Tag Archives: internet

Top Local Business Listing Questions Answered – Interview with Will Scott

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I have had many opportunities to chat all things local with my good friend Will Scott, and just the other day we were at it again.  We were talking about some of the most common questions we are always asked by small business owners in regards to local marketing online.  I wanted to take the time and put them down on paper for everyone.  I felt this would be a good venue to get the answers out there.  Here goes my interview with Will Scott of Search Influence . 1. What are the best ways that new to Internet businesses can go about increasing the number (or gaining any at all) citations when it comes to local listings? My number 1 recommendation would be that they make their way over to http://getlisted.org . Get Listed is a really simple tool that checks the major local search engines and tells you if you’re there. If you’re not there you can go submit yourself right from the dashboard. Once you’ve done that, go submit yourself to the major data providers. There’s a shortcut here you can get into those providers data with just 3 sources: UniversalBusinessListing.org (submits to multiple data providers) Localeze.com (submits to multiple data providers and powers many online directories. InfoUSA.com/Landing/UpdateListing.aspx (the only major not represented by the 2 above) One caveat: it’s not immediate. You must submit early in the month and then it may take 45 90 days to see full distribution. In the meantime there’s nothing wrong with hand submitting to some of the biggies like MerchantCircle, Yellowpages.com, Superpages and InsiderPages. Just be advised, your phone will ring with follow-up telemarketing. Politely decline and stick with the free listing. 2. What would you say to those who worry about receiving negative reviews? Negative reviews are bound to happen. Lots of businesses think they can play Ostrich and solve all their problems. The issue is that even if the business owner isn’t active online their customers are. As with many things the best defense is a good offense. If a business owner is proactively working to get positive reviews it’s a great defense when they find themselves with the inevitable negative. And, I think everyone understands that we can’t please all customers. No matter how hard a business owner tries there will always be that one. Just like in real life, you can’t sweat them all and the most valuable tactic is to offer good customer service so you don’t have to worry about reputation management . 3. What would you say to those who are worried their competitiors are giving them bad reviews? Forget about it see above. Seriously though, you can’t defend against it. Just monitor your reviews and other online mentions and if one crops up which looks suspect, address it head on and report it to whichever service is hosting it. It does no good to share your agitation with the site where a review is posted. Keep it factual and professional and they’ll be much more likely to take it down. We have seen Yelp reviews pulled, but it’s not very common. In the case of Yelp, reviews which don’t pass the sniff-test often face the Yelp Review Filter . 4. What are some of the best places/resources someone who has ran a business for years offline, but never online use to get started? Wow, the list is endless but just for a few: GetListed.org already mentioned above. In addition to the service, there’s a blog and links to lots of great resources. OutspokenMedia.com/blog/ Lisa and her cohorts blog almost daily. They take a very user-friendly approach to online marketing. It’s entertaining for pros and approachable for those just getting started. SmallBusinessSEM.com Matt McGee’s blog. Occasionally insidebaseball but filled with great stuff written with the business owner in mind. DuctTapeMarketing.com John Jantsch’s site. Very nitty gritty marketing ideas and execution. SmallBizTrends.com Anita Campbell and a stable of writers tracking, reporting and advising on news and info of interest. SmallBusinessBrief.com Forum from the folks at SearchEngineGuide.com. Search Engine Guide is a little technical for newbies, but there are a lot of helpful people in the forum. In all seriousness I recommend our blog: http://www.searchinfluence.com/blog/ . It’s written by my team for and from the perspective of the small business clients with whom we work. And, though it’s often a little insidebaseball for newbies too, I think your blog  http://dreamsystemsmedia.com/blog/ has a lot to offer as well. Mat, thanks for asking for my opinions. This is an area where I’m pretty passionate. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Top Local Business Listing Questions Answered – Interview with Will

