JUMP Internet Marketing

Thinking About a New Flash Website?

Then you're not alone.  Over the years I've spoken with many independent business owners planning an upgrade to their website and thinking about spinning graphics, flash, carousels, and such.  The obvious attraction is that done well, they can boost your company's image.

Without proper planning your site can disappear from the search engines.

Recently, a friend of mine allowed one of his employees to redesign the company's website.  The employee was skilled in graphics and web design and my friend felt comfortable turning over the project.  Even though I had strongly encouraged my friend to attend our workshops, he is, like other independent business owners, extremely busy and looking to hand off this project to someone else. (See my post, Time and Money to Burn)

Weeks later, my friend asked me to look at the results and offer some advice on how they could increase visibility in the search engines.

After just a few minutes of research, I had uncovered some disturbing news.  The website, which previously had a few pages showing in Google was nowhere to be found.  The site didn't even show up on the first page for the company's name.

Why?

The new website had absolutely no text on the home page.  It was all graphics. 

I clicked through the rest of the site.  No text, anywhere.

Google crawls websites by a software program that we refer to a crawler or a spider.  It's not a human.  Words that appear in a graphic appear as nothing to a crawler.

It's the end of 2010 and my friend has a new website that will have to be overhauled, again. (I hope he will make time for our strategy workshop.)

If search marketing is important enough to invest any time or money in, then it is important to have the right strategy.  You don't have to spend a fortune, but you do have to invest some time.  The payoff is worth it.  Otherwise, you're just letting your competition get further and further ahead.

Denise

Thinking About Hiring a Web Marketing Consultant?

For years we've helped clean up after projects gone astray.  Before you outsource, look for these warning signs:

1. "Submit your site x number of search engines" - Submission to search engines is no longer necessary.  If you are listed in the big three, then you will likely show up in the smaller ones.

2. "For only 29.95 a month!" - SEO is a time consuming activity, if you are going to do it well.  If you don't think you're paying a fair wage for a fair day's work, then you probably aren't getting a fair day's work.

3. "I have a friend who works for Google" - Seriously, so Google is going to give you the keys to the kingdom since you know someone who knows someone?  Hmmm.  I thought their credibility was about the reliability and accuracy of results.  I guess the good old boy network even works at Google.

4. Placing all the emphasis on your homepage - While pretty graphics and spinning whirligigs may make you look cool, they don't mean you are going to sell anything.  Search engine marketing is about driving people to content that is topically relevant to their searches.  If your consultant isn't looking at the page content as individual pages and conversions from those pages (the phone number shows everywhere, the contact form is linked, there are photos or videos in the interior) then they really aren't SEM experts.  They are web designers who have learned that offering SEO increases their sales.

5. "We guarantee number one positioning" - Run, run, run the opposite way.  Any credible SEO consultant will have a disclaimer that they can't guarantee positioning.  Why can't they? Well, there are too many parameters: age of your domain, number of competitors for the kwp, are you willing to implement what the vendor asks...etc.  I have seen some try to pull it off saying, "we did get them number one."  Yeah, for obscure keyword phrases in obscure engines that lead to NO SALES.

Google is Sued by Texas Attorney General

Search Engine Optimization specialists have some news for the Texas Attorney General, "we already know a lot about how Google's ranking algorithm works."

Friday's late announcement indicates that the announced that the lawsuit seems is be about whether or not Google is using unfair competition to gain advanatage over its search engine competitors.

This sounds strangely familiar.  Remember U.S. v Microsoft?  Innovative organizations beware.  If you are wildly successful, you too will probably be sued because your competition can't win in the marketplace.

While the Yahoo news article states that nearly two thirds of U.S. searches are run through Google, other sources indicate the number is as high as 85%. 

We've always understood that Google is a business.  If you understand that they are in the business to give the best results and therefore the algorithm is a scoring engine for the "best results." If you understand how they go about determining best results then you can understand how to get better positioning for your site. 

And Google's initial response to the lawsuit is exactly what we expected.  In order to be successful as a search engine, theyy strive to give the user what he wants. It is counterintuitive for a business to not deliver top service and still expect to be number one. 

If a business goes about finding out how to be the favorite, does that create an unfair advantage?  When it is wildly successfully should it then be required to even the playing field again?  Should Google adjust its search results to avoid the lawsuits by TradeComet and others?  If Google manipulates the outcomes of its search results then it is guilty of the charges.  Of course Google products are going to be promoted highly in its own search engine. 

In the end I think Google will ultimately follow Microsoft's path and make a concession or two that it can afford to make.  Microsoft found itself in court from 1993 to 2004 when a final settlement was reached.  Most considered the settlement to be a slap on the wrist for Microsoft.  

