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…

Ever wonder how Google works?

Posted on 29. Apr, 2011 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

An amusing graphic illustrating how “Google works” (click on graphic to enlarge)…

Infographic by the Pay Per Click Blog

Google Place Pages: an update…

Posted on 03. Apr, 2011 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Maps, Optimization

Five months ago I posted information regarding Google’s migration away from their traditional Maps and Local Business Listing SERPS, to the current Place Pages layout. Now that the dust has settled, I thought I’d revisit the topic and offer some additional insight.

Overall, Place Pages is effectively fulfilling Google’s goal of being a major source of local business information; aggregating business data, reviews, videos and other relevant information into millions of business Place Pages and listings. This, when combined with Google’s tight integration on Android phones, positions Place Pages as a critical local SEO requirement (it continues to rank as the #1 local search SEO factor in David Mihm’s annual ranking). Google believes at least 20% of all searches have local intent, and that more than 50% of all internet access will be via a mobile device by 2013.  Microsoft has stated that 50% of all mobile search is already local, and since ”local searchers” are more likely to “make a purchase” your businesses inclusion is critical.

Two of the biggest complaints I hear from business Owners have been ”I do not rank high enough” and “why are my competitors showing up on my page?”. While you can’t control which PPC ads Google places on your Place Page (PPC ads are literally everywhere) - you can in-fact have some influence on rank.

First, claim your listing/Place Page and verify either via your business phone, text message or postcard. Secondly, optimize it by taking advantage of  all the options (upload video, operating hours, coupons/offers, etc.). Take the time to ensure all the information you provide is accurate and complete – this contributes to your overall rank. And lastly, make sure your website is well-built and search-engine “friendly”. Your sites optimization and “popularity” (citations, inbound links, etc.) are also considered in determining your Place Pages rank. In other words; a business with a well-built, optimized website may rank higher in Place Pages. It will also increase your visibility within general organic results across the web.

Other factors that affect rank include your physical location and the keywords being searched, so you may want to continue optimizing your Place Page using feedback from your analytics. Google also supplies Place Pages feedback on a monthly basis.

Read more with a new article over on Search Engine Watch this week. Small Business Trends also posted helpful write-up recently.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Maps, Optimization

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

“Search engine marketing doesn’t build awareness; it captures existing demand”

Posted on 18. Dec, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

Some very relevant points from Business News Daily.

All businesses are Internet businesses — even if they don’t have a website or sell anything online. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Up to  70 percent of offline purchase decisions are made on the Web, according to Herschel Thompson, head of InteractiveStrategist.com, an online marketing consultancy.

Online searches are the new Yellow Pages, leading customers to goods and services. Even the most conservative observers of the online space concede that search engine marketing is playing an increasingly important role in driving business, particularly for small companies serving local markets.

And the local market is search’s sweet spot, he said — 29 percent of all online searches are local. There are lots of acronyms flying around in the realm of online search — SEO, SEM, PPC, etc. But it boils down to two main categories: organic search, which is based on a site’s contents and the number of other sites that link to it, and paid search, which involves bidding on key words and phrases that you believe will drive profitable traffic to your business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves building a site that is search-engine friendly so that your business shows up in organic search results.

“With SEO, there are no guarantees,” said Thompson. “In some industries, it’s going to be hard to get to the top through organic search.”

But there are ways of maximizing how you appear to the algorithms that guide online search. High-quality original content is key,” he said.

“Hyperbole gets filtered out by skeptical consumers,” Thompson said. “You win online by being authentic. You can’t put lipstick on a pig.”

Search engine authority Matt McGee agrees that content is king.

“There are a whole lot of things you can do that you don’t have to hire an expert to do,” McGee said. “A lot of really good content is an absolute must. Content that answers people’s questions, all the stuff people ask when they send you an e-mail.”

McGee’s specialty is Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which takes up where SEO leaves off. That process begins by taking stock of what you already have, auditing your current Web presence to see what content you have and what could be improved, how search-friendly the architecture of the site is and how well the key words and phrases match the actual language people use when they search.

Not paying attention to how customers search is a major stumbling block for many sites, he said. How you refer to your goods and services may not be the way your customers refer to them.

Once you know what you have, SEM addresses what you need.

“Identify phrases and terms you could use to add new content to your site,” McGee said. “Make sure you have analytics on your site. Google Analytics is probably more than enough for most websites. You have to know what’s working. The great thing about online markets is the analytics on the web — you’ll get solid, actionable information.”

The hardest part follows — link-building. Your company’s visibility, McGee said, is largely dependent on how many links you have to your site. There are several ways to attract links, including becoming active in social media and leaving quality comments on blogs that don’t necessarily include a hard sales pitch. But link-building can be very difficult for many small businesses.

Social media audiences are extremely attuned to nuance, McGee said. They don’t want to swamped by a barrage of hard-sell postings and a constant barrage of sales pitches.

