Internet Strategy Experts

Web 180 presents "Internet Marketing Made Easy"

2010-05-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

One simple process teaches you how to spend half the time and get twice the results from your Social Media efforts, your Search Engine Marketing efforts, your Email Marketing Efforts and all of your efforts on your web site or blog.

This program is intended for: Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Marketers, Independent Professionals, Coaches, Consultants, Speakers, Authors... This is the most valuable information a company can have in today’s Internet Marketing world. We teach a system that boils everything down to one easy to manage process for managing your various online marketing initiatives - from email marketing to Social Media Marketing and even Search Engine Marketing. We’ve taught this system to well over 100 companies. This process changes everything. Not only will you learn how to improve your business, you will also reduce resources required to produce, and have a tangible way to measure, results.

ALL FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OFFICE - NO TRAVEL TIME, NO TRAVEL EXPENSES.

Here is what you'll learn in the this 75 minute high-level Webinar - training course:

* Cut to the chase - stop wasting time
* What does it take to get people to buy?
* A simple process
* Putting the process into action
* Making the process work for your business, your schedule and your budget
* Getting and measuring results

For more information on Internet Marketing Made Easy go here...

Internet Marketing Made Easy

SEO Secrets Anyone Can Use to Improve Google Rankings

2010-04-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Once your content is complete you will move on to the most important step of the process, Keyword research. If you are not familiar with researching keywords you need to hire an expert to help with this step. Incomplete knowledge of Keyword research is one of the most common reasons for online failure. Having a good grasp on this will make your efforts much more effective.

There are two types of keywords you should be targeting: Keywords that get you immediate traction and longer term keyword projects. Some keywords are going to be difficult to rank well with quickly because there are a million competitors looking to rank with the same keywords. That is not to say they shouldn't be targeted, but be aware you should not expect an immediate return. High competition keywords take time to climb the ranks.

Keyword examples

Internet Marketing – Will take longer to rank well with because there is a lot of competition.

Milwaukee Internet Marketing – Would generate results more quickly because there are still a lot of monthly searches but fewer sites competing for the keywords. Plus it has the core set of keywords “Internet Marketing” in it.

The most important thing to know when using keywords is that if you are targeting keywords, you need dedicated content directly related to that set of keywords. The name of the page should contain the keywords, the title of the page should contain keywords and the headline on the article or page should contain keywords.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using keywords. Another way of saying that is; there are varying levels of importance when using keywords. Here it is in a nutshell:

Use keywords in links – "If you are looking for Milwaukee Internet Marketing services for your business, here are some questions you should ask your potential provider."

For the Rest of the Story go here... SEO Secrets Anyone Can Use to Improve Google Rankings

5 Simple Things to do to Win Online

2010-04-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

We make an effort to help clients understand that marketing online is simple if you have a good plan. While a good plan can be quite complex, there are a few simple things anyone can do to improve your business through online marketing efforts.

1. Keep things moving - Online marketing can be like a shark, if it stops swimming, it dies. If you intend to win online, you must continually put forth effort to do these things

Enhance user's experience on your web site. Give them more of what they want and make it easier for them to do what they want to do.
Improve your odds of being found online. Get testimonials and have satisfied customers put them online. Add a few paragraphs each week to a blog, submit an article, update a Facebook wall, do something at least every week.If you have a keyword strategy take a few minutes to add content to your site, a blog or any Social Media application usg keywords to link back to your site and build your funnel. If you don't have a keyword strategy, learn how to get one, or build one on your own.
Take a 30 second movie of an interesting aspect of your operation. Put it in on your site and put it on youTube or a blog.

2. Communicate with your existing clients - Through whatever technology is most efficient for you, let your customers know about ways you can help them. Try an email blast with just a few sentences of text that will let them know you have something that can improve their circumstance. If you have a Twitter account send tweets at least once a week, update your status on LinkedIn or Facebook. Use this communication to be helpful.

3. Collect email addresses - At every opportunity, collect emaill addresses from existing clients and prospects. Keep them in separate lists as well as in one main list. If you already have a method to send email blasts you're increasing your reach. If you don't, consider signing up for Constant Contact or Mail Chimp to start managing your email databases and send messages to the list that best fits your message.

