Internet Marketing
2010 Retail Marketing Expo – Ride The Winning Wave
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, NetSearch Direct News, PPC Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Networking Sites | No Comments
On August 3rd, our team of SEO experts set up shop at the 2010 Retail Marketing Expo for the day to introduce our company and our unique concept to local businesses. The theme of the 2010 Retail Marketing Expo was “Ride the Winning Wave.” The day focused on finding opportunities to ride out the recession into the new waves of the future. A must-attend event for retail and business professionals for over six years, NetSearch Direct was proud to be part of the event.
At the Retail Marketing Expo, we talked to people about what NetSearch Direct does. Specializing in search engine optimization, we offer the following services to your business:
Pay-Per-Click
Local Paid Search
Local Business Directory
Call Tracking
Website Design/ Landing Page Design
Social Media / New Media
Custom Blog Setup
Blog Writing
To all the people we met over the course of the day, thank you for allowing us to introduce our team and our proven SEO program to you. Let’s talk again soon.
Ride the Winning Wave with NetSearch Direct
![[Post to Twitter]](http://www.netsearchdirect.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
NSD Newsletters: Worth the Hype that Follows
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Internet News, NetSearch Direct News, Search Engine Marketing | No Comments
What’s it like being subscribed to the NetSearch Direct monthly newsletter? It’s like that first sip of coffee in the morning – the one that tastes the best and leaves you wanting to drain the cup. It’s like the first ten minutes on the treadmill – the ones where you’re looking your best, slightly flushed, barely out of breath, can still say “hello” to someone without clutching your chest – the one where you’re ready to kick some cardio butt. It’s like the first smell of a barbecue grill in the summer, the one that makes you want to find the home searing the good-smelling food and crash the party. Yeah, that’s what being a NetSearch Direct monthly newsletter subscriber is like.
For those of you missing out on this (FREE) optical assault of (FREE) amazing marketing tips, we’d like to let you know that being a subscriber is FREE! The NSD Newsletter is not only informative, but visually stunning as well – each month we add sweet graphics to our articles meant to invoke deep thought while entertaining your eyes. Won’t you join us?
› Continue reading
How to Read Your Google Local Listing Report
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines | No Comments
A listing on Google’s local business center provides much more than just a place to enter your company’s information; you just need to know where to look.
Have you viewed your local business center report lately? Do you know what it’s telling you? Below is a sample report, client information redacted, for the past 30 days. From this data you can gather which days were the best for triggering the client’s listing, and which days provided the most clicks.
Sample Google Local Business Center report
Using the date range filter at the top right-hand corner and working backwards in time, you just might be able to identify trends. For example, Mondays are good for driving traffic, but Wednesdays provide the best click days. Or, generally you spot that the middle of the month seems great for “actions” which means that potential customers are trying to get as many details, driving directions, or visits to your website. You can use this data to tailor your advertising accordingly, and coordinate efforts with your sales team according to which days your customer base is the most active online.
Google’s Local Business Center report also goes on to tell you other exciting tidbits of performance information such as top search queries, and zip codes from IP addresses that searched for driving directions to your location.
Sample Google Local Business Center Report
Knowing this information affords business owners the opportunity to target advertising in extremely effective ways. To begin with, knowing the keywords that triggered your ad are imperative – if they keywords are off, you may need to re-categorize your listing or rewrite your description. The keywords should reflect any PPC or SEO advertising currently underway, and not distract from it. Knowing the zip codes that are searching for your business allows you to expand on advertising in a currently hot area, identify areas trending up, and save money from locations that may not be performing as well.
Your Google local listing report also provides a snapshot of the information that you have entered along the right-hand side of the reports page, and highlights areas where you can beef up details or add media for effect. If you’d like to read more on tricking out your Google local listing and making the most out of this extremely popular (and FREE!) product, read NetSearch Direct’s Top 5 Best Practice Tips.
