Social Media

Can SEO Help Authors Promote Books Online?

Is SEO A Reliable Online Promotion Strategy for Books?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technical science, not guess-work or smoke and mirrors. Whether you are an author who wants to promote your book online, or a business owner just looking to capture more leads, SEO is a critically important marketing tool you need to be aware of and understand that might be easier than you think to take advantage of. It's true that SEO is big mystery to many people, and it's also possible to waste a lot of money on the service with a bad strategy or unprofessional provider. But SEO is an extremely critical aspect of marketing today and when done right can be a reliable foundation for every long-term marketing and promotion strategy. If you know the search terms that are being searched most often for the product or website you want to promote, such as a self-published book, and you focus energy on adding valuable information on your website for those keywords, then you may be able to gain a steady stream of new visitors to your website from those specific keyword phrase searches.

The Best DIY SEO Strategy for Authors & Writers

Aside from hiring a trusted and skilled SEO marketing agency which is always my first recommendation, I believe the next best SEO strategy is to build an on-going content creation strategy that is not just manageable but also focused and measurable. To begin, think of what kind of content you're able to create easily by yourself that is both high-quality and high-volume. Next develop a marketing strategy that incorporates your well focused & targeted SEO keyword phrases to promote that content on your website, your social media channels, and any third party websites you can utilize.

Promote Your Keyword Focused Website Content on Social Media

This strategy should emphasize promoting and distributing the valuable free content that you publish yourself on a regular basis to as wide an audience as possible. You can do this using blog posts on your website, facebook posts, twitter, Instagram, or videos you create and publish on YouTube, or Vimeo. To improve your website's ranking try to host the content directly on your website and then share the link in your social media channels & groups to promote it and build links back to that content on your website. Focusing on 1 or 2 social media platforms that specifically match the type of content you create will help keep your content & delivery focused and yield the greatest value. With social media it's better to use 1 or 2 platforms very well than to do alright at many.

SEO in a Nutshell, Link-Building & Content Creation

Optimizing keywords & meta-tags on your website is the first and best step you can take towards making your website appear in searches for specific relevant keywords. But keep in mind, the on-going bulk of the work after your existing website pages are optimized, is creating new content on your website to expand the number of pages on your site coupled with link-building strategies (creating links back to your website) on as many respected third-party websites on the internet as possible. That's SEO in a nutshell, building links that point to your website and adding & sharing valuable content on your website that is optimized for your keywords. The goal is to create signals on your website and across the internet that show Google and other search engines that your webpage on your website is THE BEST WEBPAGE on the internet for that specific keyword phrase search.

Black-Hat Link-building for SEO

One way to build links from third-party sites is to manually go add them yourself, some SEOs create their own networks of hundreds of micro-websites as forums, info sites, blogs, etc, and then slowly over time build them with content from their customers, others do it with browser 'bot' automation programs. Although, I don't recommend either of these strategies because they are unnatural, and don't typically occur organically. Some of these strategies and others that are questionable are often called Black-Hat SEO and can be penalized by Search Engines like Google.

White-Hat Link-building for SEO

Another way to build links is to create really interesting content and disseminate it in the form of press releases, social media posts, or articles on other websites. This content should be genuinely interesting and valuable to readers. If content about your product or brand are posted on news & industry websites then you're doing both promotion of your brand, building relationships, and link building happens naturally. These are just a few of the techniques that are safe to use because they are very normal and natural activity online, and are called White-Hat SEO.

Why Authors Are Great for SEO

All of these activities require work, but because the most important work in SEO is content creation, if you're an author you're well positioned to create a lot of very valuable SEO content. I tell everyone writing is the hardest part of SEO, so if you write well and often you're perfectly suited to generate a high-volume of regular content for your website's blog, social media, or third party websites that link back to your own site. Although I highly recommend hiring a professional SEO company or consultant to help you identify which keywords are best to target, how to maximize your social media value and make it efficient, optimize your website's meta tags, and show you how to include keywords appropriately in your blog posts and content. If you don't have that much money to invest in SEO, the good new is you can do the content creation and PR link building yourself with a little training and guidance. If you don't have time to do it yourself then you've got to find the right kind of content creator who can create content in the channel that's best suited for your brand and products.

