Good search engine optimization is one of the most important factors in driving visitors to your website. Without optimizing your site, search engines will struggle to index its content and automatically lower its ranking on search results. As a result, traffic will be kept low, preventing your website from generating income via advertising or sales. By including optimization features such as meta descriptions, alt attributes and accurate page titles, you can move up the search engine rankings, target the correct customer and drive them to your site. The end result is a reliable source of revenue and a successful website.

Backlinks




A backlink is simply a link from another site to yours. Backlinks are one of the most important factors when search engines rank your site. That’s because the more backlinks pointing to your site, the more frequently search engine bots will visit and archive its content. The number of backlinks also gives search engines an accurate indication of how popular your site is with other users. There are many ways to backlink to your site, but the simplest are to collaborate with other sites, post content on your site that people will be genuinely interested in and write guest posts for other sites that link to your own.



Page Titles




When adding pages to your site, ensure the page title is relevant to search engine users. Use less than 70 characters, as this is the limit for search engine results. Avoid numbers, dates and unusual characters, while also keeping page titles short and carefully choosing your words. In short, imagine what you would type into a search engine to find the page, then use that search term in the page title.









Meta Descriptions




Meta descriptions are the descriptions for each page that appear on search engine results below the title. By adding a meta description to each page, you can ensure the exact phrase, sentence or description is seen by your target market. Make sure to use keywords in the meta description that are also included in the page title, as this will strengthen your ranking on search results. Avoid using more than 140 characters, as this is the limit search results display, and always try to hand write the meta description yourself -- search engine bots do a terrible job of automatically generating a description from your page content.



Permalinks




Permalinks are simply the URLs for each page of your site. They appear after the website address, so for example: www.mywebsite.com/permalink. When adding a page or post, custom write the permalink or HTML file yourself, and try to include keywords from the page that visitors and customers are likely to search for. Keep the permalink as short as possible and avoid using dates or folder structures.



Alt Attributes




An alt attribute is a brief description of an image that search engines use to identify its content. This enables the search engine to display image results for keywords and sentences, then forward traffic to your site when the image is clicked on. When adding images to your site, always include alt attributes in the image link code that briefly describes what the image depicts.



Avoid Tags




If you have to include tags on a webpage, use as few as possible. That’s because tags group multiple pages together -- repeatedly -- across your site. Search engine bots automatically de-rank duplicate pages and page content, so when they encounter the same page multiple times they lower its ranking on search results.



Google Adwords




Use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. It enables you to see how many people search for a particular keyword or search term each month, both globally and locally. By targeting keywords that receive a large amount of traffic, you can create content on your site that brings in a steady flow of customers from search engines.

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Business owners dream of creating a video that goes viral and results in increasing their customer base. However, your video doesn’t need to get millions of subscribers to be successful as long as you attract customers who want what you’re selling. Before you start recording your video, review the challenges your target market faces. Then, start creating a video that addresses your prospect’s needs by showing how your product or service provides a solution that makes their lives easier.

Engage Your Audience




Increasing your customer base starts with creating videos that interest and engage the viewer. Create a script for your video that provides valuable information, or try creating a humor-filled video related to your business. Keep your branding in mind, though, and consider hiring people who look and speak well in front of the camera if you or your employees don’t feel capable of doing so. Add links to your business website in the video itself rather than relying on tags or video descriptions on YouTube to further interest viewers, says Chris Pirillo, a content publishing expert.



Create a Series




Keep people interested in what you’re selling by creating a series of videos. Load one video every week or two to pique interest, and ask viewers to share. Make sure each video in the series stands on its own, though, since people who share it may not provide a link back to the entire series. Mention in your video where to see the entire series and provide a link so new viewers know where to go. Encourage people to follow your videos by subscribing to your channel so followers are the first to know when you upload a new video.









Promote Your Video




Submit your video to bloggers who cover topics similar to what your business offers. For example, if you produce custom-made hats, send the link to blogs that cover fashion and accessories. Promote videos on your company blog by adding a YouTube subscription widget to the blog page. Comment and subscribe to other non-competing YouTube channels that appeal to the same target market as you do. Encourage them to visit your channel as a way to get introduced to their subscribers.



