The official slogan for Google+ is “real-life sharing—rethought for the web”. Google+, is a social network operated by Google Inc, with integration across a number of Google products, including Google Buzz and Google Profiles.

Started in June 2011 as a test version, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds. Google+ notices are posted inside users’ Gmail inbox, so it’s 100% real-time Gmail deliverability. When you write about a subject on Google+ and your circle friends Google that subject, your comments and links are displayed automatically on page one of Google. No back-linking, no on-site optimization, just free traffic. All these factors make it a social media platform that is likely to stay on the scene and gain increased favor.

Building your Google+ Presence

According to new research from comScore, on the State of Local Business Search, search on mobile phones is growing. The study found that 22% of U.S. mobile phone users searched on their phone in January 2011. That’s an 8% increase from the 16% who reported searching via mobile in January 2010.

Not only are more people searching from their mobile phone, the frequency of mobile search is increasing, too. The report found that of those conducting a search on their mobile device, 27% reported searching at least once a week, 43% reported searching 1-3 times per month, and 20% reported searching almost every day. According to the report, 73% of users are conducting search via a browser on their phone, and 56% conduct search using an app.

Further, 33% of mobile users are accessing local content, demonstrating that the rise of local search is not only for desktop users. One of the most popular types of information that users are looking for is maps.

So What?

Well, when it comes to marketing your local business online, this research underscores the importance of two key things:

1. Having a mobile friendly site for your business so it can show up in local search.
2. Optimizing your business’s Google Places page so that it will rank well in Google maps search.

Do you have a mobile optimized site for your business? Is your Google Places page optimized?

Contact us if you need a little help.

Here are my top 6 reasons I may hate your website:

1. Slow Load Times – If your site takes more than 4 seconds to load, then chances are I’m not waiting around. Google hates slow page load times too and is starting to incorporate it into their ranking algorithm.
2. Splash / Intro pages – These pages were cool in 2000 but now they just waste my time. I do not care to see the same intro every time I visit your site. An exception would an intro where you’re really telling me something new or making an offer.
3. Poor Web Design / Confusing Layout -  I use the 4 second rule on this one too. I should be able to quickly determine the following: Am I on the right site? Do you have what I need?  What do I need to do next?  Don’t make me think about it.  Your web design needs to lead traffic down a path that leads to conversions.
4. Too Little Information – Give me as much information as I need to move to the next step. If I cannot find the information on your website, then it is likely that I will move on to the next site. A good rule of thumb is to give your visitors as much information  as you can in a manageable format. Give me a quick overview and then give me a link to more detailed information if I want it.
5. Lack of Contact Info – Seriously?  Are you a real business? I’m very skeptical about doing business with a company that doesn’t give me easy access to contact them, if needed.
6. Too Many Google Ads – I really hate sites that are littered with Google Ads. I understand their value but a home page with Google Ads throughout it screams spammer to me. Google hates spam in their search results, yet many of the spammy sites I run across are littered with Google Ads…go figure.

Most of my reasons are common sense, yet I still see websites everyday that I hate. How does your site stack-up?

Another change to Place pages is an increased emphasis on the call to action for users to leave a review. A big red button at the top of the page now urges users to “Write a review.” In fact, this is one of the core features of the new page design. This change means that now more than ever, it’s important to claim and optimize your business Google Place page, ensure consistency across local listings, and request happy customers to leave reviews specifically on your Google Place page.

So What?

Overall, these changes emphasize the importance of including Google in your reputation and reviews strategy. However, it’s still important to have a comprehensive reputation management strategy that focuses on search engines, social media channels, and third-party directory and review sites. For local search engine optimization and reputation management, the overall strategy for reviews doesn’t change based on these updates. It’s still critical to monitor your reputation across the web, acquire lots of reviews on various sites, and engage in reputation management.

Just last week Google released it’s annual “Benchmarking” Report that consists of key metrics generated from websites. That’s data from hundreds of thousands of websites if you’re keeping score.  So with so much data the metrics are pretty statistically significant and really give an accurate picture of what’s going on with websites.

The fun for me, and it’s NOT looking at all that data, is that I just “zero in” on a few numbers that I think are important like BOUNCE RATE. The significance of Bounce Rate for me is that this one number tells me if websites are making a good FIRST IMPRESSION and getting that potential client to spend some time on the site and look around.

But first, let’s define BOUNCE RATE. Bounce Rate is when a web Visitor, or in this case a potential customer, comes to your home page and EXITS your site WITHOUT going to any other pages, in most cases within 15 seconds. For years Google reported this number as a range, generally between 40% and 60%. Now the numbers are getting a little more exact with this year’s number coming in at 47%. For those keeping score at home – High Bounce Rate BAD – Low Bounce Rate GOOD.

OK, so it’s 47%, what exactly does that mean to my website and my business?

I’ll answer that question, if I may, with a little game of pretend. First, let’s pretend that your website is a salesperson. Second, your salesperson meets 100 potential clients. Third, your salesperson introduces themselves to all 100. Fourth, 47 of those 100 potential clients walk away while your salesperson is still talking.

WOW! Say goodbye to HALF of your potential clients, “POOF” gone in 15 seconds. I guess that game of pretend wasn’t much fun was it? However Bounce Rate is not pretend IT’S REAL!

