Building Your Digital Presence

SEO, Social Media, Websites, Mobile ApplicationsALL THAT.. MADE LESS SCARY

I Know What You are Thinking, but…

I Don’t Sell Stuff This Early…

Thank you for coming. My presentation style encourages

engagement!

How to Grow Your Business• We have to grow ourselves

• Industry research, continuing education, etc.

• We have to set good habits for ourselves• Our daily habits define our success

• We have to know when its best to ask for help• We need to watch our for scams and deceptive

sales• We need to have PASSION about what we do!• We need to be so excited to go to work that we

can’t sleep

What did we pack for Lunch?

We need to think differently.Go against the grain.

Avoid the Organization Vampires

Purple Deck Philosophy• Knowledge is worth sharing• Use this information for yourself• Use this information to interview ‘experts’• Or use this time to connect with us• Either way we have been true to our core value

of sharing valuable information

I Am Not a Landscaper…

Hire People Smarter Than You

Billion Dollar Question:What do the Millennials Want?

What Millennials Want• Quick access to information• Easy to use interface• Smartphone usability• Do everything online…funnel them with a strategy• To Call or Visit your location

Case Study: Ship Apartments• Targeted Mobile App, Social Media, and SEO

Campaign• Occupancy increased to 97% over 6 months• Students use the App more than the site• Why?

• Quick• Already on Their Phone• Easy to Use

Website Self Audit• Is my site mobile friendly?• How easy is it to navigate?• Do I have too much information?• …Not Enough

• Am I ranking as high in Google as I Should• Can my customers find me?

Free Testing Tools• Google Page Speed Insights• Google Mobile Testing Tool• Sucuri Site Scan

Free Website Tips• Condense information about your business• You want to funnel an interested party to take an action (call you)

• Post relative content about projects and stories• Keep content fresh and updated• People Judge a Website by the Home Page• Ensure your site looks nice

• Desktop• Smartphone• Tablet

Free Website Tips• SSL Certificates• Encrypted Transfer of Data• Considered by Google in Ranking

• Site without SSL• Postcard Theory of Mail

• Site with SSL• Letter Theory of Mail

Free Website Tips• Know where your Domain is Registered• www.whois.com

• Budget for a Revamp Every Three Years• Technology is rapidly changing• Your site should reflect the newest standards

Search Engine Optimization• SEO – Buzzword used by “Buzzword” Sales People• Good intentions, but often do not understand the science

• As we look at the common lies keep in mind• High Quality Content Helps• Meta Titles and Descriptions Help Targeting• High Quality In-Bound Links are Valuable• Keywords Should be Page Specific

SEO Case Study: XYZ Landscaping• XYZ Landscaping spent $100,000’s of Dollars• No Impact with Little Communication• Were They Getting SEO• According to Google, NO• They were ‘leasing’ advertisement space• Most Millennials Trust Sites that Organically Rank High• Overall Distrust with Advertisements

• Three months into a Targeted SEO Campaign• Results that surpass industry averages

SEO Case Study: XYZ Landscaping• What did they change?• High Quality Content• Monthly Site Optimization• Location Based Targeting on the Page Level

• Remember: Pages Rank, Websites Don’t

THE SEO LIES• They may not be lies, but they are not true…

• Beware of the “Buzzword Salesman”

• SEO is more about data science than marketing,but the two work hand in hand.

Lie #1: I Can Get You #1 Ranked on Google• “Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee

rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.” –Google

LIE #2: WE PAY GOOGLE FOR #1 RANKINGS • “Advertising with Google won't have any effect

on your site's presence in our search results. Google never accepts money to include or rank sites in our search results.” -Google

LIE #3: EVERY INDUSTRY IS THE SAME • Google has stated on their webmaster site that

many SEO’s who are unethical have given the process a black eye by trying to market in a manner that does not fit the industry. • Unfortunately, this can cause you to have

negative results instead of moving forward.

LIE #4: DUPLICATE CONTENT IS FINE • 1. Is my content trustworthy and well written? • 2. Is it unique or could it be considered a

duplication of something else? • 3. Are there spelling mistakes or typos? • 4. Is it short or could it be considered “Fluff”? • Content needs good substance and at least

1,000 to 1,500 words at a minimum.

LIE #5 & #6: YOU NEED TO GET AS MANY LINKS AND KEYWORDS AS POSSIBLE • Keyword density is important, but remember

pages rank, not websites.• Not all links are created equal

• Bonus Strategy Tip

LIE #7: WE WILL SUBMIT YOU TO HUNDREDS OF DIRECTORIES • Is it a lie…not really, but will it help at all…no.

• Google, Bing, Alexa, DMOZ, and a few others

• Some of these directories hurt your ranking

LIE #8: EXPLAINING WHAT WE DO IS TOO COMPLICATED • We are not making rocket engines….• Ideal flow of an SEO campaign

LIE #9: WE CAN DO SEO IN ONE MONTH FOR A FLAT FEE AND THAT IS ALL YOU NEED • A good targeted campaign takes 6- 8 months• Framework can be done in a month for a flat

rate, but it requires constant updates and support.

LIE #10: THE ONLY MARKETING YOU NEED IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION • No!• You need a good mix of a variety of campaigns

to funnel visitors to your site or mobile app to contact you.• Driving traffic and managing the behaviors of

search is just one aspect (an important one) of an overall marketing strategy.

Self Audit• Is my site mobile friendly?• Google Mobile Friendly Test

• How fast does my site load?• Google Page Insights

• Am I blacklisted?• Sucuri SiteCheck

• Do I own my domain?• WhoIs Lookup

FREE SEO Tips• Increase Domain Validity• Extend Domain Registration for 5+ Years• Add an SSL for Secure Browsing• Make Sure Domain Registration Information is Accurate

FREE SEO Tips• Content is King• Avoid lots of advertisements• Focus on High Quality Content• Avoid Content Duplication

Top 5 Mistakes• Thinking Too Broad• Using Category Terms Instead of Specifics• Choosing Volume over Relevance• Failing to Research• Not Realizing that Pages Rank, not Sites

Social Media Strategies That Work• No one cares about reposts of other news

sources• If you are in professional services, why are you

posting recipes• Outdated Strategies That don’t Work

• Constant Strong Original Content Tailored Towards Your Field Build an Audience

Social Media Tips That Work• Use Instagram to Post to Facebook, Twitter, and

other networks.• Keep Content Original• Hire Someone that Either Understands the

Industry or Invests the Time to Learn• Do NOT buy Likes. Avoid Facebook Advertising.

Do These Today• Setup a Company LinkedIn Page• Have Employees Listed on LinkedIn• Setup Google Local Listings for Brick and

Mortar Locations

Mobile Apps Build Loyalty• Yes they can be expensive through other providers • We do have a solution for $500 if you want more information.• Tuscarora Mt Winery• Hill Top Arms• Ship Apartments• Harshbargers Sub n Malt

Questions• Websites• Search Engine Optimization• Social Media• Mobile Applications

Recap

• Make sure your site is mobile friendly• Find someone who is knowledgeable in the space• Consider getting an SSL (Now a Google Rank Factor)• Consider Building an Audience with a Mobile App• Don’t pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if

you don’t like them• With a changing landscape we need evolve and

explore

Next Steps• Hire a Firm that Understands Your Business• Avoid the 10 Lies• Start by Auditing Your Web Presence• As your Web Presence is being Optimized plan a

Social Media Push• Once the Website and Social Media is Optimized,

Consider a Mobile App to get the Best Out of Your Entire Audience

Thank you.• Nathan Neil – Purple Deck Media• Co-founder & COO• nneil@purpledeck.com