Author: mwon

Local Search Optimization Basics

mwon

orange county local seo companyGoogle and Bing are powerful search engines catering to millions of users worldwide. With the advent of smart devices online search has increased manifold. Users now have the powerful internet medium at the disposal of their hands and on the go. In such an era of online search it’s imperative for websites to implement certain strategies to end up within the top 10-15 online search results.

Global searches are now narrowing down to local searches. Someone looking for a car repair shop expects search engines to display results within a 10-15 mile radius or maybe within the same city where he lives. This concept of search engines coming up with geographically smarter search results is called “Local Search”. It takes into consideration what an online user is searching for and combines that with where the user is located.

So how do search engines identify relevant localized results? The answer lies within the tactics implemented when designing a website. These practices are called Search Engine Optimization strategies. SEO implementation is of utmost importance for any website, blog or online entity. It helps search engine index and rank websites accordingly.

Local SEO Best Practices

Over the years SEO has evolved in tandem with changes of the search engine algorithms. Global SEO and Local SEO are two different aspects. Local SEO takes into consideration keywords which relate to geographically smaller vicinities. Search engines then crawl looking for websites that have local-targeted content or local listings to provide the best possible localized results to the online user. Let’s dig into some of the best Local On-page SEO practices a website should incorporate –

  • Local Pages – If you have a brick and mortar location (or locations) you need to have an individual page for each on your website listing NAP (name, address, phone #).
  • Title Tags – Target keywords should always appear in Title Tags. For location specific pages, include the name and address of the location. For other pages, ensure no more than 2 keywords are targeted in the title and content.
  • URLs – the URL of your website has to have the targeted keyword.
  • Content – Do not stuff your page with keywords. 500-600 words total are recommended and the keyword density should not be more than 1-1.5%. Smaller sentences, embedded links and relevant content are a must. For local pages, include info about the location (manager, email addresses, images, directions, maps, etc.).
  • Functionality – make sure to check everything is up and running on the website. Search engines do not overlook broken pages and links, so these need to be addressed. The speed of your site is vital so do what you can to reduce load times. Hidden elements, bad scripts or errors should be flushed out.

Localized Search ResultsGet Listed

Search engines are intelligent entities which run on algorithms. When a user types in a keyword in Google or Bing the algorithm hunts for information based on that keyword. The websites which have implemented the correct SEO practices and are indexed correctly show up in the search results. These results can also be locally focused depending on the search term, the user’s IP address or the user’s search history.

Localized search results target local audiences. A user located in Los Angeles looking for the best Greek restaurant in town would not benefit from a search result showing up an authentic Greek café somewhere in Athens. If a Greek restaurant in Los Angeles has been implementing local SEO best practices its name is bound to show up within the top 10 results.

Another aspect of ranking higher is to build up your online listings. Foursquare, Yelp, Google+ Local, Bing Local, YP.com, etc. are few of the major online databases. Users tend to find reviews and ratings on these websites. If your business or website is listed on these databases it helps you build reputation. Customers can leave feedback, connect with you through social media and drive more business through these strategies. Superpages.com, MerchantCircle.com and BOTW.org are other such platforms where listing your local business helps you gain ranking during searches. A great place to check your current local listings health is on GetListed.org. There you can get a free comprehensive look on any listings you are missing, unclaimed listings, and listings that are properly set up.

Local listings and localized search is growing in importance with each passing day. The trend of global search is now diverting towards local search, especially given that proliferation of smartphones. Creating an online presence through different avenues helps gain traction in search results. Social media, listing platforms and SEO tactics combined together is the perfect recipe for your website or business to appear atop relevant search results.

 

Nett Solutions is an SEM agency working with Yahoo! and Google. We are a Southern California-based company built of an eclectic cornucopia of marketers, mothers & fathers, husbands & wives, college grads & MBA’s, surfers, church-goers, athletes, comedians (and those who think they are comedians). Our common bond is that we like to help people succeed.

