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Google Webmaster Tools and how it can help your Business Website

This article about Google Webmaster Tools is not going to be one of the most exciting blogs you will ever read.  Just a word of warning!

However, when we get done with this step by step process of how to get registered and examining your site health, even the most novice of users will be able to catch a simple error that is keeping A LOT of websites from being indexed by Google, which keeps them from being seen or found easily.

You see, almost 40% of all of the websites in the world are now being made by one Word Press template or another.  While Word Press templates themselves are easy to use, they are constantly being changed and updated very regularly.  During the last set of updates, a privacy setting was changed on most Word Press templates took place, making most Word Press websites camouflaged from the Google Web Indexing system.  How does Google Webmaster Tools help out with this?

First, by having your site registered with Google Webmaster Tools, it will allow Google to catch any problems that is sees with your website’s health right on display for you, as the owner to see.  This is how we caught the recent problem with a number of our clients websites.  Here are the steps for getting registered with Google Webmaster Tools:

1. Go to Google Webmaster Tools by clicking on the highlighted link.
2. You will have to log in, just like you do going on to Gmail, Google Places, etc.
3. Once in the Google Webmaster Tools, there will be a large Red Button called “Add Site.”
4. You will have to verify you site.  The simplest way to do this is to have your site registered with Google Analytics, if you have not done so already.
5. Once verified, it will immediately to a check of your site’s health.  One of the first things it checks for is to see if the Google (or any other) Robot, which registers your site with Google, can pick up your site.
6. If it can’t, Google Webmaster Tools will give you a Robots Text Code that you can simply copy, paste and give to whomever is servicing your website.

There are lots of gadgets and gizmos on the Google Webmaster Tools website that a business owner will never use or even want to learn how to.  It is still a great idea to be registered with the Google Webmaster Tools however because it can easily make sure that your site is being properly read by Google and the other major search engines.

For all of the complaining that some people have about Google, they really offer a great, easy to use service for business owners in a way that they can at least get some help with.

The Google Webmaster Tools are a free way to help make sure that your website is healthy and being read so that your business can be seen.

SEO Trends and Tips for 2012

I decided to write 20 SEO Trends and Tips for 2012 in April because I always think it takes a little bit of time to actually see what’s coming down the pike for the year.  People (and companies) who write these kind of articles around January 1st are trying to sell you something or a service (such as SEO…haha).  We think that the SEO trends and tips that we will actually see come to fruition in 2012 actually form in the first quarter or so.

With that said, here are 20 SEO Trends and Tips for 2012.  These not only include direct SEO, but statistics on Social Media and Mobile as well.  I hope these help your business in coming up with your online and offline marketing plan.

• Internet marketing based organizations experience a cost per lead that is on average 61% lower than organizations who focus mostly in outbound marketing tactics.
• The average cost per lead of outbound organizations was $346, while the average of inbound dominated organizations was $135.
• Blogging is the cheapest cost per lead for inbound marketing channels, while trade shows have the highest cost for outbound channels.
• The average percentage of marketing budget for inbound marketing went from 32% in 2011, to 35% in 2012.
• Since 2009, the average amount of marketing budget attributed to blogging and social media went from 9%, to 21% in 2012!
• 89% of companies say that they will increase their inbound marketing budgets in 2012!
• Organic SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound sourced leads only have a 1.7%.
• 66% of businesses who blog only weekly say that they have acquired a new customer through their blog last year
• 62% of all companies polled said that social media marketing has become more important to them as a source of leads over the past 6 months.
• 78% of companies that blog daily, say that they have acquired a new customer through blogging over the past year.

Forrester polled 4000 businesses sometime mid last year.  These ranged from Billion Dollar Companies to Mom and Pop Shops.  The #1 thing they will spending their money on the next 5 years is SEO (90% anyway.)  Social Media was second at 7%.

