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DUDE, Where’s my Map?!?
I had a team member send out a red flag email about a client’s Maps listing 2 hours ago. We had successfully squashed a listing created by a competitor who had been spamming with our guy’s business name, but today, it suddenly appeared again, and our guy’s real listing completely disappeared!

I know Google lost an entire city in Florida, which has now been found, but as we dig into it today, this looks like the entire East coast data is in an upheaval.

My concerned team member, Paula Keller, expresses frustration, “I can’t even find the listing. I saw it when I first searched for the phone number, clicked more info, and it said “We currently do not support the location” I logged in and clicked to view the listing and it says “We currently do not support the location” for both the practice’s listing and Dr. Parker’s listing.”

When we search by phone number, we get the totally wrong listing we thought we had squashed:

We thought we had squashed this listing months ago starting in April, and we further confirmed it was gone in May and June. Haunted by listings of the past!

We logged into the account and clicked on “See your listing on Google Maps” ….

And this is what we got ….

Google must be up to something or rolling out some changes, and I have another team member check in various Place Page accounts to see if we notice a pattern in geography. Melanie Aleman reports in:

“I logged into the Google Places account for the following clients to check up what’s up, this is what i found:
- Dr. A A – no problem
- C C Doctors – “We currently do not support the location” when I tried viewing either listing on Google Maps
- Dr. B B – “We currently do not support the location” when I tried viewing either listing on Google Maps
- Dr M M – “We currently do not support the location” when I tried viewing either listing on Google Maps
- R R – no problems”
One of Melanie’s screen shots:

So far it appears this is on the Eastern time zone. I see a surgeon’s Place Page listed in maps, but when I click on a Place Page link in Maps (not through the account), I get this:

Oop! Maybe not just on the East coast! A doctor in the southern US has a claimed listing, and right now it’s not even showing as owner verified! And I KNOW it’s verified ….

I had yet another team member, Elizabeth Selasky, check out some client on the West coast to see how far this chaos is reaching. She reported back that the West coast appears to be unscathed.

We also had some other weirdness happen over the last week. We had 3 clients report back in that Google had called their business, and a real live person at Google wanted to verify their business address because a user had reported a problem with his address. The first occurrence of a real live Google representative calling a business was totally unexpected. The 2^nd and 3^rd was just more confirmation that this must be legit Google. Is Google paying attention to when users are reporting a problem with listing data?

Something is definitely going on with the Google Place Page product today. Maybe it’s a database clean up on a massive scale. We’re not sure, but we’re watching it closely.
September 23, 2010
First step in writing PPC ad copy: THINK

Earlier this year Anthony, our resident PPC expert, wrote a great blog post titled, Pay Per Click for Dummies? Hire a Professional. Consider this its sequel. A part 2: Electric Boogaloo, if you will. While doing a little Google Maps magic for one of our clients, I stumbled upon this PPC ad when searching for the phrase, baby moon California.

Somebody call the CPS!

I was shocked. How did the baby-selling black market get ad space for their sale? I thought Google had standards! Though, free 2-day shipping on an 8 lbs. package is a steal. My curiosity was piqued. I just had to click. Needless to say, I was let down. Apparently, California Baby is a product line of shampoos, soaps, etc. If this is how they advertise baby lotions, I’d hate to see how their ad for the importance of baby naps would look…

I really don’t know how the site owners gave it the go-ahead. Perhaps if I lived in California and knew of the product, my mind wouldn’t have automatically jumped to such a horrendous conclusion. However, not every person who is searching for baby moons is going to be familiar with this brand. Even just adding the word “products” in between “baby” and “on sale” would have helped. It’s much clearer, still falls in the 35-character limit, and doesn’t remind people of the Lindbergh baby.

Awkward first impressions aside, they make a couple other rookie mistakes. First, the keyword selection is incredibly unclear. Most search engines bold the keywords in the title and copy. I assume they’re going for the phrase “California Baby,” but Google doesn’t seem to recognize it as a keyword. That’s why only California is in bold but nothing else. This should have prompted them to rethink their strategy.

