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What is the Difference Between Content Creation and Content Curation?

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If you are managing your own social media accounts, you likely are already engaging in content creation and content curation, even if you don’t realize it. To better understand what each of these means and why it is important, it is first necessary to define the terms. Content creation is developing your own original content for social media, while content curation is utilizing relevant content from other sources that your social media audiences will be interested in or find value in.

What is a Good Balance of Each Content Type?

It would be great if we had the ability to tell you which content type should be utilized and what percentage ratios they should be used; however, no business and their audience are the same. This unique challenge for each business requires the ability to remain flexible and test your content strategies to determine the best return on investment. However, there are some helpful guidelines you can follow to ensure the best return on investment for both your business and its potential customers.

Content Creation Strategies

Content creation should involve the creation of unique social media posts, blogs that can be easily shared on social media and other visual content such as videos, infographics or relevant images. This content should always link back to your website to drive traffic and sales conversions whenever possible. It is important to not overdo it when pitching your products to customers. If you are continually trying to sell, they will likely be turned off by future content updates.

Content Curation Strategies

To successfully provide relevant curated content, a social media manager really only needs to find and share information that they find relevant to their business or the businesses audience. Depending on your business strategies, content curation can also include viral videos or memes to help boost engagement. Determining the proper content curation strategies and the frequency of posts including them takes some trial and error but will benefit your business immensely when determined.

Still Need Assistance with Content Development?

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your social media management or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

How Do I Choose Keywords for My Website?

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If you run a website or blog, you likely have heard about the importance of keywords for search engine optimization. In marketing, keywords are a source of valuable boosts to organic traffic and using the right keywords could help spur growth. But how do you choose the RIGHT keywords for your website? Keyword research isn’t about bringing everyone in the world to your website, it’s about getting the right visitors to your website. By performing keyword research, you can often notice industry trends that are happening and cater your content to the best possible individuals based on the products or services that you offer. This is important in motivating your potential customers in nearly any niche your business may fall into.

Finding Valuable Keywords

There are many different tools available to help determine the proper keywords for your website or blog. To get you started, we will focus primarily on FREE Google based services, since most web traffic is coming from this search engine. Here is how you can find valuable keywords for your website content.

Google Analytics Search Terms Report

If your website already supports Google Analytics, you can take advantage of the Search Terms Report functionality that is already available. Sign into your AdWords account, click the campaigns tab, click the keywords tab and then click the search terms button. This will show you any keywords on your website that triggered clicks or impressions. This spreadsheet will give you a pretty good idea of what keywords your website is already ranking on. If you notice some of the keywords from your report aren’t receiving as much attention as you would like, try incorporating these keywords into future content. This process takes care of existing keywords, but how do you determine new keywords?

Google Trends

Recently, Google Trends has become a valuable resource for keyword research and search query trends. By knowing exactly what your potential customers are searching for and how they are searching for it, content can be catered to those segments. This tool also shows you the popularity of the term you search for. To use Google Trends, type your general topic or phrase into the search bar at the top of the page or choose from the predictive options that pop up when entering your keyword. Once the results populate, you will first notice the interest over time section. This can help determine if the keyword is being searched often or not. By researching the related queries, you can determine the most popular or rising keywords and implement them into your future content.

Still Need Assistance with Keywords?

Search Engine Optimization is very much driven by written content. Search engines index every word on your website, using that information to display search results. At Skynet, we know how to find the right keywords and tone for your written message. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Search Engine Optimization Solutions for Small Businesses

Though there are no shortcuts to dominating online with your business, there are many steps that small businesses can take to enhance their search engine optimization and compete in the digital world. Over time the importance of a web presence that is easily found has become critical to the success of a business, even a physical storefront. With the limited number of results on the first page, what can a small business do to compete with larger companies? Search engine optimization solutions can help small businesses remain competitive and increase the number of visitors that will find them organically through search engine results pages. To do this, it is important for small businesses to invest in building their online presence to rank higher. Here are some search engine optimization solutions for small businesses:

Get Your Business on the Map

One of the easiest, and most efficient, search engine optimization solutions a small business can complete is successfully “getting their business on the map”. If you have ever searched for a service in your local area, you likely saw different businesses placed on a map at the top of the Google search page. These businesses have utilized the power of Google’s FREE GYBO program. According to GYBO’s own statistics, a business that is online can grow 40% faster than the competition that isn’t. Furthermore, these businesses are twice as likely to create jobs as a result of this growth. Struggling to get through the GYBO process? Let us know, we can help!

Gather Reviews

After your business has successfully completed the GYBO requirements, you are now ready to start building your online presence. One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask your customers for reviews online. This can include multiple different platforms including Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, Trip Advisor or any other review site that meets the industry of your company. To specifically build your Google ranking, however, it is encouraged that you gather as many reviews as possible through Google’s own review system. Any reviews, good or bad, that you receive will be available to potential customers and attached to your business profile. For this reason, it is important to focus on providing the best customer service possible for your clients or customers to bolster your review status.

