The Maine SEO Blog

Recently, I moved from the beautiful state of Maine to sunny Florida. I’m lucky enough to have been able to keep my job and work remotely for flyte. One of the most frequent questions I get is how it is working from home. In a word, it’s great. But I will say, I’ve learned a lot. If you’re thinking about working from home, read this first or if you already work from home, let me know if you’ve had the same experiences!

1. The transition may take more time than expected

My move went great. I jam packed everything from a going away party, to packing up my entire house, to selling everything I couldn’t take in a huge yard sale in just one weekend. The two day drive from Maine to Florida went smashingly, and when I arrived in Florida, everything settled down – including my dog – very quickly. Overall, I was really happy with the way things went.

However, even though it took my dog no time at all to get used to living at the beach, it took me a little longer than I expected to settle into a routine (we’ll cover that next). Nearly a month after moving, I can honestly say that I’ve settled in and have made the transition. So for those of you who are planning on moving and/or working from home, it may take some time to make the transition…and that’s ok.

2. You still need a schedule

Even if you have an open schedule (and therefore an awesome boss), it’s still important to keep some schedule. Personally, I’ve tested out a few options that I like: whether it’s waking up early and working for 3-4 hours, having a midday break to run my dog on the beach, and then pick things back up for the rest of the late afternoon. I can also work later in the morning and later at night.

As long as you can figure out a schedule that works for you, make sure you stick with it. That schedule also means planning work around family time and “me” time. I’ve found “me” time is particularly important when you work from home all day. I promise, it will keep you sane. Which brings us to…

3. Location, location, location

It helps to find nooks and crannies in your house that you can work in. A few of my favorite spots are at my desk, the dining room table, and the stool at my breakfast bar. This obviously depends on what you work on (laptop vs. desktop) and what you work with (if you have to write a lot on pads of paper or draw things on an easel e.g. an architect). Defining these “work spaces” will keep things flexible so that you can move around your house if that’s what you like to do.

In addition, staying at home all day every day (and in my case, having staring contests with my dog all day) can get boring and cause you to lose touch with the human race. It may just be me, but I love the feeling of Internet cafes. I’ve been to a few already and plan on scoping out more within the coming weeks. That way, I can camp out with my giant coffee and work with free Wifi to my heart’s content!

4. Don’t forget to get up and move

One of the biggest things I’ve felt since I’ve started working from home is having to force myself to get up and do something. Whether it’s a lunch time walk or a break to make a trip to the gym, it’s important to include exercise into that schedule we talked about. There’s not necessarily anyone across the cubicle to go for a lunch time walk or the ride home to make it easy to stop by your gym anymore; so you have to be even more proactive about getting up and out of the house!

Do you work at home? What has your experience been like?!

Nicki Hicks
Former commuter, current telecommuter

Photo credit: ishane

A few weeks ago, I was accepted as one of Examiner.com‘s examiners: the Jacksonville Social Networking Examiner. Based on what you write and how often, you actually have the opportunity to make money from your content. This got me thinking: what other websites offer you money for your content and, more importantly, are they really worth it?

Examiner.com

To start, you must submit work, and why you want to become apart of Examiner.com. It can take up to a week to be approved. From there, you’ll receive the power to create content from within their platform. They like to keep things local, so make sure your content covers topics specific to the location you’re assigned to. Since I haven’t done much with my account so far, I can’t tell you whether you’ll make much from this particular site.

Ready to sign up? Go here now.

Podcasting

According to this article in the Social Media Examiner, setup is key. Choosing the right host, the right platform (like PowerPress), setting up your feed and analytics will ensure you have a successful podcast. Last, but not least, pop your work on iTunes and start making money. The important takeaway though? Make sure you’ve crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s first.

Yahoo Contributor Network

Similar to Examiner.com, the Yahoo Contributor Network offers you the chance to get paid for the content you create for them. Set up more like an actual news desk, the Yahoo Contributor Network offers both the option to create your own content as well as assignments. The assignments are varied and many are of a more creative nature (short stories, essays, etc.). What’s more is you’re able to share more than just copy; you can also share your videos and photos as well.

Skyword’s Skywriting

Skyword promotes allowing writers to create search and social content for large, well known brands. Without joining, it’s hard to learn more about the program and all of the perks.

Seed.com

Similar to the Yahoo Contributor Network, Seed.com offers opportunities to not only provide content and get paid like our other examples, but also includes current assignments to give you a specific rundown of what they’re looking for.

All of these – and many more – websites offer great opportunities to make money on the content that you create. Whether they are worth it or not, that will have to wait for a little more experimentation! If you’ve had experience with these or other networks, please share in the comments below!

