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Unlocking the Power of Remarketing: A Game-Changer for Your Online Marketing Strategy

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Have you ever wondered how some brands seem to follow you around the internet after you’ve visited their site? Whether you were browsing for a new gadget on Amazon or searching for a local service, the next thing you know, ads for that very product or service pop up on different websites you visit. This isn’t coincidence or magic—it’s a powerful marketing strategy known as remarketing.

Remarketing is an ingenious way to reconnect with visitors to your website who didn’t make a purchase or inquiry on their first visit. In the digital marketing world, capturing the attention of potential customers is only half the battle. The real challenge lies in keeping your brand top-of-mind, nudging those who showed interest but left without engaging further. This strategy is not just effective; it’s also cost-efficient, especially when compared to traditional pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

An illustration that embodies the concept of remarketing in the realm of digital marketing: a sequence of interconnected devices (smartphones, laptops, and tablets) each showcasing the same brand's advertisement, with digital connections linking them to illustrate the tracking and targeting characteristic of remarketing.

Why Choose Remarketing Over a Traditional PPC Search Campaign?

The beauty of remarketing lies in its ability to target individuals who have already expressed an interest in your products or services. Unlike broad-spectrum advertising, which casts a wide net, remarketing campaigns are highly targeted and, therefore, more likely to convert. This targeted approach ensures that your marketing dollars are spent on reaching out to people who are already halfway through the decision-making process.

Remarketing is particularly valuable for products or services with a longer sales cycle. If your customers typically take their time to research and think over their decisions—be it a couple of days or even weeks—remarketing keeps your brand prominently in their line of sight. This gentle reminder can be the nudge they need to choose you over your competitors.

Who Can Benefit from Remarketing?

Virtually any business can harness the power of remarketing, but it shines brightest for those with products or services that require thoughtful consideration. High-value items, specialized services, or anything that demands a significant investment of time or money from the customer are prime candidates for remarketing campaigns. Whether you’re selling bespoke furniture, offering legal consultation services, or anything in between, remarketing can help bridge the gap between interest and action.

Is Remarketing Right for You?

If you’re pondering whether remarketing is a fit for your business, consider your sales cycle and customer behavior. Do visitors often browse your site without making immediate purchases or inquiries? Are you facing stiff competition where every advantage counts? If so, remarketing could be the strategic edge you need.

How Prospect Genius Can Help

At Prospect Genius, we understand the nuances of crafting successful remarketing campaigns that capture lost revenue and amplify your online presence. Our team of experts is equipped to guide you through setting up, managing, and optimizing your remarketing strategy, ensuring that your brand remains in the spotlight at just the right moment.

Interested in learning more about how remarketing can benefit your business? We’re here to help you capture those potential customers who’ve shown interest but haven’t yet committed. Reach out to Prospect Genius today, and let’s make your brand unforgettable.

How Google’s Greed Is Slashing Your Website Traffic

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Google’s new slogan should be, “Helping Goliath pummel David.”

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, then you already know how we feel about Google and their reckless behavior towards the little guy. But for newcomers, here’s a quick recap:

Google’s motivation will always be to maximize profits for themselves. This runs in direct opposition to the best interests of small businesses that can’t spend a fortune advertising themselves online.

And it’s getting worse.

Now, with Google’s Local Services ads, in addition to Google Ads (formerly AdWords), Google is siphoning limited SERP (search engine results page) space and handing that space to their own paid platforms. The consequence of this action is that Google is slashing available organic traffic for everyone else, particularly small businesses that can’t afford a big ad budget.

At this point, the notion that Google’s local search platform is pay-to-play is no longer up for debate.

In this blog post, we’re going to look at how the bloated presence of paid ads on Google’s SERPs are hurting small businesses’ web presence in real, tangible ways. We’re also going to tell you what you can do to protect yourself. Keep reading!

Paid Ads Are Taking Over

In the 30-or-so major U.S. cities where the Local Services platform has rolled out, small businesses are seeing a substantial decrease in website traffic.

Why? Because now, when someone searches for a local service provider in their city, like a plumber or electrician, they’re confronted with several paid ads right away. They have to scroll multiple times before even getting to the first organic website listing. This puts all organic listings at a major disadvantage.

Just take a look at this local SERP for “appliance repair service.” This is how much Google-sponsored content users see before they even get to the first organic listing!

More info: “How to Minimize Your Damage From Google’s New Platform”

In fact, a 2018 Bright Local study shows that the presence of Local Services ads has a significant, negative effect on other SERP listings:

Local Services ads receive 13.8% of all local SERP clicks
At the same time, 25% of all local SERP clicks are on paid ads in general (including Google Ads) when Local Services ads are present.

In other words, websites are missing out on a full quarter of their potential traffic due to the presence of paid ads. This is doing tremendous damage to website traffic for local service providers.

And here’s the thing: It’s not an accident that Google’s paid services are taking up so much space and hogging so much traffic. That’s by design. Again, Google’s interests conflict with yours: Their goal is to line their pockets through paid ads, which means they have to get the most clicks possible. Organic listings are, therefore, Google’s competition.

