3 Reasons Why Internet Marketers Should Pay Attention to Google+

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, Search Engine News, Social Media Marketing, , , ,

googleplusGoogle+ is Google’s up-and-coming social network that makes it easy to share content as well as find content you’re interested in reading. The network is currently in beta mode which means you must be invited to join. It also has yet to unveil its brand pages; however even in its early stages the social media marketing potential of this network is evident. Here are three reasons why Internet marketers should pay attention to Google+:

Search engine optimization: One application of Google+ is the +1’s. This is similar to the Facebook “like.” The more +1’s a post gets, the more relevant Google believes it to be. This allows SEO to be more reliant on relevancy rather than “black hat” or spam-like marketing techniques.

Reaching your target audience: Google+ makes it easier for your content to reach the people who are really interested in reading it. The more you use Google+, the more it’s able to show you relevant content that it knows you will like. This means that people who are really interested in your content will be able to find it easily and they’ll be more likely to read and trust the information presented to them.

Content sharing: Google+ makes it easy to share certain content only with certain people through their use of “Circles.” Circles allow marketers to be able to specifically target who they share content with within their network of followers. This means that people who are interested in the product or service, but might not be interested in this particular post don’t have to see it. This will reduce “un-follows” or users getting frustrated from too many marketing posts from a company in one day. Customizing the messages for different groups of your target audience will make the message even more effective.

The bottom line is, although Google+ is just starting out, we predict that this network has a lot of marketing potential and is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Professional SEO vs. DIY

Local Maps SEO, Local SEO, Organic SEO, , , , , , , ,

seoSome business owners are squeamish when it comes to working with a local search engine optimization (SEO) company. This is mostly due to the unfortunate truth that many local SEO firms are scams or use unaccepted SEO techniques. However, not all SEO companies are out to get you and although many SEO tactics and tools are free to use, getting to the top of the search engine rankings takes extensive time and knowledge. Here are the pros and cons of both utilizing the services of a top local SEO provider or taking a DIY approach.

DIY SEO:

Pros:

  • Most tools used for SEO are free and there’s plenty of free information about improving SEO on the Web. So to do local SEO for your company, it would essentially cost for your website and time.
  • It’s a great learning experience. Teaching yourself this valuable skill is advantageous and will continue to be as your business grows.

Cons:

  • DIY SEO is extremely time consuming. Achieving top rankings on Google and other search engines can be tedious and a lot of hard work.
  • There’s a lot of misinformation available on the Web and if you aren’t sure which sources are reliable, you could end up hurting your rankings or wasting your time and effort on an SEO campaign that doesn’t work.
  • Carrying out an SEO strategry is a full-time job. SEO is a long-term growth strategy and a huge commitment. It requires a lot of research, repetition and as time passes it only gets more complex.
  • Building an effective website or landing page can be expensive. You must pay for web hosting, copy writing, optimization and design.

Professional Local SEO:

Pros:

  • Let the professionals do all the heavy lifting. The hard, time consuming work can be passed off to a professional or company that has the time, tools and knowledge to get the job done efficiently. You can throw some money at the situation and leave the worries and stress to someone else.
  • Results come faster. Since an SEO company’s sole purpose is to perform Internet marketing and search engine optimization for companies like yours, they already have systems and tools in place to get started right away. They don’t need to teach themselves SEO first like you would have to do. Since they’re experts, they know all the best techniques and have the necessary connections to get you ranking as quick as possible.
  • Internet marketing is constantly changing. It’s hard to keep up with the ever-changing world of SEO. Search engines are always changing their algorithms and as a business owner, it would be hard to keep up with your employees, business location, customers and the ever-changing Internet marketing industry. Chances are, you don’t have the time. A professional can put full attention on the search engine optimization of your business so you get maximum results.

Cons:

  • It can be hard to find a legitimate company to work with. There are many unreliable black hat SEO companies out there, you must be tough when deciding who to work with in order to avoid the Google black list or losing money on less than desirable results. Check out the company’s credentials before deciding to work with them.
  • It costs money. Help from a professional costs money. However if your SEO company is doing its job and getting your business found on the first page of the search engines, you will be getting more leads and it will be well worth the money.

When you weigh the pros and cons it’s easy to see that if you have the funds, leaving the local SEO to the professionals is your best option. Although SEO can be done on your own, if you’re inexperienced it can be easy to make a mistake and hurt your rankings or waste your efforts on techniques that don’t really work. When choosing a local SEO provider, be aware of possible black hat SEOs and be sure to gather as much information about the company as possible before agreeing to work with them.

How to Optimize Your Photos for Google Places

Last Updated On March 14th, 2024Local Maps SEO, Local SEO, , ,

It’s no secret that adding photos to your Google Place page can help with your ranking; however, there are techniques for optimizing photos that will help make your Google Places page rank even higher.
Local Splash has found that by adding the business name, phone number, city, state and a few keywords to the photos, our clients rank much higher than those with normal photos that haven’t been altered. Our company has performed numerous tests with coding the photos before we upload to our clients Google Places pages and the results have been astoundingly positive. So how do you optimize your photos for Google Places? Follow these steps and watch your ranking climb.

1. Save the photo to your desktop under your business name and a keyword (example: John Doe’s Auto Insurance Agency Newport Beach CA).

2. Open the properties of the image. To do this, right click on the image, then choose “Properties.” See screenshot below.

PhotoOptimization1

3. Select the “Summary” tab at the top of the “Properties” box. Here you will be able to add keywords to the image that will be picked up by search engines. See screenshot for an example.

PhotoOptimization2

PhotoOptimization3

4. After you enter the data, press “OK” to apply and save the content.

5. Add the photos to your Google Places page by signing into your Google Business account, editing your businesses and adding photos (see photo for example). After adding the photos to your Google Places page, it will take some time to see your ranking increase. Remember, increasing your page rank is no overnight process; it takes time and requires patience.

PhotoOptimization4

How will this help your search engine ranking?

The more information you provide to the search engines, the more opportunities you’re giving the search engine to learn about your business. Providing more information makes it easier for the search engines to understand your business and what you do. It is by understanding your business that search engines gain confidence in your company, and confidence equates to higher rankings.