Local Business Show-Offs Prove Value in Maps Listings
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engines | No Comments
Google posted their top 13 favorite local business listing success stories recently. These lucky 13 were pulled from local business submissions across the nation, and selected for outstanding success brought to the business from being listed on Google’s Maps tool. Several businesses spoke of ringing phones and increased sales simply because customers could locate their listing easily.
Although business owners didn’t get too specific when it came to disclosing their winning formula, it goes to say that best practices were adhered to consistently among the top 13. If you aren’t seeing any traction from your local listing or you’re wondering how to best work your local listing profile, here are NetSearch Direct’s top 5 picks:
1) Add Flair! Utilize the personalization that Google offers for your business listing. Got a logo? Add it. Have some pics of your location? Upload them to your listing too. Take advantage of this free way to set yourself apart from your competition.
2) It’s in the Details. The “Additional Details” portion of the local listing is a prime spot for the little extras that makes your business special. If you make appointments after normal business hours, are willing to travel, or have ample parking be suer to let potential customers know.
3) Maximize your Categories. If you can narrow your business into just one or two categories, by all means go ahead. But if you can step back and look at your business from a potential customer’s viewpoint, we encourage you to try out different category keywords and see what comes up. The more buckets your business can fit into, the more it will be served in searches.
4) Pay Attention. Make sure that you have your business name, street address, and other business information all spelled out with proper capitalization. Typos are no way to make that winning first impression. And with that first impression, paint as much of your business story as you can – list your hours of operation, website, contact email address, forms of payment, even languages spoken. The key is to pay attention to all of the fields that you can populate and be sure that this information is added typo-free.
5) VERIFY Your Listing! We have seen so many business owners forget to take this crucial last step in the listing process. Failure to verify your listing means that your listing will just sit in limbo and can’t be optimized or edited. Take the extra time to grab a verification call from Google or request a letter to be sent, and follow-up with that PIN number.
NetSearch Direct has been listing, managing, and optimizing listings for our clients for months now, and we have quite a few success stories of our own to share. Check out our blog soon for some of our own local business show-offs!
Look Before Your Customer Leaps
Thursday, September 24th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, PPC Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments
Your website is more than just an internet presence with some words wrapped around a few product or service-themed pictures. Think of your website as business’ virtual storefront. Just the same as you would focus on a brick-and-mortar storefront, consider applying the same eye for detail to your website.
When a potential customer visits your website, its more likely than not that they’re visiting via a search engine query. You can guarantee that by the time that potential customer has sorted through the links that have presented themselves on the page and clicked on a particular link, they want to see information that serves their original purpose. It’s your job to look before your customer leaps to that particular page.
Each page of your website should be the best possible representation of your business. Although there’s no winning formula for landing page success, NetSearch Direct customers know that they can depend on the following 5 elements to come together and leave a lasting impression on the visitor:
1) Relevant content stated as concisely as possible.
2) Graphics and videos demonstrating products.
3) Contact information prominently displayed.
4) Fast-loading pages.
5) Put the most important information above the fold.
Although using these tips alone won’t guarantee you extra sales, they certainly will improve the user’s experience when visiting your page. In the end, if your customer can easily read your information, locate what they are looking for, and smoothly navigate your site to checkout or pick up the phone for more information – then it’s a job well done for you.
When you look at your website from your customer’s perspective, the same way you would your storefront, it shows. Review your landing pages to make sure that relevant, up-to-date information is prominently displayed. Your customers will thank you with their wallets.
Scenester Ads: Hip or Square?
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Networking Sites | No Comments
I just read an article written by Steve Smith for Mobile Insider (which, by the way, is definately worth your click through to read the entire article) where he relayed his tale of being sucked into a mobile marketing campaign while out and about at the movie theater. In the article, he is attracted to a movie poster featuring a bar code and little else except a number where you can send a SMS message. The advertising bait dangling in the poster is too intriguing for Steve to pass up (admittedly, I felt the same anticipation he described when he saw the barcode) and he relays the tale of his movie poster marketing scavenger hunt adventure.
