Five Techwe are

Local Internet Marketing

Jul 14, 2014

Why SEO is Necessary for Everyone

Greg Gifford, column writer for Moz Blog, discusses the importance and necessity to understand, learn, and how to do local SEO . If you’re marketing for a business or even working for a company, SEO matters to your local internet marketing and ultimately, your company’s success . If your company has a physical location, local SEO is absolutely necessary to utilize. Gifford provides us with a simple plan to help build SEO skills and fully ...

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Jul 3, 2014

Why Marketers Should Consider Localized Mobile Marketing

Many marketers take their time when translating their website and collateral, such a webinars, brochures, or online videos. Those marketers are confident that English is the “language of business” and that even if a product is available internationally, an English-only voice will be enough to convince prospects to consider the product. However, according to the report “ Can’t Read, Won’t Buy “, research firm Common Sense ...

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Jul 1, 2014

4 Steps to Maximize Local Search Success

Jon Schepke, column writer for SearchEngineWatch.com, a website on all things Internet marketing and search engine related, informs us with four simple steps to maximize local search success for your company. According to new research, “Four out of five consumers say they want search ads to be customized to their city, ZIP code, or immediate surroundings.” Furthermore, four out of five consumers conduct local searches on search engines. Today, ...

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May 21, 2014

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Defined

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an Internet marketing term that is tossed around daily in conversations with clients. In most cases, clients have some idea of what SEO is and what stands for. However, in some cases, it seems like business owners and marketers merely know that it is important for online success, but do not really understand what it is Recently, HubSpot, an inbound marketing company, released a short blog post defining this Internet ...

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Apr 28, 2014

Getting Started with Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Why is local SEO important? Let’s start by defining what local SEO is exactly. Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a  specialized kind of online marketing that increases visibility for businesses interested in ranking for geographically-related keywords. In other words, when a customer types in your business type (product or service) and your local area (city, state, or zip code) you want your business listing and website to pop up as high as ...

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Apr 2, 2014

Google Plus. Why Is It Important for Business?

You may or may not have heard of the social media platform Google Plus. It is not very popular, yet, and it is highly under-used, for now. However, most Internet marketers believe that it could hold very special powers for Internet marketing in the future.   Google Plus has the capability to get your logo to appear next to your search result listings in Google Search and the offers the opportunity to network with thousands of similar brands and ...

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May 3, 2012

Online Reviews: How Important Are They For Your Local Business?

Online reviews can be seen on your Google Places page and other website profiles such as Yelp and Urban Spoon. When someone is using a search engine to find restaurants, hotels, or other local services, they will likely find some of these online profiles and will use what they learn from these profiles to choose where they spend their money. How important are the reviews? Let’s take a look at some of the ways they can impact your business. Reviews are ...

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Jan 17, 2011

Don’t Make Google Think, Claim Your Google Places Listing

Ask any local search authority and you’ll find out that step one online for a small business is claiming your local listing with the major search engines.  Without even having a website, your local listing like Google Places can be a great marketing tool for a business. What happens if you don’t claim your listing? Well, you leave Google to guess …  and they might guess that your one location, small town meat shop is a billion dollar, ...

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Dec 10, 2010

Google Places Local Search Ranking Video

With all of the new features and changes in the local search scene at Google, they took the time to put together a video explaining local search rankings . Google Places The video is a great visual and base level explanation of how local search rankings are displayed, compiled and ranked for Google Places. The video outlines these three main ranking factors: Relevance – results that categorically match what has been ...

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Oct 24, 2010

Local University In Denver Was A Mile High With Success

The Local University series continues to pull off great Internet marketing events, with Denver being the latest. At each of the Local U stops I’ve been a part of, the information, attendees interaction and speakers seem to get better.  A cool aspect of Denver was having attendee’s coming from afar to get their local search goods from New Mexico, Arizona, Nebraska and even Japan. I’m not that surprised though when you consider the ...

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Oct 20, 2010

Local Search Study Shows Over 70% Of Consumers Start Online

Looking for a local business, service or product starts online for close to 3 out of every 4 consumers.  I’m guessing that number reported by a recent Local Search Usage Study isn’t alarming to consumers or business owners these days. What continues to be alarming for me is the number of businesses that lack correct information online, multiple sources to be found by and online marketing strategies (no matter how small they might be). Inc. ...

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Sep 14, 2010

Searching For A Seminar: Great SEO & Local Search Events This Fall

If you are near Minnesota or Colorado you have the opportunity to take in some great search engine optimization and local search knowledge with two great search seminars scheduled.  I’m excited to be speaking at both of them and hope you make it out, learn and say hello! MIMA Summit 2010 – September 27th & 28th The Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association’s annual Summit is an event to be reckoned with.  I’m excited to ...

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Jun 7, 2010

2010 Local Search Ranking Factors Released

I’m excited to have taken part of an incredible group of local search panelists for David Mihm’s 2010 Local Search Ranking Factors . For the last three years, David has sough out, compiled and published his Local Search Ranking factors that are the read in local search.  In bringing together a great group of local search experts together you get more than one opinion, rating and thoughts on over 60 elements that are part of local ...

