Think you have a landing page just because you have a website?  Think again!  Don’t commit landing page cardinal sin #1 by using the homepage of your website as your landing page for PPC ads!  We promise, if you do this, you will be missing out on almost all of your potential business!

Think about it for a minute.  If you’re browsing around on the Internet and an ad catches your attention.  You only click on it if it strikes the right cord, right?  Well, the content that comes AFTER THE CLICK is just as important in making a positive impression as the content used to win your click!

… which is why, you cannot, and we mean CANNOT just drop an ad clicker onto your home page!  You MUST (and we mean MUST) have each ad for your business, product, or service, land on a relevant page that meets the end user where they’re at mentally when they land there.

What is the objective of a landing page?

The most obvious objective is to convince the user that they need your product / service / business. Something we like to use to help remember the order is the basic marketing principle of AIDAS.  Attention > Interest > Desire > Action > Satisfaction.  Your page should capture their attention, get them interested, make them want what you are offering, get them to act (buy, login, etc.), and then keep them satisfied.

Attention: If you have successfully gotten a user from an ad to your page, then you have already captured their attention. Now the objective is to keep them there.  Which brings us to…

Interest: Here is where continuity comes into play.  You interested the user when you hooked them with your ad!  SO, if your landing page content is consistent with the ad that brought them there, you are on track to peak their interest.

Desire: Put some strong action into getting the user to really want what you have to offer.  You can do that by using convincing words or, ideally a combination of words, video, and photos. Help the user to understand that what you are offering them will improve their lives.

Action: Get the user to take action.  If you have already struck “desire” then all it should take is you to call them to act!  Tell the user exactly what you want them to do.  “Call now.”  “Download this.”  “Sign-up here.”  “Buy it now.”  You have given the user the urge to buy your product—don’t forget to ask them to do it!

Satisfaction: This part comes after the landing page.  This one boils down to good business and customer satisfaction.  This one is completely in your hands.

Come back next week for tips to get into the head of your ideal user and gain their trust in order to optimize your landing page.

If you’re a local business with a local focus, then Google Places is the place to be. Statistics show that 97% of people looking for a local business complete an online search for a business as their first step.  Statistics also show that over 60% of all completed searches are for local businesses.  Google Places provides a FREE opportunity to be found on the first page of Google search results when someone is searching for a local business!

Once you’ve claimed your Google Places Page, you’re ready to fill out a profile about your business.

Your profile consists of some very basic information about your business, including: hours of operation, address, website, contact information, etc.  Some things to consider for each section in your listing:

• Address: If you are a small business owner and work from home, you may want to weigh the pros and cons of having your address listed for your business.  If you decide to list yourself with Google Places, you DO get a free place to list business, but you also reveal your home address.  Another simple thing to consider is your phone number listing.
• Phone number: To create a measurable way to track traffic coming from your Google Places page, consider listing an alternate phone number at which you will only receive calls from customers who found you via Google Places.
• Website: Make sure you are listing your URL in a consistent way.  Even though a click on myurl.com (without www.) may get you to www.myurl.com, if you have listed your URL a certain way elsewhere, stay consistent and list it the same way on Google Places.
• Categories: Google Places asks you to list up to 5 categories your business falls into.  As you type, Google will suggest categories that begin with the spelling you have typed.  If you choose categories already listed, you are selecting from a pre-determined list of categories created by Google.  You can also type categories that are not listed.  We recommend using some categories created by Google as well as some of your own.  Make sure your keyword or keyword phrase is included somewhere in your categories.
• Operating Hours: If you choose to list your operating hours, take note that you have the option to list two sets of operating hours (this would work great, for example, if you were a doctor’s office with two physicians working alternate hours).
• Photos and Video:  When you upload relevant photos and videos, first title them with your business name and keyword.  This will help with your SEO and help you be found in searches for images.

Lastly, what is the best thing Google Places has to offer your business?  Reviews!   Quite possibly, the most beneficial thing about Google Places Pages is the ability for users to leave reviews of their experience with your business that will appear in a Google search!  Reviews help increase your page ranking.  Also, both positive AND negative reviews provide you, as a business owner, with an opportunity to demonstrate your leadership ability as a business owner.  The way you handle negative reviews is very telling to readers!  Whatever you do, do NOT delete negative reviews.  Instead, respond in the same way you would if someone called your business and complained!  Apologize for the mistake and offer a way to make it up to them!  This provides you an opportunity to shine, to show potential customers how they’ll be treated if they have a problem with your service.  You have nothing to loose and new clients to gain by managing negative reviews effectively!

