In contrast see the benefits of Eniscope in our previous blog, see below!

ShareThis

So, try not to be totally taken in by the “smart meter” hype. Make no mistake, smart meters are here to stay but don’t let anyone blind you as to the real reason behind them. The benefits are stacked heavily in favor of the utilities companies. And while some users may derive limited benefits for the increased visibility of their energy consumption, which is a good thing, smart meters don’t replace good energy management and they can’t come close to the benefits of a real-time energy management system.

So, is Eniscope a smart meter? Absolutely not. Is it smart? There’s no doubt about it.

ShareThis

So, let’s walk through a few steps to understanding and approaching SEO.

The major work needs to be done by the owners of your website’s content, and your search rankings depend on your adhering to a few well-established rules.

Here is the final part…

Linking Strategy

The most difficult part of SEO is often your linking strategy.

The theory is simple: If many sites link to yours, then you must have something relevant to say; therefore, your ranking improves. Obviously, the converse might also be true.

We will not address outside linking strategy in this post; that is for another time. However, you do need to have an internal strategy for linking, so consider the following:

Internal links. Anchoring text off of keywords within the header is always wise.

Inter-site or cross-linking. Your reader is likely to want to move around your site quickly, and cross-linking enables them to do that.

Outside links. There is nothing wrong with linking to other sites if it makes sense to do so, such as linking to additional resources for your readers. Ideally, you’d want to keep your readers on your site, but if there’s an opportunity to guide or direct them to relevant material—take advantage of it.

ShareThis

So, let’s walk through a few steps to understanding and approaching SEO.

The major work needs to be done by the owners of your website’s content, and your search rankings depend on your adhering to a few well-established rules.

Here is the second part…

Meta Data

Think Twitter here. You have 140 characters to summarize the topic on the page. Don’t simply repeat the page keyword; rather, tell people what’s on the page and why they should read it.

Tags

In your HTML, you should have the ability to tag your content (H1, H2, etc.). You want to have your keyword in your H1 tags.

Pictures, Meta Keywords, URLs

The next few items are often controlled by your content management system (CMS). Hopefully, your CMS is robust enough to help you with the following items, especially since they truly affect SEO. If, however, you are managing your templates directly within the HTML, you need to remember to do these important steps.

• Picture Tagging. Every image on the page should have a filename that matches the keyword of that page. The ALT text should be the same as the image name and should, therefore, have the keyword in its name.
• Meta Keywords. These don’t matter to Google, but they might matter to other, smaller, search engine bots. So make sure you use them.
• Friendly URLs. Some CMSs are behind the times; but, if possible, your URL should contain your keyword.
  • A good URL: http://www.yourdomain.edu/Public_University_in_Chicago
  • A bad URL: http://www.yourdomain.edu/X5567Y3

Unfortunately, if your CMS does not allow keywords in the URL, there is little you can do (except get a new CMS!).

Look for the final post soon…

ShareThis

So, let’s walk through a few steps to understanding and approaching SEO.

The major work needs to be done by the owners of your website’s content, and your search rankings depend on your adhering to a few well-established rules.

Keyword Management and Content

In a world where content is king, keywords are the power behind the throne. A basic rule of thumb to follow is this: No more than two keywords per page, and no more than three pages per keyword. Confused? Let me explain.

First, a keyword is not necessarily a “word.” It can be several words that appear together and are subject-based, such as these: “Record of the English Language,” “Online Dictionary,” or, simply, “OED.”

Second, use your keyword, in context, within the text of your page. Write for the reader, not some unknown bot, and focus on that keyword within the content. Yes: repeat the keyword, in context, throughout the text. No, don’t simply repeat the keyword over and over again. Bots are made and programmed by engineers at places like Google—you’re not going to outsmart them, so don’t even try.

Third, build your list of keywords, and develop pages around them. Always think about the Long Tail and remember not to forget about less popular and slightly obscure keywords.

A note on content: Write your page content for the people who are reading it. Your content should…

• Be roughly 500 to 1,500 words
• Include images, titles, and well-structured paragraphs
• Be relevant to the keywords
• Include links to other pages within your site, or to other sites

Look out for the next post and more SEO advice

ShareThis

It is the byline for Enigin Plc that all presentations, training and above all else marketing needs to be excellent, not good, or very good, but excellent.

In modern marketing, email can be a powerful tool to get you business, services and brand out there - but it is far more than just sending out emails.

