Is Search Advertising Right for You?
Here's my dirty little secret: as a company, we haven't done a whole lot with search engine advertising, aka pay-per-click advertising, aka PPC. We've never done it for our own services (in large part because our organic listings at Google, Yahoo and other search engines keep us busy enough,) and we've only done it a handful of times for clients.
However, after reading How to Gain Instant Exposure with Search Advertising, I can't wait for the next opportunity. We're hopefully launching a few e-products this year, and it sounds like PPC is one of the right tools to generate tons of leads.
If you're having trouble ranking well organically, whether because you're a new site, your site isn't very search engine friendly, you rely too much on Flash, or you don't have enough content, PPC may be a cost-effective way of driving qualified leads to your site. However, you still need to keep on top of your ad buys and make sure they stay cost effective.
Rich Brooks
Web Marketing for Small Business
12 Web Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business
You know those "new" episodes of your favorite TV show when a character gets hit by a car, and then all their friends gather by their bed side and retell their favorite stories through a series of clips?
Welcome to my clip show.
Here's a quick list of the 12 articles we published in flyte log, our monthly Web marketing ezine:
- Your 2008 Web Marketing Plan
- How to Use Social Media to Reach New Customers
- Business Blog Success: 10 Tips for a Profitable Blog
- Increase Your Search Engine Visibility: Three Things You Can Do Today
- Nine Indispensable Online Tools for Your Web-Based Business
- Four Tips to Maximize Your Email Marketing Results
- The Secret to a Web Site That Sells
- Six Blogging Myths That Are Holding You Back
- The Dangers of Relying on Google for Business
- Holistic Web Marketing: An Integrated Approach to Online Success
- Tracking Conversions: Does Your Web Site Turn Suspects into Prospects?
- Informational Products: Selling Your Knowledge Online
There's oodles of ideas in these articles that you can use to jump start your business and build it over the next year. If you'd rather not miss any new articles, please subscribe to flyte log in the box below.
5 Ways to Track Your Online Spending for Maximum Results
Wouldn't it be great to know exactly which Web marketing campaigns were generating sales for you, instead of just site traffic?
If you could easily determine whether it was your blog, or organic search results at AOL, or a paid ad you took out on an email newsletter, that was getting the cash register to ring, would you be interested in finding that out?
Of course you would; if not, you'd be reading Catching Flies, Catching Fish. (And more power to you, BTW!)
By installing and utilizing a free copy of Google Analytics, you can. GA (Google Analytics) allows you to track your incoming links in a number of different ways, allowing you to quickly determine which campaigns are contributing to your bottom line. GA tracks campaigns using a combination of five marketing "dimensions":
- Source: where the traffic comes from; i.e., Google, Yahoo, an email newsletter, another Web site.
- Medium: qualifying the source; i.e., organic search results v. paid search placement.
- Term: the word a person types into the search engine.
- Content: the version of the ad. Best used in content a/b testing; i.e., which version of the ad a person clicked on.
- Campaign: to qualify which campaign the link came from; i.e., "Hot Summer Specials" v. "Back To School Specials."
In a completely unrelated aside, I'll be leading a Working Lunch Seminar entitled "Google Analytics for Online Success" this Wednesday from noon - 1:30 at flyte's offices in Portland, Maine.
Lunch in included, seating is limited, so register online now. (Or just learn more.)
Free Web 2.0 Handouts to Download
Yesterday I spoke at the Maine Marketing Association's Web 2.0 Conference; my topic was Web Sites for Action! Anne Kennedy of Beyond Ink spoke about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Aileen Cahill talked on Online and On Target which talked about the benefits of a Web 2.0 Web site and how to get your customers participating.
It was a great turnout--I'm guessing over 80 people--and there were a lot of good questions for all three presenters. Whether you were able to attend or not, the Maine Marketing Association has posted all three presentations up at their Web site for anyone to download.
