One thing you’ll hear Pronto talk about more and more is what we call Internet Presence Management. This is our cohesive approach – from websites and newsletters to SEO and Social Media to Local Business Directories and beyond. These elements can’t stand as islands anymore, and we’re working hard to deepen the integration and consistency across all of your Internet Presence assets. Click on the image below to watch the video!

It’s not enough for these properties to simply exist. They must all be well executed in a way that makes your business accessible to a wider audience. Pronto’s ultimate goal isn’t just to make beautiful websites; it’s to build a well-rounded and cohesive Internet Presence for your company.

This kind of cohesive branding across your online presence is important from a marketing perspective: creating more opportunities for spreading brand awareness. But as our research on business directories shows, it has also become essential for maintaining visibility within search results. In this article, we’ll discuss why search engines look at signals outside of your website, specifically from social media, and what that means for your business.

A Brief History of Relevance and Popularity

Back in the early 90s, search engines primarily used on-page content to determine the relevancy of results. This made it pretty easy to manipulate rankings, just repeatedly throw some important keywords on your homepage and you’d start ranking.

In 1998, two Stanford grad students turned the search engine industry on its head by using inbound links as the primary method for determining relevance and popularity. The idea being that it requires a human to build a link, thus making it much harder to manipulate rankings.

Just a little school project called Google.

With this change the quality of search results went through the roof. Of course, throughout the years, some devious webmasters have tried (and to a certain extent succeeded) to manipulate rankings through link building. But along the way search engines have started to include more and more factors that help improve the quality of search results. Google now boasts over 200 elements that go into their ranking algorithm.

Today, manipulative link building is nearly as prevalent as manipulating keywords was in the 90s. Search engines are now looking for the next big factor that will improve quality in the same way that inbound linking did when Google first arrived on the scene. The answer may lie in social media.

The Rise of Social Search

In the late 90s, it took a human to build a link. That’s not the case anymore, but for the most part it does take a human to “Like”, “Share”, “+1” or “retweet” something. This same information can be used to determine the authority of an individual user, so a share from Guy Kawasaki is way more valuable than a share from me. Looking at signals from social media provides that human touch required for high quality results.

The last round of search engine ranking research done by SEOmoz shows a very strong correlation between social factors and high rankings. Remember, correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation. These numbers don’t mean that getting a ton of Facebook shares will automatically shoot you to the top. It could just mean pages that rank well tend to get a lot of Facebook shares.

R.I.P. Google Buzz…

This research was completed waaaaay back in 2011 – a lifetime in search engine years. Back then, social signals’ impact was only implied in search results. Now it’s stated outright. Bing has a direct relationship with Facebook, and Google went as far as building their own social network.

Google went on to release an awkwardly branded program called “Search Plus Your World” (sometimes abbreviated to SPYW or Search+) which integrates data from Google+ with their search platform. With the addition of Search+, Google was hoping that they would become the one place you turned to for all the information in your life, from restaurant recommendations to family photos.

Personally, I think they took it a step too far. When I search for “Koopa”, I expect to find information on Super Mario Bros. – I don’t need Google to show me pictures of my pet turtle too.

Aww, he used to be so cute!

Despite my personal reservations, Search+ isn’t going anywhere and social signals in search engine ranking algorithms will only be getting stronger. The SEO community often talks about “future proofing” your SEO – planning ahead for potential algorithm changes from Google in the future. For now, a major part of future proofing means socializing your business.

A Social Solution

Luckily our discussions about Internet Presence strategy help us to keep Pronto’s services evolving. Later this week we’ll be releasing Facebook Comments for all blog posts. This will give readers the opportunity to comment on, share or like your articles on Facebook, directly from your blog.

Throw your newsletter into the mix, and you’ve got a nifty little loop to help drive your business forward.

Content from your site is distributed via your email newsletter, which drives traffic to your blog. Facebook Comments encourage social engagement, which improves the quality of signals sent to search engines, which in turn drives more traffic to your site!

