Search Results for: customer reviews

6 Common SEO Practices That Will Get You in Trouble

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Day in and day out, we encounter small business owners who are completely misinformed about Google’s policies. In particular, there seems to be a lot of false information about the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of certain online advertising practices. We hate to see trusting business owners get in trouble with Google by making honest, albeit misinformed, mistakes. That’s we’re dedicating this post to highlighting popular online advertising behaviors that are sure to provoke Google’s retribution. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the most illegitimate SEO practices that are somehow still being used.

1. Using a fake address.

Google has street-view images of virtually every U.S. address in existence, so they’ll know immediately whether it’s really your business’s location. Moreover, you must be able to receive mail at the address you give, as Google will send you a postcard to verify your location. If there’s any question about your address, Google might even have someone drive by to check it out in person!

2. Creating multiple listings for the same company.

Some business owners try to market their company in every surrounding city to optimize their search traffic. Don’t ever do this. More than likely, Google will quickly recognize what you’re doing as spam, and your listings will be suspended. You may even be slapped with a longer-lasting penalty that will haunt you into the future.

3. Using shady back-links.

Sure, links from elsewhere to your own website are highly valuable as far as search engine optimization goes. But if those links aren’t authentic, or from relevant sites, then they won’t do anything to increase your website’s value. Plus, if Google catches you (which they likely will), your site will be suspended from search results. (J.C. Penney was caught with thousands of shady back-links in 2011. Click here to read the New York Times article with the full scoop.)

4. “Keyword stuffing.”

Have you ever seen a website jam-packed with what seems like every relevant keyword and nearby location imaginable? This is what’s known as keyword stuffing, and Google views it as spam. It’s obvious and easy for Google to spot, so don’t do it.

5. Using the same address for multiple, related companies.

Trying to double your traffic by creating two different company listings, both at the same address, will backfire. If you’re the owner of Bob’s Appliance at 123 Main Street, then you can’t also create a listing for Tom’s Appliance at 123 Main Street. This is grounds for suspension of both listings.

6. Publishing deceptive customer reviews.

That means you should never write reviews of your own company, nor should you pay others to write them. Google tracks the IP addresses of all incoming posts, and they’ll notice if there’s anything unnatural about the “who,” “where,” and “when” of customer reviews. If your reviews are questionable, your listing will probably be suspended.

You Can’t Outsmart Google

Unfortunately, many business owners hear rumors that they can find ways around Google’s guidelines, but the fact remains that Google will always be at least one step ahead. They have superior technology and an incredible amount of manpower, so it’s simply impossible to pull the wool over their eyes—at least, not for long. Your best bet is to study the rules and do your best SEO work without breaking them.
If you need clarification about any of the above points, don’t hesitate to contact a Prospect Genius representative today! We’re here to help.

Are You Spending Too Much Time Keeping Track of Your Online Presence?

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

If you’re a savvy business owner with a Google Places listing and some form of an online advertising campaign, then you should be constantly aware of how your efforts are holding up in order to ensure . However, as you’re probably starting to realize, trying to keep your online advertising efforts on track is practically a full-time job all on its own. Whether you’re contending with the powers-that-be at Google or trying to grasp exactly how valuable your advertising campaign is, it takes a great deal of time and energy to manage your online presence effectively. Fortunately, Prospect Genius has developed a couple of brand-new, time-saving solutions to help you track your Google listings and rankings with as much simplicity and convenience as possible.

Fighting With Your Google Listing?

As you’ve probably discovered by now, dealing with Google is not always easy. Even if you’re able to understand and abide by all of Google’s ultra-specific rules, there are certain events and actions that you simply cannot predict or prevent. If you have a Google Places account and you’re managing it on your own, then it might be difficult to know how to deal with unforeseen complications, such as:

Disappearing listings
“Hijacked” listings
Inaccurate information
Lost information

When your Google Places listing has been duplicated, merged, or otherwise tampered with, it could be due to several different factors. Whether an old listing from a former advertising company has resurfaced, a competitor has been tampering with your listing, or Google has made an erroneous update to your listing automatically, there are countless outside forces that can and will make it difficult for you to maintain an accurate, optimized Places listing.
Regardless, it’s vital that you stay on top of any changes that are made to your listing. Why? Listings that have been merged or duplicated can cause your Google rankings to drop, while inaccurate information (e.g. that your business is closed) can cause you to miss out on new customers. It’s especially important to monitor customer reviews, as some dishonest competitors might leave fake complaints on your listing. Any changes made to your listing may become permanent once they’re left for a certain period of time, which is why it’s so vital that you’re always aware of what’s happening with your listing.

The Solution: MapTrax™

Prospect Genius recognizes that effectively managing a Google Places account is a complicated undertaking. That’s why we’ve developed a program that monitors your listing daily and alerts you of any changes automatically. Called MapTrax, this state-of-the-art system will help you keep track of any changes made to your company’s name, URL, phone number, address, and more, so you can immediately address any problems that arise. Essentially, MapTrax is very reasonably priced insurance that will save you time, money, and future business.

