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Do You Know About This Huge Change to Google AdWords?

Last Updated: July 29, 2016

Google has been offering paid advertising—known as AdWords—for over 15 years. In that time, the format for these ads has stayed relatively the same: a 25-character headline followed by two, 35-character description lines.
So when Google started rolling out “Expanded Text Ads” in mid-July, the online advertising world was quite surprised.

What Do Google’s Expanded Text Ads Look Like?

As you probably guessed from their name, Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) are an expanded version of the traditional ads you’re used to. They contain:

  • Two 30-character headlines
  • One 80-character description line

What’s the benefit of an ETA? According to Erin Sagin’s article on WordStream, it’s simply more effective than the traditional ad format:

The ETA is basically the standard ad on steroids. It’s so huge that it automatically demands more attention than the standard ad, plus its messaging is more informative and more compelling. Who wouldn’t be drawn to the ETA?

Who Can Use Google’s Expanded Text Ads?

ETAs are available to all AdWords accounts.
Right now, they still exist simultaneously with traditional ads, so advertisers can choose whether or not they want to test out the expanded version. However, you can expect Google to phase out those traditional ads sooner than later. (Many experts are predicting this will happen by the end of 2016.)
What does this mean for advertisers and small business owners who do their own advertising? It means you would be wise to take the time now to experiment with ETAs and become familiar with them before Google forces you to switch entirely.
Want to learn more? For an in-depth discussion and examples of ETAs, read Sagin’s full article, “3 Reasons to Drop Everything & Build Expanded Text Ads NOW.”

Why Customer Service and Facebook Are a Brilliant Match

Last Updated: July 21, 2016

Local SEO isn’t the only way to spread the good word about your business. Offering friendly, helpful customer service is a super-easy way to keep customers happy and strengthen word-of-mouth. After all, customers are much more likely to do repeat business with a company that provides superior customer service.
So why not take this one step further and make your customer service efforts public? When you receive customer comments on social media, particularly Facebook, you can respond right there on the same platform. This way, you’re not just providing a customer with a prompt response—you’re also showing prospective customers visiting your page just how attentive and professional you really are. If you do it correctly, it’s a win-win.
In her recent article on Search Engine Watch, “Five Reasons Why You Should Invest in Social Customer Service,” Rebecca Sentance explores how you can benefit from using social media to interact with customers. Many of her examples focus on Twitter and the big brands that use it; however, we can easily adapt these examples to fit small, local businesses that primarily use Facebook.

Five Reasons to Use Social Media for Customer Service

So, what are Sentance’s five reasons for using social media for customer service?

  1. Convenience: People are spending a lot of time on social media daily. It makes sense to meet them where they already are.
  2. Attention: People want to be heard. When they don’t hear back from a company, they react negatively and often disparage said company on social media. On the other hand, when they do hear back promptly, they’re much more likely to view that company favorably.
  3. First impressions: Frankly, responding on social media makes you look good. It shows accountability and personality.
  4. Retention: Studies show consumers are willing to switch brand loyalties and even pay more if they think they’ll receive better customer service. Keeping customers happy—and doing so publicly—will help you attract and retain customers.
  5. Feedback: Social media, especially Facebook, is a great tool for getting customer feedback. You can survey your audience to hear their thoughts on your current product offerings or what kinds of new services they’d be interested in. Basically, you can use social media as low-cost market research to help you improve your business.

Of course, when angry customers take to social media to air their grievances, things can get ugly. However, this is likely to happen regardless of how active you are on Facebook or Twitter. Cooler heads always prevail in these situations. As long as you respond professionally and respectfully, you’ll come out on top.
Want more details? We strongly recommend reading Sentance’s full article over on Search Engine Watch. It’s a deeply insightful read.

Beef Up Your Local SEO With an Offline Boost

Last Updated: March 24, 2016

We’re always harping on you about what you should be doing online to help your business’s search engine optimization efforts. But we sometimes forget to mention what you and your fellow business owners should be doing offline. You know—in the real world.
Thankfully, seasoned SEO consultant Marcus Miller is on it. He wrote a wonderful article recently discussing how you can supplement your local SEO with offline advertising.
Titled “Local SEO Beyond the Browser,” Miller’s article dives into the importance of keeping your company present in the minds of your desired customers. This can be done through flyers and ads, storefront signage, company vehicle decals, business cards, and even social media. For consumers, seeing your ad will stimulate a want or need, which ultimately drives them to seek you out online.
Often, seeking you out online equates to a Google search. And, as we all know, the local search space tends to  be over-saturated with businesses in the same category. So, instead of depending on the statistically small chance your business will pop up in a search for “plumbers in Phoenix,” promoting yourself offline will keep you steps ahead of the competition. That’s because, when people go to research local plumbers in their area, they’ll recall seeing your flyer last week and google your company specifically.
However, Miller points out that this doesn’t mean you can skate by without any local online advertising or search engine optimization. Rather, offline and online promotions should support each other. When that prospective customer googles your company name, you want them to see a lot of valuable, favorable information about you right away. Thus, you’ll need to do a good deal of SEO work to shine the most flattering light on your company. This is where business listing optimization, reputation management, and remarketing all come into play.
After all, once someone has googled you, it’s your job to convince them to hire you.
Miller’s bottom line?

