Check out the latest blog post over at Where Is My Business
Many small business owners don’t understand the huge advantage that SEO gives them over other online marketing methods such as PPC advertising or traffic buying. I thought I’d share a few quick thoughts on this topic. It’s nothing new, but may help some of my newer readers understand the benefits of “being at the top of Google”.
More People are Using the Internet than the Yellow Pages for Local Search
While this may not be a surprise to most of my readers, it should be a jolt to small business owners who are stuck in their ways when it comes to marketing. Since most SMBs have small marketing budgets and little or no knowledge of how to get the best ROI for it, they just assume that the Yellow Pages is still the way to go.
Sorry folks, it’s not. While I encourage any SMB to continue to put their ad in the YPs, they should drastically reduce the amount of money they are spending on it. A simple ad that has phone number and website URL is all you need. Target the local phone book and maybe the large ‘city version’ if there is one. That’s it. Put the rest of that money where more people will see your information - online.
Most Searchers Won’t Go Past Page Two of Google
This applies to all search engines, but since Google has around 70% share of the US search market, I’ll use them.
Most people when searching for something, expect it to be there when they hit the ‘Search’ button. If it’s not, they may go to page two of those results, but most will not venture any further. Instead, they’ll change their search string and start over until they find what they want. So if your business isn’t listed on page one or two, those customers are just going elsewhere.
Being on Page One of a Result is Like Getting a Referral
When someone is looking for something, and you have it, they are more inclined to buy from you simply because you had the information they were seeking. Having good content that answers questions they have is like you talking to them in person. You become a ’subject matter expert’ and therefore gain trust.
SEO Lasts a Long Time - PPC Stops when You Stop Spending
I was talking with a client last night who has been doing SEO for about a year and a half now. They are so far beyond their competition that it’d take a while before the others could ever catch up. Some of his competitors are doing PPC, which is good, but once they stop spending for those clicks, they go back to a negligable amount of visitors (if not zero).
On the other hand, an SEO’d website could withstand literally cutting their budget for 3-4 months and not lose a lot of ground. Sure, they’d lose some, but the overall effects of it would dwindle over time, not immediately. (This isn’t something I recommend you telling your SEO clients - they may just try it!)
PPC has it’s place in the overall world of search, but it shouldn’t be the hinge you balance your entire marketing platform on. Just like the Yellow Pages, it should be used in conjunction with your SEO efforts, but should not be the main focus.
Top Ranking for Long Tail Keywords is Money in the Bank
As a general rule, the more specific the search, the higher rate of conversion. This means that if you rank at the top of the search engines for ‘blue widget with 12hp motor’, the chances of that visitor buying your widget is definitely higher than someone searching for ‘blue widget’. These longer tail keywords are easy to attain high rankings on, and they bring better overall traffic.
Ranking Brings Brand Recognition
Think about this - if a person is searching for something, and your website keeps coming up at the top, they are going to see your logo several times over the course of their searches. Even if they don’t buy from you on that day, you still had your brand in front of them several times. What is that worth to you?
Location, Location, Location
Just like picking out a physical location for your business, you wouldn’t want some backstreet that no one sees, would you? Same goes for online marketing. You’ve got to be where the traffic is driving past.
Summary and Shameless Plug
While this is far from a complete list of the reasons you should consider SEO, it’s definitely a good start. I’d love to hear what you think about the list, and let me know what I missed.
If you are a business owner who needs to get your website to the top of the search engines, it all starts with a phone call (888-341-2551) or email. Give me a call and I’d love to discuss what I can do, or visit my website at http://www.WhereIsMyBusiness.com
Today is the last day to take advantage of these deals:
SEO Audit $99 - Normally $199 http://www.whereismybusiness.com/seo-audit.php
Link Building Campaigns 20% off - http://www.whereismybusiness.com/services/link-building.htm
Missouri Wine Club 10% off - http://www.DrinkMO.com
Ok I know the last one isn’t SEO related but I promised my wife I’d put it out there. That’s her baby.
Well, by far the biggest year in Internet Marketing is drawing to a close. How did you do this year? Did you surpass your goals? Did you have any goals? Did your business do well online? Did you see growth? ROI? Has your business taken a ‘new direction’ when it comes to your online marketing?
If I helped your business grow in 2008, I can’t wait to make it even bigger in 2009. If not, that’s ok too. I hope that this blog has shown you ways to create new revenue streams and programming shortcuts that will take your business to a new level.
Now, what are you going to do in 2009? Add video or perhaps a blog? Start a link building campaign? Did you just test the SEO surface waters and realize the potential? The economy isn’t going to stay in the dumps forever, are you positioning your company to be way ahead of the bigger players in your industry when money once again flourishes?
