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Which of These Online Marketing Strategies Will Be Your Next Step?

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

“What are the best next steps for my marketing?”
This is a question we hear a lot from our clients. As your small business’s online marketing campaign flourishes, it’s natural to wonder what you can do to multiply your success. Regardless of which online marketing strategy from Prospect Genius you’re currently using, there’s a way for you to keep climbing the ladder, if that’s what you want.
Of course, what you do next depends largely on what you’ve already done. You can’t just start hiking halfway up a mountain, right? You have to start at the bottom and work your way to the top.
So, in this post, we’ll explore your options for advancement based on which of our online marketing strategies you’ve already succeeded with. Let’s dive in!

First, the Bare Necessities

Before you can try any advanced online marketing strategies, these are your must-haves:

  • Basic website
  • Google Maps listing

Basic website: You’ve heard the old saying, “All roads lead to Rome.” Well, when we’re talking about your online presence, all roads lead to your website. An optimized website forms the basis of your online presence because it’s tied to every listing and gives your business the SEO fuel it needs. Find out more about the connection between websites and local search in this blog post. (And remember, a website must be optimized for mobile devices as well as desktop computers!)
Google Maps listing: Since Google Maps listings are tied directly to Google’s search engine and algorithms, having one is absolutely, 100% essential. You can’t have a local web presence without one. Read more about Google maps listing optimization on our website.
This is why the overwhelming majority of our clients purchase both a CoreSite and Google Maps optimization.

Now, Choose Your Own Adventure

Once you have these fundamentals covered, you can take your own path. Here are the online marketing strategies to consider:

  • SEO content writing
  • More directory listings
  • Paid advertising
  • Social media outreach
  • Paid social media advertising
  • Remarketing

SEO content writing (a.k.a. Ghost Writing): Add more pages to your CoreSite to target specific keywords. This boosts your SEO and, therefore, your local search rankings. More visibility means more visitors to your site!
More directory listings (a.k.a. Directory Dominator): Push your business’s information into all the right directories. The more your business info appears on quality websites, the stronger your SEO and local web presence will be. This option works great when you already have lots of website content, but it can be effective on its own as well.
Paid advertising (a.k.a. Pay-Per-Click): As we like to say, “Why walk when you can run?” Boost your visibility in local search by promoting your business in sponsored ads. They appear right at the top of the search results page. For best results, do this after you’ve optimized your website.
Social media outreach (a.k.a. SocialStream and/or SocialBuzz): Put yourself on the social media platforms where your customers are already spending their time! In competitive industries, it isn’t enough to be visible in Google results. You also need to interact and engage with your customers on Facebook and Twitter to demonstrate your accessibility. Since social media doesn’t add much SEO-wise, we don’t advise focusing on this until you feel you’ve fully optimized your website and directory listings.
Paid social media advertising (a.k.a. Facebook Ads): Get even more exposure on social media by sponsoring your own posts. This is next-level social media outreach for businesses that already have a well-established presence.
Remarketing: Go beyond sponsored ads on Google. Remarketing allows you to target ads at people who previously visited your site, so your business and brand stay top of mind. This is another next-level option, so be sure you’ve maximized your website’s SEO as much as possible before investing in it.

Consider These Outside Add-Ons

After you’ve achieved a certain level of success with our online marketing strategies, you may wish to add a service or two that Prospect Genius doesn’t offer ourselves. For example, you may want to leverage:

  • Customer review aggregators
  • E-mail marketing blasts
  • Professional answering services

Customer review aggregators: These services contact customers on your behalf and request reviews from them. Then, you can add those reviews to your website. In the past, we’ve had success using Customer Lobby for our own customer review needs.
E-mail marketing blasts: Want to keep your customers up to date on special deals and company news? Communicate en masse with the help of an e-mail marketing service. We like ActiveCampaign and MailChimp.
Professional answering services: If you’re too busy to answer the phone when customers call, enlist a remote answering service. They answer your calls with professionalism and record all your messages. We have a partnership with Professional Answering Service, Inc. that gets you a discount on their services!

