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Why Should Business Owners Want Organic Results?

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

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

Posted in Marketing, PPC, SEO, site ranking, small business, yellow pages | 1 Response »

What Are Your Goals for 2009?

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

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.

Posted in Marketing, SEO, small business, trending | 1 Response »

Does this unstable economy drive up prices for SEO?

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

It’s a question I’m wondering as I receive more and more calls from various businesses, both small and large, who are suddenly finding themselves in need of some marketing.  People aren’t buying like they have been in years past, and some businesses are smart enough to realize that the future of marketing is on the Internet.

So as I continue to receive these calls, the industries are starting to overlap.  A landscaper calls, a lawn maintenance company calls, a pool builder calls.  While these industries are different in their respective ways, they are also the same.

So it got me wondering – are other SEOs receiving more calls, and if so, are they able to be more picky and/or command a higher price for their services than they were say a year or two ago?

I should preface this by saying that my company personally will not take on more than one client per industry.  If a landscaper hires me, and another calls, I have to turn them down.  The biggest reason is ethical – I can’t get both businesses to rank #1 for competing keywords.  Perhaps other SEOs will take on more than one client per industry, but I don’t see how they could do it and still sleep well at night.

Now, if a landscaper and a lawn maintenance company hire me, they are similar but aren’t really competing over the same rankings, so I wouldn’t have a problem with it.  Even better, they could cross-promote each other and make a bit more money/get more referrals that way.  It’s a win-win.

So back to my question – which I guess is actually two quesitons.

  1. As an SEO, are you finding that you can be more particular about which clients you take on?  Are there more than one business per industry considering your services?
  2. And if so, are you raising your rates because of this demand?  Or, are you finding that there is more competition (since there are more customers) and you are having to lower your prices to stay competitive?

Posted in competition, Marketing, SEO, small business | 1 Response »

Ziploc Omelet

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

My Mom sent me this, and it looks kinda cool. I’ve got a house full of kids, so we may do this on Saturday morning (before the big event)

ZIPLOC OMELET

(This works great !!! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!!)

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.
Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece. Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready.

And in 13 minutes, you’ve got a nice omelette for a quick breakfast!!!

Posted in Marketing | 2 Responses »

Scouting for Food 2008

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

This weekend is Scouting for Food, the nations largest one-day food drive. Every year my boys go out and hand out bags one weekend, then the next weekend we go collect the food.
This year’s event happens on November 15th (bag handout) and then the food collection is on Nov 23.
Please take the time on the 23rd to set out a bag of food for the boys in your area to collect.

Posted in Marketing | 1 Response »

Web Design and Internet Marketing/SEO Intern

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

My company Lighthouse Technologies is now in need of a part time intern. I’m looking for someone who is interested in and understands basic web design and wants to learn SEO. Candidate would be willing to work in exchange for knowledge transfer of Web Design skills, Internet Marketing and SEO.

Applicants do not need to live in the Saint Louis area, but must be actively online and respond to email/IM in timely manner. All work will be done virtually.

What you must have…

  • A serious interest in web design
  • Knowledge of web editing software (Dreamweaver preferred)
  • Working knowledge of PhotoShop
  • Knowledge and understanding of Search tactics
  • An interest in marketing and social media
  • Honesty, integrity and a willingness to learn

What we offer…
This is not a paid position, however there are many benefits:

  • The chance to develop your talents and portfolio.
  • Experience that will look great on your resume. Our web site has an excellent reputation, and potential employers will be impressed.
  • A progressive management style that allows you to take on a great deal of responsibility and provides a supportive, stimulating and fun interactive environment.
  • Letters of reference for future job opportunities.
  • The opportunity to gain significant knowledge in the Internet Marketing field

Possible assignments include…

  • Build new pages for various industry web sites.
  • Assist in the development of new websites.
  • Offer input and assistance with new design ideas for these sites.
  • Potential revenue sharing on
  • Create landing pages for SEO campaigns
  • Participate in split testing

How to Apply…

Send your resume, the URL of at least one web site that shows your editing skills (be specific about the role you played in developing the site, versus what was done by others) and a cover letter that answers the following questions:

  • What are your career goals and how would this internship help you achieve them? What do you hope to gain from this internship?
  • What kind of coursework and/or experience do you have that would make you a valuable intern?
  • In what areas are you most interested in attaining experience through this internship?

From the applications, we will select interviewees. Deadline for applications is November 28, 2009.

Mail cover letter/resume to:

Lighthouse Technologies
1243 Water Tower Place
Suite 180
Arnold, MO 63010

You may also email us your resume to sales@techlh.com. Please use the subject line INTERN JOB. We will reply with a confirmation of receipt.

If you want to really impress me, email your items then follow up via direct message at twitter or Yahoo! IM. ID at both of those locations is ‘techlh’

Posted in beginner sem, jobs, Marketing, personalities, web design | No Responses »

Getting to Second Base with a Small Business

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Many small businesses are clueless about Internet Marketing – particularly smaller Mom & Pop businesses.  For many (and in some cases many many may) years, marketing meant spending money on a Yellow Pages ad and perhaps sponsoring a local baseball team or getting a booth at the Home & Garden Show.  These things may still work, but it’s not the 60′s any more.

These hyperlocal businesses have relied on the uniqueness, and have never even considered taking on the big guys.  They are run mostly by older folks who are not yet ready to embrace the Internet, nor the technology related to it.  Heck, even talking some of these people into getting a website is a chore.

