E-shoppers go mobile on Thanksgiving, Black Friday

Posted on 26. Nov, 2011 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Mobile, Retail, Social Networking

CNET NEWS by  

Apple’s iPhone and iPad helped make mobile devices a key driver of Thanksgiving and Black Friday e-commerce this year, according to a report from IBM Coremetrics.

Online Thanksgiving shopping grew by 39.3 percent year over year, creating momentum that continued into Black Friday, where online sales grew by 24.3 percent compared with the same period last year, said the report(PDF).

And Black Friday witnessed the arrival of the mobile deal seeker, who embraced his or her mobile device as a research tool for in-store and online bargains. Mobile traffic came close to tripling year over year, to 14.3 percent on Black Friday 2011 from 5.6 percent last year.

The iPhone and the iPad accounted for 10.2 percent of all Black Friday online traffic. The iPhone and the iPad ranked 1 and 2 for mobile device retail traffic (5.4 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively). Android-based devices came in third at 4.1 percent.

But it’s not all about mobile browsing. The value of individual orders also increased, while the number of items purchased decreased. Home goods, for example, saw an average order-value increase of nearly 16 percent, while the number of items per order dropped by more than 6 percent.

Here’s a rundown of the report’s other key findings:

  • Sales on mobile devices surged year over year, to 9.8 percent from 3.2 percent.
  • Shoppers using the iPad accounted for more actual purchases per visit than shoppers using other mobile devices, with conversion rates reaching 4.6 percent for the Apple device versus 2.8 percent for overall mobile devices.
  • Mobile shoppers demonstrated a laser focus that surpassed that of other online shoppers, with a 41.3 percent bounce rate on mobile devices versus a rate of 33.1 percent for shoppers on other computing gadgets. The bounce rate records how often people jump from one site to another looking for the best deal on a particular item, rather than browsing around through various items in a more leisurely fashion.
  • Shoppers referred from social networks generated 0.53 percent of all online sales on Black Friday. Facebook led the pack, accounting for 75 percent of all traffic from social networks.

The gains in online shopping come amid a push from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to offer better online experiences.

And while stores like Macys offered “doorbuster” sales to bring more customers into its brick-and-mortar locations (and ostensibly spend more money in them), a greater number of people appear to be splitting their purchasing between online and retail.

The National Retail Federation estimates that as many as 152 million Americans are expected to shop this weekend, up from last year’s 138 million.

 

Local Business Ad Budgets: 2012 Considerations

Posted on 21. Oct, 2011 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Mobile, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Social Networking, Traditional Media, Websites

Despite the rough economic climate in Westchester and the rest of the U.S., small businesses still understand the value of advertising, and in particular online marketing.

According to BIA/Kelsey, total small business ad spending for online media increased to almost 40% of total ad spend in the fourth quarter of 2010, up from 22% in the third quarter of 2009. By 2015, it’s estimated that 70% of small business marketing budgets will go to digital/online media (mobile, social, online directories, online display, digital outdoor), performance-based commerce (pay-per-click, deals, couponing) and customer retention business solutions (email, reputation and presence management, websites, social marketing, calendaring/appointment-setting).

In this weeks “Locals Only” column, Stephanie Hobbs discusses some “Considerations in planning your 2012 small business ad budget“. These include:

  • Mobile websites. They have a lower bounce rate and higher customer conversation than traditional websites, so moving forward with creating a mobile site will reap additional rewards down the line. More on mobile here.
  • When considering third-party advertising partners such as Yellowbook360, business owners should be careful in who they choose. Criteria that needs to be considered includes the company’s history & experience, contractual requirements, special incentives and their network/ad distribution across the Internet. And watch out for those crazy “guarantees and claims” out there!
  • While social media has received well-deserved hype for its ability to create new connections between local businesses and their customers, Yellow Pages continue to provide strong and reliable leads to local businesses.

It’s that time of the year again – are you ready?

Posted on 01. Oct, 2011 by in All Local Search Posts, Food & Dining, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Mobile, Pay-Per-Click, Recreation & Entertainment, Retail

Local businesses have less than one-month to prepare for the upcoming spike in online search, researching and buying.

