Understanding Your Yahoo Local Listing by MaryEllen Gibson

 

 

Here is a sample Yahoo Local Listing for Company X Inc. located in the Sunny Wine Valley of Temecula , California. Company X Inc has an outstanding Online Marketing Director that has guided their local listing to the number one position (hey, that’s me!).  A Yahoo Local listing provides a lot of information for visitors to find out more about a local business. Let’s go through the listing step by step.

 

A.      Star Ranking: This is a rating that is calculated by user reviews.

5 stars = Excellent

4 stars = Good

3 stars = Average

2 stars = Poor

1 star = Awful

   

B.       Business Name

C.      Business Phone Number

D.      Business Website Address

E.       Address

F.       Map It / Get Directions: This allows visitors to be able to map a route from where they are to the business address or just see a map of the area.

G.      Cross Streets of Location

H.      Write a Review: Visitors can leave a star review and comments by clicking on this link.

I.         Images: Users can upload images of work done by the business or products sold.

J.         Business Overview: This is a drop down area that includes additional business information.

K.      Categories: List of Services the business supplies

L.       Payment: What types of payments does the business accept? Cash, Check Credit?

M.     Brands: What Brand Names does this business use? This listing shows Microsoft, Joomla, Google and Yahoo.

N.      Products and Services : This is a great place for your keywords

O.      Languages Spoken

P.       Year Established

Q.      Other Contact Information

R.       E-mail Contact Address

S.       User Review: Includes Avatar of User, User’s nickname, and review

T.       Star Ranking given by user

U.      Was this review helpful?

V.      Small map of surrounding area

 

That is the Yahoo Local Listing in a nutshell. It is a mini website allowed by Yahoo for Businesses to promote themselves. Think of Local Listings as the Chamber of Commerce for the World Wide Web.

Contact MaryEllen at www.maryellengibson.com

The “Must Haves – Now ” Quadrant of Online Marketing by MaryEllen Gibson

The Quadrants of Online Marketing are a reminder of where our online marketing time needs to be spent and more importantly not spent when creating and maintaining a strong online marketing presence. Too many times we are so caught up in the details of online marketing that we do not stop and take a look at the big picture.

 

This article will concentrate on the “Must Haves – Now” quadrant . Many times when I start my clients on a new website I go through a brief questionnaire with them asking what their goals are for their online presence. Where do they want to see their business presence in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years? This is where I expect to hear their commitment level to their online marketing plan. I need to now what their goals are so I can create an online action plan. Then I walk through the “Must Have Now” quadrant

 

-         Set Up Local Search

– Create a Blog

– Create a Strong Clean Website

– Strong Navigation

– Start Creating Content

– Submit to Google & Yahoo

– Include Web Address on all

- marketing

– Create top 20 keywords

– Google Analytics (some type

- of analytic software)

 

     We start with Local Listings on both Google and Yahoo. I set up these accounts with them as we discuss their top 20 keywords. I want to make sure we discuss these at this point because I want them to start showing up in Local Search under their keywords as soon as possible. If you are not familiar with Local Google or Local Yahoo it is almost like a mini website that contains contact information and some basic services and product information. If you would like to find out more I have two blogs on the topic

-The Power of Google Local

-The Power of Yahoo Local

 

     Next we go over Navigation and Content. These two items go hand in hand. We walk through location of navigation and types of navigation. Then we start getting to the core of their navigation their 5 or 6 navigation headers. They must encompass all other information that will be present on the site. This is where content comes in. Every time a client comes up with a new header title I create a blank worksheet. I do this for all navigation and sub navigation titles they come up with. I send it to them via e-mail. This is their homework. I do not start the design of the website until this is complete. Content is King. I remind them as they write their content to include the key words they would like to show up under naturally.

 

     Before they leave they get one more piece of homework. I set them up with either a blogger or wordpress blog and give them Blogging 101. Social Media is so important that all businesses big and small must use its power. I have a few blogs about blogging I suggest to get them started and focused. I advise them to blog every other day to get started. Clients who have taken blogging to heart see a difference. They can actually tell you’re their ROI (Return of Investment) for their blog.