This is all about to change, as these ‘older’ small business owners start to retire, they are going to either

  • Close up / go out of business
  • Sell off their business
  • Give the business to a child/relative

No matter what they choose to do, the younger small business owner crowd will be more adaptive to the newer technology.  While some of these new owners may still be older than the Apple IIe generation (remember using that in school?), a majority of them are going to be more receptive to websites, Internet Marketing and even Social Networking.  That means you still have a shot at getting their business, but you’ve gotta take it slow.

Posted in beginner sem, local marketing, Marketing, small business, yellow pages | No Responses »

Football Star

Friday, October 31st, 2008

This post has nothing to do with SEO.  This is my son sacking the Oakville Senior High quarterback.

Here he is after the game

Now back to your regularly scheduled SEO.

Posted in Marketing | 1 Response »

Engage Your Visitors – Ask for Those Leads

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Many many websites are built as what I like to call ‘brochure sites’. I would venture a guess that 80%+ of websites for small businesses are this way, or at least initially started this way.

Somewhere along the line someone mentioned to a business owner that they needed to get online. Having no idea what that meant, and most likely gaining bits and pieces of info from their business friends, they bought a domain and put up a brochure site.

A brochure website has simple business information. Usually these websites are just a few pages; home, contact, a services/products page and maybe an ‘About Us’ page. These websites are so 1998.

A good website now needs to not only list all your products and services individually, but it needs to engage the (already interested) visitor. If you don’t have a call to action on every product page, you could be missing out on very warm leads.

Posted in content, leads, Marketing, web design | 1 Response »

Don’t Go to SEO War Unprepared

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

There’s nothing more exciting than landing that first client and jumping right into the link building/onpage SEO immediately. But hold on there, sir knight – you’ve got some work to do before you even think about doing actual SEO stuff. Below is a list of preparations I think you should make before putting any time into link building/onpage changes.

Prepare a baseline

Every SEO campaign must show improvement – whether that means more traffic, more leads or higher rankings. If you don’t get a baseline established from the start, you won’t be able to show improvement over time.

  1. Keyword Research
    Duh.  Know what you’re wanting to rank for before you start making changes.  I’m hoping this was a no-brainer.
  2. Add an analytics program to the website
    Whether Google analytics, AWStats, Webalizer, whatever. Just start getting some numbers on current traffic, keywords etc. Even if there is little or no traffic to the website, establish that up front so that you can show improvement over the months to come.
  3. Identify the competition
    It’s important to establish who the big players are – online and offline – and there is a difference. Some businesses have no clue what SEO is, but they may have a big marketing budget that they waste on billboards, sponsorships, etc. Make sure you identify them, along with any “online only” competition who may be ranking well but perhaps aren’t as widely known.
    Know where these competitors are ranking so you can track their progress (or regress) as your campaign kicks into full swing.
  4. Run a keyword ranking report
    Run a report of all the current ranking positions with at least the top 20 keywords you are preparing to tackle. Even if it’s blank, this will show that when you started, the website did not have any rankings. I run AWR, and use it against the three major SE’s only.
  5. Run the same report for at least two of the competitors you want to beat
    When I recently started an SEO campaign for a real estate client, I first found out who the two “biggest” agents in the area were online, and I ran the same keyword report against their domains.
  6. Make a link baseline
    There are several ways to do this, from programs that will do it for you, to a simple Excel spreadsheet that you make yourself. Find out just how many backlinks your site currently has, and do the same for the competitors you identified above.
  7. Make an index baseline
    Do the same as above but for the amount of pages the search engines currently have indexed for your website.

Wake Up the Spiders

Now that you’ve got your baseline, you’re going to need to get the spiderfood ready.  Since most likely you are going to be dealing with a site that has probably had little or no updates in some time, the bots aren’t exactly knocking down your proverbial website door to get your new content.  Since your client may be on as much as a six week visit cycle, you need to help them realize there is movement in your camp.

  1. Add your website to Google Webmaster Tools
    This simple task can reveal some things that are broken and yet easy to fix on your site.  It will also “tell” the Googlebot that a real person resides behind this domain.
  2. Create a robots.txt file
    You’d be surprised how many websites don’t even have one of these.  Help the bots know what to feed on.  At the same time, make sure you tell the bots what not to feed on. (admin, images, includes folders)
  3. Make an XML sitemap
    You can generate these fairly easily using sites like xml-sitemaps.com.  Download it and put the xml file in your domain’s root folder.  Then make sure you go tell Google Webmaster Tools where it’s at.  You can also add a line to your robots.txt file telling the other search engine bots where to find it.
  4. 404 for the win
    Over the course of the next few weeks, as you start to see stats from the program you installed above, make sure you start to fix any dead links you see.  You should also consider creating a nice looking 404 page that helps the customer find what they may have been looking for.  A page of top-level links would work, or you could even get fancy, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.
  5. Decide what URL is best
    Adding a few lines of code to your .htaccess file (what? you don’t have that either?!) can surprisingly help your search engine rankings improve rather quickly.  Decide if you want your site to always show as domain.com or www.domain.com.  I’ve heard theories on both, and personally I always use the www version.

Assuming you follow most of these suggestions, you are now armored and ready to start actually modifying and changing your clients’ website.  Go ye – take thy rankings and climb to victory!

Posted in beginner sem, competition, Marketing, SEO | 2 Responses »

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