Let Influencers Promote For You

In the book publishing industry, as well as many other industries, often the best way to sell a book or product is to identify the celebrities and key influencers who would really love your book or product. These are people who have a large following on social media already, people with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers. If you can get one or two of these influencers to talk about your product, you will suddenly be marketed to thousands of new people for free.

Beyond SEO, Utilize Existing Distribution Channels

Another route is to simply access the large distribution channels out there that already exist. For instance, how do you get your book or product on the "featured new & best sellers" shelves in brick & mortar stores as well as online retail stores? How do you get established groups or associations of people to add your book to their "staff pick" lists? If you can find out this may be the easiest way to get seen and heard. I for one have never ordered a book I'd never heard of by accidentally stumbling across it online. I find books by looking at "what other customers bought" lists, staff picks at bookstores, recommendations from friends on social media, and hearing the book is on a popular book club list such as Timothy Ferris' book club, or Oprah's book club. This could be the best and most effective kind of PR for book-selling. Try going to the networks that millions of readers are already using and simply ask to be included or send free copies to the leaders of those groups or to popular influential bloggers who already have a massive following, so they can simply add you to their lists!

SEO is only part of Marketing

I always recommend doing SEO, but isn't there a better way to promote a book than building up SEO value from scratch? How many people really look for and find books on search engines vs inside Amazon, Good Reads, other book websites? You might not want to put all of your marketing energy into SEO, but regularly writing content on your website and promoting links to that content on social media is something you should be doing regardless, and it just so happens to be a core part of a successful SEO strategy.

Ask Your Friends How They Find New Books

Start asking everyone you know in each conversation you have with them the next time you talk, and ask them where they discover new cool books to read, how do they search when looking for good books or recommendations on what to read next. They might say I search online, but WHERE do they search online, in Amazon or by asking their friends on facebook?

What Keywords Are Other Authors Using?

For keywords, ask yourself what authors have surely spent money on marketing & SEO, have high quality websites, and are internet savvy. Next go to their websites, and placing your mouse cursor on their website on Mac "CNTRL+click" or on PC "right-click" and you should get an option to "View Page Source". Then use "CTRL+F" on PC or "command+F" on Mac and search for "meta". Look for text that says "meta description", " 

Exact Keyword Phrase Matching Helps

Some websites show up simply because they've been around a long time, or just happen to exactly match the keyword search phrase with their domain name or blog post title. If you're writing a book about 'How to promote books online', and do a search for "SEO for self-publishing books", you'll likely find many websites that appear simply because their keywords in your search match their domain name exactly, or because they are just a very old website.

Build Your List of Keywords

Before you do more research, you should also do a brain dump of all the keywords you think match what your book is about. If your book is about 'How to Promote a Book online' you might also want to do Google searches for "SEO for authors", "How to market self-published books", etc, and then look for all the bloggers' websites who show up there. I recommend starting to build a spreadsheet list of websites that are already ranking well in the kinds of searches you expect your customers to use. Google Sheets is a great place to build your list in a spreadsheet; use website name, domain name, author name, keyword you searched, and position it ranked 1-10 as your columns; then add each website as each new row.

Ask Bloggers to Write About Your Book

If you have a list of bloggers who are writing about the topic of your book, then email your info to 10 new bloggers a day just by doing basic relevant Google Searches and adding them to a list, there's a good chance some of them will mention your book and link to your website before or after reading your book.