 

     When their site is complete then we do a full submission to Google and Yahoo Search. They will ask about the special submissions to 500 search engines they have heard about. Then I ask them to name all the Search Engines they know and use and the conversation ends. Now that their site is up and ready to go with URL submissions ready to go I start talking to them about the new power of their web address. I suggest including it on any and all marketing, promotions, and stationary. I remind them that their website is their open 24 hours a day , 7 days a week, 365 days a year location.

     Finally everyone needs to run some type of Anayltic software on their website. It is important to know your arrival pages and drop off pages in addition to all the other valuable information that analytic software provides. I start most people on Google Analytics . Most clients never change , but a few have moved on to larger analytic programs like omniture. Online Marketing is the MOST trackable form of advertising as long as you know where to look.

Contact MaryEllen at www.maryellengibson.com

The Power of Google Local by MaryEllen Gibson

Google, the world wide search engine that allows people from all over the world to come together online has a secret that is starting to get around. Google’s best work is not around the world , but right down the street from my house and yours. Google best kept secret that is starting to grow, it is Local Search. Local Search is a powerful tool for Mom and Pop local businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Local Search allows users to find goods and services in their neighborhood. Let me explain how it works.

This morning I wanted to find someone to do my Online Marketing in Temecula California. I went to www.google.com and typed in the search bar 

Online Marketing Temecula, Ca

I was greeted at the very top of the page with a map and Google’s online listings. This first page supplied me with a website, contact phone number and a more link for ten companies that offer the srvice I am looking for . I chose the first listing MaryEllen Gibson Online Marketing (she must be awesome at local search to be the first listed Oh wait, I know she is awesome at local search that is me! ) If I clicked on the business name it would take me directly to their website, if I click on more it takes me to their Google Local Listing

Above is the Google Local Listing it includes:

• Business Name
• A link to leave a review
• Address
• Phone Number
• Website Address & Link
• Get directions to
• Business Overview
• Reviews
• Details
• Coupons
• Related Websites
• e-mail to a friend
• print
• link this page

This powerful piece of online marketing is a must for any business. This is not your Grandma’s Yellow Page listing. It is dynamic , user friendly and built to bring additional visitors to any business. It is also a powerful tool for potential clients seeking out goods and services. Google makes it easy for them to find what they need close to home.

Click here for my Google Local Listing

The Power of Yahoo Local Search by MaryEllen Gibson

      

      

On Yahoo’s Home page sits a powerful online marketing tool that is becoming more popular everyday. 

Do you know what it is?

Are you using it to drive sales to your business?

If not you are missing out on a powerful tool. 

It is Yahoo Local and it is making the world wide web more about what is down the street than what is around the world.

     When you first click on local on the yahoo home page it should automatically show your home town (if you have a yahoo account) . Type in what you are looking for from Apple Pies to Zambonis. I typed in Online Marketing for Temecula, California. Company X Inc is the first local listing (Wow, they must have an outstanding Online Marketing Director…..oh wait that is me…..then I know they have the best Online Marketing Director) .  On this intro page are listed about 10 businesses with a brief summary, part of a review, and the Yahoo Map showing the location of the businesses.  I clicked on Company X Inc to view their entire page.

 

        

                                  

 

 

The Yahoo Local listing for Company X Inc is a mini one page website. It includes:

• Company Name
• Company Phone Number
• Company Website
• Company Address
• Company Cross Streets
• Company Images & logos
• Yahoo Map
• Business Overview
• Search Categories
• Payments Accepted
• Brands
• Products and Services
• Languages Spoken
• Year Established
• Additional Contact Info
• Reviews
• Comments
• Ranking System
• Businesses You Might Also Like

   

     A Yahoo Local listing is not your grandmother’s yellow page ad. It is extremely interactive and viral. Clients can upload images, write a review , rank the company and comment on other reviews. It also allows potential clients to visit your website , e-mail you , or contact you by phone. 

    Yahoo Local is designed for companies with a physical location or service. This allows the service to be user friendly for local community members. 

     Yahoo Local will primarily list you in your hometown , but many times you may find your location listed in neighboring cities. Company X Inc. is located in Temecula , California , but we are also listed for Murrieta and Lake Elsinore . It is a nice perk.

