Local Online Success: “it’s a journey, not a destination”.

Posted on 05. Sep, 2011 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Classified Sites, Coupons, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Legal & Financial, Maps, Mobile, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Reputation Management, Retail, Social Networking, Traditional Media, Travel & Transportation, Video, Websites

Caution! Unrealistic Internet marketing claims coming your way!

Posted on 17. Jun, 2011 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Legal & Financial, Maps, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Travel & Transportation

NOTE: this is not me.

I’ve been in the “local search” business since the earliest days. From selling IYP on BigYellow.com, the Yahoo! Yellow Pages and InfoSpace in the 90′s, to SEM, SEO and more recently Social Media, video and Reputation Management services – and all I can say is “I’ve heard it all”!

Lately however, there seems to be a higher proliferation of questionable sales pitches and practices – and it’s not just coming from the local independent guys or fly-by-night start up’s. Increasingly, these unrealistic promises and aggressive lyrics are being used by larger, more “legitimate” firms in the SMB space. Some discussion on this being a sales “training issue” recently took place over on Screenwerk, but I think there is more to it than that…

The reality is this; the marketplace continues to become more competitive. Local search represents the fastest growing segment of online marketing – and some companies/individuals will say just about anything to get their piece of the pie. Additionally, the continued fragmentation and complexities of the “splinternet” is generating more confusion for business owners. Although most local business now realize they need to be visible wherever and whenever potential customers are searching, I think their judgement can become easily impaired under some of these strong sales and closing tactics.

I’ve personally taken a great amount of pride in setting realistic expectations with clients. As a seasoned sales professional I’ve learned that as much as one wants to exceed quota or win the current sales contest; it’s a consistent honest, realistic and passionate approach that wins the game and builds long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Strong Clients relationships are a journey – not a destination.

So as a public service, here are the latest and most frequently heard unrealistic and questionable sales tactics to look out for…

• Performance guarantees! Any time the word “guarantee” is used within the world of marketing, watch out! This is especially true in the areas of SEM & SEO. There are never any guarantee: not with PPC positioning, not within organic rank, not within local listings and certainly not regarding your advertising ROI. This is one of the most popular tactics being used; “Mr. Business, I guarantee first position in 30 days, for $199/month”! Run for the hills…
• Something for nothing? Online, local businesses really can get something for nothing! Inclusion within Google Place Pages, Yahoo! Local and Bing Maps is FREE, and it’s a good place to start building an online presence. As a matter of fact – most businesses already have some level of inclusion – but “claiming” that listing and optimizing it for better rank is the next natural step. This can usually be done with minimal time and expertise (although true website SEO is a critical ranking component – with this you’ll need some assistance). I’ve personally received calls (as have my clients) from Marketing Representatives that offer Google listings for a flat fee of $49, $99, or even several hundreds of dollars per-month! Now, having the marketing experience and knowledge to optimize a Place Page does have some value, but positioning the service a recurring $99/month charge into perpetuity is where I have a problem…
• Optimization of ___ (fill in the blank). I recently worked with a Client that got swindled into a long-term contract for optimization services, and thanks to that ineffective effort – this business now falls into a growing group of “SEO doubters”. “Optimization” is quickly becoming the most mis-used term in our industry. Everyone it seems wants to “optimize” something, but few of these SEO services I’m hearing within the local-space really address all the critical SEO factors (on-page factors, inbound links, social, listings, ratings/reviews, etc.). High organic rank and visibility is a product of multiple efforts and hard work – don’t’ get fooled by anything less. Ask for references!
• Cheap SEO/or cheaper PPC. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. In the world of PPC, I’m continually surprised at the number of business owners that fall victim to claims of cheaper pay-per-click advertising. PPC is a commodity, and outside of set-up or monthly service fees the market/competition is what dictates the budget (“supply and demand”). The best PPC agencies don’t sell on price, they propose budgets that would maximize advertising R.O.I. SEO on the other hand is more of a “service” that consists of significant man-hours and expertise. Some components of SEO may be more competitive if fulfilled off-shore, but generally speaking – a full-blown, inclusive and effective SEO project cannot be completed for less than several thousand dollars. Watch out for the one-size fits-all “cookie cutter” strategy!