For the Rest of the Story go here... Internet Strategy Mistakes

Foolproof Way To Make More Online

2010-04-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice if someone just told you exactly what would and what wouldn't work online before you spent time and money finding out? Like a a step by step, "How To" guide/Internet Strategy customized specifically for your business.

Just a few years ago succeeding online was different than it is today. There were only a few tricks and anyone could use them to enhance their online presence. Resources available to market a company online were relatively few. In contrast, today there are literally thousands of things a company can do to create and effective Internet Strategy. In fact, there may be more than one right way to achieve success online, yet, what works for one company may not work for another. It can be confusing and complicated to say the least.

Over the last year and a half Web 180 has been devising a method for developing an Internet Strategy for any company using that company’s existing processes and resources. Each strategic plan is different and specifically tailored to each company’s objectives, unique demands and operations. Our ability to write a successful plan for a company requires a high degree of trust, candor and focus. This is not a service for just anyone. We take each case based on its own merits but tend to avoid start-ups unless they have, and will share, a well developed business plan. We also stay away from situations where a company’s decision makers are not part of the collaborative process.

For more information - http://www.web180.com/internet-strategy-guides.asp

Based in the Waukesha, WI, Web 180 delivers powerful online solutions for businesses of all sizes, helping them boost the effectiveness of their marketing programs and helping them become more efficient in other areas by automating key processes. In addition to Internet Strategy consultation, Web 180 builds develops and maintains web sites, develops custom Web applications to meet clients’ unique needs and has created a host of “plug-and-play” Web applications for such functions as e-commerce, podcasting, audio blogging, e-mail marketing, poll management, content management and customized Social Networking development.

Cale Guin
Web 180
262-544-5566
http://www.web180.com/

Control Your Online Reputation

2010-03-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

As Honest Abe once said: You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. No matter who you are or what you do some people will like you and some people wont. When you put yourself out there you automatically draw attention and you automatically draw fire from those who are not your fans.

Recently Nestle found out exactly how quickly a few poorly placed defensive comments on Facebook can directly impact a company. After being criticized on Facebook for their contribution to deforestation in collecting palm oil, a Nestle representative responded with rude comments to the companys critics. Company stock dropped in direct relation to the growing scandal.

Heres what happened:

http://www.web180.com/managing-your-online-reputation.asp

Cale Guin
Web 180
262-544-5566
http://www.web180.com/

Internet Strategy Shenanigans - Buyer Beware!

2010-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Marketing companies doing SEO, computer retailers and networking companies designing web sites, some guy in a basement somewhere offering online marketing services… dogs and cats living in harmony. It’s not pretty out there right now. When you’ve spent a long time in the business of providing online solutions for businesses you have a good feel for who does what, regardless of what they publicly claim. It’s easy for us because we see the dirty underbelly every day and we’ve seen it evolve into what it is today. I feel bad for honest companies looking for honest solutions. There are a lot of individuals and companies out there claiming to be experts that can magically make all of your online dreams come true.

Heck, with just the amount of effort being put forth by businesses using Social Media (on the poor advice of wannabes), we could have cured Monkey Pox by now. They put in all that time and effort and get nothing measurable in return. If used properly, Social Media can be immensely valuable, but the way it is typically used, users would be better off reading in the dark.

For the whole story see - Internet Stratgey Shenanigans at this address - http://www.web180.com/find-internet-strategy-experts.asp

Cale Guin
Web 180
262-544-5566
http://www.web180.com/

Top 10 Internet Strategy Mistakes

2010-03-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

We all know mistakes cost money. We also know that mistakes are an integral part of learning. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could avoid the mistakes, and their upfront costs, yet still get the learning? Well, here you go. While entrepreneurs and big business make 100’s maybe 1,000’s of Internet Strategy mistakes, we have boiled it down to the top 10 most common in today’s online world. Avoiding these will save countless hours and thousands of dollars as you forge ahead with your online efforts.

10. Creating content for the sake of creating content

I have been doing business online since 1995. That’s before there was Google or even an easy way to get online. No matter how often I hear it, I am always amazed at how easy people think it is to succeed online. They tell me how they are mastering Social Media. They talk about how often they “Tweet”, post status updates, post to their blog, update Facebook, send email newsletters… you name it. They have it all figured out.

