While foot traffic is essentially down to zero, there are still plenty of companies operating online and plenty of customers making their purchases there.
Forget about the fancy new signage or locating to a hipper part of town, that's all budget that can and should be going toward online marketing and social media outreach. From targeted ads, to search engine optimization (SEO), to social marketing, online advertising provides a variety of methods to reach your customers. Depending on the type of goods or services you offer, each may offer a slightly different return on investment (ROI) but a well managed campaign will easily be profitable in the long run.
Targeted Advertising and SEO approaches both seek to understand the search behavior of potential customers. By anticipating the questions buyers ask and the types of information they seek out on Google, you can work to earn their traffic and optimize your site to make the sale. Targeted advertising can create nearly immediate effects, but it is also prone to diminishing returns and competition can quickly run the profit margins down to zero.
The SEO approach is a little bit slower to get started, but pays out much better in the long run. By building up authoritative content and creating a more usable website experience, you'll increase both the organic traffic coming to your site as well as the percentage of visits that convert to sales. SEO focuses on building up your website as the greatest source of information available on your topic, and that value lasts for a long time.
Social media outreach is also an important component of virtually any online advertising campaign. As people increasingly use the internet to keep in touch and learn about new things, it's only natural that they'd like to follow along with companies and organizations that provide goods and services related to their hobbies and interests. Social media can provide powerful connections - as well as valuable feedback from real people.
The future is uncertain, but one thing we do know is that the customers are online these days - if they're anywhere at all!
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
Jacksonville Schools Remain Closed for Coronavirus Pandemic
As Jacksonville and the world reacts to the deadly spread of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), schools have been one of the first essential institutions to shut down. While younger individuals and children are not at particular risk for death or consequences, they can still help to spread the infection to those older folks who are most at risk of complications and fatality.
Students who rely on school lunches will be able to pick them up from the school. Buses will also be delivering academic supplies for students to work on while schools remain closed, and students/parents can also pick up school lunches at this time from the normal bus stop location.
Duval County Public Schools Shut Down Schedule
As of March 19, 2020, the Duval County Public Schools are observing the following updates to the academic schedule:- Spring break will continue as scheduled through this week
- All classes will be moved to home-based instruction until April 15 at the earliest
- New student registration continues as normal
Students who rely on school lunches will be able to pick them up from the school. Buses will also be delivering academic supplies for students to work on while schools remain closed, and students/parents can also pick up school lunches at this time from the normal bus stop location.
How Parents Can Help
Right now, the most important thing for parents is to stay calm and practice social distancing for the family. Children should be kept mostly indoors, although some outdoor activities can be enjoyed in open spaces.
Parents are also asked to complete the online technology survey to help the administrators at DCPS understand what resources are available for students at home.
Also: stay tuned! This is a rapidly evolving situation and the people who run the schools are also still trying to figure out exactly what's going on and how they can best continue to educate our kids in the face of pandemic and crisis.
Uncertainty Remains
Governor DeSantis has implied that schools may possibly remain closed for the entire duration of the current academic year. Final standardized testing has already been canceled, and parents will have the option of keeping their students in the same grade during next year's enrollment. It is yet to be seen how quickly the state's school districts can adapt to online learning modes, and it is yet to be seen how successful we will be in mitigating the spread of coronavirus.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Online opportunities for Jacksonville business in 2020
While the effects of corona-virus COVID-19 appear to be devastating to the global economy, there is also a gold rush happening in the pursuit of online and technological solutions to the infection. There are many ways that Jacksonville businesses can adapt to reduce the negative impact this pandemic has on the bottom line.
Increase remote and work from home output
Many employers have resisted remote and work from home job arrangements because they fear remote workers will be inefficient or unable to communicate well with their coworkers. For many professional positions, the evidence consistently shows the opposite.
Technical tasks and detailed administrative work requires focus and concentration that can be hard to achieve in an office environment. Firms that were once afraid to let employees work remotely found that their output and efficiency only increased when they tested it out. Communication and collaboration is facilitated through a suite of software and apps provided by Microsoft and Google, so teams are connected with the latest versions of organization and audio-visual interaction.
