If you use a geographic modifier in your search-term for a local service provider eg Auckland tax accountant – you will see a new layout for those terms that generate a map

Previously there was the Google Place (Map) listing with up to 7 businesses listed (the 7-pack as it was called). I’ve put a red box around it.

Then below that there was the main search or organic results and this is where people put their effort into getting top rankings i.e. regular search engine optimisation (SEO).  That includes the on-page tags, page addresses and web page copy plus the off-page link-building.  Good practice SEO included both on- and off-page activity.

Then above and to the right, there are the Adwords or sponsored listings. For most of my clients I have encouraged them not to use Adwords because it’s very difficult to get right despite the apparent ease of setting up the ads plus, the number of clicks was at very best, 15% of the total pages clicks but usually closer to 3%.

Now compare that to today’s search results and it’s vastly different.

Where have they all gone?

The map is now to the right and as you scroll down, it goes over the Adwords.  So those advertisers will get even fewer clicks.  I can’t see that happening for long unless Google has another plan for Page 1 listings. Hmmm?

But the biggest change is that the previous 7-pack has now been merged with the organic results with the Places results having prominence over the organic.  The Place results (the red box) are extended to cover up to 80% of the total search results and in the Auckland tax accountant example, there are only two organic results.

Notice too that the results now also show the Title tag which is the top line of the organic search results.  There’s also much more information in each of those listings – reviews, addresses, phone numbers and images.

That means that instead of 17 returns on Page 1 (the 7-pack plus the 10 organic results,) there are between 10 and 14 results depending on how much detail there is in the new Places information.

Also gone are some of the directories like Yellow – another nail in their coffin!  Google obviously only wants sites that deliver value to searchers rather than just listings.

But there are more results too

Notice also that now there are a few more red dots on the map.  You can see this better on a search for Graphic Designer Auckland with all the red dots in addition to the optimised lettered pins.

These were always there if you clicked he map but now Google offers other non-optimised sites for searchers to check out too.  But only optimised sites get the lettered pin.

There is also a new search option on the top left – Places which expands the Places results to show those that aren’t optimised properly but gives customers more options to assess.

Only one result per business

Also gone are double entries so whereas before if someone had a Map result and an organic result, they now only have one return in the Place results (for the most part – one client still has two for the time being). This is a good thing because there were some businesses which spammed the Places results preventing good businesses from getting into the results. It does also penalize those that had honestly optimised Places and organic results but overall, I think it’s a good step.

Unfair advantage to the lazy

Another disparity with the old system was that a company could claim a listing in the Places results even if they didn’t have a website.  I always thought this was odd – rewarding a company that couldn’t be bothered to get its act together or to invest in a website.  They’ve now gone, being replaced by those businesses which have made the effort and investment.

Merging local and mobile

For a while Google has been saying that they have two main priorities – local search and mobile.  This is proof positive that they mean it.  Ignore mobile marketing at your peril. It really is the future for local businesses.

What’s the answer?

It’s still early days yet and I expect there will be other changes as Google’s tests settle down but overall I think this is a good move for those companies that genuinely do deliver good value and plenty of content to their market.

Some have complained they are losing their place on Page 1 which is true, and there is certainly more competition to get onto Page 1 now, but, the new result rewards a combination of good on-site optimisation + good Places optimisation + good content + good off-page optimisation (link building) + good customer service (reviews).  Plus it also removes the unfair advantage given to those who didn’t take part in on-line marketing.

In short, for those that wanted to be cheap-skates, lazy or simply chose to ignore the clear signals from SEO professionals, then they will suffer.

If you have the right ethics, it’s almost business as usual  - continue to invest in your website, your on-line marketing and delivering good valuable content.

There will be a few losses but overall those that continue best practice will be rewarded.

I thought it was my sales pitch but speaking to other marketers around the world, they are all experiencing the same thing.

Prospects, clients, people in general are waiting for things to get better.

Well guess what.  They aren’t.  At least not for a long time yet.

And they will never go back to how they were.

I was chatting with my buddy, marketing ace, Brain Meredith from The Marketing Bureau the other day and we decided that this IS the new normal.  So accept it, move on and grow with it or live in denial and …. well, you can work out the rest of that line.