Here are some mobile trends and tips for 2012 as well:

• You Tube is viewed over 200 million times/day on a mobile device.  3 Billion times overall.
• Half of Twitter is now done from a phone
• 29% of all mobile phone users have used a mobile coupon in the last year
• By 2014, more internet usage will occur from a mobile device (including pads and laptops) than desktops
• 30% of all restaurant searches come from mobile phones (not counting pads and laptops)
• 86% of all people who use mobile devices (Ipads, phones and laptops) do so WHILE WATCHING TV
• QR Codes usage increased almost 4600% between 2010 and 2011
• 88% of all local searches will result in either a call to a company or a click on their Website or Google Places Listing.  Virtually all of them to do so that same day or night
• 90% of all cell phone searches result in a purchase or a visit to a business

Here is one that is absolutely mind blowing:  Mobile Phone Coupons are redeemed 10 TIMES more often than traditional coupons.

60% of all searches are done from a mobile device.

14 Million Americans Scanned QR Codes in July 2011 alone!

I’ve got so many of these I could be hear all day typing.  The point being that businesses must be ahead of the curve in order to maximize the profits that their marketing dollars will bring to them.  I hope these 20 SEO trends and tips have helped you in figuring out what you need to do to help your business grow online.

Additional Services

Reputation Management

Business Social Media: You need to get a Google + Plus page now.

Business Social Media: You need to get a Google + Plus page now.

Earlier this week, Google made an announcement that is slowly getting the attention of everybody in the business social media world.  Google has announced that it will start to account for interactions on Social Media sites between individuals and businesses.  What they also said was that, at least for the foreseeable future, is that they would only account for Social Media/SEO Interactions that came from Google +.  They have effectively shut Facebook and Twitter out of the equation.

To give you an example about how powerful that is, you can look no further than us.  As of this morning, Tomorrows Online Marketing owns the top spot for the term Nebraska SEO with a You Tube Video.  We now also occupy the 8th spot with our Tomorrows Online Marketing Google + page.  When you get a chance, go ahead and look at it.  It was formed on November 20th, 2011 and that is literally all we have done with it.  While we occupy several spots in the top 3 pages, 2 of them are for a page we have never optimized, never marketed and have all of seven friends.  Yet, because we are ahead of the curve, we are now considered by Google to be an expert in Nebraska SEO, even at the expense of our own actual page.  Obviously, we are going to be updating it now, but that’s a sad reason to do so.

What makes this so powerful is that it is the first time that a Social Media platform and it’s interactions are being counted as if they were a search engine by themselves.  For instance, when you type in “lawyers Lincoln NE” in Facebook’s Search, it does not give any easy way to get information on a particular attorney, like Google, Yahoo and Bing.  You don’t get to see a Face Book Page for “lawyers lincoln ne” in the first 3 pages of Google, let alone the social interactions and suggestions that Google will now be allowing you to see as a consumer about a business, music group or whatever it is that you are looking for.

What does that mean for business social media and seo?  Quite simply, everything that you thought you knew about Social Media has just been flipped on its head.  Even though our primary emphasis as an SEO firm has not involved much in the way of Social Media, it will more so now.  What we will be emphasizing is not Facebook for businesses, it is Google +.  When it comes to searching for businesses that people want to use, Google owns the turf.  Even today, Google still dominates local business search, with results that range from 65-80%. Face Book accounts for less than 3%, far below even Yahoo and Bing.

If you are a business that has the ability to use Google + to not only get an extra page near the top of Google, but also to get to business social media reviews that Google is now going to allow in their search, this has to be the first option.  Google claims that Twitter and Face Book will not sign the necessary agreements to allow them to share results with them.  While I don’t know that Twitter needs to, Face Book definitely does as their search engine is quite pathetic at this point.  Hopefully, Twitter and Face Book will come to the table for the consumers sake.

In short, Google has decided that if it can’t actually win the Social Media game (which it hasn’t to this point), it will simply change the playing field and force all of us to use Google +.  (Though ruthless, it is brilliant as a business move!)  Personally, I do use it quite a bit as an individual, so that’s okay with me.  As a business, if you are not using it now or not getting VERY STRONG advice to start utilizing Google + for your business social media needs (and seo), your overall search results as a business could suffer, leading to lost exposure, leads and sales.

What SEO in Lincoln Nebraska NE will look like in 2012

SEO in Lincoln Nebraska NE will look vastly different in 2012 than it does currently.

The constant increase of Mobile Search and use of Mobile devices, Google’s constant changing of the algorithm (over 500 changes so far this year), the integration of Social Media results (not as much as one would think) and the never ending Google Places changes keeps Tomorrows Online Marketing and other SEO Firms.  Between now and the end of the year, we will be covering the trends that are emerging in SEO for 2012.