PowerPoint handouts (or in my case, Apple's Keynote) are pretty hard to understand if you weren't there for the presentation, so if you review the handouts and still have questions on Maine Web Design or Internet Marketing, please feel free to ask.
Got E-Commerce Questions?
Are you looking for answers to your e-commerce questions? Then Josh Hurley, president of Hurley Solutions, LLC, has the answers. He'll be speaking on Strategic E-Commerce Solutions for MESDA's Web Designers Users Group. There's a scant bit more info on MESDA's event page. You'll have to scroll down to the 5/21 date.
It takes place on Monday, May 21st from 6pm - 8pm at MESDA's Westbrook office. People who register are eligible for the door prize, which I believe is Josh's new Ferrari.
We've partnered with Josh on a number of projects, and he knows what he's talking about; it will be well worth your time to attend. He's a good friend, a savvy business person, a top-notch programmer, and a mediocre XBox gamer.
After you've seen me at the Maine Marketers Association's Web 2.0 conference earlier in the day you can get work done in the afternoon, then shoot over to Westbrook to learn about e-commerce. All in all a good day.
(Actually, Josh is a pretty good gamer. Just don't tell him I said so.)
Attend Flyte's Working Lunch Seminar: How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Business - 5/9/07
Informational Products: How to Sell Your Expertise Online
Are you looking for new ways to reach more customers, establish your expertise and create passive streams of income (you know...make money while you sleep?)
If so, you'll be interested in the most recent issue of flyte log, our free email Web marketing newsletter. The topic is Informational Products: Selling Your Knowledge Online.
We talk about some of the common barriers small business owners and entrepreneurs have to reaching new customers and selling to them. We look at how informational products like ebooks or audio recordings can overcome distance, your limited time and even customer price concerns.
As an added bonus, we've created an audio version of the newsletter. You can listen to my mellifluous voice give a loose reading of the newsletter or subscribe to the flyte podcast to never miss an issue episode.
Just think...Rich Brooks on your iPod! Sweet!
12 Web Marketing Articles to Read Right Now
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I'm a big fan of email newsletters. They're very cost effective, they keep you in front of your best prospects and customers, and they help you establish your expertise.
The only downside is that once they're sent, they're gone. If you're producing a content-rich newsletter you should archive these newsletters on your Web site. This helps you with the search engines as well as providing this content for people who have just discovered you.
To that end, here's a quick list of the twelve flyte log newsletters flyte published in 2006. Enjoy! More can be found here: http://www.flyte.biz/resources/newsletters/
- New Year's Resolutions for Your Web Site
- Use Your Blog to Attract the Long Tail of Search
- 37 Calls to Action to Get People to Read, Click and Buy at Your Web Site
- PayPal: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
- Blog Marketing: How Blogs Can Increase Your Reach and Deliver New Customers
- Boost Your Search Engine Rank: Proven Methods to Increase Incoming Links
- Search Engine Optimization: Stop Guessing and Start Researching
- Keyword Research: Five Ways Your Prospects Search for You
- Lead Generation Online: Is Your Web Site a Leaky Bucket?
- The Secret to Great Search Engine Rank
- Broken Windows, Broken Web Sites: Why Your Web Site is Underperforming
- Search Engine Success Through Article Marketing
As always, you can subscribe at our Web site.
Choosing a Web Host
Google "Web Host" and you'll pull up about 57 million results. If you're looking for an appropriate Web host, that's a lot of sifting ahead of you.
One of the decisions every Web site owner needs to make is where to host their Web site. In the same way you (probably) have to rent out office or retail space, your Web site needs space on a server so that your prospects and customers can access it.
In my experience, there are no great hosting companies. The few that I have known have decided to grow and put customer acquisition above customer support. In fact, ironically, my own hosting company, who I often recommend, is currently down right now. I have no access to my email or my Web site.
I'm feeling very professional right now, thank you very much.
When you are deciding where to host there are several items you may want to consider:
What are my hosting needs?
