But, before I get started, a disclaimer.  I no longer do SEO for clients, only for my own ecommerce businesses.   That said here we go….

When I created my first e-commerce business in 1996 I had no choice but to learn the In’s and Out’s of search engine optimization (SEO).   Google didn’t even exist back then.  There was Excite and Lycos and the e-commerce world was even more dependent on search engine placement.   NO twitter, no facebook, no social media to speak of. You couldn’t find anyone locally who knew what SEO was, never mind much knowledge about it.

Today it seems everybody is an SEO expert, adding it to their portfolio of services.   And, what is more startling than the quantity of SEO consultants, is the quality or total lack of.   Let me explain.  I am amazed how many SEO’s I meet that acquire a lot of business,  but are close to clueless about the “value” they are really providing their clients.   Case in point.  I attended a meeting of entrepreneurs and was sitting next to a man that introduced himself as a Systems Consultant. I wasn’t sure what that meant.   After I gave him my pitch mentioning I use to do SEO for clients, but no longer, he said, “I do SEO, we are SEO consultants”.  Of course I was intrigued so he continued on, stating that he charges his clients $250 a month to get them on the first page of Google (which is cheap as many of these outfits charge thousands a month with similar results).  My first question was “for what?”   He then showed me a term his client was now listed on page one of Google for.    I thought my eyesight was failing me again, but in reality I did not even know what this term was.  So I asked him what the keyword volume was ?  He looked at me like I had a third eye popping out of my forehead.  “What do you mean” he asked?   I repeated, “what is the monthly search volume for that term you have your client on page one for?”.   He didn’t know. Not only that, but when I asked him how he conducts his keyword research, he was again , lost.   And, it doesn’t get any better.    Then I asked him what tools he uses. No response so I suggested Google Keyword tool. But, he didn’t know what I was referring to.  I would have continued on asking about such metrics as OCI , which signifies the “commercial value” of  a keyword, but we never got that far.   (P.S. If your SEO or online marketing consultant doesn’t know what OCI is, thank him/her and move on to another SEO guy or you’ll be flushing money down the drain). .

Now, if this had been five years ago I would have been shocked. However, the sad reality is the Majority of SEO and Online Marketing Consultants I meet have a level of expertise similar to this individual.   Since SEO has been the buzz word for the past several years everyone wants to get in on the action.  Regardless of their qualifications.     And, with a “desperate” economy, many “consultants’ are trying to be everything to everybody.

And, the worse part of this scenario is the client doesn’t know any better. The consultant shows a client they are on page one of Google for “monkey dung” and they are thrilled to be on page one.  Even though no one in the universe (except maybe monkeys)  is searching for or typing in Google, “monkey dung”.   It reminds me of a BNI meeting I went to a few years ago.  After the meeting TWO business owners both came up to me and said “I am already #1 on Google”.  I asked for what?  The first woman said for “Cindy’s Home Garden’s” and the other said for “Karen Swartz Business Consultant”.   I could only respond with “congratulations”.  Why, I thought, should I ruin their parade.  But silently I  asked them, “exactly how many people do you think typed in “Cindy’s Home garden’s”  or “Karen Swartz Business Consultant last month”?   The answer was surely zero.

Next time you are approached by an online consultant, instead of asking them what their certifications are (because most certifications are nothing more than taking an online exam), ask them to show you THEIR e-commerce business.   I mean if they have not been successful online and created their own web based business, how in the world are they suppose to show you how to do it?  Then interview them.   Ask them the following questions:

1). Can I see your e-commerce site? (NOT their consulting site)
2). What is the monthly volume for my search term(s)
3). What is the “commercial value” of that keyword
4). How is the keyword “trending” i.e. up or down
5). How long do you guarantee I will be on page one for that keyword
6).  Tell me exactly HOW you are going to get my website on page one?
- You want to weed out spammy tactics that could get your site completely BANNED by Google &
Bing.
7).  What do you need from me to optimize my site?
8). How many other SEO clients do you have and can you provide references?
9). How are the spammers doing it?
- if he can’t answer this, Pass.
10).  How do you measure performance?  (HINT: if you don’t hear the word “Analytics” forget it).
11). Why should I hire you over the Ga-Zilion other SEO consultants out there?

And good luck out there in the world wide cyber jungle.