Next, it’s best to try to squeeze the keyword into the copy as well. The bolder, the better. It stands out more to the customer, which means they are more likely to click through. They must have learned this lesson between the above ad and the most recent one I found:

TWO ads for baby sales? They must be selling like hot cakes. The free market has spoken!

September 21, 2010
Influencer Profile: Rodney Hess
This is the first of what I hope will become a regular series in which you, our readers, get to know a little more about the most important thing at Search Infleunce, our team members.

Rodney Hess keeping Angie Scott entertained at our night out on / at Oak

Rodney Hess is on our Account Management team, supporting Paula Keller and maintaining customer relationships and strategy for his own group of customers. Additionally, Rodney is the guy who is leading the charge to get our other teammates (you know who you are) to blog more. In fact, due to Rodney’s efforts, a brand-new team member Sara Soriano penned her first post in her first week on the job (way to go Sara)!

Rodney is a fine fellow, quick-witted and very involved. In addition to his support of our clients, Rodney is a videographer, occasionally helps with video projects in-house, a husband and a very strong contributor to our team.

I asked Rodney to do the first of these profiles for a couple reasons. In addition to being our blogging cheerleader / whip-cracker, he is one of our most prolific bloggers. And, in support of his cheerleading efforts he has produced a series of composite images which are hilarious and I needed an excuse to blog about them. So without further ado, Rodney in his own words (and images):

I Want You to Write Blog Posts

So, Rodney, what do you do around here?

My official title is Account Associate but I like to think of myself as a budding account whiz and blogger extraordinaire.

What excites you about coming to work each day?

I’m a laid back guy and I dig the similar vibe of the office. Nobody takes themselves too seriously, which allows me to make a fool of myself on a weekly basis through these pics.

Please Sir May I have Another Blog Post

What do you think are your greatest contributions?

To the office? I’m always willing to help anyone out and thrive on being a “go-to” guy. To the human race? I am an incredibly considerate person and I show it. I also have a never-ending thirst for knowledge and love sharing it with people. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy being the blog guy so much. I suppose the two answers are one in the same.

All Work And No Play Makes Rod A Dull Boy

What would you like to do more of?

In a perfect world I would sit around, write blog posts and edit videos all day. I also thrive in a collaborative environment and I love brainstorming, which is probably why I enjoy SEO so much.

What are you some kind of wise guy?

I prefer the term “Goodfella,” thank you very much.

Say Hello to My Little Blog

Do you feel like your efforts to motivate your colleagues to blog are working?

They were at first. When I initially started I got a few bites, mainly from the newbies. Now I think I’m doing it for my own amusement, which is fine with me. If I can make myself laugh, I’ve succeeded. Being a married man I’ve gotten used to it by now.

I'll Get You My Pretty… And Your Little Blog Too

What do you think we as an organization could do to get greater buy-in from the team to blog?

The simplest answer: if you want a greater buy-in, you have to “buy them.” If it isn’t in the job description, people are less inclined to volunteer. However, if there is some sort of gain- say, blog with the most comments gets a prize- they may be more inclined. It sounds kind of childish, but it works. B.F. Skinner, reinforcement, all that jazz.

I've Always Depended on The Kindness of Bloggers

I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Rodney for all his hard work on the blog, both blogging and motivating his fellows to put it all out there.

We are exceptionally fortunate to have such a strong and conscientious team at Search Influence and I will take the opportunity to eventually profile every one of them.

And finally, I want to be clear, the images associated with this post are 100% a product of Rodney’s immense creativity. We’re very happy to have it on loan for as long as we do.

Connect with Rodney:
- Rodney Hess on Twitter
- Rodney Hess on LinkedIn
September 19, 2010
Google Me vs. Facebook: Coming this Fall to a Social Network Near You

The rumors are true. Google wants to challenge Facebook.

