Google Maps

Google made a recent change to Google Maps.  Now all edits made by users or an internet marketing agency must be reviewed and approved before the changes will be shown.  It used to be that edits could still be in a “pending” state and they would still be instantly publicized and viewed.  This new change was made in order to produce higher quality results that Google users have grown to expect.  It’s also a preventative measure to prevent spam or other unwelcome problems from prematurely appearing before the edited piece is reviewed.

Google Chrome

It may have taken a few attempts to work out all of the bugs, but the newest version of Google Chrome for Windows, Mac and Linux has been introduced and is now stable.  It’s taken 6 months of work, but all of the slight glitches have been fixed.  New features have been added in order to allow the Mac and Linux versions to be in par with the Windows version.  All versions are currently ready to take full advantage of and will assist in your internet marketing needs. Get Google Chrome now!

SSL and Google Search

I’m sure you’ve heard of the potential risks while perusing the web on an unsecured network, especially when unencrypted and sent via wire.  In fact, most major websites fall in to this category.  When Gmail was launched in 2004 Google offered SSL support and to this day, the majority of other webmail providers still don’t.  SSL has been made the default setting for all users of Gmail.  Google also offers SSL support for many other products, such as Calendar, Docs, Sites and more.

It’s been years since Google added SSL encryption to their products, such as Google Docs, Gmail and others.  Google is continuing to enable encryption to their products and services.  Similar to E-commerce and even online banking sites, Google’s encryption surpasses the idea of a simple login password for an entire service.  This session-wide encryption has a significant privacy advantage over systems that only encrypt login pages and credit card information.  

The Economic Impact of Google

Yes; Google is primarily known as a search engine.  However, very few people recognize the tremendous influence of Google on our economic growth.  It was reported that in 2009 Google generated $54 billion of economic activity for businesses, non-profit organizations and website publishers.  After several requests over the years, Google has released a report, which quantifies their economic impact on a state level.  You can download this report HERE.

In the world of Internet Marketing, Google Analytics is known to play an important role in testing your website traffic and the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.  Google Analytics is easy to use and potent tool that offers ample flexibility to strengthen your marketing initiatives and properly increase the conversion of your websites. 

When Google’s Brett Crosby announced the new enhancements for Google Analytics, it put a smile on the faces of many. What Google has developed is an application gallery that allows users to sync certain Google approved applications with their Google Analytics accounts. Though there are not a great number of applications currently available, the potential for additions and further advancement is tremendous.

 A few of the new applications include:

 Call Track ID: a simple solution to track calls

• Words Stream Keyword Management for SEO: allows users to better manage their SEO efforts
• Pure Response – Integrated Analytics: allows users to review interactive reports for all of their Email campaigns, as well as any site activity that results.
• Trackboard: allows users to view data from all of their Analytics accounts on their desktop without having to log in.

As if these new enhancements weren’t enough, Google also announced their Asynchronous Tracking Code that users are certainly going to appreciate. This code provides incredible speed and accuracy of data collection, as well as quicker page loading. Because of these remarkable improvements, Google has been urging all of its users to update their accounts to the new version as quickly as they can.

In order to take full advantage of all that Asynchronous Tracking has to offer, you should be sure to update any existing customer accounts with the new code and ensure that it is in place with all new customer accounts as well.

A successful business understands the importance of tracking sales and conversions.  Whether your goal is to track general traffic, email campaigns, banner ads or offline ads, the newly enhanced Google Analytics has you covered.  Set your goals and learn what must be done to achieve them.  Your Adwords campaigns can be integrated with Analytics and view post-click data on your match type, search queries, keywords and more.  Analytics displays a visual funnel in order for you to pin point where your weaknesses are and fix pages in order to take full advantage of every potential opportunity that visits your website.  It almost seems as though the possibilities are endless.

For successful Local Internet Marketing, some steps you should follow, in no specific order, are as follows:

Build a Plan

Planning is at the heart of all good online marketing. This means you need a strong strategy incorporating all of the elements of good marketing, and a plan for testing and implementing each element of your strategy.

Video Promotion

Video has become such a viral tool that it is something that can reach massive amounts of people in a tiny amount of time. Building content can help increase the search rankings of your site, as well as build massive brand awareness through all the easy ways that customers now have to access video content.