It’s a fast paced and constantly evolving world out there. In the same way that your website design from 2002 wouldn’t cut it today, your Internet Presence strategy from 2010 won’t cut it today. Adding Facebook Comments isn’t going to solve all your traffic woes (please note, this sub-section is called “A Social Solution,” not “The Social Solution”), but it’s a step in the right direction.

As a small business owner, you should always be looking for the next thing that will drive traffic to your site. The agility that comes with a small business is the greatest advantage you have over well-established brands. Give Pinterest a whirl, dig for deeper connections on LinkedIn, contribute to an online community in your niche, or contribute to an online community in your local area.

On a granular level, social search is about gathering data from the major social networks to improve search results. But the ideas behind it are much larger. It’s not just about social – it’s about your entire digital footprint. What the search engines are really looking for is information about your company outside of your website. The only way to build that is to be active and engaging on social networks, online communities, forums, etc.

Be active, get found, get traffic and get leads.

You’re no doubt already using the Internet to advertise vacancies: job seeker sites and the like, but have you thought about using social networks instead? While posting positions with a local recruiter can grant you a wide audience, there isn’t really room to maneuver when it comes to differentiating your company from others. These online spaces typically cater to the job seeker, and aren’t necessarily focused on sourcing your ideal candidate.

Why Use Social Networks To Hire?

The interaction across social media lends itself to businesses making real and personal connections with their clients. There’s no reason this can’t be successfully extended to making real and personal connections with prospective new hires. Wield your social networks as a recruiting tool by:

• Sharing. Your connections will already be getting updates about your business, so a post about your staffing needs won’t be seen as out of left field.
• Reaping the Benefits of Loyalty. Whether they be long-standing clients or new signups, those connected to you will already be interested in your company. Pitch directly to potential employees who will want to work with you.
• Being Personal. Let your solicitation be the first part of a conversation, and not just a static ad. This is your chance to sell yourself as an employer.
• Gathering Information. Get to know your candidate before it comes to the interview. Build your rapport online, and dispense with only having a sterile résumé to work from.

Using Facebook

Facebook has a variety of options to choose from when it comes to finding your new employee:

• Facebook Marketplace. Posting ads on the Marketplace is currently free. The ad will be visible on your Facebook timeline, and will also feature on your connected users’ feeds. If you’re not sure who or where to target, this is a good place to start.
• Facebook Ad. If you’d like to target a geographical area or a particular user group, Facebook Ad is a great tool. Before the ad is published you’ll be asked a series of questions to ensure you’ll be focusing on the right demographic.
• Pages. In addition to status updates and comments, you could also add a recruitment app to your page. One such app, Work For Us, allows job seekers to submit their application directly through Facebook.

Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn, like Facebook, has more than one way to broadcast your hiring news. For those who are used to advertising positions through traditional job seeker sites, LinkedIn’s “post a job” service will feel familiar. But be prepared for a stark difference in cost: accessing a global network of business professionals doesn’t come cheap.

Updating your LinkedIn status is a much more frugal way to spread your message. Increase the likelihood of reaching your desired audience by joining relevant LinkedIn business groups, and taking responsibility for making worthwhile connections with other users.

Using Twitter

At first glance Twitter may seem like a recruitment non-starter. How can you convey how great it would be to work for your company, when there’s a 140 character limit? Twitter users aren’t looking for essays; a brief message with a shortened link back to your website is more than appropriate.

If you’re still in the middle of amassing followers, using Twitter’s hash tag filter will widen your net. Adding tags such as #job, #recruiting, #hiring, #career or #NAJ (Twitter-speak for “need a job”) will enable your tweet to be searchable by all Twitter users.

We wish you the best of luck in the search for your team’s next superstar. If you’d like to know more about leveraging all that social networks have to offer, please contact us.

Are you using local search to its full potential? If no, please give us a shout, we are here to help make you the local champion.