Constant Monitoring Is a Huge Time Drain

If you’re serious about the success of your business, then you probably have at least one online advertising company working for you. In fact, some ambitious business owners hire several companies at once. No matter how many advertising campaigns you have, you’ll naturally want to keep track of how each one is performing in order to ensure that they are being associated with the appropriate keywords (i.e. search terms) and that they are actually valuable to your company.
Unfortunately, monitoring the performance of each individual campaign can prove to be a very time-consuming and confounding process, especially when you have other projects and obligations to complete. As you may already know, repeatedly Googling the same thing from the same computer can skew your results. That’s because Google keeps track of the search history that’s associated with your IP address and will begin to customize your results accordingly. As you can imagine, if this is the only measurement that you have to judge your campaign’s performance, then you might end up making a decision based on faulty information. This can be especially costly if you fire a company that’s actually working or, alternately, if you keep a company that’s not working at all.

The Solution: AdTrax™

The only truly effective and objective way to measure your campaign’s performance is to use a non-biased, auto-generated monitoring system. For this reason, the experts at Prospect Genius have created AdTrax, a system that allows you to see where each of your URLs are ranking for each keyword, all in one convenient location. Once you log on, you’ll be able to see your advertising campaign’s raw, unfiltered results, no matter what time of day or night. AdTrax will track your results over time and produce a graph of your performance that’s simple to read and easy to understand.
If you think that your company’s advertising efforts could benefit from MapTrax, AdTrax, or both, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re offering both features at a reduced rate for the next 30 days, so act now!

Stay Positive: Manage Your Online Reputation!

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

One of the best ways for you to enhance the online reputation of your business is to promote reviews and testimonials about your services from past customers. Maintaining a positive online reputation is key to the future growth of your business.
However, motivating clients to provide you with quality reviews is not quite as easy as it sounds. At Prospect Genius, we’ve developed a few strategies in our own attempts to gather more customer reviews, and we’re happy to share them here because they may be helpful for persuading your customers to provide reviews.
The first step could be making a direct appeal to your clients. Call or send a postcard with a casual request, such as: “Hey, I’m really trying to build my online reputation, and I was wondering if you could take a few minutes to review how you felt about the work I did for you. I strive to do the best job possible for all of my clients, and I need to know if I’m doing well and where there are areas for improvement. I am going to e-mail you a link to my Google Maps page, and if you could provide me some feedback, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
If that simple measure doesn’t result in any response, you might consider offering a one-time discount to clients who write you a review.
Conversely, if your past customers say that they are too busy to leave a review but loved your service, ask them if you can write the review for them. Type out what they say on the phone and ask if you can use a written version of that statement on your website. Then you can contact us, and we’ll put those reviews up on your microsite.
Respond to Every Negative Review
If you do get an unflattering review, take the time to respond when you see that a customer is less than satisfied with your performance. This action will show initiative and genuine interest in how well your business is serving your customers. A sincere, thoughtful response will go a long way in assuring this particular client, as well as future customers, that you’re dedicated to their honest satisfaction.
A good example of both accumulating good reviews and responding to bad reviews can be seen in R.J. Hidson Photography’s map listing. Below, take note of how the owner responds to “Joy,” an unhappy customer.

The photographer responds by addressing the customer’s feelings, and then he explains why he may appear stern or rushed when completing a photography shoot. His is able to defend his creative instincts and show both sides of the situation not only to “Joy,” but to prospective clients as well.
There are several ways to react to a less-than-great review online. The method above is probably the best when your Google or Yahoo maps page also has several positive reviews to balance it out. On the other hand, if your Google or Yahoo maps page only contains bad reviews, you can contact Prospect Genius for help. We will work with you to create a customized reputation management plan that will gradually counteract these poor reviews and put your business back in a positive light.

Fresh Off the Press: Announcing New Product Offerings to Help Your SEO Campaign

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

The PG team is continually working to ensure our customers receive the best, most comprehensive service. As a result, we’re constantly coming up with new ideas of how to better serve you. Today we’d like to announce a few brand-new product offerings that will help us make certain you really are getting a full-spectrum of top-quality options for your online advertising campaign.

E-mail to Phone

Do your e-mails sit around for days (or longer) because you just don’t have time to check the computer? Are you not a huge fan of e-mail in general? Well, at PG, we’ve just launched a product that lets you get your e-mail on your phone. Here’s how it works: Each time you get an e-mail lead, the program triggers a call to your phone. The system reads the e-mail message aloud to you and then follows up with a text message containing the caller’s phone number. It’s like having a personal secretary to read all of your e-mails to you! With PG’s E-mail to Phone program, you’re just a button or two away from returning the call—and you don’t even have to turn on the computer or open your inbox.