So, it’s no wonder that Google takes up the whole, top half of the SERP with paid ads. The more clicks those paid ads receive (and the fewer clicks organic listings receive), the more profit Google rakes in!

Plus, add to all of this the fact that Google is floating the idea of adding paid features to their Google My Business platform, and you’re looking at a steep price just to be visible online.

Play the Game but Protect Yourself

By now, it’s clear that Google’s pay-to-play model favors big businesses with big budgets. On local SERPs, the winner is whoever can afford to spend the most on paid ads. And if you’re a small service provider who can’t afford to dump money into advertising? The best Google can say is, “Good luck.”

Your takeaway? Don’t trust Google to have your back.

Maybe it’s just us, but we don’t like the idea of putting the fate of our company into the hands of a giant corporation whose sole objective is to empty our pockets.

And because of Google’s greed, organic traffic ain’t what it used to be. SEO is still crucial, but relying on SEO alone simply won’t cut it anymore. That’s why we advise our clients to diversify their advertising as a form of protection against the unstable nature of organic SEO.

To that end, we very begrudgingly admit that Google Ads is a necessary evil. It’s an unfortunate truth that Google owns the local search arena, so we all have to play by their rules. It pains us to say this, but as we demonstrated above, you need to set aside some money each month for a Google Ads PPC campaign if you want any degree of prominence or visibility on the local SERP.

Pro tip: Having a savvy marketing specialist manage your PPC campaign for you will help you keep costs down.

However, to only invest in Google Ads would be a mistake.

Again, diversifying your web presence is the goal here. That’s why we also recommend using paid ads on whatever social media platform(s) or directories your customers connect with most. For many businesses, this is Facebook, but Instagram and Yelp are also popular choices. And the good news is, most social media ads are substantially more budget-friendly than Google Ads.

Related: “How to Run a Holiday Facebook Ad That Drives Results”

In addition, we always remind our clients that old-school, real-world marketing is still effective, too! With memorable branding (including logos and signage), word-of-mouth, and face-to-face networking in your community, you can supplement your online efforts and really stamp out a place for your business on the local scene.

So, don’t get down about your diminished website traffic. There are still several ways to promote yourself online (and off) without blowing your budget. Even though your organic website traffic may drop, you can still get plenty of calls, leads, and booked revenue from other sources.

Keep fighting!

How to Respond When Your Domain Is Held Hostage

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

From time to time, our team is reminded of a very depressing truth: Many SEO providers out there do scummy things.

The latest reminder? Just the other day, we were talking to a small business owner, and he told us how skeptical he was of the SEO industry. At first, we couldn’t understand why he was so mistrusting of us. But after some prodding, he revealed where his trust issues came from…

As it turns out, his last SEO provider registered his domain for him, and then held it hostage when he tried to quit. Since his whole online presence had been tied to that URL, his traffic and calls plummeted.

And the worst part? This didn’t even surprise us. We’ve heard versions of this same story dozens of times before.

In fact, we’ve even seen some SEO companies demand thousands of dollars in payment (a.k.a. ransom) before they give the domain back!

But instead of getting down about the slimy state of SEO, we’ve decided to turn our angst into action. In this blog post, we’re going to help you fight back against these bad guys by giving you advice on how to proceed when they hold your domain (and/or associated phone number) hostage.

What you’re about to find out will save you a ton of headaches and money going forward. Keep reading!

When You Can’t Get Your Domain Back

Unfortunately, as we mentioned, this scenario is not uncommon. But the good news is, you’re not powerless. There’s a solution. We’ve helped countless business owners in the same jam reclaim domains that were rightfully theirs to begin with.

The process involves working closely with GoDaddy (or whatever registrar you originally used) to prove you are, in fact, the business owner and that the domain is yours. This process is more successful when your business name is in the URL that was used in your SEO campaign, but it’s not a requirement.

In the past, we’ve helped business owners work with their registrar and obtain sufficient evidence that the domain belongs to them. The steps involved in obtaining access to your domain vary from business to business and will depend on the extent of your current online footprint.

However, in rare instances where there isn’t enough concrete proof that you own your website, you might have to rebuild your web presence from scratch. This means getting a whole new domain, wiping the slate clean on your web presence, and starting your SEO from scratch. This is not ideal, but it does sometimes happen.

Keep in mind, though, that starting over with a clean slate and a consistent URL is far more effective than clinging to a patchwork web presence with conflicting details.

Need help building your case? The specialists at Prospect Genius are happy to listen to your story and advise you on the next best steps. Give us a call!

When They Keep Your Phone Number From You

Along a similar vein, unscrupulous vendors and SEO providers have tarnished our industry’s reputation by withholding metered phone lines from former clients. It’s the same as what they’re doing with domains: They set up a metered phone line for your campaign, and once you quit, they refuse to give you access to that line.

This issue is critical because your metered phone number (alongside your URL) was probably the primary contact detail in all of your online advertising. By not giving you access to it, they’re essentially tying your hands behind your back.