You may have heard over the past few months from news sources and blogs (like this one which I’m sure you guys all read all the time) that Google was looking to add a social networking aspect to its plethora of internet magic. Well, it appears it has arrived.

On Tuesday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed that the project would debut this fall and referred to it as “adding a social layer” to the already existing Google products, which I think is their best bet at competing with Facebook’s 500 million users. As we mentioned in our previous blog, plans for Google Me began coming forward after their failed attempt to win Facebook over old school style (with lots and lots of money). Now it looks like Google is playing friendly with another social networking site. They are hoping for this to be a Twitter friendly product, as the company has developed a couple new tools.

And speaking of Twitter, Google is not the only company with big plans for their social networking options. Twitter is hoping to integrate other popular media sharing options, such as photo and video, with a side by side viewing option rather than spilling bit.ly links all over Twitter and sending you across the internet.

So here’s to the race to the top of the social networking ladder. May the best company win.

September 16, 2010
Google Display Ad: “Watch This Space”

In my opinion, Mad Men is one of the greatest shows on TV. Not just because it treats television as an art form, but because it also shows that advertising can be too. Print ads, to be specific. Well, with Google’s new “Watch This Space” campaign, they’re showing that display banner ads can be just as artful.

Many businesses are still wary to commit to display advertising and instead fall back on dated methods, such as print, radio, and television. Not to say these forms aren’t effective, I just don’t understand this fear of the digital world. With the advent of DVR and the failing print industry, I’d be more afraid of the more traditional means of advertising. Not only that, but it is so much easier to track progress through display ads than it is for other forms.

The ad is fantastic. Check it out.

This particular feature has been available in the Adwords platform for a few years now. Google likely treated that as a soft run and is now ready to repackage and really push it to gain more advertiser attention.

Display ads still lack the specific demographic targeting of Facebook, but the ability to display and manage ads on a multitude of sites while using one interface is a huge bonus. It gives busy business owners and marketing managers more flexibility and extends their reach. They can quickly and easily change what message is displayed depending on the type of site, whether it’s a men’s lifestyle site, a parenting site, or a teen magazine site, they have the ability to target the same or similar products to all of those demographic groups by packaging the ads in a different way for each.

September 14, 2010
CityGrid Media (an Orange Soda Investor) Scummy Lead Generation

CityGrid Media, who recently invested significantly in Orange Soda (an SEO/PPC firm out of Utah) has chosen to use the favored tactic of Nigerian princes and Offshore Link-Exchangers to drum up business for their new partner Orange Soda.

CityGrid Media (Orange Soda) Form Spam Image

I’m very surprised to see this kind of thing from a company of this stature.

I’m glad to see that the address is in New York and not American Fork Utah as I’m fairly confident the folks I’ve known at Orange Soda wouldn’t condone this behavior.

Full text of email message follows:

Good afternoon, I wanted to reach out to you about your placement in online search. Citygrid is the largest local content and marketing network on the web. I noticed that you are not populating on the major search engines for a few key search terms. Your competition is capitalizing on this and I wanted to discuss how to take some of this market share. We gain placement on Google, Bing, and Yahoo and offer clients 86% of the local web. As part of our SEO, SEM, (Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing) and content network campaigns we provide phone call tracking, stats, and other comprehensive data to directly track ROI. We will optimize your website to come up on the first page of Google, driving people looking for your services to your business. I’d like to set up a time to speak about this and go over your options to determine if this would be a good fit for your business. Please reach out with your availability. Thank you. Best, x-x-x-x Senior Account Executive P: 212-373-7798 F: 213-351-7011 E: [email protected] www.CityGridMedia.com 555 West 18th St. 5th Floor New York, NY 10011 The largest content and marketing network on the web

This is shameful behavior from a reputable company. I expect better of both CityGrid and Orange Soda.

