Tips Tuesday March 15

News

The dust is beginning to settle on the recent sweeping changes at both Facebook and Google.

If all the buzz on iFrames has you curious about what other apps may be helpful, check out this Facebook apps list from Mari Smith.

Some are paid, some free, and several require a designer. There is a WordPress related app, and it requires loading themes on subdirectory.

Kristi Hines has an excellent wrap-up post on the Google changes, now called the Panda Update. It has 50 of the best article resources.

Tech Tips

Is Google Places revolutionizing organic search for local business? You bet. Nice post from Stay on Search about how you can use Google Places more effectively.

If you’re in retail or sell any type of product online, you’ll definitely want to read this post on Search Engine Land by Rob Snell on How I Got a 300% Retail Sales Explosion with 30 Minutes of SEO. It will clearly show you just how important keywords are.

Is all search the same? No! When you search Google on your home computer or on your phone, you get two different results. If your business counts on mobile search, you’ll want to read this nice post on Wilson Web for how to do mobile search research to ensure you’re using the right keywords.

Do you use PowerPoint slides in your online presentations? Prezi is a new alternative that will allow you to show them anywhere on any device. How cool would it be to go to a customer site and whip out your iPad and show them a presentation right on the spot?

Blog Tips

Audio and video marketing are fantastic ways to add to your online marketing mix for higher visibility. But don’t leave the text behind, especially on the audio. Here’s a nice post from High Spot Inc on how to Amplify Your Audio Content with Show Notes. It really amps up your SEO too. And, did you know you could automatically generate a text transcript for your YouTube videos? Yep, it’s out of beta test now. I’ve tried it and was amazed at how accurately it syncs with the video. You can also provide your own script.

It can be really disappointing to make a great blog post and have absolutely no one make a comment. Only a small percentage of folks who read your posts ever reply, but there are ways you can improve that number. Engagement is a fundamental key to a successful site. Here’s a great post from Mack Collier on 40 Dead Simple Ways to Get More Comments on Your Blog.  (BlogAid can help you with numbers 5 and 7. Contact me anytime.)

Social Media Tips

Should you identify affiliate links in your blog posts? That’s the question Wayne John posed on his blog. Be sure to read the comments!

YouTube and your website are not the only productive places to post your videos. See this post from Reel SEO on how to add video to LinkedIn Company Profile Services.

And here’s a great how-to post from Kristi Hines on LinkedIn for Bloggers to get branding authority and traffic.

Want to see how your Facebook profile appears to others? Meredith Chin has a nice post on the Huff with 5 Tips that Might Change Your Facebook Experience.