Photography, and Why You Need It

By on February 13, 2012

By now you probably know that one of the most important aspects of a successful small business is RELATIONSHIPS. Pretty much everything you do as a small business owner should be motivated by and centered upon a desire to build stronger relationships with your customers and potential customers. You might be surprised to learn that photography is no exception.

Consumers don’t want to see only a good product or service with competitive prices. They’ve heard the claim of “excellent customer service” a million times. Actions speak louder than words. Putting a friendly face with the name boosts your credibility and shows a human side to your company. We are regular people, just like you, and we want to help you. 

Website Muscle has personally experienced the benefits of good photography. Oh – that reminds me – the key word here is GOOD. No photos, not good. Bad photos, also not good. Good photos = good!

Recently we hired Jon Haverstick to take some company photos for us, and boy was it worth it! One of his specialties is photography for businesses and business professionals, so this was right up his alley. Jon really encapsulated our company and our personalities, and we can’t tell you how many positive responses we’ve gotten from clients who can now see more than just a logo on our website (a lot!).

Photography is another great and easy way to connect with your audience. Invest in a good photographer who knows what they’re doing, and let your customers see your friendly smile and great personality. Trust us – they’ll appreciate it!

(We would be remiss if we didn’t put a plug in here for Jon C. Haverstick Photography – Jon is incredibly talented, extremely nice, and we had a blast during our photo shoot with him. Thanks again, Jon!) 

 

 

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The Benefits of a FAQ Page

By on January 31, 2012

The Benefits of Having a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page on Your Website

What’s one thing small business owners lack? TIME. Your time is very important to you – we get it. And if you’re like most small business owners we know, customer relationships rank pretty high too.

Well, here’s one very important (and easy!) way you can save time and simultaneously build trust in your customers: An FAQ page.

An FAQ page is not for homeless, miscellaneous information. ALL your website content should be well-crafted, providing a clear and succinct message about your company – and the FAQ page is no exception. It serves as an online customer service center, cutting down on repetitive inquiries and saving you and your customers valuable time (and money).

Who needs one?

Not every site needs a FAQ page. But if you’re selling something, providing a service, or doling out complex information, you might want to consider it. Website Muscle has benefited greatly from our FAQ page. We can direct potential clients to it to find out more about us. Having information on our website about our design process, payment and terms, and other technical stuff puts people at ease because they can learn about us without pressure, and what they see is what everyone else who visits our site sees; we’re not talking out of both sides of our mouth, so to speak.

Here are some guidelines for preparing a FAQ page:

  • Think about it. These should be genuine questions and concerns your customers have expressed. Don’t make up a list of questions you think your customers should ask, like “Why are we so awesome? Glad you asked!” Rather, take some time to think about actual commonly asked questions.
  • Organize it. We recommend splitting up your FAQs into clearly labeled categories so your customers can easily find what they’re looking for.
  • Make it easy to read! Answers should be brief, succinct, clear and direct – yet personable. Think of this not only as a time-saver, but as another way to connect with your customers. If it’s done correctly, your FAQ page can position your company not just as a [insert whatever you do] but as a source of reliable information.
  • Don’t be afraid to address the tough questions. This is one exception to having only actually-asked questions. Let’s say you’re selling a product that’s a little on the pricey side. You can strategically address this issue by asking a question such as, “How do you price your products?” and respond with, “Our products may be slightly higher than our competition, but here’s why.”
If you’re interested in learning more about a FAQ page, or if you’d like to have Website Muscle’s content writer craft a FAQ page for your website, give us a call!

 

 

 

 

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4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Online Visibility

By on January 5, 2012

If you’re a business owner, hopefully you’re already aware of the necessity of a clean, modern website. And if you’ve talked to us at Website Muscle, you probably also know that VISIBILITY is a crucial element.

Not all websites are created equal – just because you have one doesn’t mean people are seeing it.

Don’t let your business be one of the many casualties of invisibility.

Website Muscle builds ALL our clients’ websites to be Google-friendly. (That means we know websites, we know coding, and we understand how Google really works.) In constructing a powerful website, we do everything on our end to ensure Google will like – and therefore rank – your site. But did you know that a lot of your visibility is in YOUR hands? Website Muscle can do the legwork, but you have to make the choice!