As discussed here last year, certain local service and retail type businesses need to be optimized and visible by November to capture their fair-share of increased online activity. And here’s a new statistic; Google states “44 percent of total searches for last minute gifts and store locator terms will be from mobile devices this holiday season“

 

So, it’s not just about being visible – it’s now about being “mobile ready“. Google recently announced the importance of websites being optimized for mobile, which includes incentives such as higher Quality scores in AdWords programs.

Most businesses experience ups and downs throughout the year; some cyclical, some triggered by one-time events.  The holiday’s of course are a biggie. Changing seasons, one-time events and increased competition are also factors. Thinking 30-days ahead of the 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.

Now stop procrastinating and get that campaign going!

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

Posted on 05. Sep, 2011 by 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

To achieve a high-level of online visibility and internet marketing success, local businesses need to consider multiple factors…  

 
So what’s the definition of “online success”? For most local business owners – it’s a visible, productive presence across search engines and the increasingly more fragmented local Internet. Strong, relevant visibility will enable a website to act as the marketing tool it should be, and its success can come in several forms; including phone calls, contacts, and on/off-line sales. 
 
It all starts with the “foundation” – aka the website; one that is both user and mobile-friendly (why? check out these recent findings). A properly designed and optimized site and domain name has replaced the local phone number as the “hub” of all marketing and advertising efforts. The domain name in particular should be properly formatted and included in all online and offline promotional efforts, including yellowbook ads, newspapers, billing statements, business cards, vehicles, store fronts, direct mail, creative media and promotional items. The website itself should be locally optimized and contain embedded video, images, relevant title tag/meta descriptions, and other search-engine friendly elements. A “call-to-action” statement will help drive conversions (or actions): give visitors a reason to take the next step and not hit their browser’s back-button!
 
And speaking of search-engine friendly elements, the ongoing off-page optimization of your site is critical. Specifically, a strong network of inbound links from authoritative sites will all act as “votes of confidence” for the search engines. Strategies include distribution and syndication of videos, blogs, press releases, and inclusion within IYP’s, local maps databases, directories and Google Place Pages. Without this important off-page piece of SEO, you’ll most likely never see top ranking or first-page placement for your most important keywords.    
 
Search engine marketing (pay-per-click) campaigns will ensure you maintain high visibility for the literally hundreds of keywords and keyword combinations that SEO cannot address. You’ll want to work thru a provider that can manage your campaigns across multiple search engines to effectivly reach your entire market. Use of landing pages and multiple ad groups will help maximize conversions. Also, make sure reporting includes all forms of conversions, including phone calls.
 
Lastly, these most basic requirements of online success need to include social media. These days, an active presence on Facebook, Twitter and more recently Google Plus will not only give a businesses more places to be found, but will help in overall optimization efforts (social is now a factor within search engines algorithms). Blogging, video/photo sharing and online ratings/reviews should also be considered important online social elements.            
 
In summary, it’s important to realize there’s no quick-fix. This should be thought of more of a ongoing process, which most often should be left to a professional firm or agency. One place to start to learn more are on free online seminars. And remember, watch out for anyone making those unrealistic promises and claims!   
 

Smartphones and Local

Posted on 27. Apr, 2011 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Mobile

Google today released findings of a smartphone-user study that the company did with Ipsos OTX at the end of 2010. Among the findings…

  • 95 percent of smartphone users have looked for local information
  • 61 percent call a business, 59 percent visit a business and 44 percent purchase
  • 88 percentof local information seekers take action within a day

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Mobile

This Week in NY Small Business…

Posted on 27. Dec, 2010 by 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…

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

New Google Places: Local Business Tips for Westchester businesses…

Posted on 01. Nov, 2010 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Maps, Mobile, Websites

As the new Google “Places” replaces the Google Maps/local business listings across the web, I thought I’d gather some of the most critical information for local businesses to consider.

