Google Algorithm

The Small Mistake that Could Kill Your SEO Campaign

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Navigating Your Online Identity

Here at Prospect Genius, we know how important it is for our clients to be able to track the return on their investment with our SEO program. That’s why we create a metered number and trackable microsite (with a URL that follows the format “some-service-city.state-biz.com”) so you know which leads are coming in from your Prospect Genius campaign.
We spend a great deal of time promoting these numbers and microsites all across the Internet and on many different sites. Sometimes, Google and Bing reps will personally call these phone numbers to confirm that they are active and live, as well as that they actually communicate with the correct business.
So here’s the important part: If Google calls you and asks if your website is:
“http ://some-service-city.state-biz.com”
…say YES!
While your personal website might be “bobsappliancerepair.com,” for example, if you tell Google that the microsite we created for you isn’t affiliated with your business, you are effectively killing your PG campaign. Why? Because Google will then assume that your listing with the URL “http ://some-service-city-state.biz.com” is spam and your information will be blacklisted. Basically, that means we will have to create a new URL for you and begin your campaign all over again. This will, of course, result in fewer phone calls for your business during the initial three-month period—not to mention a whole lot of unwanted frustration.

Just Say Yes to the Address!

If you’re ever in doubt when receiving a call from Google about whether a phone number, URL, or web address DOES in fact belong to you, it’s always better to say yes than to say no. After you’ve confirmed ownership with Google, you can simply call your sales or customer service rep here at Prospect Genius to ask if the phone number or URL does belong to us. If it doesn’t, we can then contact Google to correct the mistake. However, if you tell Google right off the bat that the URL is not yours, Google will instantly blacklist it. There is no way to go back and correct this and there will be no way to get the URL back on Google.
Speaking of Google…

What You Should Know About Google’s Latest Update

As of Friday, October 14, Google has implemented new strategies that it hopes will keep owner-verified business listings as up to date and accurate as possible. Effective immediately, Google will grab data from all over the web to automatically update your Google Places listing as a “time-saver” for you.
If you’ve received an e-mail from Google saying as much, it’s very important that you contact us immediately. We’re unsure about what these automatic updates and revisions may mean in the future for your Places listing and campaign performance—especially given the shady tactics that some competitors are already using—so we want to be able to keep your listing 100% correct at all times.
Please contact us as soon as possible if you’ve recently received an e-mail from Google about your Places listing.

Introducing: Google Maps Monitoring Service

Google doesn’t have a stellar record when it comes to letting business owners know about changes to their listings, and even though Google’s announcement claims they will notify business owners via e-mail as soon as something is changed using this new automatic update system, it’s unwise to depend solely on their promptness or discretion. It’s essential that you monitor your Places listing on your own and check your e-mail regularly since contact from Google can be unreliable.
The good news is that you can hire Prospect Genius to handle monitoring your Places listing if you don’t have the time to check on it every few days. In light of this new update from Google, we are rolling out a brand-new Google Maps monitoring service. It will alert you immediately if your information is changed or if a third party reports your business as “permanently closed.” Right now, this is the most effective way to combat Google’s questionable strategy and keep your Places listing as accurate and optimized as possible.
For additional information about our Google Maps Monitoring Service or to learn more about how PG can help, feel free to contact your sales or customer service rep today.

SEO, Google, and Your Business

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Changes at Google

As you’ve probably heard, Google made some algorithm changes at the end of February. Called the “Farmer” update in the media, these changes are designed to help Google produce higher quality results for their customers.
In short, the Farmer update targeted “content farms” to make it harder for these sites to rank highly in search results. Content farms typically feature low-quality content, so having these sites highly ranked can degrade the overall quality of the search results returned by Google. For example, a directory site that’s looking to increase online traction might solicit, or “farm,” content from external sources that, ultimately, may not have much value to a human audience. This creates the potential for businesses’ old contact information and locations to remain in circulation, decreasing the content quality on the Internet. Logically, this is an issue that Google is inclined to work against.
In implementing the Farmer update, Google’s goal is to improve the results quality to increase searcher satisfaction and decrease frustration. Before the update, consumers were frustrated by the poor information they were receiving while business owners were also frustrated by their inability to eliminate that old address or phone number, no matter how much new information they tried to circulate.

