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Connecting & Accelerating Local Business and Arts

Learn how to improve your search presence, connect local businesses and organizations, and amplify web properties to increase rankings and drive more business. Discover the benefits of search engine marketing and how it can help your regional business or art organization thrive.

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Connecting & Accelerating Local Business and Arts

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  1. Essentials of Search Marketing 3/22/2013 By Rob Laporte, President DISC, Inc. - “Making Web Sites Make Money” 413-584-6500 Rob@2disc.com www.2disc.com DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  2. What You’ll Get Today • I promise you’ll leave with clear actions you can take tomorrow to improve significantly your search presence. I value your time and intend to reward it well. • I’ll share a vision for how to use search marketing to connect and accelerate regional business and arts. • The format is about 1/3 lecture on search marketing, 1/3 discussion, 1/3 Q&A and review of audience members’ websites to find immediate improvements. • Doing all three requires questions to wait for the interactive segments throughout and at the end. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  3. A Vision for You • My vision is to: – (1) have local businesses and organizations interlink their web properties to amplify all properties’ search engine ranking and subsequent business. – (2) Enable businesses to get key web marketing jobs done in 2-3 hour sessions for much less cost than one-on-one consulting, perhaps through local business support organizations like the GBA or through the newly minted entity, GetitDoneExpress.org (GIDE) and Verilliance.com/hispi/. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  4. Interlinking, PageRank & You DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  5. Overview • • • • • • • • • • • • • • A Vision for Connecting and Accelerating Local Business and Arts My Background and Yours What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)? Why SEM and Why Not? Prioritizing SEM: SEO, Then Paid Placement Google AdWords Express Budgeting SEM Choosing SEM Professionals Local Search Marketing and GIDE The Vision Revisited A Few Good SEM and Local Resources Contacting Me and Getting this Presentation Q&A, Discussion, and Reviewing Your Websites’ SEO Please Hand in Feedback Questionnaire DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  6. My Background • • Worked in advertising and market research in the ‘80s. Ph.D. work in Shakespeare and teaching literature and writing at UMass Amherst in the ‘90s. Founded DISC in 1995, specialized in SEM in 1997. Hundreds of clients of all types and sizes over 15 years. Most published author in the the print/web magazine, VisibilityMagazine.com. I prefer enduring research and articles over chatty social media, but that’s just me, and social sharing is important. Moved my firm’s main office from Hadley to Greenfield exactly one year ago. • • • • • DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  7. Your Background • • • • • How many of you have websites? How many have done some search marketing? Any search or web marketing consultants here? How many are one-person businesses? Any here representing businesses with 10 or more full time employees? How many of you are artists? How many are selling products from your website using shopping carts? Vocabulary quiz. • • • DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  8. SERPs • Google searches for: – tire repair – artists in greenfield mass DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  9. What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)? • SEM: Search Engine Marketing or, more eloquently, Search Marketing. Consists of marketing a website in search engines, typically via – SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which addresses search engine friendly code and keyword research and writing in websites. – Managing pay per click (PPC) advertising. – Other paid placement, like searches triggered display (image or video) ads on non-search engine websites, and shopping comparison website marketing. – Increasingly “SEM” includes conversion rate optimization (CRO), Landing Page Optimization (LPO), and ROI Reporting. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  10. Why SEM? • It works. Often really, really well, especially in the past before everyone caught on, but there’s still plenty of low-hanging fruit to pick. • Let’s look at Google vs. General Electric. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  11. An S&P 100, Pre-Web Business 11

