Since 2015, I’ve been helping local businesses in the Marietta, GA and Atlanta Metro area with social media management. Over that time I’ve seen the need grow for more than simply social media, but an overall online presence, marketing and reputation management.
I help small businesses through developing solutions for their business’s online identity and reputation in order to help them get found online. Much of my work focuses on a business’s Google Profile (Google My Business), Implementing a Review Strategy, Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization), business branding and website content creation.
I understand that it can be difficult to determine what area to focus on first. There are so many shiny new objects online, that most businesses don’t know where to begin. That’s where I come in and assess your company’s online presence and develop a strategy and give you the education and tools you need to grow your business.
I've lived in Atlanta since 1995, and moved to Marietta, GA in 2001. I enjoy the local community and festivals on the Marietta Square. I have a rescue mutt, Margi, and enjoy taking her on walks in local parks and to events on the Square.
I attended WordCamp Atlanta in 2012 and that is where I found a supportive and fun community that helped me grow and realize how much I enjoy helping small businesses build their online reputation and grow their customers. I've spoken at various WordCamps, Meetups and Conferences across the East Coast.
My Beliefs
Throughout everything I do in my business, you will notice one common thread. As the business owner, I want you to OWN your business.
On many social media platforms, you don't own the platform, but you need to be the account Administrator. When it comes to your website, you should OWN your domain. This is because you are spending a lot of time and money sending traffic to that site. You need to make sure that it can't be taken away.
The way to do that is to be the registrant of your website domain. It can be hard to understand, if you're not used to some of the terminology, but just make sure that you don't have someone else buy your domain or transfer it to anyone else, unless you're selling your business. If you have questions or need clarification on this, grab a chat with me to discuss it further.
I also believe in "white hat" strategies as opposed to "black hat" strategies.
Black hat strategies are different ways to try to "trick" the system and get a quick win. The problem with this type of strategy is it's usually a short term approach and can have a negative repercussions in the long run. Google and the other search engines pick up on them and then block them from working. Often times when this is done, it can have a significantly negative impact on a businesses online presence.
Unlike black hat strategies, white hat strategies are just the opposite. These are long term strategies that are implemented to boost your business's online presence, but are in line with what Google and the other search engines are looking for. For example, search engines love consistent, quality content, so a good strategy would be to consistently add quality content to your website that is in line with your product or service..
I’ve taught workshops and given various presentations on Small Business Branding. This is tricky for new businesses that don’t know whose advice to take when starting out. The most important thing to remember is that you need to OWN your online identity. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
If you get this part in your business wrong, you end up simply renting your business.
Some businesses that are starting out don't have the funds to invest in a full website to promote their business. I created a Business Branding Page that is affordable to help those businesses with their online presence.
Business branding also includes making sure that your business’s message is consistent across the different social media platforms.
Do you need help with branding your business and making sure that you are consistent and maintain ownership?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It's optimizing your website and online presence with a strategy and tools to help your business get found online.
What is Local SEO? Many businesses have heard the term, but don’t understand what’s involved and how they can to use Local SEO to grow their business.
The “Local” part means that your business is getting found online by customers and potential customers in your local neighborhood. You service a specific geographic area. For instance, a veterinarian in Marietta, GA will want to be found by local customers with pets, but isn’t concerned about a pet parent in Texas finding them. No one's going to drive from Texas to Georgia for their veterinarian. They want someone close by.
There are also service based businesses that offer a service to a specific geographic area, but do not have a brick and mortar store. For instance, a Mobile Groomer in Marietta, GA has a specific geographic area that they service. While they travel to their customers, they don’t service the entire US! They are going to focus their marketing efforts in the local area that they service.
As you can see, if you service a specific geographic area, you need to focus on Local SEO, and not a broad geographic area. You want potential customers in your neighborhood to find you. They search with "local intent"; They want someone nearby and are not looking for a long trip to get the product or service they are looking for.
There are a lot of tactics and processes to implement a successful SEO strategy for your business so that you can get found online by potential customers in and around your location.
I started off helping clients with their social media content and strategy and quickly discovered that a number of small businesses that needed my help also needed help with their website. Most of the time, this is the place that you’re sending people to in order to get the sale or bring on new customers.