Jessica Bowman, Mike Gray & Greg Boser Added to Search & Social Summit Lineup

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Search & Social has secured three new premier speakers to be covering SEO tactics and in-house SEO strategies at the Search & Social Spring Summit 2010 in Tampa, FL on May 3rd and 4th. Search & Social Spring Summit is one of the most cost effective conferences in the search & social media marketing space with a ticket cost of only $525 for the two day event. Only 26 seats are left for the event, so if you are planing on attending, REGISTER NOW . Search & Social Spring Summit Speakers include : Greg Boser Founder, WebGuerrilla, LLC Todd Malicoat (StuntDubl) Internet Marketing Consultant Rae Hoffman, CEO of Outspoken Media Neal Rodriguez, SEO for the Nielsen Company Chris Winfield, President of 10e20 Brent Csutoras, Social Media Marketing Expert Dave Szetela, SEO of Clix Marketing More Search & Social Summit Speakers Search & Social Spring Summit will of course be moderated by the founders of Search & Social and Search Engine Journal : Loren Baker Jordan Kasteler Dave Snyder Attendees can expect to learn, at this affordable conference, the latest trends and successful marketing approaches by speakers who are headliners at other conferences costing a thousand dollars or more. Complete Schedule for Search & Social Spring Summit Day One of Search & Social Spring Summit Breakfast & Registration Monday 8 am – 9 am Search & Social Spring Summit kicks off with a breakfast buffet & registration for all of its attendees. This is the perfect time to come down by the pool, register, grab some swag along with your bagels, fruit and coffee and start your morning networking before our first set of presentations. Social Media News & Content Chris Winfield, Chris Bennett, Neal Rodriguez, Brent Csutoras moderated by Jordan Kasteler of Search & Social Monday 9am – 10:15 am Social Media is generally split into two categories, social networking and social news sharing/bookmarking. This panel features three of the foremost experts on Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Fark and some of the more well known (and lesser known yet more targeted) social news sharing/bookmarking websites that do not only build proven links to the posts and stories which become popular on them, but also TRAFFIC! Chris Winfield, Chris Bennett, Neal Rodriguez & Brent Csutoras, three social media experts, will discuss tactics and strategies for building a successful social media campaign across the world of Digg and beyond. Social Media Biz : Doing Business on Twitter & Facebook Rae Hoffman, Julia Gorzka, Joe Hall & Brian Chappell moderated by Jordan Kasteler of Search & Social Monday 10:45am – 12 pm Social Networking is more than just connecting with friends and clients on Fanpages. Rae Hoffman, Joe Hall, Julia Gorzka & Brian Chappell will discuss real life situations and case studies that the small business or the Fortune 500 executive can use for utilizing social media as a reputation management tool, money making application and/or widget generation and branding device. This panel will cover how to get people talking about your brand on social media channels, and how to monetize or motivate using social media. LUNCH : Sponsored by Second Step Search 12 pm – 1 pm Monday’s Lunch is a full on buffet ( we know food and love food ) sponsored by Second Step Search . CASH BAR Opens 12 pm to 5 pm On-Site SEO Tactics Greg Boser, Michael Gray & Todd Malicoat moderated by Dave Snyder of Search & Social Monday 1pm – 2:15pm Three SEO professionals, Greg Boser, Chris Bennett, Michael Gray and Todd Malicoat will offer their SEO expertise to review overlooked SEO campaign tactics, tips on getting SEO changes made to corporate sites, webmaster tools tactics & specifically linking site analytics, site speed and spiderability to your SEO campaign. All three of these men charge over $500 an hour for their SEO consultation services, and this session will be one to remember. In-House SEO : Tactics for Managing Multiple Sites & Headaches Jessica Bowman of SEOinhouse.com, Tony Adam of Myspace! & Kathryn Katz of Consolidated Credit moderated by Dave Snyder of Search & Social Monday 3:45pm – 5pm In-house SEO is a whole different ballgame than SEO consultation or agency work but at the end of the day, we all have to understand the life of the in-house