Feel free to “comment” and let us know what you’ve heard out there as well…

Your Marketing Plans Should be Warming Up!

Posted on 21. Feb, 2011 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Home Services, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Legal & Financial, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Travel & Transportation

The majority of the U.S. is covered by record-breaking snow and cold weather, but smart business owners and marketers are starting to have “warmer thoughts”…

Several months ago I wrote about those businesses that could take advantage of the increasing holiday searches, now it’s time to look at those upcoming warmer weather opportunities…

Thanks to predictive search tools like Google Insights and historical search data, local businesses can now position themselves “ahead of the curve” to capture the upcoming surge of new potential customers and clients. As it can take up to 30 days to effectively launch a PPC program, and 60-90+ days to benefit from an SEO project, now is the time start!

Businesses that can benefit from increasing search volume (new customers) March – May:

• Landscapers / Lawn Care
• Fence Repair
• Roof / Gutter Contractors (major winter damage this season!)
• Accountants / Tax Prep.
• Bicycle Shops
• Anything related to Weddings (caterers, tent rentals, tux shops, florists, etc)
• Summer Camps (yes, they are booked by June 1!)
• Boat Dealers
• Auto Dealers
• Vacation planning / travel agents
• Home Improvements / Contractors
• Auto Body Repair
• Golf shops / courses

Any others you can come up with?

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Home Services, Legal & Financial, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Travel & Transportation

This Week in NY Small Business…

Posted on 27. Dec, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Legal & Financial, Mobile, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Traditional Media, Travel & Transportation

From this weeks NY Times Small Business section, and recommended reading for Westchester County based business owners…

• SLEIGH BELLS AND CASH REGISTERS RING – Looks like our darkest days are behind us. In November, consumer spending increased, orders for durable goods gained and architecture billings rebounded.
• HELLO 2011 – Calculated Risk asks 10 economic questions for next year. Mashable’s Erica Swallow lists five small-business predictions.
• GOING MOBILE – A new report says that small businesses are going mobile in a big way.
• HO, HO … OH, NO – Now that Christmas is over, we’re warned to keep an eye out for returns fraud.

Read the entire article here.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Legal & Financial, Mobile, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Traditional Media, Travel & Transportation

Winter in Westchester, The Holidays & SEM…

Posted on 15. Nov, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Legal & Financial, Pay-Per-Click, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Travel & Transportation

While  driving the other day I passed the 2010 Rockefeller Christmas tree being transported into NYC, police escort and all.

Pretty cool, but hard to believe I’m seeing Christmas preparations already. It got me thinking about all the SEM advertisers that need to start preparations of their own.

Most businesses experience ups and downs throughout the year; some cyclical, some triggered by one-time events.  Christmas of course is a biggie, as are other holidays. Changing seasons, one-time economic and weather events and increased competition are also factors. Thinking 30 days ahead of these predictable trends and positioning yourself  “ahead of the curve” will ensure you remain competitive. At the same time, you’ll capture additional new customers and gain market share.

For example, I know of a Manhattan-based Costume Shop increases their PPC budget ten-fold every August to prepare for the upcoming crush of consumers in the following 60 days. Google Insights data confirms this decision as being a smart one:

Insights is just one of the great tools you can use to predict things like search interest (aka: “demand”). Based on this, as well as IYP usage data, I’ve looked at a number of businesses verticals and identified those that are now entering their “prime season”. They include:

• Caterers & Restaurants
• Anything retail
• Electronics
• Jewelery & Watches
• Ski Shops
• Snow plowing & Equipment
• Tires
• D.J.s
• Carpet Cleaners
• Accountants
• Tax Attorneys
• Divorce Lawyers
• DUI Attorneys
• Health Clubs

Competition is increasing, as is demand for these products and services. Smart businesses that are prepared and proactive will benefit from the increased exposure and additional new sales that are sure to follow!

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Yellow Pages, Legal & Financial, Pay-Per-Click, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Travel & Transportation

Local Internet Marketing is Complicated!