Don't Forget E-Books And Audiobooks

I also personally use Audible a lot these days to read most of my books. This is another good marketplace that shouldn't be overlooked when thinking about distribution platforms that might be interested in carrying your book too. Many authors offer their books as a downloadable e-book, there are several different popular formats and having your book available in each might be a great way to sell it as a download on your website. You could also create an audio version of your book. These newer formats are also most accessible online so you may find additional promotion and distribution opportunities if you explore these networks and the communities that talk about them.


5 Benefits of Social Media Marketing

While most companies are accepting that social media marketing is a great way to stay in touch with the thoughts and feelings of their customers, many still don’t exactly understand why it works. Gathering a following on social media is now a powerful key factor in having your company’s voice heard, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The goal of social media marketing isn’t just about getting more likes on facebook, followers or retweets on twitter but it's also about good marketing practices that benefit businesses in major ways to create online sales and achieve the same impact of traditional advertising. Below we've listed 5 major benefits to social media marketing.

1. Brand Awareness:

Social media is one of the best ways to introduce people to a new brand or product. It can also help reintroduce an existing brand to a new audience as well as strengthen your relationship with your current costumers. Utilizing social media, which over two thirds of the United States’ population uses, is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to get your company’s name into people’s mind which can then lead to traffic to your website or place of business, which is the ultimate goal of many social media marketing strategies.

2. Brand Legitimacy:

In the same way employers run background checks for new hires, consumers also a do a bit of research to verify if a company does exist and has quality services or products. Now-a-days it’s easier than ever for anyone to create a website for just about anything, a product, an event, an idea, or anything you can imagine. Smart consumers want to make sure that the place they plan to interact with is who or what they say they are. Social media marketing suggests that new customers may be driven away if a business’ social media accounts appear to be inactive because they assume that the company may no longer be in business. Social Media marketing can benefit your brand legitimacy by showing that you are a company that keeps up to date in your industry and that you know what is going on in your industry.

3. Increase Sales:

Once you've established yourself as a legitimate brand, this audience that you have built creates trust between your business and potential consumers. This connection can generate sales by allowing them easy access to your new and existing products with a simple post. One of the best parts of social media marketing is the ability to create content tailored specifically to your audience. Engaged followers on social media can help you gain more exposure by liking or sharing your posts which could be indirectly advertising your product or services to their network of friends and followers. This can help increase your sales through direct website conversions or through spreading awareness of promotions that you run as special offers to social media followers. Most social media platforms now have designed special tools for businesses to help promote themselves through various ad placement integrations that do not interrupt the users' experience on that specific social network. These non-disruptive ads, such as in-stream facebook ads, are very important as followers who are bombarded with online ads may be put off by the company running them and may result in a negative reaction towards the brand. In the end it is possible to lose trust you worked so hard to earn if you practice social media marketing in ways that users don't appreciate.

4. Improved Customer Service:

Social media is all about connections; connecting people with people who have similar interests or experiences. So it makes sense that companies are now using social media to connect with their consumers. This can allow your business to benefit from direct customer feedback or from past clients with the ability to immediately respond to any requests made, thereby improving the customer service experience.

5. Content Distribution:

Social media plays an integral part in any marketing strategy as it becomes one of the main sources of content distribution. In the past, the challenge was the need to ensure that your content reached your customers in the shortest time possible. With social media there are so many tools at your disposal to get real-time news about your company (or industry) in the hands of your customers with ease. A simple click is all it takes to get your brand's new products or services shared with hundreds of thousands of people.

**BONUS FACT** Social Media also includes Yelp and Google+, so make sure to update your company's information and images on networks like those too.

Take a moment to address your company’s social media marketing. What are the strengths in your social media strategy and where can improvements be made? If you need assistance creating or optimizing your social media profiles to nurture customer relationships, then All in Web Pro is here to help.