Yahoo! movin’ and shakin’

mwon

Yahoo! has been making a lot of big acquisitions under recently appointed CEO, Marissa Mayer.   I recently had a discussion with colleagues about the idea of aligning with people or things who you would always bet on (or never bet against).  My sports gambling friend always says to never bet against the Lakers in the long run.  There may be losses but in the big picture they tend to win more than lose (LeBron 2014!!!).  Elon Musk of Paypal, space travel, and now most well-known for Tesla is someone who seems to have the Midas touch (BTW, look up his solution to a 30 minute commute from LA to SF and 1 hour from LA to NY).  Warren Buffet, enough said.  I’ve spoken to a couple angel investors and know a few Tesla leaders who would bet on Elon’s projects in a minute.  Someone who is close to making that list is Marissa Mayer.  She’s been making a lot of controversial moves that I think are the right moves.  She identified that Yahoo!’s strength spans beyond Search Engine Marketing and makes decisions to strengthen the company’s position beyond search.  She brings a solid track record from Stanford, Google, and is now making waves at Yahoo.

Part of their change is to give the logo a makeover.  (As a marketing agency in Orange County, we know a thing or two about makeovers.)  Yahoo! plans to release a new logo every day during the month of August.  You can follow the daily updates here:  http://www.yahoo.com/dailylogo.  In September, the winning logo will be announced.

While most businesses overlook the impact of a new logo, there have been quite a few epic fails in recent memory.  Until they announce in September, here are some examples of logo redesigns that cause backlash and negativity.

University of California:

 

 

Seattle’s Best Coffee (I personally liked this one):

 

London Olympics:

 

And, of course, GAP:

Does your pricing “Thrill” your customers?

mwon

JC Penny (JCP) has been making headlines over the past year due to a strategic shift in its pricing model.  About a year ago, newly hired CEO, Ron Johnson, announced that JCP will no longer promote sales and offer coupons to its customers.  Instead, they would offer everyday low prices.  JCP wanted to offer shoppers a no-nonsense way to shop without worrying about whether or not they are getting the best deal possible.  Theoretically, that made some sense.  From a business owner’s perspective, that makes even more sense.  A simple, systematic, uniform pricing model saves labor cost, stabilizes inventory, and allows a method to manage costs/margins much easier.  Time and labor is money, so if you’re saving those two resources, you’re going to save money.  So how did JCP miss the mark?

A recent NY Times article interviewed Tracie Fobes from Penny Pinchin’ Mom.  She epitomizes the fallacy in JCP’s logic.

When, a little over a year ago, J. C. Penney stopped promoting sales and offering coupons and instead made a big deal about its “everyday” low prices, Ms. Fobes stopped shopping there. It wasn’t that she thought the prices were bad, she said. She just wasn’t having any fun…  most shoppers, coupon collectors or not, want the thrill of getting a great deal, even if it’s an illusion. In recent months, Penney recognized that human trait and backtracked on its pricing policy, offering coupons and running weekly sales again”.

JCP grossly underestimated the human aspect of its customers.  Humans don’t just buy based on price.  We buy based on feelings and emotions.  (Ironically, Mr. Johnson was recruited from Apple, a company notorious for selling on perceived value and brand equity, not price)  We want to feel like we got a steal.  It’s an experience.  It’s a great feeling to see a discount on our receipt.  It’s the reason grocery store cashiers are now trained to grab a red pen and circle the “club card” discount total on your receipt before you leave.  It’s not because you got the best deal available.  It’s to give you the proud feeling and emotional elation of realizing you did a great job on your purchase.  That’s what we like.

Does the same hold true for online retailers?  Would JCP’s strategy work for e-retailers?  Online shoppers have fewer barriers to price shop compared to brick-and-mortar shoppers.  With a few keystrokes you can compare prices from multiple websites.  Due to these low barriers, the assumption is that online retailing is all about price. Traditional shoppers don’t have the luxury of walking or driving to 10 brick-and-mortars for price comparisons.  If they want to touch the product before buying, their options are limited, so you don’t need to be the lowest price to earn the sale.