Kevin Conway is owner of Cutting Edge eMarketing & Conway’s Vintage Treasures

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Have you ever received an email from PayPal or your bank asking you to “verify your account information”? Well, it may be legitimate.  On the other hand, it may also be a fraudulent attempt to get access to your personal and/or financial information.  Today it is more important than ever to recognize and avoid getting trapped by these fake phishing emails and not disclose your personal information, bank account or credit card details to unknown fraud persons, who harvest private information via fake websites, links and emails.

This type of online scam is perpetuating on a continual basis. The risks seem to be multiplying. For example, with the majority of the population spending a large percentage of their time on computers and Smartphone’s this fraudulent activity is increasing in volume, frequency and sophistication with no slowdown in sight. .  See video at bottom for Real Case demo

Last week I wrote a piece for my marketing clients about how to protect themselves from online criminal predators that are always coming up with new, creative schemes to get into your bank account.   This dismal reality reared its ugly head again last week with an email I got from PayPal (supposedly). This “fake” email stated that I had not responded to their request to verify my account and which about to be suspended. Very convincing.  However, I’ve been online for about 20 years now, since the early days of the internet using old browsers like Mosaic, and these scams are all too familiar.  Ebay use to be THE “safe haven” for these online predators before eBay removed the ability to contact other members directly. There were so many scams going on eBay up until a few years ago, you couldn’t keep track of them. Most of these online scams have very similar “fingerprints”. For example, here are some of the things to look for when you get an email with an air of suspicion claiming to be your bank or other company you use to manage your financial assets such as PayPal or Google Checkout.

1). These emails are usually very aggressive using scare tactics like:
- If we don’t hear from you than (a threat will follow)
- In order to safeguard your account, we require that you confirm your banking details
2). They don’t use your Real name. They refer to your email or business name
3). The web address has a “hidden” flaw (see the video for this)
4). The recipient email is fake or has a mistake
5). Watch the video for actual true case study example.

Below is a short 4 minute video I created for You showing a real life case study and details of what to look for in a fraudulent email. In this video I show you the exact email I received last week in an attempt to “steal” my personal and financial information. It may be the most valuable four minutes of your day. NO sales, No hype, just a few critical things to watch for. See video Below.

Meanwhile, this growing dilemma doesn’t discriminate.  Anyone who orders anything online or does online banking is a target for this new age of internet crime.  Hence, I believe this is such an important topic, especially during this peek holiday online shopping season for the majority of the population I have sent it to all our customers. Critical information that could save you from a serious financial threat or outright identity theft. (To see video below in Full Screen just run your mouse to the lower right corner with the 4 arrows and click, will open video in full screen).

Kevin Conway is the owner of Cutting Edge eMarketing & Conway’s Vintage Treasures (cvtreasures.com)

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Check it out:
http://pdcboston.org/onlinebusiness

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But, when he gets this, he changes his mind 

Would You Fill Out This Form? 

American Marketing Association (AMA) Webinar Opt In Form

There is probably no more valuable asset to an online business than their “list”.  And to build a large, quality list of highly targeted consumers, who specifically gave you permission to market your product or service to them, is a lot of work.    So how could , of all organizations, the AMA appear to be oblivious about the rules of  proper email opt-in etiquette?   You force us to fill out TWENTY-ONE fields of information to attend your webinar?  Are you serious? 

There have been countless split tests demonstrating that when a  potential opt-in has to fill out more than two fields of information (i.e. name and email) the signup abandonment rates begins to skyrocket.   The AMA form requires 21 fields of information including address, zip code, job title, blah, blah , blah.  Can you imagine how many potential AMA members they are losing.  My guess? About 90% at least are terminating their registration.  Why would the AMA (or any other initial online marketing campaign) need my zip code or street address or my title?  If you need that info, get it later.  But, don’t scare off 90% of your prospects just to be greedy or employ aggressive data mining tactics before you even say “hello”. . 

Here are just a few things to consider when creating and employing your email campaign.
1).  Offer a lot and ask little (as little as possible)
2). Provide something of value for free
3). Make sure your “freebie” encourages engagement
4). Reduce (not increase) anxiety with Un-complicated signup forms.
5). Only make name and email mandatory, other fields make optional
6). Always follow-up with a welcome message and/or auto responder.

Kevin Conway is owner of Cutting Edge eMarketing which provides proven online marketing strategies.  We are not just consultants but business owners that have actually created and managed several successful e-commerce businesses.

BTW, Kevin loves the AMA, great organization. He just hates their opt in forms.