Social Media Marketing

Like every other element of great marketing online, quality is king. Build quality followers and friends that are interested in your business and you have a powerful marketing tool.

Marketing through Email

When you build an email list, you have the single most valuable tool for making your business effective. Think outside the box with email marketing, and use it as a method for building your brand rather than direct marketing.

Paid Search Engine Advertising

Commonly known as PPC or pay per click, this can be a great way to drive a quick return and kick start a business, but it is also a great way to lose money if you don’t first do your research, as many ppc campaigns fail.

Build Links towards Your Site

Building links is one of the most important off-site SEO factors. When you’re building links, building from related sites, sites with domain authority, and sites with higher page rank is more important than simply building vast amounts of worthless links.

On The Page Optimization

This is a complicated subject, but suffice it to say that if you want your website to truly perform well, you need to optimize your pages themselves to perform well in the search results.

Multiple Listings of Your Contact Information

Listing your business name, address, and phone number is referred to as a citation. This should be include on your website, in the yellow pages, in Google places, and in all other places that your business can be listed. An example of a citation for a company thats rpovides courier service is:

National Courier Service
3326 South 67th Street #201,
Omaha, NE 68106
(402) 408-6757‎

Getting Reviews of Your Site

There is a lot to be gained by building reviews for your site. When people are interested in buying a product or service, they like to see both that others have also used that service, and that they have enjoyed it. You can get reviews on Google, Yahoo, Yelp etc.

Claiming Listings

You need to claim your listing to get it to show up on the map when Google displays the results of local businesses on their listings. There is a tool you can use to check if your listing is claimed, available at www.getlisted.org.

Video Sitemaps

As a complimentary step to internet marketing, one of the best ways that you can boost Google’s awareness of the videos available on your site is to create a well maintained Video Sitemap. Not only will this helpful tool provide all of the essential information about your videos to Google, but it will also allow you to determine a specific period of time that each of your videos are available.  This proves especially useful for individuals that have time sensitive videos because those videos can be easily removed from the index once the viewing window has closed. 

After creating your Sitemap, you can use the Google Webmaster Tools to submit the Sitemap URL.

Review Your Site Speed

If you want to increase the time that visitors spend on your site, as well as reduce your operating costs, then you’ve got to improve and maintain your site speed. A quality web development agency or a company that offers SEO services will have the necessary resources to improve the speed of your website.  Having a fast website is important to everyone. Let’s face it; nobody likes being on a site that moves from page to page at a snail’s pace. In fact, studies have proven that visitors to slow sites end up spending less of their time there; likely moving on to a site that is speedier.

There are a few free tools that can be helpful for use in evaluating just how fast your site actually is and what you might be able to do to improve it. Check out Page Speed and YSlow. Page Speed will evaluate your site and both will offer suggestions to improve your site speed.

Local Intent Evident on Google

One thing that all site owners should consider is the fact that Google reported a total of 6.4 billion user searches for the month of March. Google made it a point to note that, of this gargantuan number, about 20% (1.28 billion) involved local searches.

Google Places Introduces QR Codes

QR codes are now available for businesses to create on Google Places and businesses will appreciate the fact that they are printable. Businesses can place the QR code on business cards, brochures, flyers, and any other marketing materials. It can also be placed in a window of the business to let passersby see that more information on the business can be found at Google Places. If a business wants to take visitors directly to their website, a QR code can be created by the use of 3^rd party generators.

 Is Facebook Driving Users Away?

Questions concerning Facebook’s more personalized experience may be driving people away from this social network giant.  By default, Facebook has been opting users in to third party websites, like Yelp, in what they claim is an effort to make a user’s experience more personal.

What’s more disturbing is that of the millions of users that are now leaving Facebook, or considering it, many of the software engineers from Google are amongst them.

A New Player in the Social Networking Game

Most of us have a phone book sitting around the house or office, and everyone knows that if you don’t know a number, you can find it there. Well, this new player is very similar – and even sporting the moniker! PhoneBook is expected to be available at the end of this year and its creators believe that it will blow away Twitter, Facebook, and all of the rest of the competition.