While online retail may be more price sensitive, you need to take a look at yourself and your competitive landscape.  Price is important.  However, check the ease of navigability on your site.  Compare the efficiency of your shopping cart process compared to competitors.  If yours is clunky, update it.  If it’s ugly, redesign it.  Simplify your sitemap.  Offer shipping deals.  Build a retargeting campaign to stay connected when they shop around.  Note a regular price next to “your” price. If your company has a mission or cause (think Tom’s shoes), make it known.

Just remember, people don’t always buy based on the absolute lowest price.  Before focusing on how to sell more… focus on understanding why people buy.   Tap into their emotions a bit.  This may allow you increase sales while, most importantly, maintaining healthier margins.

SEO & the Art of War

mwon

“If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”  Sun Tsu, The Art of War

SEO has become a series of battles to be won.  Years ago, it was easy to be a one trick SEO pony and be successful.  Using link farms, bots, cheap overseas labor and other automation tools made SEO a robotic process.  Fast forward today and you’ll see an entirely different battlefield.  It’s not enough to run what we call “Ronco” campaigns (Set it and forget it).  Every month there seems to be a new Panda or Penguin update altering the landscape of the SERPs.  You need to know your “opposition” as well as you know your own business.  (Of course, I’m not saying Google is an enemy.  My point is that their decisions sculpt the challenges that we must overcome in our landscape.)

SEO isn’t easy.  You must optimize but not over-optimize.  You need good, healthy, fresh content, but not too thin and not too thick.  You need links, but they need to be quality and “natural”.  Use keywords but don’t overstuff them.  Try hard without appearing to try too hard.  Make people like you.  Now do all this without knowing the exact recipe or strict outline of the “perfect” result.

As a Certified Google SEM agency, we decided to jump into the Organic game just as Google began its game-changing updates.  How is it that our clients continue to “not be imperiled in a hundred battles” during the most volatile time in our industry’s history?

  1. As Sun Tsu states, “know yourself.”  We’ve done paid placement for years.  We know ourselves, and that has been our forte.  We’re damn good at it. As a proverbial tiger, I didn’t want to change our stripes or water down our talent pool.  I knew our paid search team were not organic SEO guys.  I set off to find an equally damn good SEO to either acquire or create a strategic partnership with.  I literally spent years meeting with SEO agencies, trying to find someone who wants to do it right, and who blends seamlessly with our culture.  I finally found one through my alumni network.  I don’t mix the two departments.  Our team members are all local, U.S.  based SEOs who only focus on being the best at what they do.  They’re passionate about SEO & Content Marketing.  This way our paid search team can continue to be the best at what they do.
  2. As the Art of War states, “know your enemy.”   We study google and learn everything we can about them.  In other words, we dedicate a lot of time and resources learning about Google’s goals, strategy, and mindset.  We don’t have one particular software or rigid gameplan for SEO.  We’re constantly changing and improving based on what Google wants.  It’s not the easy route but it is the best route.

Our clients have seen the benefits of this strategy.  We would love to help you navigate through the confusing and evolving organic search environment.  We aren’t the cheapest  SEO.  We don’t want to be.  We don’t use low cost, overseas labor.  We don’t care for it.  More importantly, we’ve learned that our clients don’t want “cheap” either.  As written in a great Harvard Business Review article:

Orange County SEO Company

– Michael Won
“Formerly Ungoogleable”

What is Your Story?

mwon

Everyone has a story. Whether it’s about logging equipment or chemicals, there’s a story. Think about what your company stands for. What is your business passionate about? How does your story fit within all the content you’re planning and publishing for your company?