Here are 4 things you can do to increase your visibility:

1. Email Marketing. Email marketing is alive and well! But there is a balance to be found – too many or too long is annoying, and too few – or the wrong kind – is ineffective…and possibly still annoying. We can help you strike that perfect balance. Brief, succinct emails with the right content and a specific call to action can add value to your clients.

The key word here is VALUE – people DO NOT want sales pitches (do you?). The purpose is to add value to your customers. Email marketing is about making relationships, not sales.

2. Google+. Google+ has essentially the same functionality as Facebook, but (and this is a BIG but) the content on Google+ is being indexed by the Google search engine. And, in case you didn’t know, Google is by far the most dominant search engine in the world, so trust us when we say it behooves you to deposit as much [good] content with them as possible.

If you’re already using Facebook, great! Now just copy and paste that content into Google+.

3. YouTube. YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine to Google. Google owns YouTube and wants to show videos in their search results, so naturally they are going to index YouTube videos. Plus, people love videos! Many of your potential customers will choose watching a video over reading content any day.

4. Blogs. Blogs are useful for two reasons. One, to personalize your company and two, GOOGLE LOVES BLOGS. Google indexes fresh, new content. When comparing your site to your competitors’ site, the one that’s being updated regularly wins. You can outrank your competition because Google knows your site isn’t dead.

The key to blogging is current, value-added content such as business news, industry news, and ideas or tips for your clients. You can even showcase your company’s charity work – anything to make your business more personal. Just remember – keep it separate from your personal life. Your business blog is not an appropriate venue to share your political musings.

Seem overwhelming? No worries! Website Muscle can help you with any and all of these visibility-boosting techniques. Just give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions! (949) 244-1700

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WordPress 101

By on December 30, 2011

Website Muscle is proud to introduce our clients to yet ANOTHER resource for managing your WordPress powered website, WP101!

WordPress 101 provides professional, high-quality tutorial videos that easily show you how to take full advantage of all the features WordPress has to offer, thereby increasing the value you get from a WordPress powered website. We are confident that at least 95% of your WordPress questions will be answered by WP101.

And it’s not just a one-time thing, either. We will INSTALL WP101 into your site’s back end so you have a ready resource any time you need it!

And, Never Fear! We are not using WP101 to replace Website Muscle’s amazing customer service. We will STILL provide our customary in-person or over-the-phone WordPress training to all our clients! WP101 will simply serve as your 2nd resource to have on hand whenever you need it. Website Muscle will still be standing by, ready to answer your questions whenever you call.

We believe in the value of these videos, and we are confident you’ll love them too!

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The Gift is in the Giving!

By on December 16, 2011

A Very Generous Donation from Patty Jordan at Travel Dreams!

The Christmas Season is a time for being with the ones you love, and of course, GIVING. If you haven’t given to those less fortunate during the holidays, you’re really missing out.

We’ll make it easy for you – if you want a GREAT cause to give to this holiday season, Orangewood Children’s Foundation is accepting donations for foster children, former foster youth, and at-risk families in Orange County. Please consider joining us by agreeing to purchase a much-needed item for these deserving kids.

Orangewood has indicated to us that the #1 requested (and needed) items are gift cards (Target, Wal-Mart, Ross, etc.) and iPods/MP3 players for teenagers and emancipated former foster kids. Most of us get pretty excited to buy toys for the small children, but the result is that the teenagers often get overlooked. I’d hate to see a teenager watching his or her little siblings opening gifts while they have none.

PLEASE, make a kid feel special this year.

Orangewood is accepting donations until December 23rd.  We will gladly take your new, unwrapped items or monetary donations and will deliver them to Orangewood. Please check out Orangewood’s Holiday Wish List for ideas.

Call us at (949) 244-1700 to let us know you wish to donate. Website Muscle and Orangewood thank you!!

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Let Us Make Your Website Snow – for FREE!!

By on December 1, 2011

Website Muscle SnowYou’re getting into the Holiday spirit…but is your website? We can help make your site into a Winter Wonderland with FALLING SNOW! Check out our home page to see what it looks like. Fun, right?! Tell me that doesn’t make you want to drop everything, drive up to the mountains and go sledding. Or at least have a cup of hot cocoa.