Your Unique Circumstance Determines a Lot

Of course, your next steps will depend on several variables, including your short-term needs and long-term goals. For example, if you want to use paid advertising long-term, then you should only do so after you’ve completed substantial SEO work on your website. This ensures good ROI because it lowers your AdWords costs and makes your ads more potent. On the other hand, if you’re only looking for a temporary campaign to promote a special offering or discount, then you probably aren’t as concerned with long-term ROI.
Geographic location also influences which online marketing strategies will work for you. For instance, if you’re in a rural area without much competition, then you may only need a Google listing and a three-page CoreSite. However, if you’re in a densely populated area, then you’ll have to do significantly more work and narrowly target specific keywords to beat the competition.
Countless other quirks can dictate how each program works for your business. That’s why you should discuss your needs and goals with your Prospect Genius account manager. We’ll make sure you’re using the best strategy for your business.
Ready to make the next move for your online marketing? Call today!

How Local Search Empowers Small Businesses to Compete

Last Updated: February 9, 2017

How can a small business like yours compete with big brands? Four words: Focus on local search.
The fact that you operate on a local level can be your biggest strength in the battle against large corporations. Many big names rank nationally in organic search results; however, they don’t necessarily have the upper hand when it comes to local search. So if you leverage local search the right way, you can stay competitive with larger brands and come out on top. Here’s what you need to know.

Local Search May Be Replacing Organic

First of all, what do we mean by “organic search” and “local search”? Maybe you’ve seen these terms tossed around but you aren’t quite clear on what they mean. Here’s the gist, without putting you to sleep:

Organic search gives you results based solely on their relevance to your search terms. The opposite of organic search is paid search, which promotes paid advertisements that match your search terms. Learn more about organic vs. paid search here.

Local search, on the other hand, is a search that targets places in a specific location. On Google, you’ll see local results on the first search results page in what’s called a “local pack,” which shows a nearby map and several local businesses. Local searches can also be done on Google Maps itself.

Historically, organic search has been the cornerstone of search engine optimization (SEO). However, organic search rankings are now slipping in value. In 2016, the top two organic search results received, on average, only 25% of the clicks on search results pages, as compared to more than 50% in 2006.
This trend is significant, and it makes sense. Typically, when people are on the hunt for a nearby store, restaurant, or service provider, they’re not looking at organic results. Instead, they’re perusing local Google listings to see which businesses fit their needs, have good reviews from past customers, and are closer in proximity. The days of people walking down the street and exploring their neighborhoods for good businesses are, by and large, over. Now, people do a quick search before they leave home so they know exactly where to go.

Mobile Devices Are a Strong Force in Local Search

The uptick in local searches applies to people who are looking for local businesses on the go, as well. Instead of wasting time driving around aimlessly when looking for the closest gas station or coffee shop, they search their phones to find the nearest one.
As Jayson DeMers writes for Forbes,

In general, I suspect local search will rise in importance, and more local businesses will step up to take advantage of this. Mobile technology will become even more mobile with wearable devices and similar technologies, and cumulatively, user preference toward local results will grow. As most “local” businesses are small- to mid-sized businesses, these trends will work in their favor.

Here, DeMers draws a clear parallel between local and mobile. And it’s supported by Google’s own data, which shows that an entire one-third of all mobile searches are for local places. With more people using their mobile devices for local searches on the go, your small business’s Google Maps listing is increasingly likely to become visible.

Optimize Your Local Search Listings

Here’s the main takeaway for you: Corporations don’t have the monopoly on proximity anymore. Local search is a more democratic platform than organic search, giving small businesses a fair shot at appearing in local results—so long as your local listings are optimized.
Here are some ideas for making your Google listing as strong as possible:

And if you need any guidance on local search strategies, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Prospect Genius is always happy to help. Good luck!

