One of the most significant questions I get asked as a marketing consultant is if Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is worth investing in. Like all investments, it will come down to time or money, and in most cases, both. My answer is a resounding Yes!

Unlike Search Engine Marketing (SEM) such as Google AdWords or Bing Ads, SEO takes time regardless of a monetary investment. While a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign is an excellent choice for a business with a sufficient budget, it is a short-term solution. Local SEO is a long-term solution that can provide that desired return on investment (ROI) we all seek.

Although many companies advertise guaranteed page one placement on Google, this is something that cannot be done just by simply paying a fee. Several things must be done to help improve SEO and build page one placement.

Without further ado, here are 220 Marketing’s Top 4 Reasons to Move Up your search rank by Doubling Down on Local SEO:

1) Front & Center: A successful Local SEO presence puts you on the Google map when consumers conduct a search query on their desktop or mobile device. Unlike information seekers looking for answers to their questions, those who utilize Local SEO are more likely to complete the desired action, like filling out that Auto Quote form or applying for a VA Mortgage Loan. Local SEO helps you get quality leads and places you front & center of customers that are ready to buy.

2) Builds Trust: Have you ever looked for a new insurance company to compare rates and noticed that there is not much about them on the internet besides a website? What about those customer reviews we actively seek out to determine whom to do business with? The bottom line is having a strong Local SEO presence builds trust by showing your company on numerous reputable directory platforms like Yelp, Google, Yahoo, & Bing.

3) Reviews, Reviews, Reviews: So you have a Facebook & Yelp account along with several 5-star reviews talking about how excellent your business is, you’re optimizing your Local SEO presence, right? Although that is a great start, there are hundreds of review platforms on the web. Google recently announced reviews are going to have a higher pull on ranking, that includes first party reviews, which are reviews located on your site in Google’s preferred format. 220 Marketing has recently launched a Review Module that allows our clients to add a testimonial engine to their website making it easy for clients to share their feedback. Remember the three R’s to help maximize Local SEO: Reviews, Reviews, Reviews! Stay tuned for our next blog on our new review module!

4) Protect Your Brand: Imagine a competitor gained access to your Google business page and redirected the domain to their website. This will likely lower your website traffic and hurt your online reputation, among other things. Also, several clients have duplicate business listings that can be confusing for prospective clients and even for search engines that rank them. 220 Local corrects listing discrepancies and protects your brand from competitors.

You are the leading provider of what you do, so shouldn’t it be easy for people to find you? The answer is YES! Now that you have learned some of the many benefits of 220 Local, you are ready to begin.

Call us today at 619.758.9696 x2 to speak with one of our expert marketing consultants for more information about Local SEO and how your business could improve using 220 Marketing’s platform!

The post Top 4 Reasons to Move Up your search rank by Doubling Down on Local SEO appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

When a business serves a selective location, as well as, the surrounding areas, it’s important to ensure that its website is locally optimized. Here’s a local SEO tip, If you don’t, it will be difficult to expect any potential customers to find you on Google within your general location.

So…what should you be doing? Here’s some local SEO tips

It’s definitely a science, but very simple to accomplish once you understand it. First, you’ll need to let Google know where your business is located (visit www.220marketing.com to find out how to do this).  Instead of keyword stuffing or writing mechanical text distinctly directed at the search engines, a more productive practice is to have your key location included within your title tags, meta-descriptions, the content of your web pages, as well as, the footer region of your website.

Help potential clients find you on Google…

To assist your potential clients with finding you on Google’s search engine, you’ll need to tell Google who your business is, as well as, how far along you are with the basic SEO elements listed above (all addresses, phone numbers, company names, etc. need to be consistent across all platforms).

So, what’s your first task?

Your first task is to establish and optimize a Google Places listing for your business. This is absolutely imperative for local SEO!
You’ll need to add your company’s name, business address and a current, up-to-date phone number to all of the prominent online business directories, portals and social platforms online (it’s important to note to always use the same listing info across all channels your company is listed on). As soon as you’ve completed the task of adding all of your business’ details, as well as, ensuring that each company description is consistent across all necessary channels, Google will then acknowledge that you’re now equipped to handle the search traffic it has to offer you.

In addition to getting your web pages in order and confirmed with Google, you will also need to get your current and/or past clients to review your business in order to rank higher as well. With an abundant volume of quality reviews on your Google Places page, you will be recognized as being a trusted organization. In turn, you’ll be ranked more favorably by Google for local search terms and will be given a higher page ranking.

An important tip of many local SEO tips is that Google will typically list businesses whose key words, phrases, company details, etc. are closest to the search term(s), location and details being entered. For example, if you’re a Café proprietor with the key search term ‘Café in San Diego’, however, you’re actually based in San Francisco, Google will likely give Café’ who are closest to San Diego a higher page ranking before it lists yours. Google works this way in order to be fair to everyone and to make sure your site is optimized, your current and/or past clients are reviewing you and your content is being updated frequently.

To get a free consultation, contact us today at 1-877-220-6584 or click here.

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Ever since Google introduced its Google Plus Your World in January with integrated Google+ results into your search, businesses have been questioning how the lack of a Google+ presence could affect their organic search results. Ultimately, if you don’t have a Google+ page, your placement for various search terms may suffer.

A rapid change by Google’s search algorithm is nothing new, but the introduction of Google+ has created a new twist. You must know a thing or two about social media marketing to get better search results. On the positive side, Google has provided all of us a free opportunity to boost our SEO and separate ourselves from our competitors who are reluctant to dive into Google+ and all it has to offer.

First Step: Setup a Google+ Page

Setting up a Google+ account for your business is fairly simple. Just click Here to get started.

