Leverage Blog: How to Exploit the Web.

Do you need search engine help?

Great new article in Forbes about how to hire a firm to optimize (i.e., SEO) your site for the search engines. Here's an excerpt:

For small companies that rely on search engines to drum up customers, search engine optimization is an essential part of doing business. While a committed individual can learn the basics of optimization, the process can be complicated and time consuming. But if you're thinking about hiring a consultant, avoid going with a firm whose pitch sounds too good to be true... more

To see some search engine optimization results, see this google search for "san francisco web site design"   GO.  Wheel Media is our result (and also the SEO firm)

For a product specific search, see this google search for "used anesthesia machines".  GO.  Anesthesia Plus is the client.

SEO doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg.  Get a quick quote here.

 

Quote of the Day

The idea that Google has some edge because they've got super-duper rocket scientists may be a little antiquated now.

This is from Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, when he announced in Tokyo that they will be releasing a collaboration-based search engine to challenge Google.  For those not familiar with Wikipedia, it's an online encyclopedia edited by readers.  Take a look and search for a topic you know something about-- I bet you'll find the results pretty impressive.

Another search engine, you ask?  Sure, I say.  Competition and alternatives make the net-go-round!

Search engine optimization tips in USA Today

I was suprised (happily) to see SEO (search engine optimization) mentioned in USA today this week.  A sign that small businesses understand that succeeding on the web is a one-two punch.

Punch One is having a great website.  Great websites have a clean, easy-to navigate design with clear headlines, persuasive content and inviting calls-to-action.  There is no reason to invest time and money in SEO if we can't convert the visitor to your site into a LEAD, right?

Punch Two is search engine optimization.  As the article says, you first need to research the terms (called keywords) that your customers are using on Google and Yahoo! to find a business like yours.  At Wheel Media we do this research up-front.

Next you need a developer to incorporate those keywords into your website code using a formula that works with the search engines.  There is no magic bullet here-- changing one or ten elements on your site won't be enough to make significant impact-- the optimized site needs a cohesive structure.

Finally, get other sites to link to you.  Again the article is on the right track here, but as the reader says at the bottom...the process can be very time consuming and full of trial-and-error.  I suggest you outsource to a firm that has a track-record...and stay focused on running your business.

• Read the article here
• Get a quote for search engine optimization here

Is your website in the top pages of the search engines?

Clients often ask me about search engines and how they work.  I thought I'd give a quick primer on how things work to help business-owners get ready for 2007.

The short answer on search engine marketing is about paid versus natural results.  The paid results on the top and right side of Google cost you monthly, and you pay even when it's your competitor clicking on your ad.  (Not fun.)

The natural results are the large, prominent text in the center of the page, and they rank websites by interpreting their code.  This interpretation is complex, with dozens of factors including page structure, keyword density and inbound-links playing a role.

As a marketer I prefer natural results.  In 1-3 months Wheel Media can move a website from page 37 to page 2 for a search that a customer might make to find you.  There is no mystery or gimmick to our service, just specific programming your website based on our research.

How about some evidence?  It's hard to argue with results.

One small business client has developed seminars for their corporate clients.  Targeting human resources professionals, our client teaches an approach called integral health-- a philosophy of personal wellness shown to keep employees invested in their own health (resulting in less time-off and higher productivity.)

So far so good?

A HR professional who has read about this approach might want to find a consultant to give a seminar to their company, going to Google and searching for integral health seminars.'

People don't search for integral health seminar's in big numbers, but those who do know just what they are looking for.  Wow-- what a perfect lead.

Give it a try at www.Google.com.  Up in the top 5 results you'll find a company called Integral Health Options.  Not a big site (and not an expensive service.)

More on search engine optimization next week.

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Wheel Media:  A San Francisco web design and sacramento web design company

Keys to great websites (from the New York Times)

THE idea that if you build it, they will come, might have worked for Kevin Costner in the movie “Field of Dreams,” but it certainly does not hold true for Web sites.

Brilliant! Now my clients and readers won't just have to take my word for it.  Recently the NY Times had an article discussing great web design and it's full of smart ideas-- best-practices that every small business website should follow to be an effective marketing tool.  A few tidbits:

• Build a bad-looking small-business site filled with poorly written text, and your potential customers will go away.

• Web pages must visually hit a visitor right between the eyes. If a site does not answer a user’s questions about a business, then you have scored one for the competition.

• Users spend 30 seconds reviewing a home page...a business must encapsulate what they do in very few words.

Does my web design agency Wheel Media make the grade?  Do we design with these principles in mind?  I say yes, but pop-over and take a peek for yourself!
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Read the full article here.  (Free online subscription required.)

Google is obsolete

I'm sorry to draw you in with such a ridiculous headline.  I couldn't resist, because I just discovered a threat to Google.  And more importantly, a useful new type of search engines for small business.

Retrevo, is a vertical search engine for consumer electronics.  What is a vertical search engine?  One that focuses on something specific.  Use Retrevo to search for some electronic product, like “D200” (i.e., The Nikon D200) in Retrevo and then in Google, and you'll see why vertical search engines are on the rise.  The results are simply better.