If you are a business who uses a third-party vendor to host reviews, it may behoove you to ask some of your customers to post reviews on your Google Places page, anyway.  Although many of the third-party reviews will appear as a link in your Google Places Reviews, the reviews themselves will not be listed on your page AND will not be as highly favored by Google.

Get reviews from satisfied customers on the spot!  Set up a netbook, iPad, laptop or any other tool and ask customers to log in and leave you a review.  You could entice them to do this by holding a weekly drawing for a prize for those who provide reviews on your Google Place Page.

Now go out there and Get Found with Google Places!

In honor of Google Places’ Second Birthday last month, we have decided to focus on the benefits of Google Places for Local Businesses.

Why is Google Places relevant? 

If you’re a local business with a local focus, then Google Places is particularly relevant to you. Google states that 97% of people looking for a local business perform their search online first.  Statistics also show that over 60% of all searches are for local businesses.  Google Places provides a FREE opportunity to be found on the first page of Google search results when someone is searching for a local business!  And since Google receives the lion’s share of all search traffic (66%) this is the place small business owners want to be.

If you’ve ever searched for a business near you, you have undoubtedly noticed that Google provides local results with a corresponding map at the very top of the page, often before any of the organic search results.  These are “Google Places”—information for businesses tied directly to a map to help a user find the nearest relevant businesses.  Although it’s difficult to predict what the results will look like (as Google often changes the look, location and quantity of results shown), we can say with confidence that it makes sense for small business owners to invest the time it takes to appear in these results.

What’s Included On My Google Place Page?

Think of your Places Page as a mini website for your business—listing just the basics.  Google provides places for you to list a description of your company, post your contact information, list hours of operation, payment options, tag your keywords, and most importantly, provides a place for customers to leave reviews (often what sells people to go ahead and make that phone call).

How to Begin using Google Places for Your Business

First, you should know that even if you have not set up a page on Google Places, it’s possible that a page already exists for your company.  For many businesses, Google has taken data that already exists on the internet (including your business address, hours, business type, etc.) and created a page on your behalf.  This is why the first step you need to take is complete a search for your business.  Type your business name and location into the Google search bar (or go to Google Maps and search for the same information).  If your business appears, there will be a link above the provided map that says, “Business Owner?”  If you are the business owner, this is where you will start to “claim” your business.  Google will then email you a code to enter with instructions to verify you have the rights to that business page.

Once you have received your code and claimed your page, you can log in using your Google Account (or by creating a Google Account and logging in).  You will be able to fill in the specific fields listed above, upload photos and videos of your business, save your changes, and get started!

Come back next week for advice on how to represent your business on your Google Places Page!

What EVERYONE looking to advertise online should know about writing ads is that all of the same principles of traditional advertising apply to advertising online. The principles are, of course: (1) an offer they can’t refuse; (2) a deadline or limited time offer; AND (3) a call to action. The only difference is the amount of space you have to make an impression and get your point across.  Thus, you have to be very creative and sometimes give something up!

When writing an ad to show on Google, you have only four lines of text to work with.  Google gives you a line for a Headline, two lines for Ad Text, and another line to list your URL.  Each line limits the amount of characters you can use (letters, number, punctuation, spaces, and anything else you push a key for count as characters).  The characters allowed per space are listed below:

Headline – 25 characters
Ad Text (1) – 35 characters
Ad Text (2) – 35 characters
URL – 35 characters

So, you basically have 130 characters to be creative.  Here’s what our experience has taught us:

Check out your competition (always a good place to start), because it’s important to set yourself apart!  Unless ALL of your competition is doing it, you will probably want to include your keyword or keyword phrase in your headline.  A free gift from Google: When you have the keyword in your ad that the user searched upon, Google magically bolds it in your ad copy!  There is some older research that suggests that putting the keyword in your headline will aid your quality score.  However; if most of your competition includes the same keyword in their headline, then put yours in your ad text.

Get into the minds of your customer.  Join the conversation your customer is having in their head by answering their question or need in your headline!  “Trouble with Pay Per Click?” And then tell them how you can help!  Steer away from talking about your company, and tell your ideal candidate how they will benefit or how your product will improve their life.

