Internet Yellow Pages - Our Thoughts On IYP

By James Hobson

The yellow pages print directories are all but dead. In order to protect the massive revenue at stake the phone companies were dragged kicking and screaming into “this internet stuff”. Now, with carefully crafted scripts in hand, the yellow pages reps have switched their stories and talk about how great the internet is, and tell tales of how much better their internet products are this year. Internet Yellow Pages (IYP), templated websites, “click programs”, and other gimmicky products often deliver lackluster results and don’t deliver a good ROI.

Do the Visibility Test! Use a search term that your customer may use and see if the internet yellow page website is on page one. If not, it’s a good indicator that your results will be very bad for that search term if you advertise on their site. When people use Google, they rely on the first page results to find a business! Forget the sales material and let your eyes guide you to the truth about value and potential.

If you take notice, every year your yellow page rep brings in a “great new product” which replaces last year’s “great new product”. Some takeaways from this annual event are: 1) they are essentially admitting that last year’s product was not so good, 2) they need to show something “new and exciting” to restore your sense of hope to renew your advertising, and 3) your sales rep still cannot fully explain internet marketing – they just stick to their sales pitch.

Here is an insider’s view of the yellow page business – Yellow Pages advertising was once a necessary evil for business owners. The phone companies exploited this and squeezed as much revenue as possible from their advertisers. Marketing programs almost force advertisers to spend more every year, and usually penalized advertisers for downsizing their advertising programs. Reps are trained in how to “pitch” products to make the biggest possible sale. Sales reps rarely understand the costs or effectiveness of other advertising options, and they almost never encourage advertisers to spend money elsewhere. Phone companies sell online advertising. They are not a true internet marketing company.

IYP Website Contracts are problematic becaue you are locked into a long term contract with limited design and development options.

1)Yellow Pages websites are “sold” to customers requiring monthly payments for as long as you want the website. The truth is that you do not own the website and it will never be paid off! Over a 10 year period you may pay well over $30,000 for a templated website, when you could own a custom website design for $4,000 or less by using a true website design company. Plus, you can easily reach a live person at a web design firm.
2)Yellow Pages websites are typically bland templates built out in a production environment that stresses quick completion to start your billing. Aesthetics are sacrificed for speed. Content is created without any real research on the client’s industry, competition or local market situations.
3)Yellow Pages websites do not include true search engine optimization techniques which means that theses sites will hardly ever rank well in competitive headings. Interestingly enough, this ranking problem “can be solved by buying internet yellow pages advertising”!
4)Yellow Pages websites do not offer many high value options like RSS feeds, W3C validation, searchable catalogs, e-commerce, website analytics, and sleek custom design features.

Search Marketing products are problematic because you are locked into a contract regardless of your satisfaction. You have little control over your program, and don't have a full range of internet marketing services.

1)“Click Packages” hype the number of clicks to your website which does not mean sales. In many cases you may not have control over the keywords selected to generate clicks.
2)No creation or implementation of critical search engine support elements.
3)No critical support services for link building, internet press releases, blog development, etc.
4)Limited to no support for submissions to vertical directories, social media and bookmarking sites, blog management, and other online listing opportunities.
5)Performance reports have no backup data and typically conflict with third party analytics data. Try Google Analytics and compare the results to what your IYP rep shows you . . . and ask them to explain the differences.

If you’re tired of yellow pages books and want to leverage the power of the Internet you should employ the services of a true internet marketing company that can provide you with objective advice on search engine marketing and local search marketing, as well as provide cost effective solutions without expensive, long term contracts.

Top Search Position Gains 37-percent of Clicks - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

By James Hobson
If you've wondered about the importance of SEO, and the potnetial value of a well managed PPC program, then you should read this article. I think that most anyone will be surprised to see the huge difference it makes to be at the top of page 1.

Top Search Position Gains 37-percent of Clicks - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

Google Cracks Down on Rogue Advertisers - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

Here is a link to an article that discusses a proactive step taken by Google to reign in some of the crazies that use Adwords. We give Google a thumbs-up for this move.

Google Cracks Down on Rogue Advertisers - Website Magazine - Website Magazine

Google's Panda Update, aka the Farmer Update

We are coming up on a month since Google's Panda update hit the internet. This update has also been called "The Farmer Update". It is estimated that this affected about 12% of all websites. Honestly, we have seen very little changes, and most changes did not last over two weeks.

One site that did take some hits is Merchant Circle. Merchant Circle's comments wer recently posted on the SearchEngineLand.com website and included the following:

Beyond the changes we’ve already made, here are the near-term actions we’re making in response to the “farmer” update:

•Re-doubling or efforts to fight spam and other low-quality content across our network (which is always a challenge in local
•Evaluating our site to determine where we can make improvements to site layout and topology with a goal of improving search experience
And here are the activities on which we will continue to focus to help local businesses:

•Educating our members about the importance of creating valuable local content about their businesses and their communities (see examples here of our merchant education webinar series here: http://www.youtube.com/user/MerchantCircle#p/c/16A06082C6D6A04A
•Serving as an objective voice for local business owners who are often under represented in local discussions (see: http://blog.merchantcircle.com/2011/02/q1-2011-merchant-circle-mci-survey.html)
•Building valuable new products to enable quality conversations between consumers and merchants (where else can merchants book online appointments, create online deals, send newsletters, meet other business owners all for free?)