3 Ways HomeAdvisor Is Unfair to Small Businesses

Last Updated: January 25, 2017

There’s one complaint about HomeAdvisor that we hear over and over from our clients: It feels like the game is rigged against small appliance repair companies in favor of larger companies with greater resources.
We’re here to tell you you’re right. Here’s why.

1. You Miss Out on Too Many Jobs

We’ll start off with the most obvious pain point: You can’t possibly respond quickly enough to leads.
The only way to be successful on HomeAdvisor is to respond immediately to every single lead that comes your way. This is doable for larger companies that have a receptionist answering the phone and responding to e-mails all day. In fact, they find a lot of success with it. But what about smaller operations like yours?
If you’re only a one- or two-person operation, you don’t have the luxury of a receptionist. Instead, you have to balance your work with answering the phone and tracking down leads yourself. Unfortunately, as you know all too well, it’s virtually impossible to capture a lead while you’re on the job. After all, how are you supposed to pick up the phone with your hands behind a dryer or squeezed underneath a garbage disposal trap?
To put it in more frank terms: A small appliance repair company like yours isn’t going to land a job unless you happen to be free at the exact moment the call comes in. This is just one way big businesses get a huge leg up on you.

2. You Pay Too Much

As if the unrealistic demand on your time wasn’t enough of a hurdle, here’s another one: the cost. Of course, you agreed to pay a certain amount per lead when you started working with HomeAdvisor. However, we’ve heard from many of our clients (who are small business owners like you and former HomeAdvisor customers) that leads are often shared with as many as 5 or 10 other businesses. Think about what that means:

If leads are shared with 5 different businesses, then that means you have a 1-in-5 chance of closing each one. In other words, you’re actually paying 5 times as much for every lead you finally do close.

In addition to that, clients have also told us that HomeAdvisor occasionally charged them more than the agreed-upon price per lead. Has that ever happened to you?
Again, if you’re a big business with a big budget, unpredictable costs may not be an issue. However, smaller companies like yours can really feel the burden.

3. You Get Terrible Leads 

The high cost might be an easier pill to swallow if you knew you were getting quality jobs out of it. But you’re not, are you? Even when you’re miraculously able to capture a lead, there’s a good chance the prospect on the other end is looking for a service you don’t even provide!
This is because it’s in HomeAdvisor’s best self-interest to send you as many leads as possible, quality be damned. You’re paying per lead, so the more leads HomeAdvisor sends you, the more money it makes. It doesn’t matter that those leads are barely relevant to your business.
So, just to recap:

  • You have to take time away from work to track down leads.
  • Leads are not cost-efficient or reliably priced.
  • Some of the leads you get return zero income.

Doesn’t that sound like you’re losing money?
It’s easy to see why only larger companies can use HomeAdvisor without worry. You, on the other hand, really feel the costs of HomeAdvisor’s services.
No wonder HomeAdvisor has received more than 1,000 complaints with the BBB in the last three years alone!

You Can Get Online Marketing That Matches Your Needs

Prospect Genius created an online marketing approach that avoids all of the above pain points. We treat your goals as our goals, and your success as our success.
Unlike HomeAdvisor, which just gives you a small listing in their massive directory, we offer flexible options that can provide top-to-bottom online promotion for your business. With a CoreSite, we’ll build you a fully functional website that’s yours to keep. With Directory Dominator, we’ll promote you on countless different online platforms. With SocialStream or SocialBuzz, we’ll post for you on social media. The goal is to help ensure you’re discovered in every corner of the web.
With Prospect Genius:

  • When someone discovers your website or Google Maps listing and dials your phone number, they’re calling you directly.
  • The whole transaction is just between you and your customer—we don’t interfere.
  • You don’t have to race a handful of other businesses for the same job.
  • You can respond as soon as you’re able to without worrying that you’ve automatically lost a job.
  • The best part? Our approach doesn’t favor big businesses over small ones. Everyone has an equal shot at success.