Your website is crucial to your business’s online presence and strategy. It’s one thing to have a pretty website, it’s another to have a website that Google can read and helps your business get found online. It’s important to have a good SEO strategy for your website. This simply means that behind the scenes you’re using the proper keywords, your content and images are optimized for SEO, and you are using the best SEO tools and tactics for your website..
While I don’t create websites, I have numerous referral partners through my involvement with the local WordPress community and can assist with finding the right fit for your business if you need a new website or have a website that needs to be completely redone. Keep in mind that some very old sites may need an overhaul, but others may simply need a good SEO Strategy implemented.
If you are not quite at a point in your business where you want a full website, I can assist with a more economical business branding page.
I’ve seen recent ads saying that a business’s Google My Business is more important than your website. I do a lot of work with Google My Business and while it’s a crucial part of your business's online presence and Local SEO strategy, your business CANNOT go without a website and your website is your business’s most important piece of online real estate.
The reason is simple: You Don’t Own Your Google Profile (or any other social media profiles for that matter).
This is also why it’s so important to OWN your domain and be listed as the registrant.
Years ago, when SEO was just becoming a thing online, you could simply stuff your website with the proper keywords and you could easily get found online. Things have dramatically changed. You’ve probably heard the phrase: Content is King!
This is becoming more and more important as it relates to your website. You can no longer simply stuff keywords into your website’s metadata and rank. It needs to be relevant and be easily consumed and understood by your potential customers.
That’s right, the content needs to be lengthy enough and coherent to make sense to your potential customers.
Your website should have good, quality content. And size matters! Google likes pages that have 500+ words to them. Google also has a freshness factor and wants to see new fresh content regularly. If it’s too old, is it still relevant.
I encourage my clients to write a blog, but you can’t simply write it and paste the text onto your website. The content has to be optimized so that Google can read it and understand the main idea you are talking about and it needs to be viewer friendly.
I help clients optimize their website and blog content so that it’s not only relevant for Google, but also readable for visitors. If you don’t have time in your busy schedule to write your own content, I help with the copywriting too!
Claiming, setting-up and posting weekly your Google My Business (GMB) account is crucial for Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization – Getting found online). It increases your chances of showing up in Google’s Local Pack, Local Finder and Google Maps. There are various factors to a good GMB strategy, including a review of your keywords and consistently adding new optimized content to your profile.
One issue that I’ve come across lately is duplicate profiles. These need to be properly merged so that you are not competing against yourself on Google and so that you are able to keep all of your online Reviews.
Google Guidelines can be tricky for some businesses to understand. If you do not abide by their guidelines, your account can be suspended, edited (lost reviews) or shut down. This is why I make it a point to keep up with all of the latest trends and changes that impact Google My Business and how it can change your current strategy.
Getting your Google My Business Profile right can mean a substantial boost to your business’s bottom line and getting it wrong can be catastrophic.
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make online is to ignore reviews. Some business wrongly believe that most people will only leave a review about their negative experience. This is not correct if you implement a review strategy. Not only do 82% of consumers read online reviews, but those online reviews help built their TRUST for your business.
Not only do reviews build the trust factor with customers, they also build your trust with Google. Your online reviews play an increasingly important role in SEO online.
This is why a review system must be put in place and it must be compliant with Google Guidelines. I’ve seen too many businesses implement a system that is against Google Guidelines and this will put your business’s entire online reputation at risk.
If you violate Google Guidelines, Google can remove most or ALL of your reviews. It’s not worth the time and effort to implement a system that goes against these guidelines.
Once you've got your SEO Strategy in place, you need to start promoting yourself on social media. You've written your website content and blogs, share them!
You should always repurpose and share your content. It's not something that you tell people about once, you net to set up a social media strategy to consistently let people know what it is that you do! Engage your customers and potential customers on social media.
Not sure where you should start with your business? That's completely understandable. Let's schedule a chat and go over your business's current online profile and see where you want it to take your business. That will help us determine what strategy we need to implement.
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21957 Catherine Avenue, Port Charlotte, FL 33952 • 678-480-6669 • Tricia@TriciaClements.com
