LeadTrax features

Take a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Prospect Genius

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

When you hear us talk about SEO and lead generation, do you feel like Charlie Brown listening to his teacher go, “Wah wah-wah wah wah”? If you’re not someone who specializes in online advertising, it’s perfectly understandable to feel confused—and, frankly, a little bored—about what it is we do. However, it’s important to know a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes so you can appreciate exactly how our services are benefiting your web presence.
Here’s what you need to know.

We Amplify Your Existing Presence

There’s a good chance that you had already set up a Google My Business or Facebook account before joining our program. If that’s the case, you may be misled into thinking that any leads coming from Google or Facebook are a result of your existing presence instead of our work. It’s a logical assumption, but it’s incorrect.
Instead, local search optimization functions as a multifaceted machine, with a series of gears, levers, and wheels all working together to create the final output. The phone call or e-mail inquiry that came from your Google listing is actually a product of the search optimization machine. Your company information ranked well in Google’s local search results, thus leading the customer to contact you thanks to all of the behind-the-scenes work we did.
For proof, take a look at two examples of clients whose Google traffic skyrocketed after signing up with Prospect Genius.
Company A:

Company B:

As you can see, after signing up with us, these two clients saw huge increases in their views and clicks. That’s due to all the work we’re doing for your campaign. But what does that work entail, exactly?

We Build the Machine

Prospect Genius’s job is to design and build the local search optimization machine that powers your campaign. That means making sure each individual part works perfectly in addition to fitting all of those parts together seamlessly.

Here are the four main parts:

Google listing
On-page SEO
Citations
Inbound links and social signals

Google Listing

Local search rankings improve when your Google listing is thoroughly optimized and populated with lots of customer reviews. That’s why Prospect Genius optimizes every client’s listing and provides a handful of tools to help you increase your number of reviews.

On-Page SEO

To appeal to Google’s search algorithms, all of your website’s pages must be optimized. You must have valuable content that’s targeted at specific search terms and is generally informative. All of our LeadTrax™ sites are written and designed for on-page SEO to further boost your company’s rankings.

Citations

Citations refer to all of the instances in which your business name appears alongside your contact information (e.g. address and phone number), and they must be consistently accurate. Citations most often come from online directories and Internet yellow pages, but they may also occur in newspapers, magazines, local blogs, and social media posts. Many of Prospect Genius’s packages add your business info to numerous directories, ensuring accuracy across the board and driving up your citation score.

Inbound Links and Social Signals

Inbound links are links that exist on another website and link to a page on your website. They indicate that your page contains valuable information. Along the same lines, social signals are data points that tell Google how appealing your website is on a human level. If lots of people are sharing links to your website on social media, and your company’s social media account has lots of “Likes” or followers, then those valuable social signals will boost your local search ranking. That’s why Prospect Genius sets you up with Facebook and Twitter accounts (if you don’t already have them) and promotes you on social media.

It’s All About Synergy

Did you make it to the end of this post without your eyes glazing over? Good! Hopefully, you now have a much deeper understanding of what drives your campaign and keeps it successful.
With your cooperation, we’re able to create a uniform front to fortify your company’s online presence. We achieve substantial, organic results by creating a well-oiled machine that runs flawlessly. While your Google listing is significant, you can’t give all of the credit to a single cog.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.
Photo credit: Linda Buquet, localsearchforum.com

11 Simple Ways to Customize Your Online Advertising Campaign

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Our lead generation program allows you to be as involved as you want, an aspect that appeals to many of our clients. If you prefer to be hands off and let us take care of all the details, that’s great. However, there are many clients who like to be more interactive with their campaigns. By making their own contributions and adding touches of their unique personalities to their sites, they feel more invested in their campaigns and forge a stronger connection with their own customers.

Thankfully, it’s not only easy to add custom flourishes to your online advertising campaign—it’s also inexpensive.

DIY Freebies

These do-it-yourself options are free through the Client Portal.

