Amethyst Answers

web creation and social media training for small businesses

Do you know about SEO?

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I am often asked about SEO, and if I offer it. While I strive to implement best practices on the development side, I don’t currently offer any extra SEO help. For clients who want help with their SEO plans, I recommend they reach out to an SEO expert. However, that can cost up to $1000 or more per month, depending on a variety of factors. The good news is I’m about to start some courses to help bridge the gap between no SEO and crazy expensive SEO.

It’s important to note that SEO is not something that just gets set up and continues to work. It requires research, monitoring and often a healthy dose of trial and error. I believe it is an extremely misunderstood concept among the average business owner. Luckily, someone from Google has created a video explaining what to look for when hiring an SEO strategist and she touches on some important things that everyone should understand.

I hope you find this video helpful. And stay tuned for new SEO offerings from yours truly!

New happenings for the new year!

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Happy New Year!

As we are all aware, with a new year comes new beginnings, and that certainly applies to Amethyst Answers.

Here are 3 new things that you should know about Amethyst Answers for 2017:

Quickbooks

After a year of trying a new system (17hats), I’ve decided it’s not working well for me, or for some of you. As of January 1, 2017 I have moved all of my bookkeeping to Quickbooks.

What does this mean for you?

  • Invoices will look different, and will arrive in your inbox differently. Be sure to whitelist quickbooks@notification.intuit.com so they don’t end up in your junk folder!
  • Payment methods are slightly different. You can now pay directly with credit card. Paypal direct payment is gone, but you can still send me a PayPal transfer. Email transfers and checks are also still accepted.
  • Better account management. I can now send out account statements and balances so you have a better understanding of where your account is sitting.

Dream Team Official Announcement

Dream Team: Jaime Wedholm and Christina WorkmanI have always said I’m not a graphic designer. But I am happy to officially announce that I have partnered with an amazing one! This past year, I have had the pleasure of working with Jaime Wedholm of jwedholmdesign.ca on several projects. We now create beautiful and functional websites with our Website Design and Development package. Not only do you get our design and development expertise, you also get a team combining our talents in a way that is much greater than the sum of our parts. Check out our portfolio!.

If you know someone who needs a new or revised website, please tell them about the Dream Team. We love referrals!

Client Reports

Sample Client ReportIf you are on a maintenance plan with me, I will now be sending you monthly reports on the status of your website including updates that were done, basic analytics, backup status, and more. See a sample report. Not currently a maintenance client? Let’s talk!

Monthly maintenance plans keep your site:

  • up to date with core, theme and plug in revisions
  • secure (updates sometimes fix vulnerabilities)
  • intact (updates sometime cause issues you may not know how to fix)

I’m working on a few other internal changes, so stay tuned!

Charge your phone on the go

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NomadKey LightningI use my phone a lot. As a business owner, mother, and all around awesome gal (that’s right, I said it), I put my phone to good use. The only problem is, even though I charge it while I sleep every night, I never know when (or worse – where) my battery is going to die.

Enter Nomad. This company has come up with some creative ways to help keep your device running for as long as you do. Currently they have 2 products on the market: the charge card and the charge key, and I’ve been fortunate to test them both.

Basically, these are both a unique type of USB cord to charge your device. You still need a computer and power bank to plug into, but these are more convenient to keep on hand at all times. The charge card is the size of a credit card, fitting easily into your wallet, and the charge key is small and skinny with a loop on it to sit on your key ring just like a normal key.

Overall, I’m really impressed with these products. They are super easy to transport and have on hand all the time. And because of their size, they don’t get all tangled or hang out of your pocket or purse. Also, they charge pretty fast. I haven’t done an actual speed test, but they seem to charge faster than any other cord I have used. My favourite thing about them, though, has to be that they are Apple certified, so they actually WORK with my iPhone! No annoying message saying your accessory might not work.