While the competition stays at home under quarantine and worrying about backlog, your teams can connect online using technology that wasn't even available just a few years ago.
Reach a global customer base
As social distancing and limited live events take a toll on business revenues, there are opportunities to think beyond the local market to make ends meet.
If your business relies on people dropping in to say hi, you're probably going to hate the next few years. On the other hand, you can act quickly and decisively to go beyond those geographical limitations. Around the world, customers are turning to their computers to do business they had once done locally. Those customers can be yours, with the right amount of online awareness and creative thinking.
Initiative will also matter! Any new opportunities will be quickly identified and capitalized upon. Established firms will be harder to displace, so those who act quickest will seize the largest part of the new, shifted customer base.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Coronovirus impact on Jacksonville business
As people reduce travel and spend more time at home, the economy is slowing. How much? It is hard to say, but coronovirus has clearly had an impact on the global economy, already.
Jacksonville won't be entirely immune from the effects of this pandemic, either. Although we haven't had any cases confirmed yet in Duval county, it is certainly just a matter of time before someone here becomes infected.
And in the best case scenario that no one gets infected, it means that we were successful in isolating ourselves and reducing travel around town. No big gatherings, no lingering around the local shops.
Most Jacksonville residents have probably already spent the last week preparing a kit of supplies not too different than what we stock up each year for hurricane season. We're ready to deal with disruptions like this, and we kind of know exactly what to expect. This virus is obviously different than a hurricane, but if we're stuck inside for a few days or even weeks we sort of know the score.
Businesses will surely be disrupted. If possible, it's a good time to send employees to work remotely, from home. Any job functions that can be performed online should be done online, and meetings can be arranged with video conferencing software and other connectivity apps that are available in 2020.
Conferences and exhibitions are already starting to cancel and postpone major events, as well.
But how does SEO help you, the Jacksonville business in times like these?
Well the important thing is to have regularly updated content that is relevant to your user's questions. Are you open? Have your hours changed? Is anything out of stock?
The more you can communicate your availability and business status to your customers, the more satisfied they'll be - and the more sales you'll ultimately close.
SEO can also help you stay safe by pointing you toward authoritative and relevant sources for the latest news. Search engines know how to direct these queries in a way that (hopefully) spreads knowledge and awareness, rather than just sensationalism and panic.
Until next time, stay healthy Jacksonville! We hope you and your loved ones are spared the worst of the coronavirus - and that your business efforts aren't too disrupted, either.
Jacksonville won't be entirely immune from the effects of this pandemic, either. Although we haven't had any cases confirmed yet in Duval county, it is certainly just a matter of time before someone here becomes infected.
And in the best case scenario that no one gets infected, it means that we were successful in isolating ourselves and reducing travel around town. No big gatherings, no lingering around the local shops.
Most Jacksonville residents have probably already spent the last week preparing a kit of supplies not too different than what we stock up each year for hurricane season. We're ready to deal with disruptions like this, and we kind of know exactly what to expect. This virus is obviously different than a hurricane, but if we're stuck inside for a few days or even weeks we sort of know the score.
Businesses will surely be disrupted. If possible, it's a good time to send employees to work remotely, from home. Any job functions that can be performed online should be done online, and meetings can be arranged with video conferencing software and other connectivity apps that are available in 2020.
Conferences and exhibitions are already starting to cancel and postpone major events, as well.
But how does SEO help you, the Jacksonville business in times like these?
Well the important thing is to have regularly updated content that is relevant to your user's questions. Are you open? Have your hours changed? Is anything out of stock?
The more you can communicate your availability and business status to your customers, the more satisfied they'll be - and the more sales you'll ultimately close.
SEO can also help you stay safe by pointing you toward authoritative and relevant sources for the latest news. Search engines know how to direct these queries in a way that (hopefully) spreads knowledge and awareness, rather than just sensationalism and panic.
Until next time, stay healthy Jacksonville! We hope you and your loved ones are spared the worst of the coronavirus - and that your business efforts aren't too disrupted, either.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Content builds authority
The local Jacksonville SEO market is unique in that it is still relatively young.
