A new reports shows that Search Engine Optimization brings in more leads than the more direct Pay Per Click and Social Media Marketing.  The interesting projection, however, is that businesses plan to increase their social media budgets rather than increase the spend on the more effective SEO.

Getting yourself ranked in the first 7 spots in any search engine, especially Google, is essential for online sales success. This means more than just the on-page optimization strategies and goes much deeper into meaningful linking, video creation, and other proven strategies.  It's not easy and it's not a one time "set it and forget it" operation.  

The results, however, show that it does work to generate leads!

SEO vs. PPC vs. Social Media Report 

Google just announced an upgrade to their algorithm that should produce "fresher" results.  That means that content and more specifically NEW content truly is king.  If your website has been ranking based on articles and blog posts that you made a year ago, you can expect a big drop soon.

Have you ever looked up an yearly event and had past years events come up instead of the current one you are attending?  For instance, the Anoka Halloween Parade happens every year but the exact dates and events always change a little.  If I type in Anoka Halloween Parade, I want to see the 2011 calendar not the 2008 calendar.  

If there was a topical event, say a bench clearing brawl during a Yankees game last week the search will assume that i mean the recent brawl and not one from 1996.  

Basically, it is intended to improve the search experience.Google says that the algorithm change will make a 35% difference in current searches.  That's a BIG change!  Now, as with any change, you can expect that there will be internet marketers that try and work around the  change but the best practice is to constantly be creating some sort of relevant content to your business.

It doesn't have to be a novel but it should be original and topical.

Watch your own rankings.  If you see a sudden drop off...you know where to start! 

Read the full Search Engine Land article  

Businesses have known for some time that females are the TRUE head of the household when it comes to consumer spending.  Spending 5 trillion annually, that demographic is ESSENTIAL to engage with your product or service.

The traditional places that you advertised to this group are all fading.  Women's magazines are disappearing and the soap operas are slowly fading to black.  Women are working more and more and are harder to find in front of their tv sets.  That doesn't mean that the female isn't still making the financial decisions, it just means that you have to engage with her somewhere else.

Almost 70% of social media users are WOMEN.  They spend 30% more time on these sites than men and have bigger networks.  They share good deals that they have found, experiences that they have had, and opinions about companies they have used in the past.

Having a presence on these sites isn't enough.  You have to provide information or value in order to get any screentime with this demographic.  If you do that, your message will spread fast and you will gain the following that you are looking for your business.

Read more here!

 

Facebook refuses to be a stationary target for the social media competition like Google+.  Just after unveiling several changes in their interface like "Ticker" (think Twitter scroll) and organize (think Google+ groups), Facebook announced partnerships with Netflix (streaming movies) and Spotify (streaming music).

On top of that they announced "Timeline" which allows a user to chronicle their life through past posts, pictures and videos.

By the way, this comes on the heels of Google+ announcing that it was now open to anyone and that an invitation to join is no longer needed.  Talk about stealing their thunder.

Here is the latest article from the Wall Street Journal 

There is a GREAT article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that really exposes the complexity of Google and how it ranks websites in search.  It tells the story of a pool supply company and how much they depend on being on the first page of Google.  There are some really interesting quotes in the article.  Here are a few:

In Minnesota and across the country, Google rankings are the Holy Grail of online commerce. "If you're not in the first three to five listings, it's very rare that people are going to click on you," said Ann Treacy, a search-engine consultant from St. Paul. 

Like I said in an earlier blog.  If you aren't first (or realllllly close to it) you may as well be last.

About 200 different measures go into determining Google search rankings, and the company said it changed its formula about 500 times in 2010. To protect its strategic interests, Google rarely announces changes to its ranking process and never discusses the fine points of those changes. The company insists it uses the adjustments only to make rankings more user-friendly.

