In today’s world, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say they “Googled” something.  Or more commonly, just “Google” it.

But just because “Google” has become synonymous with “search” on the internet, does that mean it’s the only game in town?  You might think so, but users and our analytics dashboard traffic reports show otherwise.  The most recent studies indicate that roughly 71.6% of search engine users use Google, but that leaves almost 30% using other sources.

While the use of their search engine has turned Google into a verb in today’s internet lexicon, some individuals prefer not to use the industry leader because of concerns over how their personal information is protected, among other reasons.  There are several alternatives out there from paid to open access. Some are better than others, so finding the best search engines besides Google, can be trial and error.

Yahoo to the rescue

For sheer name recognition, Yahoo holds strong as the number two search engine option. Once an industry leader, Yahoo is the #2 choice for the best search engines besides Google with roughly 14.3% of search engine traffic.

A few reasons people continue to love Yahoo include:

• When you open up the Yahoo search engine main page you find an easy to navigate site with loads of information available.
• The day’s top news is placed at the top center position of the main page and cycles through more than 40 stories that are currently trending.
• Trending topic keywords are displayed in the top right position.
• The left-hand side of the main page provides links to Yahoo services and information such as weather, email, games and job searches.
• Putting a keyword in the search engine quickly produces your classic list of related sites that relate to the topic.
• The right side of the page displays text advertisements with hyperlinks.
• The left side offers filtered search options based on the main search topic.

Many people stayed with Yahoo after they fell to number two because of the ease of use and accuracy of their searches.

bing a happy song

bing has been steadily on the rise as an option when looking for the best search engines besides Google since their debut in 2009. A Microsoft product, bing is marketed as a “decision engine”, and was known previously as Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search. bing’s increasing popularity and aggressive marketing is quickly closing the gap between them and Yahoo, as they have roughly 9.9% of search engine usage.

A few things that bing users love include:

• The main page contains a huge interactive graphic that changes regularly and is based on varied topics that tie in to current events related to the topic.
• Across the top of the main page you will find several tabs to various types of searchable information such as images, shopping, news, etc.
• One key tab that sets bing apart from other search engines is the Search History tab. This tab does just what it sounds like it does and is a more useful tool tan you might think.
• Across the bottom of the home page you have the option to enable what is called Stay in the loop with bing. Clicking on this link takes you to a page where you can sign up to receive trending information in your email.
• Bing Trends is another bottom of the page link that will take you to a page that uses graphics and keywords to show the topics trending the highest on bing. The page will displays six days worth of topics.
• The popular now links are simply the top four trending topics of the moment that you can link to directly without having to go to the Bing Trends page.
• A search on bing takes you to the standard list of results, but provides additional information about the topic in an interactive pop-out window.

The best of the rest

There are several other options when searching for the best search engines besides Google, but when it comes right down to it, it is a personal choice. Yes AOL, Ask and Dogpile are still out there, but their percentage of search traffic is growing smaller and smaller over time.  Probably one of the main reasons is that many of these search engines don’t actually give their own results, many are part of the Google network meaning they show you Google search results from their own search portal.

Our best advice is to step outside the Google box and try a few others before settling on the one you’ll call your own.  Our guess is you’ll come to one of 2 conclusions – either a renewed sense of awe for why Google is so highly regarded, or you’ll begin to appreciate the finer points of why some other search engines manage to hold on.

It’s the ultimate internet dream…you have a product you’re passionate about, so you contact a local web developer to build an ecommerce site.  Then you sit back and wait while the billions of earth people trample a path to your new site and buy your stuff.

But for anyone who has tangled with ecommerce, they will attest to the fact that  it’s not quite so simple.

The fact is, there are oftentimes thousands of websites out there selling the same products or services.  So before you can convince someone why they should buy from you over these other sites, you must first get them to your site.  And that means being found on the internet when people search.

Getting traffic to ecommerce sites

There are 3 basic ways you can get internet traffic.  Social media participation is one strategy, paid search advertising is another, and then there’s search engine optimization (SEO) which is the “tried and true” long term strategy.  The problem with SEO is that its harder than it looks, and often times takes time to get results.

Going after good SEO results with ecommerce sites presents its own set of challenges because you have so many products on your website, and so much competition. That’s why WSI is offering a FREE informational webinar called “Five Steps to Optimizing an eCommerce Site for Search Engines” that will give you a step-by-step guide to getting better SEO results.

Just click the image below to find the registration link, or email me info@mywsiconsultant.com if you have any questions.