The only thing I’m not fond of is that there is no protection for the ports. For most people, it’s probably not a big deal. The wallet one would be safe in your wallet, but I am not a wallet person (and anytime I’ve attempted to carry a purse, I inevitably leave it somewhere, including a shopping cart in a Toys R Us parking lot!). And since I don’t carry a purse, the key one sits on my key chain in the pocket of whatever coat or jeans I’m wearing. Lots of fluff and other stuff to get in and potentially damage things. However, Nomad does use quality materials so I’m sure my charge key will need to take a pretty good beating before it stops working.

All in all, I think both the charge card and the charge key are great products that are worth looking into if you find you need to carry a charge cord with you frequently.

If you are interested in getting your own lightning or micro USB charge card or key, check out Nomad.

Please note: I received a charge card and a charge key for free in consideration for review publication. This review is based on my personal opinions and experience with these products, and shared here for informational purposes only.

Why you won’t rank number one on Google

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rank number oneIn the last few weeks I have had several conversations that started with a client asking a seemingly simple question: how do I get to rank number one on Google? Or: why am I not first on Google? Unfortunately, the answer is not as simple as they would like; it’s actually rather complex.

First, it’s important to note that being “number one on Google” is not the same as it used to be. For that reason, nobody can guarantee to get you there. (If they do, and you believe them, I have some magic beans and a lovely piece of land to sell you.)

What do I mean when I say it’s not the same as it used to be? For starters, Google is always modifying how it determines site rankings. But they have also made a lot of changes to make search results more relevant to the individual searcher. Because of this, two people using identical keywords will not necessarily return the same results. Their results could vary for several reasons including:

  • your location
  • the device you are searching on
  • your preferences if you are signed in to a Google account

How can I improve my Google ranking?

Individual searches aside, there are still numerous factors that affect your search ranking. Most of them are positive factors, but there are some things that can have a negative impact. Here’s a short list of dos and don’ts that you can easy implement today:

  • Do set up a Google Business page
  • Do link your Google+ profile to your blog with Google authorship
  • Don’t have duplicate content on your site
  • Do ensure your images have Alt text and utilize your keyword when possible
  • Do use keywords in your urls, page titles and headers
  • Don’t engage in keyword stuffing or negative backlink campaigns
  • Do write content for humans, not computers and bots
  • Do expect it to take time and effort

In the end, keep in mind there are no prizes for ranking first in search results. The ultimate goal is to get people to your site so they can engage with you, and there are many additional ways for this to be accomplished.

Why Tweet?

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Why Tweet?
Image courtesy of bplanet/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’m often asked by friends and clients alike “what’s the point of twitter”? This is usually posed as a challenge more than a question. They have already formed a negative opinion about it, and aren’t really likely to change their minds. But not too long ago, I had a client who was already on board for using twitter. When she asked me “why tweet?”, she was truly interested in understanding how she could use this powerful media to her benefit.

As we discussed the potential of twitter, I mentioned that you will get different answers from different people. They are all valid, and may or may not be relevant a particular person’s needs. With that in mind, I decided to put the question out there in the twitterverse. Here are a few responses I received, and a brief thought from yours truly on each one:

@AmethystAnswers to listen, engage, inspire and to share knowledge without expectation. #justsayin

Twitter is like a conversation within a community. It shouldn’t be one-sided. You should be prepared to listen to what others are saying about you and your industry, and participate in that conversation. And as far as sharing knowledge without expectation, to me that’s just good sense all around.

@AmethystAnswers Social Strategy = Every tweet serves purpose, balance & has meaning for you and/or your audience to drive a call to action.

Despite what some people still think, twitter isn’t a forum to tell everyone what you are eating for breakfast…UNLESS there is a purpose, like recommending a great dining spot or sharing a new recipe (or it’s bacon….bacon is always exciting news!).

@AmethystAnswers ask the client if thy want expose their awesomeness for potential customers.

Twitter is a great way for others to see your personality and for you to start building relationships. You know you’re awesome, so why not share that awesomeness with the world?!

One final thought from me. Twitter is great for crowd-sourcing ideas, just like I did for this post. You can reach a variety of people, not just your own followers, and get some great answers for a simple little blog post!

Everyone has their own answer to “Why tweet?”. Share yours in the comment section below.