For many economic sectors and interest groups, the potential remains for first page rankings without a single backlink. Simply building engaging content and updating periodically is often sufficient for outpacing the competition with their static websites and legacy platforms.
One quick content management system and a dedicated content production system is often all it takes to rise up above the rest in the Jacksonville SEO scene. If your competitors are bogged down with inflexible and inefficient content production procedures, you can quickly ramp right past with high definition photos of your process and finished product.
In some cases, competition is already fierce and established players have hundreds, if not thousands of backlinks.
Don't worry! In many cases, those low-quality backlinks from link and content farms can be more of a liability than they are an asset. We aim to create a large volume of engaging content long before we think about adding more backlinks to the queue. If someone finds it is useful, they can add and tag it themselves! We're just putting it out there, ya know? ;)
For many economic sectors and interest groups, the potential remains for first page rankings without a single backlink. Simply building engaging content and updating periodically is often sufficient for outpacing the competition with their static websites and legacy platforms.
One quick content management system and a dedicated content production system is often all it takes to rise up above the rest in the Jacksonville SEO scene. If your competitors are bogged down with inflexible and inefficient content production procedures, you can quickly ramp right past with high definition photos of your process and finished product.
In some cases, competition is already fierce and established players have hundreds, if not thousands of backlinks.
Don't worry! In many cases, those low-quality backlinks from link and content farms can be more of a liability than they are an asset. We aim to create a large volume of engaging content long before we think about adding more backlinks to the queue. If someone finds it is useful, they can add and tag it themselves! We're just putting it out there, ya know? ;)
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Jacksonville Businesses can Benefit from SEO
These days, when customers are searching for a product or service provider, they don't turn to the phone book. They go to their computers - or grab their phones - and Google the thing they're searching for.
In many cases, they'll even make their purchases right there on the phone or computer or tablet. Most physical products can be delivered in a few days, and many service firms also allow you to schedule and pay directly from their website (or app).
If your Jacksonville based business isn't getting quality leads from the internet, you're probably missing out on a lot of your potential customers.
While Search Engine Optimization usually refers to the specific goals of increasing organic rankings in Google, Yahoo, or Bing, it can also be expanded to include a full online marketing strategy:
In many cases, they'll even make their purchases right there on the phone or computer or tablet. Most physical products can be delivered in a few days, and many service firms also allow you to schedule and pay directly from their website (or app).
If your Jacksonville based business isn't getting quality leads from the internet, you're probably missing out on a lot of your potential customers.
While Search Engine Optimization usually refers to the specific goals of increasing organic rankings in Google, Yahoo, or Bing, it can also be expanded to include a full online marketing strategy:
- Paid Search (Adwords)
- Google Shopping
- Google Map / Locations
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Site optimization
- Outreach & promotion
A steady investment in your website and SEO can have a big impact - especially on local market businesses that provide services directly in Jacksonville. Showing up in the Google Maps can be essential for customers who might not even know what's in the shops at the block over from the ones they usually go to.
While Jacksonville has the feel of being many small towns put together, it also has the advantage of having that critical mass of population that allows niche stores to thrive. While most people won't travel across town for their favorite grocery store, they probably will if it means getting a specific product for their hobby - or a chance to share some time and company with those who share that obscure interest.
So if someone's looking for the goods or services you provide, you want to be sure they can find you online! It's also important to spread the word actively, because sometimes your potential customers won't even realize your goods exist in the first place. If you run a specific type of shop that specializing in hobbies or collectibles, the residents of Jacksonville may not even realize we've got those types of shops in town. Maybe you've even created a unique type of service that has no competition - but are people looking to buy if they don't know it exists?
The internet provides a diverse array of powerful marketing channels, and just about every local business in Jacksonville would benefit from having some sort of online marketing and SEO strategy.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
What's old is new again - 2020 in SEO
It's been a long time since I've posted to this blog, but the fundamentals of SEO haven't changed. Sure there are some details here and there, but the same old lesson has never gone away: provide good content and a good user experience!
The primary reason for this used to solely be as link bait, but these days Google itself knows what a good piece of content looks like.
