For the full Training go to MY FAN PAGE and follow each day of February!

Two Terms to Understand: Keywords & SEO

If you want Google and other search engines to find you online when people search, these are important concepts to grasp.

Keyword: Specific terms or phrases used by people to search for something online.

SEO: (Search Engine Optimization)

Let’s simplify SEO.

There are three pieces of software that make up a search engine:

• Spider software – Crawls the web looking for new pages to collect and add to the search engine index. It is only interested in text, links and the URL they came from. The spider doesn’t collect images, so make sure to include an ‘alt tag’ to pictures and videos.
• Index software –  Makes sense of the mass of text, links and URLs using what is called an algorithm – a complex mathematical formula that indexes the words. An algorithm analyzes the pages and links for word combinations to figure out what topics are being covered. Then, scores are assigned that allow the search engine to measure how relevant or important the web pages might be to the person searching. For example, when someone types coffee into the search box on Google, then it’s time for the query software to go to work.
• Query software - Is what you see when you go to Google something. It checks through all the records that have been created by the index software. And those records are made possible by the text, links and URL material the spider software collects.

The first step toward ranking high in the results for the most common terms that people search for is to have the right keywords as part of your online presence.

Using Keywords

This is where it gets tricky. You can either purchase software to analyze keywords quickly or spend some time manually assessing the terms related to your niche.  The results for a business picking the right keywords are huge. Keyword selection is essential to success when it comes to a paid or organic search.

Note: You have to get on the first or second page of search results to be effective.

Although the term keyword is used to identify search terms, I feel it should be called a key’phrase’ since that is commonly most effective.

Start your analysis with this question…”What products or services do you sell?” If you sell gourmet candy online, gourmet and candy alone would be poor keywords. They are too broad, overused and you are unlikely to rank on the first two pages unless you are a highly authoritative site. So look at more specific keywords such as chocolate candy apples, assorted chocolate heart, or vanilla buttercreams. Not only is the competition for these terms less fierce, the more specific keywords are going to have a significantly higher conversion rate to purchases on your site. Focus on the thousands of more specific keywords that more closely match the services or products you offer.

Tools available to help you choose:

You can start by Googling your term to see the competition below your search.

http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/

http://www.googlewonderwheel.com/

http://www.marketsamurai.com/ (Paid)

Once you have chosen a keyword, I recommend using a WordPress plugin http://www.seopressor.com/ to help you optimize your post. Keep in mind you cannot over use your term or search engines will see it as ‘keyword stuffing’.

Using keywords takes practice and consistency. Go for it!!

This is the Like Box on my WordPress Blog…

Here’s how to add your Like Box

• Copy your Fan Page Url. Mine is https://www.facebook.com/LikeHeatherCalhoun
• Go to https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like-box/
• You will see this…

The Like Box is a social plugin that enables Facebook Page owners to attract and gain Likes from their own website. The Like Box enables users to:

• See how many users already like this Page, and which of their friends like it too
• Read recent posts from the Page
• Like the Page with one click, without needing to visit the Page

The minimum supported plugin width is 292px.

• Paste in your URL.
• Choose the size you would like.
• I prefer the light color.
• I chose to include faces, stream and header, but that is up to you.
• When finished click Get Code.
• Copy and paste the code to your website.
• Websites will vary as far as where the code should be pasted.
• On my Woo Theme you go to your Dashboard, Appearance, Widget, I dragged a ‘Text’ bar to the ‘Primary’ Sidebar and pasted it there.
• If you are not familiar with html, this will be something you could hire a web designer to do.

Ok, not 1000 Plugins, but it feels like that when you are searching around trying to figure out which ones to add to your blog.

I thought I’d make it easy on you and share all the Plugins I have on my blog!

What are your favorite plugins! Share with me below which plugins you would add to this list!

Selecting an effective domain name is one of the most important decisions you will make with regard to branding online.

These three factors
can help unleash the true potential of your online presence.

Often times people will click on your link online and be taken directly to your website, which is great! But when you are verbally communicating your domain or a previous viewer is trying to recall the site, these factors are essential. If you are telling someone your domain make sure it’s easy to understand and spell. For example: www.BeginHomeCareer.com is what I consider an effective domain and easy to say, versus www.OnlineSucceedingMoms.com You would undoubtedly get many misspellings with the word succeeding and some may leave out the ‘s‘ on Moms.

It’s important to create a website address that incorporates your brand, company name or type of product in some fashion. However, I am very aware that many effective domain names are not available and some searching is required. For example, there is no way www.bestbusiness.com is available or www.leadership.com. It’s likely that your first choice will be unavailable. If your business name or personal name is taken, I would highly recommend looking into who has that domain. There are many cases of poor planning and your marketing could be directing people to a competitor or even worse a negative website that you would not want to be associated with, even by mistake.

Keep in mind, an effective domain name that clearly indicates what you do or a problem that you solve, will give your target market a clear indication of what to expect on your website and encourage them to take a look. I recommend, making a list of keywords that someone might use to find you online.  This list could include your industry, your target market, a problem your target market has, or a solution that you can offer.