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See if this mirrors your own behavior:

Fifteen years ago, Borders superstores dotted the U.S. and seemed to be the future of bookselling. Its sprawling stores, comfortable chairs, cafe and widespread discounts epitomized the “bigger is better” retail philosophy that spelled the end of many mom-and-pop bookstores that couldn’t compete on selection or price.  It seems Borders executives got way to comfortable in those cushy chairs, never taking the online revolution seriously.

In 1995 Amazon was launched. It was not long before it became evident that the book retail industry was in the early stages of a major revolution and book buying was making a major transition to the online space. Two years later Barnes & Noble management had the intuition to see that a strong online presence was no longer an option but an absolute necessity to their survival and any chance of competing with Amazon 5 or 10 years down the road.

Unfortunately Borders didn’t have the same talent running the ship. It was not until 2001 that Borders even dipped their toes in the online arena. But, even then they made a fatal decision. Instead of developing their own online empire they contracted with Amazon to run their ecommerce business.  The problem was Amazon was never that motivated to sell books for Borders.

And, incredulously, they continued that “dead” relationship with Amazon until 2007, when they finally launched their own ecommerce site.  Unfortunately way beyond too late and ten Years AFTER their #1 competitor Barnes and Noble.

Where are you with your online business?  Does at least HALF of your revenue come from your online assets?  Or are you suffering from Border-it is?

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The “Online Profitability Blueprint” answers that exact question – With our 20 Point Web Site MUST HAVES Checklist.  Checkout the Video. .

The Online Profitability Blueprint a custom web site analysis report, laser focuses on your business’s online presence with a detailed analysis that goes through a step by step process to turn your web site into a profit center.

The highlight of this report is a 20 point checklist of the most critical factors that MUST be addressed before a business has any chance of being successful online.   For more details watch the 12 minute video

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(Free Video).  Whether you need customers, clients or patients, there is no more powerful and direct link to that goal then a well designed and implemented Lead Generation System.  And today your focus MUST be ONLINE.  Particularly when 97% of American internet users use the internet to shop of which 57% characterize their behavior as shop online, purchase offline (NDP Group).

 I realize we all get a lot of Spam emails about buying an SEO service, or a social media system that will get you 10,000 Twitter followers that will increase your profits TEN FOLD (don’t hold your breath),  or some other Hyped up sales pitch like a make money online DVD set for $1995 (which is actually what many sell for).   I know, I get these emails everyday!  

That’s why I am offering a Free eye-opening video on how to create a profitable “auto-pilot” Lead Generation System for your business.   There’s no obligation, just highly valuable information to take back to your marketing manager.

My goal is to remove all the hype, the sales pitch with hidden costs and up-sells.  And, to offer the small-medium size business owner a very affordable solution to generate targeted leads for his/her business.   LeadGen 2.0 is a  system that works NO MATTER WHAT the economic conditions are.  Our LeadGen 2.0 system may be best explained as a “Commerce Funnel”.  Looking at the figure to the right you will notice the goal is to bring in a large volume of prospects into the TOP of the funnel snd guiding them through the web site or landing page until a small percentage of them exit the bottom of the funnel as customers or “qualified” leads.   If you are looking to improve business results, checkout the Free Lead Generation video and see for yourself the power of LeadGen 2.0 -> CLICK HERE .

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So it dawned on me. I may be a search engine evangelist and intimately understand and experience the immense benefit of search engine optimization, but most business owners don’t have time to understand web marketing. They don’t have the time to “get” the value of high Google keyword ranking. They need to spend every minute servicing and hopefully acquiring new clients. What my new friend said was so obvious, but at the same time so oblivious. IN this day and age we are all so caught up in the hype of social media marketing, search engine marketing, blogging, and nw mobile marketing that we forget about the client. The client doesn’t care about the technology hype, he/she just wants more business.

Therefore, I have teamed up with a couple marketing experts to offer a new lead generation program for local businesses (nationwide). Essentially I will be speaking to a select segment of the business community (we have decided not to market this new service to doctors since most doctors have enough patients) and offer them a very low cost leads package. These leads will be from people who have specifically and RECENTLY expressed an interest in the service of for example, a chiropractor, plumber, home repair, or any professional service or skilled labor needs within YOUR city. So if you are a chiropractor in the proximity of a large city like Boston, someone looking for a Boston Chiropractor is a strong lead for you, and potentially a lifelong client.

