AuthorRobert "Bob" Nance

Home»Articles Posted by Robert "Bob" Nance

5 Ways to Effectively Market Online in Your Local Market

chalkboard2

Search engine marketing is the single most effective way to drive local traffic to your business website. The goal with any SEO program is to get your website to the top of the search results based on keywords of your business and your competitors. When your website dominates Google search results, you can be assured that the SEO strategies you are driving the optimal traffic to your business’ website.

There are four main types of search marketing tactics: natural search optimization, paid clicks or pay-per-click (PPC), local directories, and map marketing. Each of these unique tactics offers different advantages; it is when they are strategically blended together into an SEO plan they yield the best results. A comprehensive marketing strategy that includes all of these elements gives your website significant advantage over your competitors. The end goal is to have multiple listings on the first page of Google, which is when you know you are properly optimized. This ensures that customers seeking the products and services you offer find you first; the more times you appear on the first page of search results, the better chance you have of getting the customers you desire.
Local Directories and Map Marketing
Remember when you used the Yellow Pages to find a local business? It took forever to find the category you needed, and even longer to choose the company to call. Now, people just type their local search parameters into Google or other search engines to quickly and easily find local businesses. More and more consumers each year are turning to the Internet to research companies, products and services, before they buy. Search engine marketing is the key to harnessing the profit power of your local customer base; traditional Yellow Page advertising is expensive and doesn’t drive customers to your website that provides 24×7 information.

A typical search query by a potential customer often looks like this: “Manhattan Italian cuisine restaurant.” In a Google search, the search engine displays a local map of the area and the top 10 listings for restaurants in Manhattan offering Italian cuisine. Submitting a listing for your business to the biggest local search engines is undoubtedly a great way to drive local traffic to your website and to your business location as well, without the cost of paying for pay-per-click advertisements or other expensive off-line advertisements in your target area.

Natural Search Optimization
A natural search, also known as an organic search, mostly looks like a Google search on anything under the sun. Consumers use this to research products, services and companies before they buy. Of course, if your website doesn’t appear on the first page of results, your chances of increasing sales diminishes significantly. Of course Google isn’t the only search engine that consumers use; MSN, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask.com are important to note as well. Organic searches are the most reliable of all search engine marketing tactics and are the most reasonably priced to implement.

Search engines use automated software called crawlers to comb the billions of websites on the Internet and bring back the most relevant results for a certain query. These crawlers use algorithms that determine the relevance of these websites and their corresponding ranks on the search engine results page. It is for these crawlers that business websites are optimized to using various on-page and off-page SEO techniques. The most common of these is the use of relevant keywords and optimizing website content. Increasing the number of off-page links to your website is also very effective. It should be noted, though, that the algorithms used to evaluate a website change every now and then to prevent business owners from designing their websites to be fully optimized for a Google search but not for the audience.

Paid Search (Pay-Per-Click)
More commonly known as pay-per-click advertising, paid searches are the fastest way to make your business visible to your target market. Unlike a local search and a natural search, though, paid search requires an initial investment, albeit smaller than the investment you put in traditional advertising media, to pay for every time a person clicks on the link to your website. In a Google search, a paid search result appears in the form of an advertisement on the top right side of the natural search results, allowing your users to see you right away instead of having them rifle deep into the search results first.

To succeed in business today, you must have a comprehensive search engine optimization marketing plan. It is not longer just about the number of visitors you receive to your site each day, it is also about the quality of the visitors, and how your website turns them into buyers. When you are ready to expand your customer base, grow your business, and experience greater revenues, it is time to implement an SEO plan that incorporates local search, map marketing, pay-per-click, and organic search to draw potential customers from your service area.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions. 

Continue Reading

Google+ Local Better For Your Business Than Google Place Ever Was!

img1

Just when businesses were settled into Google Places, it changed.  The name changed, the look changed, and the effectiveness changed for the better. Google+ Local is now home to your local business’ listing and there have been some significant changes, upgrades, and improvements.  Google+ Local is now the definitive source for individuals seeking a local business – reviews, summaries, and linking to Google+ pages are just some of the new features.