The local businesses that will win the marketing battle in 2016 and beyond will connect the dots between the physical business premises and their digital profiles. Invest and commit in this approach, and your competitors will not know what has hit them.

For more specific offline and online advertising tips, check out the full article over on Search Engine Land. It’s a great read!
 

Three Truths All SEO Marketers Wish You Knew

Last Updated: February 25, 2016

In her recent article on Search Engine Land, Jenny Foster reveals some of the most significant “hard truths” that SEO marketers need their clients to know. Prospect Genius frequently echoes these same ideas to our own clients, so it’s validating to see them emphasized by such a prominent leader in the field.
SEO concept
Today, we offer a discussion of the truths Foster outlines in her article, “Setting Local SEO Expectations: 3 Points to Hit Early and Often.”

Be Patient With Google’s Regular Changes

First, Foster says she likes to emphasize the ever-evolving nature of Google. From the get-go, she primes her clients to be prepared for the lack of predictability when it comes to Google’s local system. Google often moves the goalpost for marketers by rolling out sudden updates to its algorithm, which means SEO requires a proactive plan based on in-depth knowledge and something close to ESP.
We remind our clients of this all the time. “Be patient,” we say. Your listing might be flagged inexplicably or your placement might have dropped suddenly, but it’s usually just because of a new Google update. We’ll get to the bottom of it in no time.

SEO Is About More Than Just Keywords

Foster astutely notes that effective SEO looks beyond keywords and phrases and understands user intent. You have to understand what kind of information local users are searching for; then, you can package valuable keywords in a more relevant context. For this reason, Foster tells her clients that she needs a bigger picture of their small businesses and their customers’ needs.
This describes the logic behind Prospect Genius’s in-depth interviews with new clients. We like to get as much information as possible about each small, local business so we can capture the highest-quality traffic and appeal to motivated customers nearby.

SEO Is Not a Bandage

Finally, Foster says what all marketers (including us) have been saying over and over for years: SEO is not a one-time fix. It must be a long-term investment if you wish to maintain rankings and grow your presence over time. Continued optimization is key for a stable, enduring online presence. 
This is precisely why we caution clients against stopping their campaigns once they’ve reached their goal lead generation numbers. They might feel like they got what they needed, but in reality, SEO must be ongoing in order to sustain those numbers. Otherwise, they’ll drop off pretty quickly.
Overall, Foster’s article is an accurate depiction of what so many marketers try to hammer home for their clients. These are three, need-to-know realities for any local business owner embarking on an SEO campaign. It’s a great read, so be sure to check it out here for more details. 

Does Your Mobile Site Give Users What They Want?

Last Updated: October 12, 2015

By now, you fully understand that having a mobile website is essential to your local search success. However, do you know what your mobile site should look like or what kinds of features it should have? In more general terms, do you know what mobile users want from your site?
smartphone-in-front-of-crowd
As reported by Adam Stetzer of Search Engine Watch, the experts at HubShout recently did a study in which they polled 450 mobile users about their mobile-browsing habits. Their intent was to find out exactly what consumers are looking for in a mobile site.
Their findings were not shocking. According to the study, 94% of mobile users have used their phones to search for local businesses at some point. Of those people, 61% search for local businesses frequently or daily. Obviously, this proves what we and every other online marketer have been saying for the past couple of years: Mobile search optimization is crucial for local businesses.
But we already know this. Those stats are just the jumping-off point to demonstrate the large number of customers you would be neglecting if you didn’t incorporate the following pieces of information:

  • 93% of users use a smartphone, which means drop-down menus and click-to-call capabilities are significant.
  • 88% of users want to see business hours displayed clearly.
  • 85% of users want to see a phone number clearly (with a click-to-call option being a plus).
  • 82% of users want to see an address and/or driving directions easily.
  • 70% of users want to see product pricing.
  • 67% of users want to see a product/service menu.

As you can see, mobile users aren’t looking for a flashy presentation. They just want to find your company’s basic information quickly and easily (i.e. without much navigation). This is because mobile users are performing local searches on the go more often than not.
If mobile users don’t see the info they need right away or get annoyed because they have to zoom in to read text, they’re likely to navigate back to the search page and look for another site. So if your mobile site doesn’t meet the above criteria, you could be driving your customers straight to the competition.
Check out the full article over on Search Engine Watch to see all of the study’s findings and corresponding charts.

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