Look what I found. Fun for free at http://bighugelabs.com/popart.php. Enjoy!
I got a note from a friend saying there’s an iPhone app for it as well?
Know a fun site to visit? Leave it in the comments! Thanks.
Local Search Secrets Exposed – An Adventure in Keywords and Categories
December 6, 2009 By 19 Comments
I’m honored to have this post for you by Shannon Evans, contributing author and editor of Get Found Now! Local Search Secrets Exposed: Learn How to Achieve High Rankings in Google, Yahoo and Bing (Volume 1)
Click to buy "Local Search Secrets Exposed" by Richard Geasey and Shannon Evans
Below we transformed an email Shannon wrote me about improvements I could make to my own Web site into an informative post for you. For those joining us for the first time, I have a full-time job as a director of marketing communications for a publicly traded company. I keep this blog to learn/compete/help/entertain and build. (You can read “Why do you blog” later if you like.)
Shannon’s email starts here: Hey Joe,
I have been pondering your local search listing and have a few ideas to give you as well as a few observations.
In a recent blog post you hoot and holler about being number one in local search results for Seattle Marketing Strategy.
Well if you do a keyword search on that search string in Google: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal, you will find that “Seattle Marketing Strategist” has no measurable search volume of note. It gets roughly 140 searches per month. That means only 140 people in a month used that particular search string to find the service providers or information they were seeking on marketing. I don’t know about you but 140 people may or may not be enough for a target audience to prompt into calling or emailing you for more information.
So now let’s evaluate a few other keywords you have in your listing that are not working well either:
Maybe I should use "Seattle Online Marketing" instead? (Click to enlarge)
You show up number one for “Seattle Marketing Communications” (your second category choice). Great! But the bad news is that search phrase had no searches in October but had searches in the previous month. Then you use the phrase “Seattle Brand Building” as a category (as well as fun, etc) and it has NO search volume whatsoever. Things are looking pretty bleak for your local listing at this point; however, don’t lose faith in keywords that are geo-targeted! There are a few that you might consider using so you can crush your competitors like a bug…or at least rise to the top of the local search listings!
Let’s examine some other keyword phrases that are more frequently searched where you could easily dominate (and you currently don’t even show up on the first page!) if you included them in your local search listing:
Seattle Online Marketing (no JH Presence) 2400 searches in Oct – rising trend
Seattle Marketing Consulting 170 searches in Oct – rising trend
Seattle Marketing Firm 210 searches in Oct – rising trend
Seattle Marketing Firms 480 searches in Oct – steady
Marketing Consultant Seattle 140 searches in Oct – rising trend
Marketing Consultants Seattle 210 searches in Oct – rising trend
Marketing Research Seattle 110 searches in Oct – rising trend
Market Research Seattle 2400 searches in Oct – rising trend (almost double from Sept searches)
Seattle Marketing 14,800 searches in Oct – rising trend
Now let’s look at your actual listing as it appears on Google local search:
First, you should create a small paragraph-styled description of your business sprinkling in some of these keyword phrases. Currently you have “marketing strategy, marketing communications, brand building…”
People want to read more than that. Yes, keywords are important but Google will sometimes penalize a description that is not in paragraph form in this section. It is believed Google considers this “keyword stuffing,” a no-no in Google’s TOS. Describe what you do briefly and use keywords in natural flowing language.
Next you want to create logical categories (like Consulting) and add in a full descriptor: Consulting – Seattle Marketing Consultant, Marketing – Seattle Bellevue Marketing strategy, Communication – Seattle Metro Marketing Communication (etc ad nauseum).
Dump the categories that are not keywords (big ideas, fun). They are empty and gimmicky.
Add your url.
Phone a friend or trusted former customer who you have helped with their marketing needs and ask them to write a review on Google or on Yelp. Ask them to use Seattle and one of these super search phrases in their review title. Then you need to go on Yelp and create a free business listing there and on Merchant Circle or Hotfrog as well.
Once you have finished tackling the keywords you should add some photos to your listing. Perhaps a picture of your logo, you in that funky wizard hat and even a photo of the front of your business are really helpful in making you rank above your competition on local search. Make sure that you name those photos in your files before you upload them to your local listing. I use a keyword and a geo-tag so I can use more keywords in my listing. So if you have your logo to load as a photo image consider naming it: Seattle Marketing.
The data on Google is updated daily so you should be able to quickly identify what is working for you in your local search listing. Google’s local business center dashboard can be invaluable for showing you which keyword phrases in your local search listing lead to which action by the user as well as the geographic location where the search originated. That is HUGE! According to an old proverb: The man at the top of the mountain did not fall there!