  1. Your local business listing is still active and integrated into Google Maps but now also integrated into Google+.  Any Google+ user now has access to your local business while they are logged into either the mobile version, or the standard version.  Your Google+ page can include the relevant information, reviews, videos, and other information to help potential customers find you.
  2. Google+ Local page was created by default in this transition and will need to be customized to your business.  Just like other social media platforms, you can be as interactive as you like with your potential customers.  Of course, the more interactive you are, the more visible you are, and the more customers will visit your site.  If you already have a Google+ business page, you can merge the two pages together.
  3. Reviews under Google Place were migrated to the new site but the format has changed.  For decades the Zagat Guide has been the preeminent source for reviews on local businesses.  Google+ Local has changed the reviews and placed them in the Zagat format.  The downside of this change is that anyone that wants to leave a review on your page, must have a personal Google+ account.  Reviews you had prior to the migration now are listed under “A Google User” not the original name your customer left.
  4. Optimize Your Google+ Local or Google+ Business page to drive more traffic to your business.  SEO tactics including geo-targeting, proper keywords, special offers, calls to action, and other tactics should be included to draw more customers. Incorporating SEO techniques into your account will help your page rank better to your local targeted customer base.

Think of Google+ Local as interactive yellow pages.  When linked to your Google+ business page, you can easily interact with customers, offer your circles special deals, ask your customers for feedback, and easily respond to reviews of your business.  The power of social media, including Google+ cannot be overstated.  Engaging your community through this and other platforms can drive business and increase your sales.   Google has given you the option to integrate the social function into your listing – it is up to you to take advantage of it.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including Servpro Franchises.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for Servpro franchises include: houston water damage, spring water damage, houston fire damage, spring fire damage, houston mold, and spring mold.  Push Local has shown continued success marketing for Servpro franchises with a number of clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms.  

Continue Reading

Are You Losing Local Customers Because Of Your Text Ad Copy?

img3

Consumers conduct searches for local businesses, more and more every day.  The advent of Google Local allows your customers to find businesses that are near their homes and offices.  Because of this, it has become more important than ever for local businesses to create text ad copy that accurately represents the products and services of their business.  The last thing businesses want in this competitive market is to lose potential customers because of the following five ad copy mistakes.

1.       Failing To Use Geo-Targeting.

The most important aspect of SEO for local businesses is to include geo-targeting information.  Consider for a moment how you search for a local business.  Likely you type in the city name or zip code in addition to what you are seeking – example “90210 dry cleaner” or “Beverly Hills dry cleaner”.  Without proper geo-targeting, your customers will have a greater challenge to finding you.  However, only use geo-targeting for areas that are truly local to you, otherwise visitors to your site will feel you have misrepresented your location.  Geo-targeting helps your potential customers find you quickly and easily and it must be a central part of your local SEO strategy.

2.        Never Promise What You Cannot Deliver.

When a customer is attracted to the text in your ad copy, they expect what is written in the ad to be an accurate representation of what your business offers.  If your text ad contains keywords that have little or nothing to do with your business, the customer will leave your page without further ado.  Your ad must reflect the information that is on your landing page.  If your text ad indicates you offer roofing repair but your landing page has no information on it, you have lost a potential customer, possibly for life.  Google takes into account the accuracy of text ads and how they relate to your landing page and your business may be rewarded with better ad position and lower costs per click. Only create text ads that accurately reflect your product and service offerings to ensure you do not drive potential customers away.

3.        You Cannot Close A Sale Without Asking For A Sale.

Call to Actions are vital in all marketing campaigns regardless of whether they are in traditional media or online.  Once you have customers find you and are on your site, you must have a clear and concise call to action to spur them to choose your business over your competition.  A strong call to action in your text ad copy can help drive visitors to your site and increase your revenue.  Of course, remember to Never Promise What You Cannot Deliver.  If your text ad says “25% off everything in stock” then your landing page needs to echo the offer.  Text ads with strong calls to action can help drive potential local customers to your site, however, your website must do its job by converting visitors into buyers.