As a major search engine, Google has been the leader of the pack for quite some time and their constant innovations with things like Google Places are one of the big reasons why. From search to tools to advertising, the Google brand has expanded to unprecedented levels. And one of the most important changes Google has made in the last year has been with the changes to Google Local or Google Places as it’s now called.

By now I’m sure your familiar with the red pushpin on a map showing the locations of 7-10 of the businesses Google can find near the area you are searching for.  Here is a sample screenshot:

"pizza places Metairie LA" Google search results

You are also by now familar with the map which accompanies these markers:

Google Place Search

The Google Local tools recognize that to capture more regional businesses, there needs to be a simplified way to do it. Local businesses like ours deal with many challenges, from customer service, to product and service development and delivery to payroll. Because regional companies have so much to do, it is hard to focus on specific aspects of our businesses.

Google Local includes Google Place Search, designed to offer much more local content from regional advertisers. What this means for me is that I no longer have to spend my time trying to research and find local keywords, monitor the results, and modify bids for those keywords for my AdWords account.

Impact on Ratings & Reviews

The new Google Local format uses the location concept to find out what people are saying about my business in terms of reviews and ratings. These are two things I rarely had time to focus on in the past. This new tool finds all of that info for me so that I can use it to develop relevant Web content. I can also address the issues that I find by writing to consumers directly, which is something I used to have to pay a person to do for me.

Organic Positioning

The other aspect I really like with Google Local is that I can see the details that a local searching consumer is using to find my products and services. Google Place Search issues rewards to local businesses like mine with organic positioning when it finds complete and accurate content. For example, when it picks up a blog entry or article that I wrote, that info is considered and counts toward a higher placement by the search engine.

Since past attempts at organic positioning was something I wasn’t able to master, the new Google Local and Google Place Search has been a lifesaver in terms of leveraging the benefits of local SEO (search engine optimization) listing and placement. Now I can focus on continuing to build a richer rating and review level using these Google resources – which means my business will grow much more easily.

OK so it’s February and most of the typical New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside.  America has not stopped eating junk food and is still not going to the gym.  But should this prevent those of us in the SEO world from having a set of New Year’s resolutions that we can actually keep?  I say no!

So why not set my goal to become an “SEO Ninja”?  Ninjas are not just good at combat, they are great.  They masters of their craft and almost never get killed in the movies.  And though I’ve never actually taken any martial arts, I have to believe that becoming a ninja is definitely something to strive for, is it not?

SEO Ninja at work

Why we need to become SEO Ninjas

Tony Robbins says that people will only experience meaningful change once their pain level becomes high enough.  Maybe this helps explain why most people don’t start eating better or get in shape – it’s just too easy to buy bigger clothes.

But in the SEO world, the pain levels in 2011 aren’t solved by buying new pants.  Generally speaking, the internet is quickly maturing, and there have never been more “Johnny-come-lately” types than there have in the last few years.  Heck even the local “yellow” books are claiming to offer SEO services.

The reality is that the online world is becoming more and more competitive, and that’s a trend that is not going to change anytime soon.  And for those in the internet marketing world, that means working smarter and harder and not being afraid to try new things all in the name of seeking the best results for our clients.

With this in mind, here is my plan for becoming an SEO Ninja in 2011:

Don’t accept the same old results

The first part of becoming an SEO Ninja is accepting that as good as you might be now, you can get better.  Setting the bar higher can be really uncomfortable when things seem to be humming along and your tendency is to stand pat.  But Ninjas want to get bigger, stronger and faster so we should set our goals higher and higher for each project.

Beware the “secret sauce”

The SEO world is full of people who claim to have Google figured out and don’t want to share or explain how they did it because they have created some sort of “secret sauce.”  There is a great cartoon about this where the guys in black hats are chanting to Google for better rankings.

Remember, Google alone makes hundreds of changes each year to their ranking algorithm.  And with this in mind, how can you expect to have the secret to success when the basic ingredients are constantly changing.  Ninja discipline requires us to stop chasing “get rich quick” fads and focus on things that build value over the long run.

Try something new

I take a lot of pride in always trying to think like a “rut-buster.”  By this I mean always keeping the perspective that just because something worked before doesn’t mean it will always work again.  Let’s face it, the online world is changing fast and anyone who thinks they have it figured out for good is an idiot.  And that means not being afraid to try new things in your practice (of course assuming you watch out for “get rich quick” as mentioned above).

Dedicate sufficient time to training

So as part of being a Ninja, you should expect to work on your craft on a regular basis. And for us SEO types, that means reading articles, attending webinars and taking every chance we get to learn something new and figure out how to implement it into our practices.  And while this doesn’t mean abandoning “tried and true” techniques that work, it does mean being willing to adopt and change quickly.

