In an industry that to many seems full of charlatans, rip-offs and con-artists, there are in fact many honest, professional SEO and PPC experts who can truly help your business and save you money. But how do you find them among all the noise and “Be #1 in Google” spam emails filling our Inboxes?

Over the next couple of articles I want to provide some practical advice on what to look for when selecting an SEO or AdWords Professional. Regardless of where you are located it really breaks down to these 2 Key Rules: Deal Locally and Verify Knowledge!

Rule #1 – Deal Locally!

I believe in supporting local businesses, which helps our local economy and in turn benefits us all, but there are several other reasons I strongly recommend you chose a local Internet Marketing Consultant or agency.

a) Local Search and Market Knowledge – Over the last few years Google has steadily moved towards displaying localized search results based on the searcher’s location. If you are marketing to local consumers you need a company which understands the local market and can view the same search results your customers see.

What I’m referring to is that if you search Google for “Internet Marketing Companies” from a Vancouver location, Google knows you are in Vancouver and will give priority to local companies in the results rather than companies from L.A., New York or Toronto.

However, if someone in Toronto does the same search they will see Toronto companies at the top, not Vancouver. Make sense? So if I’m a Vancouver company targeting Vancouver customers it’s helpful if your marketing company can actually see the same search results your customers see.

An example of how this can be a problem is a client who asked me to review their SEO and who was receiving monthly Ranking Reports showing they were not on the first page of Google for their key search terms.

Their Optimization Company insisted they needed to continue to do on-going optimization to improve their rankings, but when I searched the same keywords locally in Google.ca they ranked #1 to #3 for all the keywords.

The reason? This non-local (India-based) SEO firm was using a server in California to produce ranking reports, so results were based on searches in Google.com, and as viewed from California, not Vancouver. This was either done intentionally, or out of ignorance, but kept this client paying for results which they had already achieved.

This rule also applies to marketing throughout Canada. You should choose a Canadian Marketing Company which understands Canadian culture, language variations and regional differences.

b) English as a Second Language. One cornerstone of both SEO and PPC is being able to understand and research the keyword search terms potential customers are most likely to use when searching for your products or services. This includes common misspellings, and can extend to the actual text used on the main pages of your website.

Should you entrust this to someone whose first language isn’t English? And who lives in a country where working conditions and earnings are questionable? I’m referring to those constant emails I get from companies wanting me to out-source my SEO services to India.

An example which ties the first 2 points together was a client whose AdWords Management I took-over. They were a local Vancouver retailer targeting Vancouver area consumers, however in their keywords was the word “Montreal”, while local cities surrounding Vancouver, like Burnaby and Langley, weren’t included.

The Reason? They had just left an India-based Marketing Company whose knowledge of Canadian geography and local search terms was limited – to say the least!

c) What IF…? A final reason for dealing with a local Internet Marketing company is your ability to take action if things go wrong.

If you deal with a company in another country, or worse, on another continent, what recourse can you take if they fail to deliver on promised results or services? Most likely none and this is part of what has lead to many consumers having such a dim view of the SEO industry.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an unregulated industry with more scams and rip-offs on the web than I can count. Dealing with a local consultant provides the opportunity to take action if you feel cheated, your site is damaged, or services weren’t delivered. These actions could include complaints to the Better Business Bureau or Court action. It’s also generally easier to resolve a dispute if you are able to meet with the other party face-to-face.

I end this first article on Choosing an SEO/SEM Consultant by reminding you that price isn’t everything, and that there are many advantages to doing business with a local Optimization Consultant or Internet Marketing Firm.

My next article will deal with Rule #2 Verifying Knowledge!

In an unregulated industry without standards or universal certifications how do you know the person you are dealing with knows what they are talking about? I’ll provide a few suggestions to quickly check for Red Flags.

First let me say, wow, what a week! As I hope everyone saw our post from last week, Yahoo! began transitioning certain back-end functions for Yahoo! Search over to Microsoft’s search platform. Well, I am proud to announce that the transition of organic search between Yahoo! and Microsoft is complete (for more information, check out Microsoft’s blog post).

Yahoo! Web, Image, and Video search experiences on both desktop and mobile devices are now powered by the Microsoft platform (aka BING) in the US and Canada (English), with more markets to come. The speed in which this was completed is a testament to the great work and partnership between a number of Yahoo! and Microsoft employees, the ranks of which are numerous.  I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for each person who contributed to this great accomplishment.

With this week’s milestone behind us, Yahoo! will continue to drive technology innovation in the search experience to bring more value to users and advertisers alike. We are focused on creating rich, immersive experiences that foster serendipitous discovery for people across the Yahoo! network.  As we shared last week, we are also working hard on finalizing our revenue model for the Yahoo! Search BOSS program going forward, and will be offering other search-related tools for publishers in the months to come.