4.       Do Not Waste Space In Text Ads.

Creating concise and yet compelling text ads is an art.  Because of the limited number of characters allowed, it is vital that you include only the most important and relevant information.  While this may seem counter-intuitive, your business name should be the last priority.  Geo-targeting information, a call to action, and great keywords are your first priority. Once a customer lands on your page, they will know the name of your business.

5.        Failing To Use Specific Keywords

Generic keywords fail.  Customers are more savvy today and when they are searching for a specific product or service, they know the best results come from specific keyword searches – this is also your chance to show how you are unique.  For example, if you own a pizza restaurant your keyword choice could be “Italian restaurant” or simply “pizza” or it could be “New York style pizza” or “Brick oven pizza”.  Keywords are a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition.  Choose them wisely.

Text ads are a great tool in driving customers to your local website.  When designing your marketing strategy avoid the five common mistakes above to keep from losing potential customers.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including Servpro Franchises.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for Servpro franchises include: St. Charles water damage, Geneva water damage, Batavia water damage, St. Charles fire damage, Geneva fire damage, and Batavia fire damage.  Push Local has shown continued success marketing for Servpro franchises with a number of clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms.  

Continue Reading

Push Local: Internet Leads for Small Businesses

img2

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including Servpro Franchises.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for Servpro franchises include: Camp Pendleton Mold, Temecula Mold, Fallbrook Servpro, Oceanside Servpro, Camp Pendleton Servpro, and Temecula Servpro.  Push Local has shown continued success marketing for Servpro franchises with a number of clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms.  

Continue Reading

7 Keyword Tips For Effective Search Marketing

news

Everyone today understands that pay-per-click and search advertising must include relevant keywords.  Nevertheless, it is important to understand that as effective as good keywords can be, improper keywords can be detrimental.  It is important to remember these 7 tips when designing your search and pay-per-click marketing campaigns.

Tip #1:  Do Keyword Research.

Research keywords through a service like Google’s Adwords Keyword Tool. This tool is invaluable for keyword research and decision making.  Through their comprehensive search platform, businesses can find relevant keywords based on competition and number of local monthly searches.  The tool helps you make an informed decision on the best keywords to increase visitors to your site.  The key is finding keywords with low competition and high search volume.

Tip #2:  Push The Fact That You Are Local.

As a local business, you want customers in your area to be able to quickly and easily find you.  Your keywords must include geo-targeted information.  It is not enough to include keywords about what you do; you must, as a local business, include city and even zip codes in your search advertising campaigns.  Identify areas or neighborhoods in your area that house your potential customers and use that information to drive business to your website.

Tip #3:  Recognize How You Search.

When selecting keywords for your advertisements, consider how you search for what you are looking for.  What words would you type in? Instead of thinking like a business owner, think like a potential customer.  If you offer a wide array of products and services, you can highlight different ones in different advertisements.  The keywords you select for your advertisement must be represented on your website.  If your advertisement text indicates you repair water damage, make sure that your website clearly identifies how customers can find information on repairing their water damage.  Do not just assume they will understand that your primary business is water damage repair.

Tip #4:  Include Adjectives, Descriptors, Unique Identifiers.

Consumers are getting more precise in their searching.  Because of this, it is important that your keywords capture what they are looking for.  For example, if you sell boots, instead of just having “boots” as a keyword, select unique descriptors such as “motorcycle boots”, “horseback riding boots”, “hiking boots”, or “work boots” to help customers seeking a specific type of boot find you.

Tip #5:  Go Negative.

In search advertising, you can include words in a negative keyword list.  Identifying negative keywords in your text advertisements can help customers weed through you and your competitors and it is one of the ways that can help differentiate your business from the others.  If you offer products on the lower end of the scale and your typical keyword phrases include words like “cheap”, “budget” or others, you may want to add to your negative keyword list words like “luxury”, “expensive” or high-end”.   