It's ironic that Google claims Microsoft is supporting the companies behind the suit because of the indirect ties to the companies.

--Denise

 Read the news article on Yahoo news.

When to Run Away from an Internet Marketing Consultant

Snakeoil salesmen...  We've used that phrase more than once this year to describe the worst representatives of our industry.  For years I've been hearing horror stories from business owners and marketing directors about how they were swindled by some "slick talking" SEO consultant.

Last evening, I was visiting with the marketing director at our club who shared yet another story of being misled.

Two fast talkers had set up a meeting with her under the guise of potential membership and event booking.   As the meeting began they quickly revealed their true intention to sell her services.

They assured her they would position her website in top listings in Google.

Fortunately, she was so put off by their misrepresentation that she didn't bite.

This all too common scenario reveals TWO important red flags to look for:

1. Misrepresentation of the intent of the meeting - I think we all know that if someone is dishonest in a small way, he will be dishonest in a big way (with YOUR MONEY).

2. Guarantees - WIth no analysis performed, a consultant could only say what MAY be possible.  Also, even Google publishes warnings about SEO consultants that guarantee positioning. 

Watch your marketing investments carefully.  Yes, you need top positioning in search engines and lots of targeted traffic to your website, but you won't get the help you need from liars.  Just say NO.

-- Denise

New Free Seminar Added to our Summer Schedule

We've Extended the Recovery Pricing

Our workshop schedule has been updated through August 31, 2010 and offers good news for those of you who had hoped to take advantage of our recovery pricing... the pricing has been extended through the end of August.  Many of you have only recently learned about our workshops and have asked us about the possibility of getting in on the discounted pricing during the summer.  So, we've extended the offer just for you!  Unfortunately, August is absolutely the last month for this pricing so be sure to sign up now.

New Seminar!

Social media for business... you've got to get on Facebook, are you Linked In?  Everyone has advice for the independent business owner about using social media.  Everyone tells you that you HAVE TO DO IT! But you are worried about the ROI, spam, and putting yourself out there.

Take comfort in this advice from Mr. Miyagi:

 

Without the right focus, any effort you undertake may get you "squished." We thought about calling our new seminar "How to Avoid Falling on Your Facebook and Looking Like a Twit" because so many business owners are struggling with the decision to move forward with these campaigns. In our opinion, adding a social media campaign to your online marketing efforts needs to be part of your overall marketing strategy. So, we're offering a free seminar series in August to help business owners through the pitfalls. Will a social media campaign work for your business? Maybe. Our free seminar "Social Media Campaigns and Your Business" will help you avoid doing it "guess so." Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest workshop and seminar schedule.

Don't Put All Your Eggs in Google

This was going to be my easter theme post... eggs, Google, get it?  All kidding aside, my point is this: Google doesn't own ALL of the market share even though the latest numbers, globally, are amazing.  Check out this trend report here.

While Google is the big fish you'd like to hook, don't dismiss the importance of your listing in the other engines.

Have you checked your positioning in search engines like Yahoo lately?  If not, you may not be happy with how your listing is displayed in the search results.  Remember, positioning is not enough. Conversion is the golden ticket.  (Now I'm thinking of Willy Wonka.)

You might be horrified to discover that your navigation is being displayed instead of your USP. 

If you've been myopic about Google, I encourage you to spend some time in some other engines this week:

• Yahoo
• Bing
• Ask
• AOL

There is a world outside of Google (even though it seems to be getting smaller by the month.)

While you're at it, check your listings in local directories and Yelp.  If you aren't there, why not?

Happy Hunting,

Denise

Missed the Sign Up for our FREE Seminar in March?

The GOOD NEWS is ... this seminar will be available in April.  Be sure to sign up for our search engine marketing workshop and seminar schedule to receive the latest updates via email.

Be sure to subscribe or order our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest offerings from JUMP.

Time and Money to Burn: Why Good Companies Can’t Make Progress with Internet Leads and Sales

It’s 2010 and many companies still haven’t leveraged the Internet to capitalize on the lowest customer acquisition costs available to them.  For over a decade web development and internet marketing services purported to be the answer to the question, “how can we use the Internet to increase our business?”   While some businesses have been wildly successful with their Internet marketing efforts, most SMB companies struggle to gain any real momentum with their campaigns.

  

Why?

 

The reasons may surprise you. Given the current economic climate it would be easy to assume that money is the root problem. However, the inability of companies to make forward progress on the Internet has very little to do with budget and money, even in this economic climate.

 

Yet every day, businesses with the smallest of marketing budgets spend $25 to $1,000 on Internet marketing services that produce nothing.