  12. GE 12

  13. GE 13

  14. GE 14

  15. GE 15

  16. 16

  17. GE 17

  18. GE • GE sells tons of valuable stuff • Dehumidifiers, Dishwashers, GE Café, GE Monogram, GE Profile, Microwaves, Refrigerators, Service & Support, Washers & Dryers, Water Systems, Asset Management, Aviation Services, Business & General Aviation, Commercial Engines, Corporate Aircraft Financing, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), GE Honda AerEngines, Maintenance, Marine Engines, Military Engines, OnPoint(sm), Systems, Unison Industries, Walter Engines, Consumer Electronic Accessories, Computer Accessories, Digital Cameras, Home Electric Products, SmartHome Products, Telephones, Electrical Distribution, Digital Energy Products and Services, Centrifugal Pumps, Energy Financial Services, Gas Turbines - Aeroderivative, Gas Turbines - Heavy Duty & Combined Cycle, Gasification, Hydropower & Water Control, Investment Focus, Lifecycle Services, Nuclear Energy, Solar Power, Steam Turbines, Wind Turbines, Finance - Business, Commercial Lending & Leasing, Healthcare Financial Services, Media, Communications & Entertainment, - Media, Communications & Entertainment, Energy Financial Services, Energy Financial Services, GE Capital Aviation Services, GE Capital Aviation Services, Real Estate Financing, Real Estate Financing, Worldwide GE Capital Locations, Worldwide GE Capital Locations, Consumer Financing, Global Banking, Worldwide GE Capital Locations, Healthcare, Diagnostic ECG, Healthcare Financial Services, Healthcare Information Technologies, Interoperability, Life Sciences, Medical Diagnostics, Patient Monitoring Solutions, Lighting, GE's Commercial Lighting, Automotive, Ballasts, Compact Fluorescent, Halogen, High Intensity Discharge, Incandescent, LEDs, Linear Fluorescent, Miniature, Sealed Beam, General Purpose, Automotive, Holiday Lighting, Outdoor, Track & Recessed, Lighting by Industry, Media & Entertainment, Entertainment TV & Production, Media Communications & Entertainment Finance, Movies, News, Sports & Inf, Parks & Resorts, Peacock Equity Fund, Oil & Gas, Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers, Centrifugal Pumps, Compressors, Drilling & Production Systems, Energy Financial Services, Gas Turbines, Pipeline Inspection & Integrity Services, Reactors & Steam Condensers, Reducing & Metering Systems, Steam Turbines, Turboexpanders, Valves - Control & Safety, Rail, Locomotive Products, Rail Services US, Rail Services Europe, Traffic Control & Dispatch Systems, VeriWise RAIL, Security, Water, Energy Financial Services, Equipment, Membrane Elements, Cartridge Filters and Lab Products, Process Chemicals, Water & Process Technologies, Water Treatment Chemicals DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  19. GE GE’s market capitalization is about $235 billion GE is about 126 years old. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  20. Google, Inc. Google’s market capitalization is about $255 billion - about 15% more than GE. Google is about 12 years old, or 1/10th of GE’s age. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  21. If SEM Didn’t Work, Google Wouldn’t Be So Huge • 68% of Google’s annual revenue, about $26 billion, comes from those PPC ads on top and right of search result pages, and that roughly 26 billion clicks per year is only about 15% of all Google.com clicks. The rest are clicks from the non- paid, free or “organic” listings. Bing and Yahoo add about 30% to these numbers. • Thousands of businesses would not be paying these click charges month after month if it did not work. Tracking profit is quite accurate these days, and most businesses could spend much more profitably. • In short, SEM really works, and you want to be in search engines, certainly the free parts and probably the paid parts. • You can do this affordably and profitably, but it’s not cheap. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  22. Why Not SEM? • Too many hucksters and incompetents are consulting -- no equivalent of the AMA or the ABA exists to qualify “professionals.” Complexity is too much to master unless it’s your full time job -- and even then it’s really hard to master. It’s more complicated than the legal profession, though not as complicated as the medical profession. It takes a lot of time to learn enough to chose a consultant or SEM firm. SEM changes weekly. Google alters its ranking algorithm about 500 times per year--more than once per day--and some changes, like the recent Panda and Penguin updates, have ruined millions of dollars of past (shady) SEM work and many businesses. The “Hard Freakonomics of Search Marketing for Small Businesses,” by Rob Laporte (moi), www.visibilitymagazine.com/disc-inc/rob- laporte/the-hard-freakonomics-of-search-marketing-for-small- business • • • • DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  23. Your Qualms & Experiences with SEM • I’d like to hear your experiences with search (and web) marketing, but first, to frame our talk: – Increasing complexity and competition in search marketing push it beyond the budgets of ever larger small businesses. On the other hand: – (1) The rise of non-search venues for small business, like Pinterest, Etsy.com, and social media, transcend the “top ten” search results via a rich web of relevant connections. – (2) An emergent cultural rejection of “too big to fail” will continue to give rise to searches for smaller and/or local businesses outside of and perhaps soon within the major search engines. Your experiences? Continue the conversation at www.2disc.com/blog/resisting-the- decline-in-search-marketing-roi-for-small-businesses/ • • • DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  24. Prioritizing SEM: SEO, Then Paid Placement • In most cases, SEO, which concerns the CMS (content management system), code, and language of your website, is your first priority • Paid placement is next, with PPC search ads first, then PPC ads that run in partner websites (AdSense or “contextual advertising”), then display advertising, which is getting ever more simple to do well and quickly. • If you sell products, high on priority list is shopping comparison sites, like Google Shopping and Nextag.com. These use the PPC model. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  25. Technical SEO • Do an SEO technical audit and correct problems found. – Best free tool is WooRank.com. – If you can afford it, hire an SEO pro who knows which SEO technical problems are most urgent and how to fix them. Otherwise, Google it, being sure to restrict results to the last year. – We may run one of these WooRank reports for an audience member’s website later. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  26. Keyword Research and SEO Writing • This concerns researching and writing key phrases into your website. – This is old fashion SEO, essentially the same since 1997. • Affordable keyword research tools, like WordTracker and Google’s keyword tool, don’t work very well now. – Bing’s free tool is the best of the cheap ones. – DISC now recommends PPC advertising to determine the best keywords for SEO. • Learning the rules of SEO writing is relatively easy. Some pros argue that 50% of this is just doing good writing, which naturally uses words and phrases relevant to your market’s searches. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  27. CMS & Database SEO or CMS-SEO • Do a CMS-SEO audit and correct problems found. This one really does require an SEO pro. See my two Visibility Magazine articles on CMS-SEO at www.2disc.com/about- us/press-and-media/visibility-magazine, which are a few years old but still accurate except for word counts in some areas of web pages. • Small business get a good search engine friendly CMS in WordPress, especially with the Yoast or similar plug-ins. • For websites selling lots of products, programming your CMS to pull keywords into your pages may require a week of skilled labor, but you end up with an intelligent SEO machine that works for you in perpetuity. True, the resulting SEO is not as good as careful manual work--which should be done on key pages as well--but the ROI escalates over months and years because your SEO costs in this area drop to zero. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  28. Link Marketing • Entails getting relevant, legitimate incoming links from other web properties to your website (or Google+ page). • Debatable whether link marketing is part of “SEO” per se. • If you take a cheap and easy root, you risk failure and sudden deep demotions in the search engines any time in the future. – Google’s Panda and Penguin updates destroyed many businesses that used inexpensive link marketing tactics. • Like social media marketing, link marketing done right takes time and care. Budget a little bit each month. • If y DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  29. Paid Placement • You can’t do this half-way, except for AdWords Express, which I’ll discuss shortly. – The profitable ads and keyword searches that trigger the ads to appear in search engines take time to find and optimize via monthly testing. – Putting a “toe in the water” means you’ll do what everyone else has bidded up to the most expensive clicks. – Use “Re-Targetting.” – Paid placement requires talented, long-experienced professional help. Even the full-time pros are finding it difficult to keep up with the most profitable tactics. • Remember that PPC is largely a bidding platform. Your competition shares your reluctance to spend, creating opportunity for you. “Fortune Favors the Bold.” DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  30. Google AdWords Express • Made for small businesses. • Easy and self-serve, though a pro will probably earn her pay when assisting with this. • Google does virtually all of the management. Human management is still much better if budget permits because of course Google wants high click costs, and software has many years before surpassing the human mind. • One good study showed that AdWords Express is profitable only about 30% of the time. • Still, it’s worth a try, especially with the $100 coupons you get for handing in the feedback forms today. You inexpensively find out whether you’re one of the lucky 30%. • Upcoming GIDE class on AdWords Express soon, be sure to sign up at GetitDoneExpress.com (more on this shortly). DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  31. Budgeting SEM • Remember that your reluctance to spend is shared by your competition, creating opportunity for you. • You budget time and/or money for plenty of other things; budget a good percentage monthly for SEM. • “Fortune favors the bold.” DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  32. Choosing SEM Pros • The most advertised SEM firms are usually the worst. • Many people who sold bad mortgages leading to the financial crisis and great recession are now selling SEM. • Most businesses have been burned in SEO. • Even bad firms will have a few good references. Get detailed ROI reports and references from clients you chose. • Look at publishing history in major SEM resources and speaking history at major conferences. • Ascertain who in the firm will actually do your work, get their qualifications, and speak with them. • Look for Google certifications, but this is not essential. • The lower the cost, the higher the risk, though high costs don’t ensure high returns. There’s a major shortage of truly qualified pros. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  33. “Now this end is called the Thagomizer . . . after the Late Thag Simmons” DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  34. Local Search Marketing • If you don’t have a website, use a Google+ (for Business) page. • Make a spreadsheet or other document with all info commonly asked for in the top local search websites. • Make that information as consistent as possible, especially the business name, description, address, phone, and category within the local directory/website. • The more reviews, the better. • Fill out as much info in each as you can. • Much more guidance will be provided in an upcoming GetitdoneExpress.ORG (GIDE) seminar. (More on this shortly) DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  35. Local Search Websites • GetListed.org - Helps check your local registrations and guides you in completing them. • Local search sites to register with, some of which feed and reinforce the top ones like Google’s: – Google+ Local, Yahoo Local, Bing Local, LinkedIn, Express Update USA, Yelp, Best of the Web, Yellowpages.com, HotFrog, Trip Advisor, Local.com, CitySearch, SuperPages, YellowBook, MagicYellow, Localeze, InsiderPages, YellowBot, AllPages, WhitePages.com, Manta, Patch, City- Data, MerchantCircle, Mapquest, Topix, DexKnows, Yellow.com, BBB.org. • Beware of up-selling when registering with some of the above. • davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  36. GIDE: GetitDoneExpress.ORG • Information is free, knowledge is cheap, wisdom is rare, but getting it done is precious. • For Western Mass but someday far beyond, the GIDE series of seminars gets key web marketing jobs done during a 2-3 hour class. Local Search Marketing is the next session. • Future Sessions: SEOing WordPress, conversion rate optimization, top 3 SEO tactics, making a Google+ for Business page, link marketing, Activating Adwords Express, optimizing Google Analytics, more • Sign up at GetitDoneExpress.org or at 2disc.com/contact-us/ • Your feedback, and sessions you’d like. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  37. My Local Web Vision • My vision is to: – (1) have local businesses and organizations interlink their web properties to amplify all properties’ search engine ranking and subsequent business. – (2) Enable businesses to get key web marketing jobs done in 2-3 hour sessions for much less cost than individual consulting, perhaps through local business support organizations like the GBA or through the newly minted entity, GetitDoneExpress.org (GIDE) and Verilliance.com/hispi/. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  38. Benefits of This Vision • Both consortium sites like chambers of commerce and their constituents gain search engine position, traffic, and subsequent business. • Greenfield Community College students and other students get paid experience and follow-up gigs from the GIDE sessions. • Local businesses get crucial web marketing jobs done quickly and inexpensively. • Consortium websites add more value to the arts and business community. • GIDE sessions can expand beyond web marketing, e.g., financial planning, home buying, grant writing, Freshbooks set-up--the sky’s the limit. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  39. A Few Good SEM Resources • • • • • SearchEngineLand.com SearchEngineWatch.com My articles at VisibilityMagazine.com. Search for “Rob Laporte”. www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml Books: The Art of SEO (2nd Edition), SEO for Dummies (Peter Kent’s, 2012). Not sure about PPC books, but Adwords "Made Easy" For Small Business Owners looks good. Read Google’s vast resources. Lynda.com - Paid subscription to great training videos, but usually out-of-date in the SEO/SEM field. GetitDoneExpress.org - GIDE: Training seminars where you actually get the job done. Next is on Local Search Marketing. 2disc.com/blog - for executive perspective and prioritizing • • • DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  40. Just a Few Local Resources (Each Lists Much More) • FosteringArtandCulture.org - An organization of partners working to grow the creative economy in Franklin County, MA www.Franklincc.org - Franklin County Chamber of Commerce improves the community and the area’s business climate. www.fccdc.org - Franklin County CDC helps people make sound decisions that will launch or grow their businesses. GreenfieldBusiness.org - For more than fifty years, the Greenfield Business Association has promoted Greenfield as a destination to visit, shop, dine and conduct business. Hidden-Tech.net - A network to share, teach, and learn business skills and information TurnersFallsRiverCulture.org - RiverCulture works to strengthen the creative and cultural industries in the Turners Falls area. web.gcc.mass.edu - Greenfield Community College https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u_KFnFVjB5taDw7PyEd9bykm6JwNb Edx6hP_RQdYHGA - Great list of resources by Natasha Goncharova, owner financealpha.com. • • • • • • • DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  41. Contacting Me at DISC and Downloading This Session • Rob Laporte – Rob@2disc.com – 413-584-6500 – Yeah, no social media contacts • This presentation is at 2disc.com/about-us/speaking- seminars/ DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  42. Q & A, Discussion, Audience Website Critiques • I invite questions, comments, discussion. • Please fill out and hand in the feedback questionnaire: $100 AdWords Express coupon for all who hand it in. • Let’s review the SEO health of some of your websites. DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

  43. Essentials of Search Marketing 3/22/2013 • This presentation is at 2disc.com/about-us/speaking-seminars/ By Rob Laporte, President DISC, Inc. - “Making Web Sites Make Money” 413-584-6500 Rob@2disc.com www.2disc.com DISC, Inc - “Making Web Sites Make Money” www.2disc.com - Rob@2disc.com - 413.584.6500 - 73 James St., Greenfield, MA 01301

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