 

6.5 Hints for Social Media Optimization (SMO) by MaryEllen Gibson

 I have been working on the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for websites for over ten years. I am a huge fan of the belief “Content is King”. I have worked on keyword rich content that fed my visitors as well as the search engines. Then I started blogging. Slow at first and then building my blogs to an online marketing resource. Then came Social Media Sites such as Technorati, Stumble Upon, Digg , and the vast amount of others. It took me a bit to realize that these sites were Google and Yahoo’s dream of human rated content. As soon as I started to offer my site and blogs to Social Media Optimization I started once again climbing to the tops of the Search Engines.

 

1. Update, Update, Update – This is the most important priority for a website or blog. Too many sites on the web are “dead” or “static”. They were created to be an online brochure and there they sit.  The more you update your site the more “sticky” your website becomes. Visitors will want to come back over and over again. They will even start linking to it.

2. Linkability: To get a website or blog ready for social media optimization, we need to build the linkability (still not sure if this is a real word) of the content. Blogs, Event Calendar, and visitor submissions help to increase the links to your site. If you do not yet have a content management system for your website. Now is a good time to invest in a new site

3. Bookmarking – My website is a joomla based site. So some wonderful person out there created a Social Media bar that has links to all of the Social Media Sites. This makes it easy for my visitors to link to my site. To view a sample go to www.maryellengibson.com and take a peek at my footer.
4. Submit – Make sure to submit your own new content. When I create a new video, pdf., image or article I submit it myself. This allows the community to become involved as soon as I post it. It also helps me with quick feedback. I grow by knowing what my readers want to know.

5. Know your readers – I love SMO if for no other reason that I know my audience. Unlike writing for a newspaper or website with SMO I know who loves my work and who doesn’t. Wow! Where else can you find that. I also love being able to learn more from my readers and increase my own knowledge and ability to share.

6. CONTENT!!!!! – Create it , Grow it, Spread it. Write articles. Create images. Narrate a video. Content is a must. The entire web revolves around content and we all know there is more bad than good. So create some outstanding content.

6.5 Read and Mark: Go out there and comment on other sites. Read other blogs and articles. Leave your review on Stumble Upon. SMO creates a community become part of it.

 

The Cost of Search Engine Marketing by: MaryEllen Gibson

To show up on The Search Engines        Everyone wants to know … How much does it cost to show up at the top of the Search Engines? That answer is different for every business and group of search terms , but the real question is how much does it cost your business when you do not show up on the first page of your search terms.      Below are the 2006-2007 Demographics for US internet usage. 79.5 % of Adult Americans are online. They are searching for your services and goods. Do they find you? If not, you are missing out on business and a lot of it. Internet Marketing is unlike any other type of marketing , your potential clients and customers are looking for you and what you do by typing your key terms into Google ,Yahoo, MSN and a host of other search engines. If you are not found, your competition will be and they will get the business. Many companies try a “Do It Yourself” approach to online marketing wasting a few thousand dollars and declare that online marketing doesn’t work. Online marketing works but you need to know what you are doing, find a professional company to help you. A good Online Marketing firm will save you more money than they cost, because they know how to set your marketing budget and where your marketing dollars are best spent. Start marketing to 79.5 % of the US market today. Everyday that you do not show up is a day that your competition does. Demographics of Internet Users Below is the percentage of each group who use the internet, according to our December 2006 Survey. As an example, 69% of adult women use the internet.   Use the internet Total Adults   79.5% Women 78% Men 81.5% Age 18-29   87% 30-49 82% 50-64 70% 65+ 33% Race/ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic   72% Black, Non-Hispanic 58% English-speaking Hispanic 69% Household income Less than $30,000/yr   49% $30,000-$49,999 75% $50,000-$74,999 90% $75,000 + 93% Educational attainment Less than High School   36% High School 59% Some College 84% College + 91% Source:  Pew Internet & American Life Project, November 30 – December 30,, 2006 Tracking Survey.  N=2,373 adults, 18 and older. Margin of error is ±2% for results based on the full sample and ±3% for results based on internet users.

Alexa Rankings by: MaryEllen Gibson

 

Understanding Your Alexa Ranking

    

     I am sure nearly everyone has heard of the Nielsen ratings for television. It is a rating system that allows advertisers to know approximately how many people are viewing a television show and how many people will see their ad. The internet has a ranking system very much like the Nielsen Ratings called ALEXA.

