February 2010 Biz Talk Articles

Feature Article:

Blended Search - Let's Get Vertical

When consumers today search online for the products and services your business offers, you are not only competing with other web sites, you’re also competing with social networking profiles, online videos, blog posts, Twitter tweets, photo sharing sites, online news outlets, etc., all blended together on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

So how can your business optimize for all these different types of media now being included in the search results? By getting vertical.

Getting vertical is simply another way to think about your search engine strategy. Yes, you still need to effectively optimize your web site to do well in the search results. But in addition to that, you now must also optimize for the search “verticals” that contribute to blended search results as well.

For instance, Google determines its blended results (in part) by analyzing what ranks well in its search verticals, including image search, Google News, video search, and social networking information from Twitter, Facebook, and Friendfeed. That’s a lot of verticals to consider! But optimizing for blended search means that you need to have at least some sort of presence on these verticals to get Google’s attention and boost your position in the search rankings.

Social Networks

Since the major search engines now include real-time information from popular social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, your search engine rankings can definitely benefit from implementing a social networking strategy. By participating on social networking sites, you contribute a constant stream of fresh information that not only benefits your customers and followers, but also helps get (and keep) the attention of the search engines as they gather new information from these real-time sources.

The key to being successful on the social networks, however, is to implement an integrated strategy that combines all of your social marketing efforts together with your web site and with the other marketing activities you may already have established. (See our web site or blog posts on Integrated Social Marketing (ISM)® for more details on this concept).

Online Videos

Videos can be optimized for blended search, whether on a web site, in a blog post, on a social networking site, or uploaded to a video sharing site like YouTube. In fact, video sharing sites already have built-in features that make it easy for users to share videos with friends and followers. They also allow viewers to leave comments or forward video links to their lists of contacts.

When using videos in your search strategy, be sure to add relevant descriptions and title tags to your videos, and rename the video files to include your targeted keywords in the filename for an added boost. Re-use your videos in as many places on the web as you can, including embedding them in your web pages and integrating them with your Google Place pages to help build authority for the videos as well.

News Content

Another source of blended search results comes from content found in online news from mainstream media outlets, in Google News, and on a variety of online newswire services. One way for small businesses to get online news coverage is to submit press releases to online media outlets, both paid and free, as a way to build quality inbound links and get additional exposure online. You should also try to include video and images in your press releases whenever possible. Multi-media content tends to do well – especially in Google News – and it provides additional press release content that can be indexed in the search databases.

Images and Photos

There are several ways that you can use images to contribute to your results in blended search. First, your images and photos should have keyword-rich file names, such as “keyword.jpg” or “my_company_at_eventname.jpg” whenever possible. Also, be sure to use keywords in your HTML image alt tags and in the descriptions and captions of the photos as well. Then, you can share these photos on your web site, on your blog, on your Facebook page (and other social profiles), and upload them to photo sharing sites like Flickr. Encourage your visitors to leave comments, and also leave your own comments, since this type of participation will also help provide fresh content and gain attention from the search engines as they gather real-time search information as well.

Think Vertical

So if you are serious about improving your business’ positions in the search engine rankings, you will need to expand the way you think about optimizing your entire search profile online. The more you can do to optimize the search “verticals” (like social networking, video, images, etc.), the more influence you will have over what the search engines know about your business and its relevance to searchers today. Thinking vertical can help you stay competitive now that blended search means competing with more than just other web sites.

Marketing Tips:

Your Strongest Marketing Asset

Today, a corporate web site is one of the most important marketing tools a small business has; and for many it is just as essential as having a phone number or business cards. Typically, companies rely on a variety of marketing “assets” like e-mailing lists, customer databases, and marketing materials to help them promote and build their businesses. But of all the marketing assets a business may have, its web site can be the strongest marketing asset of all, especially when it is part of a strategic, coordinated marketing plan.

A web site often includes the elements found in a marketing plan; from lead generation to advertising to online payments to customer service. With Web 2.0 interactivity now commonplace, companies can also add video, news feeds, online tutorials, and social networking integration to their web sites to further extend the site’s capability and meet their customers’ ever-changing needs and expectations.

An Online Advantage

Here are 7 reasons your web site could (or should!) be the strongest marketing asset available to your small business today:

1. Everything is in one place – web forms for lead capture, company videos, industry news feeds, links to resources and partners, online tutorials, customer service, events calendar, photo gallery, testimonials, marketing materials, etc., can all be included on your web site.
   
   
2. Integrates with other marketing – direct mail campaigns can reference online coupons or downloads on your site, email campaigns can lead to targeted landing pages, opt-in subscriptions can help build marketing email lists, social networking strategies can be integrated with the web site, etc.
   
   
3. Builds credibility with users – an outdated, unattractive web site sends all the wrong messages to your visitors, but an updated, user-friendly web site is an asset that and can instantly make you more credible and trustworthy, regardless of the size of your business.
   
   
4. Results can be tracked and measured – by using web analytics tools, you can track visitors, conversions, search engine terms and keywords, entry and exit pages, traffic stats, and a multitude of additional information.
   