Funny thing is, they not only don’t have “it” figured out, they’re likely hurting their chances of improving their business. Oh, and one more thing, they are wasting an incredible amount of time. If they spent that kind of effort actually working their business, they would likely not need all of the stuff that makes it so easy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of today’s technologies. They can have a huge impact on your business. But when it comes to successful Internet Strategies, here’s a novel approach – have a point!

Constant updates, just to be “out there”, do more harm than good. Updates to say you’re leaving for an appointment will have more people turning off your updates than will listen to you when you actually have something to say.

Take some time to plan your content for a few weeks in advance. Make sure that you have something to say. Communicating with your audience should not be a chore. Your first reason for putting content "out there" should not be to sell your products or services. It should be to give them valuable information and a reason to trust you and view you as an expert.

To see the whole list of Internet Strategy Mistakes go here - http://www.web180.com/internet-strategy-mistakes.asp

Cale Guin
Web 180
262-544-5566
http://www.web180.com/

You define Success. We Guarantee It.

Finding a Good Website Designer

2009-08-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Recently someone came to me with a website concept. They had taken the concept to other companies. After delivering a proposal, this person wanted another meeting with me. During the meeting he shared that he needed to make sure we had all the details because the last place he got a proposal from quoted him over $17,000. Our quote was for under $5,000. After going over the requirements again, I came up with the same quote.

How could that happen?

There are all kinds of Website design and development companies out there. There are a few important distinctions you should first consider when choosing a website provider:

Website Designers - Website designers are typically good at designing sites - the look and feel. They may even have some working knowledge of navigation concepts (how people will get to the various parts of your site). Typically that is where their expertise ends. They will likely not have solid working knowledge of custom eCommerce solutions, Search Engine Marketing or custom applications if you need them.

Website Developers - Website Developers, on the other hand, are good at the more technical skills such as custom applications, eCommerce solutions and the like bit may or may not be as strong in the design and navigation facet. At Web 180 we are fortunate to possess both skills. We are not the only company but we are a much rarer breed than you may think.

The problem with these two groups is that they don't have the other critical pieces to ensure your website's success. I don't care if you are a Fortune 500 company or a work-from-home-entrepreneur; you need a few other weapons to win the online-success battle.

Ask yourself this question – why will people come to my site? Here's the most important thing you must understand if you want people to visit your site... it has to be properly marketed. Period. I get asked all the time, "How long after the site is live before we start to see real traffic?". It never ceases to amaze me that people really believe that "if you build it, they will come". It doesn't work that way. There are well over a billion website on the World Wide Web

There are three primary ways to get people to go to your site:

Search Engine Marketing - This may involve Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns (in the paid ad slots on search engines) or Search Engine Optimization (getting good or frequent rankings in search Engine's result pages). There are other methods that can be used when marketing via search engines, but these are the two most common. No matter how you slice it, this is a service you are going to have to pay for. A few things to watch out for:

A provider who guarantees specific rankings such as, “you'll be in the top ten results in Google”. If you hear this run for the hills. It’s impossible unless that person works at Google or Yahoo! and wants to get fired.

Be as weary, if not more weary, if a provider does not have an ongoing plan for Search Engine Marketing. It is not a “set it and forget it” concept. Search results change every day and so do the search trends – as far as which words people type into search engines to find what they are looking for. There should be monthly maintenance, or at the very least monthly consultation, fees involved. It is important to be realistic. Any provider who over simplifies Search Engine Marketing is not the company you want doing this work for you. If you want people showing up on your site without traditional advertising or marketing, SEM is the backbone of your success.

Be very concerned if there is no mention of researching your keywords. This is cornerstone of any SEM campaign. If you are targeting the wrong words, your efforts will be for nothing. You may get good rankings for words no one is searching for. This is vital. You must have a good handle on what people are looking for at all times.

Search Engine Optimization has changed drastically this year (2009). If your provider cannot explain the terms Universal Search, Blended Search results or Behavioral based search, your strategy will be drastically weakened.

Viral/Word-of-mouth – This is an excellent option if you have such a unique online service or product that, by just telling one person about it, the consumer filled skies will open and you will be inundated with new customers. OR, you can produce marketing assets that will entice people to go to your website and automatically pass the word on to friends, family and colleagues. Even if you had the ability to do this, you’d still have to know how to get the initial word out.

Tell them where to go :-) - Using traditional marketing, or any other methods, tell people to go to your site. Your website address should be on every marketing asset you have. Every time you produce any type of advertisement, write an article, do an interview or speak in general about your company, you should mention your website address.