If you are just starting out with a blog and you are trying to brand your name, it is a good idea to purchase at least two domains. The first one, should be your name, www.HeatherCalhoun.com or if that is taken www.HeatherCalhounOnline.com. The second domain should include a keyword that describes your blog content. That way when people search they may connect with your blog even if they don’t know you….yet.

I have personally found it a fun challenge to find available effective domain names that fit the following criteria. They are out there, now it’s time to…

Start your Search to find an effective domain!

I typically use www.GoDaddy.com  to search and register my domains, but there are other domain registrars available. The cost is as little as $10/year. I just start plugging in the names that come to mind until I come up with 3 or 4 that are available.

Here are my best tips!

• Keep it short.
• Easy to pronounce and spell.
• Relevant to content.
• Include a Keyword for search engine optimization (SEO), for example: If you are branding yourself, use your name www.HeatherCalhoun.com If you are promoting a clothing line, use a word such as “Clothing” “Fashion” “Style”
• Don’t use play-on-words, creative misspellings and numbers. For instance “biz”,or “B at Home 4 Kids”
• Don’t use hyphens or special characters.
• Buy .COM version. The .net, .biz, .org endings will be overlooked and you will lose traffic. For example. if your website is www.HeatherCalhoun.BIZ, odds are people will still search for www.HeatherCalhoun.COM out of habit.

Put some thought into choosing an effective domain name that you are proud of and will serve you well in the years to come. It is a rewarding tool for helping you grow your brand and business online.

Leave me your domain and the reason you chose it! Hopefully an explanation will not be needed as to why you chose your effective domain

This is the main toolbar you will see when you start a new post in WordPress.

I am going to give you the basic function of each icon.

*Note that text you want to change must be highlighted before pushing the icon to format the specific word(s).

I have expanded on some icons below that may require more of an explanation.

 Bullets for an ‘unordered list’

• Item 1
• Item 2
• Item 3

 Numbers for an ‘ordered list’

1. Item 1
2. Item 2
3. Item 3

The Blockquote button formats text as a quote.

From Stephen Covey’s “The 8^th Habit”

“Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “…our significant challenges cannot be solved with simplistic little quick-fix programs-of-the-month or psyche-up slogans and formulas. We must earn a comprehension of the nature and root of the problems we face in organizations and likewise earn our learnings about the principles that govern the solutions by incorporating the new mind-set and skill-set they represent into our character. This will require some real effort. But I promise you if you will hang in there, you will be empowered with a powerfully simple and clear combination of KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, and SKILL – three elements of HABIT – that will make you equal to the new challenges of the new world.”

Hyperlink text or images to a designated url. When you select what you want hyperlinked, click on this icon  and you will see this box pop up.

Fill in the URL with the appropriate website. I suggested clicking the ‘open link in a new window’ box, to make it easier for readers to return to your blog.

The Insert More button inserts a split or break into the post, which can be used to limit the amount of a post that is shown on the front page of your blog and encourage users to click through to read the rest of the post.

The Full Screen button will expand the writing area to the full size of your web browser, which can be handy when writing long posts.

The Kitchen Sink button is used to hide or reveal even more editing functions.

Woo Theme Shortcode. I won’t go into much detail since this will vary with each theme.

No matter where you are in your blogging process, it’s good to have a way to measure how well you are doing.

Keep in mind the obvious…the day you start your blog people will not miraculously find you online and become loyal followers. It takes time to build your skills and content.

Here are 2 major resources to utilize.

1.

http://www.google.com/analytics/ Add this to you blog to acquire insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. It’s easy-to-use and allows you to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.

How to add to WordPress Blog: 

First set up a free account with Google Analytics and follow the instructions to add your blog to the account. Next, find the tracking code from any Analytics report, by clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner. The profile settings for that report are displayed. Check that the URL at the top matches that for your website. Click the Tracking Code tab at the top right of the Profiles tab. Once you find the code, copy it and then switch over to the back-office of your blog to paste it in the appropriate place as described in the following paragraph.

Your theme may already support Google Analytics. If so, on your left side control panel click on your ‘theme.’ I personal use a Woo Theme called Delicious Magazine. Then click on ‘Theme Options.” You will see a “Tracking Code’ section where you can paste your Google Analytics tracking code. If you do not see it within your theme you will need to add a plugin for Google Analytics.

http://www.google.com/analytics/

2.

http://www.alexa.com/ Search Alexa to discover the most successful sites on the web by keyword, category, or country. Use the analytics for competitive analysis, benchmarking, market research, or business development.

How to use Alexa:

Go to the Alexa link and enter the url of the website you wish to research. Click the search icon and once the next screen comes up click on ‘Get Details.’ Here you will find a ton on information on traffic to your blog. I encourage you to spend some time reviewing your results and then find a competitor to analyze as well. This way you can start to set some goals and review your competitors content to see what they are doing that may be attracting followers.

http://www.alexa.com/

As with any program, there are advanced options and as your blog matures you will naturally learn more about these programs. It’s amazing who you can reach from the comfort of your office.