SEO and the challenges they face to not only learn how to work with them, but also understand that the issues they face aren’t just challenges, but opportunity for the little guy and those willing to bend. Are you an “In-house” looking for tips and tricks to boost your productivity and career? Then this session is a can’t miss for you. Jessica Bowman is the premier authority on In-House SEO management strategies. Tony Adam recommends buying the IT team a six pack of beer to get the job done quicker. Any other great tips? Learn them on this panel. CASINO NIGHT! Happy Hour & Dinner : Sponsored by Search Engine Journal Monday 5pm – 11pm * Open Bar Happy Hour from 5 pm to 6 pm. * Gourmet Buffet Style Dinner for Attendees. * Full CASINO and Dealers with Roulette, Poker & Black Jack. DAY TWO of Search & Social Spring Summit Hearty “Morning After” Breakfast Tuesday 8 am – 9 am After partying all night at the Search & Social Casino Night and Open Bar, you’re going to want to stock up on the protein, carbs and coffee to get through this day of advanced sessions. This Hearty “Morning After” Breakfast right in the conference area is the best way to shake off the night before, and kick off the day right! Advanced Paid Search Tactics Dave Szetela, Ryan Sammy, Janel Landis Laravie moderated by Loren Baker of Search & Social Tuesday 9am – 10:15 am Google Adwords can take a few minutes to set up, but a lifetime to master. And now with the integration of shopping feeds, International campaigns, the restrictions of the Google Content Network, and more and more opportunities in paid search, we need experts to light the path and show us the way. Dave Szetela of Clix Marketing & Janel Landis Laravie of Chacka Marketing will discuss paid search & conversion optimization tactics AND Ryan Sammy of Search & Social will show you ways to integrate price points and sale inventory into your Google AdWords campaign. Advanced Link Building Tactics Chris Bennett, Brian Chappell & Todd Malicoat moderated by Loren Baker of Search & Social Tuesday 10:45am – 12 pm Quite frankly link building is not what it used to be and with more and more opportunities in link development opening up with the expansion of social media and self publishing, building a link is much more labor intensive and challenging than just renting a link on a sidebar. Professional blogger and link builder Loren Baker will run through the world of blogging and link building, to show how blogs and social metrics can be used in a successful linking campaign. Todd Malicoat is one of the premier experts on link building and link baiting. Brian Chappell has built links with the best of them and will discuss link development using a multi-tiered approach. All three of these panelists build links in some of the most difficult verticals online and this should prove to be an incredible session. LUNCH : Sponsored by Raven SEO Tools 12 pm – 1 pm Load up on this buffet Italian lunch sponsored by Raven SEO Tools. CASH BAR Opens 12 pm to 5 pm SEO Site Clinic Greg Boser, Chris Boggs, Rae Hoffman & Michael Gray moderated by Dave Snyder of Search & Social Tuesday 1pm – 2:15pm Over an hour with three SEO badasses. Need we say more. Greg, Chris & Michael will take advanced SEO questions from the room AND via our online chat. Outsourcing Secrets, Grow Your Business and Spend the Rest of Your Life on a Beach Kevin Henrikson, Aaron Chronister (Mad Hat) & Dave Snyder w/ Open Forum Tuesday 3:45pm – 5pm We’ll cover tips and tricks of outsourcing so you don’t have to learn the hard way. Find out how to identify the tasks that CAN and CANNOT be outsourced. Finally, learn how to breakdown and create an assembly-line work process in order to lower costs. Help is a lot cheaper than you think, if you know where to look and how to manage them. In addition, learn how to use your social media and SEO skills to build a business from scratch, that all started with one BACON EXPLOSION! CALYPSO NIGHT! Poolside Happy Hour & Dinner w/ Live Music!! Sponsored by Affiliate Summit & Best of the Web Tuesday 5pm – 11pm We have two main goals with our events. First, to be the best value in Internet Marketing conferences and events. Second, to provide the best education and networking mix available in an Internet Marketing conference. Together, you will confidently walk away with valuable information and resources. Business Networking

