Hi there – I’m on a mission to find pet companies who could use free tips on making their websites work better in terms of traffic and sales. Is this you? If so, read on… I’m giving away a free web-marketing book to pet-industry companies each month for the next three months, starting in August.…
Did you hear that thunderous rumbling on July 23rd? It wasn’t another rainstorm. It was the sound of the buzz created by Apple’s unveiling of Flipboard for the iPad. Here’s a Website Magazine article about it, with the Apple video announcing it. In the web content world, nothing stays the same for long. Or does…
Just about every week, I come across someone who asks what I do for a living. When I tell them I help pet businesses (marketing to pet owners or veterinarians, etc.) improve their website content and results, suddenly they get very animated. They say things like, “I wish I could find a pet product or…
if the content works. Advertising legend Stan Rapp was recently featured in a YouTube video that captured his speech about the death of advertising. Take a moment to watch it. Stan makes a terrific point. He says that smart, thriving companies are shifting from advertising to “i-Vertising” — which means that all marketing efforts…
If you’ve always wondered why some pet-industry websites show up higher in Google results than others… or even yours… today I’m going to reveal what Google considers to be a quality website. You see, when a person uses Google to find websites that meet his or her needs, its algorithm for finding the best, most…
If you’re working hard to market your pet products or services online, grow traffic to your website and make the most of every visit, you need to see this video by marketing legend Stan Rapp. My favorite quote in it is, “Those opt-ins are the Holy Grail.” What does this mean exactly? If your website…
Hi there, I’m conducting an informal survey and would love your input. Please tell me which pet-related website you love… and why. You can name one site or several — your choice. Please provide the web address/URL too. What makes it a great site? Is it the… User-friendliness? Quality of info provided? Products or services…
Get this. I just received an inviting email that promoted a new free video report called something like, 10 Mistakes You Could Be Making With Your Website, and How To Fix Them. I was intrigued, so I clicked on the link. It didn’t work. I landed on some placeholder web page that had a standard…
Greetings – Today’s topic is about SEO copywriting — that magical blend of three things that make your website work (if it has these ingredients): The strategic and ethical use of relevant and competitive keywords (keyphrases) your prospects are using in search engines to find your pet products… Messages that are customer-focused; showing them how…
Let’s face it: on any given day, anyone can see how your online pet company is performing in search rankings. Web traffic and online sales are easily measured, and your site’s success ultimately rests on you. So – it’s time to ask yourself these questions about your business: 1. Does your pet website consistently beat…
I learned over the past couple of days that a Google algorithm change about 10 days ago has affected all ecommerce websites, especially those using content from manufacturers. This is a big deal if your website is focused on marketing pet products. As of May, 2010, the Google “May Day” Update created a situation where…
Have you read the fantastic book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott? It’s definitely worth reading if you have an interest in improving your website content and online marketing results. One of my favorite sections of the book features David’s disdain for websites that use meaningless, cliche, corporate-y phrases that…
One of my web clients asked me the other day, “Do I need to remove the wonderful testimonials from my website so I’m compliant with the new FTC Guides?” Well, that’s a good question. Last fall’s release of the updated FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising were designed to crack…
Know the best practices for testimonials that make your web content sing! There’s no doubt about it. Testimonials can play a powerful web-content supporting role in establishing credibility for your business, helping prospects envision themselves enjoying the outcome of your products and/or services… AND optimizing your site for search engines if keywords are included. The…
Clients are starting to ask me about using social media as part of their pet internet marketing strategy, with questions such as: “What’s the best approach?” “How do we get followers and fans?” “Does it really work?” Quite often, my answer is the same because in my view, social media is one of many powerful…
Gotta love Jakob Nielsen, the king of website usability and owner of the world-famous Nielsen Norman Group. He recently posted a highly informative and useful article about web content, scrolling pages, visitor attention, and the importance of having critical content “above the fold” (the first screen people see when landing on a web page). Before…
Here’s how to make the most of them. Here’s my big AHA! of the day: Web page titles can be critical regarding how you look to prospects in search engine results. What’s that you say? Page titles? You’re not alone if you’ve never noticed the page titles WAY up at the top of your browser…
Remember the phrase, “Put your money where your mouth is?” This adage is 100% applicable to pet internet marketing and having web content that works to 1) drive traffic to your site and 2) connect with buying customers. Here’s why. Keywords equal money in today’s cluttered online marketplace. And your web content represents the messages…
“What a beautiful website! I couldn’t find what I needed, but it sure is a pretty site.” That kind of a compliment is death to an online business. Here’s why. If your site is gorgeous — a work of art — but the graphics dominate the content, visitors will be less likely to find the…
To generate more sales or leads on your website, make sure your content offers VALUE to your visitors. There seems to be some confusion in the web world regarding the role of content and web conversions. I’ve heard some opinions that “lots of keyword-rich content attracts buying visitors” or “as long as people are finding…