Common Mistakes of Ads:

No Call To Action (CTA).  One of the most common (and unfortunate) mistakes advertisers make is writing really catchy ad copy and then failing to tell the consumer what to do!  Advertisers who provide a strong call to action (ex: “Act Now,” “Call Now,” “Download Yours!”) get a significantly higher click through rate than advertisers who do not! It is a shame to catch the attention of a user or prospective customer and then not lead them to anything.

Using “we” and not “you” language.  It’s easy to use an advertisement to talk about what your company does from a “we” perspective.  But, it’s more effective to talk “you” in your ads.  Instead of “We help generate quality leads,” turn it around to focus on your customer: “Get quality leads for your business.”

Selecting an irrelevant landing page. Cardinal sin #1 is sending traffic you’ve paid for to your homepage instead of to a landing page that speaks to the intent of the visitor’s query.  This goes back to joining the conversation in their head.  There has to be consistency between the keyword they searched upon, the ad they clicked on and the landing page they landed on.  If not, you run the risk of loosing them faster than they came.  You have less than 1 second to grab a new visitor’s attention.  This means you better give them the answer, solution or resource that scratches their itch or you’ve just wasted the cost of a click.

Here’s a bit of homework for you:  Go to Google and do a search on the keywords for which you want to be found.  Look at the ads that are served to you.  See if you notice any patterns.  Evaluate how you can set yourself apart and lastly, make note if there are any ads including a call to action.

Please leave your comments below!

Here at Search Ad Marketing, I can’t say we were all too excited about Timeline coming to Facebook for business Fan Pages.  After all, some of the services we offer businesses are custom Facebook Business Page design along with Facebook advertising campaigns.  The new timeline layout had us scrambling to update all of the custom designed pages we had created in the past, AND rethink our Facebook strategy.

If you’re in the same boat, you may be interested in some of the things we have learned about landing pages since Timeline has gone live.

One of the most important strategies we used in our designs in the past was directing all traffic to a landing page on Facebook where the user MUST first “like” the page before they could see any of the content (we used the “welcome” tab).  Good marketers (like us) used this as an opportunity to “hook” the user with something interesting—providing some kind of free giveaway  for “liking” the page.  Facebook users who were “curious” about the page gave us a “like” AND the freebee gave us the opportunity to “sell” product without having to make a sale.

Facebook Timeline changed this a bit.

NOW, if someone searches Facebook for your business or a business category and lands on your page, they will automatically land on your Timeline wall.  You can’t control this.  No “hook” before they see your page.   And, since the “cover” picture cannot instruct users to “like” your page, you have to get creative!

HOWEVER, after researching the matter further, we realized something hugely important wasn’t going to change. And it’s that you can still choose the tab visitors land on when they click a Facebook ad!  Whew!  SO, if you’re advertising to people on Facebook and they click on your ad, you can direct them to a “welcome” tab, encourage them to “like” your page for a freebee, and give them the “hook!”  Of course, the user can still see your wall without “liking,” but, if your ad brings them to a page with a big fat free offer, the user is more likely to “like” than not.

For those that land on our pages without coming through an ad, we have used the new “pinning post” feature to remind them to “like” our page.  To do this, write a catchy call to action as your status update (ex: “Don’t forget to like our page for your free eBook…”), then post it on your Timeline.  After you’ve posted, click on the pencil icon in right-hand corner of the post and select “pin to top.”  The “pinned” post will then stay at the top of your timeline for seven days.  You can re-pin it if you wish.

Social media sites are changing constantly—new ones are being added, and existing ones are trying to improve or become more interesting.  These changes affect all of us, whether they apply to our jobs or not.  We must be ready to roll with the punches and apply the same principles we know work, but in a modified way.  If you have questions or are struggling with the changes, please send them our way and we can work through them together.

They’re here! Whether you like it or not, on March 30, 2012, all Facebook Fan Pages will be converted into the new Facebook Timeline format.  The news of the switch has rocked the marketing boat for some of us, but we’re rolling with the waves and have some exciting things to share about what the new Timeline format can help YOU do for your business!

Why the changes?

There is a shift going on right now on Facebook—moving in the direction of “telling a story.”  Timeline is a way to brand your company, showcase its history, and humanize it a bit.  For companies that have a deep history and are using social media for branding purposes, this will work particularly well.  (Just think of the opportunities companies like Time Magazine and Cambell’s Soup have to “tell their story.”)  Smaller, newer business (like Search Ad Marketing), will just have to be a little more creative with our use of the new Timeline features.

So, what are some of the new features of Timeline?

