**by Marc Lyne**
We all know that one of the keys to great SEO is making sure you
keep your website updated, new and fresh. Weather you do this with a
blog, or you change your homepage with new offers, coupons or new
products, it serves to show Google that your site is alive. For many
small businesses in particular, this is a real challenge.
As per David Ingrams article on video
<http://searchengineland.com/a-guide-to-video-search-marketing-for-small-businesses-18391>
, we cant emphasize enough just how beneficial it is to add video to
your website, to your entries on directory, business review and IYP
sites. At the time of writing this article, this business
<http://www.brownbook.net/business/30999338/westlands-farm-livery>
has had 10,425 views since May 2009. I am sure not all of this
traffic is due to just having a video, but it has certainly
contributed. What is also very telling, is that the majority of the
top viewed pages on our directory (Brownbook.net
<http://www.brownbook.net>
) contain videos.
So you have new content on your site, you are using video or at least
going to start soon, what�s next? Do you know what is coming that may
benefit your small business?
Have you heard of QR codes yet? Here is a quick introduction:
What are QR codes?
They look like this:
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/23148333@N06/4011063078/>
They come to us from Japan where they are very common. QR is short
for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone). They
are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and
put it in to your cell phone. You may soon see QR Codes in a magazine
advert, on a billboard, a web page or even on someone�s t-shirt. Once
it is in your cell phone, it may give you details about that business
(allowing users to search for nearby locations), or details about the
person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see
a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use
in a local outlet.
The reason why they are more useful than a standard barcode is that
they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including url
links, geo coordinates, and text.
The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a
chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, many modern cell phones can
scan them. The full Wikipedia description is here
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code>
.
How does the cell phone read the code?
The cell phone needs a QR code reader, like this one from Kaywa
<http://reader.kaywa.com/>
. It takes literally 1 minute for someone with an iPhone or Android
phone to find and install the reader.
How do you generate a code?
You can easily generate your QR code using a site like Kaywa.com
<http://qrcode.kaywa.com/>
or you can use the Open Source code to generate codes for you if you
have a smart developer on hand.
How can you use QR codes to benefit search marketing?
We are only just scratching the surface of how they will be used. We
have added one to every business listing in our directory. Here are a
few examples of how others are using them.
A business card company showing how they are using them for
businesses:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEuX23iy2A4>
In print that links the user straight to a web site:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wL39oZYpU0>
Skip to half way in this video to see some examples:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7INsQOTG4>
You can also watch this BBC Click interview
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBja1blJ3GU>
on YouTube.
How will Google see them?
If you add them to your website, the search engines will see that
your pages have changed, and that you are updating pages.
The search engine will see a new image and index it accordingly. At
some point soon, the search engines will likely recognize QR codes and
possibly index the content in them.
Will your customers use them?
Today, right now, few may use them, those that do will certainly
appreciate your tech knowledge, those that don�t will certainly be
inquisitive which may open the door for conversation and a potential
sale. Those that do use QR codes will definitely have a high tech
know-how and may be more receptive to your presence on the web, your
Twitter presence, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube etc.
How could you use a QR code?
Your business, no matter how small or large, could use QR codes in a
number of ways. You might auto generate one next to every product on
your web site containing all the product details, the number to call
and the URL link to the page so they can show their friends on their
cell phone. You could add one to your business card containing your
contact details so its easy for someone to add you to their contacts
on their cell phone.
Add them to any print advertising, flyers, posters, invites, tv ads
etc containing:
product details
contact details
offer details
event details
competition details
a coupon
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace IDs
a link to your YouTube video
What is it all about really? Well, some may not see it yet, but its
another example of the blurring of the edges of media, as we all
rapidly enter this totally connected world. It�s the blurring of the
lines between our cell phone and the Internet, always on Internet
connectivity wherever we are, whatever we are doing and whatever
device we have on hand �whether its a cellphone, netbook, laptop, pc,
camera, or TV.
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the author, and not
necessarily Search Engine Land.
Marc Lyne <http://searchengineland.com/author/marc-lyne/>
is co-founder of Brownbook.net <http://www.brownbook.net>
, a free directory that anyone can edit. Follow Marc on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/marc_lyne.
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