Posted on 29. Mar, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Classified Sites, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Legal & Financial, Maps, Mobile, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Social Networking, Travel & Transportation

David Mihm’s illustration representing the “local search” relationships makes a great point: this business of local search marketing is complicated! 

In my experience, the typical local business owner doesn’t have the time or expertise to effectively manage online advertising investments - as illustrated in the recent Search Engine Land article ”Local Search Complexity = SMB Frustration“. 

Not only do you have numerous, complex supplier/directory relationships – but the continued fragmentation which is taking place keeps everyone on their toes! Search Engines,  social networking, blogs, directories and Internet Yellow Pages, mobile, vertical and hyper-local sites, etc., etc., etc.  Additionally, there are website design issues, analytics to keep up with, billing reconciliation, A/B testing, optimization and many other time-consuming elements.  Oh, and by the way – let’s not forget about the day job! It can be challenging, to say the least.

This is the primary reason so many third-party providers have jumped-into the game over the past several years – there is a void to fill; an overwelming demand to hand off this business of Internet marketing to a trusted advisor. Problem is: exactly who can you trust? The local SEO expert? Your website design guy? An out-of-work executive or moonlighting sales rep? The phone company, the local newspaper publisher, your tax software company?  All these characters are now in the game!

A word to the wise: be careful with whom you choose to work with! Here are a few quick tips:

• Stick with a well-known firm. Check their history; how long have they been in the Internet marketing business? Is it one of their core competencies? 
• Was the term “guarantee” used in their pitch? If so, run for the hills!  
• Are they charging you for free services like Google Maps, or worse yet – taking “credit” for those leads/clicks? 
• Is there a monthly recurring management fee? And if so, is it based on a percent of your overall budget? Hmmmm - could be a conflict of interest…
• Are they willing to provide full transparency and reporting?
• Are testimonials, references or case-studies from happy clients available?

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Classified Sites, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Internet Yellow Pages, Legal & Financial, Maps, Mobile, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Social Networking, Travel & Transportation

Guidelines for Insurers Marketing to On-line Seniors.

Posted on 16. Aug, 2009 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Health & Medicine, Legal & Financial, Professional Services, Websites

From the ”Professional Insurance Marketing Association“-

SENIORS AND THE INTERNET

Almost 60% of Americans age 50–64 are online**, and more are plugging in each passing day. Even more surprising, 22% of consumers 65 and older use the Web regularly, up from less than 2% 10 years ago.**

Here’s how seniors use the Internet:

• 95% use email **

• 66% have looked for health/medical information **

• 66% have done product research **

• 60% have visited a government Web site **

• 47% have bought something on the Internet **

• 41% have made travel reservations **

• 20% have done online banking **

If insurance companies want to capture the attention of seniors and get through to them, they need to understand that their Web preferences differ in some substantive ways. To begin with, at this writing, more than 60%** of seniors still use dial-up access to go online. Some researchers place that number as high as 72%. For whatever reason, the broadband revolution seems to have mostly passed seniors by, at least for the moment. That fact has significant implications for the (usually young) people who design Web sites. Almost all large companies today — insurers among them — build Web sites that assume everyone has DSL or cable access to the Internet. Designing sites targeted to seniors and assuming high-speed access can have truly disastrous consequences.

You can download more their entire free white paper; “20 Rules for Targeting Web-savvy Seniors” here. 

** Pew Internet and American Life Project

Small Business Web Holdouts: Unsearched, Unfound, Unfulfilled.

Posted on 24. Jul, 2009 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Legal & Financial, Professional Services, Real Estate, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail, Travel & Transportation, Websites

From the eCommerce Times:

Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Web? A lot of small businesses, that’s who. For the most part, that fear appears to be grounded in a lack of information about the actual costs and benefits of operating a Web site and engaging in some strategic e-marketing efforts.

 No matter where one turns on the Internet these days, it’s virtually impossible to avoid being bombarded by advertising in one form or another. Banner ads. Video ads. Display ads. Search engine marketing. Ads on MySpace . Ads on Facebook . The only area of the Web left untouched by advertising may be government-run sites.  Web marketing, in large part, is the province of companies with enough money to plaster their messages, goods and services all over the Internet. Missing from this equation is the traditional engine of American commerce: the small business.