Small business owners know that their customers are using their web to do their homework, and Google is where they start.  In a few years maybe there will be a vertical search engine as well.  The bottom line is that professional websites are what people are looking for-- they inspire customers to pick up the phone.  Small time, low-budget websites, well, they make companies look small-time.

With the rise of vertical search engines and local small business directories like MerchantCircle it's never been easier for customers to use the web to find and compare companies.

Companies like yours.

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Thanks to Guy Kawasaki and his blog for the tip on Retrevo.  More wisdom here.

Pay-Per-Click online advertising: What is it?

This week clients have asked about our pay-per-click advertising services, and the questions were good ones.  Here are my answers:

Q: What is pay-per-click?

A: Pay-per-click online advertising, or PPC, is paid text advertising in search engine results.  On Google they are called "Sponsored Links" and on Yahoo! "SPONSOR RESULTS."

Businesses with websites purchase keywords-- the terms a customer would use to try and find their product or service-- and only pay when a visitor clicks on the listing.  (It doesn't get much more 'targeted' than that.)  The cost of each click is determined by competitive bidding, and prices range from a dime (.10) to over $13.00.

Small and medium-sized businesses getting started in PPC should budget $750 - $2,500 per month for a 3 month trial campaign, evaluate results and adjust accordingly.

Q:  What does my business need to do to get started?

A:  My experience has shown there are 3 keys to an effective PPC campaign

1. A fantastic website
   • PPC advertising will drive qualified leads to your site.  What will they find when they get there?  A clear, professional design?  Compelling copy?  Testimonials from your elated clients, and an easy way to request a quote?  Driving traffic is half of the equasion, and converting visitors into leads is the other half.
2. The right keywords and ad copy
   
   1. research tools from the PPC advertising platforms are great at helping identify who your competitors are online and seeing how much traffic you might expect-- and at what cost.  You only get 65 characters per line in Google's PPC program so your message better be just right.  Ad copy will make the difference between a prospect clicking on your ad or the other other guy.
3. A resource to manage your campaigns
   1. There is one PPC platform for Google and a second for Yahoo!, MSN and AOL.  Plan on managing your bid prices daily to start and 3 days/week moving forward.

Q:  What's the ROI?

A:  The return on the PPC investment is going to vary, but because it's so targeted it's easy to measure.  You'll know how many clicks you're getting each month, and if the people on the phones (and email) are asking prospects where they heard about you you'll get an idea of ROI.

In the service sector, where a new customer or project could amount to $2,000, $10,000 or more the return is easy to see.  1 new project pays for the campaign for the whole month-- maybe for half-a-year.  If your company sells prodcuts and an average ticket is $350, let's say, then we can easily calculate a break-even point.

The bottom-line:  I like PPC.  Wheel Media is creating PPC campaigns for our clients, training them on the management, and helping evaluate results.  This is the most effecient, not to mention affordable solution for small business.  Is PPC a better choice than search engine optimization?  it depends on your business and where your customers are.

It's worth a serious look

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Local search and web design: A match made in heaven

I wrote earlier this month about the death of the yellow pages, and author and search guru John Battelle has some great insights on the YP and Yahoo! Local Search today:

Yahoo Local has rolled out an update to its business model for local merchants, and it's looking a lot like what the Yellow Pages do, only online, self service, cheaper, and, well, what I've been on about for a while - a step towards the online version of what the Yellow Pages really need to become...  (Full article here.)

My particular focus is on your business, and using the web to help you grow.  If you feel your customer is using search engines to try and find you (probably) and you buy a local ad (they are pretty affordable,) then you need to differentiate your business from the other guys.

You need a clear, smart, compelling website that inspires your prospects and motivates them to call, to come by, to request a quote.

...oops, I misspoke.  You need a great website to differentiate regardless of whether you advertise on Yahoo!, The New York Times, or by trailing a banner by from a plane flying over the Giants game this weekend.

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Google on your radio

Well, not exactly on your radio, just selling advertising on it.

Yes, with it's acquisition of tech firm dMarc Google is bringing it's easy-to-buy (and easy to target) advertising platform to radio.  dMarc's technology sorts out the complex process of scheduling and placing radio advertising, and over the coming months Google will streamline and simplify it further.

Google's press release is here.

More businesses are advertising online (78% more)

Anything that grows 78% year-over-year is hot, and local ad spending on the web did just that in 2005-- to the tune of $4.8 billion dollars.

Businesses-- some local and some national-- are rushing to advertise on sites like  sacbee.com and sfgate.com, eager to drive customers in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay to their sites.

What we're seeing from all this investment is more information about how your customer is using the web:  They are flocking to local online resources like The SF Chronicle website.

Where is the opportunity for the Consulting Firm in Sacramento?  For the Contractor in San Francisco?  Search engine optimization (SEO) for your website.  Target the words that describe your products, in the cities you serve, and you'll be leapfrog the competition (and hear from customers that are actively looking for you.)

Depending on your industry, SEO will often provide a greater return on investment than a banner ad on sacbee.com.  How much does it cost?  Tell me a bit about your business here, I'll do the research and let you know.  No sweat.

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Full story here

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