September 10, 2010
Increasing Facebook Ads Performance with Images

Choosing the Right Images for Your Facebook Ads

Image from www.adrants.com

In a previous Facebook Advertising blog post I mentioned the importance of selecting images for your Facebook ads. What I failed to do in that post was to fully explain that idea. Sure I threw out some fancy jargon about “magazine editorial ads”, but I wanted to take this time to show you three types:

1) Contextually Relevant

Facebook Ad 1

The least savvy online advertisers know, if you use a picture of what you are marketing people will interact with it. But what if you are advertising a cosmetic procedure? You can’t possibly use an image depicting the surgery. Not only could it be considered inappropriate by Facebook, it could also repulse your some of your more sensitive viewers. Instead choosing a doctor hammering away at a patient with a surgical suction device, find an image that suggest the outcome of the procedure. In Facebook Ad 1, you will see I’ve selected a graphic that implies weight loss and beauty at the same time. These ads are easiest to get approved and yield a good click rate if the right demographic is targeted.

2) Good Ol’ Branding

Facebook Ad 2

Good Ol’ Branding. Many people don’t understand why you would use imagery that incorporates branding, but this tactic not only makes viewers aware of your name and services offered but also makes your images more unique. Uniqueness is important when advertising on Facebook. In a given area there could be as many as 10 other advertisers using similar ad copy, offering the same competitive advantage, and using the same stock image as you. This is a big problem that not many online advertisers think about. We are so concerned with our targeted audience that we forget there are competitors who are aiming at the same demographic. By adding elements from your brand, images become instantly recognizable and unique. Uniqueness has always been the key to good advertising – whether it is in print, media, or online.

3) Playful Imagery

Facebook Ad 3

This is my favorite type of ad. In the section on branding, I mentioned that uniqueness is the key to good advertising but the best way to get remembered (and clicked on) is using suggestive and playful imagery. As seen in the Facebook Ad 3 example, I’m advertising breast augmentation for a client. Instead of using the standard smiling woman in a low-cut shirt, I opted for something a little more colorful and fun. Paired with the right copy, images like this not only encourage a click through but also a form submission. However, be warned – if you are not targeting the right demographic, you could burn through your ad spend due to the curious nature of clickers.

Are these the only ways to select Facebook ads? Of course not. I can think of at least four other methods when choosing images for Facebook advertising (which I will likely explore in a future post). So the next time you are planning a Facebook ad campaign for your local business, do not be scared to experiment with the imagery. Who knows, that picture of your Aunt Petunia break dancing at your son’s Bar Mitzvah might double your leads.

September 9, 2010
Google homepage logo: A glimpse into my childhood

I don’t know how many of you have been to the Google homepage today, but steer clear unless you want to waste countless minutes playing with bouncing balls. Ahhh, it’s like my childhood all over again. Google unveiled their newest interactive logo today but unlike all the others, the reason for this one remains a mystery.

The logo is made of interactive balls that scatter and bounce once you drag the mouse over it. After a bit, they reconvene to make up a dotted version of the classic logo we’ve all come to love.

Pictured: Love

So what’s the story? Well, no one really knows. Every other time they’ve changed their logo, you could get the scoop simply by clicking it. No such luck with this one.

Some speculation revolves around Google toying with html5. Others say it’s for their birthday since the site was founded on September 4, 1998. Are they really twelve already? They’re growing up so fast. Soon Google will be a teenager! I wonder if for their thirteenth birthday they’ll make the logo out of interactive acne spots…

Gross imagery aside, I don’t care about the reason because this thing is fun. If you don’t see it initially, make sure you click “Go to classic Google” and you’ll find it there. Happy birthday, Google! And happy bouncing, everybody else.

September 7, 2010
The Dangers of Duplicate Content

So you have decided to take your business’s marketing to the next level and you hire a company that guarantees you a functional Web site, which will attract customers and grow your business. Seems flawless, right? Not necessarily.

The next thing you know, the site does not rank on any search engine and you turn to a SEO company to see what can be done. After implementing SEO tactics, if your site is still not ranking when searched organically, you may have the great problem of duplicate content.