“Social stuff is about adding benefit to the community,” he said.

“Link-building is time-consuming,” McGee said. “And if it’s not time-consuming, then it’s costly. It’s either a time or money issue.”

Even though link-building eats up time and has a steep learning curve, though, McGee recommends businesses give it a try.

“The most successful online marketers are the ones who are willing to commit the time to learn as much as they can,” McGee said.

The third leg of the search marketing stool is paid search, also known as Pay-Per-Click (PPC).

“With SEO, there are no guarantees,” said Thompson. “Pay-per-click is easiest to measure. “

That’s both SEO’s beauty and its liability, said Ben Kirshner, CEO of Elite SEM.

“The best thing about PPC is the measurability,” Kirshner said. “It’s good because you can see how much money you’re making. It’s bad because you can see how much money you’re losing.”

Managing a PPC account, much like link-building, is very time-consuming, he said — which is why many companies outsource this function to agencies specializing in PPC.

If you do decide to outsource, Kirshner said, ask the agency how much time will be devoted to your account and who will be working on it. Will it be staffed with untested rookies or vetted professionals?

Find out their terms of engagement. Some agencies want to lock you up for a year, he said. And ask about the technology they’ll be using.

“You have to use technology to beat the big boys,” Kirshner said.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Internet Yellow Pages, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

Two Local Search Developments Today…

Posted on 27. Oct, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Maps, Optimization

First, 100% of Yahoo! search results (excluding mobile) are now fully transitioned to Microsoft’s AdCenter (previous post here). Yahoo stated: “Today is a momentous day for us, as Yahoo! has completed the process of moving search ad serving for Yahoo! to the Microsoft Advertising adCenter platform in the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, this marks the completion of the transition of advertisers’ Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts to adCenter.” Short term effects? possibly a spike in keyword bids as Advertisers experiment with new systems and competition. This is expected to stabilize in the next few months. 

Secondly, Google started rolling out its redesigned local results layout (SERP) which uses a combination of  their general and local algorithms to provide a more universal and efficient set of results. Most dramatically, you’ll notice the “7 pack” of local listings gone, as Google is attempting to cut-down on Maps spam and drive more traffic to the Google Places. Let the SEO games begin! I’m not seeing this here in NY yet, but some before/after shots can be seen over on Local SEO Guide.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Maps, Optimization

Microsoft and Yahoo! join forces to compete with Google.

Posted on 26. Aug, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

I imagine this has gone mostly unnoticed by most Yahoo! users, but this past week there’s been a significant change to Yahoo! search results. Effective Tuesday, they are “powered by Bing” (see bottom of Yahoo! SERP)…

So after nearly two years in the making, Bing can now claim it’s the #2 search provider in the U.S. I imagine this additional search volume will help them to become an even better search engine in the next several months, and beyond. 

Although Google’ still claims 66 percent of the U.S. market (7/10), Microsoft’s 11 percent and Yahoo’s 17 percent will now represent a 28 percent share. Out of the 15.6 billion times a search button is clicked every month in the U.S., 4.4 billion will now go through Microsoft’s Bing. Pretty exciting for Microsoft, they’ve been #3 for more than a decade.

“We’re obviously happy,” said Adam Sohn, spokesman for the Microsoft Online Services division. “In the grand scheme of things, we’re barely a year since the original deal announcement and we’ve deployed in the largest search country in the world.”

In time the Sponsored Ad’s will be merged as well, advertisers will manage their PPC campaigns via Microsoft’s AdCenter.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

PPC or SEO? The Ultimate Search Marketing Battle – SES San Francisco

Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

Aug. 19, the final day of  Search Engine Strategies - 

So, PPC or SEO? This has to be a loaded question, right? Still, everyone likes a good fight.

Mark Jackson (Vizion Interactive) is the moderator come referee, with fighters Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz), Melanie Mitchell (Digitas), Thomas Bindl (Refined Labs GmbH), and Benu Aggarwal (Milestone Internet Marketing) taking up their corners.

The fight has already started as to who is going to go first. I think I’ll hide behind Rand on this one. Swig down your caffeine as this fight is about to start.

Benu is up first. She’s gunning for SEO.

Benu says you cannot build a strong house without a good foundation. SEO is the foundation. This is where she sees the maximum return and the most unique visitors in the long haul.

If you do your SEO right, you’ll own Google in standard and universal results. That’s what we all want, right?

Melanie is up next. She wants everyone to get along. It isn’t either/or, but rather 1 + 1 = 3. There is a 32% uplift when you use both. Today, however, she’s siding with PPC.

PPC is a quick and easy way to own the space and to support short-term promotions, rather than waiting around for your SEO results to show. It also allows you to own the full experience, from the keyword to the message to the landing page, unlike SEO.