Google listings and maps results are shown whenever Google detects a search with local internet. In the past, the results for a Hartford CT Plumber looked like this:

Listings were delivered next to the map via the “7 pack”, with PPC ads above or on right, and organic results (432,000 of them) below.

The new search results for the same query now looks like this:

They’re different variations, but here you’ll see the map is moved to the top right, with PPC ads below. PPC ads remain in center top position, and organic links (831,000 of them) are sprinkled above and below the more descriptive 7- pack listings. Links for all these business listings are now tied to Google Place pages. An interesting observation: organic results increased by almost 400,000? It appears as if the plumbing industry in Hartford is booming! Seriously, I can’t imagine why that is, but as always, the key is ranking as close to the first page as possible with your most important keywords.

So, how can the local business remain as visible as possible? Clearly, there is a heavier emphasis on organic relevancy. More information is being delivered on these new pages – and if your website is optimized there is a new opportunity to be ranked on the first page. Links still appear to be an important factor, as this article suggests. The race is on while everyone will be trying to figure this out, so get a SEO professional hired, and consider a new website if yours is not embedded with good local content, or is not compatible with mobile browsers. Local SEO expert Andrew Shotland put together some additional SEO related considerations related to Google Places.

PPC advertising remains a no-brainer, and I’ve always recommended outside help here as well. Qualified PPC firms can provide maximum ROI and full reporting/call tracking while the business owners can continue doing what they do best; running their own businesses.

Lastly, the new Place Pages require some of your attention, and for good reason. Google is now driving as much traffic to these self-edited pages as they build deeper local content. Already, there are 50 million locations in their database, and your’s may be waiting to be claimed. There are many options and “best practices” with this process so don’t hesitate in researching further, or getting some professional assistance.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Maps, Mobile, Websites

GOOG-411 Shutting Down

Posted on 11. Oct, 2010 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Maps, Mobile

Driving home this afternoon I dialed-up Google’s free ”411″ service and heard a disappointing announcement; 1-800 GOOG-411  is being discontinued on Nov. 12.  

I suppose it was just a matter of time, but I’ve been a fan of this speech recognition powered service for several years; it’s #9 in my cell phone’s speed dial, and I speak to it (and the importance of claiming the related local business listing) in my Local Search seminars.

But with the explosion of smart phones (and Android powered devises in particular) they’re now more efficient means to obtain your local business results, including voice search and voice input (see my related post, here).  

Apparently, GOOG-411′s days were numbered from the beginning:  one of its primary missions was to gather as much voice data as possible for the purpose of fine-tuning and training the Android speech recognition program.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Maps, Mobile

More People Go Mobile For Local

Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Mobile

Excerpts from Search Engine Land “Locals Only” column last week -

A rapidly-increasing number of smartphone users — combined with faster mobile technology, better search offerings, and higher advertiser engagement  — suggests that consumers will be more likely than ever to begin using their phones as local search tools. New research released today provides some support to that argument, showing that the number of mobile subscribers turning to their devices to find local businesses is growing by double digit percentage points.

This is good news for Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs) and other local sites because it suggests the opportunity to reach more consumers is growing quickly. This high growth illustrates that as more consumers use mobile devices to search and access content, they are continuing to rely on Yellow Pages’ convenient and reliable business listings to help them find local businesses on-the-go.

So what do these results mean for advertisers?

The data shows that in addition to the benefits of advertising with IYPs to attract those searching for business information on their personal computers, local businesses are receiving added value in online listings being accessible to a growing number of mobile users.

The report provided additional contexts about the ways consumers reach business directories on their mobile device. According to comScore, the mobile browser was the most common access method for users, with 10.8 million subscribers in March 2010 and 21 percent year-over-year growth. But even as the browser remained the most used mobile feature for access, apps grew at a more rapid pace with 42 percent year-over-year growth, totaling 4.1 million subscribers in March 2010. These results indicate that IYP reach is not limited to a specific platform within the mobile category, but accessible to a broad range of mobile users.

The research also found that consumers accessing business directories via mobile represent a younger, wealthier, and content-hungry base to advertisers:

  • 58% are 34 or younger.
  • Over half of those have a household income in excess of $75,000.