Use Annotations




YouTube allows you to edit your video at any time by adding annotations, such as adding call-outs and hyperlinks that make your video more interactive. This allows you to add funny comments and links to your website as well as push sales promotions. You can also add background information to your video, such as using an annotation to mention something interesting about the spokesman for your video or pointing to a feature of a product and mentioning a benefit. Annotations can be added anywhere, and you control when they appear and disappear.

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Webinars and podcasts both serve as valuable tools for delivering information to an online audience; however, the two types of digital media are quite different and not interchangeable at all. Understanding the characteristics, creation requirements and common uses of webinars and podcasts can be helpful in selecting the right format for your needs.

Podcast Features




A podcast is a type of recorded audio content that's typically available as a series of episodes or regular installments. The concept of a podcast was originally developed by Apple for the iPod. Podcasts can be downloaded as files to be played on your computer or any other appropriate mobile device. Although podcasts generally consist of audio content, they're also capable of distributing other types of digital content such as e-books and video.



Webinar Features




A webinar can be thought of as a conference or seminar that's held over the Internet in real time. Unlike podcasts, webinars have a naturally interactive, collaborative nature. For example, two-way audio and live chat enable both presenters and audience members to communicate with one another. To accommodate those who can't participate in the live session, webinars can also be recorded and delivered for later use, minus the interactive aspects.









Creation




Creating a podcast is a fairly straightforward and inexpensive process. A computer with an Internet connection, a decent microphone, and some free or low-cost software such as Audacity or Windows Sound Recorder is all you need to create a simple podcast. Webinars require a platform to deliver the audio and visual components of the presentation simultaneously. Webinar software platforms include GoToWebinar, MegaMeeting and Adobe Connect. In addition to one of these programs, a tool to create slides, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, or Google Docs is also needed.



Uses




Podcasts have a variety of uses: Some are designed for pure entertainment, while others deliver news or serve as a publicity or marketing tool. In the field of education, podcasts have become a supplement to classroom lectures and can serve as a recorded backup for students who missed a live lecture. The interactive elements of webinars make them well-suited for educational workshops and employee training sessions but can also be a powerful marketing tool to engage with current and potential customers. Webinars eliminate the time and expense usually associated with traveling to such sessions and give audience members the flexibility to view the recorded presentation at a later time if needed.

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Facebook can be a valuable tool for businesses looking to reach customers and potential customers without breaking the bank. If you have a Facebook business profile and you’re looking for ways to reward people for sharing your content, look no further. There are many ways to encourage Facebook fans to share your photos or statuses, thus expanding your business profile’s reach and gathering more fans.

Follow Facebook’s Rules




While Facebook’s policies allow for rewards, there are some rules. If you have an app, you can’t reward users for solely sending an app request to friends. However, you can reward users based on the number of friends who accept the app request. Such rewards may include points or credits to be used in a game. You can also reward fans of your business page -- as long as your rewards apply both to current fans of as well as new fans. You can’t set up a reward for new fans only.



Offer Coupons or Discounts




Persuade Facebook users to share your content by offering exclusive coupons or discounts for your business. For example, you may post a photo with a caption that says, “Like and share this photo to receive a 10% off coupon.” Then you can send coupons to the Facebook users who “like” and “share” your photo, and your promotion will show up in your fans’ News Feeds, as well as in the News Feeds of friends of fans, spreading your business name and coupon to more people.









Donate to Charity




People like to find ways to help others and feel good about their choices. Appeal to the altruistic nature of Facebook users, do some good and gain fans all at the same time. Your business could run a campaign to donate $1 to a charity for every “like” the business page gets, encouraging current fans to spread the word and news fans to feel good about liking your page, all while painting your company in a positive light.



Make It Easy




Whatever your content, make it easy for fans to share and understand. The purpose, reward and any rules or conditions need to be spelled out so your fans know exactly what they need to do in order to earn a reward. If your goal is to increase your fans, clearly state that a user must be a fan in order to win. If there are only a certain number of winners, let your fans know that before they enter. Make it simple for people to understand and share your content.

