Google continues to run strong as it continues to dominate online search. Google also has a wide range of products and services that facilitate in their dominance, however, it’s ever changing. I’ve been working in the SEO industry running ADvantageous for more than six years now. Since that time, I have seen and experienced many Google algorithm changes. Each and every change has given me the opportunity to learn and adapt, and finally learning to predict what changes come next.

Google’s dominance is both good and bad for small businesses. If your business is too dominant on Google, and they make a change that impacts your traffic significantly, it could really hurt your business; which was actually the case for many businesses when Google made significant changes to their search algorithms back in February 2011, a change that’s known as Google Panda. This is just one of many reasons a small business must create multiple traffic sources and diversify to mitigate any damage that such changes can create.

Panda is all about “the page”. Panda which was updated to version 2.2 in June 2011, with mixed results. Panda is geared towards the promotion of quality websites, so be sure you have great content that’s relevant and it updated and changed frequently. Google announced at the end of March 2012, that it will be rolling out new changes to its algorithm mid year, in anticipation of its conversion to Semantic Search, which is going to fuel their product that is said to be compete with Apple’s CIRI, and is scheduled for release in December 2012.

The first thing every business in America needs to do is take control of their online presence, especially on the sites like Google Places, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc. these sites are up for you business whether you claim them or not, however not claiming them, gives you no control on whats posted on them about your business. Having spent over two decades in the hospitality industry, responding to these post about your business are of the utmost importance, because these are the very same comments, post and reviews that are going to be returned when people are searching for products or services that your business has to offer.

Once you claim the listing, you have the ability to thank those that post positive comments, in which you should, if they took the the time to write something nice about you, then you should at least take the time to thank them. Equally important is that your respond to the negative ones, as well, and try to resolve it to the best of your ability. This allows the visitors that read these, an opportunity to see, that things may not always be perfect, but you are there to make it right and it speaks volumes in acquiring new customers, and retaining current ones, and promotes loyalty, which should be the ultimate goal for any business.

This content that is found on these sites, that feature the comments, reviews, etc. to your business, are building what will in the VERY NEAR future be your online reputation and it needs to be managed with great agility.

This has been the main focus of all businesses, whether online or brick and mortar, for centuries. For those who already have a traditional business, this is the obvious place to start. Even businesses that primarily work in the “real world” can benefit from having an online outlet, if for nothing else than to reap the benefits of the worldwide marketing aspect.

However, one of the most common mistakes that a “real world” business makes when transitioning to an online outlet is that they become what is known as a “brochure website,” where the website itself offers little information other than scanned brochures and directions to the store itself.

While there is some merit to be had in this sort of website – and it is, indeed, better than no website at all – this doesn’t maximize the potential that the Internet has in furthering the cause of businesses.

For businesses who are looking to transfer from the “real world” to the digital one, it’s recommended to consider looking at the website as if it was the main focus of the business, rather than a peripheral concern. If a business owner was starting from scratch with a website and trying to sell the product, how important would the website itself be? It would be vital, because the website is the medium that sells the product. Websites who have “real world” businesses should view their site in the same way.

For those who are looking to start an online business from scratch, the most important thing to do is research. What are competitors offering in the field? How much are they charging, and what do their websites look like? Try Google searching for others who are offering the same things that you would like to sell, and check out their quality and pricing. Next, sit down and consider how you can improve upon what your future competitors have already brought to the table.

Do most of the sites you see have uninspiring websites or difficult navigation? Take note and make sure not to make the same mistakes when it’s time for you to launch your own site.Remember that your online business doesn’t have to necessarily be unique in order to be successful. It just has to be a more appealing option to the consumer than the others already on the market. Take note on what your competition is doing and envision making it better. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel to find success – but if you can package it better or get it out faster, that’s a major step in the right direction!

Learn what’s having immeasurable results on your bottom line…

It’s essential to know how to gain a competitive advantage from today’s challenging economic climate. Integrated marketing blends multichannel branded content with social media. Implementing this strategy will yield larger profits, substantially reduce operating cost, and return higher ROI on your marketing dollars.

If your marketing isn’t working together, then its working against each other. Devastating as that may sound, you will never understand the true impact until you realize what Integrated Marketing is, and more importantly how your lack of it is detrimental to your business.

The Marketing Analysis is a fun and easy to use multiple choice questionnaire that grades how integrated your current marketing is as well as engages your thought process to how each part of your marketing should be coherent and compliment of each other. Your free consultation is a live one on one conversation at your convenience to discuss what your currently doing and determine what additional steps should be taken to fully integrate your marketing to benefit your ROI as well as your bottom line as a whole.

It’s No Risk, All Reward!

There is never any pressure or obligation it’s merely a chance to see how your business can benefit immensely from Integrated Marketing. You have nothing to lose.

I do however have to comment on their customer service automated system.  When you call it, the male-automated voice responds like so…

“I see your calling from ###-###-####”  —( and reads allowed you phone number)

“Is this the number listed on your AT&T account? — (you respond with voice yes or no)

Now, are you currently an AT&T customer?

WHAT?

Shouldn’t this the be second question they ask.

Isn’t that the same as…

“I see your calling from ###-###-####”

“Is that the number associated with your phone?”

“Do you even have a phone?”

No kidding and it’s been like that since day one the first time I ever had to call.  You can obviously tell no one in the company that is in charge of the department to correct that has used the system, or either no one has the initiative to have it changed.  It also makes the assumption that they don’t even have a quality assurance team testing the system either.  I was amused at first, because it was all new, I thought surely they would correct it, but now, I just want to see how long it actually does take them to catch it and fix it.

When most consumer think of Kodak they think of the little yellow boxes of film, and not cutting-edge digital technology.Perception is reality, and its no different for large global brands. Kodak failed to embrace the change when the market started shifting over to digital photography. They entered the digital arena back in 1995 with the creation of the Kodak Digital Science brand. Yet for the next three years the continued to invest enormous amounts of money in research that led to the Advantix System, a hefty $200 million dollars to be exact. That money could have logically been spent in developing their new digital brand. Consumers even today aren”t familiar with the Kodak Digital Science Brand.

It’s probably too late, but if the brand is to emerge from bankruptcy they are going to have to take a serious look at their strategy. Now the brand carries with it over one and a quarter century”s worth of brand perception which are heavily out of sync with the digital era. Kodak needs a strategic overhaul to develop a brand image that is as cutting-edge as the technology itself. This is a decision that should have been made years ago, and by its own accord, rather than waiting til now.

The state of the market is going to impact their decisions, surely hasty ones because of the time constraints they have allowed to precede them. Failing to embrace change, is detrimental to any company, all companies should take heed that change occurs whether we embrace it or not, however failure is inevitable for those who choose not to do so.

Our Free Software and Marketing Analysis will help you achieve a higher ROI on your marketing. You’ll gain valuable and priceless insights into the value of Integrated Marketing and the shortfalls of your current marketing.

Priceless because you can’t place an amount on the money your losing when your not sure of all the variables.Maybe you feel as though you have hit a wall with your current marketing efforts and need to know how to climb over that wall and regain your momentum and your market share. PromoCalc™ is a proprietary tool that was developed for my clients. It will show you how to gauge your ROI on every promotion from now on.