If you have commenst on the recent Google updates, please post it here.

What Did You Expect For $1.99 ???

We get quite a few calls from people who say how much they like our portfolio and the results that we deliver for our clients . . . and then they steer the conversation into how "their last guy" only charged (pick a low price here). They then say how much they liked the prices of "their last guy" but the work was not good, and he never did what he said he would do. So, what did you expect for $1.99?

Would you go to Ruth's Chris and tell them how you like the prices at Western Sizzlin' and they should match the price for their food? Of course not! So why do people do this when searching for a qualified internet marketing company?

When you contact a legitimate, licensed internet marketing company - with an office, a staff, insurance, advertising expenses, lots of equipment, licensed software and a desire to remain in business - you need to keep in mind that they are not the cheap guy on Craigslist. They have built their business on a certain level of quality and professionalism. They have overhead and do things properly. They are going to charge a fair rate for professional services.

If you choose the "Craigslister" or freelancer, bear in mind that they are probably a part-timer doing your work "when they feel like it" and just enough to ask you for money, and/or they are anti-social oddballs that can't hold a regular job and they WILL eventually crack up on you. They are probably working off of bootleg software, and violating every copyright law as they steal images and copy text from other websites for your website. Being cheap is always expensive in the long run.

Nobody likes to pay too much. This is why Walmart is successful. But "your last guy" is like the cheap Chinese goods sold by Walmart. Won't last, will disappoint you, and you'll need to replace it sooner than you think. After all, what did you expect for $1.99?

Video Marketing and Website Video Content

Video content has become extremely popular for internet marketing and for website content. Unfortunately any fool with a camera can make and post a video, often cluttering sites like Youtube with blithering nonsense. If people will take the time to understand some basics on how and WHY to create a video for online promotion they will d everyone a favor - especially themselves.

First and foremost, your video should not be a lengthy documentary unless you are a very well established authority such as Matt Cutts of Google. Cutts knows his facts versus some guy with a quest for fame espousing his hunches and perceptions. Generally speaking your video is better received if you focus on a single point and the content is concise and structured.

Second, don't try to be a creative director and add all sorts of flashy graphics and techno music. These things are distracting and usually make your video appear as very amateurish. Again, clean and simple makes for better communications.

Use decent equipment and a good setting for filming. You must have good equipment (not necessarily expensive), good lighting and an ability to manage good sound quality. We once had a client whose wife fancied herself as a video producer (among other fantasy creative skills). The videos produced had horrible sound quality which included overwhelming background noises from air conditioning units, vehicular traffic and more. A good video shoot needs to be planned and executed with a commitment to creating a high quality result - een if it means repetitive efforts to get it right.

Lastly, think about your subject and speak from the heart. Most people cannot read a script (or teleprompter, lol) and appear genuine. Study how to give a short, impromptu speech and you'll command a better appearance which means you'll make a better impression on your viewers.

If all else fails, hire a professional company like Fat Chimp Sudios in St. Louis to do your videos. The ultimate goal is to create a video that makes you appear confident, pleasant while you provide information of value for the viewer.

Choosing A Service Provider (part 3)

After you have completed your due diligence on the basic facts about a propspective provider of internet marketing services or website design (see part 2 of this series) it is time to move on to the subjective qualifiers.

You need to take a close look at what the vendor has done for their own business. If they have a ratty looking site then you should not expect much more than what you see. If their site has marginal organic rankings and poor local search rankings then you should expect that or less. The bottom line is that if they can't do it for themselves you can't expect them to do good things for you.

Look over the vendors portfolio to assess the range of their experience and see their work. Visit sites shown on their portfolio, go to the bottom of the referenced site and see if their name is showing in the credit line. Many subpar outfits claim work that is not theirs.

A good website company will have at least 20 example sites in their portfolio. Their portfolio should have represent a diverse client base and have sites that range from a simple brochure site to a complex e-commerce site. Remember that your internet needs will grow and that you want to partner with a company that can help you for years down the road.

Ask about the company's fulfillment process. Many companies outsource web design to India or piecemeal work out to a plethora of freelancers. We have personally caught web design firms in India and Canada having stolen website files and reproduced the sites after changing only the logo and contact information. Know who is doing your work and how it will be completed. If someone works alone and claims to be doing several sites a month you should be suspicious.

Ask about the company's full range of capabilities. Again, a one or two person outfit cannot possibly handle a book of business in a proper manner. If they cannot provide a full suite of services you will quickly outgrow them or suffer through being underserviced. Ask for examples of social media sites they manage, online reputation work, PPC management, etc.

Don't be bamboozled by a fast talking or aggressive salesman. Find a company that is willing to learn about your company, and that will take time to educate you on theirs. Ask to visit their office and see what they have to offer.

Following the tips we have provided here can save you from a lot of misery and help you to find great success in your online endeavors. Feel free to contact us with any questions. We're here to help!