If you want your website to show up in Google searches (and you do!) you need to post fresh, engaging content on a regular basis.

That also gives visitors a reason to keep returning to your site and to linger there awhile.

Many people do this by featuring a blog on their site. It’s a great vehicle for sharing news about events related to your product, industry, book or message; your observations, insights, commentary, and even personal anecdotes.
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What is it that your customers, clients or readers find special about you? Or, if you’re a new entrepreneur, professional or author, what do you think makes you different and special?

The answer to that question should be the foundation for your online marketing and, believe me, if you’re not promoting yourself online, you’re not promoting yourself!

The Internet is changing and that’s transforming the marketplace; today, anyone with a product, service or book to sell must learn how to build their reputation online and become an authority among Internet users.
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Does Your Online Presence Pass the Truth Test?

What’s the fastest-growing marketing trend on the Internet?

I’m sad to say it’s the “fakeosphere.” Yes, fake blogs (called “flogs”), fake web news sites and fake testimonials. They look like the real thing, right down to comments posted by “bloggers” and their supposed readers. Those comments appear to be written by people discussing the pros and cons of a particular product or service, and they even include some naysayers.
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They say old habits die hard. When it comes to a habit as personal as how I start each day – with a good cup of coffee and the morning paper – I fervently hope they never die at all.

But the numbers are grim. Our nation’s newspapers have reported steadily declining circulation for the past 8½ years. From 2010 to 2011, magazines had a net loss of .05 percent circulation and newspapers lost 4 percent. While those figures may sound small, they’re devastating to an industry that relies on constant growth.

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Even if your book or product is listed on Amazon.com or on a publisher’s site or on a Facebook fan page, you need a website. Trust me on this.

A website is a vital marketing tool for a number of reasons: It gives people a place to go to learn about you and your product or book, maybe even read a sample chapter. They can find out about events you plan to attend, and products and titles you’ve released in the past – or are working on for the future.

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Prospective clients often send me emails asking me to visit their websites to learn more about them and their product, book or business. They want to avoid repeating to me what they’ve already spent so much time and money to explain on their site.

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5 tips for creating an impressive website

Article at a glance:

• Website design and development’s easy – when you hire a pro
• Be able to articulate your goals for the site
• Listen to your developer, even if you disagree
• First impressions are everything

I’m so relieved and excited to be launching our new EMSI website this week, it makes me wonder what took me so long.

Actually, I know what.

There’s a lot riding on a website; it has to convey brand and professionalism, communicate the right message and engage visitors. Every detail plays a role, from the logo to the text to the design and functionality. I feared developing a new site would be a long and painful undertaking that, in the end, would leave me dissatisfied still.

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At a glance:

• Implicit media endorsements make you stand out from the competition.
• It’s not advertising; it’s building credibility.
• Maximize your exposure by posting it on your Web site and sharing it via social media.

A colleague of mine, who’s a former newspaper reporter, tells a story about a savvy attorney she knew. He’d tip her off whenever he had a particularly juicy case if she promised to include his name alongside that of his client in her story. Whether he won the case or lost it, people remembered his name and associated him with high-profile cases.  He’d figured out that having his name in the paper bought him something no amount of advertising could: credibility.

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