It’s a simple JavaScript addition – we will upload just one file and a few lines of code, and voilà! Your site is snowing!

All you need to do is donate at least one item to our Holiday charity, Orangewood Children’s Foundation. Check out their Wish List for some much-needed (new, unwrapped) items. Let us know you intend to give, and we will install your snow for FREE!

We sure won’t get any snow here in So-Cal, but give us a call at (949) 244-1700 and your website can LET IT SNOW!

 

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Help us make a difference for a child this holiday season!

By on October 28, 2011

Website Muscle is honored to collect donations for Orangewood Children’s Foundation this holiday season! Help us fulfill Orangewood’s Holiday Wish List and provide some much-needed items for foster kids, former foster youth, and low-income families in Orange County.

We are collecting donations until Sunday, December 11 and will deliver them to Orangewood. If you wish to donate, please check out their Wish List. Items must be new and unwrapped.

Just give us a call at (949) 244-1700 or send us a message and we will arrange to collect your donations. We thank you for your generosity – and we are certain a lot of kids will too! Help us give these wonderful children and families some happy memories this holiday season!

 

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So… what exactly is a Web Browser?

By on October 19, 2011

I actually get asked this question a lot. It’s a fundamental computer question and worth watching this video.

Before you watch the video… quiz yourself. Do you know the difference? And if so, which browser do you use?

(And if you answered Google or Yahoo, you better watch the video! :) )

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How the Google Search Engine works

By on October 19, 2011

It is absolutely vital for any small business owner who wants to rank well in Google to understand exactly how Google works.

Here is a quick video directly from Google in which they explain a little of how they rank sites.

There is a TON of misinformation out there about how rank websites well in Google and a lot of it can get sites penalized. Before you commit to any search engine optimization plan, make sure the advice you are getting feels right and is validated by a few professional sources.

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How to Get Your YouTube Videos in Google Search Results

By on October 7, 2011

Did you know that YouTube is now the 2nd largest search engine in the world? It’s now even more important to understand SEO for YouTube Videos.  You may also know that Google owns YouTube, so they work together to match Google searches with relevant videos.  The goal with today’s post is to give you a better understanding of how to optimize your videos so that you get more exposure in YouTube searches as well as Google rankings from your YouTube videos.

Consider the Keywords

It is important to consider specific keywords that your customers use to find you.  This is the case for any type of search engine optimization, and it applies to video SEO as well – remember, YouTube is a competitive search engine just like Google.  How would your customers ideally find you? You’ll of course start with whatever your product or service is, but what next? Location is pretty popular for narrowing it down; if there are specific cities that you serve, you’ll definitely want to rank for your location. Think about your niche industry and what specific keywords your customers type when looking for whatever it is that you do. Accurate and appropriate keywords will play a huge role in your video popping up in searches.

Take a look at this video from Dr. Freedman, a great example. She is a psychologist in Calabasas and she did a series of videos about different conditions and treatments. Here she includes a service she offers, the location, and her company name in the title of the video.

Titles and Descriptions

Once you have your keywords ready, you can follow a fairly similar format for all of your titles and descriptions.  Let’s take a look at an example. Say you sell grilled cheese sandwiches in Los Angeles. You figure your ideal customer would find you by searching Grilled Cheese Sandwich Los Angeles.

Title – Grilled Cheese Sandwich Los Angeles – We offer the best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Los Angeles (You want to start and end with the keywords you are targeting for best results.)

Description – Heywood is proud to offer the best Grilled Cheese Sandwich in Los Angeles! If you’re hungry, be sure to visit our restaurant and enjoy all of our cheesy, delicious sandwiches. Classic cheddar, creamy brie, we have them all! Open daily, 11am – 9pm.
–Here, you will definitely want to use several “related” terms that are highly relevant to your keyword (like hungry, delicious, cheddar, brie).  Make sure to write the content in a compelling manner that drives the user to take action.  This description is what customers will see before they view your video – so write it for the user and not for the search engine.

Tags –  Don’t be spammy here. Stick to 5-10 tags for each video and don’t go above that. Only include tags that are relevant to the video. DO NOT SPAM YOUR VIDEOS. You do not want to be penalized or even blacklisted! Basically just include your location, your product, and your key “related” terms that you use in the video and in the description.

Happy YouTubing!

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