- Will your site offer e-commerce? If so, you may want to choose a host that focuses on e-commerce hosting, and perhaps even provides a free/included license to a shopping cart software like Miva Merchant. You may also require secure server space and the ability to install a security certificate.
- Will I include a lot of multi-media? With broadband becoming more common, more site owners are looking to add audio and video to enhance the visitor's experience at their site (often to the detriment of their visitor's experience, but that's another story.) If you plan on audio or video, or hosting podcast content at your site, make sure you have plenty of hosting space at your server.
- What programming does the host support? If your programmer/Web developer is programming the site using PHP or ASP or needs to access a MySQL database, can your host support that? Plenty of times we've needed to find new hosting for our clients because their current host didn't have the infrastructure to host specific types of programming. This is often a time to ask your programmer or Web development team to make a recommendation.
- Is there hosting that specializes in a specific need I may have? If you plan on building a Web site using a Content Management System (CMS) like Joomla or Mambo, or if you want to use your hosting to support a WordPress blog, there are many hosting companies that focus on these products. They often have "one-click" installation saving you hours of installation time and handfuls of hair. Check the discussion forums for these products to see if they recommend some specific hosts.
One thing that I always require out of a hosting company is 24/7 toll-free tech support. Sure, I like to figure things out and get my hands dirty...however, if a client needs their site live to take advantage of the Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa rush, I want to know there's a knowledgeable person that can be reached by phone who can get a site up and running.
One thing that's not on my list is price. Not that price isn't important, but value trumps price every time. One bad customer service experience or one overlong call in voice mail hell can blow any savings you may have thought you were going to get from a cut-rate hosting company. Choosing a hosting company based solely on price is the most costly mistake you can make.
There are several Web host ranking Web sites out there, but buyer beware: it's easy to put up a bogus Web host ranking site and make your own company come up first. Double-check any results you find with other ranking sites and also do some Googling on these companies as well as checking out different discussion forums to see what people are saying about the hosting companies.
Internet Marketing Seminars in Maine
For those of you with a desire to learn more about Internet Marketing and a burning desire to meet me in person, next week is your Mardi Gras.
Monday, October 16: I'll be presenting "How to Plan, Build and Promote a Business Blog" for MESDA from 6pm - 8pm at their offices in Westbrook, Maine. Entrance is free, but they ask you to register for a door prize. (Directions.)
Tuesday, October 17: I'll be part of a panel put on by the Maine Marketing Association called "Right On! Staying on Message No Matter What: Crafting and Communicating Effective Messages That Will Break Through the Clutter." It's from 9 - 11:30am at the Glickman Family Library on the USM campus in Portland. Roy Heffley is the keynote speaker. The cost is $35 for members, $45 for non-members, and $15 for students or anyone with a fake student ID. You can register via email or just show up. (Directions.)
Wednesday, October 18: Is the first class of the Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses at the University of Southern Maine's Center for Continuing Ed. The classes continue each Wed. evening (10/25, 11/1 & 11/8) from 6:30 - 8:30pm. The cost is $195 and you can learn more and register here.
Thursday, October 19: I'll be taping a segment for WCSH's evening news magazine 207. Topic and broadcast date TBD.
Whether I get any real work done next week is also TBD.
Web Marketing Course at USM
If you enjoy the subject matter of this blog, but you'd prefer a little more interaction and perhaps specifics on how YOU can implement some of these ideas on your own Web site, blog or email newsletter, I've got good news.
I'll be teaching a course called Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Business at the University of Southern Maine this month as part of their Center for Continuing Education.
We'll be talking search engine optimization, email marketing, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing, e-commerce, home page strategies and more. Last time we got into wikis.
The course will be Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:30pm, October 18th - November 8th. For more information and to register online check out the Web marketing course page on the USM Web site.