Indeed, a recent study showed that there is a major disconnect between the way most consumers look for goods and services on the Internet and the way small businesses use the Web to advertise.  The study, which surveyed nearly 4,000 U.S. Internet users on the tools they use to find local businesses, was conducted last November by Nielsen and WebVisible. Participants in the survey included 261 small business owners.

Here’s what Nielsen and WebVisible discovered: Search is the No. 1 choice of consumers and small business owners alike when looking for a local product or service on the Internet. Yet, half of all small businesses spent less than 10 percent of their marketing budgets on Internet ads.  In essence, most small businesses are missing out on a huge segment of the consumer population that turns to Internet search engines such as Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) , Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) and Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Live Search.

The Great Divide

“Local business is the last, vast untapped piece of online marketing space,” said Kevin Ryan, chief marketing officer at WebVisible, which offers a suite of software tools and services designed to help small businesses run online advertising and marketing campaigns.  The biggest problem small businesses face when it comes to Web marketing is an attachment to an old way of doing business. It’s clear in many cases that small businesses simply don’t understand the inherent power of the Internet as a way to reach their customers, Ryan said.

Here’s an example: A consumer looking for a plumber, attorney, insurance agent or electrician rarely conducts a search using the name of a local business but rather types in keywords such as “plumber and the Bronx” or “electricians and 06850,” the ZIP code for Norwalk, Conn. Then, a page of search results with local businesses comes up, and the consumer goes on from there, he said.  “It’s very difficult to convince a small business that in the eyes of a search engine, their brand doesn’t have nearly the value they think it does,” noted Ryan. “What they fail to realize is that most consumers will go to an online source such as a search engine or even the Yellow Pages directory first.”  In fact, 63 percent of consumers turn to the Internet first when looking for local products and services, according to the Nielsen/WebVisible survey.

At the same time, only 44 percent of small businesses surveyed said they had a Web site.

“That explains why 40 percent of consumers said they have trouble finding a local business they know exists,” Ryan observed.

Small Biz Snapshot: Helena, Mont.

The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce in Montana has about 860 local businesses as members. About 75 percent of those businesses are small businesses — that is, businesses with 25 employees or less, according to the chamber’s marketing and communications director, Barry Houser.  “I would say the majority of the businesses that comprise our membership still don’t have a Web presence,” Houser told the E-Commerce Times.  As the state capitol, Helena is by and large a government town. Outside of government, the major industries include health care and tourism.  “We’re centrally located between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park,” Houser said. “So, fishing, skiing and snowmobiling are big attractions here.”

While many big-box companies such as Costco (Nasdaq: COST) , Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Bed Bath & Beyond have started to move into the Helena area, the vast majority of businesses there are “small mom and pop” shops, he said.

Like small businesses in every corner of the U.S., these mom and pops don’t have the budgets to promote their goods and services the way the big-box stores do, making the Internet almost a vital component of their marketing efforts, noted Houser.  “We try to encourage them to take advantage of their membership with the chamber to get more of a presence on the Web,” he said.

The Helena chamber has an online directory that is searchable by business name and type. Businesses that already have Web sites can link to the chamber’s site too.

Doesn’t have to Break the Bank

One of the chief reasons small business owners give for not having an Internet presence is that it’s too expensive to put up and maintain a Web site.  It doesn’t have to be that way though, said WebVisible’s Ryan.  What’s most critical is that whatever route a small business owner chooses to go with in terms of a Web presence, it has to suit their specific needs.

“Alfonso the tailor doesn’t want to check emails all day long,” Ryan said. “He wants to receive an SMS (short message service) text when someone needs something. The diamond jeweler doesn’t want to spend all day answering stupid questions from someone that doesn’t know what they want to buy.”