Tip #6:  Include Questions That Your Business Answers.

Some consumers phrase their searches as questions because they are looking for a particular solution.  Someone that searches for “how do I install tile in my bathroom?” is most likely looking for information on installation as well as the tiles, grout, and equipment.  Consider what solutions you provide to your customers and then create keyword phrases that answer the questions your customers are asking.

Tip # 7:  Use Long Keyword Phrases.

Instead of a single word or two, a long keyword phrase, aka “long-tails” can drive more relevant potential customers to your site.  They also have the additional benefit of costing less because they are typically less competitive than generic keywords.  However, if your goal is to turn visitors into customers, this tactic can provide you with higher quality leads leading to higher revenues.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including plumbing contractors.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for plumbers include: Oceanside plumber, Oceanside plumbing, Oceanside flood service, Fallbrook plumber, Fallbrook plumbing, and Fallbrook flood service. Push Local has shown continued success marketing for plumbing contractors with a clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms. 

 

Continue Reading

The Importance Of Reviews In Google Places

img5

Local small businesses must have a Google Places strategy – just like years past when businesses had a Yellow Pages strategy.  This free service from Google allows business owners to claim their business name and post accurate and relevant business information including address, phone number, website and hours of operation in the proper business category.

An essential part of Google Places is the review section.  This is where current customers leave reviews for businesses.  Analysts have studied Google’s local ranking algorithm, and businesses with the most reviews, move higher up in the Google Places rankings.

Of course, the higher a business is placed in rankings, the more traffic they will receive.  Google Places and Google Maps are integrated to help individuals find the businesses in their communities, or while on the road.  It is essential that businesses optimize their Google Places listing and that the listing be representative of their website. Optimizing the listing must include relevant keywords, but just like content on a website, it cannot be too keyword heavy, or it will be deemed as Spam.

Here are a few hints for optimizing the Google Places listing:

  1. Choose the category selection that best reflects core business
  2. Use keywords responsibly in the description
  3. Double and triple check the accuracy of address, phone number, and website information
  4. Update business hours when they change for holidays
  5. Upload a photo of the front of the building so customers can easily identify the business
  6. Add a Google Place listing for each additional location

When the Google search engine algorithms that rank your website determine a website’s ranking, they use a number of factors, including the number reviews.  Google crawls the web looking for reviews written by customers; both on the Google Places site, as well as external sites including local business directories, Yelp, and more.

Encourage customers to leave reviews on these sites to help businesses increase their visibility and rankings.  One option is to provide customers with the directions on how to leave a review.  These can be mailed to customers on a postcard, emailed, or handed out the physical location; a sample is below:

7 Easy Steps To Review Our Business (“ABC Restoration”)

  1. Visit www.google.com
  2. Search for business (“ABC Restoration”)
  3. Look for our Google Places listing
  4. Click on “Write a Review”
  5. Honestly rank us be 1 and 5 (5 being the highest)
  6. Write a  review
  7. Click “Publish”

Thank you for your time and effort.  We acknowledge that our success is due to our customers. 

After asking customers to review their business on Google and other third party sites, it is important that they follow-up with comments and responses to the reviews left behind.  A Google Places strategy is not a one-time and done avenue for increasing visibility.  Like all marketing techniques, it requires ongoing massaging and tweaking as needed.  The more reviews that are placed, the better the search engine algorithms will rank the businesses.  Additionally, the more businesses interact with their customers through reviews, the more likely their customers will be to review them again.

When a potential local customer is searching for a business in their area, they turn primarily to Google, and other search engines including Yahoo!, Bing, and others.  The reason more and more are turning to searching on Google is the interactive nature of Google Places together with Google Maps.  It takes the legwork out of finding a local business, the address, and the driving directions on how to get there.  Business owners that are looking for ways to increase internet traffic, must have a comprehensive Google Places strategy in place to manage the content and reviews on their listing.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including plumbing contractors.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for plumbers include: Oceanside drain cleaning, Oceanside rooter service, fallbrook drain cleaning, and fallbrook rooter service.  Push Local has shown continued success marketing for plumbing contractors with a number of clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms. 

