Posts Tagged ‘search engine marketing’
By Kyle McCabe | August 31, 2010
Search Engine Marketing... it's not voodoo
There’s still a lot of confusion out there about what a search engine marketing firm does – and doesn’t do – and I think this confusion is holding businesses back or causing people to waste a lot of money on false expectations.
Put simply, search engine marketing (SEM) is just what it says it is: marketing. It’s not search engine sales, or search engine lead generation, or search engine voodoo…it’s just marketing; bringing your products and services to market.
I can bring your product to someone …Read more »
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By Tarah Heupel | July 22, 2010
When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), many business owners don’t understand how it works or how to use it – so this week we brought in the big guns to help demystify the process.
The SEO Expert
Woessner, SEO Guru
We had the pleasure of bringing in renowned SEO expert (and one-time RSA intern) Stephen Woessner from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse to host public workshops and meet with our staff.
Stephen kicked off the week with a seminar for small business owners, sponsored by RSA and AAF Black Hills. More than 40 people turned out to learn Stephen’s 15 simple steps to SEO, and we’ve heard some great feedback from attendees who took home a step-by-step plan for optimizing their sites.
For those of you who missed out, you’re probably wondering what big secrets Stephen revealed. We can’t give you all the details, but Stephen’s book is a great resource for business owners who want to take a stab at doing it themselves. Want to try to do SEO yourself? Here’s what you should know. …Read more »
By Kyle McCabe | April 20, 2010
Think of your face.
I wrote previously about my experience at OTA Sessions a few weeks ago, and highlighted some of the topics discussed. It all boils down to changes in the way we do business; whether you like it or not, these changes are occurring.
In this (holy crap it’s long) article I am going to outline what some of the speakers at OTA Sessions said about how to approach this new marketplace–and the new “consumer”–we’re faced with.
Social communication isn’t new
While social media like Twitter and Facebook are new, they are simply vehicles for an activity we’ve always engaged in. Humans are fundamentally social and always have been. We are drawn to each other and impelled to communicate and belong to social groups; something greater than ourselves.
The difference now is the marketplace is shifting to media through which human interaction is enabled–necessary, in fact–rather than muffled or disabled.
Here’s what our speakers had to say …Read more »
By Kyle McCabe | January 19, 2010
Blogging is a waste of time?
Seriously, why bother? Isn’t this kind of a waste of time? It’s not like blogs really matter – it’s just throwaway content, after all. What really matters is the website.
False.
Look, the web is about two things: content and search. Content because that’s what you’ve come for, and search because that’s how you find the content. Nothing else matters.
In light of this, a blog can be the most important tool you employ for two reasons: …Read more »
By Kyle McCabe | July 21, 2009
This is your website (credit: machity)
An old, rickety car slowly pulled into the car dealership lot and parked. It belched black smoke as the clunky engine finally backfired and gave up. A man got out of the car and strolled into the office. The salesman met him there, asking if he could be of any assistance.
The conversation went something like this:
Salesman: “Hi, how are you doing? What can I help you with?”
Customer: “I need a new car.”
S: “Ah, I see! Well you’ve come to the right place. We have plenty of cars on the lot, and can order anything you might want that we don’t already have. Any idea what you’re looking for?”
C: “Yes, you see I am a salesman myself, and I spend a lot of time driving to see customers and prospects. But my car is rather old, and the engine barely works. In fact, I can only drive in first gear!”
S: “Wow! I bet that makes it hard to visit many customers in a day. Can I interest you in this brand new Complete Car? It’s well-rounded with a great engine, good looks, comfortable interior, and will certainly connect you with your customers.” …Read more »
By Kyle McCabe | July 2, 2009
So quick to cut? (original photo by klynslis)
Yes, okay, I’m biased. I work for an advertising and marketing agency. You might think, since the welfare of my company depends on the advertising budgets of our clients, I’d say whatever I needed to in order to convince people to advertise. Clearly an inherent conflict of interest, right?
But consider: as such an agency, we’re intimately familiar with the workings of many businesses across multiple industries, and in our role as business partners we share a common goal with each of our clients. Our job is to keep them healthy and growing with the skills and knowledge we bring to the table. So it wouldn’t make much sense to push more advertising if we knew it would hurt a client’s business. …Read more »
By Jillian Anderson | June 24, 2009
- Photo Credit: Mykl Roventine
Marketing on the Internet is a logical piece of the 21st century business puzzle.
Though people have been finding ways to market on the Internet for years, its broad marketing potential is still pretty new.
In my experience, most small business owners aren’t yet familiar with what internet marketing is and how it differs from/relates to traditional marketing media. I hope to answer some fundamental questions, or at least paint a clearer picture with this post.
Since we are talking about the world wide web, there are many advertising and marketing possibilities. But what’s best for your business? Well, that depends on your desired outcome (and budget). I’ll highlight three of the most common ways to market on the internet.
In addition to a company’s website, search engine marketing, social media marketing, and banner ads have proven to be highly effective in generating both web and foot traffic. All of these are useful marketing elements that enhance a company’s internet presence to promote offline business and online sales. …Read more »
By Tracey Armstrong | June 4, 2009
“I want to be on the first page of Google”…the request we hear the most from clients when discussing Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is then closely followed by “When will I see results?” and “How much will it cost?”
Well, to be honest, SEO is a strategy, not a “quick fix” or a “one-time deal”. It will take time and it will be an investment. Generally, for low to moderately competitive areas, it may take 3 – 6 months to begin seeing results. If the area of focus is highly competitive, results can take 6 months to a year.
Here are a few basic factors we consider when forming an effective SEO strategy: …Read more »
By Tracey Armstrong | April 9, 2009
Google search
Not long ago, as a business owner, you merely needed to have a website to establish your online presence. In many cases, this meant the company website was a glorified brochure – customers were directed to the website by the salesperson or through traditional media. Customers didn’t just “find” you, you broadcasted your message to them through traditional media, and the website supplemented the sales pitch.
Flash forward a few years…if someone has a question, they “google” it. Today we “google” products, services, people, places, and what ever else we want to know more about – yeah, Google not only introduced a whole new vocabulary, but a whole new concept for searching and making decisions. …Read more »