Checking the boxes won't necessarily make boring content in to something that generates user enthusiasm, however, and links are still very important for a successful SEO campaign!
If you research your market and your keywords and provide a great user experience, you won't have to worry all that much about the SEO.
The primary reason for this used to solely be as link bait, but these days Google itself knows what a good piece of content looks like.
Structure of Good SEO Content
Machines reading content can attempt to analyze the words and structure of a page to understand if it is thorough, readable, and providing useful information. Here are some of the technical elements that a machine reader may evaluate while trying to study the quality of a given web page:- Use of headers (h2, h3, etc..)
- Lists (ordered or unordered)
- Length of content
- Inclusion of pictures, video, and/or other media
- Correct grammar and spelling
- Varied sentence structure
Checking the boxes won't necessarily make boring content in to something that generates user enthusiasm, however, and links are still very important for a successful SEO campaign!
If you research your market and your keywords and provide a great user experience, you won't have to worry all that much about the SEO.
The Jacksonville SEO Market is Small.. and Strange
It's been a long time since I've posted to this blog, but 2020 has brought big changes and new priorities back in to focus.
While I've remained involved in SEO and web publishing more generally, I never ended up following through with building a local SEO firm in Jacksonville. I have, however, kept an eye on it - and I've worked on some local business websites either as a personal owner or as a favor to a friend.
Beyond that, there appears to be a significant number of small-time operations run out of someone's home. Now, there's nothing wrong with that - because that's all it takes to get results! In fact, some of those sole proprietorships seem to be outranking the big firms.
The niche doesn't look like a free for all, either, after all.
Several large firms have been kicked down 100 or 200 spots for what I would presume are search penalties. It's possible they tried to copy what appeared to be working, but flew just a little too close to the sun.
What do you think? Have you had any particularly positive or negative experiences with a Jacksonville SEO company that you've hired for a local or national or even global job? Let us know in the comments: Your advice could save someone a headache and help their business, too!
While I've remained involved in SEO and web publishing more generally, I never ended up following through with building a local SEO firm in Jacksonville. I have, however, kept an eye on it - and I've worked on some local business websites either as a personal owner or as a favor to a friend.
SEO Companies and Marketing Firms that Offer SEO in Jacksonville
Dagmar Marketing and Thrive Internet Marketing are probably the two largest SEO firms in Jacksonville that actually have top organic results for Jacksonville SEO & related keywords. Since that's what they're selling, they're probably the ones you can trust the most.Beyond that, there appears to be a significant number of small-time operations run out of someone's home. Now, there's nothing wrong with that - because that's all it takes to get results! In fact, some of those sole proprietorships seem to be outranking the big firms.
The State of Organic Search Results
Digging a little deeper in to the smaller sites that rank well tells an interesting story. The current top spots are held by sites using decidedly grey to black hat SEO tactics. While I'd normally argue for pure white hat techniques, it's also hard to argue against what works.The niche doesn't look like a free for all, either, after all.
Several large firms have been kicked down 100 or 200 spots for what I would presume are search penalties. It's possible they tried to copy what appeared to be working, but flew just a little too close to the sun.
What do you think? Have you had any particularly positive or negative experiences with a Jacksonville SEO company that you've hired for a local or national or even global job? Let us know in the comments: Your advice could save someone a headache and help their business, too!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Dreamhost Coupon
What's the deal with the Dreamhost coupon lists?
Dreamhost coupon codes provide a multiple benefit to everyone involved in the purchase of shared server space. Its a great way for customer, salesperson (affiliate), and the company to get together and find a deal that can make everyone happy and provide the best services at the cheapest price.
Customer:
The customer can choose the Dreamhost coupon that best fits the hosting plan they're interested in buying. Coupon codes like Saves50 give the maximum cash discount of $50 off any hosting plan. For a standard plan, this is the best deal. But what if the customer's website needs a unique IP address for e-commerce and other online financial transactions? A coupon code like BIZCODE provides this in addition to a $20 cash discount - creating a total savings of over $60 for customers who would purchase the unique IP anyway.