An adviser is just someone who tells you what to do. Why not play by your own rules? Prospect Genius offers you all the tools you need and puts you in the driver’s seat. We offer a cross-section of online marketing tools that will match any budget. See what other business owners are saying about us—or better yet, give us a call for a free assessment from one of our representatives! If you’re willing to give us a few minutes of your time, we’ll happily listen to your company’s needs and figure out if we have a solution that fits.
Stop feeling powerless against the big guys, and start taking matters into your own hands!
Call now at (800-689-1273).

Top 3 Behaviors That Will Hurt Your Web Presence

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

At Prospect Genius, we’ve spent years and years perfecting our online advertising services and adapting them to meet Google’s changing standards. We do this so we can provide the most effective advertising possible and produce satisfying results. However, our efforts can only take a client so far if that client is doing things that are inadvertently sabotaging their online advertising campaign and web presence.
Man With Computer
To keep your campaign successful, stay on Google’s good side by avoiding these three behaviors at all costs.

1. Duplicating Content

Having duplicate content on your website is a major crime in Google’s world. If your site contains content that’s been copyrighted to another company, you have duplicate content. This is in direct violation of Google’s guidelines. Google’s bots are constantly indexing and scanning through webpages, and sooner or later, they’ll detect that your content is identical to someone else’s. When they do, Google will decide which page is the original source; the other page, presumed plagiarized, will be removed from Google’s index, never to be shown to users.
So while it may seem like you’re taking a shortcut by “borrowing” someone else’s content—or content that was written by an advertiser like Prospect Genius—you’re actually creating a situation where the duplicated pages will never rank for any search. Obviously, this will do serious damage to your web presence in the long run.

2. Using Fake Addresses

Some business owners think they can get away with using a fake address on their Google My Business listing. In doing so, real businesses are trying to put themselves in prime locations for local SEO, while shady businesses without a physical location are making up addresses out of thin air to seem legitimate. Regardless of your motivation, if you use a fake address on your Google My Business listing, you will be caught.
That’s because Google has a variety of tools, including cars and satellites, used to verify that businesses are actually located where they claim to be. When Google discovers that your business is not at the location listed, you’ll be slapped with a hefty penalty. Your listing will plummet in ranking or it might be suspended completely.
It’s a much safer bet to just stick with your real address. In fact, in 95% of cases, business owners will get good rankings just by following the rules. That means using a fake address is not only risky, but it’s also unnecessary.

3. Hiding Information

Some business owners have a tendency to hold their cards close to their chests. They’ve learned from years of competition that they don’t want people having access to sensitive information about their businesses. Fair enough—but this behavior does not mesh well with Prospect Genius’s online advertising services.
When you hire us and don’t give us a full history of your web presence or you lock us out of key resources like your Google My Business listing, you’re stunting your own advertising efforts. We not only need to make sure your Google listing is working in harmony with the other work you’re paying us to do, but we also need to know where else your business is listed and what types of behaviors you’ve engaged in previously. For example, if you have a history of bending, breaking, or ignoring Google’s policies, or you worked with a different advertiser before hiring us, we need to know. If there’s something in your history that you don’t tell us, then we might end up making matters worse by spreading conflicting information about your business. (And as you know, Google despises conflicting information.)
When you hide this kind of crucial information from us, it’s like hiding the level from your kitchen renovation contractor. Sure, they’ll be able to get the job done without it, but all of your cabinets are going to be wonky and crooked, and your kitchen might end up being unusable. You’re essentially hiring someone to do a job for you and then taking away their ability to do that job effectively. Simply put, you’re wasting your own money.

Conclusion: Don’t Lie

That’s the general rule when you want to stay out of trouble online. Don’t lie to Google. Don’t lie to your advertiser. Don’t lie to your customers. Just don’t do it. It may seem like a simple white lie, but Google’s punishments don’t always fit the crime. You have no way of predicting or controlling the consequences. Google might delete all of your reviews, penalize your rankings, suspend your listing, or even mark your business as “closed.” The potential consequences simply aren’t worth the gamble. Help yourself and your web presence by remaining honest at all times.