Thankfully, the law is on your side here. FCC regulations forbid this practice. In fact, the FCC stipulates that if a phone number ever rings to your phone, it’s yours. So if you have a metered line out there that was ringing to your business at one point in time, then your old vendor or advertiser cannot withhold it from you without violating federal law. They are legally required to port your number when you request it.

Again, if you’re having difficulty communicating with them or convincing them they’re in the wrong, let us know. We can point you towards some information and resources that may help.

Simple Ways to Protect Yourself

Before we wrap things up, let’s make one thing very clear: It’s not your fault that a sleazy SEO company took advantage of your trust and acted spitefully against your interests.

Furthermore, it’s a natural response to mistrust other advertising teams after this kind of experience. We know how you feel. Nonetheless, SEO campaigns and metered phone lines remain critical marketing tools. If you want to bring in new customers and keep track of incoming leads, then you can’t avoid using them.

So, instead of forgoing online marketing altogether out of fear, you can take a few simple measures to protect yourself the next time around:

Ask your prospective marketer what their standard cancellation procedures are.
- If you own the website content and domain, how will they return these assets to you upon cancellation?
- If you purchase a metered phone line, how will they port the number back to your phone?
Make sure you have a contract with your marketer that clearly states you have ownership of all website assets (domain, images, content, etc.) upon final payment.
Ask your marketer which company will be hosting your website and get that company’s contact information.
Ideally, you should buy your own domain in your name so it’s 100% yours from the beginning. (GoDaddy is a popular domain registrar for this purpose.)
- Note: Some SEO companies prefer to register your domain under their own account so they can monitor your website and receive alerts. This is usually done as a service that you purchase so you don’t have to monitor everything yourself. In this situation, being 100% clear about cancellation procedures (including how you can transfer domain ownership) and having a signed contract are crucial.

Prospect Genius Is Here to Help

Of course, even your best efforts sometimes aren’t enough to protect you from a particularly nasty or vindictive agency. If you find yourself stuck dealing with such an agency, call Prospect Genius for help right away. We’ve been working in this field for more than a decade, and we’re very familiar with the laws around these topics.

Keeping our industry honest is something we’re passionate about. We’ll be more than happy to help you protect your rights however we can.

And, hey—if you want to work with a company that won’t hold your web presence hostage, you know where to find us.

Little Known Ways to Market Yourself in a New Location

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

So, your business is ranking pretty well in your hometown.

But what if you want to get more jobs in the next town over? Or maybe you want to expand into a different state entirely?

No problem. Prospect Genius has a handful of cost-effective strategies to help you target a new service area without going over budget.

Of course, the strategy we prescribe will depend on how far away your second address is. Thankfully, we’ve had lots of success solving this problem for clients and business owners of all kinds.

Keep reading to hear about some real-life cases in which we’ve helped business owners expand into new service areas and multiply their customer bases.

Reaching From Coast to Coast

We have one client who owns a nationwide answering service. Thanks to today’s technology, they’re able to provide virtual reception and remote answering services from anywhere, which means they can support clients in every corner of the country. As a result, we’ve had to think outside the box in our approach to their online marketing.

After evaluating the upfront costs and returns of PPC and similar paid campaigns, we determined that creating a few local SEO campaigns in different regions would be the most cost-effective route. So, our client acquired legitimate local addresses in these regions, and away we went.

We successfully marketed this client in three separate regions of the country using a combination of content writing, Google Maps optimization, and local directory optimization.

Expanding Regionally

We also worked with a client who was located in one area of New York’s Capital District and wanted to target a town 20-ish miles north. Unfortunately, this second town was just beyond the radius that makes for effective, local SEO.

So, for this client, we got creative. Ultimately, we saw a good deal of success when they set up a new, related business in their desired town. Then we launched an all-new website and local SEO campaign for this new business. However, this required having a legitimate second address, so the viability of this strategy may vary.

However, when it works, it really works. Another client successfully used this strategy and now has four or five separate websites and businesses across Long Island!

Hopping to a Nearby Town

We recently dealt with a client who was getting lots of jobs near their home base and wanted to start reaching more customers a few towns away.

Since the distance between the two locations was minimal, and they were within the recommended SEO radius, we were able to implement a strategy using their current website, which already contained specific language about the general locale. Our strategy involved a combination of directory optimization and Google Maps optimization, laser-focusing those campaigns on the client’s desired town.

For another client in a similar situation, we launched a straightforward paid ad campaign, instead, because it made sense for their budget. We did this on Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, basing our target audience on our client’s desired new location.

Building Your Own Strategy

As you can see from the above examples, the possibilities for expanding to a new territory are pretty open-ended. And the best part is, your strategy can be totally customized.

We’ll work with you to assemble the perfect combination of tactics that won’t send you over budget. Together, we’ll create a cost-effective, well-rounded approach that helps you successfully target your desired location(s).

So, whether you want calls from 20 miles away or 200, let’s chat! We’re confident we have a solution that’ll be an awesome plan of attack for you.

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