   
5. Information can be changed and updated – unlike printed materials where you have to order hundreds (or thousands) of brochures or postcards that may quickly become outdated, your web site can be changed whenever information changes.
   
   
6. Local reach, global reach – and everything in-between. Depending on how you optimize and promote your site, you can target customers regardless of geographic location.
   
   
7. Works for you 24/7 – your site is available for visitors to do research or purchase products and services at their own convenience, at any time, regardless of your business hours.

Show It Off!

If you are not currently using your web site as a marketing asset for your business, here are some tips to help you combine your site with your overall marketing strategy:

• Showcase your advertising and marketing online; e.g., re-use commercials, radio spots, print advertisements, coupons, flyers, etc., on your web site to extend their reach beyond initial audiences, and also stretch your investment at the same time.
  
  
• Include your web address on everything – advertisements, business cards, vehicle lettering, name badges, logos, printed materials, etc., to drive traffic to your web site and help build your brand.
  
  
• Update your web site on a regular basis – do something at least monthly to update the information, add new content, improve search engine positions, promote the site, build inbound links, etc. A stale, outdated site is not useful to your visitors, and is not much of an asset to your business, either.
  
  
• Take it seriously! Consumers today are already online, and every touch point where you intersect with your customers and potential customers should ultimately lead them back to a great user experience on your web site!

Building Effective Web Sites:

Is It Time for a Call-to-Action Makeover?

One of the most important parts of any marketing effort is the call to action (or CTA). This also is true for the web pages on your small business web site – each page should have a clear, compelling CTA to guide your visitors to do something as a result of visiting your site. Whether it’s making a purchase, making a phone call, or joining your mailing list, your visitors should feel so motivated by your information that they want to take the next step, whatever that next step may be.

A call to action can be as simple as “click here” or Call Us Toll Free at 800-your-number-here. But is that really enough to get a visitor to click a link or pick up the phone? If your CTAs are not motivating your web site visitors to take some sort of action, then it may be time for a Call to Action Makeover.

Easy As 1-2-3

There are three basic elements to a successful call to action. They are:

1) What you want your visitors to do
2) Why you want them to do it (the benefit to them)
3) When they should they take the requested action (so it doesn’t get put off until later)

Typically, a call to action comes at or near the end of a web page, after readers have spent some time reviewing the information on the page. When creating a call to action, you should try to maintain the connection you’ve established with your readers, and lead them toward the next logical step – taking some type of action.

For example, a landscaping services page may have great page copy that explains the benefits of using their lawn maintenance services, how their pricing can save customers money, and how their products are environmentally friendly. Using the call to action “Call Us Toll Free” does little to motivate a visitor to do anything. But using a CTA like this could work better:

“Because our lawn maintenance services get such great results, the Spring/Summer schedule for services in your area fills up quickly. We recommend you call us at 800-lawns4u to arrange for your free consultation as soon as possible. This will help us guarantee a spot for you on our 2010 schedule.”

Why does this work? Because in this call to action, the implication is that the schedule is already filling up for spring, and if you want this great service for your lawn this year, you should call right away before your neighbors get all the available spots. The three main elements have been answered:

1) You have told your readers what to do (call you),
2) They know why they need to call you (to get a free consultation and a spot on the schedule), and
3) They have a sense of urgency to do it now before it’s too late (when to take action).

A shorter version of this CTA could also work; although it is much less compelling and contains fewer details:

“Call us today at 800-lawns4u for your free lawn consultation and to guarantee your spot on our 2010 Spring services schedule.”

This CTA still tells your readers what to do (contact you), why they should contact you (free consultation and spot on the schedule) and when to do it (today), but it is much less powerful.

Managing Expectations

Another call to action element you can incorporate is telling your readers what they can expect, or explaining what will happen as a result of taking action. For instance, replacing “click here” with “learn techniques for lawn care here” or “register here for our lawn care seminar” gives readers a clear idea of what they can expect to find when they follow the call to action.

The Path to Conversions

Part of motivating your visitors to take the next step is to answer some basic questions that they might be considering before they follow any call to action:

• HOW do I contact this company? Should I call them, send an email, etc.?
• WHY should I do business with this company? Can I trust them? Are they better than their competitors? Can they help me solve my problem?
• CAN I WAIT to take this action? Is there a promotion with a deadline? Are supplies really limited? Will my coupon expire? Is there a benefit to taking action right away?

Make sure these questions have been clearly answered throughout your page copy and in multiple places on the page as well. By answering these questions on the way to your call to action, readers will already feel comfortable and have the details they need to take the desired action without any hesitation.

So whatever goal(s) you have in mind for your web pages, a strong call to action is necessary for getting your visitors to do something once they are on your site. Because having web site visitors is nice, but having visitors that are engaged and interested in what you have to offer is better. By creating strong, clear calls to action on your web pages, you can help move each web site visitor down the path to conversion, where visitors can become customers, subscribers, leads, or whatever a conversion means for your small business.

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