July 30, 2009 in Blog, Online Video by admin

Market Watch 7/30/09

Report shows that Bing users are 50% more likely to click on an ad.  Link Here.

Emarketer posts article, “Some advertising shines in dark times.  Link Here. Among the advertising mediums that are shining:

• Online video spending +34% in 2009
• Mobile spending +39% in 2009
• Internet Yellow Pages +2.9% in 2009

CBS Sports and ESPN are swooping up local domain names, too, similar to what Marchex was reportedly doing this past spring. Link Here.

SEO expert Brad Geddes says that the meta tag descriptions remain very important, despite recent reports.  Link Here.  Geddes also says that title tags remain the most important on-page SEO tactic you can use.

A woman is sued for $50k for a simple Twitter Tweet.  Link Here. An apartment complex is suing the woman, claiming libel, for her tweet, “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay.”.

July 28, 2009 in Blog, Search Engine Marketing by admin

Market Watch 7/27/09

One SEO pleads with Google to allow multiple Google “accounts”  to access one business listing.  Link Here. This would allow other people (ie sales reps or consultants) to access a customer’s Local Business Listing along with the advertiser.

Yellowpages.com has purchased the domain yp.com for $3.85 million and launched a beta site that is a compliment to yellowpages.com. Link Here. The new site will be search focus and boast increased search relevancy and different ad structures.  AT&T also states that yellowpages.com is the company’s flagship website where people go when they want information they can trust.

Twitter reaches out to business owners for the first time. Link Here

Twitter 101.  Link Here.

Case studies of companies using Twitter for business.  Link Here.

July 24, 2009 in Blog, Mobile by admin

Market Watch 7/24/09

Claiming your local business listing is paramount. Link Here.  This article states:

“Simply claiming your business in the Google Local Business Center can instantly skyrocket your business rankings in the Google Onebox local results.  (Example of Onebox local results below)  In a noncompetitive market, your profile will shoot into the top 5 upon confirming your business. “

Other advice on how to locally SEO a website:

“Localize” your website. This is your local business profile, having your address and local phone number is crucial to allow the search engines to localize results even more.  What good is a business profile if your core demographic is unable to find it?

• List a local number instead of a toll-free (800) number.
• Include the address and phone number on every page.
• Mention your location in the title of every page.

Twitter tips for B2B marketers.  Link Here.

Smartphones are going mainstream.  Link Here.  As smartphones grow, our customers should be thinking about their mobile strategy and how they will reach those consumers looking for local businesses via phone.

July 23, 2009 in Blog, Websites by admin

Market Watch 7/23/09

Local search companies are increasingly getting advice to include “geotags” in their websites. Link Here. Geotags are similar to Meta Tags and Title Tags in that they give search engines added information about their websites. Geotags are tags that give engines the coordinates and location of the specific business.

Google Earth allows you to search the moon.  Link Here.

Google image search accounts for 6% of all of Google’s traffic.  Link Here.   Best practices for websites include utilizing keywords in the alt tag and image description.

Yahoo’s earnings are down 13% this year. Link Here.

Local Ad Market will be bigger than expected this year.  Link Here.

Yodle signs two new executives from Merrill Lynch and Yahoo.  Link Here.

July 20, 2009 in Blog, Websites by Brent Ruhle

The Exploding Internet

Just how fast is the internet growing, here is an interesting graph showcasing just how rapidly today’s web is expanding: The Exploding Internet.

So what’s the big take away from all this data? First off, $6.8  trillion is spent online globally, and second America stands as the most dominate online presence still, despite the rapid economic. These two factors together say it’s time to start looking online for your dollars in this economic downturn, the money is still out there, it’s just in a new location.

So the next question becomes, if we focus on internet advertising, where do we put it? Well, at 8% of total internet usage, streaming video is a monster that is only getting bigger and bigger everyday. Google is begining to get advertisers on board with its popular video sharing website, Youtube.com, and the success so many businesses are already having with their other advertising programs, AdWords being a great example, it’s obvious Google is trying to get ahead of the curve this time around, so it may be best to keep up to pace with them and try some online video advertising.

July 17, 2009 in Blog, Websites by Brent Ruhle

What Online 1.0 can teach Web 2.0

Here is an interesting article on computerworld.com called, “What Web 2.0 can learn from Online 1.0″.

It’s important to realize what companies did in the past that worked online because some of those principles are still valuable today. We must remember that this new “Web 2.0″ social networking environment is a natural evolution and not a complete revolution of sound business practices. Hope this info helps!

July 10, 2009 in Blog, Websites by admin

Market Watch 7/9/09

Google announces they will be creating an operating system to compete with industry giant Microsoft.  Link Here.  Their OS will be web based which is completely different than Microsoft.

Google reaches out to local businesses and hosts a Local Business event in San Francisco. Link Here.

Bing is doing well – now bigger than CNN. Link Here.

New research shows up to 14% of all media consumption is done through mobile devices. Link Here. Most people (77%) are consuming mobile and TV at the same time.

The basics of “how to show up on Google’s local map”.  Link Here.

Local Insight in the news. Link Here. The headline:  Local Insight Media Consolidates Under Single Berry Brand

How to spot a social media “snake oil salesman”.  Link Here.

July 9, 2009 in Blog, Mobile by admin

Market Watch 7/8/09

Industry expert Herb Gordon gives his thoughts on the YP industry saying, “the Yellow Pages industry is very well positioned for the future. It has good Internet products. While print references have dipped, the effect is moderate compared to other traditional media. The print product still delivers cost-effective leads for advertisers. There is a strong local and national sales force. Publishers, CMRs and suppliers are willing to invest. I’m very optimistic about the future.” Link Here.

The year 2009 has been labeled by some as the year of “Location Based Services.” Great news for directional advertisers.  What does that mean? Link Here.  Internet searches are increasingly all about local, local, local. Why ? Some factors include:

• Ubiquity of GPS
• Phone are getting better; more powerful
• The IPhone has changed the mobile experience
• Applications on phones have exploded

Yellow Book launches their first ad based on internet products.  Link Here.

Merchant Circle offers coupons via Twitter.  Link Here.

Congress to start leveraging email marketing. Link Here.

Facebook users are getting older (similarly,  the internet demographic is getting older).  Link Here.

July 1, 2009 in Blog, Social Media by admin

Market Watch 7/1/09

One business use of Twitter – tweeting concierge requests to the front desk at hotels.  Link Here.

Huggies launches a social media campaign.  Link Here.

One site gives advice to SMB’s with their pay per click marketing. Link Here.

How to rank in the Google Local Map 10-pack.  Link Here.

Facebook may be gearing up to go public.  Link Here.

Your question answered – How does Google put a business on the map if the business has no website or has not claimed their listing on the Local Business Center?

Answer – Link Here.  Included is a good visual describing where Google pulls the information.  Here are the sources:

Local Business Center

Yellow Pages

Enhanced Contend

User Generate Content