Carla Lowe PendergraftCarla Pendergraft Associateswww.carlapendergraft.comPO Box 1232, Waco, TX 76703254/855-7354carlap@hot.rr.com

5 features your Website should have Email newsletters MySpace/Facebook YouTube Blogs Podcasts Wikis 3 ways to get better rankings

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What questions do you want me to be sure to answer during this presentation?

Don’t be shy!

How many of you would like to start a new “pipeline” of younger guests who become enamored of the B&B experience?

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Old days: 3 TV stations, 1 newspaper Modern days: Cable TV, many outlets You advertise in more than one to try to

attract various audiences Old days on the web: 1 website Modern days on the web: Many

websites in various “channels” in addition to your main website

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Any site that allows users to share opinions and experiences with each other.

Generally free of charge Usually serves up ads to pay the bills Can really increase your visibility and

rankings. Link back to your main website.

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Many businesses have a MySpace page to reach the youth market – and are getting results.

It doesn’t cost anything but time. It doesn’t require much technical knowledge

—only patience.

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Really not designed for use by most businesses Forces you to choose age, height, etc.

Difficult to match the look and feel of your business graphics

Moving/blinking ads impossible to remove

Some businesses block access to MySpace

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Link to your main website using your best search phrase “Click to visit the Bastrop Inn Bed & Breakfast,

Bastrop, Texas Website” Include your contact info – name, address,

phone, email, fax Include some interesting body copy about

your B&B Doesn’t need to replicate your regular

website

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Usually about 3-6 min. videos Free and easy to use Some B&B’s have discovered YouTube

and have put up videos. Do not have to be professionally

produced. YouTube - Pennsylvania Bed & Breakfast-

The Queen B&B Bellefonte Pa.

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Blogs should provide extra value—don’t just promote.

Blogs should be personal and honest. Blogs should be a conversation

between you and the people you serve. Blogs should be updated frequently. Blogs should always allow comments.

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They can become very time-consuming. Many sound fake—done for marketing

purposes only. Easy to start – Easy to let die. It takes fearlessness to have a blog,

because dissatisfied people won’t hesitate to flame you or your business on it.

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Audio or video broadcasts, usually in a regular series, like a radio or TV show.

A bit harder to learn the technology Podcast software for a Mac:

Garageband Podcast software for a PC: Audacity Usually an MP3 file

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SEO is crafting a website so that it does well in the “organic” listings of search engines for various search phrases.

It involves both “on-page” factors (things you can see) and “off-page” factors (code behind the page, things you cannot see)

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“Spiders” crawl from link to link, indexing the info and putting it into a huge database

The search engines analyze the website based on body copy, title, incoming links and many other factors.

A person types a phrase into the search engine’s search box

The search engine lists websites it thinks will have the information you are searching for.

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Google (www.google.com) MSN (www.msn.com) Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com)

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Keywords in actual copy on page Keywords are search terms a person might

type into Google or another search engine, to find your site.

Links coming into page Links = “votes” for your page

TITLE

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Copy must be actual text, not text in a graphic image

Must be pleasing and make sense to humans

Must include plenty of keywords-the words people might type in to find your site

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Use Google’s Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/

KeywordToolExternal It will make all sorts of suggestions based on

actual search data. pet friendly, dog friendly, accommodations, b & b,

b and b, bnb, cottage, guest house, inn, lodge, romantic getaway, travel deals, weekend getaway, vacation, last minute, boutique hotels, 4 star, lodging vacancy…

Work some of these into your copy in a natural way.

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“Looking for a last minute weekend getaway in the Bastrop area? We offer a romantic bed and breakfast/guest house that accommodates up to 6 people in 3 bedrooms. We are pet friendly, so bring your small cat or dog (under 20 lbs.). Like a boutique hotel or romantic inn, we have authentic Victorian furnishings throughout the bed & breakfast, and a fireplace in every room.

If you are expecting 4-star prices, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the affordability of our b & b. Most other b and b’s in the area are over $150 per night. Call us for pricing. We have plenty of weekend vacancies for your vacation getaway.

And while you’re in Bastrop, visit the Lost Pines State Park, the Bastrop County Museum, golfing at Colavista and much more. “

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They are considered "votes" by the search engine. The more votes you get, from relevant websites, the higher your site should be ranked.

Trade them with others – but watch quality

Professional associations Ask your vendors to include them

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The TITLE tag is the most important SEO element of any web page. It shows up in the blue bar of the browser. It is used by the search engines both to rank

the page, and as the name of the site. A good title is generally a 4 to 8 (12 max)

word description of the page contents. Use keywords while still remaining readable

to humans. Use different titles on different pages.

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“Wedding music-Smith String Quartet – Waco, Texas”

Don’t use “tricks” such as using invisible text Don’t submit to 1,000 Search Engines Don’t overuse keywords (“keyword stuffing”) Don’t use “link farms” or sell your links Don’t link to poor quality sites Don’t use the same title on every page Don’t duplicate your content on multiple

pages

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Go to Google (www.google.com) Enter the following:

link:www.yourwebsitename.com

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https://www.google.com/local/add/ You can specify the exact location of

your business on Google Maps, put in contact info, a coupon, and more.

Just fill out the form. You’ll receive an automated phone call

to confirm you are a human. The listing appears in a week or two.

Read about http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-

ranking-factors

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