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When a business falls into Google’s good graces, it means that the business will rank highly on the Google search engine results page, meaning more people will find the business. Google evaluates brands and websites based on relevance and reliability, and several factors determine whether your brand will rank well. There are many steps you can take to improve your brand’s recognition by Google, and it takes more work than optimizing a website.

Make a Google-Friendly Website




To make your website Google-friendly, provide high-quality copy that includes keywords -- but not too many -- that people might use to search for your business through Google. For example, if you’re a plumber in Plano, Texas, people will probably search “plumber in Plano” and similar terms, but you can use Google tools to research how people search for a business in your area and revise your website accordingly. Google also favors websites that are friendly to mobile devices, meaning your website should have a mobile version.



Claim a Google Places Page




Set up a Google Places profile for your business as soon as possible. When your business has a Google Places page, Google sees your brand as more authoritative, thus increasing your Google search ranking and your brand’s exposure. To sign up, provide Google with your business information, including an address, phone number, business name and photos. The more complete your profile, the more Google will favor your brand. Claiming your Google Places page (link in Resources) also means that when potential customers search for a related business in your area, your business will show up with a map to your door.









Create a Facebook Page




Social network accounts are also recognized by Google, in addition to your website. When you set up a business Facebook page, it builds your brand even more in Google’s eyes, and when people search for your business, your Facebook page will show up in search results, in addition to your website, giving your business more search engine power. Google also crawls and indexes Facebook comments. This means that the more Facebook interactions you have, the more authority your brand will build with Google.



Update Your Blog




Google favors websites that have dynamic content, in addition to static content. When your website has a blog, it means that every time you add a new blog post, Google indexes those new pages, increasing authority and brand recognition with Google. The more you update your blog, the better. However, make sure to keep your blog posts relevant and useful to the people who visit your website. If you stuff keywords into your blog posts, Google may penalize your blog for keyword-stuffing.

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If you own a gym, you're always looking for new and innovative ways to get more customers through your doors and onto your treadmills. While you may be well-versed in traditional advertising practices, if you haven't implemented a digital marketing strategy, you're missing out on an effective, low-cost way to bring in extra bodies.

Create a Fitness Blog




A great way to engage your customers and potential customers while increasing your search engine optimization (SEO) ranking is to create and regularly update a gym blog. Because you’re in the fitness business, you already have the subject-matter expertise to share nutrition tips, workout programs and even success stories. Ask your personal trainers to contribute to the blog on a regular basis. Part of your search engine ranking depends on the frequency of content publishing, so get ready to commit.



Create and Post Videos




Video is an effective way to digitally market to your customers. Videos are easy to share, which means that they’re likely to be viewed and passed around on social networks like Facebook and video sites like YouTube. As a gym owner, you have a great opportunity to create useful, instructional videos that your audience will find helpful. You may want to post a video all about the correct way to perform a squat, or offer a virtual tour of your gym. Post these videos to YouTube, social media sites and to your own website for maximum exposure. Always include sharing links on your site to help viewers quickly share videos.









Create Social Promotions




If you want to create a stir while building your digital audience, consider implementing digital marketing promotions. Social media is an easy, inexpensive way to market to large audiences. One idea would be to have a “free admission day" for people who "like" your Facebook page, mention you on Twitter, or use a specific hash tag on Instagram. You could also offer a free class, discounted personal training session or a free branded water bottle for sharing one of your videos or blogs. Once you’ve created a following through your digital promotions, your future marketing endeavors will have even greater impact.



Manage Your Online Reputation




These days, savvy consumers tend to do a lot of online research before making a purchase. And since a gym membership often involves a long-term contract, your digital reputation is vital to your success. As part of your digital marketing strategy, you should monitor sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google and any local review sites and respond to complaints or poor reviews with positive action and good customer service. As you’re working to expand your digital influence, don’t let bad reviews sabotage your efforts.

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