Monthly Archives: July 2010

Google Tags

Posted on by
Reply

Google Maps offer a way of enhancing your listing with Google Tags.

While Google maintains this does NOT effect placing on Google maps, it certainly will make your listing, when it appears, pop. The easier you can make it for someone to click through to your website the better. You want to stand out among the Google Map listings and this will help.

The advertising fee is a flat $25.00/month. Nice to avoid the pay per click campaigns and the time spent analyzing the keywords for your website.

Read more here: http://www.google.com/help/tags/

Seems like one of the simpler advertising choices online.

MyFax

Posted on by
Reply

Faxing is crucial to your business.  Fax machines get spammed and the cost of toner can hurt when budgets are tight. Online fax services to the rescue.

Rid yourself of yet one more office machine.

I have always used fax services. eFax was my entry, and for the free price it worked for my faxing needs. After years the  fax phone number was pulled, without notification. Of course the only way to know this is when you have incoming faxes you don’t receive.

I upgraded to eFax paid service, but their monthly fees weren’t justified by my few faxes. I tried Packetel.com and have been happy – $11.85 quarterly for incoming faxes. I have software to send faxes.

Packetel was sold recently to MyFax and it has been an okay transition and no interruption in Fax service.

MyFax is currently running a special – 30 day free trial. If you have been debating to use online fax this could be a good time.

The beauty is: the faxes come in your email client. You can choose the format PDF, tiff and others…very user friendly.  If you find yourself traveling – you still receive your faxes.

This is why the Internet is wonderful!

Local Search

Posted on by
Reply

Local Searching has become the focus of search engines.  They’ve learned people expect to get results in their geographical area and Google is accommodating.  It happens without you realizing it. Until you try and force the issue you may not have noticed this change.  You would need to clear the browser cache to wipe the slate clean.

Google is learning what you want as you search. It’s goal is filling the user end of search – giving you what it THINKS you want. For businesses it means SEO is more complicated as you try to target the visitors you are seeking, and work within the user search.

Businesses are trying to compete in this change  in a number of ways. In an effort to expand a business’s service area they might set up phone numbers with specific area codes. Have you noticed a local search returns a company 75  miles from your area, or a national company?

Another solution is multiple websites. If your target is teens – the site reflects their interests through content and design. If the target is a specific location – likewise. This is a bit aggressive for the average small business, but you get the idea of this strategy for search engines.

Still “content is king” and posting fresh relevant content is a huge factor for your website.  Search engines love to see daily changes.

As a small business owner the choice is how much time and where to put it. You can blog, tweet or use Facebook. Don’t feel compelled to take on everything. You don’t need to be a slave to your website and online presence. There is a happy balance.

Number 1 on Google

Posted on by
Reply

Will I be #1 on Google?

That’s everyone’s goal. Once your website goes live you will be inundated by solicitations guaranteeing your number presence on Google search.

Organic Search. This is what I do with SEO when creating a website. From page titles to keywords and content, all are components of optimizing a website for an organic web search to return your site where relevant and in your locale, if you are not nation wide.

A lot can be accomplished to achieve organic search results, and you want to utilize all tools.

People will tell you they can get your website #1 on Google maps. The fine print, which takes digging into is this:

You will appear #1 somewhere, sometime for some keyword search. Most often in their guarantee if your business category is highly competitive – that keyword will turn into long tail keywords:

auto transmission repair in Pomona, Ca

If you’re an auto repair shop that leaves a huge number of services you either, now buy more keywords for, or…don’t.  This can add up to a staggering advertising campaign.

Another point which is told later in the sales pitch is: “If after 3 months you aren’t in the top 5…”. That is the  length of time organic searches can take, and you aren’t paying for those. If you are paying $150.00/month plus $600.00 set up fee to test the waters for appearing in the top 5 places on Google maps and you don’t appear at all…that is a lot of money. Plus you already have a chance of appearing organically in your locale for free. You’re better off setting up an AdWords campaign.

No easy answers, but remember: there are no guarantees to be placed Number One on Google without paying for it – and if you want every search…that price will be quite high in most markets.