Yep, fragmented markets, cluttered minds, information overload, new technologies, new ways of marketing – they are all here to stay. And it will get worse.

OK, so having put the majority of my readers further into distress, what can you do about it?

First up, recognise that more opportunity comes from a major disruption than there was before it.

Second, more millionaires were created during the Great Depression than at any time before or since.

Third, realise that if you don’t grab the new ways to market your business before your competitors, then you will be locked out.  This isn’t like “old-style” marketing where anyone can buy an ad.  With the Internet, it’s possible to create barriers around your position and your customers so that competitors will find it extremely hard to get in.  First mover advantage is very powerful.

Fourth, there are so many options with Internet marketing, that you simply cannot understand them all.  I think it was Vic Conant who said it takes 1,000 hours of practice to become an expert. If you work full-time on only one of the techniques, that’s six months you have to commit without doing any work in your business.  Hmm – which business owner can afford that time commitment?

As I see it, you have three options.

1.    Carry on as usual hoping things will go back to normal.
2.    Reckon you can get to grips with SEO, mobile marketing, social media, website conversion, video marketing (that’s 2 ½ years full-time) while still running your business.
3.    Call in someone who has already learnt this stuff so you get an advantage over your competitors.

Which one will you choose?

Technorati Tags: Marketing, new zealand marketing, Small business marketing

Tibor is a business coach with an accounting background.

Sam_Fairhall

Sam is a highly experienced senior executive, well grounded in all aspects of business. He’s had experience in middle and senior corporate management; he’s been in involved in business development, business start-ups and the marketing of services and has broad experience in transacting business Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, the Pacific Islands and Australia.
Presently Director of the Business Farm Ltd., he and his associates are successfully providing consultancy and strategic planning service to businesses in New Zealand. A major part of his work is providing strategies by which business can benefit from a well constructed, easy to maintain internet presence.
Zeald.com, the website people are the partners in this part of his activity. Zeald.com has a reputation for providing websites that deliver bottom line results.  It is one of the largest and fastest growing website design and e-business consultancy companies in New Zealand.
The combination of a well planned website strategy, a proven website technology such as provided by Zeald.com coupled with SEO as provided by Andrew Haddleton is a compelling mix.
Contact details
Sam Fairhall
+64 9 478 2894
+64 21 998 111

sam.fairhall@zeald.com
sam.fairhall@thebusinessfarm.co.nz

When I drove into the industrial park I was amazed to see not 1, not 2 but 3 businesses in the same basic industry all within 100 metres of each other.  I wondered how they could all operate in such close proximity.

I later learned that one of them is actually a material supplier to the bigger of the two component manufacturers – my prospective client.  (The material and the end-product have very similar names).

It turned out to be a really cool meeting – with the web developer, myself on the SEO and copywriting plus a client who “gets” marketing.

As I learned more about their business I discovered that they’ve moved away from the lower price, higher volume end where loads of other makers scrabble for crumbs, shaving even more of their already thin margins.  The result is they now make far more profit on much more interesting applications with more appreciative clients.

The client also has a really wonderful product range – top-notch quality, a range to meet any preference, highly innovative and fabulous production standards.

They were wondering how to communicate all of this and I thought of the Schlitz beer ads developed by Claude Hopkins.

A quick overview for those who don’t know the story.

Claude Hopkins had won the Schlitz beer ad account and was being given a factory tour.  They were 6th in market share at the time.

As the production guy was explaining all of the components and the effort they went to in the production process – water selection, roasting the malt, cleaning, brewing and many more aspects, he was amazed at how much attention to detail they had.

He said they had to tell the story but the production guy said, “All the brewers use that process.”

Hopkins said, ‘Well no-one knows all the work that goes into a bottle of beer.”

So they told the story and within 18 months they were number 2.

Jay Abraham calls this the Theory of Pre-eminence. Which brings me back to today’s visit. My prospective client could see the value in using this method to express their passion and pride as they have so much to tell.

My next appointment was with someone from one of my networking meetings.

We meet most weeks but hadn’t spent any quality time listening to each other.

After we both explained to the other, we both realised how much knowledge the other had.  How expert we are at what we do.  How much experience and passion we each have for our businesses.

Later, as I was driving to yet another meeting, I thought on a few lessons from that morning.