Not sure if this class will help? Here's an unsolicited thank you email I received:
Rich,
Thanks to applying what I learned from you to my new site, in the last month I have zoomed up in the Search rankings (when any part of my name or ‘Maine’ is included with key terms, I get at least three listings on first page), increased the amount of time people are spending on the site, increased my new visitors to 25% of my traffic and tripled the rate of new subscribers to the ezine.
Chris Trout
OK, enough self-love. Hope to see you there.
Can You Trust TRUSTe?
The Wired Blog reported today that sites that are certified through TRUSTe are twice as likely as similar, uncertified sites to deliver spyware, adware and spam.
The research was done by Ben Edelman, a researcher of economics at Harvard.
Sites that receive the Better Business Bureau Online Privacy Seal, on the other hand, have substantially higher trustworthiness than the comparison sites. You can read the whole report here as a pdf.
This isn't the first time TRUSTe has been taken to task about putting profits ahead of accountability.
If you already have invested in TRUSTe's stamp of approval I wouldn't remove it, but if you haven't you may want to hold off. If TRUSTe's reputation continues to get tarnished you may find yourself with an albatross around your Web site.
Personally, I've never made a buying decision based on the "stickers" a Web site has on their site. Like nameless testimonials, they carry little weight and are easy to manufacture.
PayPal: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Many small businesses and entrepreneurs want to take credit cards online, but are put off by the time and capital investment required by a Merchant account, a gateway processor, secure server space, and a security certificate...all tools you need to succeed with e-commerce.
For many of these people I suggest "dipping their toe in the e-commerce ocean" by starting with PayPal. However, there are both good and bad aspects to this popular online payment system.
The Good
It's damn easy to get started with PayPal. If you have a bank account you can set up your business account at PayPal in a matter of minutes. You can quickly generate buttons that allow your visitors to "buy now" or "add to cart."
You don't need a Merchant Account. You don't need a gateway processor. You don't need secure server space. You don't need a security certificate. PayPal handles all of these issues for you.
You don't have any start up fees. You don't have any monthly fees. How does PayPal make any money you ask? They take 2.9% (less in some cases) of each sale plus $0.30 per transaction. That's not much more than your bank is taking now, plus you have no monthly fees.
But don't your customers have to be PayPal members to pay? Not any more. When PayPal first started visitors needed to become members, but PayPal now allows anyone with a Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Discover card to pay through their system without becoming a member.
PayPal is probably the simplest way to get going with e-commerce on your Web site.
The Bad
PayPal is cheesy. OK, that's just an opinion, but it's an opinion held by many people. I could give you statistics, but I'd just be making them up. The bottom line is that I talk about e-commerce to a lot of people because of my job and several have shied away from PayPal because they believe it will give their site an air of amateurism.
PayPal's shopping cart solution is a joke. Why PayPal doesn't improve their shopping cart experience is beyond me, but if you need a shopping cart I'd recommend looking elsewhere. By shopping cart I'm talking about the ability for site visitors to drop something into their cart and keep shopping before making a purchase. The PayPal shopping cart opens a new window and hides your site; not exactly the seamless experience you're going for. PayPal works best for "Buy Now" opportunities.
The Ugly
Working with PayPal isn't like working with your credit card company; you don't have the same rights or protections. PayPal may decide that you have a fraudulent account or payment and suspend your account without warning, in effect shutting down your online store until they decide to reopen it. Although these instances are statistically rare, you should be aware of them.
If you like reading horror stories, PayPalSucks.com is a place to start.
In Conclusion
So, if two of the categories above are "The Bad" and "The Ugly," why do I still recommend PayPal to site owners? Because for many people the flexibility and simplicity PayPal offers is too good not to consider. Although it may not be right for everyone, it's an inexpensive, effective tool for many.
Although some people have had terrible experiences with PayPal, that's going to happen with any big company, whether you're Verizon, Time Warner, or Disney.
If you have some questions on e-commerce, please let me know.
Updates
Sign up to be notified when there's a new entryRSS
Subscribe
