Google Penalties 101

I was asked about Google penalties the other day. Well, that is a broad topic. If you are a content writer or a tech designer, Google penalties and white hat marketing are like second nature. If you’re like us (the rest of the world), then you probably have no idea that Google can punish your website for certain reasons / actions.

First, Google doesn’t want to be mean. Google has a  great purpose in creating the penalty program- checks and balances. The company wants to give its users access to accurate information, not SPAM or  trolling websites. Google continually tweaks and improves its algorithms (how it ranks your website, etc.) so that the best of the web gets the exposure it deserves.

There are 5 very popular reasons why your website may not be ranking well on Google- almost all of them have to do with content, some of them with design and/or marketing. If you have purchased a template website without quality, original content and marketing-  be warned, you are probably being penalized by Google!

Now, here are the 5 most popular reasons why your website is being penalized by Google;

1. Keyword stuffed content. SEO is important but shouldn’t be abused. If Google detects a high number of keywords in a page, you will get a penalty.

2. Footer links. Not sure what this is? Ask your designer. You see, some web designers use footer links as a navigational aid. Most do it to impress clients with a great search engine ranking once the job is done. However, the longer the link stays there, the bigger the penalty.

3. Hidden links. All of the links on your site should be visible and useful to users. Anything that’s hidden (backlinks or transparent colored/coded) is considered suspicious.

4. Stolen (um, borrowed?) content. If you are using someone else’s web content, maybe even changing it a bit to make it your own, Google knows. CopyScape and other sites help identify plagiarism. Not only does Google see this as pointless duplication and will penalize your for it, they can turn you in for the duplication. Yikes!

5. Affiliate links all over the place. A high number of affiliate links is a red flag that your content may not be up to par. Although it’s possible to mask affiliate links with redirects, Google is wise on to this too. You shouldn’t be hosting more than two affiliate links on your webpage. Period.

Until next time,

Velma Trayham

Public Relations As A Newbie...

Start-up companies are not typically going to bank tons of press right out of the gate.The Start-up companies also will not understand this. They don't think in layers as far as press coverage is concerned. They think everyone and anyone will embrace their concept / services and cover them and then they will see an immediate ROI. Well, this isn't true.

Start-up companies should hire PR companies to help brand their message and get them from Point A to the point between Point A and Point B. After the company is established, real media can start pouring in- which takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years!

A good PR program can gain critical coverage by positioning companies as experts on the bigger picture, which is what Start-ups should be concerned with.

This said, here is what a PR company should be doing for a Start-up during its first year;

• The media look for experts, particularly serial entrepreneurs, who will share their insights on new trends and technologies. A good PR company will take advantage of this.
• Creative and consistent PR tell customers that the business is strong, which is why AP style press releases- even if they aren't picked up- should be cataloged in a media room. 
• Good relationships with the media help Start-ups shape the competitive landscape to their advantage.
• Social media presence.... enough said! 

If you don't sell a Start-up on your PR company within the first four months, ditch them. They are looking for the end of the rainbow when they haven't even started the journey.

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA 

Your life as a publicist, how to get the most from it.

Being a publicist means you will have very little time to attend to yourself, but you need to.  I wanted to cover starting the day out to nurture yourself before you head to work to go to bat for others. So, here it goes!

First, you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow than you did today. Why? To workout. Even if you already head to the gym at a different point in the day, wake up early and do 15 minutes (no more, no less) of jogging or walking around the neighborhood - whatever. Make sure you add this to your routine because it shakes off any extra glasses of wine from the night before, as well as helps to get the creative juices flowing.

Second, say two things out loud that you will get accomplished today. Why? Self affirmation is very powerful. People will screw up your schedule to be quite frank about things, just ask any PR employee. If you say two things out loud in the morning that you need and will get down, chances are they will be accomplished regardless of any schedule interruptions.

Finally, knock off any phone or in-person meetings that don't need to happen. People tend to spend more time talking about doing things vs. actually doing them. Meetings are a huge distraction in many cases. If a meeting isn't going to accomplish a decision during its capacity, skip it or cancel it. You should only call or attend meetings that 1.) stay within the time frame scheduled and 2.) will accomplish something by the end of the meeting. Discussion meetings are not needed. You can shoot a short email to a group of people and read their feedback in less time then it takes to actually walk to a meeting or call into one.