1.Differentition – nothing immediately differentiated each of the three companies yet each are very different – so find your point of difference and make it obvious.

2.Integration – how can you integrate with other local companies to make more profit for both of you and give a better outcome for your customer?   Hint: It doesn’t have to be just the obvious supplier / buyer relationship.

3.Expertise – be confident in your expertise, don’t try to be a generalist.  The web developer knows what they are good at and that SEO is the foundation to a successful website, not an afterthought.  Ahhh – there’s a different type of integration you could use – collaborate with other experts to give a better total experience for your customers.

4.Marketing – the bigger company has been at the forefront of marketing in their sector, in fact they had the first website in their industry.  It’s no coincidence that they invest in marketing, are bigger and have a much better quality customer base.

5.Education – tell not just your customers, but friends and colleagues too, how much detail you go to to provide your service or how much expertise you really have.  And don’t be afraid to tell your story.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Marketing, Small business marketing

• Too many interruptions.
• There aren’t enough profitable sales.
• Too many projects or demands on your cash.

There are frustrations everywhere.

Yet many – probably most – business owners make it more difficult for themselves by making these three common mistakes.

• Not making decisions so projects don’t even get started.

• Doing things yourself to save cash.

• Using a generalist for the whole project instead of using experts for each component of the project.

The result is more frustration and more lost sales.

The year is only two weeks old and already I’ve seen an example of each of those.

One client has still not made a decision to go ahead with a project and it’s only a small one at that. It would add so much to their marketing. They are keen to go ahead but…. They haven’t decided.

A second decided to use just one module of my 5 step Google ranking method and to do the next two stages themselves. They wanted to save cash. The result?

It’s behind schedule. Worse – it’s not even done yet.

How much cash have they saved? But the bigger question, how many sales have the lost?

And a third client chose to use a service provider, a very capable one in their field but certainly not in terms of applying SEO. The result? A good looking site that only ranks for less than half of the Search-terms. And doesn’t rank at all for the preferred keywords.

Now they need significant rework to get their site working properly.

So, be brave.

• Make a decision.
• Recognise that cash saved is probably less than cash earned.
• Use a specialist to save you time, cost and lost revenue.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, new zealand marketing

Please click the title to access the link.

Paula had a series of interviews for Operation Lead Gen grilling experts in different methods.

She interviewed me for the SEO strategies.

Go here for the link.

SEO Strategies by Andrew Haddleton

Technorati Tags: Search engine optimization, SEO

Most people will obviously say their business.

• Your car is a cost, it doesn’t produce income.
• It’s a depreciating liability not an appreciating asset.
• It doesn’t provide for your retirement.

Yet imagine this.

If your car isn’t working properly.

• Maybe you haven’t had it serviced for a while so it’s using too much fuel.
• Perhaps it’s not running smoothly, stop-start.
• It may even have stopped working altogether.

What do you do?

Do you wait for an enterprising auto-repair guy to make some marketing calls to see if by any quirk of fate, that on that particular day, your car might need fixing? An unlikely chain of events isn’t it?

Do you wait for a friend to give you a call so they can recommend their car repair man?

Perhaps you leap onto Twitter or Facebook and hope a car repair shop will send out a message.

Or do you take definite action to find a company to mend your car?

Of course, you get on the phone or search in Google to find someone to do the job.

And then there’s the cost.

Car repairs are usually accompanied by that infamous sharp intake of breath before the car guy hits you with an astounding figure.

But what do you do then?

You find the money at all costs to get it fixed.

Now imagine this scenario.

• Your business isn’t generating enough sales leads.
• Your website is only producing a few visitors.
• Perhaps it’s not even generating any leads at all because no-one can find it in Google.

What do you do now?

If you are like over 97% of other business owners, you do nothing.  (Your business is your livelihood).
You might be one of the 98% or so business owners who turns away help to increase your income.
Or maybe, you are one of the 2% or so who accepts the help offered to you.

Or maybe, just maybe, you are one of the less than 0.5% of business owners who recognises that their business is REALLY important to them and takes proactive action to protect, increase and develop their business.

What do you think?

Cclick here for more ways to get higher in Google.

Technorati Tags: local marketing, Marketing, Search engine optimization, SEO