Salesperson (Affiliate):
The salesperson gets a refferal fee of $97 for every customer they bring to the company. The Dreamhost coupon then lets the affiliate share some of this with the customer - up to a maximum of $50 (it can go a little over with some of the optional addons). Of course, this brings the affiliate's share of the commission down, but it makes the service competitively priced and it lets the affiliates customize their sales strategies.
Dreamhost:
Dreamhost has the benefit of finding new customers without personally getting involved too deep with advertising. Salespeople work independently, and they're only paid when they bring in a paying customer. This creates the maximum efficiency for marketing, and the Dreamhost coupon allows them indirectly to charge less, and spend more of their revenue on upgrading servers and services.
What's the downside?
I have no idea! As both a customer and as an affiliate, I am happy with the Dreamhost coupon program. It saved me $50 when I signed up, and now I've paid for the rest of the year's worth of hosting with other webmaster's I've referred. I can only assume Dreamhost benefits as well, because they've expanded the Dreamhost coupon list to include special limited-time offer discounts. I don't have any of these special Dreamhost coupons at the moment, but the next time I do I'll let you know!
Dreamhost coupon codes provide a multiple benefit to everyone involved in the purchase of shared server space. Its a great way for customer, salesperson (affiliate), and the company to get together and find a deal that can make everyone happy and provide the best services at the cheapest price.
Customer:
The customer can choose the Dreamhost coupon that best fits the hosting plan they're interested in buying. Coupon codes like Saves50 give the maximum cash discount of $50 off any hosting plan. For a standard plan, this is the best deal. But what if the customer's website needs a unique IP address for e-commerce and other online financial transactions? A coupon code like BIZCODE provides this in addition to a $20 cash discount - creating a total savings of over $60 for customers who would purchase the unique IP anyway.
Salesperson (Affiliate):
The salesperson gets a refferal fee of $97 for every customer they bring to the company. The Dreamhost coupon then lets the affiliate share some of this with the customer - up to a maximum of $50 (it can go a little over with some of the optional addons). Of course, this brings the affiliate's share of the commission down, but it makes the service competitively priced and it lets the affiliates customize their sales strategies.
Dreamhost:
Dreamhost has the benefit of finding new customers without personally getting involved too deep with advertising. Salespeople work independently, and they're only paid when they bring in a paying customer. This creates the maximum efficiency for marketing, and the Dreamhost coupon allows them indirectly to charge less, and spend more of their revenue on upgrading servers and services.
What's the downside?
I have no idea! As both a customer and as an affiliate, I am happy with the Dreamhost coupon program. It saved me $50 when I signed up, and now I've paid for the rest of the year's worth of hosting with other webmaster's I've referred. I can only assume Dreamhost benefits as well, because they've expanded the Dreamhost coupon list to include special limited-time offer discounts. I don't have any of these special Dreamhost coupons at the moment, but the next time I do I'll let you know!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Choosing a Hosting Provider
If you or your business is thinking about starting a website but don't know where to begin, the first step is choosing a hosting plan. These are the basic types to consider:
Free Hosting: Not a viable business plan, typically. Free hosts will put burdensome limits on how you can use your websites, they will probably force you onto a pre-existing domain, and you can virtually count on down-time, slow loading speeds, and general technical problems or limitations. This website is hosted with free hosting on Blogspot - definitely not a bad deal for a quick blog, but it lacks some of the functionality and customization that prevents me from turning this into a full-blown website.
Shared Hosting: The lowest cost level of service that is viable for a business. Shared hosting operates by placing several domains and user accounts on the same computer server. Users "share" the resources for a nominal monthly fee - typically $5-$9 per month. If you're a novice to website building, make sure this has an auto-installation script for online software like Wordpress and Blogger. This will allow you to set up a site like this one in just a few clicks, on your own domain, with better reliability and fewer restrictions on how you can monetize the pages.
Dedicated Hosting: Dedicated hosting is one user account matched up to one computer server. The advantage is speed, reliability, and improved customer service from the provider company. The downside: cost! Dedicated servers are extremely expensive compared to the other choices: they can cost hundreds, even thousands a month depending on traffic volume (of course, if you have enough traffic to spend >$1,000 a month in server costs, its probably worth the cost to keep that web site online.
