The Web Authority – Page 393 – From McCord Web Services – Google Partner and Web Visibility Experts

August 13, 2008August 8, 2008

The Color of Your Money Does Not Determine Your Organic Placement

This is a truth that you should remember especially when you get contacted by search engine optimization firms from a cold call. You cannot buy organic placement on Google!

Google placement is not for sale! This is not the first time that I have heard this story, a client calls and says for $xxxx a month this firm guarantees top placement on Google and Yahoo because they have a special partnership with the search engines. Just these statements alone should put up a red flag for you and you should not buy into the scam. That is what it is, a scam to separate you from your money.

Google has over 150 different factors that determine organic search placement and the color of your money is not one of them! Google does not partner with SEO firms to provide organic placement. Actually that is one of the best things about Google. A small firm can actually compete with a large firm for great organic placement through great content, regular updates, and slow link building strategies. The playing field is leveled by considering what really matters to readers – targeted and great content.

Now, notice that I have not said the same about Yahoo. This democratic mentality does not apply to Yahoo. You may possibly be able to buy your way on Yahoo. We know that Yahoo preferentially will show websites in organic placement results that have bought into their local non-PPC programs sold through advertising agencies, but Yahoo is closed mouthed to even us, professional webmasters, on the real details here and how to participate. So you may be able to buy your placement on Yahoo, but be very careful over what you buy in to.

The bottom line is, if a firm says we can guarantee top organic placement on Google, you should question the program as they CANNOT guarantee this, Google is not for sale!

August 11, 2008August 4, 2008

PPC Strategy 101

If you need extra push for your business, then you should seriously be looking at Google AdWords first. Yahoo is a good second choice to consider, but for most people, you really don’t need to consider MSN at this time.

MSN has lost so much traction in the world of pay per click, that I have to say I just don’t think that investing in the set up and management of a program there warrants the expense. There is a very narrow market there and the return on investment is simply not happening.

It used to be that for the majority of accounts you would receive nearly half of your AdWords conversions on Yahoo and then again about another half of what you got on Yahoo on MSN, but now the figures are even more dismal. Here is just one very pointed example for one high tech client:

Google AdWords: 4725 clicks, 209,254 impressions 2.26% CTR

Yahoo: 1536 clicks 87,136 impressions 1.76% CTR

MSN: 69 clicks 1,970 impressions 3.50%CTR

This program is just showing on search and search partners, no clicks are coming from content. Clearly MSN simply does not have the technical search traffic for industrial and high tech customers that Google and Yahoo do.

If you are selling entertainment products, beauty products MSN may still be a solution for your needs but if your PPC program is for technical and business don’t waste your time with MSN at this point.

August 8, 2008August 4, 2008

Escalating Costs Push Businesses to Raise Prices

We’re not alone when it comes to getting the “squeeze”! It’s all around you – higher gas prices, pending winter fuel price increases, rising food prices, increases in Internet service, changes to credit policies, the list is endless and growing.

It is not surprising that many businesses are trimming down, cutting back or being forced to raise prices to offset the increase in costs to just stay in business. So what can you do, anything to stay profitable in this changing and shifting business climate?

Here are a few tips to help you weather the storm and stay profitable.

1. Trim your overhead first any way you can before you automatically consider a price increase passed on to customers. It may be as simple as moving from 24 pound paper to 22 pound paper, not ordering office supplies that simply sit on the shelf – ordering only when needed, to installing a programmable thermostat in your office. Trim where you can smartly first.

2. If you do feel that you must raise your prices to cover your overhead, be sure that you can afford to do so. It is naturally for some clients to simply decide to chop your services when you increase prices. If losing any clients will mean real trouble for you, consider layoffs, payroll cuts, and dropping perks before raising your prices first. For some raising prices may simply mean better efficiency and improved quality of life, for other raising prices may start a downward spiral that will be hard to stop.

3. Work smarter, try to share the load when you have multiple tasks. Here’s one example it may be more cost efficient to turn over routine reporting tasks to a person who you will pay $25/hour to and then have the higher paid team members start an ad on selling program to existing clients with their new free time. Make sure that all clients know about your service offerings. You may be able to very easily pick up extra business with a few phone calls offering expanded services to your existing client base. You may even want to consider adding services to your offerings to complement what you do sell or provide now looking to sell more to the clients you do have now.

Anyway you look at it, the business client is tightening, pulling in, and adjusting. Make sure to look for creative options before you try to put the “squeeze” on your own customers.