 


Graphic Design for the Web

Graphic Design for Digital Media

Graphic design for the web refers to the process of creating digital visual media assets used on a website or other digital platform. The graphics may be used to enhance or enable the representation of an idea or a feeling in order to reach a virtual or in-person audience. Graphic design services for the web may be used for everything from enhancing the appearance of web pages to serving as the presentation and user interaction layer for dynamic and data rich web applications.

Designing with a Purpose

Graphic design for your website is performed by a graphic designer and implemented into your digital medium by a web design expert or digital marketer. The main job of a graphic designer is to design visual elements for the web or for print that convey a message, emotion, or move viewers to take a specific action. All of these purposes can be achieved with graphical layouts for websites, posters, brochures, flyers, advertisements, social media graphics, and much much more. The goal of a digital graphic can also be as simple as catching someone’s attention, or it could aim at making them interested in purchasing a new product, clicking a link on a website, or performing a specific conversion action such as signing up for a newsletter or sharing a link on social media.

Graphics of All Shapes and Sizes

At All in Web Pro we provide every kind of digital graphic design service that your business or brand might need, among the other services we offer. We are focused on providing the best graphic design services for your brand in digital and print formats, as well as web design services. Our custom graphic design solutions cater to businesses of all sizes, no matter if you need a website layout, logo design, custom letterhead, flyers, business cards, outdoor banners, billboards, or even car wraps.

Get Started!

All in Web Pro is a graphic design and custom web development company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. We know that well designed graphics can be the key element that makes your brand stand out online and grab your users’ attention, and are critically important since every design has the potential to serve a valuable and specific purpose for your brand.

Call us today to schedule a free consultation and quote for your next graphic design project. We’re excited to hear from you! 702-331-0650


WRECKING BALL MARKETING

Pop culture is great way to look at various marketing tools and trends that you can analyze and apply to your own personal brand and product.

It's about becoming relevant and popular in what seems to be a short matter of time. What most people in the general public don't realize that these pop phenomenas take strategic months/years of planning along with a good PR team to develop. I'll take this time to go over the "love it or hate it" Miley #teamtwerk craze and show you how a good marketing plan can help your business get more attention and success. The best part is, you don't even have to be dancing around in an oversized teddy bear costume with a foam finger!!!

AiWP-Wrecking-Ball-Doll-square1
Now you might think because Miley was pretty well known before this complete 180 degree turn-a-round in persona, that her marketing route won't work for you but that's where you're wrong! It's about doing your research, creating a strategic buzz or hype around your company, a full fledged launch, and gaining even more attention by saving some surprises for later on.  Miley, before the release of her first single off of her latest album was releasing what seemed to be random but fun viral videos of her dancing or twerking in funny costumes. She planned on releasing a more urban geared album and needed to gain the attention of that audience who normally wouldn't be drawn to her, that's where the viral videos came into play! This is part of your initial research before launching your company. Learning who your audience is and what their habits are. Reaching out and interacting with them in their own social environments is a must! This means checking out or taking part in events, conferences, conventions, online blogs/websites, and expos where you can meet and network with potential clients or buyers of your product. Take your time in this phase. The more people "discover" you the greater the chance they may take an interest in your company and potentially start telling other people about what you're doing. It's obvious that the more people know about you the more potential business you may have only if you're targeting the right people. This must be done at the same time you're finishing or polishing up your main business whether it be a website, store, or album.

Once you notice people are getting excited about who you are and what your product is, it's time for a soft launch! Your first single can be phase 1 of your website where you have everything working just right but know that there may be a need for improvements depending on the feedback and  traffic you are receiving. Here is where you do even more promoting of your business, but more quickly. Create your own events or become sponsors of popular events where a good amount of your audience will be plus other new demographic audiences. You will start to see people outside of your target audience getting interested in your product. Stay open to feedback and plan for adjustments to keep everything running smoothly.