One of the major dilemmas facing a lot of small businesses is whether to invest their resources (limited or unlimited) into Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).  The answer, of course, is both.  However, which one should businesses emphasize more?

According to a recent survey of over 1000 adults done by the Pew and American Life Foundation, the answer is, overwhelmingly, SEO.  While this may be a surprise to some who play Farm ville for 5 Hours/Day or those who tweet about everything under the sun, the findings indicate that, when it comes to a consumer looking for a business for a good or service, search engines, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo are the number one source for people to find a business, such as a plumber or attorney.  Here are some findings

For Bars, Restaurants and clubs, SEO in Lincoln Nebraska (NE) is king.

When it comes to finding information about bars, restaurants and clubs, 51 percent use the Internet overall, with this breakdown:

• Search Engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, account for 38%
• Specialty Websites are currently at 17 percent.  This would include Manta, Hot frog, Yelp, etc.
• Social Media, such as Face book and Twitter, only account for 3%

• Newspapers are at 31%  Print is at 26% and Online is at 5%.  Very Interesting
• 23 percent are from word of mouth.  Referral is always the best when a company can get a lead.
• Local TV (both traditional and online) accounts for about 8%.

In Lincoln Nebraska, SEO is tops for all other types of local businesses too.

When it comes to seeking information about other types of local businesses, 47 percent use the Internet, with the breakdown this way:

• 36% use search engines
• 16% use specialty websites
• 1% use Social Media.  That might be the most astounding fact in all of this!

• 30% use newspapers.  Print 28% and 2% online.
• 22% word of mouth.  Again, we love referrals at Tomorrows Online Marketing as much as any other company does.
• 8% rely upon local TV
• 5% rely upon local radio.  Considering the amount of money that is being spent on local radio, this is something businesses should look at very closely, especially as the younger generation (teens and early 20s) start spending real money.  These numbers will all slant even more heavily in the Internet’s favor as they get older.

People use roughly 14 different kinds of sources to get local information, according to Pew.  A large percentage used or “relied upon” multiple sources. In addition, 47 percent of respondents said they got “local news and information” on their mobile phones.  (We will touch on this in a later article this week)

Online yellow pages or “local directory sites” were not among the choices given to survey respondents.  This is pretty obvious.

A couple of things to take out of these findings.  First, the Internet, especially local search, is king.  If you are a business or non profit reading this and, somehow or another, think that you can succeed as well as you should without marketing on the Internet, you are simply kidding yourself.  Having said that, you need to have a balanced approach to your marketing, which is what we preach at Tomorrows Online Marketing.  For local companies especially, you need to have more than one for of advertising.  However, your second choice, after SEO in Lincoln Nebraska (NE), may be surprising.  Direct Mail and Print (such as newspapers) are certainly not dead.  Both seem to outpace Social Media in their effectiveness, at least for now.  Social Media is important, but it is not ready to be considered as important as Print materials.  It is good for gathering long term leads, but Face book and Twitter have a long way to go before they can match the effectiveness that SEO in Lincoln Nebraska (NE), or anywhere else, has.

SEO for Business has changed, again!

How SEO for business has changed… again.

Google seems to keep everyone on their toes when it comes to changing SEO for business.  Pay attention to the timeline below:

August, 2010:  Google announced an algorithm that will increase in the number of
results listed per domain on the first search page…

“Today we’ve launched a change to our ranking algorithm that will make it much easier
for users to find a large number of results from a single site. For queries that indicate a
strong user interest in a particular domain.”

Google reasoned that the improvement would “help users find deeper results from a
single site, while still providing diversity on the results page.”  That’s what they seemed to think at the time anyway.

December, 2011:  Google announces an algorithm that will decrease the number of
results listed per domain on the first search page…

“Top result selection code rewrite: This code handles extra processing on the top set
of results. For example, it ensures that we don’t show too many results from one site
(“host crowding”).

Google reasons that rewriting the code would “make it easier to understand, simpler to
maintain and more flexible for future extensions.”

(Yes, you are correct – the 2011 announcement appears nearly the opposite of the
announcement in 2010.)