Continue Reading

How to Use Google Places to Drive More Business

img6

Google Places is a powerful tool for local business owners that desire added exposure within their local community.  Think of Google Places as a local business listing service and a mini-marketing campaign, all rolled together.  When coupled with AdWords Express, your local business’ Ad is prominently feature in search results, and a blue pin is indicated on the Google Map for visual reference for your potential customers.

It is worth your time and effort to set up Google Places (and it is free!).

  1. Visit Google Places web page; sign in if you have an account, or create a new account.
  2. To add your business click “List Your Business”
    1. You will need to enter the primary phone number for you business. It will then show what information about your business Google already has.  From here, you can personalize and verify the details.
    2. Add relevant information you want to appear in your listing including physical address, email address, website URL, your business category and the description of your business.

Note:  In your business description it is vital that you include the top keywords for your product or service.  Make it readable and friendly to potential customers; do not write it just for search engine algorithms.

  1. Verify your business listing.  You can choose verification through phone, text or a postcard.  Google requires verification to validate that you are in fact the business owner or approved representative.
  2. Local customers can now find you!

Of course, it is essential that your web presence be optimized for both search engine algorithms and for your potential customers.  Google Places, AdWords, and AdWords Express are only part of the equation to increase revenue; once a visitor comes to your website, it is your responsibility to turn them from visitors to buyers.  Relevant, educational and engaging content on your website not only helps transition potential customers into paying customers, it also helps new customers find you through organic searches.

Google has published a list of quality guidelines to help businesses get the most from their Google Places listing.  These guidelines also standardize the manner in which businesses represent themselves.

Google Places Quality Guidelines

  1. Ownership:  Only business owners or an authorized representative may verify business listings.
  2. Account Email Address:  Use a shared business email account if multiple users will update business listing.
  3. Business Name:  Represent your business exactly as it appears in offline world.
    • Do not include taglines in the Business Name field.
    • Do not include phone numbers or URLs in Business Name field.
    • Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of your business in the Business Name field.
  1.  Business Location:  Use the precise and accurate address for your business.
    • Do not create a listing or place your pin marker at a location where business does not exist.  PO boxes are not accurate physical locations.
    • Do not create more than one listing for each location.
    • Businesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to single location should not create a listing for every city they service.  Designate service areas.
    • If you don’t conduct face-to-fact business at location you must select “Yes, this business serves customers at their locations” under the “Service Areas and Location Settings” and then select “Do not show my business address on my Maps listing” option
    • Businesses with multiple specializations should not create multiple listings to cover specialties.  One listing per practitioner.
    • Do not include information in address lines that are not physical locations.
  1.  Website & Phone:  Provide the phone number that connects to your business location and provide website that represents your business location.
    • Use a local phone number.
    • Do not provide phone numbers that redirect or refer users to landing pages or phone numbers other than those of your business.
  1. Categories:  Select at least one category from the list of available categories that most closely relates to your business.
  1. Marketing, Promotions, Contests:  Any promotion, marketing, contests or giveaways should clearly link to the terms of the activity and provide clear guidelines and qualifications.

Google Places is a free service that allows your local customers to find you easily.  Often times it is the first impression they have of your business.  Make sure that your listing accurately reflects and represents your business, your products and services.  When Google Places is used in conjunction with an effective AdWords Express campaign, local customers will be able to easily find you and do business with you.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including plumbing contractors.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for plumbers include: Oceanside drain cleaning, Oceanside rooter service, fallbrook drain cleaning, and fallbrook rooter service.  Push Local has shown continued success marketing for plumbing contractors with a number of clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms. 