You have their attention so now it's time to come at them LIKE A WRECKING BALL!!! This will be more of a grand opening or full launch of your company. Come at them with a complete error free website and full service catalogue or clear and concise call to action. By this time you'll feel more confident in your product because of the success you were seeing in the previous phases. You have their attention and it's your time to deliver on the excitement you've created!!! It's more than having a good end product and just putting it out to the public. You know the old saying of "if you build it they will come", well "they" may not find you because they may not know you exist! You first have to take the time to do your research, create an awareness of your brand, launch your company, then promote, and fine tune it as you go. Once you're at the top, it's up to you to hold on to that status by investing in on-going marketing for company. It was long journey getting up there, why would you even want to start to slack off now?

 

CLICK HERE to enjoy this WRECKING BALL OFFICE DOLL we created for you to have as daily reminder of what it takes to twerk your way to the top!


AiWP Writer's block

Web Design Tips: 5 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block

Here are 5 Techniques for Overcoming Writer’s Block:

Creativity is necessary for some much of what we do every day. When we’re “in the zone” our newest web design, web development concept or client presentation seems to flow out of us and all the dots connect seamlessly. But we’ve also experienced the other extreme. The clock ticks incessantly on an impending deadline, the more you try and force your focus the more distracted you become, until you feel incapable of stepping up to the task at hand. You’ve smashed into that impassible wall known as writer’s block. The good news is you’re not alone. Every one of us has encountered this obstacle, threatening to obstruct our path to productivity and success. And the better news is, there are ways you can climb right over the wall and continue on your way to completing your project.

1. Get the blood pumping and oxygen circulating.

Take a walk. It sounds too easy to be true, but it is an exceptional way to clear your head. It is even more effective if you make an effort to be “in the moment” by paying attention to your surroundings on your walk instead of visualizing your deadline as an anvil about to drop on your head and bust it wide open like a watermelon at the hands of Gallagher (http://gallaghersmash.com/). A walk also packs the added punch of getting your blood pumping, which increases blood circulation and oxygen, and this is vital to achieving peak brain function. Sedentary lifestyle habits, like sitting at your desk all day, inhibits effective blood circulation and can have the same stifling effect on your creativity. Many times a momentary change of scenery, coupled with some physical activity and movement, is all you need to reinvigorate your creative mojo.

2. Take a mental break to switch gears and recalibrate your focus.

Occasionally, you hit a wall and all you need to get over it is to step back from the project for 10 minutes and let your focus recalibrate. The key to not getting mindlessly sidetracked is to limit your breaks to a specific amount of time, not exceeding 10 or 15 minutes. It is best if your break involves reading or writing. Perhaps you indulge your guilty pleasures, that celebrity gossip website or check the scores on ESPN.com or go on your social networks and check out what your friends and family are up to. But again, be disciplined or this won’t work and could become just another way to procrastinate.

3. De-clutter your environment to reduce distractions.

Whether you believe that your surroundings can physically block energy, as in Feng Shui, or you just subscribe to the general principle that a messy work space is a needless distraction, it seems to improve clarity of focus when there is not “stuff” scattered haphazardly where you are working. Keep disorder to a minimum and it will enhance the process of organizing of your thoughts. A scattered work area can easily lead to scattered thoughts.

4. Limit outside interruptions.

This goes beyond your physical setting to include outside distractions such as phone calls, emails, social media and messaging notifications, television, interruptions from family, friends and co-workers, to the alluring temptations of the world wide web. Whether it’s eBay, Facebook, Zappos or cat videos on YouTube that entice you to drift, you have to empower yourself to just say no when you need to buckle down and produce a finished, quality project. Turn the phone on silent, adjust your settings to off, let those around you know you’re “off limits” for the next hour, or three, and close your internet browser. The world will not cease to turn if you go “underground” for a few hours.

5. Two minds can be better than one.

Get a second opinion. Collaboration can be a rewarding way to push through your writer's block. If you are writing an article, you can call an expert on the subject for a short interview. You reap the benefit of a relevant quote that improves your work, while expanding your perspective and, hopefully, making a new valuable connection. If the project is a presentation, try asking a colleague, friend or spouse to listen to your pitch and offer feedback. It will be helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off as well as give an insight or perspective that takes your concept to another level or in a different direction that you would not have thought of on your own.