Have you looked at your 2008 data and researched what worked and what didn’t? Where can you apply Pareto’s Law to reduce and refine? What areas of your business can be trimmed and/or removed? Should you expand or simply reroute?
What new marketing ideas do you have in store for 2009? Giveaways? Video? PPC? New domains and websites? Expansion into new areas? Leveraging your newfound Internet traffic for better vendor pricing? Will you pursue an affiliate program? Can other local businesses help yours grow? Can you join a group that will promote your business? Could you hold an event that will get you media exposure? Can you advertise in local papers or websites cheaply? Will social networking be a part of your plan?
And of course, money. What are your goals for next year? How about monthly? Can you compare to the past and forecast? How much can you make? How much can you save? How much will you have to put into untapped (and potentially lucrative) revenue streams?
And lastly, what would you like to be forecasting for 2010? If this were December 30, 2009, what would you like to be thinking about? What goals will you be setting then?
Make it happen.
Just wanted to drop a quick note to all my readers to say Merry Christmas. I’m in the office today for a few hours getting some things tidied up, and soon I will head home to enjoy a nice Missouri Wine and watch my kids eye the presents under the tree.
We usually let them open one present on Christmas Eve, and then the rest on Christmas Day. It’s one of the few days of the year when they are eager to jump out of bed. I usually get my videocamera ready, find some coffee, and otherwise lollygag around until they are ready to burst. It’s a fun time for all.
I hope that everyone has a great holiday, and enjoys the family that you are able to be with.
I bargained with life for a penny
And life would pay no more
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store
For life is a just employer
He gives you what you ask
But once you have set the wages
Why, you must bear the task
I worked for a menial’s hire
Only to learn dismayed
That any wage I had asked of life
Life would have willing paid.
– Jessie B. Rittenhouse
For those of you just getting started in SEO / SEM consulting, listen up.
Earlier this year I partnered up with a business colleague to do some revenue share for him. Basically it was this: I do SEO for him and I get a percentage of the revenue that the website creates. I actually do this for several local businesses, but I’m not sure that it’s the best option.
While small businesses love to ‘partner up’ with other business owners, I’m really having second thoughts about doing this in the future.
Here’s the deal. You offer a great service, one that can propel a business (literally) into a new revenue stream. You have the know-how and understanding to create wealth. And wise small business owners will see this and want it. However, most small businesses lack one thing - money. While this isn’t always the case, it has been my experience that a lot of small business owners want a lot, particularly things they can’t pay for. Of course, who wouldn’t.
If I owned a coffee shop, and in came a guy with a laptop, having meetings, talking to business owners, I’d want to know what he offered. I’d want him to market my business. But I’m just a little coffee shop owner, I don’t have that kind of money to throw at marketing.
Just a word of advice - RUN!
My wife often tells me that I’ve got this soft spot for people in a pinch. For some reason I feel bad when I see a business owner struggling, and I want to help. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes - perhaps they’re really bad at accounting. Perhaps they are funding useless causes. Perhaps they have no idea what’s going on at all in their business. Whatever it is, all I see is the outward sadface, and I offer to help.
Most often she’s right (dammit!). She sees me working for these people ‘in hopes of a future return’. She sees the kids wanting new this and that, and she sees me working away, but the bank account doesn’t increase. I can’t blame her for getting aggravated.
So if you’re good at SEO, and you know it, don’t fall for these things. You offer a damn good product, quality advice and the power to increase sales. Don’t let it go for cheap.
Disclaimer: There are plenty of reasons to help out a small business. I am in no means telling you to avoid these altogether - rather I’m telling you to be wise. If you have a friend that needs help, throw him some link juice. Do a small link building campaign. But don’t go overboard just to prove yourself. If you want to do that, do it on your own website, not someone else’s.
Next year looks to be an exciting year in the world of online marketing. With the economy in the dumps, a new president coming to office, and the stock market in the trash, there’s no better time than now to sit at your desk and forecast out the next year.
If you’re worried about the economy, just put all zeros across your forecast sheet. Any money made will be a bonus.
If you’re concerned about the new president - consider this. Every inauguration year since the 70’s has been the worst for that president.
If your stocks are in the dumpster, plan on selling them for a loss and putting that money into a bag which you can then hide in a Folgers can.
In all seriousness, this really is time to sit down and look at last year’s goals. Did you meet them? Exceed them? Did you set any goals? It’s time you do for 2009.
