Creativity in the arts comes natural for me, but managing web content, getting high up on the search engines and promoting my products and services is something I'm always seeking to improve. So, when I saw an add in the paper for a low cost seminar on how to get people to your web site, using Google Analytics and SEO, Search Engine Optimization, I called and signed up. It was a great seminar by Jacqueline Wolven, local marketing goddess, and part time director of the Eureka Springs Downtown Network. The seminar was put on by the University of Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center,asbtdc.org, and I learned a LOT! Jackie is a great speaker! She is helpful, and shared a whole bunch of great things with us! www.Jacquelinewolven.com Here are some key points from the presentation...

Google is the biggest search engine, and it likes real words in real sentences that say real things. Some of the best ways to boost search engine ratings, therefore, are to have a blog on your web site, link your web site to a Facebook business page, and Facebook to your web site. Writing a good "about" FAQ page on your web site is also a really good way to describe to the public what you are all about, and use all the keywords that will boost your Google search rating as well. The blog is a great way to get people to stay on your site longer, which will increase their odds of using your services, or buying something from your site. Also make full use of descriptions and captions, and make sure you include your main keywords. Just make sure you are writing content that actually applies to your subject, and not just a bunch of random keywords. It has to make sense, or your ranking will go down.

Google loves photos that have names (alt tags) rather than just a jpg number. They add to the search ability of your site, so name your photos with keywords that relate to what is in the photo, and include your own name if you are wanting more name recognition.

Google loves videos, so posting videos that are 30 seconds to 3 minutes can really boost your SEO. It is best to post the video separately in 3 places, your blog, YouTube, and Facebook. In fact, the search engines starting to give search priority to videos. Think of them as little mini commercials for your site. Again, write a description that includes your main keywords.

Now, it is best to clean up any old keyword pages that just list hidden key words, like we used to use before. You actually get penalized, or even banned from searches if you don't use words in sentences, because Google is looking for authentic content. 

To find out what the top key words are for your business, you came use free tools such as Adwords.google.com to analyze your own page, as well as your top competitors pages. 

One of the free tools that Jackie most recommended was Hubspot's Marketing Grader. Marketing.grader.com You put your website in, and it tells you the areas you can improve on!

Internet tips: people spend lots of time and stay on sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and twitter, so learn how to get people to your web site from these high traffic sites. 

You want to keep a fresh web presence, and continue to add keywords, so post  every 2 days to your web site blog, using keywords that apply to your business, then copy paste a link to the blog on to higher traffic sites such as your business Facebook page. Clicking on your link brings them to your web site, where you can have products and services for them to buy.

Blog tips: Write content that your readers would find helpful and interesting, and not just about your self. Use unique blog titles of less than 75 characters.

Facebook tips: On facebook, don't post more than 2-3 posts per day, or people tend to get annoyed and hide or unlike you.  Stay positive and professional!
Time your posts for the golden high traffic time of 8:00- 9:00PM. Posts can be created ahead of time, and scheduled by clicking on the little clock icon, and entering the day and time you want it to go live. 
Get everyone you meet to like your business page, and do most of your Facebook activity, pertaining to your business from your administration page, which has all the stats and demographics of who is visiting your page. 
Suggest that all your personal Facebook friends like your business page to help you grow your business, and have them suggest it to their friends. 
Photos are powerful, it is best to post them in albums, because people will look at the rest of the photos in an album. Post photos, then comment on them, then keep the conversation going to keep it coming up in the news feed, to reach more people. Regularly add a photo to an existing album, and many people will look at earlier photos, and continue to keep it active.
Post photos of all activities relating to your business and post them in your blog, and link those to your other social networks.

People love to catch a sneak peek behind the scenes, so find ways to post about the process of what you do. 
Ask people to share this or tweet this at the end of a post, to get it viewed by more people. 
Like as many people as possible from your business page, to get more people to see your site, and come up on more news feeds.  

Thanks for reading my blog. Please check out my art and photography web site, www.wendilafey.com, where it is easy to view my art work and photography, and order it on a variety of cool items such as coffee mugs, clothing, cell phone cases, prints on canvas, cutting boards, etc! I also do photo shoot sessions, events and weddings, so contact me if I can serve you in some way! Yay! 

So, if you enjoyed this, please post a link to my website www.wendilafey.com, and follow my blog, www.wendilafey.com/blog, and like my Facebook business page Wendi La Fey Studios? Thanks!