Get Social

Social media platforms have grown substantially recently. With targeted advertising opportunities on Facebook and other social platforms, you have the ability to pinpoint exactly who you are trying to reach. Finding these individuals and building a relationship with them through social media can help not only increase real-world visits but serves as one of the most powerful search engine optimization solutions as well. For example, say you have just completed a new blog that will resonate with your target audiences you have been growing. By posting this blog to your social media, you are creating shareable content that your customers will want to share because it aligns with their needs or wants. When this happens, more people can find your website and you will continue to grow.

Why Skynet Solutions?

You can always get in touch with the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your online business listing, website development, social media marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Building Engagement While Blogging

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Over time, it seems like many bloggers have done away with the comment functionality on their posts. Often this stems from the arrival of unwanted spam and advertising comments or a few negative comments that led to a bad experience. However, with the ability to approve comments before they are posted, WordPress can help you be comfortable with the comments being added to your site. Blog engagement comes in a wide variety of forms. However, post sharing through social media or direct comments on your blog posts should be your primary focus.

These two factors can help with indexing and drive consistent traffic to your website. The consistent addition of new comments on your blog, and your responses, can help ensure your pages don’t become stale and remain active. However, unless your content is phenomenal this likely won’t happen on its own. Here are some steps you can take to build engagement while blogging.

Provide Value

To bring traffic to your blog, you will need to ensure that your posts are giving some form of value to your readership. Depending on your business and business practices, this could be humor or just standard posts that strengthen your products and industry. By giving your readers value, they will be more likely to interact with your information.

Focus on Originality

If you are taking your blog ideas from other websites, hundreds to thousands of other people are as well. This can bury your posts in the search rankings and harm the exposure your website is receiving. To remedy this, flex your creative muscles and think of fresh, new content that others will want to share.

Provide a Call to Action

One of the easiest ways to build direct engagement on your blog is to ask readers to participate. Give them questions inside of the body of the content that will make them likely to respond. However, make sure you respond to each comment, otherwise, readers will have no incentive to continue commenting. This is also a great way to get the pulse of what your readership is looking for in future content.

If you need any help keeping up with your blogging requirements or updating your content, call the content creation experts at Skynet Solutions. We can write interesting, fresh content for any industry or business, as well as handling your social media and other marketing needs. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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Marketing

Ranking Your Website in Competitive Markets

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To ensure your website is successful it’s important to strive to reach top search engine ranking. However, some very competitive markets are seemingly impossible to rank in when pitted against conglomerates and other large-scale companies. Don’t let this discourage you, there are several strategies you can use to gather your share of the market!

One of the most common mistakes website owners make is tailoring their content to try and rank for general keywords. However, if you have a clearly defined niche audience you are attempting to reach, you could be ranking higher in their search results than large companies. To do this, companies have to understand what makes their product or services stand out from the large corporations and target those audiences extensively. To do this, smaller companies must be more concise with what market they are attempting to reach and focus on less competitive search engine terms.

Large companies have many resources and funding that small business owners won’t. Trying to be competitive for general keywords will likely only end in a hurt wallet and no increase in business. For example, the supplement industry is very competitive. With the wide variety of products available to consumers, it is important to find your niche and exploit it when crafting new, engaging content. Instead of saying just “protein powder”, a smaller business could experiment with more detailed phrases like “protein powder for CrossFit athletes” or “protein powder for muscle recovery”.

By following this strategy, the small business will likely rank higher for these keywords because the large company has dominated the more general term. Search engines function to provide the most accurate result possible for their users. By clearly targeting your audiences based on how they search and the terms they use, you will be more likely to achieve sustained organic traffic growth.

If you need any help keeping up with your blogging requirements or updating your content, call the content creation experts at Skynet Solutions. We can write interesting, fresh content for any industry or business, as well as handling your social media and other marketing needs. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

Categories
Marketing

Does Social Media Impact SEO?

Searching Engine Optimizing SEO Browsing Concept

More and more, social media is solidifying its place as the most prominent activity in terms of time spent online. This has, in turn, led the generation and creation of overwhelming amounts of content that can be consumed by those willing to seek it out. It’s not uncommon for many small business owners to wonder if social media really has an impact on their search engine optimization or the value it can give them.

Direct search engine optimization currently is not part of social media posting. Social media posts are indexed but this doesn’t mean that every social media post is being indexed by Google or other search engines. With the wide amount of content being created, it would quickly engulf search results, making traditional search results buried in social media posts. In most cases, bots are unable to judge the credibility of the content or author of social media posts, making them less likely to be indexed. Social media does have a more indirect impact on SEO than you may have realized.

Social media platforms are an excellent source for both links and link sharing. This can benefit traditional websites by providing a conduit to their existing website for many individuals at any given time. Branding content can also be shared, making search result rankings higher in the long term. Search has become a prominent focus on social media channels in recent years.

For example, with Twitter users can add hashtags to their post which are then easily searched. Other content that is indexed includes keywords, images and other similar content. Even though social media platforms don’t have a direct impact on SEO for business owners, it is important to realize the positive benefits that can be achieved by remaining active on social media. By providing interesting and relevant content that can easily be shared, websites owners can expect more traffic than they would receive without social media platforms. Optimizing your pages can further benefit your business.

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your social media management or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

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