 

The problem isn’t in the cost of the services as some consultants would have you believe.   As a matter of fact, today more than ever SMB companies can take advantage of free and low cost tools to increase leads and sales through the Internet.

From our experience, the reason that good companies can't make progress with Internet leads and sales it that they lack the right strategy and they land somewhere between attempting to completely adopt someone else's strategy or doing a little bit of something they don't understand.

 

Before you invest another penny in your website, we ask you to invest one hour of your time at our Free Internet Marketing Strategies Seminar:

 

Small Budget, Big Results… How to Fix Your Website (REGISTER)

1. Small efforts with big payoff
2. Five Warning Signs when evaluating vendors
3. Free and Low Cost Resources to Improve Your Web Presence

Dates and Times:

December 2, 2010 - 5:15 - 6:15, Oklahoma City

December 13, 2010 -  3:30 - 4:30, Tulsa

January 17, 2011 - 3:30 - 4:30, Tulsa

February 21, 2011 - 3:30 - 4:30, Tulsa

March 21, 2011 - 3:30 - 4:30, Tulsa

 

 

So, what’s the catch?  Why is JUMP offering this free seminar?

 

Quite honestly, we’d like to get out of the cleanup business by helping Oklahoma businesses avoid the many traps and snake oil salesmen they encounter in the Internet Marketing arena.

 

For over a decade we’ve been the cleanup crew called in to fix website projects that went awry.  We’d like to help Oklahoma businesses struggling in this economy know what we know about strategic website investment.  This free seminar is only available to Oklahoma business owners and is intended to guide them in how to effectively, strategically invest resources into their websites.  There's no heavy sales pitch.  It's one hour of our consulting for free.

You Can Build Your Website in ONE Day, We Guarantee It.

We're very excited about our newest workshop: Build Your Website in ONE Day.  For years we've coached businesses that were stuck, unable to get anywhere on the internet because they had no website. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

"We're still waiting for the website developer to get back to us."

"I know we need a website, but we just can't take that project on right now."

"We have a domain, but I don't have a login.  I think the guy we paid to build the website has it."

"I'm not technically savvy.  I don't know the first thing about building a website."

Maybe you've said it or you've thought it.  GOOD NEWS!  We've created a special workshop just for you.

You need a website that tells the story of your business.  (See the earlier post, Stop Wasting Your Website Dollars)  Website visitors want quick, logically organized and helpful information explaining how your business meets THEIR NEED.

You'll leave the workshop with a completed website, we guarantee it or your next workshop is free. 

We're so excited about this new workshop that we are offering a Special Introductory Price for internet customers. From now until June 30, 2010, you can register for only $275!  

Get the full details of our workshop

View the entire workshop schedule

How to Stop Wasting Your Website Dollars - Take the First Step

A wise business owner leverages all of his available resources to grow his business in the lean years and in the gravy days.  When it comes to the Internet, however, we've seen businesses throw buckets of money towards a website that didn't produce sales.

Businesses "waste" their web marketing dollars for two primary reasons:

Reason Number 1: They don't understand the technologies involved - so the first search engine snake oil salesman or the owner's brother's friend who knows how to develop websites is entrusted with mission critical tasks. 

Honestly, it should come as no surprise when the snakeoil salesman who promised the business listings in Google for only $39.95 has now found ways to force you to buy more services and still has delivered nothing.  And if the business is lucky enough to get "listings," you can be sure it doesn't produce business.

Neither should it surprise anyone that the owner's brother's friend is late on delivery of the website, holds the domain hostage, and, when finally ordered to turn over what he has created, there is little to nothing of any value for anyone else to move forward.

Reason Number 2: Businesses forget who they are and what makes them special or important to their customers.

We are surrounded with buzzwords and technology trend news that convinces us that our way of doing business must change at lightning speed to keep up with technology.  We say, "That's a lot of bunk." 

Technology is a tool to be utlized strategically.  If you don't know how to apply the tools used then simply having the tool is worthless.  What's worse, opportunity is being lost as weeks and months of missed sales slip past while waiting for something to happen.

The truth is that businesses operated and grew before the Internet.  What makes a business special is not a flashy website or tweets or facebook posts.  Sure, businesses have used these tools to increase their businesses.  But the increase has come through the business's voice and the message delivered through the particular medium.  These tools are helping to promote what the business has to say or offer to people.

So, here's an exercise for business owners as you sip your morning coffee.  Think about one of your best customers and what he says to others about why he buys from you.  Now look at your website.  Does it tell the tale?  If not, now you know your first step to getting more from your website dollars.

If your business has no website, that's great! You haven't wasted any money yet.  Make the time to write the story that must be told on your website, and THEN proceed to step two.