Lots of things that can go wrong with email marketing, from broken links, typos, unoptimised images and so on, but you shouldn’t focus so intently on tiny technical details while losing sight of the big picture, which is customer engagement.

Keeping in mind the need to tread the thin line between email right and wrong, here are David Meerman Scott’s deadly sins of email marketing.

• Bad marketing automation.
  The positive benefits of personalisation will turn quickly negative if your message begins Dear [blank]. No subscriber thinks you sat down and wrote a personal offer—but she can reasonably expect that you’ll get her non-personal personalisation correct.
• Boring content.
  We can’t expect subscribers to share our inherent passion for our products, services and news. So tell a compelling story, and hold their interest with humor, controversy and interesting facts.
• Lack of variety.
  No matter how much customers like a service or a brand, they’ll lose interest if the only thing its messages ever say is please buy this thing. Mix it up with content that educates and builds relationships.
• Predictable timing.
  If you send messages on Tuesday morning because someone said that’s when you should send a message, you’re probably missing big opportunities. Find out what works for your company by testing a variety of days and times; you might even discover success with a weekend campaign.

Finally think communication first. It’s important to cross your t’s and dot your i’s, but don’t get so carried away with the details that you forget to simply engage your subscribers.

ShareThis

To succeed they need to understand how Google can drive awareness and traffic to their location, and they need to recognise the vital role that search-engine results play in their competition against their competition.

It is well known that consumers are more likely to click on search engine results that appear on the first page of Google or similar search engines. When consumers find a local business it is only natural that they conduct some research before making a purchase. Thus, “owning” the first page of the search engine results page (SERP) is an important part of web-presence optimisation for any local business.

You can optimise your web presence to own page one of the Google SERPs in a variety of ways. Use a “build and buy” strategy that begins with paid advertising, and claim and create sites and social profiles that are active, optimised for search, and linked to one another.

Here are the fnal five of 10 effective ways your business can own the first page of search results (the following five will be in the next post.)

6. Google Profiles

The launch of Google+, Google’s social network, along with its recent decision to open up the network to businesses, too, bodes well for those seeking attention from search engines.
Those profiles can rank high on SERPs for your business name; of course, you should include business-name keywords in your Google Profiles or Google+ About pages.

7. Online Directories and Listings

List your business on digital directories and listing sites, such as Citysearch. Think of such sites as the “Yellow Pages” of the Web. By making sure that all of your listings are accurate and the information on all the sites is identical down to the details, you can help search engines such as Google pull your listings data higher in search.

8. Social Profiles

Claiming, optimising, and using social profiles are important ways to own more real estate on page one of SERPs. The four most popular social networks used for ad campaigns are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Company profiles on those social sites will often rank high for your business name, especially if you optimise your profiles to include your official business name in the content.

9. Review Sites

Listing your business on local review sites, such as Yelp, is another way you can own more territory in search. Customers may already be leaving reviews about your business online, so it’s important to claim your business profiles on review sites to monitor and manage your online reputation.

10. Syndicated Press Releases

Creating search-optimised press releases when major news occurs and syndicating them via a wire service can spread news about your business and help you own more SERP territory. Major news sites can pick up your press releases off the wire and run them, word-for-word, on their sites—which would pack a lot of authority with search engines.

To add more authority to your overall Web presence, optimise your press-release content just as you would a website page, and include links to your business website, pertinent blog posts, and social profiles.

ShareThis

To succeed they need to understand how Google can drive awareness and traffic to their location, and they need to recognise the vital role that search-engine results play in their competition against their competition.

It is well known that consumers are more likely to click on search engine results that appear on the first page of Google or similar search engines. When consumers find a local business it is only natural that they conduct some research before making a purchase. Thus, “owning” the first page of the search engine results page (SERP) is an important part of web-presence optimisation for any local business.

You can optimise your web presence to own page one of the Google SERPs in a variety of ways. Use a “build and buy” strategy that begins with paid advertising, and claim and create sites and social profiles that are active, optimised for search, and linked to one another.

Here are the first five of 10 effective ways your business can own the first page of search results (the following five will be in the next post.)

1. Search Engine Advertising

Google search ads can appear at the very top of the SERPs, creating instant visibility for your brand, regardless of what results appear on the rest of the page. That’s why it’s important to bid on your business name. For any business keyword, search engine advertising is the quickest and most cost-effective way to secure top billing on a SERP when consumers search for your type of business or your business name online.