Blogging

Share your expertise, announce news/events, and improve your Google ranking all at the same time! Prospect Genius has added a blogging product/tool that allows you to add blog entries right on your microsite. Blogging on your site offers several versatile advantages.
For starters, having good content on your site makes your company more attractive to consumers. When you post blog entries like “Tips for Keeping Your Dryer in Top Condition” or “How to Know If You Need Air Conditioner Repair,” you illustrate your expertise to potential customers and grow their confidence in your knowledge and services.
Secondly, each and every blog post adds another page to your microsite. So if you post 100 blog entries over the course of the next year, you will have transformed your 15-page site into a 115-page site. More pages makes your microsite more credible to Google and Bing, because the larger your site, the more important it seems to the search engines.

Half-Price Until November 1

These two new products are going to be in a beta-testing period for the next couple of weeks, but we are offering a limited number of half-price openings until November 1. If you want to be one of the very first PG clients to experience the benefits of our E-mail to Phone or Blogging features, give us a call and we’ll get you signed up today.

Photo Gallery

You’re right: Photo galleries aren’t precisely a new offering from PG, but since they work almost the same way our new blogging feature does, we wanted to remind you how beneficial our Photo Gallery option can be. Just like each blog post creates a new page on your microsite, with the photo gallery, every new picture you add creates another “page” for your site. When you go ahead and add captions to each picture, especially those containing keywords (think: “ABC Appliance provides professional refrigerator repairs to a client in New York, NY.”), you can get even more value out of this new “page.” More pictures equal more points with Google and Bing.
For a little perspective, this is exactly how big companies like Walmart and Sears stay at the top of the results pages for service searches. Their sites have literally thousands of “pages” because they include a descriptive photo page for each and every product/service that they offer.

Coming Attractions

Next up in terms of new product offerings is our review validation service. Available very soon, this feature will allow you to not only collect customer reviews directly on your microsite, but it will also enable you to have a third party validate them.
The simple truth is that customers view reviews with skepticism. After all, they have no way of knowing if that glowing review was fabricated or written by a real, satisfied customer. Our validation system will actually contact the reviewer by phone or e-mail to verify that they are legit. Once the review has been validated, an icon will appear next to it, illustrating to prospective customers that this review is accurate, authorized, and able to be trusted!
If you’re interested in signing up for the beta-testing period on this feature, just give us a call, and we’ll make sure you get on the preorder list.

Totally lost when it comes to closing a deal? Read this and become an expert!

Last Updated: October 14, 2010

At Prospect Genius, we work with hundreds of small businesses and have a front-row view of their advertising and deal-closing techniques. That puts us in the pretty unique position of being able to see what actually works and what isn’t terribly effective… I thought it might be helpful to share some tips and tricks that may help you close more business deals, allowing you to learn from the experiences of other local companies just like yours. Keep reading to find out how simple steps can help your company get ahead!
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
As a business owner, you may already know that adding pictures and images to your advertising can be quite helpful, but did you realize that the types of photos you use can make a huge difference? While photos of products are better than nothing, using images that include you and your staff are actually more effective. That’s because when a potential customer can see a picture of the person who will be performing services in their home, they are subconsciously put at ease and feel more secure in calling the business to set up an appointment. And if the staff members in your photo are smiling, even better! Smiling, happy employees convey to your customers that you’re a friendly, happy, wonderful company to do business with. Using photos of smiling professionals in your advertising, particularly online, can help you convert more potential customers into satisfied, paying clients.
Customer Reviews
But just because you have some great “people pictures” on your website doesn’t mean you’ll automatically end up with more business. Another important aspect of any small business’s Internet presence is customer reviews. Having a number of great reviews on your website can work magic; not having any reviews can actually break the deal for a customer who’s wavering about calling. The simple truth is that when customers search for a plumber, electrician, appliance repair shop, etc., they want to see that other people in the area have previously used your company and have good things to say. Positive reviews make your company look more professional, reputable, and appealing to potential customers.
However, we all know that it can be hard to get clients to fill out reviews for you, even if they were fully satisfied. The PG team has seen a few tricks that can help you collect the reviews you need, though. Try:

Offering incentives. Providing a small incentive, such as $5 off or a 5% discount on their next service call, can encourage a customer to take a minute or two to send you an e-mail or fill out a review form.
Printing postcards. Postcards with prepaid postage are another great way to get the reviews to come flooding in. Have postcards printed with your address and space for a customer review and then have all of your technicians leave a card at every job site. That makes it super easy for clients to give you a review–if you do part of the work, they’re far more likely to meet you halfway!

Making sure you make the best impression on potential customers with smiling photos and positive customer reviews can go a long way when you’re trying to attract new business to your company and close deals. Take advantage of these easy steps to help your local business get ahead!
And if you’re interested in learning more about local online advertising and how Prospect Genius can help you, just give us a call today or visit our website for additional information.

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Totally lost when it comes to closing a deal? Read this and become an expert!

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