Invented in a Berkeley dorm room, PhoneBook will provide users with a list of all of their friends, along with anyone else that lives in the area. Each person or place will have a unique number on PhoneBook that will allow the user to enter into their “phone” and connect to them. Users will be able to connect via face-to-face in 3-D; a feature that is believed to be a major plus to many users.

Many new business owners have heard of local online marketing, but don’t know the first thing about it. For those that want a little insight, we’ve provided you with the seven main steps you need to get you started. 

Where’s Your Website?

It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, technology is what fuels the people of the present. If you don’t yet have a website, but don’t want your competition to run you over and wave as they speed towards the finish line, then you’d better get one through a professional web development company.

Your website will lend your business credibility with your customers and it will provide an easy way for them to access general information about your business. It doesn’t have to be an expensive production, but it should be organized, informational, and easy to navigate.

Use the Google Local Business Center – It Works!

If you want to get results, one of the best tools you can use is the Google Local Business Center. The exposure and credibility that your business obtains by using this one simple tool is truly amazing.

Say “Yes” to E-Mail!

E-Mail marketing is far from dead. In fact, it might be one of the best converting tools available to the small business owner. To use this tool, you need to have an opt-in section available on your website. Once you have a few people sign up, take a few minutes to craft a clever message to let them know about your new product or limited time sale, click “Send”, and wait for the results.

Promote, Promote, Promote!

Did you know that, on average, 40% of all search engine users are searching for something locally? It’s true!

Now think about this: There are MILLIONS of people Googling, Binging, and Yahooing each day. If six million users fill in a search box, then you can guarantee that at least 2,400,000 are trying to find things in their area.

This is why local online marketing is important. Without it, you are literally throwing away potential customers!  Still, it isn’t quantity that keeps you in business, it is quality. That being said, you need to make absolutely certain that your PPC, E-Mail, SEO, link building, and social networking campaigns are intelligently executed or it won’t be worth the time you spent on them.

It’s a Social World

If you aren’t utilizing the social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, then you are missing out. There are loads of potential clients frequenting these sites and if you want your piece of the pie, you’ve got to dive in and get it. These people want to be “in the know” and that’s exactly why you want them on your side. Tweet about your big upcoming sale, post about your newest product, discuss the hot new line that you’ll be showcasing next month – it all converts. Work it!

Businesses NEED Businesses!

Partnering with the business across town could yield you both a pretty penny. Though you may not realize it, this provides you with a way to reach a totally different customer base.

Don’t Do Yourself In

Once you achieve the level of success that you’ve had your heart set on, don’t quit. A successful business doesn’t scrap the marketing efforts that work.

With Google being the number one search engine used in the United States for the past five years consecutively, it is no wonder they are constantly improving and renovating their features to attract today’s population of online clientele. 

Google Places

For any business currently in the market, new or old, that is looking to promote themselves to a large media of clients; Google is definitely the search engine to be listed on. With the constant, daily traffic that flows through Google, a business can thrive in the search for their products or services; especially if they offer products/services that a majority of people want or need.

Along with the new claim to fame a business can experience on Google Places, comes a package of new, sleek features that can be used in their favor. Some characteristics of a Google Places business search includes: selected service areas, (to map out to potential customers or clients exactly what areas your business covers; works extremely well for business that are mobile.) low monthly advertising fees and business photos, which allow a business to display both the interior and exterior of their company.

Over a matter of time and a healthy amount of searches, local business will enjoy the pleasure of being able to move up in searches for their products and services. Google determines how far up a company website is on a search list by how many searches have actually taken place for that particular business. This is not a paid feature offered by Google, it is merely a means to keep the playing board even and allow every company to earn their rightful place on a search.

With the competition far and wide between Google and its competitors, the same opportunity is given to their local businesses. Sure, other forms of advertisement exist that are effective in driving traffic for your business, but with the newfound love and ever-growing advancements in technology, approximately 7 out of 10 individuals will turn to online resources for information on whatever it is they may need. All the more reason why you should list your business in Google Places and help website promotion.

The next step in obtaining effective results is to get your business known. Your competition isn’t waiting so why should you? The mission of any successful business is to do what they need to do in order to provide exactly what their clients want or need. So what are you waiting for? GET UP, GET OUT AND GET KNOWN! Google Places is a click away; don’t be your own competition!