2. Website

A business website is important for ranking well on search engines, especially if your domain contains your exact business name. By creating a search-optimised site with a front page that strategically lists your business name, address, phone number, and other important details, you can help your site rank well for searches that use your business name.

3. Optimised Website Pages

Create keyword-optimised pages throughout your website (e.g., the About, Products, Contacts, and Press Releases pages) to increase the chances of getting your business website ranked for your business name and getting individual pages of your site to rank high on SERPs.

Typically, up to four additional pages can rank on SERPs before Google displays a “Show more results from [website URL]” link.

4. Blog

Search engines love relevant, fresh, dynamic, and regularly published content about your business, industry, and community. Blogging is one of the most effective ways to dominate the first page of SERPs. In addition, social “likes” and “shares” are becoming important signals to search engines. People tend to share timely, informative, or entertaining content from blogs, rather than static pages from websites, so you can create search-friendly links and social authority via your blog.

You can create and host a blog in several ways. For example, you can integrate your blog with your business website, or create a blog on a different Web address and cross-link the blog with your website. The latter will enable your blog—with its unique Web address—to rank on its own. Moreover, your blog will be deemed a unique site, which means multiple pages from your blog could rank individually on SERPs for your business name.

5. Google Place Page

Claiming your Google Place page is an absolute must for any local business. You can optimise your Place page for search around your business name and business keywords, and your listing can also appear in Google Maps and at the top of the SERPs.

ShareThis

At Enigin we value communication but communication needs to valuable - so here is advice for Enigin Distributors and Partners who are running their own energy saving businesses.

It was once believed that there’s no such thing as over-communication. Now we’d do anything to make it stop. Communication is out of control and it can take all the fun and productivity  out of work.

Yes communication is as important to business success as it used to be, but now there’s just too much of it.

For whatever reason, the new problem of hyper-collaboration, where everybody’s included in everything, can become a problem.

Whatever the reason, communication overload has reached epidemic proportions and it’s killing precious productivity and effectiveness at a time of economic strife and global competition, when our already overwhelmed and under-resourced management teams and workforces can least afford it.

Here are the second five of 10 Ways to Stop Communication Overload:

6. If anybody out there is still trying to make matrix management work, stop. It’s a brilliant organizational concept that’s nearly impossible to execute without creating mass confusion and, ultimately, way more problems than it solves.

7. Be leery of noncritical management fads that are sure to create tons of meetings with amorphous results. Remember OD - Organization Development?

8. Question the ubiquitous “I want to be involved” and “keep me in the loop” micromanaging / controlling mentality.

9. Don’t use collaboration or communication tools for the sake of using them. If the net ROI isn’t clear, don’t do it.

10. Never forget that, now more than ever, time is everyone’s most precious asset.

We have gone too far the other way as far as communication is concerned and we need to take some of this communication and collaboration stuff off the table and create a little balance or, if nothing else, some time for people to actually get some work done.

ShareThis

At Enigin we value communication but communication needs to valuable - so here is advice for Enigin Distributors and Partners who are running their own energy saving businesses.

It was once believed that there’s no such thing as over-communication. Now we’d do anything to make it stop. Communication is out of control and it can take all the fun and productivity  out of work.

Yes communication is as important to business success as it used to be, but now there’s just too much of it.

For whatever reason, the new problem of hyper-collaboration, where everybody’s included in everything, can become a problem.

Whatever the reason, communication overload has reached epidemic proportions and it’s killing precious productivity and effectiveness at a time of economic strife and global competition, when our already overwhelmed and under-resourced management teams and workforces can least afford it.

Here are the first five if 10 Ways to Stop Communication Overload:

1. Every meeting - physical or virtual - must have an objective, an agenda, a start time and an end time; everybody who attends every meeting must have a specific and definitive purpose for being there.
2. Stop adding people to processes and groups. Every person you add to every process, group, communication, team, whatever, adds complexity and reduces productivity because people tend to say and do things, then others tend to respond, and so-forth. It’s always easier to herd fewer cats.
3. Question the broad use of predefined email distribution lists, reconsider every individual you cc on an email, and most importantly, don’t automatically hit “Reply to All.”
4. Reconsider internal meetings to prepare for other internal meetings, layers and layers of review meetings, the wisdom of “all hands” meetings, and panicked, kneejerk reactions to involve the whole damn world in a crisis.
5. Encourage and reward employee accountability, risk-taking, and initiative for resolving problems on their own.

In the next post there will be the final five of the 10 suggestions.

ShareThis