I hope this information helps you get ahead on what can be a great career.

Velma Trayham 

PR & Emails

I promise you there isn't a day that goes by you, as a publicist, will not book a media event via email. Gone are the days of setting up conference calls and shared faxes with event planners to work out junket credentials.

This said, media confirmation emails need to be treated differently than regular emails. So, I am providing my top two tips on emailing the media to confirm media bookings.

First, be brief but provide information. We tend to believe people can read our minds... they can't. Press emails shouldn't be longer than five sentences and they should include the who, what, where, why, and how information- always.

Second, follow up. Journalists and publicists are busy people. Sending your email and then re-forwarding it within the same 24 hour period gets under the skin of many professionals. They are not sitting at their desks waiting to respond to you..... so, if it has been longer than 24 hours- make a phone call to follow up. Be polite. If you're aggressive, kiss your media opportunity goodbye.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Can't wait for tonight! 1st ever Go DJ Awards in Houston!

(Houston TX- June 2014) GO DJ HIP HOP | ENTERTAINMENT RED CARPET AWARD SHOW. HONORING HOUSTON’S TOP 30 IN MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA.

The Largest  Go DJ Hip Hop| Entertainment Awards Show "Houston Edition" will take place in Houston,Texas, Monday July 21st 2014. This event is presented by Go DJ HI-C which is in fact the CEO of a global DJ Coalition called the Go DJ'S with over 250 Dj Members worldwide.

Fox 26 News Reporter Isiah Carey , Rapper Bun B, entertainment Attorney Carl Moore  are just a few  of the thirty business and entertainment professionals being honored at the first annual Go DJ Hip Hop Entertainment Awards.
We have a great turnout already. HBO and Comedy Central comic Ali Saddiq is the MC and the group of professionals we are honoring truly represent Houston’s spirit and energy,” Our invited guests and VIP presenters are receiving letters this week with special red carpet instructions. It is going to be a blast!”

ThinkZILLA PR Group, a Houston-based company with locations In Atlanta and Beverly Hills,California  will manage media and coordinate the event.  Not only does this bring attention to Houston’s business and entertainment talent, but it brings tourism into the city which equals tax dollars for local schools and outreach programs,” finished Trayham.

A full list of honoree’s may be requested  by emailing Velma@itsthinkzilla.com  The event starts at 6pm on Monday, July 21st of 2014, ending around 11pm. The award ceremony will take place at WAREHOUSE LIVE (Downtown Houston) 813 ST.EMANUAL ST. HOUSTON TEXAS 77003. Media credentials with red carpet access are available upon request.

Media Contact : prteam@itsthinkzilla.com or contact  Velma - 713-297-9122

3 Ways to Obtain BIGGER Profits

We all want to make more money and have a bigger profit margin. On this Money Monday I want to talk about bringing in a better income. We may have the same goal, but not too many people know how to reach it. Here are three tricks to grow your profit margin.

First, don’t keep firing and hiring employees. Turnover costs more money than training or retraining an employee. It is actually more beneficial to invest in educating your current employees versus hiring and firing over and over again. Unless an employee committed and employment “sin”, try to work with him or her to help your own bottom line.

Don’t wanted 15% of your work week, which is the national average, on social media. You can delegate this work to an intern or a freelancer.  15% of your work week can be focused on seeking out and proposing new business leads versus working on social media. Writing blog posts and updating social media is important but a huge time water. Invest in someone else to do this for you so you can go after bigger business.

Finally, reward your customers. Find a way to give customers a reason to stay with you. Repeat business is important and easier to obtain than finding new business. If you have to give away a free Starbucks to a customer every month or pay for their business cards to be printed, do it. Do whatever it takes to keep old business- even if it comes to discounting a service or a product. In the end, you will make more money using this system.

Money is why we work.  If you are not making as much as you can each day then what is it that you are doing?

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO