Uncategorized

Trusted Back Links For Your Site after Penguin

August 20, 2012 myonecall 4 Comments

Trusted Back Links For Your Site after Penguin.

If you have been following this blog, and many of the better SEO sites on line, you know by now that with the recent (and not so recent changes) in the Google ranking systems that the more “trusted Sites” you have linking to your site, the better your site authority is going to be. There is nothing new in this, except that on August 10^th2012, Google made additional changes in its algorithm that in essence gave what they consider “trusted Sites” an even higher boast in Authority.

PageRanks-Example.svg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’d like to introduce some sites that I consider “trusted”. If you use them for your site, you will find they fall into the SEO philosophy we try to practice, that being, if you would want to add your site or get a link on a site even if Google didn’t exist, it’s probably a good idea to do so, and will meet the Google guidelines on quality links.

A few other considerations for a back link opportunity (and these all help in considering a web site or page trusted).

Will this web site provide additional traffic to your site, and will it be quality traffic. This principle in itself will knock out about 95% of the “directories” on line. Many, if not most were set up for SEO purposes. We have been tracking 100 + directories over the last 12 months to see what effect the Google Algorithm changes would have. The most basic research method is to look at the sites Page Rank in the past, and see if it has dropped or disappeared. Many of the directories once used in abundance by web masters and some a SEO’s have lost some or all of the Google page rank once reported. A sure sign the site is considered low quality by Google.
Would you be embarrassed if someone judged your business by it’s presence on this site. Or perhaps a better way to put it, would you be pleased to be found on the site. Now I know, most of the low value places you can list your site will never be seen by any of your customers, so this question is really an internal thought process, and it goes with the first point exactly.
Is it easy to add your site? There is a direct correlation between the ease of adding your site or information to a web site, and the value it offers your business.
Does this site relate to your business? Trust me, this is important, and it goes to the point number 1 again. Why are you adding your information to a site in a foreign country that has no relationship to your business?
Does this site have follow links? Who cares? You shouldn’t. Follow, no follow makes no difference if you are following the principle of using a site for great traffic or visibility.
Image of Google & Yahoo offices in Haifa. Both located in the same building (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are more principles I will blog about later, for now I am due on a webinar. Let me give you a couple of sites we think you should be on, and you tell me if they make sense. I would also be interested in your thoughts on these simple principles.

We can start with some simple listing sites, and later we will go into directories, Social sites, forums and blogs. I want to give you what may seem to be obvious (or not) and some that are a little off the beaten track.

Site One: Google Plus for Business. http://www.google.com/+/business/

Site Two: http://www.ikarma.com/

I think you will find both sites fall into the parameters. I could pontificate on the reasons and the research, traffic and results from these sites, but I’d rather hear your thoughts, as well as your suggestions.

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Uncategorized

SEO Trusted Links

August 16, 2012 myonecall Leave a comment

On August 10th 2012 Google made what I would consider a major change to it’s system of ranking sites. You can read about it her : http://www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change

The change gave higher value to links to your site from web sites Google considers “trusted”. Our clients and our site saw rankings improve after this change.

So I wanted to start giving you a trusted site of the week, that you can add if it applies to your niche. I don’t want to put these in our normal newsletter, so I will post them here, and the reason why we see them as trusted.
Let me know if you see the same results by adding your site to the “trusted” sites according to what we can discern Google thinks.

Here is the first blog on this http://www.salesjumpstart.net/blog/2012/08/20/trusted-back-links-for-your-site-after-penguin/

Google Reveals Some Recent Changes To How It Ranks Results

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On Line Reviews, Uncategorized

Google Plus for business (Places) Reviews Are Crap

August 14, 2012 myonecall Leave a comment

Why Google reviews are crap.

Yes, I know, I am the one who for years has been promoting the importance of getting your customers (or your clients customers) to write reviews on your Google places page, now Google plus for business, and soon to be ???. From a SEO stand point it has always been helpful, and more importantly from a on-line reputation concern. But I recently returned from a long weekend with my wife and younger children to the Manitou Springs area of Colorado, and this has changed my view on how valuable Google reviews are.

Google 貼牌冰箱（Google Refrigerator） — Google 貼牌冰箱 ( Google reviews are crap)

You see, during the trip we took advantage of the touristy sites in the area, and they are many! Some lived up to their reputations while others didn’t. As a long time follower of Google reviews and other on-line reviews I found it odd that several of the attractions we visited seemed completely out of wack with the Google reviews we had read. And yes, I actually plan out the visit by looking into the things we want to do by checking reviews.

Today, as I did my duty as a Web Citizen, and went and wrote reviews on several review sites for the touristy places, the restaurants and the hotel we stayed at, I noticed an interesting trend. Now keep in mind, we didn’t go any where off the beaten track, these were your normal family go to places, and as a highly visited area of our great country, most of these places had a ton of reviews.

Image representing TripAdvisor as depicted in ... — Image via CrunchBase

The trend is, some of the places that had good Google reviews had very mid to low Tripadvisor.com over all reviews, and at least in our experience the Tripadvisor reviews seemed far more aligned with the actual experience, and the Google reviews seemed, well… like they had reviewed the wrong place! And in several cases the tripadvisor reviews were good, and the Google reviews were bad…

Now if that was the inverse it might just be the old “people who have bad experiences have a tendency to write more reviews than those that write good reviews”. But this was the opposite. So do people who write reviews on Google just have a propensity to be happier and nicer people who would never leave a negative comment?

<<< ( That’s The Manitou Springs Chamber office)

My theory is far simpler, as I have a simple mind, (some might say a simpleton).

I think Google is just infested with fake reviews. Why? Because it had become so important to small businesses that many made the decision to write their own reviews or entice others (and at times pay others) to write them for the business, a form of Internet prostitution if you will. I would even guess that Google knows this, and has taken extraordinarily stupid steps with their new review system to steam the tide, making it difficult to even get a real review published, and making it harder to understand the overall ratings by using a format that makes no darn sense to the average American when they acquired a restaurant review service, and applied it to every type local company. Insane? Details here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagat

I was going to show you screen shots of it, but I want to stay on point, and that point is Google reviews are crap.

Now, should small businesses stop asking for Google Plus for Business reviews because Google reviews are Crap? NO. You can’t. What has been created is a bit of a monster for businesses whose prospects search their services out on the Internet. I do think we all need to complain and whine and do what ever we can to encourage Google to find a better way. I did a blog recently making the simply suggestion that Google verify reviewers the same way they verify business listings on Google places, through a postcard or phone call. I think that would go a long way in cleaning things up.

And frankly they may be doing the American public a great service if they just delete every review currently on Google places, send them to the respective business if they would like to post them on their site, and be ride of the problem for ever.

Can you tell I am upset over spending $75.00 at a tourist trap that (in my opinion) clearly either had false reviews, or completely insane customers who write delusional reviews after they get back to the hospital?

Now add into that the oddity that our hotel had pretty poor Google reviews, but pretty good tripadvisor and yelp reviews. What’s that about? (I feel lucky not only because I married the most perfect woman on earth), but also because I read the tripadvisor reviews first.

I can only surmise that the Google reviews once again were written by the same bus load that stopped at the aforementioned tourist trap, or a competitor had these reviews posted, a nefarious tactic far more common than the public knows about, but will surely be uncovered more and more as time goes on.

So in closing, (thank god) as a consumer, check several sources for reviews. As a business encourage your customers to use several different on line review site. Tripadvisor, Yelp, Yahoo, Bing, City Search, Angies list and many more. Spread the good word around the entire on-line community!

Google Places (Google Plus for Business) now showing competitors Zagat ratings.

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Do It Yourself SEO, SEO Analysis Denver

Using Anchor Text for SEO is Stupid

July 31, 2012 myonecall 1 Comment

Using Anchor Text is Stupid.

As a Denver based Search Engine Optimization Company we can clearly say that using unnatural Anchor Text to help your sites ranking is stupid, and always has been. SEO’s have been using it as a measurement and tool since the beginning of time and with the recent changes at Google many are suffering the consequences, and more accurately their former or current clients are suffering the rankings drop.

One of the principles Google speaks to in SEO is taking actions as if Google didn’t exist. Great SEO starts with that premise. So unnatural Anchor Text is a CLEAR violation of that principle, and can be easily identified by a search engine.

I do not think that on Site basics apply to this principle. Your site must be as clear and specific as possible about its content. That’s not gaming the system, it’s just common sense. Most of the tactics Google seems to hate are off site and in your sites link profile.

Let’s go to the basics. In order of importance for making sure Google and other search engines can index and understand what your site is about (or your sites pages).

Your URL. This seems simple. If your site URL or page URL says Dentist, well, Google will have a strong clue that you’re a Dentist. I know about the Google patent on exact match domains, but as of now we haven’t seen much evidence that there have been any changes in actual rankings.

Here is the logic: If Google didn’t exist, I would want a domain that clearly defines what I am. So yes, I would use a domain like Dentist.com or Dentist in Detroit , or Pretty smile dentist…. To me that stands’ up to the principle that great web visibility starts with acting like Google doesn’t exist.

2.) Your Meta Title: Next to the domain name, this is how any search engine figures out what your site is about. Remember, these are robots, not English majors reading the Title of a page. So if you are a Dentist in Chicago, I would use Dentist in Chicago in the first few words.

3.) Content: I don’t really give a hoot about percentage of keywords in your copy, or even your H1, H2 tags…what we should care about is that when someone reads the page, that it is very clear what the page is about. If that leads to a natural paragraph heading that includes the words in your title tag, so be it. If it doesn’t, that’s fine to.

4.) And… remember… content and rankings are by page not site. It would be very confusing if Meta tags were the only information a person looking for your site could see, and every page on your site had the same Meta title. 80 pages of Dentist in Chicago. Looks sloppy. And then which page would they click on? Confusing.

And then to the off site:

There are times when you can use Anchor Text to point to your site. But the reality is not many. And if you are lucky enough to get a link on a good quality site, Google will already know what the page is about that the link is pointing to because it’s clear in the Meta title and copy on the page. Why add Anchor text? Really? You don’t think Google or others have the page Indexed? Then that’s another issue. And then if you use the same Anchor Text to different pages on your site that have different subjects, will, you get the picture.

Using Anchor Text always has been stupid (in most cases).

I know that the vast majority of SEO tips and principles are really just opinions, so if you disagree I completely understand and respect that. SEO or web visibility is a complex field, and you always have to look at correlation versus causation and do a bunch of research and study to really feel confident. Or, you can produce really stellar content and give clear and precise information on your site and pages, and then actively become part of the Internet communities to promote your business. In the now and the future we feel (even in its simplified summary) that the later will win the day.

Don’t hesitate to call us if we can help you. 303 500 3053 ext 1. (Mike)

7 Achievable Steps For Great SEO After The Penguin Update

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Uncategorized

Where Leads for Contractors Come From in 2012

July 22, 2012 myonecall 5 Comments

Where Leads for Contractors Come From in 2012

What a difference a few years make. As some of you know we survey lots of residential construction businesses to understand where leads come from (as well as other B2C business owners and managers)

This year Contractor leads come from…

1.) Referrals from former customers

2.) Internet marketing. This includes PPC SEO and Social web sites ( Neighborhood sites being much better than face book and the big brands)

3.) Individual direct mail Programs

4.) Business relationship referrals. Lead groups, other businesses you know

5.) Print. There are actually a few print magazines that contractors are getting a positive ROI from!

6.) Co-Op Internet and programs. Service magic, Team Dave Logan, and a few others still can provide a positive Return on Investment

7.) Trade Shows

With the above information, here is what a residential contractor can be doing in the Sales and Marketing area to generate leads and new business. It should be noted that each area takes a well thought out plan and execution to include unique offers, a buying process, structured sales integration and a call to action.

A formal referral program.
A PPC, SEO and Social program. (In that order), You need PPC for SEO until it kicks in.
Neighborhood, highly targeted post card or letter campaigns quarterly
Be active in the Business community around you through networks.
Advertise only in PROVEN print media.
Use Co-Op Internet programs sparingly and carefully

The significant difference in lead generation from just a few years ago is this. Successful contractors and business generating leads in the B 2 C area today need to incorporate at least 4 of the above mentioned lead generating tactics. Not true a few years ago, when referrals and great Internet (or one of the other tactics) might be enough grow your sales and revenue.

There are exceptions, and they are worth noting. We work with several companies that still develop significant leads and sales from referrals and Internet only. And that can be accomplished with the right budget. If you can spend a bunch, and find the right message and media to communicate that message, then your lead generation becomes more one dimensional and less complicated. In most cases we see a B 2 C company will not have the budget to test the message and several “reach” systems. The truth is a company will generally throw a lot of money at figuring out what works and what doesn’t work.

ppc-keyword-research-strategies (Photo credit: Search Influence)

That’s where our company comes in. We have those answers, and that allows our marketing to hit the ground running. You still need a marketing budget. It amazes me how many small companies don’t have one. Marketing… is just buying customers. Note the word buying. A minimum budget for monthly marketing and lead generation needs to be $700.00 for a small residential B 2 C business. It really should be 4-8% of your Gross sales. So if you want to do $1,000,000. In sales over the next 12 months, you need to budget and SPEND $40,000 to $80,000 in marketing dollars.

Don’t have that budget? Find it, or be satisfied with the 400K your referrals bring you every year. Worried your new customers won’t pay a little more for you to develop an advertising budget? They will. Although you hear that price is the number one reason people don’t buy, we know that’s not true. The number one reason a customer doesn’t buy from you is you were out sold by a competitor with a better sales and marketing system, and sometimes that means they have a better operating process that allows then to out sale you.

If you are sure that your type customer won’t pay a little more then you have two choices. One, change who you market too. We all know there are people who buy price. If that’s who you constantly attract, then you need to change your message, and sales process to weed them out. You are far better off selling 1 customer a week at margins that support a marketing budget, than two a week, that do not. The price buyers can also force you into doing some or all of the labor yourself to make any money. In that case, you don’ have a business, you have a very low paying job you built for yourself.

You can also find the marketing dollars by reducing your expenses. Better and faster job completion is the number one way to reduce expenses. If you don’t understand how finishing and collecting 100K in projects in a month isn’t less expensive than finishing and collecting 60K then you need call me, or get to a business coach. THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR in your company’s margins / profitability is speed of completion of your projects.

English: Table 4: Example of a profit and loss... — English: Table 4: Example of a profit and loss calculation. Belongs to The Organic Business Guide. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is a quick example of what that means. You complete 60K in a month. Your margin is 25% or 15K. Your fixed expenses are 7K. . You have 8K left.

You complete 100K in a month. Your margin is 25% or 25K. Your fix expenses are the same…7K you now have 18K left.

The objection I hear to this is yes, but you have to have the jobs. YES. That’s why you need the marketing dollars! Buying leads and customers, and finishing the jobs quickly is the answer to all of your financial concerns.

Feel free to call me at 303-500-3053 ext 1 if you want to hear more, or discuss any of this.

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On Line Reviews

How Google Can Fix The Fake Review Problems

July 13, 2012 myonecall 6 Comments

Penrose Library Google Places QR code (Photo credit: DUPenrose)

It seems pretty simple. If Google is interested in improving what many consider the massive problem of fake reviews posted on Google Plus for Business listings (Google Places and Maps) they could separate reviewers by verified and non-verified reviewers.

To verify a reviewer they could use the same process or a similar process to how a business is verified on Google Places. Just send then a code to their cell phone, or send them a letter with that code to their postal address.