For example, a close friend of mine is a youth pastor at a local southern California church who along with a group of friends started a very small clothing line in 2009, LETGOdwork. They got involved in youth conventions, Christian music festivals, local gatherings, etc. After attempts at different types of marketing, they hit their sweet spot…. social media. They figured out after a few trial and error experiences with marketing, that their initial buyers loved the simplicity of their products so much; they did the marketing for them. Posted photos, shared posts, tagged friends/photos, contests, giveaways, and the occasional music celebrity would receive a few items to wear at concerts to help boost natural interest. They figured out who their demographic was very quickly and capitalized on their approach. Needless to say, after different strategies, successes and failures, this small company now has well over 18k twitter followers, 10k friends via Facebook, have produced over 50 designs, expanded apparel types beyond just t-shirts and can now be found in retail stores across the country.

For some business owners, marketing themselves and their work is as painful an experience as a math major having to write an English term paper. But the reality is if you own a company and want it to succeed you have to tell people about it and that was something that my friends at LETGOdwork loved to do, they truly had the desire and passion to tell everyone about their clothing line.

I implore anyone who loves what they do or what their company stands for to start the process of marketing, even if you hate or have never tried marketing. First, get over the misconceptions. People have many different ideas about how to go about marketing a business. Whatever path you choose, not understanding which channels to use, how much money to spend, or what type of results to expect can make you uncomfortable. Starting with the facts allows you to put together a plan based on tangible data rather than on some vague notion of what you should do.

Next, figure out what you are trying to accomplish. There are many forms of marketing, and most businesses will be an initial great fit for at least one of them. You can write a blog, engage in social media, create search engine campaigns, develop content for your site, revamp your website for better conversion rates, network in person at events, make phone calls to existing customers, or participate in speaking engagements like webinars or podcasts. Do the marketing that you’re most comfortable with first and when you see the results, you’ll likely be motivated to try other types.

Learn more from the experts. Now that you’ve decided where to start, you need the knowledge and tools to do the job right and get the results you seek. Once you feel confident in your abilities, then you can start making some larger decisions with ease.  The confidence to make those decisions can only come from basic measurable, data, conversions, sales, etc. But we cannot look to a crystal ball from “anticipated results”, we have to actually go out there and try some things.

Start with an idea, a mission, a reason, a purpose…. For the guys at LETGOdwork, it was simple:

Orange County based brand founded in 2009 by some friends that wanted to make simple, clean, high-quality clothing that they could be proud of. LETGOdwork is about positivity. We believe the world needs change and that true change begins when we LET GO.

— Joe M.

Facebook Graph Searches

mwon

Whenever one of the major players in our industry comes out with a new concept or launches an innovative widget, online marketing agencies always get calls asking for our thoughts and opinions.  Facebook recently launched Facebook Graph Searches and the questions poured in.  Ironically, it seems people were less interested in ways to leverage this technology to grow the business (which is the goal of any marketing agency) and instead wanted to voice their opinions on things like user privacy and the detrimental affect this would have on a user experience.

We’ve always taken a careful and conservative approach to all of our marketing campaigns, whether it’s for paid search marketing, content marketing (otherwise known as SEO) or social media.  Due to our strategy, we haven’t taken a firm stance regarding FB Graph.  We do however like to find humor in all that we do.  That being said, you just knew it was a matter of time until someone would start a tumblr about this issue.  We hope you can chuckle about this as much as we did.  http://actualfacebookgraphsearches.tumblr.com/

Source:  http://searchengineland.com/new-tumblr-blog-raises-privacy-concerns-over-facebook-graph-search-146286

Holiday Search Marketing Campaign

mwon

Can you believe it?  It’s already that time of year… the most wonderful time of the year.  The Holidays are here.  To SEM’s, it’s the time of year when normal search traffic goes bezerk.  The usual purchase and conversion patterns go out the window.  One key metric that changes during the Holiday season is your revenue per click (RPC).  RPC tends to drastically improve heading into Thanksgiving and through the middle of December.    For obvious reasons, there is a higher urgency for people to buy/convert during the holiday season.   The chart below shows a 30% increase in RPC on Thanksgiving, and a more drastic jump on Cyber Monday.  Numbers continued to stay high throughout December for the expected holiday shopping season.   It’s not too late.  Call us now so we can get your campaign going.  The numbers play in your favor and we’d love to help you out.  949-330-7060