Tag Archives: Google rankings

5 Lines From Field Of Dreams That Explain How To Use Video

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Yeah, it’s a classic baseball movie. Ray Kinsella learns a great lesson. But if you listen closely, the Voice may also be telling you how to increase your sales and your expertise in the minds of your customers with video.

1. Voice: “If you build it, he will come”

Especially now, after the Google Panda update, content will get you noticed. Using videos makes websites more likely to show up on top of organic searches. Not only that, but when a visitor lands on a small business’ page with video, the 2nd most popular behavior is to click the video.

2. Ray: “Don’t we need a catcher?”
Shoeless Joe: “Not if you get it near the plate, we don’t”

You know that when a website has a video, the conversion rate is higher than a website with no video.  But that video doesn’t even need to be watched. Just the fact that it’s there makes a difference in the conversion rate.

3. “This is my corn. You people are guests in my corn”

In the movie, it’s Ray speaking.  For this instance, it’s your website visitor. Your video is a guest in his browser. So, get rid of the auto-start, and make sure your message isn’t sales-y. Most likely the visitor got to your site because he is trying to solve a problem.  It makes no sense to show your latest TV commercial.

4. Mark: It is true. You don’t know the first thing about farming.
 Ray: Yes I do. I know a lot about farming. I know more than you think I know.

Show off what you know. The more your show your expertise, the more your visitors will consider you the authority in your field. Studies show that websites with at least three videos are considered authorities.

5. Voice: “Go The Distance”

See above. And don’t stop. Keep updating and upgrading your videos.

 

That’s a wrap.

 

6 Lines From The Godfather That Explain Why You Should Use Video

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Just in time for the Oscars. Ready?

“Why didn’t you come to me first?” (Websites that use video convert visitors faster and easier.  A good category is Attorneys. Well, maybe not for the Godfather, but for our purposes – Studies show that folks will search an average of 7 websites when they are looking for an attorney.  But when there’s video, that number drops to 2. )

“Make them an offer they can’t refuse” (Video makes content they can’t refuse.  A compelling message about your company will keep visitors on your site longer. Videos can also very easily enhance your credibility. Companies with three or more videos on their website are perceived as the authority.)

“I need a man who has powerful friends” (The neatest thing about video is that folks can share it with their friends.  Make something WORTH sharing. People don’t search for, nor do they share commercials – so don’t make one. The hardest thing about video is coming up with great ideas. That’s where we can help.)

“My client promises to make that trouble disappear “ (With video you can not only show the features and benefits, but you can have your customers tell their story too. That’s called a testimonial, and man, do they work!)

“Times have changed. It’s not like the Old Days, when we can do anything we want.” (Yep.  Here in the digital age, customers are more informed. They WANT to be engaged. They don’t have a lot of time to read everything you want them to read.  So, say it and show it in a video. Or better yet, a series of videos.  Not to worry. We can have you communicating 21st Century style in no time.)

“And let me be even more frank, just to show you that I’m not a hard-hearted man, that it’s not all dollars and cents.” (Customers, especially the tech-savvy under 30s, want value. If you’re a plumber, do a video on how to fix a sink.  An accountant? What are the top deductions that many folks miss?  THAT’S content. It’s content that can be used. Content that they can’t refuse.

NOT to use video can be a website’s kiss of death.  Let that happen to the other guy. Wise up and start putting Videos On Your Website now.

Or just call us and fergitaboutit.

That’s a wrap.

5 Lines From Sleepless In Seattle That Explain Why You Should Use Video

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Well, it’s Valentine’s Day. Not the holiday you think about when video production comes to mind..(Wait a minute..OK. No, don’t go THERE. That’s an entirely different blog..) I just thought it might be fun to take a classic Valentine movie like Sleepless In Seattle and see if I can make some of the lines relate to using Videos On Your Website.  Ready?

Jessica: H and G.
[Sam peers back at her]
Jessica: Hi and goodbye. A quick entrance and exit. Unfortunately, that’s what happens on most business websites. If the visitor can’t find what they’re searching for, or if there’s nothing there to engage them, they’re gone.  Websites with video hold visitors longer. The average time spent on my clients’ sites is six to eight minutes.

Sam Baldwin: Well I just want somebody I can have a decent conversation with over dinner. That’s what your prospects and customers are looking for, too. Well, maybe not over dinner, but they do want to connect with products and brands they know and like. Back in the day, before the Internet, you’d be hard pressed to find a way to reach out to a large company. Now with blogs, Twitter, Facebook, AND Videos, customers feel like they have an advocate inside those companies.

Jonah Baldwin : Thanks for dinner. I’ve never seen potatoes cooked like that before. Let’s talk about being unique. With every other accountant, doctor, landscaper, or restaurant having a website these days: what really sets you apart? The best way to tell that story is with video. Show your customers how to something they’ve never done. Show what your product does that the competition doesn’t. Be memorable. Be compelling.

Jessica: If it’s in the computer, they believe anything. Some businesses believe that. Hopefully, the ones that do are your competition.  I’ve seen websites that literally have not been updated in 5 or more years!  Their only purpose is to be an online brochure. Copy may be wrong or outdated. Websites that are updated on a consistent basis get more “points” with search engines. Websites with videos can get a big boost in their search engine optimization. And, it’s been shown that companies with three or more videos are thought of as experts by their customers.

Jonah Baldwin: In the movies, women are always scratching up the men’s back and screaming and stuff.
Sam Baldwin: How do you know all this?
Jonah Baldwin: Jessica’s got cable. I don’t know how much Sam trusted Jessica after that.  Trust is a big issue.  If you’re a company who has to perform their service in a customer’s home, they’re not going to hire you unless they trust you. With video, they can meet you and your staff before the work is done. Put your best face forward. The transparency of your company and the trust it instills in customers depends on it.