Imagine the improvement in quality of reviews! Google could then at least list the city a reviewer is in for the public, and the “reviewer” would then have at least some sense of accountability. In the very near future it is highly likely you will be hearing about businesses suing other businesses over fake reviews (negative in nature) and Google being forced to release IP and other information on a reviewer.

If Google is truly concerned with the value of these reviews, they could implement this in a week. What are your thoughts?

[schema type=”organization” orgtype=”Organization” url=”www.salesjumpstart.net” name=”My One Call LLC” description=”A Denver area SEO and Sales Acceleration Firm” city=”Lafayette” state=”CO.” postalcode=”80026″ email=”info@myonecall.com” phone=”303 500 3053 ext 1″ ]

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On Line Reviews

Google Places (Google Plus for Business) now showing competitors Zagat ratings.

July 13, 2012 myonecall 4 Comments

Google Places ( Google Plus for Business) now showing competitors Zagat ratings.

Google Plus for Business and Google Places listings are now showing not only the similar places information on listings, but are now also showing the review scores of some of those similar places (or you might say competitors).

You can scroll down to the screen shots at the bottom to see several examples. I started this blog to see what other review sites the Google places listings show for some top ranked (in Maps) listings. The basis was just to update and see if anything had changed. Doesn’t look like it has. You can see the usually suspects below. These are sites you should actively seek reviews from your customers on. All are based in a top 20 market ( Okay it’s Denver)/

Top Ranked Local Sites and review mentions:

Chiropractor: Reviews from around the web: insiderpages.com (7) – yahoo.com (3) – citysearch.com (1)

Chiropractor 2: Reviews from around the web: citysearch.com (54) – dexknows.com (20) – insiderpages.com (3)

Denver Dentist 2: demandforce.com (28) – citysearch.com (2) – dentalelements.com (68)

Denver Custom Home Builder: Reviews from around the web: kudzu.com (1)

Denver Remodeling:

judysbook.com (1)

But here is what really caught my eye: Under similar places for a basement finishing company Google is now showing the scores for the competitor’s listings. That’s new for me, and another good reason to monitor your business reputation, and ask your customers for reviews.

It also should be noted that the main reason I was going through this exercise was based on the issues Google seems to be having even getting real reviews from your real customers posted. Our clients are reporting reviews not showing up after posted. It just doesn’t get any better than that. But in all things Google Plus (Places) patience is the main attribute needed to maintain one’s sanity.

Here are some screen shots.

From a Basement Finishing Search and Google places page: https://plus.google.com/109113884867743336579/about?hl=en

From A Search For Top Rated Dentists:

I could add more, but you get the picture. Let me know what you see and we will continue to keep our eyes on how the new world of Google Plus for Business may affect your Internet reputation and marketing.

Mike: 303 500 3053 ext 1

Google+ Local Replaces Google Places: What Local Businesses Should Know(hubspot.com)

Our new Business Profile Page

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Do It Yourself SEO, Internet Marketing

Click 2 Call Services

July 9, 2012 myonecall 5 Comments

Click to Call Services and SEO.

Businesses use click to call services on a web site to increase their web traffic conversions. For the small and medium business community this is often the most overlooked area of their web site strategies. Bringing qualified traffic to your site is only the first step in building new clients and generating new leads.

Besides the much documented, and blogged about landing page tactics, there still remains a very difficult process of getting your prospects, (who are on your site), to contact you. The seemingly very simple steps of clicking on your contact page, and filling out a few pieces of information is full of opportunities to lose the prospect before they click on the submit button.

Why you lose revenue using only a contact form and phone number:

They may become distracted at the desk
They may not feel comfortable giving you an email address or phone number your contact form may request.
They may want the information now.

You would think they would just call you if this was the case, but think for a moment of what your expectations are when you call a company on line. First, an automated system giving you a bunch of options, and then a transfer to an “on hold” recording telling you they are serving other customers, but your call is important to them, so please hang on. If you just want a quick question answered, or some simple pricing, calling a company’s main number can be the last thing you want to do from a time management standpoint.