Alexa.com is an Amazon.com creation that offers statistics of traffic to websites. The Alexa ranking is based on the amount of users that have visited the site with an Alexa toolbar installed in their own browsers.  This is similar to the Nielsen Rakings that have boxes on televisions that record television usage. Alexa rankings are very important to sites that offer advertising on their site. The lower the Alexa ranking the more visitors a site has. Google is number 1 and Bob’s underwater basket weaving is 1,254,546.

Traffic rank is based on historical data aggregated over three months from the millions of Alexa users. This number is a combined measurement of page views and the number of users. A daily computation of reach and page views is taken. The main number for traffic rank is derived at by using these two numbers averaged over time.

The actual Alexa ranking of a site is considered important because advertisers pay attention to it. This number is used to help determine pricing. Text Link Ads, ReviewMe and Sponsored Reviews are examples of sales programs that rely on Alexa to figure out a site’s advertising value.

If you would like to check the ALEXA ranking of your website or a site you would like to advertise on visit www.alexa.com and enter your website address www.yourwebsitename.com.

Your Search Engine Marketing by: MaryEllen Gibson

 

Helping AnnaKate Find Your Website

    

AnnaKate knows how to find what she wants. She lets her fingers do the walking – no, not in the yellow pages that she uses as a door stop, but at Yahoo.com and Google.com. She wants to learn about How to become a Princess, and you have just written Becoming a Princess in 10 Easy Steps, and you sell some great princess accessories on your website. The good news is that Google and Yahoo and other search engines exist for one simple reason: to help AnnaKate find your website.

Google will show AnnaKate 1,635,000 resources on “Princess”. Unless she fails to find what she wants on the first page of the search, or top 10 results, she will never find your website listed 98th in the results. (Actually, if she does not find what she wants in the top twenty or thirty results, she is likely to refine her search to “Princess Studies” or “I Want To Be A Princess“.

How do you get into the top 10 results so AnnaKate can find your website? You might have heard a lot about “search engine optimization” and “ranking analysis” and “algorithms”. It can be very complex, but here is a 1-2-3 approch to starting your SEO. 
 

1.    A search engine will show AnnaKate only resources (websites) it has on record. So make sure to submit your site to the key search engines and directories. You need to submit it just often enough but not too often.

2.       The search engine will rank highest those websites it feels are most “important”. This means you have to show that your website is most important. If you want to be found make sure that your content reflects the key terms that you want to be found in. 

3.       The search engine will show AnnaKate the most “ Relevant” high-ranking resources. Google might rank www.divaprincess.com relatively very high because princess is part or the URL or website name.

Is this all there is?

 NO.

SEO are free ways to show up on the Search Engines, but if you want to show up for AnnaKate to find you at the top today then Pay Per Click is the quickest way.

But that is in next week’s E-Blast.

Helpful Internet Strategies by: MaryEllen Gibson

Many businesses have the Field of Dreams mentality for their website. ” If I build it they will come”. Sadly, many sites sit on the internet not being visited because they are poorly designed and marketed. It takes more that having your Brother-In-Law create a weekend website for you and hanging your shingle on the world wide web. Here are some helpful hints to getting your site seen.

• Create a website that is professional and distinctive.  Your website may be the first time your potential Client experiences your business. Make sure it has the same professional feel as your storefront or office. Check for bad or broken links they make your website look thrown together and frustrate your viewer. JavaScript errors must be eliminated. The company’s profile should be clear and concise. If you allow clients to order from your site it must be secure, no one will put in their personal information unless they see https in the address bar.
  
• Design with the user in mind. Never use heavy images they slow down your site. Potential clients will not wait to see slow loading images. Use graphics that enhance content and match the design of your site.  Avoid images that change color or blink. Use standard layouts that are reader friendly, the page should feel spacious and font size must be comfortable. Limit the number of advertisements, banners, and links on a page. Be sure to Test your website using multiple browsers (Internet Explorer, Safari, & Firefox).

• Increase traffic by submitting the site to web directories. Choose to submit to major ones as well as minor ones, even a few Relevant niche sites will boost your popularity and traffic.

