Did you know there’s a FREE listing on Google for your business, and it’s just waiting for you? Have you claimed it yet?It’s called Google Places and it’s a fast and easy way to build your online presence, even if you don’t have a website!With Google business maps -1. Reach millions of Google users, quickly and for free – More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it’s important to make sure your business listing can be easily found on Google Business Maps. Creating a listing is easy, takes just a few minutes and it doesn’t cost a thing!2. Easy to edit – Your business may already show up on Google, but you will need to claim it and make sure the details are correct. Any changes you make will appear on Google as soon as you complete the verification process.3. Practical and easy to manage – Your Google Business Maps listing is an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website. Visit Google Places anytime to edit your information and to see how many people have seen and clicked on your listing.4. Add photos, videos and other custom options, all for free – Make your listing really shine with photos, videos, custom categories, your service area, brand name products you sell, how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchase.Signing up for Google Places is simple. I’ve listed the steps below to create (or claim) your FREE Google Business Maps listing for your interior design business.1. Get a Google Account – If you don’t have one, go to Google.com or Gmail.com and set up an account. It’s a good idea to create a new Gmail account just for this. That way you won’t mind sharing it with others or passing it along, in case you wish to transfer ownership of your listings at a later date.2. Local.Google.com – On the left side of the screen, look for “Put your business on Google Maps.” Click there.3. Google Accounts – Look for the link that says “Google Places”. Click there and you’ll see a page that looks like this:4. Fill in the Blanks – Add your business information and click continue.5. Claim or Create – If you see your business listed there, Google will offer you a chance to claim the existing listing. If you see one that looks like it could be yours, but there are errors, go ahead and choose it. You can fix the errors. If you don’t see your business listed, follow the rest of the instructions to create a new listing.6. Main Form – Complete the rest of the form and click Submit.7. Verify – Google asks you to verify your submission by phone or postcard. They want to be sure that only the right people are able to change any public data about your business. I recommend the phone call option – it’s fast and easy. Either way, you’ll receive a 4 digit code that you will have to enter into the appropriate box on the page.8. Success – You are now done claiming your listing!9. Customize – Be sure to add in photos, videos and descriptions to fill out your listing fully. If you don’t have them handy you can always go back to add them later.Claiming your Google business maps listing is an extraordinarily important factor in determining how you show up in Google, especially when competing with other interior designers in your area.
SEO Video Marketing That Can Lead To Powerful Results
If you’ve been looking for ways to generate more revenue for your business along with bringing more credibility to it, then SEO video marketing definitely needs to be part of your marketing strategy. It is simply a great way to promote your business and gain the trust of your customers and potential customers.
In the past few years Google has given more relevance to YouTube videos within their search results. A simple search on Google will result in a few listings that include YouTube videos within the top results. As this trend continues now is the time for you to take advantage of it by creating videos for your business that relate to the products and services that you offer.
There are a few ways that you can go about doing this and I’ve outlined some of the types of videos that are most commonly used with SEO video marketing.
Option #1: Explainer Videos
This type of video focuses primarily on explaining a product or service. It can also be in the form of a tutorial. These types of videos when done correct can go viral based on the informational content. People search YouTube every day for tutorials, and if your video has great content it will result in more views and will give your business more exposure.
Option #2: Promotional Videos
If you are going to create a promotional video you’ll need to ensure that everything that is mentioned is indeed factual. Many videos are flagged daily that are believed to be misleading and commercially deceptive, so you’ll want to ensure that your video is done in such a way that while being promotional still builds trust and credibility.
Option #3: Slideshow Videos
These are the types of videos that you need to avoid due to the high level of flagging that occurs with these video types. A slideshow video usually is accompanied by music in the background and its entire focus is highlighting text with related pictures. These videos were very popular initially, but have recently led to a high level of flagging due to their low quality content.
Now that you know the three types of videos that are usually used in video marketing, you can now go ahead and start the process of determining your niche. That’s the first step you need to take when undertaking an SEO strategy.
Upon choosing your niche and determining your target keywords, then you’ll want to complete all the standard techniques that you use in traditional search engine optimization. This means that you need to focus on having keywords in your video title, body description, along with having your keyword as your video tags. YouTube also has the option for transcription, so you’ll want to include a transcription with your video that is optimized for your keyword as well.
With your video now optimized, the last step is to create quality backlinks to your video along with having social network signals. This simply means to get links from other sites pointing to your videos, along with having Facebook Likes & Shares, Twitter Retweets, along with Google + votes all directed to your video.
By following these simple SEO video marketing strategies, you’ll be on your way to a top ranking in both YouTube and Google for your chosen keywords.
The Convenience of Online Shopping, It’s Just a Click Away
In recent years, online retailers have seen remarkable growth and expansion. With so many people all over the world now using online retailers as an important way of acquiring goods and services, there appears to be no signs of this industry slowing down. There are a host of reasons why online shopping is so popular, however one of the main reasons is its convenience.
Below are a number of reasons why online shopping is so convenient:
1. What makes online shopping so convenient is that you can shop from the comfort of your home. When you shop at traditional ‘brick and mortar’ stores, one has to shower, put on suitable clothing, get in the car, drive to the store, and find a parking spot. With online shopping you just have to sit at the computer wearing whatever you want, turn the computer on, connect to the internet, and begin to shop. You don’t have to worry about your hair, makeup, and pushing your way through crowds of people. With a click of the mouse and your credit card, you have access to millions of products and services.
2. Online shopping is a time saver. Our lives have become much busier. With work and family, we have hardly anytime for ourselves. Online stores are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. You can shop anytime of the day and night and not have to worry about traditional store set shopping hours.
3. Driving to a mall or retail store, can be a long and frustrating experience. You have to deal with traffic, fuel expenses, parking, and carry all of your bags of items back to the car. With online shopping you don’t have to worry about transportation issues and high gas costs. As well, the items you purchase will be shipped directly to your home.
4. Shopping malls and retail stores only carry a limited and particular line of products. With online shopping, you have access to millions of items, especially normally hard to find items. You are sure to find exactly what you want which you may not typically find at a “brick and mortar’ store.
5. Online shopping is a definite time saver. Shopping at a mall can often take a whole day. When you shop online, you can get what you want quickly. As well, if you normally shop on the weekends, shopping online allows you to free up your weekend for fun and relaxing activities.
6. Shopping online will allow you to save a lot of money. Their are a variety of ways to save when you are shopping online such as taking advantage of electronic coupons, discounts, free shipping, and comparison shopping tools. You can also read customer reviews about products so you will know if you are getting great value for your money.
When you shop online, anything you want is just a mouse click away. The convenience of shopping online makes shopping easy and fun. Once you have finished shopping, you will wonder why you did not start online shopping sooner.