Host Re-selling: The entrepreneurial take on shared hosting. A user buys hosting, and then turns around and sells some of his or her resources to the end-client. This is usually cheaper than shared hosting, but its possible that someone could lease 50% of a dedicated server - so the price fluctuated in a wide range depending on the specific offer at hand. This could be a great deal if you're using a professional web designer. A point of negotiation could be to ask for free hosting through an existing account of the web designer. Dreamhost is one well-known web host that provides an option for re-selling, and they also offer steep discounts in the form of coupons and promotional codes.
It is important to consider these pros and cons before signing a contract, paying the bill, and committing your new websites to a certain server. Changing servers after establishing a site is a time-consuming and somewhat risky process.
Free Hosting: Not a viable business plan, typically. Free hosts will put burdensome limits on how you can use your websites, they will probably force you onto a pre-existing domain, and you can virtually count on down-time, slow loading speeds, and general technical problems or limitations. This website is hosted with free hosting on Blogspot - definitely not a bad deal for a quick blog, but it lacks some of the functionality and customization that prevents me from turning this into a full-blown website.
Shared Hosting: The lowest cost level of service that is viable for a business. Shared hosting operates by placing several domains and user accounts on the same computer server. Users "share" the resources for a nominal monthly fee - typically $5-$9 per month. If you're a novice to website building, make sure this has an auto-installation script for online software like Wordpress and Blogger. This will allow you to set up a site like this one in just a few clicks, on your own domain, with better reliability and fewer restrictions on how you can monetize the pages.
Dedicated Hosting: Dedicated hosting is one user account matched up to one computer server. The advantage is speed, reliability, and improved customer service from the provider company. The downside: cost! Dedicated servers are extremely expensive compared to the other choices: they can cost hundreds, even thousands a month depending on traffic volume (of course, if you have enough traffic to spend >$1,000 a month in server costs, its probably worth the cost to keep that web site online.
Host Re-selling: The entrepreneurial take on shared hosting. A user buys hosting, and then turns around and sells some of his or her resources to the end-client. This is usually cheaper than shared hosting, but its possible that someone could lease 50% of a dedicated server - so the price fluctuated in a wide range depending on the specific offer at hand. This could be a great deal if you're using a professional web designer. A point of negotiation could be to ask for free hosting through an existing account of the web designer. Dreamhost is one well-known web host that provides an option for re-selling, and they also offer steep discounts in the form of coupons and promotional codes.
It is important to consider these pros and cons before signing a contract, paying the bill, and committing your new websites to a certain server. Changing servers after establishing a site is a time-consuming and somewhat risky process.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Coding Counts
One of the most fundamental and essential aspects of SEO is the use of proper coding.
Page titles should accurately reflect the target search keywords, and the meta description should be about 160 characters and act as an attention grabbing short description of the data in the web page. One of the faults of this free hosted blogger platform is the inability to modify all of the meta data - each page should have unique meta data content.
Images should use alt text - this will help the picture show up on image searches. Title attributes could be helpful for your users, but it is not as essential from a pure SEO standpoint.
Any broken links or buggy code could hurt the rankings for the website. Inactive URLs should be re-directed to relevant pages.
These are the basic things to watch out for in the actual source code of a website you're trying to optimize for SERPs. It is much easier to get it right the first time before the page is published then it is to go back afterward and find problems.
Page titles should accurately reflect the target search keywords, and the meta description should be about 160 characters and act as an attention grabbing short description of the data in the web page. One of the faults of this free hosted blogger platform is the inability to modify all of the meta data - each page should have unique meta data content.
Images should use alt text - this will help the picture show up on image searches. Title attributes could be helpful for your users, but it is not as essential from a pure SEO standpoint.
Any broken links or buggy code could hurt the rankings for the website. Inactive URLs should be re-directed to relevant pages.
These are the basic things to watch out for in the actual source code of a website you're trying to optimize for SERPs. It is much easier to get it right the first time before the page is published then it is to go back afterward and find problems.
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