your visitors.

Lou includes tip on:

• how to add or mention people
• how to edit
• how to send private messages
• how to turn off circle sharing (so other people can’t see who is in your circles
• how to get a more attractive Google+ URL
• How to format posts