Why This Matters for Business Owners

Perhaps you’re wondering why the Google algorithm change matters for your business. Well, just consider: if your company was gaining good traction from websites like MerchantCircle.com, HubPages.com, or Business.com—it won’t be anymore. These sites are all reported to have been hit hard by the Farmer update, so your business can no longer count on them to provide the same results as in the past!
This algorithm change highlights more than ever why every business, large or small, needs to stay on top of Google changes. As the major search engines tweak how they rank results, it can dramatically affect where your company shows up on search engine results pages (SERPs) and directly affect how much online business you can generate.
If you were using sites affected by the Farmer update, now’s the time to seek out new ways and new directories to capitalize on to maintain your company’s online presence. Not sure if sites you relied on have been hit? Check out this site for an analysis of which directories and sites were affected most. Or, if algorithm changes and the changing world of web marketing are too daunting, let our SEO professionals help. Feel free to call Prospect Genius with any questions you have about the Farmer update and what we can do to maintain your web presence and popularity.

Not Even the Big Guys Are Immune

When it comes to Google and effective online marketing, there’s more to be aware of than just the latest algorithm changes. You’ll want to remember that all businesses are required to follow Google’s guidelines—or else!
The Google team is getting better and better at cracking down on “black-hat” SEO: what it considers underhanded tactics or bad behavior. And when they find a company that’s breaking their rules, no one is immune. From multimillion dollar companies (who spend substantial sums on pay-per-click advertising with Google) to small mom-and-pop operations, Google punishes black-hat violators just the same.
The New York Times recently reported that JCPenney got caught red-handed using black-hat tactics. Google discovered JCPenney trying to trick them by adding links on various sites across the web. These links pointed back to JCPenney’s website, and while some of the pages they linked off of nominally related to Penney’s products, most had no correlation whatsoever. For example, “black dresses” and a link to JCPenney were tacked onto the bottom of a site called nuclear.engineeringaddict.com. Other links included “evening dresses” on a site called www.casino-focus.com , “cocktail dresses” on www.bulgariapropertyportal.com, and ”casual dresses” on www.elistofbanks.com.
This may have seemed smart, at least at first, since JCPenney outranked Samsonite’s site itself for searches like “Samsonite carry-on luggage.” But the black-hat strategies ultimately backfired, as they virtually always do. When Google uncovered the violation of their guidelines, JCPenney lost any traction they had gained and more. Matt Cutts, the head of the Google spam department, commented that “strong corrective action” was being taken against the retail giant.
This type of corrective action ranges from a -10 penalty (causing a webpage to move back 10 spots in search engine results rankings) to a -40, -70, or -100 penalty. Penalties can even include being blacklisted from Google completely. Google draws a very clear line between black- and white-hat tactics, and outlines them in detail for everyone to see here. Whether or not the JCPenney hierarchy intentionally used black hat SEO, or they were led astray by unscrupulous web marketers, this latest move was deliberate on someone’s part, and it was a pretty bad move overall.

Play by Google’s Rules

The simple truth is that following the rules pays off when it comes to trying to promote your website—and your business—on the web. It can feel overwhelming to stay on top of the rules when algorithm updates and changes like the “Farmer” update roll out, but it’s critical to ensure your online advertising and promotional campaigns abide by Google’s requirements or you may find yourself facing nasty penalties just like JCPenney.
However, you don’t have to go it alone. White-hat SEO pros like Prospect Genius scrupulously follow Google’s guidelines, and you can count on our professionals to never cross the line into black-hat tricks. Our expert Internet marketers work to leverage your site to get you the maximum online exposure without violating any of Google’s rules. That’s the clear-cut answer for long-term success online.
For more information on how our SEO program works within Google’s guidelines or to sign up for our lead generation campaign, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-689-1273 or visit our website.

Facebook and Success for Local Businesses

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Facebook and Bing Team Up

As you may have heard, Facebook and Bing (Microsoft’s search engine) announced a new partnership last fall.
This new collaboration may change the face of search results by connecting Bing search results and info from Facebook. Now, in addition to displaying the most popular local results when you search for an item or service on Bing, you will also see any relevant information posted by your Facebook friends. Here’s an example: if you search for “local plumber” in Bing, the results will display the most popular webpages, but they will also show particular plumbers that your Facebook friends “Like” and any reviews they may have written about local plumbers.

As you might guess, this new partnership makes customer service even more important! Just imagine: a new store opens up in your town, but their service is so poor that customers are not showing support on Facebook. From simply not liking the store’s page to posting negative reviews, these dissatisfied customers’ actions on Facebook will affect how the store performs in Bing searches. As a result of this new feature, the new store won’t be able to gain traction in the Bing search results pages.

Improve Your Facebook Page

However, this feature isn’t all bad! The good news is that Prospect Genius creates a Facebook page for each one of its customers—this puts you one step ahead of any business without a Facebook presence.
Now, to capitalize on the new Bing search feature, all you need to do is get out there and have folks “Like” your page. Check out Aztec Solar Power’s Facebook page as a good example of this.
If you’re a Prospect Genius customer, you already have a Facebook page for your business. You can contact PG for the link to your Facebook profile and start sharing it with local friends and happy customers—and they can start “liking” your business. Customers past and present can even use your Facebook page as a convenient place to write glowing reviews about your company and services! And to get the most value out of those reviews, the PG team can even repost them to various other locations across the web.

