Tag: Google

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Get Google Calendar’s Goals to Organize Your Life

Get active and let Google Calendar book the time in your schedule for you.
Get active and let Google Calendar book the time in your schedule for you.

Do you use Google Calendar? Want to squeeze more out of each day? Google will now schedule time for you to squeeze more out of each day when you set up a Google Calendar Goal.

This is a new enhancement to the Google Calendar app. If you already have Google Calendar installed, use these quick steps to check it out for yourself.

If not, go to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.calendar and download the app to get started.

Get Started!

  1. Open the app and then click the big red circle with a + at the bottom right.  Choose the blue “goal”.
  2. Let Google know what you want to have as your goal – exercise time, building a skill, time for family and friends, me time,  or simply stay organized.
  3. Based on the activity, you will see different questions. I selected stay organized and my menu is plan the day, clean, do chores, custom. Each step has different questions to fine tune what Google will do and how frequently it will add a note on your calendar.
  4. When you are done click the checkmark at the top right of the last page. Google will then flag time in your calendar based on your criteria. And, Google will remind you to stay on task to accomplish your own goal.

If you are having trouble finding time to do something regularly, it’s a good idea to allow Google to scan your calendar, add the item, and then remind you that you need to do it. You can mark the goal done or defer it as needed when your reminder pops up.

Using goals in Google Calendar is just another great way that Google Calendar can make your life easier and for you to live smarter.

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Get on Google+ Guide

Google Partner Badge
McCord Web Services is a Google Partner.

I consider activity on Google+ important for business owners. The real SEO and search benefits are however not achieved by updating your Google+ Business page, but rather your Google+ personal page.

So, how can you connect with others to start building your Google+ empire and improved rankings for your company website in the organic listings?

Start by making sure the content you write is on target, on topic, and engaging. I use my Google+ page for business and not personal use. Consider doing the same for now.

Work to actively add users to circles and respond when someone adds you to one of their circles. Click +1 and leave comments on posts you find interesting. You’ve simply got to spend some time.

Consider starting a hangout. Well I am still thinking about that one, but have participated in several others and they can be fun. I have just not initiated one.

I personally find that for placement Google+ will be very important. As Google does not allow any automated or scheduled updates to be passed to your Google+ page, you will find the community of business people, legitimate, real and engaging.

Personally, I use Facebook for personal interaction on my locked down private page and Google+ as my face on social networks for business.

If you are using Google+ for your business outreach efforts, make sure to check out our Google+ writing services. They are very cost effective.

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Not Making Videos? Now’s the Time to Reconsider

It's easy to get started with videos.
It’s easy to get started with videos.

With organic results being pushed down below the fold, with the shrinking space on mobile screens leaving nearly no room after ads, how can you get your website to show for organic or unpaid searches?

It is simple, use videos posted on YouTube which Google will preferentially index and show over videos posted with Flash or other video applications embedded back on your website.

The key take away on this is that YouTube is a Google property. Google loves to promote and link to content in its own network as ads can be shown and therefore it pads its own pockets. Plus Google likes and understands that users want video and so shows them mixed in with the organic results very frequently. We are a visual world!

Your YouTube video that you do to explain, illustrate, or showcase a product may be the way that new customers will find your business and enter your website.

Videos you post to YouTube do not need to be works of art, but solve a problem, talk to a need, and do not even need to be long. Just grab your smartphone and start recording. You can receive value from 20 to 30 second videos or how to videos.

I like to post these types of videos to YouTube plus archive them via the embed code back on my own website, getting double duty of new fresh content and ways for clients to view – on my site or full screen over at YouTube.

I think that for businesses struggling to get organic placement in the new no-ad-sidebar Google world that video will play a strong part in getting future traffic.

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AdWords Standard Beats AdWords Express

I had a client who wanted to promote a new service in Manhattan, New York but wanted to spend $200 to $300 for clicks for a 30 day period. The price of her service is about $900 a pop. She wanted to move back into an old AdWords Express program to try to generate some buzz.

Sounds like you should be able to quickly and efficiently do this right? But what kind of quality of clicks would you get with AdWords Express.

Here’s a concrete example.

Google Partner Badge
McCord Web Services is a Google Partner.

In AdWords Express we would enter one version of ad text and about 10 or so keywords we want to have the activity focus on.  Let’s say the service was permanent eyebrow tattoos. Once we entered in our keyword set, Google would use broad match variations, synonyms, plurals, similar words and even parts of our keyword we wanted ads to show on.

So, even if we really only wanted to show ads on permanent eyebrows, or permanent eyebrow tattoos, Google would show ads on eyebrows, eyebrow makeup, eyebrow powder, eyebrow tweasers. As an AdWord Standard Expert User, I consider this type of non-targeted advertising not worth the clicks that this type of program may generate. But, to get general makeup interested consumer traffic AdWords Express might be okay.

However, when you combine all this with the fact you may have to pay $1.25 to $3.75 a click, you will want to be pickier about who may see your ads so as to not blow through your AdWords budget and not end up with any real prospects.

From my viewpoint, there is simply no replacement for using the Standard AdWords program. Set up and management costs may be higher, but the results are “golden” in comparison.