Click to Call Services increase your conversion rates.

Click 2 Call services increase your conversion rates by giving your web site visitor an option to contact someone at your company immediately and with one click. There are many call to click services on line, but www.teledini.com has just introduced what appears to be the best in class click to call service available. (Full disclosure, one of the principles is a friend of mine and we may become a partner in selling and promoting the service.) Besides just connecting your prospect to your business with one click, the service also offers an impressive amount of additional features to the users, including the ability to see the city the prospect is in, the weather in that city, the web page they are on when they clicked, and the very cool ability to route the calls to any phone or phones that you like. So when a prospect clicks to call you, you can have it ring every sales person’s phone at the same time. The first person to pick up takes the call.

There are a ton of additional features available that you can see on their web site. And according to the senior management they will be rolling out additional services on the platform over the next 12 months that will make Teledini a must have for any Inbound sales force.

website ideas (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

The service is currently free to set up click to call (or click 2 call) on your web site (just add a few lines of code after you customize the look and feel). The company charges you .10 a minute for anyone calling you on the service. Do the quick math. If you get one more sale a day (or hour, or minute) and it costs you 20 minutes of time, you’re paying $4.00 for the sale. You would be crazy not to do it.

I’ll be adding the service to our sites over the next week and let you know our experience with the set up, and actually usage of it. If you are not using Click to Call, and Live chat on your web site you are missing sales opportunities. SEO is more than getting people to your site; it’s about helping convert them to customers.

So here are the areas you need to pay attention to when working on SEO for your site:

Getting qualified prospects to your site through a great promotion and SEO strategy
Getting prospects who are on your site to make contact with you. This is about a good blended marketing message, a strong landing page, and a click to call opportunity, chat opportunity, and contact form opportunity.
Well trained In bound sales representatives who can close sales.
Great follow up systems with leads that have not yet converted.

Let me know if I can answer any questions for you about any of those steps. When we are working on SEO we make sure all of the above are integrated.

Mike 303 500 3053 ext 1 ( Soon you can just click 2 call me)

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Uncategorized

How To Choose A SEO Company

July 6, 2012 myonecall 2 Comments

Unicorn Display’s and How to Choose an SEO company.

( Quick Note on reading this Blog. When you see the word really, that thought is really important.)

Choosing a search engine optimization company isn’t all the different than selecting a contractor to build your home addition.

Let’s say you want to build a new 1000 square foot home addition for your rare collection of pictures of your favorite breed of unicorn. ( we all have our favorites). Because you have a specific purpose, you will have some ideas on the design. A space for displaying pictures of unicorns is going to look and feel different than building an exercise room (something I would know nothing about).

So, the first step is going to be to find a contractor who has:

Experience in building home additions in your area.

Even better if they have in fact built an addition to display rare pictures of actual Unicorns in the past.

Has excellent and current references. The current part is very important. Building codes change, and a companies performance will change over time as well. You don’t want to see references from last year.

Is not the cheapest. Let’s face it; this is a pretty complication and specialized area. You don’t want someone faking it as they build your space. Of all the horror stories you have heard about hiring contractors, I would wager the vast majority started out with the purchaser choosing the lowest price. Same goes for SEO. Really. Don’t trust me? Let me know how that $49.00 a month program works for you. Really.
BELIZE CITY, BELIZE – MARCH 02: Prince Harry greets Governor General Sir Coleville Young as he arrives at Philip Goldson International Airport on March 2, 2012 in Belize City, Belize. The Prince is visiting Belize as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour where he will be visiting Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Brazil as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II. Belize is a Commonwealth realm with a population of around 350,000 and boasts the second longest barrier reef in the world. With much of the country covered in tropical jungle and a diversity of wildlife, Belize relies heavily on tourism. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Communication with the contractor during the proposal process. You are going to live with these people for a few months at least. View it as if you were dating this company. At the end of the relationship you want to say it was beautiful… and fulfilling and really meant something good. You don’t want nor need an ugly break up. It’s all about communication and chemistry. If it’s not there in the proposal process it won’t be there in the building process. Make sure you speak with the actual person who will be the “lead” on the project, not the sales representative.