1)     Well, to the average viewer, the biggest change is the Cover Photo. Instead of just a profile photo or graphic, Timeline now offers an opportunity to display a large photo that spans (almost) the entire width of your Fan Page.  This is a great opportunity to display your brand, as long as you stay within Facebook restrictions: No direct calls to action; you can’t ask people to “Like” your page; and you may not display promotions.

2) Timeline.  The “Timeline” on the right of the page, allows you showcase company milestones like, when you were “founded,” if you had a name change, awards given, or anything you would like.  AND, it’s easy to add a milestone!

3)     Message Privately with Users.  Now, more like with personal Facebook Pages, you will be able to exchange private messages with Facebook users.  This is especially cool for customer interaction, as concerns or requests could be dealt with in private.

4)     Pinning Posts. As you update your Facebook Timeline posts, older posts are pushed further and further down the page.  However, the new Timeline offers the ability to “Pin” more important posts which will keep them at the top of your Timeline for 7 days.  This is a great workaround for marketers to always display a “Call To Action.”

In the end, Facebook Timeline is still all about engaging with your customers and “likers.”  If you want to give your visitors a positive experience, it is still up to you to provide them with content that they will find interesting and direct them to it.  Stay tuned for more information on how to use your Fan Page’s Timeline to promote your business!  For now, give some thought to how you to tell your story!

Well, because now, more than ever, people are using their mobile devices to find information on the internet while on the move—an action that will only become more common over time.  Accessing the web via a smartphone can easily be one of the most convenient occurrences of modern technology, but it can just as easily turn into a frustrating experience if the user is not re-directed to a mobile site.

A mobile website is a site designed specifically to be accessed only from mobile devices.  This being said, the design and content are geared specifically toward mobile end-users… translating to less content, larger print, and print that fits on any mobile screen (so you don’t have to scroll from left to right).

How do I decide which content to include?

So, we’ve established that your mobile site cannot simply be a carbon copy of your regular site.  But, how do you decide what makes the cut?

Simple.  When people access information from their smartphones, it’s because they are away from their computers.  What, on your website, would be the most useful information someone would need on the go?  Your address with driving directions?  Hours of operation or a phone number?  Upcoming events listed with their locations?  An understanding of your business and the information people need to know about it while out and about should help you answer these questions and help you determine what stays and what does not appear on the “landing page”!  Always include links to your other site, full articles, etc., so that you don’t lose anyone who is looking for something in particular.  But, just don’t let everything clutter the page.

How do I create a mobile site?

Good news—it’s easier than you think! If you would like try a crack at developing your own mobile website, some great resources that can help you are http://www.mobify.com and http://www.mobisitegalore.com/. If you would prefer to consult some of the experts, the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan lists some good resources, here http://www.gomobilemichigan.org/resources/companies/mobile-web-developer.html.

Having a mobile site that is user-friendly and provides relevant information can put you ahead of your competition.  Go get started!

So, now that you’ve got your webpage proofed for SEO and Google love (Google Page Rank), it’s time to get found on the first page of search (remember, very few people look past the first page of results when it comes to Google search results).

One of the easiest ways to boost your Google Search Results ranking is by writing and submitting a SEO Press Release.

How It Works

Keywords.  If you ‘ve been following this blog, you’re probably sick of the term “keywords,” but know yours and understand how important they are.  A Press Release is one more place where your keywords appear and are associated with your site.  Your keywords associated with outgoing links (considered inbound links to your site) will direct more traffic to your site.

Getting Started

First of all, know that you can write a press release for pretty much anything.  Offering a new product or service?  Having a friendly competition or giveaway?  Don’t hesitate—write a press release about it.

You can pay for some PR sites like www.PRWire.com, or do a quick Google Search for free Press Release Websites, create logins, and write and submit away!

Tips and Tricks:

• Submit a few Press Releases and your page will “move up” in results pretty quickly.  To hold your place in the Google Search lineup, it’s not a bad idea to submit a few Press Releases per month.
• Just like your page, you should keep your keep your keyword density at about 3-5%.  If you use your keyword too much, you may get flagged as Spam.  You want to include it just enough so Google will find your page relevant.
• Take advantage of multimedia.  Don’t hesitate to use video, graphs, charts, and link to other relevant content on the web (like other people’s blogs).

