Google Boost vs Google Adwords – Which One Fits Your Business? If you are a small business owner looking to get more traffic to your website, you have probably thought about using Google’s paid options: Google Adwords and Google Boost. While most business owners have heard about the Adwords program, and have a very decent idea of what it is about, but the Boost Program was released only a couple of years ago, so it is still fairly new to most. The fact that our business is mostly geared towards helping small business owners succeed with their online efforts, no matter the level of expertise in the different aspects of internet marketing they might have, got me thinking: Which advertising program is more beneficial to small business owners: Adwords or Boost? In order to illustrate the differences between them, we first need to know…. You Should Know Google Boost is… That little marker you sometimes see in a Map, in Google searches. Geared towards local search. Searches which trigger local places listings and map listings (Geo-targeted Searches). Tied to your Google Places listing. It will use your listing information to determine location and other contact info. The Headline is your [...] read more
Google Boost vs Google Adwords: Which One Fits Your Business Needs?
Google Boost vs Google Adwords – Which One Fits Your Business? If you are a small business owner looking to get more traffic to your website, you have probably thought about using Google’s paid options: Google Adwords and Google Boost. While most business owners have heard about the Adwords program, and have a very decent idea of what it is about, but the Boost Program was released only a couple of years ago, so it is still fairly new to most. The fact that our business is mostly geared towards helping small business owners succeed with their online efforts, no matter the level of expertise in the different aspects of internet marketing they might have, got me thinking: Which advertising program is more beneficial to small business owners: Adwords or Boost? In order to illustrate the differences between them, we first need to know…. You Should Know Google Boost is… That little marker you sometimes see in a Map, in Google searches. Geared towards local search. Searches which trigger local places listings and map listings (Geo-targeted Searches). Tied to your Google Places listing. It will use your listing information to determine location and other contact info. The Headline is your [...] read more
Google Panda – 3 Months Later
Google Panda – 3 Months Later Google Panda was a significant algorithm change done by Google on February 2011. According to Google, the main goal of this update was to identify low quality sites that may not provide the best experience for users. The main target was sites known as “Content Farms”, or sites that publish user-submitted content, (done mostly for link building reasons), and don’t have the appropriate quality control, therefore publishing low quality content. Since its launching, we’ve been monitoring high traffic sites to see how this change might affected them in terms of visits and page views. Social Media Sites As expected with the “Social Media Boom”, social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin haven’t been struck in any way by this update, on the contrary, they have experimented increases on the number of page views during the last three months. For example, Facebook almost increase in 30% its number of page views. Aligned with the increasing popularity of social networking sites, Yelp, the most visited user reviews site, has grown 22% in the last three months. This boost confirms that everyday consumers pay more attention to reviews and they are starting to play an important [...] read more
Google Plus One for Websites
Google Plus One for Websites Since its introduction last March, Google +1 has stirred up lots of conversations around the globe. Its impact in the world of search engines and organic and paid results is still somewhat unknown. Maybe you just heard about Plus One, but are not sure what you should do with it. Let’s start the some common questions about Google +1 What is Google +1? +1 is Google’s version of Facebook’s like button, applied to Search Engine Result Pages. It was conceived as an easy way for users to get and give suggestions or recommendations in the search results pages. The +1 buttons appears next to your headline on search ads and organic results. Personalized annotation (derived from +1) appear beneath your Display URL. In Google’s words a +1 tells your friends: “This is something you should checkout”. Who can see My +1’s? By default your +1’s are “public to the world”, but that doesn’t mean everybody will see your +1’s. Only your Social Connections will see them –if Google consider they will benefit from it-, as explained by Google, your Social Connections include people in your Gmail Chat List, people in your Google Contacts, people You [...] read more
Google Wallet – The Future of Mobile eCommerce?