Click on the info graphic below to enlarge it.

Would you like to increase your customers’ satisfaction but aren’t too sure how to go about doing so? This infographic below has some great ways your business can improve satisfaction.

Source: Happy Campers – Customer Satisfaction & What it Means for Your Business

First, let’s talk about multi-channel funnels. For a long time, Google Analytics would only credit the last source of traffic for a conversion. So if someone came to your site through an online ad and then submitted a contact form, GA would give credit to that ad as the conversion source, even if they had visited your site previously from a different source. This is good to know but the data is incomplete and can easily lead to a misallocation of resources. Let’s use the online advertising example above. With this information, it would be easy to say, “Okay, let’s spend a ton of money on ads so we get more conversions.” But what if most of those ad conversions first discovered the company through Facebook? By focusing on the final traffic source, you’re only seeing part of the picture and are missing out on key aspects of the conversion funnel, like spreading brand awareness.

Well, along came GA5 to save the day and with it, a ton of information about your conversion funnel and the path visitors take on their way to converting.

Finding the Right Path

Think about the last time you purchased something online. Did you go to a website, find what you wanted and immediately pay? Possibly, but what if the purchase you were making cost hundreds or thousands of dollars? You’d probably take a little time to research before making your decision.

Large business decisions follow the same mindset. You might find a service you like, check out their website, check out their competitors, find them on Facebook, look from reviews on an outside source and finally, maybe days later, make your decision.

Here are some of the common paths visitors follow before converting on our site. Quite a variety of sources, and check out #10! This person visited our site 14 times before converting!

A big part of a strong Web Presence is the ability to build trust. Having a professional website is probably the most important part of your Internet Presence, but if you’re not well represented in social networks, search engines, business directories, review sites, etc., you stand a chance of losing the trust of your potential clients along the winding path to conversion.

The Tortoise and the Hare

The Hare wakes up and says, “Today, I’m going to upgrade my server infrastructure,” while the Tortoise takes days or weeks to research before making a decision. You need a large and strong enough Internet Presence to hold the attention of the Tortoise while he meticulously reviews his options.

Over a quarter of our conversions took over 12 days from first touch to final conversion. Without enough content across our Web Presence to keep these Tortoises busy, or without a consistent method for delivering email newsletters, they could have easily slipped away.

The first touch and the last touch are very important, but equally important is every bit of content accessed in between.

Cast a Wide Net

The truth is that your website alone won’t cut it anymore. The top of your conversion funnel, where potential clients discover your brand, needs to be as wide and varied as possible.

Here’s a small segment of traffic coming to our Contact Page. Visitors come in through a huge variety of sources – Google, Direct Visitors, job postings and Facebook. The additional sources at the very bottom contain visits from our other social media accounts, listings on business directories, email campaigns, and more referral sources.

It’s easy to focus on your website as THE source of conversion because it’s the last stop on the journey. But don’t lose the forest for the trees. Every aspect of your Internet Presence requires management, attention and focus. Every mention of your business online is an opportunity to pull in a new conversion.  With Pronto, we’ve got your website under control, so get out there and make sure every part of your Online Presence is optimized to draw people in and push them through the funnel.

We want to share some of their amazing working with you and give you a quick reminder that Facebook will automatically be switching all business pages to Timeline on March 30.

We offer two primary design options for your Timeline cover photo:

• Convert a banner from your website
• Use a photo, or a collage of photos of your team

We’re open to other ideas as well, but today our examples will focus on these two options.

Numata Business IT

The folks over at Numata chose to go with a banner conversion. This is a perfect example of how an image that works well on a website, can now work just as well on Facebook. There are two very large benefits to this. First, it gives you an opportunity to announce your business with a big headline in the cover photo. And second, it creates a cohesive Internet Presence for your company. Visitors going from Facebook to your website (or vice versa) now have a seamless transition. Using this idea of cohesion across your entire Web Presence can help create brand awareness across a wider audience.

