The Power of Words
Our words are migrants, crossing and recrossing the boundaries of other people’s minds, influencing thoughts and encouraging actions a few, a hundred, or even a thousand miles away.
Our words can spark imagination, evolve into action and create change.
If I learned anything today, it’s that words can create unity. Words can cause people to forget about borders and differences, and create a unified battalion of human beings armed with hope and prepared to face their future together.
Most of all, words empower. Some of the greatest movements of all time were inspired by passionate people who believed in a message, believed in the strength of each individual person and believed in the incredible power of unity.
Great leaders come at a time when people most need inspiration and hope. They speak to our hearts, and our minds.
It’s that time again.
Whether people agree with your idea or not, they are moved by your words.
They can choose to listen. They can choose to stand up.
And, they can choose to join the movement.
Review – Unlocking Wordpress’ SEO Secrets
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Wikipedia says:
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it “ranks,” the more searchers will visit that site. As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. -Wikipedia
Basically, SEO is doing everything you can to structure your website so it ranks at the top of the search engine results when your prospects are searching for an immediate solution to a problem. If you have that solution, you need to be in those top results.
That’s where Wordpress SEO Secrets by Michael Martine of Remarkablogger comes in.
Why I Bought Wordpress SEO Secrets
I really needed it. I’m not the only small business copywriting and marketing company on the internet, and I may not be the right choice for everyone, but I still want to be on the short list. If I’m not in the searches, I’m not a choice. It’s as simple as that.
I was on the fence about buying Wordpress SEO Secrets for weeks. I know it was just released last week, but I knew in 2008 it was coming out this January and I found myself trying to logically justify the purchase price. Not because I think the product isn’t worth the price – it’s worth a lot more than it’s selling for – but, because I set a tight “educational training” budget for my business. Eventually, with the help of the looming deadline, I talked myself into it. I also got in minutes before the price doubles, that’s how “on the fence” I was about it.
Why You Need this Product
The importance of this information was reinforced yesterday when I met with a potential marketing client. It was during this two hour session that I realized the huge – and I mean huge – online marketing knowledge gap that plagues many small business owners. After I got over the initial shock of discovering how much she spends monthly to have a big corp host her HTML website, I explained to her why her website wasn’t being found, at all. Not only does she have huge competition in her market and location, but she’s using generic copy and relying on meta tag keywords (as suggested by the multi-billion dollar corp) to get ahead of her competition in searches. But that’s a post for another day.
I’ve been working in marketing for small business for quite some time. I know how fierce competition can be for small business owners. Especially if you are just starting your business and you’ve never designed a business website. And with all the talk about the insurgence of newly laid off people jumping on the internet and starting up businesses, I know that people don’t have time to spend researching all the techniques that Michael is offering in his SEO Secrets program.
If you need results now, and don’t want to wait until your market is flooded with hundreds or even thousands of new websites in 2009, Michael’s program is the best place to start.
My Opinion – Product Strengths:
- You can implement it immediately, which I did and then created a new XML site map to reflect the changes I made.
- Michael explains how to use the search engines and other tools to find out what your competition is doing to get ahead of you on the search results page.
- He explains how to use Wordpress add-ins to your advantage.
- The videos outline all the steps Michael talks about in the book & audios. If you’re unsure about navigating the Wordpress administrator dashboard, these videos help to explain the various functions, what to enter and how to fix mistakes.
- He talks about categories and duplicate content penalties so that everyone can understand them.
- Most of the search and SEO tools he suggests are free, or available at minimal cost. So, once you buy the program, you really don’t have to spend a fortune to put the methods into action.
- He explains “Black Hat SEO” and lets you know what the search engines will do to you if you break the rules and get caught.
- WordPress SEO Secrets is for WordPress SEO only – so it’s unique among all the other SEO educational programs out there.
My Opinion – Product Weaknesses:
- The audio fades in and out a little and there is some background noise, but that’s the nature of online communication tools. Just turn your speakers up – and be prepared for some beeps that will make you jump.
- Although the audio came from a Teleseminar session, all the questions were cut out. I really would have enjoyed hearing some of the questions and discussion that went on around the content that Michael included.
- WordPress SEO Secrets is for WordPress SEO only, so it won’t help you if your using something else. (Why are you anyway?) The search and research info is still relevant, but the true focus is on people who are going to start blogging with a self-hosted WordPress website.
The biggest problem - Michael is pulling it from the Remarkablogger Store shelves on January 17th, 2009. There’s no word yet as to when he will be releasing it again. So, if you need more targeted traffic to help your small business get more attention, I’d buy it before it’s gone.
As of January 17th, Michael has decided to eliminate the deadline. I think that’s great news for everyone. Especially those of you who are undecided about how you want to position your small business on the internet. When you do decide to use Wordpress to host your blog, you can still buy SEO Secrets to ensure you’re using it to the fullest.
Honestly, there is almost nothing out there that thoroughly addresses the needs of people who are just starting out in blogging, are new to SEO and are self-hosting WordPress – until now. I won’t go over the entire table of contents – I have to admit, the section “Changes to Google Page Rank and Search Algorithms” was the real clincher for me – but I can direct you to a sample from 1 of the 3 e-books included. Check out a sample of Wordpress SEO Secrets here.
If you’re still not sure, just check-out the Wordpress SEO Secrets sales page and see what other business owners are saying about it.
Existing, or not existing, in the search engine results page is entirely up to you.
P.S. Because of Michael’s product, I’m already indexed and ranked 11th in the search engines for a keyword I was targeting.
Evaluating Your Customer Service
“All I want is one widget.”
For the client, it’s simple and direct.
They need something, they call, someone answers the phone takes their order, sends the product with their invoice and boom: they have their one widget. They’re happy. They tell everyone they meet that they’re happy.
People understand that you’re a great company to work with because no matter how simple the need, you fill it.
“All they want is one widget.”
For the small business that doesn’t understand this and needs to sell widgets by the hundreds per client to increase their profits, it’s a hassle.
The client is demanding just one small widget, the commission is low, the quoting process is long and drawn out, so you push the client need to the bottom of the list.
You’ll get back to it once you’ve filled the orders of your “important” and “big budget” clients. So, the client calls again. You tell them you’ll get back to them as soon as possible and, once again, the client waits. Their need becomes more urgent and they watch their deadlines slip past, but still no call. Now, they’re not happy. They vow never to return.
They tell everyone they’re not happy and not to bother contacting your company. The people they talked to continue to spread the word about your shoddy customer service to their own contacts. The potential for lost clientele continues to grow.
People start to understand that you don’t value their business and your focus is on pleasing only the big budget clients.
So, if you’re a small business or entrepreneur, how do you handle your client needs?
Do you rank them based on potential value, first come first serve, or do you treat everyone the same because your main goal is to have happy customers, no matter how big their budget, spreading the word about your customer service.