SEO Content Writing Services

Last Updated: April 15, 2025

Woman ghost writing on a computer

The most common reason business websites fail at SEO is content. Too often, there’s not enough content, it’s poorly organized, the keyword focus is poor, or it’s not written to engage readers or search engines. At Prospect Genius, we fix these problems with SEO content writing services that combine the art of compelling storytelling with the science of search engine optimization. Our expert writers create keyword-rich, well-structured content that drives rankings, attracts organic traffic, and converts visitors into customers.

What Is SEO Content Writing?

SEO content writing is the process of creating high-quality content that ranks well on search engines like Google while resonating with your target audience. Our writers use data-driven keyword strategies, optimize on-page elements, and craft engaging narratives to ensure your content performs. From blog posts to landing pages, our SEO content is designed to boost your website’s visibility, authority, and lead generation.

Benefits of Our SEO Content Writing Services

Professional SEO content writing delivers measurable advantages for your business:

  • Higher Search Engine Rankings: Keyword-optimized content helps your site rank better on Google, Bing, and beyond.
  • Increased Organic Traffic: Well-crafted content draws more visitors without relying on costly ads.
  • Improved Engagement: Reader-focused content keeps visitors on your site longer and encourages interaction.
  • Stronger Conversions: By aligning with user intent, our content turns clicks into leads and sales.
  • Lasting Value: Quality SEO content drives traffic and results for months or even years after publication.

Our SEO Content Writing Process

We follow a streamlined, results-driven process to deliver SEO content that works:

  1. Keyword Research & Strategy: We identify high-value keywords based on your industry, competitors, and audience to maximize traffic and conversions.
  2. Content Planning: We create a tailored content strategy to meet your goals, whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, or e-commerce growth.
  3. Expert Writing: Our writers produce engaging, SEO-optimized content that reflects your brand and adheres to best practices.
  4. On-Page Optimization: We fine-tune meta titles, descriptions, headers, and links to enhance search engine performance.
  5. Editing & Proofreading: Every piece is polished for clarity, accuracy, and grammatical excellence.
  6. Performance Insights: We track your content’s success and provide recommendations for ongoing improvement.

Types of SEO Content We Provide

Our SEO content writing services cover a variety of formats to suit your needs:

  • Blog Posts: Keyword-driven articles that build authority and drive consistent traffic.
  • Website Content: Optimized home, about, and service pages that showcase your brand and convert visitors.
  • Product Descriptions: SEO-friendly descriptions that highlight your products and boost online sales.
  • Landing Pages: Targeted pages designed to rank for specific keywords and generate leads.
  • Review Responses: Professionally crafted, dispassionate responses to online reviews that incorporate keywords, keep future clients in mind, and minimize the impact of negative feedback from a single critic.

 

Why Choose Prospect Genius for SEO Content Writing?

Partnering with Prospect Genius means working with a team committed to your success. Here’s why businesses trust us:

  • SEO Mastery: Our writers stay updated on the latest SEO trends to keep your content competitive.
  • Tailored Content: Every piece is customized to your industry, audience, and objectives.
  • Proven Impact: Our clients see real improvements in rankings, traffic, and conversions.
  • Clear Communication: We keep you in the loop from strategy to delivery.
  • Cost-Effective Solutions: Our services are priced to deliver maximum ROI for businesses of all sizes.

Get Started with SEO Content Writing Today

Ready to fix your website’s content problems and start ranking higher? Prospect Genius is here to help. Our SEO content writing services are designed to drive results for small businesses, e-commerce stores, and enterprises alike. Contact us today to discuss your needs, request a quote, or learn how our content can elevate your online presence.

Don’t delay. Your site could be producing more for you so every day you wait is another day you’re not earning at your full potential!

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