About Shannon Evans
Shannon Evans is contributing author and editor of Get Found Now: Local Search Secrets Exposed and multiple business books. Her books teach entrepreneurs that they must deliver a consistent and unified message on the internet. Shannon is recognized in the Puget Sound as an expert in how to make your business have a web presence rather than just a web page. Her workshops and discussion groups are much admired by local and national professional networking groups. Whether coaching entrepreneurs on the ins and outs of writing a white paper or in how to create a website that sells, her classes are all well attended and often standing room only.
As co-founder of Practical Local Search she loves nothing better than teaching local businesses how to think globally but to be searched locally. When not writing or teaching she can be found coaching boys’ lacrosse, biking, fishing or clamming somewhere in the Seattle area.
Hage family photos – 2009
November 14, 2009 By 5 Comments
A year in the life of our family. Double click on any image (twice) for the large size. Enjoy.
About Joe Hage
November 14, 2009 By
Thanks for visiting my Web site.
I’m Joe Hage, a senior marketer, AED advocate, blogger, husband, and dad. I’m a good guy to know for marketing strategy, marketing communications, online brand building, and new ideas.
I love marketing. (Click here for my resume, partial portfolio, or endorsements). I’ve marketed Jell-O and Kool-Aid, Campbell’s and flowers, brokerage and insurance, and now, medical devices. Rebranding my company, building its Web site, and its social media presence (with a blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube) has been hugely satisfying for me.
Now that you’re here, let me give you a few reasons to stay.
• If you’re a marketer, The First Three Questions is “the most important” marketing piece on the site. I recommend you have solid answers to these three questions before you spend a dime on marketing.
• If you’re a parent, A New School Supply is “the most important” video for parents and those responsible for others’ safety.
• If you’re a friend, My Wife, My Life for stories about Beth, and Hage family photos for pictures of my kids.
• If you want a laugh: Those Other Joe Hages and 28 Random Facts About Me.
Thanks for visiting, and continue on to read my FAQs.
…
JDH FAQs
How do you pronounce your last name?
Rhymes with page.
What’s the D in “JDH” stand for?
You’ll never guess. It was my grandfather’s name.
What do you do for a living?
I’m the Director of Marketing Communications for Cardiac Science, a publicly traded medical devices company on the Nasdaq (CSCX). We focus exclusively on noninvasive ways to manage heart disease.
Do you like it there?
The job’s perfect for me. I get to raise overall awareness of Cardiac Science, its unique offerings, and increase sales and goodwill through clear communications and a new, more approachable brand.
Hey Joe, where are you going with that gun in your hand?
I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?
Why do you keep a blog?
I used to get this question often. I wrote “Why Do You Keep a Blog?” in reply. More than anything, I’m entertained when I’m learning. And I’m learning how to build an online brand with my blog.
Why do you have a 917 cell phone number?
It’s my own little way of saying, “Hey, I’m a New Yorker.”
Where in New York?
Born and raised in Brooklyn, youngest of three and the only boy. We moved into our house on my third birthday. Mom and Dad sold the house when I turned 40. Now we live outside Seattle, Washington.
How do you like living in Washington?
It’s a great place to raise the kids. We have a backyard, the dog can run around, and Beth is happier than any time since she met me back in 1995.
A pretty big change from living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan!
It was bigger to go from a NYC apartment hallway to a swing set in the backyard. What was important then (Broadway, traveling) isn’t what’s important to us now (Zach, Luke, their development, our family).
Are you still acting?
No. But I joined my church choir. My priorities:
• My kids and family.
• My work.
• Social media, reading, and learning. I like to follow the market and subscribe to RealMoney and Investors.com.
• Spirituality. I teach Zach’s catechism and belong to The Art of Living.
• Giving back.
What kind of “giving back”?
I joined a Board of Directors member for a not-for-profit but it wasn’t for me. Then I stumbled upon Biznik, a business networking site for small business owners. I learned some stuff, met and hired some great people, and began giving some marketing strategy time and advice to some who could otherwise not afford me. I see it as a public service and it keeps me sharp.
For example, I talked more than 20 Biznik members through their positioning statements. Sometimes I do one-on-one consultations. It can be very gratifying.
What do you do for fun?
I relax with my boys, with a book, and online. I write.
I am a Dadomatic contributing author. I co-wrote Barack Lobster. I did a silly little video to support my friend Joe who “ran for office” on the MSN original “Republicrats” ticket. It was shown at the New York Television Festival, Joe tells me. They laughed. It made me happy.
I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I uploaded my favorite Wharton Follies clips onto YouTube. But clearly not so embarrassed that I don’t want you to see them anyhow!
How did you like Wharton?
Loved it. Two of the best years of my life. I keep in touch with a number of my classmates and report back quarterly for the Wharton Alumni Magazine.
Poke around the site, leave comments, and ask questions. Thanks for visiting.
Joe
P.S. Keep in touch. And subscribe if you’d like an email when I post new content.