When you set those goals, don’t forget to budget some money for online marketing. Whether its a link building campaign, direct mail campaign that drives traffic or just some good ‘ol blogging, make sure you’ve got your ammunition stockpiled and ready. 2009 is looking bleak, so go into this war prepared.
As for me, I’ve already started looking at this year’s goals, forecasts and actual revenue which is helping me forecast (conservatively) next years’ returns. It will be a good year for me, will it be for you?
Wednesday night I switched over to CNBC to see if the Big Idea show was still the same ‘ol talk or if they had started to revamp back to what it was a year or so ago. I was surprised to see that the show wasn’t even on.
Today I pulled up the Big Idea website and it looks like the site hasn’t been updated since late Nov. Is the show off the air? If so, I think that is terrible. I’ve complained about the format of the show (in the last year or so) in the past, but never wished that it go off the air.
I think if they went back to their previous (and highly successful) format of different segments, interviews, etc it would still be a wildly popular show. I drew a bunch of inspiration from that show in its early times. I got some great ideas and marketing ideas from that show.
So I’m a slacker, and I just decided to start looking for Christmas gifts today. I toodled around on Amazon for a while, then zipped over to Overstock and thought I’d check out what they had. I also mentioned it on twitter:
TechLH looking on overstock.com for gifts for the wife. any suggestions?
About 20 minutes later, I get a message from the O:
@TechLH Have you tried our gift finder? http://twurl.nl/ziedz8
Hey cool. I can get ideas and spend money at their site (smart move, Overstock - or so I thought)
So I click over and punch in “for her”, her age and the fact that she’s my wife, and here’s what I get back
So, which should I get her?
Yesterday I offered 449 entrepreneurs in the Saint Louis area an opportunity to promote their business, show off their subject-matter-expertness and even get a free link back to their business website. I offered all of this for free, in exchange for a simple article (in which they could also promote their business).
The offer went straight to all 449 InBoxes, so I can safety assume that at least 85% of them were delivered successfully. In fact, meetup.com probably has bounce measures in place to weed out the false members, so it’s possible that 100% of the members received my offer.
Yet not one took me up on it.
Not one of 449 entrepreneurs took advantage of a great marketing opportunity. Why? Could it be because they thought they’d be helping my client and not themselves? Perhaps. Could it be because they didn’t understand what I was asking for? Perhaps.
But I think the answer is quite simple. Small business owners still don’t understand the power of marketing on the Internet. Not even close.
Two years ago I was hired by a local retail mattress store. They had a website that wasn’t the greatest, and they were paying AT&T an outageous amount of money for traffic and marketing. Yet their website wasn’t selling a damn thing. It wasn’t generating leads, it wasn’t producing revenue, it was simply a train wreck.
It wasn’t necessarily their fault. As with most SMB owners, when a big company like AT&T comes in, they may be overwhelmed with the statistics that are thrown at them. They are promised ‘online marketing’ and ‘traffic’ with great generality and glazing over of details. What kind of marketing? What kind of traffic? They don’t know to ask, and they don’t even know what answer is the correct one.
On top of this, SMB owners aren’t web designers. They are given archaic tools and expected to produce a customer-friendly website. They aren’t given guidance, they aren’t even told how to create a simple contact form. So it’s no wonder the money goes down the drain. And most SMBs don’t exactly have money to just throw down the marketing drain.
Shortly after I was hired, we started rebuilding their entire website. They weened off the phone book ads one at a time, canceled AT&T’s “marketing” and put all their efforts into the web. It’s a good thing, too, as the business was slowly going downhill. Downhill to the point that had they not made this bold move, they’d probably be out of business today. (And this isn’t just me bragging, you can ask Doug yourself)
Once we launched the newly designed site, a (not so) amazing thing happened. They started ranking. They started getting quality traffic. People started calling. Customers started asking for prices and delivery. Their website was actually generating a decent ROI.
Over time, you’ll learn that one of the best things you can do for a website is to provide new and relevant content often. Search engines love the content, and if it’s on target with your industry, you’ll start to see rankings for long tail searches you never thought would bring you traffic (and sales!). Providing this content gets more and more difficult over time, as you start to run out of things to say.
Now, my client still has plenty of content ammunition. But he also knows that there are things that he doesn’t know, that are related to his industry, but he doesn’t know. And these things are just what I was asking other SMB owners to write about. But they didn’t. Why?
The other huge part of getting more traffic to your website is links. And in particular, links from industry-related websites are great ways to improve your over SERP rankings. So writing an article for another website, that is willing to link back to yours, is an awesome opportunity. One that 449 St. Louis entrepreneurs missed.