There are as many whys and ways to use video as there are websites. Every project I’ve done for the past two years has had a different twist. But one thing is certain: video has been the most added element to websites for the past two years.  Call me and let me show you the success stories.

That’s a wrap.

21 Signs Your Company Is Ready To Put Videos On Your Website

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It took me about five minutes to come up with this list. I like the number 21. But there are a few dozen more I’ll save for another post. Ready?

21 SIGNS YOUR COMPANY IS READY TO PUT VIDEOS ON YOUR WEBSITE

1. Your “time spent on site” analytic is less than 60 seconds

2. Visitors do research on your site, then buy from a competitor

3. Visitors read the “About Us” page then leave

4. You sell a service which is performed in your customer’s home

5. You sell a service to customers which is performed in your home

6. You compete in an industry that has a less than stellar reputation

7. You keep trying to get on the first page of search engine results, but never make it.

8. Your company president asks, “What is You Tube?”

9. Your company president asks, “What is the internet?”

10. Your Unique Selling Proposition is better customer service

11. You have to show your customers how your product works

12.You have to show your customers the safety features of your product

13. You need to show why your product is built better than the other guy’s

14. There are questions you WISH your customers would ask

15. Your company is celebrating a milestone anniversary

16. You want your customers to meet your staff

17. You want to build brand loyalty

18. You want to show off your expertise

19. You want to be the “go to” person in your industry

20. You’re getting ready for a price increase

21. You’ve just started a new business

Do any of these sound like you or someone you know? Let’s talk about it. I’ll buy the coffee. Maybe I’ll even buy lunch.

That’s a wrap.

30 Days To Success With Website Videos

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I am very pleased when one of my clients tells me about something that’s happened as a direct result of putting videos on their website. Consistently, something positive always happens in the first 30 days.

I produced a video for an executive recruiting firm. They had recently doubled their staff, and wanted to share their unique point of view, as well as getting more quality leads. They were thrilled with their video, and it went up immediately on their website, blog, Facebook page, and about a half dozen other social sites.

Within two weeks, they were contacted by a local TV news crew who wanted to do a story on them. They were perceived as a leader in their field, which is exactly where they wanted to be.

I did another video for a company who was already showing well in the search engines for “expert” in their specialized niche. In the first month, their website traffic had increased by 60%. To top it off, not only were they showing up on the first page of results for their keywords, but so was their video. And the views on their YouTube channel skyrocketed.

I started working with a new company just three months after it had been founded. We began producing a series of video blog posts. I have just learned that as a direct result of the videos, they landed $8000 in new business within the first 30 days.

These stories are not extraordinary. Not only does video jumpstart search engine results, but it also gives your prospects a reason to remember you.

In the future having videos on your website will be as commonplace as having buttons for navigation. Right now is the perfect time to start. By jumping in with both feet and using compelling, engaging video messages, you can lead the way in your category. It will garner results now, and the equity you build as an innovator, will pay off in the future.

–That’s a wrap.

Give Your Website Visitors A Reason To Stay

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I’m sitting here looking at my latest stats from Google Analytics, and I found something very interesting: When a visitor comes to my site as the result of a Google organic search, they stay for almost SEVEN MINUTES! Even when I’m found through a Yahoo search, visitors hang around for just under four minutes.

There’s a video on almost every page of my site. Only two of them are about me or my work. The rest show my clients and how they are using video to enhance their brand, establish trust and credibility or take viewers on a behind the scenes look at their business.

Here’s another stat that’s hard to believe: one of my inbound links brings visitors who stay an average of NINE minutes.

If you buy advertising on radio or TV, you have only thirty seconds to present your message. And with both of those mediums, you’re competing with all the other stimuli that surrounds the user. Plus, it’s extremely costly.

Videos on your website are available 24/7. They’re one of the most cost effective strategies to get in front of a prospect and present yourself as an expert in your field.

If you know a small business with a website, invite them to take a look at their user statistics. Then, ask them to give me a call.

–That’s a wrap.

How Video Helps Your Website SEO

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Everytime I talk with someone about using Videos On Your Website, the conversation invariably turns to Search Engine Optimization.  A lot of folks hear the term SEO, and they know it has something to do with keywords, but after that, they’re lost.

SEO is kind of like trying to put a bowtie on a fish.

The guys who do this for a living twist and pull and tweak their websites so they can in some measure figure out what the search engines are looking for.  Nobody’s supposed to know for sure.  But we do know that titles, headlines, and what you write on the page all get the attention of the search engine robots. We also know that a few of the right tweaks will get your ranking up, but with time, that ranking begins to fade as something newer takes its place.

There’s another fish analogy – if you turn your back and forget about it, it will start to smell.

That’s why constantly updating your website makes those search engine robots very happy.  Because a changing site is a fresh site.  And a fresh site must be more relevant. That means content.

If content is King, then having videos on your website should at least be Prime Minister. Videos can, and should be optimized with keywords.  They should not only be on your website, but distributed to as many of the video sharing sites as you can with a URL pointing back to your main page.  Everytime you do this, even if it’s the same video, it is fresh content in the hearts and minds of the search engines.

Ultimately, a visitor might share your video with a link, or a recommendation to a friend. That builds credibility, and that’s the other thing that feeds the search engine’s ranking machine.

To put it another way: having videos on your website can make you up to eight times more likely to land on the first page of Google results than if you just have text.

How are folks finding YOU?  What are they doing when they get to your site?  How long would you like to keep them there?

I’d be more than happy to talk to you about it.

–That’s A Wrap