Nicki Hicks
Make Money Blogging

If you haven’t heard, Google launched yet another social network: Google+. Now available to anyone with a Google account, G+ is a new way to share content through Google.

Since there have been so many great posts on the matter, I’m not going to reinvent the wheel.

Official introduction from Google

The official introduction from Google, complete with a bit about circles, sparks, hangouts, and more.

Introduction to Google+

A post by Kevin Brooks of Forge Brands on how he has started using Google+. Kevin believes businesses aren’t ready for G+…yet, and it will be used – in the mean time – for personal reasons.

First Night with Google Plus: This is Very Cool

A post by Marshall Kirkpatrick of Read Write Web on how Google+ has really added value (that Facebook and Twitter are unable to do) around privacy. He talks a little bit about circles, photo sharing, sparks, and the mobile app. Kirkpatrick feels that Google Plus offers a “very compelling experience.”

Google Launches Google+ To Battle Facebook

A post by Ben Parr that includes screen shots and descriptions on Google+ features including circles, photos and group video chat, sparks, and mobile. Parr concludes with “only time will tell if Google has finally found its magical arrow.”

Everything You Need To Know About Google+ (Including What The Heck It Is)

This post by Steve Kovach outlines the basics of Google+ in an easy and simple way.

Google Plus: All You Need to Know About Google+

A post by our own Joan Crocker, complete with some start up information and cheat sheets about G+.

Is Google+ the Ultimate Content Marketing Platform?

A post by Brian Clark on how Google+ has the potential to become the “ultimate content marketing platform.” Clark mentions how G+ is the fastest growing social network despite its invitation only limited-access, combines Twitter and Facebook in a new and exciting way, and “+1’s” on Google can (and will) help improve search rankings. Bottom line, join Google+ and start sharing!

Now for the hard part

A post by MG Siegler in TechCrunch, in talking to Bradley Horowitz and Vic Gundotra, on how Google+ is attempting to emulate how relationships work in the real world. He goes into depth on all the different functions of Google+, including circles,  the “sandbar” (black toolbar on top), sparks, huddles, hangouts, photo sharing, social integration…complete with video tutorials.

Take the Tour

Think you’re ready to try G+, but not quite positive yet? Take the tour and play with the all new tools.

Nicki Hicks
Follow me on Google+

You already know that you should be blogging (or at least you do now), or at least creating content somehow. But sometimes, it might feel like you’re posting the same kind of blogposts over and over. Never fear, my friends, there are some fun and easy ways to spice up your content creation.

1. Videos

It’s all about video right now. [Rich recently created a few killer blogposts about video (like Killer YouTube Tactics For Your Business and What Kind of YouTube Channel Should You Have?) so make sure you check them out!]

A video doesn’t have to be long (short and sweet is actually better), and it doesn’t have to be a big production. Here at flyte, we create everything from talking head videos with screenshots to videos shot with an iPhone. The bonus for video is that it’s often far more engaging than plain old text.

2. Pictures

One of our clients, J&E Riggin, posts nothing but images on Wednesdays, a day they’ve coined Wordless Wednesdays. There, they’ll share gorgeous photos from their trips out at sea.

For a little more SEO value, it’s helpful to include some copy around the image and even alt tags. However, from a pure content standpoint, a day where you simply post a photo is brilliant. What an easy way to create content!

3. Mashups

Mashups are one of my favorite rainy day blogpost ideas. Be they a culmination of posts over time or a resource list, mashups are a quick, easy way to put content together without having to reinvent the wheel.

4. Dear Abby posts

Whether someone actually asked you the question or you make up your own, Dear Abby posts are a great way to spice up your content a little. In every industry, we all get asked the same questions time and time again; here’s the perfect opportunity to put those questions to good use!

5. Interviews

Whether it’s someone local (like a customer) or an important person in your niche, interviews are great for a number of reasons. Not only are they an interesting way to create fresh content, but it also adds a fresh, new voice to your blog.

6. Recaps or Live Blogging

Some of the most retweeted posts have been from pseudo live blogging. I took notes I would’ve created anyway and simply put them online. Take it a step further my adding your own .02 and spinning off from what you learned!

What ways do you add interesting content to your blog?

Nicki Hicks
Outletting creatively one post at a time

This week, I watched Google’s live developer’s conference called Inside Search. You can watch the entire event here.

Google launched a ton of really cool new ways to search, as well as made their processes even faster.

Voice Search

Fun facts

• Two years of non-stop speech comes into Google mobile search every day.
• Foundations of a successful speech interface include accuracy and ubiquity (available for every device and application).
• Currently cover speech enablement for about 27 languages and about 2/3 of the world’s populations.