Situated in the heart of downtown Seattle is the Seattle Mystery Bookshop. The store’s owner, J.B. Dickey, has been selling mysteries, and nothing but mysteries, for years.  His shelves are lined with paperback and hard cover books written by authors local to the Pacific Northwest, such as G.M. Ford, as well as nationally acclaimed writers like James Ellroy and Michael Connelly.  Dickey has had a Web site in various iterations for 10 years.  “It started out as a way to just have a presence on the Web and have information about the shop out there,” he told the E-Commerce Times. “It evolved into a place where we post our quarterly newsletter, an updated calendar of events such as author signings, and a shop blog. It’s also information that’s always out there, even when the shop is closed.”

CPAs: Internet Marketing Supports Business Success.

Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Legal & Financial, Professional Services, Websites

From the AICPA:

Internet Marketing Supports Business Success

Many CPA firms and their clients maintain websites as part of their marketing strategy. However, some fail to achieve their objectives for launching the website. In the following article, the CPA author discusses how businesses need to develop and maintain their websites. Properly designed and maintained, a business’s website can help to attract prospective clients by engaging them rather than by showing them little more than a static brochure.

A few years ago, The New York Times estimated that consumers conducted 150 million Internet searches daily. I wanted a piece of that action. I already had a website, but it wasn’t attracting any business. However, a marketing consultant convinced me that the Internet was an amazingly powerful tool for obtaining new clients and helped me to design my website to attract prospective clients and sustain their interest. The result: My CPA practice really took off in 2005!

The basic lesson I learned was that the website had to be more than a static online brochure. Instead, it had to be an interactive content portal that would be helpful to current and prospective clients. The website must be easily navigable, visitors must find it useful, and its content must be well written.

Easy navigation

Visitors to the website need to decide whether or not a firm can handle their requirements. Furthermore, visitors—especially first time visitors—are unlikely to return to the site if they cannot navigate the site intuitively and find what they are looking for easily.

Useful features

To encourage visitors to revisit your website, provide them with incentives that are free and useful. These features might include regular newsletters, white papers and articles, and industry news. Other attractive features could include calculators, directions, and links to other useful websites.

Good copywriting

When many business owners design a website, they start by looking at images, themes, and color schemes. But content is the most important aspect of a CPA firm’s or a client’s website. Prospects who land on a firm’s website are looking for information that will help them select service providers. They want to know if the firm will understand their business, has experience in matters similar to what they’re seeking help with, succeeds in meeting clients’ needs, and has capable staff members. The website’s online copy should tell prospects that the firm has the expertise and industry experience, as well as its project experience.

Most important are the words used to present the website content. In developing the content, business owners and their marketers need to listen to the words that their current and prospective clients are using to capture their attention. Writing for Search Engine Strategies, Noah Elkin, vice president for corporate strategy for Steak, a search-led digital agency, advises that “to an evergrowing degree, the role of listening and remembering now falls on the shoulders of marketers, and the memorable words are not necessarily their own. Increasingly, they are the search terms used by their customers, which provide a window into those customers’ wants and desires.” (“The Shifting Power of Words,” April 1, 2008).

Search engine optimization

Attracting visitors to a website requires using keywords that are relevant to those clients you wish to attract. Search engines enable potential clients to find a website. As users know, when they search the Web, probably using Google, Yahoo!, and other popular search engines, they may get a list of thousands of websites. They first see a list of ten websites. Of those users, reports Newsday.com, between 60% and 70% look only at the first page with just ten sites. Consequently, the website owner needs to use search engine optimization (SEO), a technique that helps to “rank” a website at or near the top of the search engine listings. Several factors influence the natural placement of sites, but they can be grouped into four basic categories: titles, tags, text, and links.

Title. All the most important key words should be in the title. For example, my title is Portland Oregon Tax CPA and Fee-Only Financial Advisor.

Meta description and meta keywords tags. The meta description tag should contain a short description of the Web page written for humans to read, for example, “Russell D. Francis, CPA—Specializing in Small Business Tax Saving Strategies, and Investment Management for Professionals and Business Owners.” The meta keywords tag lists the keywords that prospects might use in their search. Examples include CPA, Certified Public Accountant, Portland, tax, business, succession planning, investments, accounting, recordkeeping, consulting, financial planning, retirement planning, and tax planning.