How is your business presence on the web affected by this change?  It is affected in at least three different ways:

1) Simply emphasizing Your business’ Google Places listing will no longer be sufficient
to yield multiple listings from your domain – as Google now restricts that.

2) Blog postings and sub-pages will share equal emphasis with the Google Places
Listing.  SEO for business will now need to be more varied in order to be competitive.

3) Websites will be “rewarded” for consistently producing new content (e.g. blogs,
articles, indexed photos and Videos…)

The important points here are not the particulars of these changes, but rather that
Google continues to amend search algorithms – creating a constantly changing the
landscape for SEO for business.  This leaves today’s small business with two choices:

1) Investing valuable time and human resource to understand and keep pace with these rapid
changes or

2) Consulting or hiring the services of a reliable SEO firm ‘in tune’ with
a continually evolving SEO landscape. In their self-styled efforts to assist the small
business, Google has actually made it extremely difficult for those entities to manage
their SEO independently.  SEO for business is becoming more and more complicated.

How to Improve Your Google Places Listing with SEO in Nebraska

How to Improve Your Google Places Listing with SEO in Nebraska

A top one, two or three ranking in the Google Places (maps) listings is as important as any item your business can check off the list this Christmas Season.

According to Forrester Research, businesses will spend more on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) than any other form of advertising, including Social Media, over the next few years. You may ask, ‘Why would a business want a top listing in Google and/or the Google Places Listing?’ Because Google and Bing (in that order) have become the Phone Books for the 21st Century (you may already have noticed your paper phone books get noticeably thinner and thinner (and thinner) each year). With our smart phones and high speed laptops, we search the internet first for information on any business from Plastic Surgeons (which we have as a client) to Tree Services (which we also have as a client) – just about anything imaginable.  In fact, 98% of all local goods and services start with an internet search.  With the rapid incorporation of radio and television on the web, Referrals and Internet Marketing are the dominant source of advertising now and in the future.  Simply put, if your business is not on the internet in a substantial way (and soon), you stand to lose a significant part of your advertising effectiveness
over the next 3-5 years.

So, how can you help improve your overall placement in the Google Places Listing for the niche you want to be in? Here are some tips that will help get you on your way:

Do your homework with good Keyword Research.

• We often have clients who assume they have a frequently used, industry relatedkeyword or phrase when, in fact, that word or phrase is not searched at all.  We recommend first, and foremost, using the Google Keyword Tool.The Google Keyword Tool is simple to use and easy to see the results. While there are many programs out there, why not start and end with the Tool that Google uses to help determine what words will make them the most money.

Once you have done the research, go to Google Places Listing and claim your listing.

• An important step, because when you do this, your competition cannot claim your listing.  If claimed by another, they could easily attach bad ratings or delete the listing entirely.  You are then ready to begin adding categories and content.

Customize your categories.

• Though Google makes you pick one of their categories, the other four can be specific to your needs with wording to help your listing rise in those ‘niche’searches.

 Upload any videos or pictures into your listing.

• You can load up to 10 pictures and 5 You Tube videos naming both the videos and pictures with the keyword and location (city/state). Both Images and Videos carry significant ‘weight’ in a search among the different engines.

Make the additional information section at the bottom of the Google places section a true ‘reference section’.

• Show Google and your page visitors that you your site is much more than mere advertising verbiage. Including a link about your line of business on Wikipedia (one of the world’s largest and informative websites), a link to your chamber of commerce or a couple of high ranking links to other new sites show your site to  be robust, with information that will place highly in the rankings.

A small investment in research with the Google Keyword Tool, leverages your categorized content and visual media to make a measurable improvements in online presence and positions your site to meet the demands of marketing of the 21st century. So, take advantage of the
powerful and freely available tools, like Google Keyword Tool and Google Places Listing, and optimize your site today.

Nebraska SEO and How the Game is Changing.

How Nebraska SEO is being done has changed again today.

In what is the most sweeping set of changes in Google’s search algorithm in almost three years, they are trying to make their results more timely for their BILLIONS of users.  It is estimated that up to 35 percent of all searches are being affected?

How are they doing this and how does it affect Nebraska SEO?  Each part of this needs to be answered separately.