Today is a new day for the Mobile Shopping World: Today Google announced its mobile payment service, called Google Wallet, which allows users to store credit card info, offers loyalty cards and gift cards. Using the Google Wallet System, users will only need to tap your phone on the reader (MasterCard’s PayPass Merchants) to send payment ( and loyalty card info if enabled) to the merchant, just like you would do with a credit card. The Tap-To-Pay system will be enabled anywhere the MasterCard PayPass is accepted. Merchants willing to participate will join Google’s SingleTapTM network, which at the time of this writing is composed by AE Outfitters, Bloomingdales, Subway and Toysrus among others. I anticipate users will be concerned about security, and this is how Google Addresses this issue: by using a Google Wallet PIN that must be entered before making a purchase. Plus enabled phones incorporate a chip called the “Secure Element”, which is described as a “separate computer, capable of running programs and storing data” allowing only trusted programs to access the info stored on it. As with any credit card, Google suggests if your phone is lost or stolen, call your banks to cancel your cards. [...] read more
Google+ for Local Businesses in 7 Easy Steps
How To Create a Google+ Page for Your Business Last week Google announced the out of beta testing release of their Google+ Pages for Businesses. If you are looking to create one for your local business (which you totally should), don’t be afraid of doing it yourself: it is very fats and easy. 1.Get Started Go to this link: https://plus.google.com/pages/create” you will need a Google Account. If you don’t have one yet, go here to Create Google Account 2. Pick a category Select “Local Business or Place” if you own a local business. 3. Find Your Business Link Your Google Place Listing with your Google + Listing by entering your Regional Location and Your Phone Number 4. No Results? Add Your Info 5. Found it? Confirm Your Info, Select Your Category 6. Customize Your Page 7. Let your friends, family and customers know You are done! Now you can start posting in your Google+ Business Page. Coming next, we will be talking about what you can do to get your Google+ Business Page noticed, and other tips and tricks to make the most of Google+ for your business. read more
How To Make a Membership Website in Less Than 1 Day?
Time and time again we’ve had customer requesting us to create a membership website, where they can have recurring income by supplying information and/or products in a monthly basis, which is both user-friendly and inexpensive. One of the fastest ways to get a membership website started, not to mention inexpensive, is by using WordPress and a Membership Plugin, such as Wishlist Member. Why Using WordPress (WP) as Your Content Management System (CMS)? If you are looking to have a self-managed website in a matter of minutes, WordPress is your best choice. Either if you are using a One-Click Install from within your hosting account (such as Hostgator) or the famous 5-minute install procedure, you will end up with a website in less than you think. Why Using Wishlist Member as Your Prefered WP Membership Plugin? Because of the amount of flexibility and power wishlist member provides, and the very low price, nothing will beat it. Why would I need or want a Membership Website? Watch this video as an introduction to the business model of a membership website. read more
How to Use the Google “Farmer” Update to Your Advantage
Every time Google makes a significant change in their algorithm, website owners and SEOs freak out, and not without a reason: if you make a living out of your website, and the most significant single source of traffic is Google’s organic search results, then any change they make to their algorithm could potentially impact your rankings, for good or bad. The most recent update, called “Panda Update” by Google’s team, was targeted towards cleaning up their results, by decreasing the relevancy of pages hosted by content farms, commonly used by SEOs in marketing techniques such as Article Marketing, which works by piggybacking authority from other websites to have your content rank for your targeted search terms, this content usually contains links to your website as well. The content is then usually republished by other webmasters, which increases the number of incoming links to your website. This content is published in your own website or not, depending on your preference. While this technique is completely legitimate, it’s major pitfall is making Google think its author / owner is the initial republishing website, lets say Ezinearticles.com. See, in Google’s eyes the first website where this content is found is the “owner”, subsequent [...] read more
New Twitter Brand Pages: 5 Reasons they Rock
Twitter Announces New Enhanced Profile Pages Under the premise of making it easier for its users see what matters to them, Twitter announced its new redesign along with the introduction of its new Enhanced Profile Pages, currently available only to select Twitter profiles. The enhanced profile pages are targeted to marketers who want to create a more compelling brand communication to its followers. Check out how these major brands are using their brand new enhanced profile pages: How can you tell if your Twitter profile has been “enhanced” Unfortunately as of today, this new feature is only available to a bunch of hand-picked profiles from big corporations, and they are not accepting “requests”, there is not anything such as a “waiting list” of any sorts so, if you don’t work for one of the “chosen ones”, you will have to wait until they open it up for you. What is the difference between an old Twitter profile and a new one? read more
Top Local SEO Assets Your Small Business Should Care About
One of the biggest shifts in the Search Engine World is happening in 2011. Google has significantly changed they way it presents results, giving the Local Results much more relevancy than ever before. Not too long ago Google “leaked” the info that at least 20% of all the Searches that they process are related to Local Search Meaning at least 20% of users are adding location to their searches. This is no surprise to me, an avid internet researcher, but it indicates that the shift is happening. Every time, more and more people look for Google’s recommendation on local services. This opens opportunities for businesses of all sizes to increase their visibility and therefore their customer base even if they don’t have a website yet. The most important Local SEO Assets which will bring you the most return on investment are: Local Search Engine Profiles: Google Places, Yahoo Local, Bing Local Local Directories: Yelp, Citysearch, Superpages, MerchantCircle, and others. Paid Local Advertising: Google Adwords, Bing Adcenter. Location Based Social Networking Websites: Foursquare, Facebook Places (View a comprehensive list http://bdnooz.com/lbsn-location-based-social-networking-links/ ) Local Coupons / Deals: Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com, Yipit.com, Slickdeals.net, Craigslist.org, etc. Using these web properties will increase your business exposure, and [...] read more
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