We each have to spend time on a weekly basis sharpening our skills if we want to become and stay Ninjas!

Why 3 listings of course!

In today’s world, talking about being first on Google for something is starting to get complicated. With the introduction of “personalization” of search, the items you see for a particular phrase will vary greatly from what I see when I search.

The good news though is that with the introduction of varied results, there are now more chances than ever for you to have MULTIPLE listings on Page 1 of Google for a certain phrase. So today, the real goal in the search engine marketing profession is to gain multiple listings instead of just focusing on one.

Go for #1 spots in all 3 areas

With Google, you have 3 possible spots that you could appear “#1” for a various phrase:

1. Natural, organic results – these are the regular, non-paid results that everyone knows and trusts.
2. Paid search ads – these paid placements appear at the top and to the side of relevant search phrases.
3. Local listings – in certain cases, Google is now displaying a set of local listings which are near to the locality of the place you have searched.

That’s not all – claim more spots with “Universal Results”

Have you noticed that when you search for something you get results that include news, videos and articles about the phrase in addition to regular search results? These are called “universal results” which are designed to give you a well rounded sample to choose from.

The good news is that companies can now shoot for multiple listings there as well with highly ranked videos, news items and articles or even social results from sites like Facebook and Twitter.

If you can’t beat them, join them

It seems simple – become the most relevant and Google will put your company on the first page. However, in order to know how to make Google recognize your website as the most relevant one, you would have to know the algorithm that Google uses to rank websites. That algorithm is a closely guarded secret, which is why there is no single recipe to the right mix of SEO, PPC, and keyword placement to get onto page one.

Our suggestion, go after multiple results on the first page so when you can’t win for one, maybe you’ll win for another!

The one digital marketing acronym everyone should know

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. When you type a phrase into Google or any other search engine, the results for that search appear on a new page in your browser. This is the SERP, and for businesses concerned with online marketing, being on the first SERP is one of the top priorities.

Why it matters to businesses

Let’s face it, who looks past page 1 for anything on Google? If a customer has to go to the second page of results to find your website, they are far less likely to find you or to conduct their business on your site.

What a typical SERP looks like

On the SERP, you will see three types of results.

• On the left side of the page is where one can find natural or organic listings, those which are placed there because the search engine finds them to be the most relevant to your search terms.
• Above those are the sponsored links. Companies pay the search engine to be placed in these positions.
• On the right side of the page are the paid advertisements, the PPC ads.

Which is the best place for my business on SERP?

Everybody wants to be #1 on Google for their dream phrase, but sadly everyone can’t be first. Even so, there are strategies for placement on search results pages that may benefit you such as occupying multiple positions on the page. Today we look at sponsored results, regular organic results and local results as 3 opportunities to show up on the page. Stay tuned to future blog posts to learn more about this.

How to evaluate how “good” is your website?

When we talk to new clients, most of them fall into one of 2 categories. First are the people who know they have a lousy website and need a new one. We applaud these people for being reasonable and open to suggestions.

However, the 2^nd crowd thinks their websites are great. And we have to be careful with this because websites are sometimes like children, in that only a parent can call them ugly without fear of a fist fight.

The brutal truth

At the end of the day, the goal is to get people to your website and get them to become customers. And the truth is that if your website isn’t good enough, your online marketing efforts may be largely wasted. And in today’s economy, that’s a luxury most of us can’t afford.

Questions to consider if your website passes the “smell test”

• Does it engage visitors quickly? You have about seven seconds to convince someone who comes to your website that they want to stay, and this time includes load time.
• Does it load quickly? Not only does load time count towards engaging visitors, it also affects the way that search engines rank a website. Slower sites are ranked lower, so ensuring that yours loads quickly is a necessity.
• Does it have great content? When the visitor feels engaged with the site, they want to read more and take part in conversations on the website. They are more likely to turn into customers when they find your site interesting, and more likely to return regularly.
• Does it set you apart from competitors? This is more than great graphics or pleasing colors. Smart design involves placing the information in a way that will lead to conversions, such as clearly telling visitors how your are different than everyone else that offers the same service.

Don’t Ignore Your 2010 Business Card

Remember, your primary digital asset is not your Facebook page or your Twitter account or a really great email ad; it is your website. Take the time to make sure that your website is representing your business well and serving as an effective business tool.