With those three things in mind, you might still be wondering - what’s the missing ingredient from the two types of website providers described above? The answer is proper consultation. That consultation must include a thorough understanding of your objectives, the technical skills to produce the online assets you need and the marketing skills (online and off) to drive lots of the right people to your site.

Most website providers are not experts in all of the disciplines needed to produce the type of project you are expecting and paying for. If you don’t have a marketing company working for you or if you don’t have an in-house marketing department, you’ll need help.

Here’s the problem with each road you may choose to travel:

Website Designer – lack of development experience may require outsourced help to complete your project. Lack of marketing experience will either provide lackluster results or require more outsourcing. Typically designers are not well versed in what it takes to develop a site that is inexpensive and easy to maintain.

Website Developer – Lack of design experience may result in poor imaging of your company, several attempts (lots of extra time) or it may require outside help which will be marked up and more expensive. Lack of marketing experience will lead to poor sales performance or will require outsourcing to produce desired results.

Marketing company – Lack of development experience will lead to poor a performing site, a site that is difficult and expensive to maintain down the road. Most marketing companies do not actually do the long term SEM processes. However they are good at temporarily driving targeted traffic.

Find a provider that can show you samples of the work they have done that relates closely to what you are looking for. Ask them about each facet of the project and be honest about your expectations for each facet:

Design – Make it look good
Development – Make it work well
Marketing - Make people go there

Then ask them how they intend to deliver what you are expecting in the areas where they are the weakest. Ask if they can recommend anyone who can directly handle the areas of weakness so you don’t have to pay the mark up. Make sure you are comfortable with them. You will be spending your hard-earned money so you'll need to feel comfortable holding them accountable.

Your best option may to find a consultant. There are not many good ones out there. Of the consultants that are out there, some are trying to make millions from get rich quick schemes and others don't have working knowledge of all the facets of successful websites. At Web 180 we have consulting options that are guaranteed to pay for themselves or you get your money back. We don’t care who you are working with… we may find that you’re working with someone in over their head but we will not sell our services during consulting.

Make sure that success is the goal, not the end of a project.

Cale Guin - Web 180
http://www.web180.com/
Cale@web180.com
262-544-5566

What should your website do for you?

2009-02-05T09:28:00.001-08:00

Everyone knows they need a website but they don't always know why or what thier site should do for them. Here are the top 5 reasons for building and managing a website:

5. Be an expert. Show off your expertise and more importantly give your visitors the info they want so they don't have to go somewhere else to get it. Keep the info fresh and they will keep coming back and remember your site/company as a place to go to get the info they need.

4. Build or enhance your company's brand/image. When people get to your site (80 - 90% of people shop and research online before making key decisions or purchases) it should exude the image you've worked so hard to develop.

3. Increase your audience and your visibility. A website with the proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plan in place can greatly increase traffic to your website. SEO is the technique of increasing rankings when relevant keywords are typed into a search engine such as Google or Yahoo! Heritage companies can increase by 8 – 10% and upstarts by much more.

2. Significantly reduce your advertising and marketing expenses. By using your traditional advertising or marketing message to drive traffic to your site, you can reduce what your message has to say. Car dealers put a few specials in a full page ad in the paper but their entire inventory, including specials that they can change or edit every day (in minutes), is on their website. They could reduce their ad size by half, draw more attention to their ad that now says "for the lowest prices guaranteed! - go to ourWebsite.com". We have clients that stopped buying :60 second spots on the radio and started buying :10 sponsorships ("news is brought to you by Web 180 where your website can be redesigned every year for free. Visit Web 180.com") they greatly reduced their expense and were even able to increase their coverage/frequency.

1. Generate revenue. If you think your company or industry is unable to make money from your website, give me an hour of your time and I will do everything I can to find a solution. Here are a few examples:
a. Increase leads - more reliable leads than any other source. AND you get to keep the info for future use in your email marketing efforts.
b. Increase sales - either by selling products or services directly from website OR by offering easy, convenient method of generating leads
c. Subscriptions to proprietary information

Now that you know just the top 5 reasons, is your website working for you? If not, let us know. We will happily extend free consultation to you.

Cale Guin
Web 180
262-544-5566
http://www.web180.com

Extraordinary websites, honest unwavering support for the life of your project and free redesigns every year.
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