Another reason not to like SEO is because bad things can happen. An example is Toyota: The news results on the Toyota recall started owning the SEO results, so they focused efforts on PPC to address the negative news.

Delta wondered whether they needed to use PPC on their branded terms as they were already Number 1 in SEO, so they did a test: They pulled back 50% of their PPC spend and saw significant decreases in revenue. PPC actually took away from SEO.

Melanie says PPC and SEO does not cannibalize each other. The lesson is don’t fight, but let your campaigns complement each other.

Why you should use a Holistic Search Strategy

- Using PPC and SEO will provide significant lift for each listing than only appearing in one or the other
- Ability to reach the entire search audience
- Increased revenue from the non branded searches
- More efficient budget allocation of PPC campaigns based on natural results

Here comes Rand. He doesn’t want to get along with PPC. He says SEO vs. PPC is like Spain vs. North Korea in the World Cup. Rand’s tip of the day is to focus efforts on video SEO as you can achieve page 1 results relatively easily.

PPC may have 1.2x SEO’s conversion rate, but who gets more traffic? SEO gets 7.3x more clicks compared to PPC.

Marketers spend more on PPC; it’s a proven channel. Only 10% is spent on SEO but what this means is that 10% of search marketing spend is focused on where 90% of the clicks come from. He’d rather be putting his time and money in SEO, where it’s less competitive.

He finishes up with a below the belt blow by saying PPC is not a competitive advantage because it’s for simpletons. SEO is hard and requires actual skill! Nice.

Finally, Thomas is up. He’s calling SEOs a bunch of liars and is backing PPC because it’s cool and it makes money. PPC people are also nicer!

Why PPC is Necessary
- Full flexibility of budget and spend
- Adjustments on short notice
- Results are quicker to achieve
- No or only small changes to website required
- Various targeting options to ensure happy visitors
- Full transparency

However (if you must), he says PPC and SEO can be used together:
- Data generated can be exchanged for optimization
- Remove space for bad reputation
- SEO helps for AdWords Quality Score
- Big PPC spend helps getting answers from Google (on SEO)
- Less space for the competition

Great discussion. Round one is over and the panelists kiss and make up again.

This live blog post was written by guest blogger Imelda Khoo. Imelda is the E-Marketing Manager at Tektronix, responsible for global SEO, PPC and social media. Imelda blogs at SEM Booty and is also on Twitter @imeldak

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

Happy Birthday Bing!

Posted on 14. Jul, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Mobile, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

Now one-year old, Microsoft’s revamped search engine Bing has quickly secured an impressive share of the market. 

 In its first year, Microsoft managed to go from about 8 percent market share to 12.7 percent as of June, according to Comscore. That gain is significant, although the company spent a fortune to get there using both heavy advertising and pricey distribution deals that make Bing the search engine default on new PCs from Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and others. Our toolbar deals played a significant role in getting us users,” acknowledged senior vice president Satya Nadella.

Microsoft will release its first full-featured Bing search client for Android in the next six weeks, matching the search capabilities that Microsoft offers for the iPhone, company executives said Tuesday.

Mobile is clearly an opportunity for Bing’s future growth. Microsoft already offers a basic Bing client for Android, but it’s geared mainly toward mapping tasks. The new client will have features similar to those in the desktop version of Bing.com, including full Web, image and news search – look for it in about six weeks.

Clearly one big task for Nadella and team will be the integration with Yahoo under the search partnership reached last year. This fall, Microsoft is due to start supplying both algorithmic and paid search results for Yahoo’s site, though Nadella said that the companies are further along on the former than they are on the latter front.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Mobile, Optimization, Pay-Per-Click

Local Search Ranking Factors: Volume 3 Released.

Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by Westchester Internet Marketing in All Local Search Posts, Internet Marketing & Local SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, Maps, Optimization, Social Networking

We’ve seen Google re-brand its Local Business Center as Google Places, begin to show an incredible number of Local-related results for nonspecific search phrases, a handful of review controversies involving Yelp (an increasingly important search engine for business owners to pay attention to), signals from Facebook that they’re about to get involved in Local in a major way, and an explosion in the number of location-aware applications and “games” like Foursquare and Gowalla.

It’s getting harder and harder, even for the Local SEO experts polled for this survey, to keep up with all the developments in our industry. I think all of us empathize with small business owners who are not only trying to understand how to use the Internet to market their business, but also to run it.

Google Places, Yahoo Local, and Bing Local remain critical places for search visibility, though–and if anything, the increasing complexity of the space makes it even more important to get the opinions of the practitioners who follow Local most closely about what can improve one’s ranking in the Google, Bing, and Yahoo Local algorithms, as well as techniques to be avoided. This year’s edition of the LSRF contains responses from 34 prominent bloggers and practitioners.

 See the entire article here.

The results.

Filed under: All Local Search Posts, Internet Yellow Pages, Maps, Optimization, Social Networking