Common SEO Press Release Mistakes:

• Too many Press Releases.  It’s not uncommon for SEO Press Releases (if done properly) to bump a site onto page one of Google Search Results.  However, getting PR-Happy can backfire if you write too many.  Don’t go overboard.
• Writing an SEO Press Release like an ad.  It’s important to make sure your Press Release is informative, tells worthy information, and offers something of interest to the reader, but it should sound like a short article, NOT a sales pitch.
• Littering your SEO Press Release with your keyword.  Not only can it get you flagged for Spam, but it will also bore your reader.  If someone is reading your press release and see only your keyword but no other relevant information, do you think they will follow the link to your site?

Press releases are a great way to get found on the first page of search results, follow these tips and tricks and you’ll find press releases are an effective SEO strategy.

If you’ve been following this blog then you’ve received an education on keywords:

Keywords identified.  Check.
Keywords placed. Check.
Keywords=optimized for success.

What else is important in getting found, you ask? PageRank, has a lot to do with appearing in top search results.

PageRank is Google’s way of deciding how important a website is. PageRank (PR) is roughly determined by the number and importance of links pointing to your website.  Think of every link directing traffic to your website as a “vote” to increase your PR.  With every link to your website, your PR potential goes up!  The quality of “votes” is also important and taken into account when your site is ranked.  Websites with high PageRanks of their own help your PR more than websites with low PageRanks (although, no “vote” hurts).  It’s not the only factor, but it is an important one taken into account by Google when your website is ranked for search.

PageRank is determined by other things, as well.  One thing that’s for certain—Google is looking out for your customer!   Pages that provide a better user experience are given a higher PR.  So, it’s important to keep your customer in mind when you’re creating a design.  This means that usability needs to be simple, to the point, and interesting.  It also means that the keywords you are being found for need to match the content of your website—Google will not have trickery!

What YOU Can Do To Increase Your PageRank:

-        Become active on various social media platforms.  Use Facebook, Twitter posts, and blog commenting all to link back to your page.  Linking back to your page will add value to your site and PageRank.

-        Add more pages to your site.  Your PR potential increases with the increase in number of pages to your site.  The more pages your site has, the more opportunity your page has for a higher PR.

-        Link to your homepage as much as possible, and include the “http:” http://www.yourhomepage.com.  If you link to www.yourhomepage.com/html www.yourhomepage.com/index, and yourhomepage.com, although YOU and I know that these are all the same page, Google will see them as different and calculate separate PageRanks for them.

What HURTS your PageRank.  What NOT TO DO:

-        DO NOT copy and paste content from another site.  Google does not support plagiarism and even if you’re quoting someone or something, keep it short, because it will hurt your calculation.

-        Don’t have ads running on your landing page.  Google sees these as directing traffic away from you.  These hurt your PR.  (And, why would you want to redirect someone from your first page?  You have worked really hard to get them there.)

-        Don’t list your keyword over and over and over again.  Your keyword should have a density of 3-5% throughout your site/page.  If your keyword density is too high, Google’s “feelers” will flag your site for spam (which means all of your SEO efforts were made in vain).

-        Keep your website and pages on your website focused.  If you’re a small company selling products that vary drastically, feature them on separate pages of your website.

Thank you to Janak Mehta of PREasy for his discussion on SEO at Pay Per Click Club.

Keyword Optimization, of course!

The placement, frequency, and geography of your keyword are all important pieces of your Keyword Optimization puzzle.

SAM, what is Keyword Placement?

When I refer to keyword placement, I’m talking about optimizing content by making sure that your relevant keyword is EVERYWHERE on and in your page!  Your keyword should appear in the body content of your site/page, should be tagged, AND should be a part of your URL.  A cute URL is not as important as a relevant one.

How often should my keyword appear, SAM?

Frequency is a VERY important factor in optimizing your keyword.  We call the frequency of your keyword, “Keyword Density.”  Keyword Density ≈ (Keyword Phrase) ÷ (# of words). Ideal keyword density is approximately 3-5%, and can be easily calculated at http://www.keyworddensity.com/.  Remember, a keyword density which is too low, won’t optimize your site.  If your keyword density is too high, you could be flagged for keyword spamming.

SAM, what does geography have to do with Keyword Optimization and SEO?

Great question.  I am referring to varying types of media.  And by using the word geography, I’m asking you to see your site/page, and all forms of media in a bubble-chart layout.  If you’re trying to populate the web with your content, you need to “cover a lot of territory.”  Make your mark in a video, podcast, blog, article, and connect them all to your website, making sure to use your keyword strategically in all locations.