Get Your Customers Involved

Getting your customers involved can be the key to getting those coveted reviews and “Likes.” For a great example of how to get your customers involved on your Facebook page, visit Kenny’s Homework on Facebook.
As you can see, one of Kenny’s customers wrote a rave review on his Facebook Wall. You can also encourage satisfied customers to write reviews in the “Reviews” section that you see on the right-hand side of the page.
But what if you’re having trouble getting people to write reviews or “Like” your Facebook page? You’re not alone! Many local businesses struggle with this issue, but you don’t just have to let your business suffer because customers are reluctant to write reviews, etc. Instead, why not take a cue from Ace Appliance Service. This appliance repair company provides customers with a $10 Subway gift card if they post a review on the Ace Appliance Service Google Places page.
Incentives like this can help your company in two ways:

First, it illustrates that you have great customer service.
Second, it can help your Google Places page gain extra traction in the search engines.

Why not try offering customers a $2 Dunkin Donuts gift card for writing a Facebook review or a Google Places review, and maybe a $5 card if they post reviews at both locations? Sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement to get your customers to write online reviews, and by helping your company get a little extra traction in the search engines, it can really pay off.

What Google’s Been Up To…

Because it was reported widely in mainstream media, you may have heard about Google’s recent update. Google has reconfigured their algorithm to change the way in which they rank websites—and subsequently what you may see displayed on a search results page. Dubbed the “Farmer Update,” these changes are designed to eliminate low-quality webpages from Google search results.
As soon as the Farmer Update rolled out, Prospect Genius started working on assessing the implications of the change and how it will impact you, our loyal customers. If you’ve recently noticed that your microsite is ranking higher, lower, or swinging back and forth, it’s likely a result of the tweaks we’re making because of the changes in Google’s algorithm. We’re working to compensate for the Farmer Update, and we’ll keep you posted as we gather more information. But don’t worry, we’re professionals: search engines update their algorithms all the time—it’s our job to work with the updated system to make sure your microsite is ranking the best it can!
If you’re curious about more details of the Farmer Update, check out this article.

Don’t Forget Our Referral Program

Remember, Prospect Genius offers a discount for every additional client you send our way. You’ll get $10 per month (paid quarterly) off your bill for every referral that signs up with PG.
Send your friends to 1-800-689-1273, and make sure they mention you!

Online Advertising and the New Google

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

The New Google

In a past blog post, we looked the different parts of Google: maps, organics, and sponsored (pay per click). But since then, Google has changed its look—and its game. Now, when you search for a local company or service, the results display as a combination of the maps and organics, with a small map off to the right side that covers the sponsored results as you scroll down.
Here’s a short-and-sweet look at how things have changed: the new search results page is on the left, the old is on the right. You can see the sponsored results highlighted in yellow, the maps listings in pink, and the organic search results in green.

Advertising in the New Google

Now that Google has reorganized its search results, it may be time to freshen up your advertising strategies a bit. The SEO specialists at Prospect Genius have hypothesized—and observed to be true—that having both an optimized organic search result and an optimized map search result is advantageous. Moreover, having the two tied together (i.e. including your optimized website in your optimized maps listing) is even better. This way your site will show up prominently in Google whether a prospective customer is searching in Google Places or just in Google itself.

Keyword Stuffing: Fast Track to the Back

To put it simply, keyword stuffing your company’s name or location is the leading way to get yourself rejected from Google Places or Google Maps. And that’s a serious problem, because with Google’s new blend of the maps and organic results, a rejected listing could set back your organic placement as well. Remember, as we discussed in the previous post, Google’s spam department can inflict wholesale penalties across the board, no matter which area of Google they find that you’ve committed bad behavior in. Don’t forget, these “penalties” are more than just a slap on the wrist: punishment can even include completely banning your website from Google!
For example, this type of keyword stuffing can get you in major trouble with Google: say your company is called “Bob’s Services,” but you list your business on Google Places as “Bob’s Appliance HVAC Plumbing Heating Cooling and AC Services of Houston Plano Ft Worth and Sugarland.” This strategy is almost guaranteed to backfire. It certainly won’t fool Google and will definitely keep your listing from being activated.
Why? Because Google compares what you entered in your listing with the info it has in its database about Bob’s Services, essentially trying to verify what the real information about the company is. When the information in all of the other online directories lists the business as “Bob’s Services,” Google will see that the keyword stuffed name entered on Google Places is just that, bogus. And when it uncovers a spammer (keyword stuffer or other rule-breaker), Google flags the listing for manual review, by an actual person. The end result is generally a major penalty for your website, including consequences that can extend to both your paid ads and organic results, not just maps listings!
Think you’re safe just because you’ve never listed your business anywhere else on the web? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. The simple truth is that the Internet is one giant recycling center. Information on websites is routinely harvested (plagiarized) by automated programs and used on other sites. So even if you haven’t personally included your company in an Internet directory or anywhere else on the web, your info—including business address, name, and phone—is probably still out there somewhere. Additionally, a company you hired to promote your business may have created listings that you don’t know about. For example, your local yellow pages directory may have posted your information on its website as well as printed it in hard copy.
According to Google’s Guidelines, all of your business information must match (especially your business name and address) everywhere it appears on the web. This will gain you the best placement for your services once they are well optimized and help ensure that your listings won’t be rejected.