This week, Google is launching voice search for the desktop. If you use Google mobile app, you’ve probably used voice search before. Now, you’ll be able to do the very same thing with Google’s desktop version: speak into your computer’s microphone and search!

For all the in’s and out’s of this new product, check out Google’s video on it.

Search by Images

Mobile search by Images

This has been live for a little while, but I haven’t played around with it yet. Using Google’s mobile app, you can choose the camera icon, take a picture (I took a picture of my MacBook), and Google will use the image to search. As you can see, it saw I captured a MacBook Pro and Google!

At Inside Search, it was announced Google is also launching search by images. Like voice search, you’ll be able to do the same thing on your desktop as you can your phone. Once you see the camera icon show up in your Google search box, you’ll have multiple ways to search by images:

• Copy and paste image URL
• Upload image from desktop
• Drag and drop inmage into search box
• Chrome/Firefox extensions

How would you use search by images? Here’s an example. I have a favorite water color artist, but I consistently forget her name. I have one of my favorite paintings of hers saved on my computer, so all I have to do is drag and drop the image into the search box!

Google suggests that it thinks I’m looking for Stina Persson, along with the applicable sites and images that I might be interested in. How cool is that?!

For all the in’s and out’s of this new product, check out Google’s video on it.

Instant Pages

Last but not least, on average, it takes users 9 seconds to type a query (which Google fixed with Autocomplete), 15 seconds to choose a query (which Google fixed with Instant), and 5 seconds to load the page. This week, Google is launching Google Instant Pages.

In this feature, Google will apply Instant Pages to those websites it thinks people are more than likely going to choose from the results. As you can see from the video in this post, Instant Pages makes websites load, well, instantly.

Nicki Hicks
Like a kid in a candy shop

It’s official. I’ve got a new partner in crime. (Mu ha ha.)

We’re super excited to have another Search & Social person in the office…and especially someone as awesome as Joan. She’ll be in charge of blogging at the Maine SEO Blog and we’ll be tag teaming projects and working with clients together.

…Or we might just spend our time taking long walks on the beach with our dogs. [Aside from being search/social geeks, Joan and I are also both obsessed black lab puppy mommas!]

(My) Brady

(Joan's) George

According to her bio, Joan’s been called a social butterfly all her life, so it only makes sense that you should follow her on Twitter, friend her on Facebook, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Welcome to flyte, Joan! We’re psyched to have you!

Everyone’s online now, right? Your brother, your Grandmother, your niece. All the places you do business with are online too, from the Mom and Pop store down the street to Wal-Mart. So, you should be too, right?

Maybe.

The biggest mistake I see people (and businesses) make is trying to do too much at first. They’ll try to be everywhere all at once without exploring whether or not that space is right. And sometimes, every space is right – from blogging to social media to email marketing – but that doesn’t mean you have to start them all at once.

So, the simple secret?

Do one thing, and do it well. Once you master one technique then (and only then), go ahead and try the next thing.

Social media’s a particularly sparkly medium. It’s shiny. It’s new. Everyone (kind of) gets it. But signing up for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr (and so on) accounts and going pedal to the metal on all of them isn’t the answer. You’re spreading yourself way too thin that way; it’s far better to be concentrated in one area.

I think one of the best examples I’ve seen of this is from Victoria’s Secret. VS knew their place (at least at first) was on Facebook and to this day, it’s the only social media link on their website.

They’d always had a Twitter account, but it only had one tweet that would direct you over to their Facebook fan page (which has since been deleted). It wasn’t until November 29, 2010 that they officially began tweeting:

Only the marketing whizzes over at VS know why Facebook was a better way to start, but we can all venture a guess. With Facebook’s custom landing pages and great apps, Victoria’s Secret is able to create a more profound user experience than they can on Twitter.

Victoria’s Secret has over 120,000 followers on Twitter and sure, people are certainly tweeting about them. But compared to an astounding nearly 14 million likes on Facebook, I think Victoria’s Secret has found their bread and butter. It’s posts like these that generate thousands (even tens of thousands) of likes and comments (and I can only guess sales, too):

What can Victoria’s Secret teach us?

I’m going to repeat it. Do one thing, and do it well. Sure, VS is on Twitter too; but they were on Facebook first and claimed that space. Now, they use Twitter to supplement the content they create on Facebook.

Nicki Hicks
Do like VS does. Well, maybe not exactly…

This is a recap from a webinar from SEOmoz with Rand Fishkin. Follow Rand on Twitter here.

Local/Google Maps/Places Results

Background

Google is now using a total of four types of layouts of mixed results when they display local search. Most importantly, make sure all of your localized information is the same across the web.

How to do better on Local

Depending on the business and intent of searcher, you’ll want to approach each of the 4 types of layouts differently.