Only it isn’t an adventure at all. It’s more a series of irritating steps, two of them pointless, which lead him in a sort of circle showing a movie trailer. That’s it. A movie trailer. As an advertiser, I can list about ten fundamental marketing truths that this poster and its scavenger hunt violates. As a business advocate, my purpose here is strictly public service.
Why do you care? Because the article paints a picture that everyone in advertising should see – whether you’re the business owner giving marketing authority, or you’re the marketing manager pushing the buttons, or if you’re the one waiting around for your movie to start – just because it’s cool doesn’t mean it works. Yes, Facebook and Twitter are amazing marketing tools and there is money to be made by harnessing the power of these social media marketing darlings. Yes, PPC is a highly-effective marketing solution which can give you incredible analytics and insight into your business’ best (and worst…) products. And of course SEO will provide you with a wealth of insight into not only your business and your website, but also your customer’s behavior patterns. But just because all the cool kids are doing it doesn’t mean your business should be.
Smart advertisers will look at your business from every angle and offer up custom solutions that reinforce your company’s goals. For those still with me, that sentence contains at least three extremely important parts: “smart advertisers”, “custom solutions”, and “your company’s goal”. Sometimes you’ll get one or a combination of these critical three elements, but rarely do you get the trifecta. The reason that you need all three working for your marketing campaigns is because you can’t afford to invest vaulable marketing dollars into a “smart advertiser” who offers “custom solutions” only to have it serve their purpose.
Next time you’re tempted to display a barcode on a movie poster (or jump into a marketing strategy of any kind), ask yourself whose purpose you’re serving. If you’re signing up for a marketing trend to test the water, we applaud your pluck but caution you to get your feet wet before throwing yourself off the high-dive. There’s plenty of time for that after you get adjusted to the water temperature. Ads that create a scene are like skinny jeans, high tops, and mohawks – they’re not for everyone. And that’s okay.
SEO Success: Written in the Stars?
Monday, August 24th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, PPC Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | 1 Comment
When we’re asked by businesses what they should look out for when choosing a search engine marketing agency, we usually resort to a few hard, fast rules like research the agency you’re considering, get referrals, etc…
But in all our earnest efforts, we seem to have overlooked an more ominous omen important to selecting the right agency. Luckily we came across an article from SearchEnginePeople.com that gave valuable insight into internet marketers, and the astrology signs that make them up. Prompting us to ask each other questions that made our HR department a little uncomfortable like: Hey…I see you’re getting your fifth cup of coffee today and I couldn’t help but wonder…what’s your sign?
After some discussion, we matched the NetSearch Direct team with the article’s SEM astrology profiles. See if you can guess who’s who:
Cancer
At the heart of a Search Marketing company can probably be found a Cancer or two. Fantastic HR experts and account managers, they will always tell you how they feel about your account. They really do care about how you feel and have empathy for your point of view, but when you’re wrong, they will not hesitate to tell you so.
Leo
Friendly Leo is a social star. They belong in the spotlight, and they know it! These friendly and opinionated people are among the best people to lead and motivate others. Consider putting them in charge of any endeavour that demands networking with people or being on stage.
Virgo
Friendly and down to earch Virgos will always be able to tell you exactly what you can do to improve your campaign. Full of creative ideas and always able to keep an eye on the profit margin, these friendly folk are in it for the long run.
Sagittarius
Your Sagittarius account manager understands your issues and knows what you’re trying to achieve. They will happily sit and listen to your plan and give you the big picture context you need to put everything into place. They tend to be friendly and talkative and are easy to get along with.
Capricorn
Patient and organized, a Capricorn always sees the long-term strategy, and sticks to the plan to make sure it gets done. Although quiet and a bit reserved, you will always profit by having a Capricorn on your team, long after others have fallen by the wayside. Capricorn has bright ideas but explaining them can be difficult so just nod and trust you’re in capable hands, because you are.
Aquarius
If Cancer is the heart of your SEO business, then Aquarius is the soul. No, scratch that, because Aquarius could almost never bring themselves to stay long in a corporate environment. Your Aquarius consultant is filled with some of the craziest ideas you’ve ever heard but you have a feeling there’s something brilliant going on there you can’t quite understand.