Be Proactive When Possible and Reactive When Necessary

Unsurprisingly, the best way to ensure you receive no penalties or rejections from Google is to do it right the first time! Of course, that isn’t always possible. Google’s guidelines do change and it’s easy to be unaware of some of the rules when you’re getting set up with Google. Or, if you made the mistake of working with an unscrupulous online advertiser, they may have engaged in underhanded practices on your behalf. Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for these companies to take verboten shortcuts in the hopes that booming results the first month will get you to stay with their company in hopes of continued success…
However, the good news is that Prospect Genius offers Google listing optimization services to help your company maximize your Internet marketing success. Our professionals are experts at fixing prior bad behaviors, and we can help you clean up your listings for the best results. We’ll make certain they’re working for you, not against you!
To speak with a Prospect Genius team member about any of our programs (including maps and organics optimization), pick up the phone and give us a ring at (800) 689-1273 or visit our website (prospectgenius.com) to learn more.

The Ins and Outs of Googling Yourself

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Googling Yourself: Too Much of a Good Thing
Are you one of those people that googles themselves every day? Then you might want to reconsider. Of course, googling yourself isn’t going to make you go blind or anything like that, but it can skew the results you see. That’s because Google is designed to provide each person with individual results. Factoring in things like search history, what particular search terms you favor, where you are searching from, and other data, Google search results are tailored specifically for you. So if you search for something, you’ll get different results than your next-door neighbor or even your coworkers.
If you continually search for one term or keyword—say, your name or a service like “Hardwood Flooring in New York City”—and then don’t click on any of the results, Google will assume you did not like the listings it returned. The next time you perform the same search, Google will give you slightly different results. If you don’t click on any of the results again, it will again assume you don’t like the results and try another variation the next time. This cycle will just keep continuing and continuing…
In your own, individualized Google results, you can drive your placement down in the listings by repeatedly searching for—and not clicking on—yourself. This certainly happens for your own personal search engine results, but if you do it enough, it’s also conceivable that you could impact your rankings when other people search as well!
So while there are certainly valid reasons to occasionally search for yourself online, the key is to not get carried away! Constant searching for your name or company will ensure you don’t get a good representation of your actual placement on Google.

Everything in Moderation
So now you know why it’s important to not google yourself all the time, but there are some good reasons to search for yourself every once and a while…
1. Reputation management. For local companies, your reputation is everything. Bad PR can run off potential clients, so you need to know what’s being said about you online. Occasionally googling your company’s name or services can help you see what people are putting on the Internet about your business. At Prospect Genius, our lead generation service encompasses a lot of reputation management elements: by distributing press releases, articles, blog entries, and social networking posts about your local company online, we generate a positive buzz and make sure that prospective customers can see the great things that are being said about you on the web! If you’re interested in finding out more about reputation management online, check out this article about how to be both proactive and reactive.
2. Checking on the competition. Did you know that some unscrupulous companies use their competition’s names in their own advertising? That means that your competitors could be using YOUR company’s name as part of their PPC or AdWords advertising strategy. And according to this article, it doesn’t seem like Google is willing to do much about this nefarious practice! However, searching for your business’s name online every so often can help alert you to when your competition is using this underhanded tactic. If you do see this happening, you may wish to contact both us here at Prospect Genius for online advertising help as well as an attorney for legal assistance.
Just like with so many other things, you’ll need to find the right balance when it comes to searching for your company online: too often can have negative effects, but too little can leave your business vulnerable. Occasional Google searches can help you stay on top of your online reputation and competitors without causing any major setbacks.
For more information on how Prospect Genius can help your company navigate the treacherous waters of online advertising, give us a call at 1-800-689-1273 or visit our website today.

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