You won’t have to worry about mysterious technical terms like SEO or PPC, or a need to have your web site re-designed. You don’t even need a web site, because we do everything. You just get the final product, a call from the client lead. Yes, the prospects will call you directly. And, you are only billed for actual calls you receive. Most lead companies ONLY provide the lead’s contact information. And, most of the time by the time you get to calling that contact they are no longer interested (I know I tried these contact form leads when I worked in the insurance industry). If a prospect calls YOU, he is far more interested and likely to convert to a client. Especially if the person answering your phone is pleasant and skilled at booking appointments.

And, here’s MORE good news. We are offering this lead program FREE for a week, so you can try it out yourself. No obligation. Just try it and YOU decide if you want to continue. Just contact us today for more info.

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Do you know what they are saying about your brand on Facebook, with a population of over 500 million members?  If you have had previous horror stories, people are sure to be sharing those online. Many people look to an online ad or web-page to see about a business before having cosmetic work done. Some people in this technologically advanced era expect a medical practice to have a great looking website. Some people in your town are looking blindly for blanketed services on the internet in their preliminary date gathering process.  Wouldn’t it be ideal to capture their information early in the sales funnel and be the one to help educate them with your web site articles and professional content? . To find most cosmetic surgeons, people simply type things like “Boston Plastic Surgery” (or replace Boston with your city) into a search engine like Google.  And, the web opportunity savvy doctor is building a list of potential clients within seconds of an online consumer landing on his/her web site.

This email list building process is one of the most effective marketing strategies in today’s hi- tech consumer driven environment.   I cannot exaggerate how imperative list building is for ANY business today.

But, before you can build an email list of potential clients or convert people specifically looking for your services, they HAVE TO FIND YOU. Meaning, your web site must be on the first page of the search engines (i.e. Google) for relevant searches.  Someone recently told me “Doctors don’t care if their web site ranks in Google, they want patients and clients”.  Well, helllooo. What do you think those 15,000 people a month searching Google for “Boston Plastic Surgery” are? Are these not HOT prospects, specifically looking for a plastic surgeon in their major city?      Remember in the past how many of your clients found you via the Yellow Pages?  Well, guess what?  NO ONE is using the Yellow Pages anymore.  It is estimated that 80-90% of consumers use the internet instead, for obvious reasons (i.e. instantaneous search results).

If you are a physician and you are not paying attention to the traffic your web site is (or is NOT) getting, the day IS coming, when you will have no choice but to beef up your online marketing, or watch your competition totally dominate YOUR market.

Below are some of the most important reasons a plastic surgery practice needs to be on the first page of Google for all plastic surgery related internet searches:

1). Unlike a dentist or general physician, Plastic Surgeons get a relatively low number of referrals. Why?  Last week I met with my business group of 27 people.  I stood up and asked “can anyone refer me to a plastic surgeon”.  NOT ONE RESPONSE.  The reason?  Because compared to a dentist or general doctor, very few people need a plastic surgeon.

2). Many medical services like elective surgery are very personal and consumers can protect their privacy by researching online before actually contacting a doctor’s office.  Plastic surgery candidates may be e a little shy or embarrassed to discuss it. So, searching online is the ideal forum to get anonymous, private information.

3). 80-90% of all consumers now use the internet to locate a medical service professional (even higher percentage in major metro areas).

4). Consumer perception for an unprofessional or low ranked web site may be result in a negative view of the overall practice.

5). 90-95% of consumers research online for ALL their health related needs before considering a doctor.

6). Type in one of your primary business keywords, like “Chicago Plastic Surgery” (without quotes and replace the city with your own).  Now look to see WHO is on the first page ion Google.  They are your competitors and most likely the most successful in your industry.   They are most likely generating a substantial number of targeted leads, even in a slow economy.  People looking for a Plastic Surgeon are finding them, NOT the doctors whose web sites are appearing on the 2^nd and later pages of Google for that search term.

Trying to get into commercials and print advertising are always good ideas. However, study after study show most businesses are turning to online advertising and marketing. As a matter of fact, statistics over the past few years show print, TV and radio advertising revenues are plummeting.  Why? Because your future client and patients are online. They are reading newspapers online, they are researching online, they are shopping online, and they are spending hours a day on social media site.  And they are considering about elective surgery, but BEFORE they make a decision, guess where they are doing their research? The question is, can they find you?

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While more consumers are becoming fans and followers of brands on social sites, email remains the preferred communication method for the majority of web users. What determines people’s channel of choice, and what does it mean for marketers?

Read the full story:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007829

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