Many times, companies that create Web sites tailored to particular industries (such as Internet Dental Alliance and Mentor Solutions) use template site layouts and content. All of the information filling your Web site about your procedures or services are not unique and are most likely being used for another client somewhere in the country and what’s worse: it may be used for another client in your area.

In a market as small as New Orleans, you may still rank on the first page of Google – along side your competitors – in spite of the duplicate content. This is the case for certain New Orleans dentists that have used Internet Dental Alliance to create their Web sites: City Park Dental Care (neworleanscosmeticdental.com), Today’s Dental Cosmetic and Family Dentistry (cosmeticdentistneworleans.com) and NOLA Dental Care (cosmeticdentalneworleans.com). However, there still has to be a winner and a loser and the winner in the search for “Cosmetic Dentist New Orleans” is City Park Dental. (Click to enlarge.)

Superficially, all these sites look somewhat different, but they all have a similar structure. Although, there is not duplicate content on every page of these sites, the two dentists above that offer the Invisalign procedure do enter the duplicate content zone. Check out their sites:

City Park Dental Care

NOLA Dental Care

In some ways, the sites are different visually, but the images are the same and, most importantly, so is the text. The problem of duplicate content has nothing to do with plagiarism, by the way, but search engines can tell when content is duplicated and will grant authority to a site through a varying combination of factors including which has the “original” content, which is has an older domain, or which the greater number of authoritative inbound links. If scales don’t shift in your site’s favor, then you will be pushed down the rankings, especially if your market is highly competitive.

Though there are several factors that deem a site “authoritative,” any way you search for it, NOLA Dental Care does not rank as well as City Park Dental Care for the invisalign procedure. In this case, the only solution is to rewrite and completely restructure the page and its content to increase in rank.

Search Influence Account Manager, Eva Moran, recommends that business owners or staff members write their own unique content capturing their particular voice, sentiment and expertise on the subject and then passing it off for optimization review.

Also, you may think twice before using a service that guarantees you (and everyone else!) an effective Web page. It is worth investing on a Web site that isn’t generated from a template to avoid duplicate content and gain visibility on search engines.

For more information on duplicate content in other situations, Google has some great insights here.

September 2, 2010
Website Goals: Convert Traffic to Sales!

What is the function of your website? Do you use your website as an information tool? Do you use it as an arm of your sales team? Why not have your website do both? Too often small business owners focus on creating a flashy, aesthetically pleasing website. Instead, they should focus on a website that produces results.

The Web Analytics Association defines conversion as a “percentage of a visitor type who complete a multistep conversion process with a defined beginning and end within 30 minutes, whether it be signing up for a newsletter, buying a product online or some other desired outcome.”

Turn this into cash!

How can you turn your website into more conversions? Below are a few pointers:

Call to Action

Think about it. How are you supposed to create conversions without a call to action? Each page of your site should include one or more of the following: a form to request more information, your phone number prominently displayed, somewhere to sign up for a newsletter, or a purchasing option.

Create Goals

Define what type of conversion you want from your website and what a conversion means to your business. Many business owners have not identified what conversion means for their site. Each business is unique and every website has different objectives. It is imperative that you properly define a conversion. In order to be considered a conversion, the site visitor must take some form of action. This can include completing an online form, signing up for a newsletter, or picking up the phone and calling.

Track your Goals

Once you have defined what you classify as a conversion, track it. Use tools like Google Analytics to discover where your conversions are coming from and focus your marketing efforts on these areas.

Provide Information that Helps Consumers Make Purchasing Decisions

Most consumers are on your site looking for a reason to purchase your product. They are not looking for a flashy picture or video that lacks quality information. Provide the consumer with a reason to purchase your product or service.

Having people visit your site is great, but having people visit your site and purchase your product or service is better. Your site can be more than a flashy information tool; it can make you money!

You like money, don't you?

August 31, 2010