I can't tell you how many times companies tell me that they have got it figured out.  We have our keywords and we have our meta-tags all taken care of so we should be set.  Read that paragraph above again.  200 measurements and a formula that changed 500 times in a year.  If you can keep on top of what it takes to rank AND run your business, you have really accomplished something.  Truth is that even professional SEO consultants have a hard time keeping up.

Ranking at the top of Google isn't easy.  Even if you manage to get there, it takes constant maintenance to STAY there.

To read the complete article, click HERE. 

As far as social media goes, there are the big 3.  Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.  They have all carved their niche and serve a different purpose.  Google+ has been working at becoming a combination of all of them and even "one-upping" the field.
Well now Facebook is answering back with updates and upgrades of their own.  They look a LOT like the new features from Google+

Facebook now allows you to:

Subscribe - Anyone can follow your updates without actually becoming friends.  Sounds a little like Twitter, huh?

Make Smart Lists - Group your friends in more specific lists so that you can send messages meant specifically for them. Want to post about your drunken adventures but would rather not have your boss/coworkers know?  Use a smart list.  This is a copy of google+ directly.

Read here to see more of the social media news for the week!   

The face of social media has long been the 18-35 year old male and female.  They check in at the coolest bar or tell their friends about a delicious cup of $5 coffee they just bought.  Well move over whipper-snappers!  In the latest 3Q study on social media done by Nielson, users aged 55 and over who used their mobile phone to get on social media sites more than DOUBLED last year!

Grandparents are checking in at grandkids sporting events.  They are giving reviews on wine tastings and bed and breakfast destinations.  Maybe even sending concert pics from a Tony Bennett concert. 

If you are ignoring the 55+ crowd in your internet marketing plan, you are missing a BIG part of the market.  More importantly a part of the market that likely has money to spend.

Take a look at your social media messaging.  Does it speak to that audience?

Check out the Nielsen Report HERE

"If you ain't first, yer last!" - Ricky Bobby Talledega Nights

It's not QUITE true but it's close when you are talking about your Google PageRank.  As we all know, when you search for a product or service on Google you may get thousands and thousands of websites that match your search.  If I told you that you ranked in the top 1% of sites found for a search you would think that would be great right?  WRONG!

The 25th spot on Google almost NEVER gets a click.  According to a study done by Optify, even if you moved up to the 10th spot you would get a click less than 3% of the time.

The goal is to get within the top 3 positions where 58.7% of searchers click.  You can imagine that the competition for those spots is extremely high.  Doing simple on page Search Engine Optimization is a good start but it is hardly enough to get your ranking to climb.  You need to be implementing on page and off page strategies that increase your credibility.  

If you aleady have a plan...that's GREAT.  You are ahead of most companies.  But to truly maximize your marketing dollars, it's going to take an SEO professional to help push your website to the top if the searched that are most relevant to your business.

Take a minute and start searching for the terms that you think you should be found...but remember this..."If you ain't first, yer last!



 

Groupon has been in the news recently because of their recent money troubles and I have had a few clients ask me what I thought about using Groupon (or any other daily discount site) to increase business.  The truth is that, unless a business has prepared themselves properly, Groupon can cause more harm than good.

1.  Do the math.  What does it truly cost you to sell your product/service at a 75% discount?  The new customer gets around 50% savings and you and Groupon split the remainiing 50%.  

2.  Can you deliver?  Let's assume you ran a successful restaurant offer and now have thousands of 50% off coupons waiting to be redeemed.  Your business has an overload of traffic that you aren't used to dealing with and your new customers first impression is a chaotic mess.  

3.  Who is your new customer?  Your new customer is someone that has been trained to think that your services are worth 50% of what you think they are worth.  How hard is it going to be to get that person to come in at 100% ticket price?  Unless you structure your deal correctly, the answer is VERY hard.

Groupon CAN be a success however.  If you create a plan to make sure that your new customer sees your business in the best light, you can increase your following and convince them to come in again.  The key is understanding that a daily discount is a one time offer and not a marketing plan.