Evolve IT Australia

Evolve selected an awesome picture of their team for us to use. It didn’t take much work on our part to turn this into a winning cover photo. There’s one thing immediately apparent here – the Evolve team is fun and super friendly! Social media is, first and foremost, a place to connect with people on a personal level. Putting a face to the people behind the business can help build a level of trust that doesn’t exist elsewhere. If your website is the place where you keep things strict and professional, your Facebook page can be the place where you let loose and have some fun. That’s exactly what the Evolve team has done here.

Stradiant

The cover photo for Stradiant is a sort of combo of our two options. It’s technically a banner converted from their website, but it includes an image of Joe, making it a team photo also. With this, Stradiant gets the best of both worlds. They achieve the cohesive Internet Presence that comes along with converting a banner, and they are able to put a more personal touch on their social presence by placing Joe as the face of the company.

Pretty awesome, huh? Don’t feel left out – you can get an awesome Timeline cover photo too! Timeline cover design is included in our 1+1=3 Social Media Program along with customization on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ AND management, maintenance and consulting for your entire social presence! There’s not much time left before the March 30 deadline – contact us for more information about how we can help!

Here at Pronto, we use Zendesk as our primary help desk and client support system. Based on support ticket feedback from our clients we’ve achieved a 99% good satisfaction rating. We are extremely pleased that our current clients are happy with us. When you compare Pronto’s Benchmark with the average Benchmark across our two main industries, Marketing and Support Services, we are 14% and 5% respectively higher than the average.

We want to give a very special thank you to the 1%. Sometimes critical feedback is just what we need. At Pronto the leadership team gets an instant notification of any bad ticket rating, and we immediately look into the root cause of the issue. Knowing when we’ve failed to meet our client expectations helps us improve.

While we feel 99% is great, we never stop reaching for 100%. We look forward to bringing a superb level of service to out current and future clients, and would love to hear feedback from you – good or bad anytime!

Although you still have a couple of weeks left, the deadline is quickly approaching. Here are some tips you can use to get your business’s Facebook page ready:

Review Your Current Social Media Plan
The changes to Facebook are mainly in appearance. Facebook’s modus operandi, a social networking tool, hasn’t changed. Now would be a good time to look at your overall social media plan, review how well you are represented on the Web, and see how your plan is progressing.

Get Your Cover Page Image Prepared
Timeline for business accounts, like personal accounts, will have a cover image on your landing page. Here is your chance to get really creative and show who you are. Be warned though, there are a number of new restrictions on the image you can use:

• It must be more than 399 pixels long and 315 pixels high
• It can not contain: Price information; Contact information (information found on the About page); suggestions to Share and Like; calls to action and false or misleading information
• The image cannot infringe on Copyright or intellectual property rules/laws

As the layout has changed, it is a good idea to be sure that your profile image and your cover image will mesh together. The profile image will still be on the left hand side of your profile, and will overlap the cover page image. So, ensure your images don’t clash.

Add Important Dates
With Timeline, you can add important dates your business has celebrated. Go through your company’s history and select important dates and milestones you would like to share with the world. You will be able to add these dates to your profile, even if they happened before your company joined Facebook, or even before Facebook was introduced.

Get Page Admins Familiar with the Layout
There are a few weeks before the switch happens, so there is time for admins and owners of the page to get used to the new layout and its new features. The biggest change is that admins can make changes through a collapsing admin panel, eliminating the need to move to another page to make changes. Through this panel admins will also be able to view activity, and respond to messages.

Don’t Freak Out
Pronto has you covered. Our newly improved 1+1=3 Social Media Program will cover your switch to Timeline and a whole lot more! Through the 1+1=3 Social Media Program, we build and maintain your social presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Learn more about the program and sign up now!

Please note, in order for us to design and customize your new Facebook Timeline before the March 30th deadline, you must sign up for the program by March 23rd.