Google Local Hits The Gym

Friday, June 12th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search | No Comments

While not as robust as the data available through Google Analytics, the newly pumped up metrics available through the Local Business Center are a welcome step in the right direction. Previously, Google only reported on the number of impressions (how many times your listing appeared in search results). Now they provide additional search data and user data. Click on the thumbnail below to see an example:

Google Local Business Center Dashboard

So how should you flex all that extra marketing muscle? You experiment of course! In the example above, none of the people who saw the local listing clicked through to the main website. Maybe adding some pictures or getting reviews posted to their listing would help their click-through. Maybe adding a coupon to the listing with a strong call to action would drive more traffic. While you could have performed all of these updates before (cause), only now with the new reporting can you answer the big question, “So what happened?” (effect) And the answer to that question, is where the money is!

So go to www.google.com/lbc to learn more or give us a call with your questions.

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Tags: Analytics, google, Local Business Directory

Resession Time Means Marketers Move More Dollars Online…

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments

Not surprisingly, the budgets of more than 54% of marketers worldwide have been negatively affected by the recession, according to data gathered from an eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit.  Most would guess that advertisers are spending less - way less in the case of newspapers, local radio and television.  Got that, but then where are they spending their precious ad dollars?  If you guessed “online”  you guessed correctly.

It’s a fact during tough times, more marketers are adopting search engine marketing techniques.   Over 90% of marketers polled by eMetrics said they would increase or maintain their spend on e-mail advertising, and more than 83% said the same about paid search. Advertisers also want to know what they are getting for their search engine marketing investment.  In fact, over 87% of those surveyed plan either increasing or at least maintaining their spending on web analytics. This all adds up to one thing…accountability.  In the advertising world it is all about return-on-investment, measurability and the ability to target - hallmarks of search engine marketing.

Lastly, it looks like this trend will continue.  A recent report by eMarketer.com states that search engine marketing (specifically paid search, contextual advertising, paid inclusion and search engine optimization) “will experience increased spending through 2013. By then total US search marketing outlays will reach nearly $23.4 billion, and marketers will be spending more on SEO than on contextual advertising.”

Isn’t it time that your moved more of your marketing dollars online?

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Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter Victory

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | Internet News, Local Search, Social Networking Sites | No Comments

In a race to see who would be the first to have one million followers on Twitter, most would never guess who ended up winning: Ashton Kutcher.

The top two contestants were Ashton and CNN.  When Ashton hit 1M at 2:13AM on April 17, CNN had 998,239.  To celebrate his victory, he’s going to donate 10,000 mosquito bed nets to charity for World Malaria Day.  Ashton says human trafficking is the next issue he’ll be bringing attention to in the media.

Sidenote: Number of Twitter users in February = 4.3 million.  March = 9.3 million.

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Tags: ashton kutcher, cnn, social media, Twitter

Posting Newsletters to Your Website

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 | Local Search, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments

Does your company send out an e-newsletter on a regular basis?  If so, don’t forget to include this content on your website.  A key ingredient in the recipe for SEO success is adding new, relevant content to your website.  The search engines love this and there is a good chance that your rankings will benefit. Now the hours that you spend every month writing quality content for your newsletter will pay off for you in two other ways.   When posted on your site the additional content will benefit those who come there in the future and make your site more appealing.  Plus, with a little SEO planning, this new content can enhance your rankings on the search engines.

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Tags: content, e-newsletter, Search Engine Optimization

Local Search Is Growing

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing | No Comments

Here at NetSearch Direct we have been working with local search for years. Just recently, JupiterResearch has come out with reports stating that local search advertising has become the leader in online marketing. Since we started with local search we have seen a large shift in advertising budgets, from traditional media to online media promotion. We have particularly seen this shift in budgets throughout our Internet marketing.

Our tools and resources are constantly advancing and giving us control over the market. Many of these benefits have been available to larger corporations for several years now. These same tools are now available to the small business owner, giving them much more effective use of their advertising dollar.

According to the US Online Local Advertising Forecast, 2007-2012, released by JupiterResearch, local advertising will increase by 13% from 2007 to 2012. In the recent article, Local Takes The Lead, Research Says, posted on Adotas.com, the huge impact that local search is going to have on online advertising, in the next few years, is highlighted. The biggest impact is anticipated to be made by local display and search advertising with compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 18% and 16% respectively, during the next five years.

To learn more about Internet marketing, please visit NetSearchDirect.com.

For more insight into the considerable expansion of local search read the complete article Local Takes The Lead, Research Says:
By Sarah Novotny, Sr. Editor
Adotas.com
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

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Tags: Adotas, Internet Marketing, Local Search, NetSearch Direct