Citations (or those websites Google pulls relevant reviews from) helps with rankings in Places. Some citations matter more than others; the basic rule of thumb is if Google is showing a citation from a website (like Yelp), they are most certainly taking that information into account.

Related places also seem to help. The more related places, the more it seems to help. Co-citations are good citations.

News Results

Background

You have to submit your content to be apart of the news results. When there is a photo, the click thru-rate tends to be higher. The news section is extremely time relevant.

How to do better in News

Google is getting increasingly more lenient about what they’re showing. Something new in Google news? Source attribution meta tags, which works like rel=cononical tags. You probably don’t need to use both if you’re using rel=cononical. Here’s more information on that.

Again, timing matters in a big way. As you can imagine, being the first article on the subject is a big deal. The title is also huge deal. Old articles that get refreshed titles will often rank more recent, on-topic news.

Google has started collapsing additional stories, so your story may be cataloged under the “main” breaking story. To compete, take a different angle with a breaking story. You may not be the first one to put an article out there; but it can be a great way to get into news results.

Google News homepage = big traffic news. The recipe for success? Break the story, have the best article the fastest, and be the publisher with the image. Have the video too? Even better.

Video Results

Videos have higher click thru rates because of the image thumbnail/rich snippet. Not much has changed as far as video optimization goes.

(more…)

The following is a recap from the twenty-second Social Media Breakfast Maine, a monthly workshop organized by Amanda O’Brien and Kyle Pouliot. For more on SMBME, follow the Twitter conversation!

The morning started off with three USM students who’ve taken over the marketing plan for the Saco Drive-In. Read more about the story at the Portland Press Herald. Follow the Saco Drive-In on Facebook here. A few things these guys have done well.

• Do one thing and do it well.
• Run promotions (they were able to offer 1/2 off opening weekend if they got over 5,000 Facebook fans by next weekend).
• They are making connections online, but also making them in person.
• They’re able to assess their target market and go after them – in real life and online.

Next up is Sault Colt, the head of Magic for FreshBooks. You can follow Saul on Twitter here or check out SaulColt.com.

Saul starts with some fun and full of personality slides, some including our own local celebrity Chrystie Corns! He also starts with a great quote: “Best reason in the world to not do things the way most people do them is most people are not successful.”

How do people market right now?

• PPC
• Banner ads
• Facebook ads

All of these work, but there has to be more!

It’s about being a little bit sexy. Not sexy is important but it isn’t the whole picture. Marketing creatively is about the product and its features.

Saul’s recipe for Magic

• Marketing is about influence
• Influence isn’t about influencers
• Influence comes from making a connection
• Connections come from emotion
• Emotions come from entertainment
• Entertainment come from magic
• Magic = marketing

The marriage of Marketing and Advertising

Marketing and advertising have to become more one in the same. Making an impact and making it memorable is becoming far more important than an entire marketing strategy. Things like guerilla marketing, as Saul sees it, will be far more important in the future.

Customer expectations

Customer expectations have changed. Customers now have a sense of entitlement and you have to work into that. We’re now programmed to be able to tweet or complain about a company online and expect that a representative from that company to reach out to us.

Customers want to be spoken to as humans. They want their ideas to be heard and be apart of the product – from creation to use. For that reason, it’s more important than ever for your products and services to be built specifically for your customers.

Why the “E” word isn’t “Engagement” anymore

In the past, the secret to social media has been “listen and engage“. Saul suggests that engagement may not be for everyone. If you (or your employees) are not comfortable with engaging, then don’t! Instead, just listen and do what your customers want.

To take it a step further, empowering is more important than engagement. You should empower your customers.

You do social media so that you know your customers better. The more you know them, the more you’ll try not to disappoint them (much like with friendship). Two important things to take away here:

1. People need to see themselves in your brand so you need to open up to them so they see themselves in your brand. Fight on their behalf.
2. Do interesting things…and then more interesting things. When you can’t compete…don’t bother. Change the rules. Have confidence in what you do and take some chances! What can you do in the real world that will drive people to social media?

Create an experience not the conversation. Let others start the conversation and just keep pouring gas on it. That’ll certainly start a conversation!

Twitter

Saul doesn’t think Twitter is the Holy Grail anymore. It’s very niche and tweeps don’t necessarily go outside of their networks and interests. Instead, find the true niche sites that your customers participate in (e.g. Associations, trade sites, community sites, online forums.)

Creative Marketing

• Make your customers scratch their head.
• If word of mouth fails, it’s no big deal because no one knew about it!
• Do contests with your customers all the time. People love funny things. You can get away with a ton of things if it has a story.
• Change the word campaign to lifestyle.