So your web site is tweaked out and ready to sell: you’ve got it live, you’ve debugged it, you’re proud of it.  It exists, it is alive, but NO ONE sees it.  So many people think that by carefully placing a well scripted title tag on the home page of their web site that it will transform their online presence and attract the droves of people just dying to visit your web site.  This is not the case.  If you build it, they may not come. 

A great way of getting some targeted attention to your domain name online is through the press release.  There are several outlets online where you can submit a well written press release and get some amazing publicity online.  Here’s the beauty of it…. If you remember to insert your URL (this is usually a premium service) into the press release and your press release is approved by the editors, the PR site publishes the release.  This is where the magic occurs: Google, MSN & Yahoo all put a bit of weight onto these online PR sites due to their relevancy, etc.  Therefore, once your press release is there and your web site is referenced, you start to become relevant:  The more times your web site is linked off of these higher PR (page ranked) domains, the more weight Google will place on your domain and the better you will do in the organic search engine rankings.

Important Considerations: Don’t submit garbage.  An amazing press release tells a story.  It is relevant, factual and interesting.  PR editors are trained to look for spam: don’t spam press release sites! As with all of seo, getting ahead in the search engines is based on providing relevant and quality content to USERS.

Seth Godin’s latest blog article: Personal branding in the age of Google is right on…

Simply put, Google never forgets. People as well as companies need to be conscious of what is being said about them online, and further, what message they themselves are delivering online. Once that message ‘hits the wires’ it’s there, period, end of story. Keeping your ‘brand’ consistent online requires attention and carefully worded messages along with placement. The online world is not forgiving and many would argue that it should not be.

As more and more companies gravitate online, there are plenty of people in line to talk about that company online…. What will your customers be saying about you?

If you are like most ethical business owners you take great pride in the work that you do for your clients.  You are passionate about customer service, you only want the best for your employees and customers and you strive for perfection on a daily basis.  You realize that to truly WOW the customer, you need to give 120 percent which you pride yourself on doing time after time…. Until the ‘one’ comes along.  The ‘one’ is that particular client / customer who you will NEVER please.  A customer that your gut told you NOT to do business with in the first place, but the deal materialized some how.

The deal goes south with the client, expectations were not managed, they are consumed with minute details and they demand refunds, make all kinds of empty accusations, etc. You decide to just refund their money and walk away, hoping to never hear from them again, until: A quick Google of your company name yields some snide comments on a blog posting. Comments that are completely false about your company, you are outraged and your sense of pride attacked.  What do you do?

You can complain to the blog owner, set yourself straight, be open and honest, respond to responses, etc.  The bottom line is this: that blog is not going to disappear from Google for a LONG time.  How can you combat it? Make your company name MORE important in the search engines by optimizing your own web site or blog.  Send out Internet press releases that allow for a link, link the press releases to your site and wait for Google to pick those up.  The offending blog may not disappear, but with some time, attention and passion, you can at the very least work on pushing that blog or offending article further and further down in the search engine results.

If you do find yourself a victim of a shallow attack, call us.  We can help come up with and implement a concise internet marketing plan designed to manage your online reputation.  We offer a free 30 minute consultation: 407-830-4550 or fill out our contact form for a quick response.  On Target Web Solutions : Helping you grow online.