Add a photo gallery. Through the Client Portal, you can manage a photo gallery by uploading your own original photos. All you have to do is ask us to enable the photo gallery tab on your LeadTrax™ site, and then you can go to town! The gallery can focus on anything you want: recently completed work, before-and-after shots, items for sale, or even your team members. People love pictures, and having a photo gallery that showcases your talent or brand is a great way to take advantage of that.
Add a “For Sale” tab. Operating the same way as the photo gallery, this tab allows you to upload your own pictures and captions for items that you’re selling (once we’ve enabled it on your site). This has been very popular with appliance repair companies that sell refurbished appliances. Take a look at the “For Sale” tab at A B Appliance Services, for example.
Keep your own blog. Every new LeadTrax site comes with a fully functional blog just waiting to be filled with content. We write a couple of initial posts for you following your site launch, but after that, you can feel free to update your blog as much as you want. As long as you have a topic that your audience wants to read about, you can write your heart out. An up-to-date, informative blog proves to your prospects that you’re engaged and knowledgeable.

Complimentary Add-Ons

Our professionals will take care of these for you free of charge. Simply call or e-mail us with your specific requests, and we’ll do all the work!

Add unique tabs for extra content. This is a great option for business owners who want to include a separate “About Us” page, but it can work for almost any extra content you wish to include. You can either submit your own, original content for us to add, or our professional writers can do the job for you. Take a look at the “About Us” page for Mary Ellen Flaherty & Brendan Flaherty Realtors as an example. You may also be inspired by Yocum Shutters and Blinds, who used this tab to showcase their “Best of West Chester” award.
Add custom e-mail/service request forms. Many business owners find that their customers like to submit e-mails and service requests right from their websites, which is why we include an “E-mail Us” link as a standard feature on all of our LeadTrax sites. However, some businesses find it handy to have custom content in their e-mail forms so they can ensure they get all of the necessary information from their prospects right up front. Just tell us about the specific fields or questions you’d like to include, and we’ll create a custom form for you. For instance, we created a custom e-mail form for Acello Tax Resolution Group that asks prospective customers to provide details about their tax problems. This gives the tax consultants a baseline understanding of the case, making life easier for both the business owner and the customer.
Add a “Leave Us a Review!” button. As we’ve covered extensively, customer reviews are a crucial part of your online presence. When you have us add this button to your site, it will be more convenient for past customers to click on it and submit a quick review of your business. Then, the feature will automatically upload the positive reviews straight to your Google+ listing.

Low-Cost Additions

These options require the hands of our professionals, but they’re well worth the minor investment.

Upgrade your template. If you’ve been with us for a few years, then you might be sick of looking at the same ol’ layout all the time. Or you might want a more updated look to keep up with the times. Whatever the reason, if you’re interested in upgrading your LeadTrax site template, just let us know! Right now, we have several brand-new templates hot off the presses.
Request brand pages. If you work in an industry like appliance repair, you might find that customers are often seeking a repairman who specializes in specific brands. You can easily address this by having us write a brief, targeted page for any brand you wish to highlight. Morris County Appliance Repair, for example, chose to add pages for quite a few of its most popular appliance brands.
Request a press release. Has something newsworthy recently happened with your company? Why not announce it? We can write a press release on your behalf and distribute it to boost your SEO. At the same time, you’ll have a tangible news item that you can share with all of your friends and fans on social media.
Use MapTrax™. MapTrax is a tool that monitors your Google listing for you. It will alert you if the content or status of your listing changes so you can be aware of any red flags. MapTrax saves you from having to manually check your listing daily, which means you can focus your time and energy elsewhere.
Use AdTrax™. AdTrax allows you to laser-focus the way you track your campaign. Instead of giving you a broad picture of how many leads your campaign is generating per month, AdTrax lets you see how your site is ranking on Google for specific keywords of your choosing. This way, you can make sure you’re attracting your ideal audience and make adjustments as you see fit.

Take the First Step

Your online advertising campaign won’t customize itself! Why not browse the Client Portal and try out some of those free tools yourself? If you’re having trouble with the technology or you need some guidance, don’t hesitate to call your campaign coordinator for help. That’s what we’re here for! Similarly, if a few of the paid options appeal to you but you can’t decide which one is best, feel free to discuss them with us. We’ll help you figure out how to get the best value for your campaign.
The bottom line is, we’re here as a resource for you. However you decide to proceed, let us in on the conversation so we can help you make the wisest decision possible. Good luck!

Have You Checked Out the Client Portal Lately?

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

If you haven’t been utilizing the Prospect Genius Client Portal, now’s a great time to start!
Why? Because we just rolled out a whole new look for the Portal! We gave it a top-to-bottom makeover and couldn’t be more pleased with the final product. Boasting a sleek design, a user-friendly layout, and some brand-new features to boot, the Portal is better than ever!
If you haven’t yet, check it out now at https://portal.prospectgenius.com/portal/.
In honor of our new and improved Portal, let’s review some of its most useful features and how you can utilize them to your advantage.