• Link your site to others. Search engines give higher positions to sites linked from others. Link your website to major sites as well as minor ones. Contact high traffic sites and request a mention or link. This will boost your engine placement and direct traffic from the pages that are linked. Large sites will only link to sites that look as professional as their own.

• Create a site map and link every page to it. These invite spiders sent out by search engines to know where to look for information on your site. These have become more complex , but are a must on Yahoo and Google. Adopt an easy-to-use navigational structure. Check for errors regularly. Include a site search tool. Be search engine friendly and avoid frames or code that will trip up a spider or engine.  
  

The internet maybe the perfect location for YOUR NEXT LOCATION. Think of your website as another office or storefront. Include it in budgets, advertising, and staffing. You can now be “OPEN” 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Make sure you Online location is seen.

Double Your Online Conversion by: MaryEllen Gibson

 

Without Increasing Your Online Marketing Budget

    
     How many repeat customers do you have? For most companies, repeat customers are the backbone of their enterprise. But unfortunately, statistics show us that many companies have less than a 50 percent return customer rate. Why is that? While attracting new business is essential for growth, isn’t it much easier to sell products to those who have already bought from you?
 
      Bear in mind that once a customer places his first order, he has overcome the three challenges to any online sale: Perceived value, trust and safety, and competitive view. This means you have far less work to do to complete another sale by working on tactics specifically designed to encourage many repeat buys.
If you are not successful in turning customers into your clientele, you are not working your back-end marketing strategies. And if you are not working your back-end, you are simply not taking advantage of your full conversion capabilities.
 
     Consider the following strategies you can begin implementing immediately:
Create an Affiliate Program  The selling point of Affiliate Marketing is that it benefits everyone involved: Merchants love it because they only pay when a certain action is made on behalf of their ads; affiliates earn livings simply by having visitors to their site click on the ads – either in a pay-per-click, pay-per-lead, or pay-per-sale basis.
 
Coupons on their next order  Include a coupon in every order shipped for a percentage or dollar amount off their next order. Make certain the coupon is time sensitive with a specific expiration date to encourage quick action. If your current shopping cart does not provide for an easy coupon system, it may be time to start looking for another cart. Yes, coupons are that important.
 
Include a bonus or unexpected gift with order  This could be a sample or promotional item with your name or logo on it. For example, one of the most effective gifts is an eBook because it is inexpensive to produce and easy to distribute. Attach an ad for your backend product to the gift. Your return customer will likely be in a favorable state of mind to read your ad.
 
Follow up phone call  Call your buyers one to two days after they have received their products. Ask them about their purchase process, shipping time and arrival condition. Are they happy with the products, do they have any questions, and most importantly, would they like to place another order? Asking for another order may seem presumptive but it is the perfect time to push a larger buy on one or many of the current items they have purchased. Although courteous calls like this can take some time, they can result in a 25 percent increase in sales without an increase in your marketing budget.
 
Publish a Company Newsletter  Newsletters can come in many forms, cover a variety of subjects and are much more potent than generic e-mail campaigns. The key to an outstanding newsletter is to make it worth reading and that means making it valuable to your reader. Make this more than a marketing message; give information that will help increase your retailers’ sales, such as industry news and statistics, success stories, positioning and promotional ideas. Of Course, always include a link to your main page and mention any of your top promotions. In most cases, the frequency of a newsletter should me no more than once a week.
 
Branding  You would be surprised how many times someone in a warehouse ran out of an item and did not know where to reorder it. Print your name, logo, web address EVERYWHERE  on your packaging, packing slips, invoices, wrappers, shipping labels, and anywhere there is some remaining blank space.

“Customers Only”  Creating a “customers only” area on your site conveys the message that they are VIPs and part of an elite group. Fill this area with helpful content, interesting articles, invitations to an event and even some free downloads to really boost this area’s traffic. Subtly promote your product ads without being too evident.
 
In today’s competitive online business environment, success is sometimes measured not just by great leaps and bounds but by measured tactical increments. It is true that serious online businesses have great looking websites and targeted traffic. But not all of them have the patience, Motivation or knowledge to go the extra mile and attract that one segment of their buyer base that will most likely double their sales for next to nothing: The returning customer. If you’re not putting effort into your back-end campaign, you can be sure your competition already is.

MaryEllen Gibson www.maryellengibson.com