Continue Reading

Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up

- Pablo Picasso

Online Marketing for Local Contractors in a New Economy

What is best way to market your business in this changing economy? Local business marketing used to be fairly simple. In times past you could place an ad in the yellow pages and you were all set. You’ve probably noticed that the Yellow Pages aren’t as successful as they use to be. Now, people just type their local search parameters into Google or other search engines to quickly and easily find local businesses. More and more consumers each year are turning to the Internet to research local companies and services, before they buy. Search engine marketing is the key to harnessing the profit power of your local customer base; traditional Yellow Page advertising is expensive and doesn’t drive customers to your website that provides 24×7 information.

A number of businesses are devoting their marketing dollars to search marketing. If you search for industry keywords, i.e., “leak detection in my town”, you most likely find that the industry leaders in your market are marketing online. This is because search engine marketing is the single most effective way to drive local traffic to your business website and get phone call leads. If you’re not marketing online, you are leaving sales on the table.

The goal with any search marketing program is to get your website to the top of the search results based on keywords of your business and your competitors. When your website dominates Google search results, you can be assured that you are driving the optimal leads to your business’ website. There are four main types of search marketing tactics: natural search optimization, paid clicks or pay-per-click (PPC), local directories, and map marketing. Each of these unique tactics offers different advantages; it is when they are strategically blended together into a search marketing plan they yield the best results.

A comprehensive marketing strategy that includes all of these elements gives your website significant advantage over your competitors. The end goal is to have multiple listings on the first page of Google, which is when you know you are properly optimized. This ensures that customers seeking the products and services you offer find you first. The more times you appear on the first page of search results, the better chance you have of getting the customers you desire.

Natural Search Optimization
Consumers use natural search, also known as organic search, on platforms such as Google to research products, services, and companies before they buy. Of course, if your website doesn’t appear on the first page of results, your chances of increasing sales diminishes significantly. Google isn’t the only search engine that consumers use; MSN, Yahoo!, Bing, and Ask.com are important to note as well.
Search engines use automated software called crawlers to comb the billions of websites on the Internet and bring back the most relevant results for a certain query. These crawlers use algorithms that determine the relevance of these websites and their corresponding ranks on the search engine results page. It is because of these crawlers that business websites need to be optimized using various on-page and off-page SEO techniques including the use of relevant keywords and optimizing website content. Increasing the number of off-page links to your website is also very effective.

Paid Search (Pay-Per-Click)
More commonly known as pay-per-click advertising, paid searches are the fastest way to make your business visible to your target market. Unlike a local search and a natural search, though, paid search requires an initial investment, albeit smaller than the investment you put in traditional advertising media, to pay for every time a person clicks on the link to your website. In a Google search, a paid search result appears in the form of an advertisement on the top right side of the natural search results, allowing your users to see you right away instead of having them rifle deep into the search results first.

Map Marketing with Google Places
A typical search query by a potential customer often looks like this: “Manhattan Italian cuisine restaurant.” In a Google search, the search engine displays a local map of the area and the top 10 listings for restaurants in Manhattan offering Italian cuisine.
Map marketing is achieved by creating an active Google Places listing that shows your location and relevant business information. When properly created, the listing includes targeted keywords that will help the listing to show for relevant local searches.

Local Directory Listings
Local directory listings are online directory services such as Yahoo, Superpages, Citysearch and Yelp. These listings show up in local organic searches for your company and are also utilized by smartphone companies when they are compiling their databases. Submitting a listing for your business is another great way to drive local traffic to your website from desktop and smartphone searchers that are looking for your services.

To succeed in business today, you must have a comprehensive search engine optimization marketing plan. When you are ready to expand your customer base, grow your business, and experience greater revenues, it is time to implement an online marketing plan that incorporates local search, map marketing, pay-per-click, and organic search to draw potential customers from your service area.

Push Local specializes in online marketing for small businesses including Servpro Franchises.  Our services include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, map marketing, and local directory submissions.  Some of the organic terms we go after for Servpro franchises include: Carlsbad mold, San Marcos mold, San Marcos water damage, Vista water damage, Carlsbad smoke damage, and Carlsbad water damage.  Push Local has shown continued success marketing for Servpro franchises with a number of clients currently ranking number one for their targeted organic search terms.  

Continue Reading