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

Let’s assume you’ve decided that using QR codes may be a good marketing strategy for your business. Before you get started it’s a good idea to understand and follow some established best practices. Listed below are some best practices that will maximize your success rate with QR codes.

• Make your codes at least 1″ x 1″— larger is better.
• Leave sufficient white space around the code.
• Avoid using colors that do not provide sufficient contrast
• Avoid using QR codes on highly reflective surfaces.
• Use URL / link shorteners to create clean codes.
• Test your QR codes with multiple readers and devices.
• Use a quality QR code generator. Our current favorite is http://delivr.com/ – they also provide some good tracking and analytics.

The most common mistake marketers make with QR codes is having them resolve to a standard web page. Remember, your code is being scanned with a mobile device, so if the user is taken to a page that is not mobile-optimized the odds are that they will leave quickly with a bad experience.  If you don’t have a mobile website, then you’re probably better off passing on QR codes for now.

I’m sure you’ve seen one by now, but my guess is that many of you may not know exactly what they are or how they are used. That postage stamp looking barcode (see pic at right) is a QR Code – QR stands for quick response.

QR codes have been around for years but have gained recent popularity due to their use in marketing campaigns. A QR code is similar to a standard barcode that is used for pricing, inventory tracking, etc. However, the big difference between the two is the amount of data that a QR Code can hold.  The QR Code is two-dimensional barcodes that can hold thousands of characters of information.

You only need a Smartphone with a camera and QR code reader to scan a QR code. When you scan a QR code, you can link to any form of digital content on the web.  Listed below is a pretty good video I found that gives a nice overview of how QR codes work.

Companies are discovering exciting ways to use QR codes as a means of connecting pe0ple with offline content and digital media in an effort to win the Zero Moment of Truth (a must read eBook from Google).

Over the next week or so, I will be providing some best practices and ways to use QR codes to enhance your own digital marketing efforts.

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.

On February 23rd, Google released a search algorithm update dubbed “Farmer” (aka Panda) that affected some 11.8 percent of Google search queries in the United States.  This latest update was tagged “Farmer” because it impacted sites that specialize in junk content.  These ‘content farms’ flood the Internet with a never ending stream of low quality content. I’m sure you’ve stumbled across a few of these sites laden with useless content and tons of ads.

Specifically, Google identified and penalized the rankings of sites that copy or “scrape” the content of other sites; sites that have low-quality content; sites that have a high ratio of ads to content; and sites that lack brand trust. To put it simply, Google is penalizing sites that don’t provide much value to the user.

So what does this mean to you and your site?

Certainly anyone who employed an SEO who relied on dubious shortcuts took a hit. Unfortunately that includes legitimate well intentioned business people who were simply trying to market their services on the Internet like everyone else. They trusted search engine optimization companies that relied on dubious tactics, or off-shore optimizers with a poor command of the English language who simple scraped and assembled content for other websites.

However, if you have been following good SEO practices, then it is highly unlikely that you were negatively affected.  In fact, you may notice slight improvements in your search engine rankings due to the drop in rankings for sites that were penalized.

Google Counters Bad SEO Tactics

Google actually makes hundreds of changes to its search results ranking algorithm each year in an effort to stay a step ahead of black-hat optimizers who use dubious tactics in an effort to “game” the system rather than produce useful content. We knew this change was coming… we just didn’t know when.  The same thing happened a few years ago with ‘link farms’.

There are no short cuts. There never have been…

Gaming the system has never worked for any length of time. Trying to circumvent Google’s algorithm is short-sighted and ultimately builds your web presence on a house of cards that collapses the moment Google makes a change.

There are certain things that work, and will always work. A professional SEO company knows that Google is happy to reward optimizers that play by the rules and consider that the end game is to serve up the most accurate, meaningful and varied results to the person searching for information.

What’s the upside?

Well if you are just a person searching for something on Google, your chances of finding good quality results just increased. If you are a business who employed a skilled “white hat” Search Engine Optimization company then a lot of the noise on the Internet just cleared out of your way to the top of the results.

PPC has several advantages that make it arguably the ideal form of advertising in today’s environment. Despite the search engine or network used, PPC brings certain common benefits for businesses large and small.

The first of these advantages is speed to market. While it can take several months for search engine optimization to bear fruit, it takes only hours for a PPC campaign to start bringing in new, qualified customers to a Web site. Consider traditional methods of marketing. Display ads in newspapers and magazines, direct mail, television and radio, all have significant lead times before securing results.

Another characteristic of PPC is the ability to create a level playing field for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. With the best keyword selection and ad placement, small businesses can have their ads appear right above or just below larger competitors or even national chains on search engine result pages without having to take on significantly larger costs.

PPC advertising also gives businesses complete control over what potential customers see in search results as well as the ability to direct visitors to specific pages on their Web sites that are geared toward meeting a particular audience’s needs. 1

So-called micro- or geo-targeting gives advertisers the ability to use effective keyword research and demographic selection to target desired audiences far more precisely than other forms of advertising.

In addition, PPC gives advertisers complete control over their advertising budgets. Effective campaigns can be designed to spend anywhere from a few dollars to millions of dollars a day. Moreover, metrics, such as search volume/impressions for keyword phrases, traffic per ad generated, conversions per ad variation or keyword phrase, and other statistics give advertisers the ability to adjust their programs daily, if necessary, to reallocate spending toward higher performing ads taking into account their needs for sales leads and available funds. 2

Finally, PPC can serve as an important market research tool, as it highlights precisely the keywords and phrases that attract the best prospects and sales. It also enables advertisers to easily identify new market trends. For example, sudden surges in the number of searches on a given keyword can reflect world events or added media attention. This information can help businesses position themselves to make the most of market trends and new opportunities as they develop. 3

1  Kreski, Don (2009) “Pay-per-click Advertising” Sound & Video Contractor, 27:4, p20-23
2  Whitson, Patrick. “Local Internet Marketing – Most Important Way To Market Your Business” Lapeer Website Marketing (October 21, 2010)
3  Whitson, Patrick. “Local Internet Marketing – Most Important Way To Market Your Business” Lapeer Website Marketing (October 21, 2010)

Take notice of the latest smartphone application to hit the stage! Released in the U.S approximately 6 weeks ago - and more recently launched in Canada - Facebook Deals aims to connect consumers to discounts offered at nearby businesses. Subsequently, the application also allows businesses to actively insert themselves into their customers’ Facebook conversations.

While the service is limited to iPhone and Android users at the moment, it will eventually be extended to all cell phones. Inevitably,  all small businesses across North America will be able to create a Facebook Deal and actively leverage mobile marketing techniques. This is definitely a tool to keep your eye on as more and more businesses adopt it into their advertising strategy.

How does Facebook Deal Work?

Through the Facebook application, Places, users first identify their location. Facebook Deals then notifies the user of the discounts that are available in the immediate vicinity.

Facebook Deals are only delivered to Facebook users who have indicated they “like” a particular business. They can then pass the deal on to their friends, thereby creating online word-of-mouth promotion for the company.

Several major retailers have already jumped onboard this mobile marketing strategy, some of which include Indigo, Telus, and H&M. It’s only a matter of time until small businesses also start to create their own Facebook Deals.  Stay tuned for more developments on this exciting new mobile marketing tool.