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May 27, 2010

Double Your Search Rankings: Local & Organic

I wanted to share one of the local search examples I shared while presenting at Local University earlier this month.  A small business can gain a solid edge by ranking well with their local listing as well as their general organic search ranking. Here is one of our clients, a CPA firm with 2 offices that have earned top rankings in both the local and organic results.  Their positions are boxed in red. Consider that the user not only has 2 links to ...

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May 14, 2010

Local University Twin Cities Event Recapped

The dust has settled and Local University Twin Cities is in the books.  Thursday was a jam packed day of Internet marketing information, tips, data, tools, how-to’s and more from a fantastic panel of local search, SEO, analytics and social media experts. Two packed sessions of Minnesota business owners, marketers, web designers and more soaked up an incredible amount of Internet marketing knowledge from leading experts as well as staff from ...

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May 3, 2010

A Search Engine Optimization & Internet Marketing Seminar For All

In less than 2 weeks, Local University will descend on the Minneapolis and St Paul area bringing a wealth of SEO, local search and Internet marketing information.  You can still register for the May 13th event that features speakers from Google, Bing and other national Internet marketing experts . Who is this conference for? This has been a big question I get when talking about the event.  I thought I would offer a small summary of what I feel ...

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Feb 8, 2010

Small Business Wins Big With Local University

I had the pleasure of attending the first Local University put on by GetListed.org in Spokane, Washington on February 4th, 2010.  This one day event, provided a fantastic amount of local search, SEO, social media and other Internet marketing information to over 150 attendees looking to have a better grasp on how they can be more visible online. Organized by GetListed.org co-founder David Mihm , the seminar featured a great line-up of ...

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Apr 9, 2009

SEO Presentation At The Buffalo Chamber Of Commerce

I was very fortunate to get to speak at the Buffalo, MN Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon today.  I presented on some ideas to help a small business website succeed, search engine optimization (SEO) and web analytics. I think I only put one person to sleep and the group had a lot of great Internet marketing questions in the follow-up. There were some great Buffalo and Wright County businesses / organizations in attendance and I enjoyed ...

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Apr 7, 2009

Google Local Search Part 2

Our last post looked at the new Google search features incorporating local search results into regular search queries.  For many search terms you no longer need to apply a city and state to get local results. A New Top Keyword I thought I would update that post with how this new Google search feature has effected our search engine traffic.  Prior to this local feature, our top terms of referral traffic were our company name and then ...

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Apr 2, 2009

Local Search Results Increasing On Google

Google is looking to help users find more local information by placing local search results in non-local search queries. Instead of having to search “Dentists in Delano, MN”, you can just type “Dentists” and get local results on page one. Google is using the location of your Internet provider (ISP) to determine where you are, so there will be some variables and inaccurate results, but local search results are there.  Google is ...

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Mar 8, 2009

A Small Coffee Shop Web Design Project Has A Big Future

Last week we launched the Blackwater Coffee Company & Cafe website. While the web design project was small in size on the surface, but its part of a very big service we are rolling out. The Blackwater web project included the following: Custom design elements over an existing CSS layout Full CMS back-end for updating of all website content Easy to use menu admin that allows for creating unlimited menus, categories, sub-categories, item ...

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Mar 1, 2009

Best Buy Meshes Online Reviews With Offline Marketing

I came across a great example of online marketing and offline marketing working together over the weekend. We often see traditional marketing driving people to the web, but I found something different going on. I found online marketing elements being put to use offline. I’m old school on Sunday mornings and almost always head out to buy the Sunday paper ( Star Tribune ) to read while having breakfast. As a gadget and tech guy, I usually look forward ...

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Feb 9, 2009

GetListed.Org – A Fantastic Local Search Tool For Small Business

Local search & web design gurus Pat Sexton and David Mihm delivered simplicity and value in the launch of their new small business tool GetListed.Org . The website allows a business or their marketing partner to verify their main local search listings in Google, Yahoo, Best of the Web (BOTW) and MSN Live in one easy step. Just type in your business name and zip code to get your local search listing report . The press release for the ...

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May 30, 2008

Online Review & Business Blogging Success Snippet

Last week when I posted about online reviews being used as a marketing strategy , I didn’t grasp that my post would push one of our customers to take action. Shortly after the blog post hit, which our client Sparkling Clean Window Washing subscribes to via email,  the owner headed off to one of our local pages and left us a great review .  It turns out that Ryan has been nudging clients to use online reviews for his business as well and in ...

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Apr 28, 2008

A Clean Website Redesign For Sparkling Clean

In landing a website redesign project for a window washing company we knew it had to be a clean web design, streak free content and a clear focus on local search results. Ryan Doliber, the owner of Sparkling Clean Window Washing has been in business for a few years and realized it was time to move up in the web world and decisively differ his brand appearance from the competition. Sparkling Clean Website Before When launching his business ...

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Apr 1, 2008

Go Green With Local Internet Marketing, Trashed Phone Books Just Pile Up

Internet marketing is an easy way to help your environment and market at the same time (ah, the feel good angle). Here in Minnesota, record numbers of phone books are being tossed out , with up to 85% ending up in the regular trash according to a recent Star Tribune article. The article cites that part of the reason is from the disappearance of recycling bins for them and the increase in the number of book types printed. They step around the fact that ...

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