But wait, before you BOUNCE the baby out with the bath water, please realize that  knowing your Bounce Rate is a good thing even if it’s ugly. Because now you know exactly how to measure your salesperson’s FIRST IMPRESSION effectiveness. If it’s not good, maybe some home page “makeovers”, changing some text, or sprucing up your Value Proposition to make a better FIRST IMPRESSION is in order.

Of course many of you may be happy with that 47%. But here at WSI Webworks we’re NOT. Our average Bounce Rate is 34% (that’s 33% lower than the Google average). Some of our clients even come in below 20%. We work hard to make that FIRST IMPRESSION a good one which in turn brings in more clients. But it all starts with knowing one number – YOUR Bounce Rate.

Is your Website’s first impression a good one or does it need a BREATH MINT?

What’s your thoughts?

In days of old, those days before the web that is, the “Elevator Pitch” AKA “Value Proposition” was generally accepted as the first presentation by the salesperson to a potential client. The purpose was of course to give a 60 second high dose pitch of the Company during that critical DO or DIE “first impression” step of the sales cycle. Of course this, well scripted and profusely practiced event, was to get the potential client to instantly say – “Yes, yes tell me more”.

Today, our first impression or experience with a company that we are thinking about doing business with is NOT a salesperson, but the Company’s website. Now cutting out the salesperson during that first impression step I personally have no problem with. Sorry salespeople, blame Al Gore, he invented the internet and that’s just the way it is.

What I DO have a problem with is that when they cut out the salesperson they cut out the “Elevator Pitch” too. Example – My research of many service company websites found that most had nothing close to the old fashioned “Elevator Pitch” as we knew it. You know that same “Elevator Pitch” that just a few years ago was so critical  to the sales process. Now that important “first impression” step is a company website dressed as a fancy brochure. Ask any salesperson how shoving a pretty brochure in a prospect’s face after shaking their hand works.

The web and the creation of beautiful websites has been a huge step forward. But leaving out many of the “basics” of selling has been a GIANT step backwards. Call the website a beautiful salesperson, fine with me. But don’t forget, that beautiful salesperson has to know how to sell. By forgetting time tested sales steps AKA the “Elevator Pitch” and swapping it for an online brochure AKA “Brochure BARF” just doesn’t get it. Next time you go to a website, check your shoes, there just might be “Brochure BARF on them.

You do the math. Average time on a website can be around 2 minutes. Average time to read a page of text could eat up a lot of that time. In many cases people “skim” and miss most of your story – Not good.

All that text that you have carefully crafted WASTED! Bye-Bye to that great story about your company. Web visitors are just not going to read all that text.

However a 30-45 second video hits the “sweet spot”. In this case a picture (or video in this case) IS worth a thousand words. Also, a video can be directive. Telling visitors to “take a look at this or that”. And lastly, the final bonus, you can measure how long people watched.

Whether it’s good to know or not. You need to know if anybody cares what you are saying. PRICELESS

Using Video to DIFFERENTIATE your website from your competition’s website.

The GOOD: The main reason that it is able to differentiate you from your competition is not that you’ve done the  greatest thing since “sliced bread”, the main reason that it’s different is that not many people are using video on their websites, so you kind of win by default. But it doesn’t matter how you win, a win is a win. After all, wasn’t it the early bird that got the worm.

So, if you’re going to do a video on your site, better sooner than later. It’s predicted that video use on websites will grow by 25 to 30 percent in the next year. Remember, once enough people do it, it won’t be different anymore.

The BAD: Don’t rush and do it badly. You don’t have to shoot for Hollywood quality but you still want it to look nice. Of course a bad video will still get you differentiation, just not the kind you want.

Over the past couple of years video has gone through a “warp speed” evolution, higher quality, less cost, and ease of production. It’s not at all uncommon to see someone grab a phone, shoot a video, and upload it to YouTube and YOU’RE A STAR.

So with all those giant leaps forward for video, why has video use on websites been so late to the party? Or even “show” (no pun intended)

So with that said, I decided to do a little “asking around” to see if I might get a little direction as to why. The first discovery was that most people, even though they felt video would be “cool” on their website (those that weren’t camera shy that is), really didn’t understand the benefits of putting video on their website. They simply said “where’s the benefit, so why go through the hassle”. Just to be “cool” was not enough.

So over the next couple of weeks (sorry, I know it could be quicker, but I have this little thing called WORK!) I will begin posting the benefits as I uncover them during my research and discussions.

Be assured, even though I am looking for BENEFITS (or the GOOD), I will also give the BAD and UGLY. Seems like a lot more fun that way.

My quest shall be called “Using Video on Your Website – The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY! Wish me luck. Doug tells me that some people never come back from a quest like this. So like “Friday the Thirteenth–Part 83” this too shall be a scary continuation…..

We’re excited and fortunate to have Jim McClain join our team as an Internet Business Strategist.  Jim joined our team on April 1.

He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in business process improvement, sales consulting and web strategy.  In his new position at WSI, Jim spends time with clients understanding their Sales Process, Value Proposition, and business priorities. With this knowledge and working closely with the client, Jim is able to incorporate the client’s custom processes into an effective web presence.

Once this effective web presence is completed by the WSI team, Jim’s job is only half done. He tests, measures, and analyzes the client’s data on an ongoing basis to continually enhance the effectiveness of the client’s web presence.. Jim calls this “CIP” or Continuous Improvement Process.

The web can be complicated, Jim helps keep it simple and easy to understand.

Note: Congrats to Jim on his most recent achievement.  He recently became a ‘Certified Search Engine Marketing Professional’ through SEMPO.