Google Increases Government Lobbying by 57%, with $1.4 M in Q1

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In Q1 2010, Google spent $1.4 million in lobbying money with the federal government bodies, which was an increase of 57% over $880,000 from Q1 2009. With the company having interests far beyond search, I’m expecting this lobbying spend to climb even more over the course of the year, as Google is getting more involved in FCC rulings, government programs and assistance in pressure on other governments with its global business growth… especially in China. Here’s a rundown of some of the spending from the Associated Press : Google tried to influence legislation intended to prevent U.S. technology companies from cooperating with repressive foreign governments that restrict free speech and violate human rights. [ China ] Google also lobbied last quarter in favor of the FCC’s proposed “network neutrality” rules, which would require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. Although the big phone and cable TV companies oppose such regulations, Internet companies such as Google say rules are needed to prevent Internet access providers from favoring or discriminating against Web sites and services. Google lobbied on the FCC’s national broadband plan, which lays out a roadmap for bringing affordable high-speed Internet access to all Americans, and on efforts to find more wireless spectrum for mobile broadband services. In Q1 2010, the bulk of Google’s lobbying was spent on lobbying the Congress, the FCC, the Federal Trade Commission, the Commerce Department and the Justice Department. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Google Increases Government Lobbying by 57%, with $1.4 M in

Mind Your Neck and Stop Knocking Promoted Tweets

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So Twitter’s got a big – whoo-pished! – backlash after announcing they will be launching promoted tweets. I’m seeing twitter users saying that it will turn Twitter into a male enhancement and teeth whitening spam box; it wont work and threatening to leave the platform; and quote unquote ‘experts’ claim it is not much of an innovative idea. Here’s an adage, which may bring some light to the issue: KISS – Keep It Simple Shithead. Twitter may have had all type of creative ideas on the table; ‘Oh, lets have advertisers pay for tweet in 3-D that will smack fire out the user until he pays attention. hmm; its going to cost a Wall Street Stimulus package and the resurrection of Thomas Edison to develop – lets just go with promoted tweets.” Promoted tweets will be posted and will only be allowed to stay on the site if people reply, retweet, or favorite it; This is like the user-voted ads on Digg and sponsored posts written by the editorial staff @ Gawker and Federated Media. This is what spurred the buzz around the launch of Google Adwords – ads displayed based on relevance 1. the amount of money paid 2. the amount of times people clicked on the ads. God bless Google. The only thing I see is that the Google Adwords algo can’t be as easily manipulated because you have to pay for each click; will Twitter charge for retweets, favorites and replies – spam popups of teeth with black craters? Will these charges ad to positive ROI; The only thing i see on which twitter could improve, is only letting big name companies like Starbucks, & Virgin America play first. Big brands are big brands – Richard Branson could fart and people would follow him and do as he tweets; where if a small business owner were to fart, she would just clear out the elevator and get wacked upside the head with a purse by the lady who couldn’t exit the elevator because the batteries in her power scooter died. I would recommend to also open it up to the mom&pops; the internet is built on the creative spirit of everybody that can hit buttons on the keyboard. Like with Google, once the mom&pop pig farm drops a case study on how they’re selling more mail-orders of fresh-cut bacon and chicharron, that’s when everybody will want a piece and start to throw money at promoted tweets – think long-tail Twitter – the short tail’s still looking for penis enlargement just to keep up. And for any marketers that are criticizing this move – shame on you! You know that you have to hunt for a marketing campaign that slaps some cash on the table; solely found through trial & error; let the Twitter boys and girls experiment – if you’re focusing on building your brand instead of branding every other social media website spending too much time on them; you should be alright. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Mind Your Neck and Stop Knocking Promoted