What’s Always Been There

While the overhaul of the Portal is completely fresh, we retained all of the features you’ve grown to love. If you leverage these DIY, hands-on features as often as possible, you’ll enjoy a much greater ROI.
As always, with the Client Portal, you can:

Check your campaign on the go. Don’t wait until you’re back at home or the office: The mobile version is super easy to use!
Change your call routing to a different number. This only works for basic routing setups. (If you have custom routing, call Customer Service.)
View all of your reports, including call logs, e-mail logs, and traffic summaries. PPC reports are also available here!
Upload photos, which can be added to your photo gallery or submitted with a note stating which page you’d like them to be on.
Add blog posts. This will keep your site content fresh (which is valuable for SEO) and add a personal touch for your customers to enjoy.

These features are the cornerstone of the Portal, and they have the potential to transform the way you actively participate in your campaign. Do yourself and your business a favor by taking advantage of them!

What’s Brand New

With the launch of the new Portal come a few new functions, as well. These were designed to supplement existing features and ultimately help you get even more out of your campaign.
Now, you can:

View PPC calls separately from your organic calls, enabling you to more accurately track the performance of each campaign.
Identify the nature of each call on your call log. This way, you can look back and immediately see which calls came from new customers, which calls led to booked jobs, and which calls were irrelevant or from solicitors. This helps you organize your leads more effectively.
Listen to calls on the go with our new audio player. It still works on desktop computers, but now our audio player offers improved functionality for mobile devices.

We implemented these improvements as part of our commitment to make it easy and convenient to participate in your own campaign as much as possible.

Do Your Part With the Portal

Remember: A successful online advertising campaign requires both of us to do our parts. We’ll take care of promoting your business’s contact information far and wide, but there’s plenty that you can do from the Portal to supplement those efforts. With your help, we’ll take your campaign to the next level.
So visit the Portal today and get started!

Spring Savings: Pay Less, Get More

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Refer Clients and Save Big

Did you know that there’s a simple, easy way to substantially cut your monthly online advertising bill?
Countless clients have done it and continue to enjoy big savings each month. All you have to do is refer a few of your friends to us! By giving us the names and phone numbers of fellow business owners who you think might be interested in signing up for our lead generation program, you can save $10 per month on your own bill! While most companies will offer a one-time discount for referrals, we’re offering a generous $10 off every month for the rest of your campaign.*

Keep reading to learn about the client referral process and how you can use it to your advantage.

How Does It Work?

Once you’ve referred other business owners to us, we’ll take it from there. We’ll give them a call to see if they’re interested in our online advertising services, and if they decide to sign up for our Core program, you will be eligible for a discount of $10 per month.
You may refer multiple clients and accumulate discounts (so long as your final monthly bill does not go below $9 per month). Moreover, your referred clients do not have to be in the same town or industry as you. We’re not asking you to help out your competitors!
After you receive the credit on your invoice, you can choose to keep your savings in your pocket or use the savings to add more features to your campaign.

A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned…

In today’s economy, every dollar saved makes a difference. If you refer a handful of clients and save $30-$40 per month, for example, that difference could be huge! Whether you set that money aside for a rainy day or you spend it on fun activities with your family, extra savings can make life a lot easier.

Or You Can Put It to Good Use!

Your other option is to put those savings toward an add-on feature or two. These features will enhance your existing campaign by providing you with extra tracking capabilities, improved site appearance, increased directory reach, and other great benefits.
Here are just a few of the smaller add-on features we offer that you might consider leveraging with your new savings:

Ad Blast package: We post ads for your company on online classifieds outlets to reach nearby residents directly.
AdTrax™: This is a tracking feature that shows you how your website is ranking for specific keywords.
MapTrax™: This is a tool that monitors your Google+ Local page and alerts you of any issues or changes.
Press release writing and syndication package: We will write about a newsworthy event related to your company and syndicate that press release to boost the SEO value of your company’s name.
Template upgrades: We will switch your LeadTrax™ site to a different template and tweak all of the code, photos, and layout so the content will look even better.
Extra CallTrax™ numbers: Add an extra CallTrax number if you want to have another phone line.
E-mail-to-phone setup: This automated service sends e-mail leads to your phone. It reads the message to you three times and sends a follow-up text message with the caller’s information.
Additional LeadTrax site pages: If you want to add a new service offering, we will write a new page for your site.