Step 2: Get In As Many Circles as Possible

This part is going to require more work. To start of, put as many people inside your circles as possible. Try adding individuals within the same industry as you, customers, referral partners, local community members, even your competitors. Unfortunately, you can not add yourself into someone else’s circles, they have to add you, but making people aware of your page is certainly the best place to start. Include a link to your Google+ page in all online and offline marketing materials such as an email signature, business cards, and your website.

Just don’t get desperate and buy into the idea of buying Google+ fans. According to Erin Everhart, director of web and social media for 352 Media Group, buying Google+ fans can be picked up by Google’s search algorithm and result in a lower search profile.

Step 3: Add Quality Content to Your Page Rich with Keywords

Work on adding content to your page that is rich with the keywords you are targeting to drive search traffic. Keep in mind, keyword use and keyword variation should be natural and not overstuffed. Don’t try taking the easy way out and listing as many keywords as possible.

Time your posts in the best way possible to post about relevant topics. Sparks, a feature provided by Google+, will automatically load videos and articles from the Internet to your stream. By setting keyword searches in Sparks, you will be able to see who else is using a specific term and what they are saying about it. This can be an extremely useful tool to help you create more relevant posts.

Step 4: Use the +1 Button
As you begin to +1 other pages you will start to notice more and more profiles of your Google+ friends coming up in searches. There can be a huge upside to clicking that free button. According to research done by a company called SEO Effect, getting 72 people to +1 its page resulted in a 20% increase in click-through rates.

Although the integration between Google search and Google+ is still very new, there is a strong case to be made for taking advantage of what Google+ has to offer. With the support of Google and 100 million users there is not much that could stop the growth of Google+ at this point. As a business owner it is time to stop putting off the integration of Google+ into your marketing strategy.

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BrightEdge has been tracking Google+ brand pages since they were launched on November 7^th. However, the integration was not noted until December 20^th when identified in the search results for “AT&T.”

According to BrightEdge’s VP-Marketing, Brad Mattick, the addition of Google+ brand pages allows marketers to incorporate promotional messages directly in search results. This allows for a much larger audience through Google’s natural search results than it would gain from the brand page alone.

While AT&T appears to be one of the first brands to gain brand page recognition in natural search results, a recent search for Toyota also yielded two Google+ entries. Other examples of brands displaying Google+ in their search results are T-Mobile and Macy’s.

A recent tool rolled out by Google, Direct Connect makes it easy for users to find and follow Google+ brand pages through a search by incorporating the “+” in their search.

A representative from Google offered the following declaration about the search results: “Content from the +Page, such as recent posts, will appear as annotations attached to its associated web page under the site links in search results if that site is eligible for Direct Connect. It uses the same bi-directional link and algorithmic criteria as Direct Connect.”

With this integration of Google+ brands pages into search results, there is a huge incentive for brands to join and become active on Google+. Mattick has compared merging Google+ and search results to Microsoft’s inclusion of the Internet Explorer in its Windows OS in the 90’s.

When Microsoft used its near-monopoly in Windows to beat Netscape in the browser segment, it caught the attention of The U.S. Department of Justice.

Even though Google’s search market share is comparably less than Microsoft’s share at the time of the IE bundling, the move is attracting some unwanted attention for Google. Two U.S. Senators have requested the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google’s business practices. Could Google be abusing their dominance in the market to persuade brands to become active on Google+? What do you think?

220 Marketing specializes in Online Marketing and Management for industries such as Insurance Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, and Mortgage Marketing.

The post Google+ Brand Pages Beginning to Show Up in Search Results appeared first on 220 Marketing Group.

Here are five tips to keep in mind when creating your Google+ page that should give you an advantage over other businesses out there.

1. Start Discussions With Your Followers, Peers, and Influencers

Post engaging tips and information that readers will be able to use. Google+ also allows you to tag (put +username) colleagues or other experts in the field. When they are tagged, it will notify them and invite them to respond with anything they can add. Not only will this involve other experts and add to the information you are sharing, it will help involve readers to respond and ask more questions. You can use this tactic to create a partnership with other professionals in your area and also to spread buzz and generate feedback about your products and services.

2. Include Videos and Attractive Images

Instead of just posting text that might get scanned over, post an interesting video or picture that will get peoples attention. Because Google+ allows you to post rich content in each post, this will prevent you from having to link to another site and will promote interaction on your business page. This feature will allow you to market towards visual people and provide something other businesses in your industry may not be putting out there. Be sure to include large, attractive images with vivid colors to make sure you grab everyone’s attention.

3. Add Your Blog Posts to Your Page

Expand your network and get even more interaction on sites that you are already publishing on! Google loves seeing interaction and traffic to sites, and this has become a major part of the SEO grade. Sending people to your blog or website from your Google+ will help your website ranking, and allow people to +1 the information if they find it useful. This will, in turn, show how many +1’s your blog has gotten in organic search results and let people know they should view it because so many people have endorsed it.

4. Find Inspiration For Your Next Email Marketing Message

Google+ provides a venue where you can ask your customers what they are looking for. While in the past we could determine something was popular by the number of units that were being sold, Social Media provides an outlet where we can hear what people want that they aren’t being given. Ask your followers how they would want a product approved or what product or promotion you have retired that they want back. This will allow you to go back to the drawing board and think of how you can give them what they want. Once everything is finalized, you can use this feedback to launch an email campaign introducing your new product.

5. Promote Your Best Offers to Generate Leads

Share landing pages, content offers, and other promotions with your Google+ followers. This will remind people of the products you offer, and give them an avenue to get it. While you don’t want to put too many posts about yourself, it will benefit you to send users to a page where they can provide you with their information converting them from followers to customers.

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