How is Google going to make search more timely?  They will now be allowing comments from Face Book to be indexed in the search algorithm.  At Tomorrows Online Marketing, we view Google pretty much as the Digital Yellow Pages.  98% of all searches for local goods and services start with an Internet search.  Over 90% of all businesses view SEO as the number one source of their advertising/marketing budget this next decade per Forrester.  Google accounts for 66-80% (depending on what poll you see) of all Internet searches.

We don’t see that as changing except in one important aspect:  Google will now be able to pull comments about a business from Face Book and index them into the search.  Google has been trying to be more user friendly by allowing reviews to be posted on the Google Local Places.  Now, you can actually find a comment (if it is spread enough and goes viral) right on the first page of Google.  In this way, it can keep the news about that company more current.

Of course, this is just one part.  The main part of the search that will be affected the most is news and current events.  Whereas before if you looked for the latest news on a current subject on Google and you might find something a year old, you will now be able to watch Google as it now has much more current news.  This is a welcome change as if you spend a lot of time on Google, the user can feel like they are missing out on current news because of the speed that Twitter and Face Book (especially Twitter) moves.  Google spiders will now be indexing continuously instead of weekly or daily.

How does this affect Nebraska SEO?  Businesses will need to more protective than ever about their reputation on the Internet.  They will need to take a much more proactive approach when it comes to responding to negative criticisms on the Internet.  For all of the “Reputation” Management companies, it will create more work, but also more headaches.  For standard SEO companies, such as Tomorrows Online Marketing, we will need to make sure we are being proactive in looking for comments about our clients on Face Book and posting occasional comments about them (when they are positive, of course).  While Face Book and Twitter are a LONG ways away from threatening Google in Business Search, it will now play a small factor in where a business is ranked.  As a side benefit, if utilized properly, you can help your client’s rankings rise a little faster with Social Comments.

For companies and businesses who have made SEO the center of their marketing strategy, we do not see that changing, only expanding.  What the business owner/marketing VP now needs to look for are SEO companies who truly stay ahead of the curve.  Companies that think Face Book marketing is the center of their advertising are in for a rude shock.  However, Nebraska SEO Firms (such as ours) need to pay attention to what is being said about our clients on Face Book and Twitter and not be afraid to put up some positive comments on their behalf.  You are not only helping them out, but making your job as their SEO provider a little easier.

This is why Nebraska SEO (just like anywhere else) is ever changing and you need to stay on top of it or you will be left behind.

How to Say Goodbye to Your Kids…how?

There is no business associated with this post.  No hopes of manipulating Google…no hidden agenda for SEO…no trying to help a business climb the ladder of the Internet.  Instead, my wife and I just came from our first parent teachers conference for our oldest daughter as a middle school aged “kid.”  We couldn’t be more proud of both of our children.  The teachers used such words as role model, great students and intense.  That last adjective fits both of their parents perfectly.  We just want what’s best for them and they exceed our expectations in everything, especially as being great human beings, which is what we care about the most.

As a Dad, I’m not always perfect.  Well, I’m never perfect.  However, every night, the three of us get to hang out, no matter how busy our days and just talk to each other.  I get to hear about their days and goof around and catch up.  I am very in tune with them and the fact that they still want to do this makes me feel proud.  If I’m not careful, I’m going to get a little verklempt!

One of these days, however, they will not want to do that quite as often.  I was reminded of this as we walked through the Middle School and saw teenagers bringing pizza back to wherever they were going, without their parents around.  They were just talking away and looking like they could be in high school.  Eventually, our daughters will be the same way.  They will always love us and want to be in their lives…it’s just the extent and time given to us will lessen as they grow up, go to college and eventually have families of their own.

Why do I get nostalgic when my children are still young?  Because, yesterday….they were born…or so it seems.  I cannot believe that we only have a few years left with our oldest and 10 years left with our youngest.  You have to remind yourself of this, especially in this crazy, demanding world, in order to keep straight of what is important and what is not.  Every day with them is precious and should not be taken for granted, especially on days where we can control what we do with our time.

Anyway, there is a song that I think reflects this perfectly by Michael W Smith called “How to say Goodbye?”  I hope you enjoy it and thanks for allowing me to be a blithering idiot.