Internet marketing 101

Businesspeople often say that they feel that they are wasting money on advertising but that they are not sure which money is being wasted and which is translating into profits. In fact, John C. Penny (JC Penny Founder) once said that half of his marketing money was wasted, he just wish he knew which half.

Now that much of the budget for marketing pursuits is devoted to online marketing rather than tangible, traditional advertisements, it can be nothing short of overwhelming, especially for time strapped business owners and managers.

The shift to online from traditional media

The popularity of Google has changed the way potential customers find companies and select products. For most people, the process starts online with a search. This has resulted in a complete change in the way marketers approach sales techniques to reach potential clients.

Here are some terms that will help you understand online advertising as it exists currently, in the world of social media and Google:

• SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to the way a website is built and positioned in order to be seen and ranked highly by popular search engines.
• PPC stands for pay per click and refers to a type of advertisement that can be placed on Google. Customers pay Google a set rate for each person that clicks on their ad.
• Social media and social networking refer to websites dedicated to connecting people for various purposes, whether it is for fun, business, or potential collaborations. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn provide unique opportunities to connect with other businesses as well as your customers.

Where to start?

If the shift towards digital marketing has you stumped, you are not alone. The most effective online marketing approaches incorporate each of these three components into a comprehensive plan that reaches consumers where they are, in any and all of these places. This is something that is hard, if not impossible, to get “out of the box” so to speak and requires careful planning and work to get the results you want.

Texas AG considers taking Google to court

I saw an interesting story this week about a situation where someone who wasn’t happy with Google’s search rankings of certain sites is considering suing the world’s most popular search engine.  The Texas attorney general is looking into complaints that Google is tilting their search results to favor certain sites over others.  The AG apparently has filed an “antitrust inquiry” into the matter.

As frustrating as it can be trying to crack the “Google code,” I can’t see deferring to the conspiracy theorists and resorting to lawsuits.  And I can think of a bunch of reasons to find other things to do with my time besides threaten legal action against the world’s leading search engine.

3 Good reasons NOT to sue Google if you don’t like their results:

1.  Google is the “People’s Choice”

The reason Google is so popular is not because they spend money on marketing.  It’s because users think they give the best results when they search for things.  It’s that simple.

And they don’t just do a little better than everyone else.  It’s way better.  Most studies estimate that Google handles 2/3 of all search requests worldwide.

2.  Google isn’t just waiting for you to show up.

My good friend Ari Malek beat this into my head early on.  Just because you build a site and shoot for a certain phrase, search engines don’t just push everyone out of the way to make room for you.  You have to earn your spot in the rankings.

3.  Google has more money than you.

With annual revenue approaching $30 billion, my guess is Google is ready to stay in court longer than you are!

Here’s a great quote that sums it up:

“Given that not every website can be at the top of the results, or even appear on the first page of our results, it’s unsurprising that some less relevant, lower quality websites will be unhappy with their ranking,” Don Harrison, Google’s deputy general counsel, wrote in a Friday blog post.

Read the full story about the Texas AG looking into Google results

6 Aspects of Marketing Your Website to Searchers

The internet is getting to be a complex place.  And today, more than ever, website owners have lots of choices when looking for ways to promote their websites on the internet.  The term “search marketing” refers to making your website visible to people who are searching on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.  By placing your website in front of these search phrases you are effectively marketing your business to the online user.

Today’s search marketing techniques include:

1.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – SEO refers to configuring your website to show up in
“natural” search results when people type in a given phrase.  These natural, or “organic” search results are those that appear underneath sponsored listings and are free to click on.  SEO generally takes time to implement and succeed but long term is has tremendous benefit for website owners in terms of driving traffic.

2.  Link building – The number and quality of links on the internet pointing to your website is very important when it comes to web marketing.  The best way to build links is to offer web users interesting, entertaining or otherwise valuable content that they will want to talk about or share.

3.  Paid Search Marketing (PPC) – PPC is essentially paying for clicks.  All search engines have a section called “sponsored links” where advertisers pay to be visible when users type in key phrases.  You are charged if someone clicks on your ad and is taken to your website.

4.  Email Marketing – Keeping in touch with your existing clients via email is a tried and true, cost effective way of digital marketing.

5.  Blogging – Many people keep up with blogs for regular doses of good information.  Blogs are a great way to promote your content to other bloggers as well as reach web users in a less formal manner.

6.  Social Media Marketing – This is perhaps the newest and least understood method of search engine marketing.  It refers to techniques used to network with others on social sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.  Marketers today are testing and measuring results from these efforts to figure out the best way for their business to participate in social media and have a positive ROI.