Text. The first 200–300 words on your home page are critical for search engine ranking. Here you must clearly focus on positioning your strengths and key services. Rebecca Lieb, a marketing communications specialist, advises small businesses to use Web analytic tools, such as Google Analytics, to find out what search terms are being used by people who land on their sites. A business can also check out the websites of its competitors to see what keywords they may be using in their websites’ content.

Links. The term link popularity is used to describe the number of Web pages that link to other Web pages. Link popularity is an important contributing factor that some search engines use to determine page rankings. A business can find out who is linking to competitors and email them to ask for a similar opportunity. You can check out who is linking to competitors by going to http://www.toolbar.google.com, installing the toolbar, and then clicking on the backward links feature.

Do everything you can with SEO because it’s free. Be patient, it takes time for the search engines to rank you. You will significantly increase your marketing at a fraction of the cost of other methods.

Most search engines offer articles on their websites on how to do SEO. In addition, various courses and seminars are available. Their cost varies with the complexity of the training provided. Also, consider engaging an SEO consultant.

Sponsored listings

If you really want to supercharge your Web marketing effort and get immediate results, try sponsored listings or pay-per-click (PPC).

Sponsored listings will place you at the top of their directory listing for a fixed monthly or annual fee. This is typical of the online Yellow Pages.

The advantage of PPC is that you won’t be charged unless someone clicks on your listing. Once your ad is clicked, prospects go directly to your website for more information.

The position of your PPC listing in the directory depends on the competition and what criteria the prospect uses in the search. It is a competitive bidding process, so your listing position will depend on how much you are willing to pay to be listed at or near the top. If you are willing to pay $5 per click and your competition is willing to pay $5.10, you’ll be listed second, underneath your competition.

The PPC listing also depends on the keywords or phrases used in the search. You’ll need to specify “targeted” keywords or phrases that will place you at the top of the listings and an inviting title that will give the prospect a reason to click on your ad. More than 61% of Internet users conduct local searches. So, unless you are competing nationally, refine keywords and phrases. For example, use Portland Accountant rather than just Accountant. Narrowing the key word in this case increases the chance of attracting local prospects.

You can pay different PPC rates for a variety of keywords or phrases. You may find that $0.10 per click doesn’t put you on top of the directory listing for that keyword. Try $0.11 per click or even $0.50 per click. It’s still more effective than the 1–2% return you’ll get on a $1.50 direct mail piece.

Sponsored listings and PPC have a short-term advantage over SEO, but the disadvantage is the cost involved. Over the long term, natural SEO listings will give you a higher return on your marketing dollar and significantly increase your margins. But both methods are very effective, and you can often reduce PPC advertising once your natural SEO listings rank near the top.

Other benefits to Web search engine advertising include the following:

You can easily change your target audience or advertising focus, or both, by changing your keywords or Web page.

You are not locked into advertising as you would be with a Yellow Page ad. You can cancel or reduce your advertising at any time.

You can grow as fast as you want by increasing or decreasing your listings on the Internet.

Russell D. Francis, CPA, CFP, provides tax and financial planning services at Markiz and Francis, PC, Beaverton, OR.

An Warning for Local Businesses…

Posted on 07. Jul, 2009 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Automotive, Business-to-Business, Food & Dining, Health & Medicine, Home Services, Legal & Financial, Maps, Mobile

In the past several years, I’ve seen numerous scams and questionable Internet-related sales pitches aimed at local businesses. One of the more misleading in recent months revolves around Google Local Businesss Listings (Google Maps).

Of course, assisting a business in “claiming” their business listing may be considered a legitimate “service” – but as a stand-alone SEM solution it’s certainly not the only consideration. Far from it!

Considering the process takes about 10 minutes and is a free process provided by Google, it’s debatable exactly what this ”service” is worth. Unfortunately, many individuals and companies are now advertising this as something that requires payment. Most I’ve seen advertise a monthly recurring fee to be “included” in Google Maps, others charge a one-time “set-up fee”. They’re usually accompanied by a screen-shot of Google’s search results page. I’ve even seen an industry CMR advertising this service for $350! 

It’s this type of misleading abuse that makes the job harder for legitimate search marketers. It would be nice to see Google go after some of this stuff, if possible.

Other Google-related scams