These are attractive figures for local businesses seeking to better position themselves to attract local leads.

As local businesses look for new ways to maximize advertising opportunities in today’s changing media landscape, Yellow Pages continue to provide attractive platforms to reach important consumer bases as they increasingly adopt digital and mobile. And as this new study shows, an integrated approach pays offs when listings on one platform are easily accessible on others—giving advertisers added exposure and more bang for their buck.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Internet Yellow Pages, Mobile

iPhone, Android & Local – according to me…

Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Maps, Mobile

I’ve finally broken my pesky iPhone addition – but it wasn’t easy. Multiple so-called “iPhone killer” devices have come and gone (and I have nothing against  my iPhone necessarily) but it wasn’t until last week that I found a worthy challenger. 

 My attraction to the newest Verizon-powered Android phone, the Motorola Droid X, are the well documented features; it’s processor speed, the larger screen, various Google app integrations, flash support and the calling network (I’ve really missed my superior Verizon coverage since moving to AT+T two years ago).

 As amazing as the iPhone is – my frustrations with AT&T call quality and connectivity left me no choice. Admittedly, I’ve also grown bored with it, so last week I decided to take the Droid X out for a 30 day “test drive” – and after just one  week I’ve gone ahead and ported my number away from AT&T and become a happy member of the growing Android family (which is adding 160,000 activations per-day). I’ve since learned that there are really very few (if any) sacrifices made in my switch (but I do miss my Citibank app, as well as my iTunes and email threads). As a matter of fact, certain features like widgets,  Google’s voice recognition, GPS navigation and multi-tasking are actually a great up-side. It’s definitely taken some getting used to, and the battery life is very poor, but overall I’m very happy. Yes, the iPhone is “elegant”, but my new Droid X just “works” better in many ways.

As this blog’s dedicated to the business of “local search”, here are some comments and observations from that perspective)… 

 Voice recognition software makes search on this device extremely easy; either via Google maps, my contacts, or the Internet. I can also dictate text or email message this way – and it’s surprisingly accurate. The software allows you to simply push the home button, tap on the “voice search” icon and speak; on my iPhone, I was forced to use an app that required cutting and pasting the text after I spoke (so I rarely used it) . This is a significant advantage and I’m shocked that Apple has not come up with a comparable solution yet.  

 One adjustment I’m still making involves the fact that everything works so differently, and I mean everything. Also, there are multiple ways to accomplish every task. Generally speaking, it’s much faster (not really a fair comparison as I was on the iPhone 3G).

Google maps, which has always been one of my most used mobile apps, has some different features; after a quick spoken request, your presented with business results that offer large icons for dialing, getting street-view, or spoken GPS navigation.

 The navigation itself is awesome, I’ve used in conjunction with my Tom Tom on several trips last week and it’s just as accurate. An added bonus – it speaks the name of the streets for my turns. It also has something called “layers”, which adds a number of other features to your journey including gas stations, restaurants, traffic, etc. Pretty cool.

Yelp is another application I use frequently.  As with Maps, the voice recognition software makes this app easier and faster to use.   

 IYP’s also operates a bit differently -  most Publishers offer widgets with voice-search. Yellowbook.com is one of the top app’s on Android, and offers extra features not available on the iPhone-like augmented reality, maps integration and an app called Adafixx. Adafixx brings an interesting angle to finding a local business by implementing caller i.d. and offering related business suggestions when busy numbers are reached. The advertiser videos on the Droid X screen are fantastic.

Google Googles if another application found exclusively on Android. Although I haven’t used it much yet, enables you to identify local stores or businesses simply by pointing your phone’s camera at the location. From there, you can tap on the picture to learn more about the business, contact them, or save it to your contacts. The impressive part is once you inside that business you can use the application to identify products, comparison shop or identify various product details. 

The iPhone initiated the local search shift to mobile  - but I think Android will finish the job.          

Click here to read a more complete review.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Internet Yellow Pages, Maps, Mobile

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