Happy Blogging!

What is a leader? How do you know they care? What do you look for in a mentor? How do you define mentor?

You might not necessarily have sat down and thought about, How do I define Mentor?
Most of you would be able to quickly step up and say the qualities you do NOT want in a mentor.
I can think of several…selfish, visionless, dishonest…the list goes on.

Have you gone through periods in your life where you have had no guidance or mentorship? I have, in fact the first 5 years of my career I didn’t even know the value of a mentor, let alone be able to define mentor. How was I to find people out there like me, but with years of experience to pull from and learn?

It’s funny to look back at my first couple jobs out of college and the decisions I made and the employees I ignorantly led.

Now I’m at a point where I see the value in not only allowing someone to mentor me and be coachable, but in wanting to be a mentor to others. I want to be someone others seek to learn from and follow. What a compliment. What a responsibility and what an accomplishment.

So, after much thought and reflection, this is how I define mentor and how I know that a leader truly cares.

• Do they seek to know and understand your strengths and weaknesses and be committed to helping you maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in pursuit of your goals? Some of this you may not realize they are doing…in some cases they will ask you directly.
• Do they engage with you regularly and inspire you to perform at your best?
• Do they show gratitude and appreciation of your efforts?
• Do they seek your feedback, ideas, inputs and truly listen and use in decision making?
• Do they have a way of seeing the best in you and have a way of helping you see that in yourself?
• Does your interaction with them consistently make you a better person?
• Do you trust them completely and feel confident they have no ulterior motives?
• Do they treat you well and make you feel special?

*Disclaimer-Everyone has a different vision, goals and personality. If you don’t like how I define mentor, find your own criteria! I challenge you. You won’t be sorry.

I’ve heard comments like, “She doesn’t even know my kids names.” or “He missed my birthday.” Knowing family names and specific dates is certainly important to some and can be a way to gain an understanding of what’s going in others lives. However, if you answered yes to some of the above bullets, than I am confident your leader cares. If you answered yes, chances are that your leader has already invested a great deal of time in you. They are committed to understanding you as a person for the sole purpose of helping you achieve your business and life goals. They care about you.

So think about how you would define mentor. Think about who this person(s) is to you and how you can learn from their strengths. Keep in mind the obvious, not everyone is perfect and this list is pretty steep, but people care in different ways. Appreciate those for who they are and want their ultimate goal is, helping you.

Here is my business mentor, Donna Stewart. She’s not perfect, sorry Donna, lol! But she is real and she has been in so many business situations, good and bad, learned a ton and I am so thankful to pull from her 13 years experience in running a business from her house.

Heather Calhoun & Donna Stewart

What words would you use to define the word ‘mentor’? Heck, who is your mentor? Share! I would love to know who you learn from and what experience is helping you get to where you want to be.

Define Mentor…

Try this FREE Online Personality Test

Q. Why?

Your character strengths, that you already posess, once identified can be your biggest asset. This test is a scientifically validated self-assessment tool designed to help you identify those strengths you already have!

Knowing your personal character strengths — what’s best about you as a human being — is powerful knowledge that can be used to reach your full potential with your work, your family and your relationships. There are no wrong answers. This test simply helps you identify what your core strengths are (who you are), and once identified, allows you to focus on these strengths to bring self satisfaction.

This personality test will relay to you a rank order list of all of your strengths and a description of how each of your strengths fits into the six virtue categories. To discover these results, simply click here, Free Online Personality Test, and respond to the series of questions.

Q. Who should take the free online personality test?

“Anyone interested in learning more about what is best about themselves should take the VIA Inventory of Strengths Survey.”

Check out the results of my Free Online Personality Test

Your Top Character Strength

Your Second Character Strength

Your Third Character Strength

Your Fourth Character Strength

Your Fifth Character Strength

Reality Check: People won’t stick around for the ‘Special Announcement’ in fact DON’T GO…I’m only bluffing, lol

Is there any time in which you appreciate the radio commercials or the tv ads? Rarely, I would venture to say.

Our fast-paced culture does not allow for interruptions nor do we appreciate them.

So, the big question is…How are businesses supposed to relay their amazing product or service to the public?

Answer: Research the marketplace and determine where people are and where they want to be and offer a solution. You can do this by googling your keywords and looking on Amazon to see what books are hot. Pay special attention to comments. Your target market will tell you what to deliver. Take yourself out of the equation and relay a way for ‘Sally’ to get from point A to her desired point C. It’s not about what you want for people. It’s about what each individual person wants and is willing to do for themselves. You can only offer a solution. And I would recommend the BEST solution. We don’t need to scream in the middle of a crowd “HEY EVERYONE, I HAVE THE BEST PRODUCT IN THE WORLD.” Simply provide the best product and that will set you apart. When you take this into account, your competition demolishes, even if they have a building next store.

It’s all about quality, not quantity. This goes for Facebook friends, business partners, blog posts and most everything in business.

I hope you got something from this post. Do your research and discover what your target market is struggling with and provide a solution. They will follow.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!