Okay… so you see the correlation? Of course you do. I am talking correlation not causation here. (SEO joke).

Pick an SEO who has experience in YOUR type business. If you are an Attorney, you want an SEO who has proven results with… Attorneys. Just because they got your brother in laws restaurant rated number two on Google Plus for business (places) for Belizean family restaurants in Greeley Colorado, does not mean they will have any clue how to help a law firm. Now.. if you own a Belizean family restaurant… you are on the right path!

Pick an SEO with Current references. Really. SEO changes from nanosecond to nanosecond (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanosecond ) . Last years rankings and results don’t mean much. What does is the last 6 months of programs. Really. Ask for the clients they are working with currently and started less than 7 months ago. Oh… and call them. Really. Call them.

If the price seems really low, check those references again.

And, make sure you feel completely comfortable with their style of communication. Let’s face it, the last thing you need is a failure to communicate. Remember what happened to cool hand Luke? Me either, but that is where that line came from…

Prince Harry Busts a Move and Trys the Booze in Belize(popsugar.com)

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Internet Marketing

Add Pay Per Click to Your SEO Campaigns?

June 21, 2012 myonecall Leave a comment

Time to Add Pay Per Click to Your Denver SEO Campaigns? The Answer is yes.

Google has done a masterful job of slowly, yet consistently diminishing the visibility of the local maps on search engine results over the last 18 months.

Let me give you an example. Here are the results from a search for Mold Removal Denver about 2 years ago.

Here they are now (June 2012)

Here’s another example of Electrician Northglenn CO. from a few years ago.

Here are the results today:

For a great overview and infographic on this read and view the David Mihm web design and Local SEO blog at http://www.davidmihm.com/blog/google/world/

It’s pretty clear… for great Internet visibility for your site, working on Google Maps (now Google Plus Local) is only part of the strategy. Not long ago it could provide the vast majority of your traffic. Today, it’s only a piece.

I have been involved very recently in two conversations where clients are under the impression that people don’t click on the Pay Per Click ads. This is very understandable from someone who knows something about how Google serves search results, because we all know someone just paid to be there. As I pointed out in each conversation, it is somewhat amazing to me how many Denver business owners are NOT aware that the top three results (in many cases) are in fact paid advertising. And the more recent research seems to indicate that generically, about 15% of clicks are on Pay Per Click Ad’s. Hey… that’s as good as being in a top 3 position!

And, it’s not all that different than the days when consumer’s used the yellow pages to find local services. The biggest ads where (and are) listed first, and they receive the vast majority of the calls. People understand that they were paid advertising, and didn’t page back to find the smaller or line ads, because the company didn’t pay for that listing.

So a complete SEO program needs to take in to account three different areas, those being, organic search, local results , and Pay per Click advertising. And it should be designed to take into account the four different methods a person may use to conduct a local search:

Keyword + Suburb

Keyword

Keyword+ Major City

Keyword + zip

Each serves up different results.

Another big advantage of using the Google Ad words program is you can see great traffic statistics for key words that have become unavailable since Google stopped providing this information on many searches.

So to answer the original question, should you be using Pay Per Click? Yes, but, Ad words has become increasing difficult for a novice to navigate. It’s easy to waste a lot of money if you are not trained and familiar with keyword types (exact match, Phrase match, Broad Match, Negative match and others) as well as the location targeted, quality scores and types of bidding available.

Our suggestion is at least have a Internet Marketing firm who has experience in PPC set up and monitor your ad words (and any other PPC services) for you. We have lot’s of clients getting strong return on investment using PPC.

Please feel free to call me at 303-500-3053 ext 1 if you want some help. I may not pick up, as I get several calls a day from this blog, and have lots of other phone calls and meetings to be on or in, but I will call you back! Or feel free to email me as well at mike@myonecall.com

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