Client referrals take very little effort on your part, but the rewards are significant. Whether you hold on to your savings or invest them in an additional feature, you’ll certainly be glad you sent another business to our door.

It’s a No-Brainer

When you refer a new client to us, we all win: A deserving business owner gets access to our exclusive lead generation services, you enjoy a monthly discount, and Prospect Genius gets to work with a brand-new client.
Contact your campaign coordinator or account manager for further details about product pricing and referral procedures!

* Client referral discount remains in effect as long as both you and the referred client remain enrolled in the Prospect Genius Core program.

Kick-Start Your Campaign With Our Boost Package

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Why the Boost Package?

At Prospect Genius, we like to do things the right way. We like to give clients the results they deserve, but we also believe in playing by the rules and earning results that will actually last. In the past, this meant our clients would have to wait three months or longer to start seeing a consistent increase in leads. Although this waiting period is standard for the majority of professional SEO providers, some of our clients were understandably concerned.
That’s why we’ve devised a remedy: our Boost package. Designed as a temporary pay-per-click (PPC) program, Boost will fortify your advertising efforts and add extra oomph to your campaign during this crucial waiting period. Here’s why it’s important.

The Waiting Game

Like we said, a three-month waiting period is standard for legitimate SEO. If a marketer uses black-hat tactics or spam, then you may be able to see more immediate results—but that comes with a high likelihood of getting caught and penalized by Google. That’s why we refuse to sink to dishonest tactics. It simply wouldn’t be in your best interest.
So that leaves one question: Why does SEO take three months to kick in? It’s a topic we’ve covered before, but it always bears repeating. To borrow from a previous post on the same subject:

Effective SEO requires repetition. Social media listings must be routinely populated with fresh content, press releases have to be syndicated, and directories must be updated as needed. However, not all of these tasks can be done at once. There’s a strategically tiered system of steps to be completed by your SEO specialist for optimal results, and proper spacing and timing of these tasks is essential. Once this foundation has been completely set, a few months have gone by.

Furthermore, there’s a lot of waiting on our end, as well. This happens whenever we make a change to your listing on a given directory or third-party website. We have to wait for the website to update its own pages and then wait for Google to re-index that website with the new info. Eventually, Google will compile and release the new, live index. Only at this point will the changes we made several steps ago finally take effect.
This process gets even further complicated if you’ve had any previous problems with your web presence, particularly any penalties or suspensions from Google. If you’ve engaged in any spam-like behavior in the past, we’ll first have to resolve those issues before we can begin the SEO process, which could make your waiting period even longer.

Get a Head Start With Boost

Although it’s impossible to circumvent the complex procedure of SEO, there’s a way to supplement it so that you aren’t stuck waiting without seeing any results. The Boost package is a short-term PPC push that gives your campaign a temporary shot in the arm. Basically, it’s a more targeted version of our standard PPC package.
While you may not receive leads from organic search results when your campaign is first launched, you’ll make up for that with calls rolling in from your sponsored PPC ads. Plus, Boost is known to improve rankings in Google+ Places and organic results as well, simply by making sites quickly appear more valuable.
Lasting only a few weeks, Boost is exactly what you need as a stop-gap until your long-lasting, organic leads take over.

Promote Seasonally With Boost, Too

Don’t forget: Boost is also great for businesses that offer season-specific services. HVAC technicians, landscapers, and appliance repairmen all provide services that vary in popularity depending on what time of year it is. If you offer furnace repair, for example, you can use Boost at the end of autumn to get the word out about time-sensitive maintenance. Many of our clients have used Boost in this capacity to great advantage.

Proof Is in the Pudding

When we say that our Boost package really works, we aren’t kidding. We took a sample set of our Boost success stories and found that, on average, we increased their calls by 413%! One client went from an average of 10.3 calls per month to 23 (a 223% increase), while another went from 3.7 calls per month to 29—a whopping 791% increase!
When Boost is added to a campaign, the difference can be staggering.
Whether you’re brand new to the Prospect Genius program or you’re an old pro, there’s always a way to utilize our Boost package for a burst of fresh leads. Call your campaign coordinator or account manager to learn how!

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