Beware: Google DKI

As some of you probably know, Google Adwords has a function that allows you to have your ad title display the exact keyword search entered, as opposed to the static ad titles you've created. Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) does just that...dynamically creates your ad title according to the keyword search entered (assuming it will fit within the alloted number of characters).

So what's the point? It's no secret that the closer your ad title is to matching the keyword search entered, the more people are likely to click on your ad. So for Google, DKI is a cash cow. By rolling this out, Google was able to ensure more advertisers presented a message that was more likely to receive a click. More clicks means more money in Google's pockets.

So what's the problem? Just changing your ad titles to match the exact "needs" of the searcher doesn't ensure your site will actually answer those needs. In other words, by "hitting a home run" with their keyword search, you've created a higher level of expectation in the searcher's mind...that means you better deliver. What do we mean?

Let's just say you sell teddy bears...and let's say a diehard University of California Bears football fan wants to get a 'UC Berkeley Teddy Bear". If you've chosen to use DKI, your ad would display UC Berkeley Teddy Bear. So guess what? That person is not only expecting to see a UC Berkeley Teddy Bear, they're expecting to see it soon. In other words, your ad told them you had exactly what they needed...so you better deliver.

If not, you run the risk of getting a lot more visitors to your site that don't find what they're looking for...exactly what Google doesn't want to have happen.

Do You Instant Message?

You've probably seen or even use instant messager. Like email and blogging, IM is simply another way people are communicating using the web. So why not allow potential customers to instant chat you if they're interested in your services or want to schedule an appointment. While this form of communicating might not be the most popular and certainly isn't going to take the place of picking up the phone and calling, for many, chat is a comfortable and easy way to interact. And with Userplane, it's now easier than ever to have chat enabled on your website. By simply installing one chunk of code, you can have an easy-to-use instant messenger built right into your site.

This is just one more EASY way potential customers can communicate with you, so why not give it a shot?

Trying to Get Your Blog Noticed?

Previously we've discussed the importance of investing in new media, and one of the most popular is blogging. If you're a contractor that's trying to get your blog going, but you're not quite sure how to "spread the word", you should consider utilizing one of the many social bookmarking sites that allow users to search, exchange, and learn more about things people like them have found to be useful. This article discusses some of the sites out there that have a hungry user-base of web-savvy people...certainly your customer base is among them, so let them find your blog and spread the word for you!

$10 Million Challenge

Well, it appears Google is serious about going mobile, as evidenced by their recent $10 million open challenge for developers willing to create platforms utilizing what Google hopes to be a revolutionary mobile platform. That means there's about to be countless companies solely devoted to providing mobile applications through Android. It also means mobile technology is about to become a whole lot more useful, and integrated into our lives. So what does this mean for contractors? Platforms will certainly be created that will allow people to learn more about you, communicate with you, etc. through their phones. It's just another medium which is only now opening up and that most contractors won't cash in on for years.

Web 2.0 For Businesses

Here's another article discussing how businesses can capitalize on the power of the web and communicate/interact with potential customers. If the author sounds a bit vague, it's because this ability to engage people can mean some many different things to different companies. The possibilities are endless, and quite frankly, the ability to communicate more easily makes it nearly impossible to know where it will all go. A couple things are for sure...a) people will continue to find better and more useful ways to communicate, and b) companies that take the time to engage these people through whatever new means are available to them will reap the rewards.

Facebook Unveiling Ad Platform

Well, you knew this was coming...and here it (almost) is. In this article, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg discusses their plans to launch an advertising platform designed to allow users to determine what types of ads they display and see. By customizing this function, their goal is to provide relevant, targeted ads driven by peoples' likes (and dislikes), location, etc. In the article, he also discusses how businesses can benefit from having a Facebook profile and interacting with potential customers. This is just another avenue that you can use to reach potential customers, establish a relationship with them, and build your brand.

The Rise of Social Media

Over the past couple of years, more and more social media sites like Myspace, Facebook, etc. have been popping up. As we've mentioned before, these sites offer users countless ways to interact, communicate, and share their lives with others. While most of the traffic is younger people, statistics show that the user base for these sites is diversifying. And as these sites mature, more and more people are using them...in fact, in a recent study it was found that UK internet users use these networks more than email. How amazing is that? In such a short period of time, the way people choose to communicate has completely changed.

So what does this have to do with you? Well, these social networks aren't just for teens anymore. More and more people of all ages are joining these sites, and as such, there are more and more opportunities for business to befriend, communicate, and interact with potential customers. So if you want to stay ahead of the game, be social!

Rising Click Prices

If you've been managing a pay-per-click campaign for a long time, you're painfully aware of the rise in cost to advertise on the major search engines. As more companies are introduced to the power of this advertising medium, the competition has increased, raising the cost you pay to garner a visitor to your website.

So what can you do to ensure this medium continues to be a viable source of new business for your company? Here's a couple of suggestions:

Optimize Your Paid Marketing Campaign

The days of throwing up a paid marketing campaign with little thought and even less strategy are over. If you're not managing your campaign smartly, you're not doing yourself any favors. Make sure you're analyzing your traffic, determining which clicks are more likely to turn into customers, and investing your energies in those people. Also make sure your campaign is targeting the right geographic territory, so that you're not spending money on people that reside outside your service area.

Invest In Organic Search Marketing

We've been screaming this to anyone who would listen for years! But it's finally becoming increasingly apparent to companies that practice search engine marketing that developing a long-term strategic vision that's rooted in organic search traffic is the smartest, and most effective way to reach more customers using the internet. While it's difficult, and sometimes costly to achieve, once you obtain high organic placement on the search engines, all of the targeted traffic you receive from that placement is FREE! So in a year, if you haven't spent money getting high organic placement, you'll still be dependent on paid search marketing...and if you think the prices are getting outrageous now, imagine what it's going to be like in a year.

If you'd like to discuss how best to ensure your company stays competitive in this ever-changing atmosphere, contact us today for a free consultation!

Tracking Site Conversions

If you're a contractor, you've probably spent a considerable amount of time trying to track the performance of your various advertising methods. This could be as simple as asking people where they heard about you, or setting up different phone numbers for your different ads, or any other way of tracking your ROI.

With the internet, it's possible to accurately, and immediately, track how your website(s) and various ads are performing. What does this mean? It means you can see where your visitors are coming from, what they're doing when they get to your site, and how well you're capturing that traffic and turning them into leads.

By analyzing your site's performance, you can test different strategies to see what works best. For instance, by simply creating a new banner main image for your site, you might find a significant increase in the percentage of visitors that turn into leads. Or by adding a special seasonal coupon to a certain page and sending targeted visitors there, you might see the same results.

Google has a very robust, simple optimization tool that will allow to gather and analyze site data for your website, so if you haven't already, start tracking your site visitors and figuring out ways to improve your conversion rates!

Google Going Mobile

After months of speculation, Google has announced its plan to expand into the cellular phone industry by offering an open platform called Android that will work with most devices and carriers. In this way, they hope to provide a universal platform that will allow developers to expand their talents (whatever they might be) to mobile devices. So why is this such a big deal? By expanding to mobile users, Google can reach even more users than they currently do through the internet. Here's is an interesting article discussing Google's move and the implications for advertisers and users.