Pisces
Always willing to lend a helping hand, your Pisces SEO will always celebrate your wins with you. They will take the time to figure out your exact issues while their investigative and analytical skills ensure that your campaign will be run well.
When you’ve got your nose to the grindstone it’s easy to forget to look up and take notice of the bigger things around you, things like constellations and the celestial lights that make them up twinkling away in the night sky. Turns out, these stars are more than just pretty lights – they may actually predict the success of your SEM. Dubious? Maybe. Fun? Absolutely. So, reader, we couldn’t help but notice that you’re still reading….what’s your sign?
Three Things I Learned About My Business From SEO
Monday, August 10th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments
When we talked to local business owners last month about their PPC campaigns, we also got an earful from the SEO side. Richmond business owners shared three valuable lessons their SEO campaigns taught them about their company.
You’ll have to read the full article here to get the entire perspective, but we’ll sum it up quickly for you on-the-go CEOs who have way to many things crammed into your 9-5 already:
Life Lesson 1: Network Your Website – Business owners speak to the value of link building for their website and how it’s affected their overall business
Life Lesson 2: Analyze From the Top Down – Company executives have learned the hard way that all the data your campaigns pull is pointless unless you utilize it correctly. The take-home message here is to look at the picture the numbers are painting for you.
Life Lesson 3: Put Your Best Online Face Forward – Your website is the online portal to your business so be sure your game face is on. If yours isn’t, you can be your biggest competitor will be laughing all the way to the bank.
If your SEO campaigns haven’t turned the mirror back on your business, we have to ask you why you’re wasting your time. NetSearch Direct’s clients receive monthly reports offering up analytical data and new opportunities for business growth and development. We know companies are constantly growing, and we aim to keep the momentum going.
Three Things I Learned About My Business from PPC
Thursday, August 6th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, PPC Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments
Featured in the August 2009 NetSearch Direct newsletter, “Three Things I Learned About My Business from PPC“, is a daring, compelling article featuring exclusive information gained from our current clients.
Okay, maybe it’s not daring, or really even compelling, but three businesses sat down with us and shared the top business life lessons they have learned from advertising with PPC. These are lessons learned the old-fashioned way – through hard-earned experience.
Your PPC campaign is painting a bigger picture than metrics, data, and ROI. Taken from the article, your PPC campaign can give you a whole new understanding of what you thought you had a grasp on previously. Specifically, you’ll learn how PPC can teach you about:
1) Your target customer.
2) Your biggest competitor.
3) How to craft your website to reflect your company personality and still get sales.
If you haven’t read the article, check it out now. It’s a fast read and even though your business may not have provided us the insight for the article, we’re sure you can still learn something about your business from reading it.
Happy selling!
Richmond Retail Merchants Expo in Richmond Virginia
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 | Internet Marketing | No Comments
Today NetSearch Direct is having fun at the Retail Merchants Retail Marketing Expo. Our theme is Stump the Rank Master with our very own Jason Moreau as the Rank Master. Find out where your site ranks at our stump the rank master page. If you miss us at the show just give us a call to find out how we can help your business grow online.
Jason chatting it up with our friends from Zuula Consulting
Recent Posts
Search
Archive
Categories
Tags
-
Adotas
Advertising
Bing
conversion-rates
Cybersquatting
Dell
Domain Name
Domain Parking
Domain Tasting
Domian Tasting
GoDaddy
google
google local business center
holiday-Internet-traffic
holiday-shopping
holiday-traffic
internet-retailer
Internet Marketing
jason moreau
Keywords
landing page
Local Search
MSN
MySpace
natural-conversion
NetSearch Direct
Networking Site
online-shopping
paid-conversion
ppc
PR
Registered Trademark
Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engines
SEM-survey
Social Media Marketing
survey
Trademark
Trademark Infringement
typosquating
Typosquatting
Web 2.0
Yahoo