The important elements of web development, web design, SEO, graphic design, or any creative development work, all require a high level of creativity and focus. It’s vital to have strategies to deal effectively with blocks when they occur. We would enjoy hearing what strategies get you past writer’s block and back on the path to productivity. What practices help you get into your creative flow?


Social Media that Matters

Web Design Tips: 5 Ways to Make Your Social Media Matter

To harness the full power of social networks and leverage the exponential reach available through social networking, here are 5 best practices.

Social media is a powerful tool for generating brand awareness and building trust. An effective social media strategy integrates seamlessly with your web design so that your online presence represents your company with professionalism and your SEO is boosted. If you do social media the right way you can build relationships with fans and followers that will build long-term relationships by creating content that engages and brings value your audience. Your web development strategy should always include a social element so your social networks are easily visible and your content is easily shared by those interested in your brand and content.

 

1. Use your social networks to listen, not just talk.

The social interaction between people is what brings the “social” element to social media. People interested in your brand will fan you on Facebook, follow you on twitter and subscribe to you on YouTube to interact with the person behind the company. They aren't always finding you on social channels to hear a one-way message that talks at them. Rather, thanks to social media, marketing and advertising is now a conversation and consumers will demand that you talk with them in a conversation. This is an exciting evolution that allows you to develop genuine connections with your audience that were not available before.

2. Your content should create value for your audience.

Only if you entertain, inform, or in some way provide value, with your social posts and updates will your fans and followers like your posts, share your blog content and videos and retweet your tweets. How can those interested in your brand join the conversation if you are not initiating one? No one wants to be sold to all the time, not in person and not on the net. If you consistently provide content that is of educational, social, or useful value you will build a following that is loyal, engaged and enthusiastic about your brand.

3. Social is not about selling, it’s about building relationships.

You get out of social what you put in. If you use it as a platform to always be selling, making it all about you, visitors will be less motivated to come back to your sites. But the good news is that building relationships is actually more powerful than sales! If you’re a dentist you’re not trying to use your blog to sell one pair of braces. If you blog on interesting subjects related to your business, such as how to ask for a second opinion or, for those that are terrified of the dentist, a 5 minute mediation to put you at ease before you enter the dentist chair, you will begin to build trust with your audience. This trust is the first step to building a lasting relationship. You will become a trusted resource that can develop into a client bond that will outlast a one-time procedure and continue for 5, 10, or 20 years or longer.

4. Use social networks to build relationships with industry leaders, colleagues and mentors.

Social is not only about reaching out to potential consumers, it's also about participating in the conversation among your peers and industry thought leaders. Follow those agencies and individuals that are driving innovation in your field or who have influence with many people. These people have much to teach and they give away valuable information and insights through social media. Are you listening or are you missing out? LinkedIn is optimal for engaging with industry giants and experts. You can join LinkedIn groups representing your field to keep up on the latest news, updates and industry trends. Be a part of the conversation so you too can establish yourself as a leading voice in your market.

5. Track your metrics to develop and fine tune your strategy.

In order to know what you are doing right, and which strategies are not benefiting you, you need to track your performance. There are many tools, both paid and free, that will generate reports which let you know when your content resonates with your audience and when it falls flat and fails to generate interest and engagement. By playing to your strengths and understanding your weaknesses, you can develop a winning social media plan that will increase your presence, raise your SEO ranking and establish your business as a leader in your market.

We have been in the Las Vegas web design and web development industry for years and we have experienced the power of social media to make connections and create partnerships and clients in our community. It’s not rocket science, all it takes is knowledge, a passion for engaging with your audience, and a consistent dedication to the effort and consistency required to create value and build genuine long-term connections.