Linkbaiting 101
October 8, 2009 By 3 Comments
A big Joe Hage welcome to Christopher Angus.
Thanks for the guest post, Christopher.
Linkbait, link baiting, or linkbaiting: What is it? How can you do it? What can it do for your Web site? Well, the simple truth is that “”linkbait” has been around for as long as the search engines have been. However, the term “linkbait” is fairly new, perhaps, only two or three years old.
Linkbaiting is where you create an item of interest that people want to link to, this could be an article, game, widget, picture, guide, resource or anything thing else that would interest people that would want to link.
So, in a word, linkbait can be anything and the trick to creating successful linkbait is to grab people’s interest. Many an SEO Company have tried to create linkbait and many have failed. It’s an advanced SEO technique which takes much practice to master and perfect.
The difficulty in creating linkbait is what to actually create: It’s a blank sheet of paper and it’s hard to conceptualize a great idea that lots of people will like and link to. I would suggest creating an article, possibly a top10 list.
The website www.cracked.com is almost entirely “linkbait” – it’s thousands of highly interesting articles mostly lists of things that are light-hearted entertainment, but highly linkable.
Once you have created your linkbait, the next obstacle to overcome is how to get it out there and get bloggers seeing it. You need people to see the article otherwise you’ll have no chance of getting the links you so badly want. You have a number of options here, the first being social networks, primarily www.digg.com, www.reddit.com, or www.stumbleupon.com.
You need to ensure that your article becomes “popular,” you do this by firstly submitting your article to the networks and then ensure that you get enough votes so that your article gets to the front page and tens of thousands of people will then read your article, visit your site and a handful will link to the linkbait in particular.
Getting your article to the front page is tricky and you need several hundred people to vote for your story. You can do this with your friends (if you have enough) or you could join a “social media voting circle” or you could pay a social media expert to get it there. (However, they charge upwards of $1000 per article usually.)
The second, somewhat easier, option is to create an item that is link worthy and email several hundred bloggers about the article and see if you can get them to link. This is a bit more of a sure fire way to guarantee some links, and it’s easier than trying to spam the social networks.
Successful linkbait creates links to your website, which in turn has an enormously positive effect when it comes to your rankings on Google. It’s 99% of the reason why SEO companies chase linkbait so hard. The traffic value is almost nil; it’s all about the links.
About the Author: Christopher Angus is an SEO and Web site marketer. He can be contacted at SEOcompanyUK.com.
Photo credit: SkyworksMarketing.com
A new school supply, the AED
September 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Pencils? Check. Pens? Check.
Notebooks? Check. Folders? Check.
AEDs? Come again?
An AED, an automatic external defibrillator, can make the difference between life and death on a school campus – indeed, anywhere.
911 and CPR (in isolation) make for a "half-hearted" emergency plan. Get a defibrillator.
Cardiac arrest happens when the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly misfire. The heart becomes unable to pump blood. Unconsciousness quickly follows and, without an electrical shock from a defibrillator within minutes, chances for resuscitation are grim. Only one victim in 20 typically survives.
Calling 911 and administering CPR are the first two links in what the American Heart Association calls the “Chain of Survival.” Defibrillation (which mostly anyone can give) and advanced life support (from a trained rescuer) are the other two links.
365,000 North Americans will die from sudden cardiac arrest this year; 7,000 of the SCA victims will be young. Six-year-old Emiliano was one of the lucky ones. His school had an AED when he went into cardiac arrest.
An AED study published in the August 11, 2009 Circulation (a journal of the American Heart Association) found that at 1,710 U.S. high schools with AEDs on site, nearly two-thirds of cardiac arrest victims survived. That’s more than 12 times higher than the typical survival rate of only about 5 percent when cardiac arrest occurs outside of a hospital.
For perspective, lead researcher Dr. Jonathan A. Drezner says cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes. Of the 36 cardiac arrests in the high school study, 14 struck student athletes. Nine of them survived. Among the 22 adult occurrences, fourteen survived.
Kaitlin Forbes survived too. She was running to first base when she fell.
This child wasn’t as fortunate. No AED was present. He did not survive.
Can I say that he would have definitely survived if there had been a defibrillator present? No, I can’t. It’s not that linear. But for $1,500 or so, and that were my child, I wouldn’t want to find out the hard way.
My kids’ school has a defibrillator. Does yours? Ask them before the school year starts.
You are welcome to email me for more information or fill in this form and say you found out about defibrillators on JoeHageOnline.com.
Other cardiac arrest statistics:
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Joe Hage is the director of marketing communications for Cardiac Science, manufacturers of the Powerheart AED G3 defibrillator, so he has a vested interest in defibrillator sales. He encourages you to do your own research on defibrillation in schools. The most important thing is that you have a defibrillator (any brand), not necessarily his.
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