We continue to achieve our goals and I look forward to the opportunities ahead of us all.

Shashi Seth
Senior Vice President of Yahoo! Search Products

Interesting how they fail to actually name the Microsoft Platform. I added the bracketed references to Bing.com. You can confirm this has happeend if you search on Yahoo or Yahoo.ca and at the very bottom you’ll see “Powered by Bing”. Sad in one sense… we have one less major search engine and are down to only 2.

Mike Owen

Many Canadians online browsing, but not online shopping

TORONTO – July 27, 2010 - Due to the dramatic increase in Internet accessibility and usage, online shopping has steadily become more popular in Canada, a development that not only benefits consumers, but also gives retailers additional options for connecting with their customers. According to E-Commerce Channel Report: Canada, a recent study by leading market research company The NPD Group, while sales remain limited to date, e-commerce appears to be on the verge of a tipping point with the vast majority of Canadian consumers starting their shopping long before they set foot in a store.

Having enjoyed ubiquitous Internet access for most of their lives, consumers ages 25-34 are leading the charge in online shopping, reporting the greatest number of online purchases across all categories. Despite having far less spending power, Canadians ages 18-24 are the most active online users overall and are expected to have a dramatic influence on e-commerce as their earning potential continues to rise. Seventy-one per cent of these consumers are participating in social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, and nearly two-thirds of these users report having read or posted content online about a brand they like. Not surprisingly, mature consumers ages 55 and older are least likely to research or purchase products online.

“Access to retailer and manufacturer websites has already changed the way people approach buying new products, particularly among younger Canadians,” said Pam Buckley, Director, Retail Business Group, The NPD Group. “Knowing this, it is important for retailers to understand what is working and what is not, and where there is an opportunity to convert shoppers into buyers. This report takes a close look at early adopters, a group we call ‘Super Online Shoppers’, whose characteristics and traits will allow us to better understand how to target online shoppers moving forward.”

Nearly half of those who shop online report navigating directly to a retailer or manufacturer’s website, bypassing search engines altogether. When asked why they shop online, 71 per cent of consumers reported the ease of research and comparison shopping, while 63 per cent reported to save time and effort, and 60 per cent hoped to save money. Interestingly, more than half of all Canadians expect online prices to be lower than those in store.

“There is no doubt about it, online shopping offers unparalleled convenience, allowing consumers to browse on their own schedule and from the comfort of their own homes,” said Buckley. “That being said, Canadians are unwilling to pay extra for this modern-day convenience and, in fact, are extremely sensitive to extra costs like shipping and handling.”

According to the study, nearly three-quarters of Canadians agree that free shipping, with slower delivery, would encourage them to shop online, while nearly half of all Canadians suggested that, at the very least, online retailers should offer a greater variety of shipping options so they can select the speed and cost that fits their needs. Furthermore, shipping cost was the single-most cited reason for abandoning an online purchase with a full one-third of online shoppers reporting abandoning their purchase at checkout due to high shipping prices.

“Consumers are clearly looking for ways to reduce the overall purchase price, and retailers looking to capitalize on the online shopping trend need to find creative ways to address the barriers to purchase, including free shipping, in-store pickup or a greater number of shipping options to meet consumer needs,” said Buckley.

A well designed website is also instrumental when it comes to appealing to online shoppers. Creating a positive first-impression is important, and retailers and manufacturers should offer an aesthetically pleasing and intuitive user-interface. A well designed e-commerce site allows for easy product searches, offers comprehensive product information and allows for simple side-by-side product comparisons. Furthermore, retailers and manufacturers should consider mobile applications as more and more Canadians are using their smartphones to shop online.

Additional findings:

• 64 per cent of Canadians use some form of social networking to read, view or post content online
  • Of these users, 46 per cent use some form of social networking to read, view or post content online about specific brands or retailers
• 89 per cent of Canadians are less likely to make an online purchase if they are responsible for return shipping costs in the event that they want to return the item
• 51 per cent of Canadians expressed concern with transactions security – most prevalent among consumers ages 45+
• 22 per cent of online shoppers are deterred by the need to create online accounts before checking out

Methodology:

An online survey was fielded to a representative sample of 4,306 Canadian Adults (18+) using NPD’s Online Consumer Panel.  The survey was fielded in English and French from April 23rd, 2010 to May 6th, 2010.

About The NPD Group, Inc.

The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,800 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us, visit http://www.npd.com/, or follow us Twitter at https://twitter.com/npdgroup.

In 2009, 80% of Canadians 16 and older, about 21.7 million people, used the Internet, up from 73% in 2007, when the survey was last conducted.

And while email remains the most common online activity, a growing number of people are also downloading movies, watching television, searching for health information and making purchases, possibly because the number of households using high speed connections is also rising.

Internet usage increased in every province, with the largest gains in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, where 15% more people were surfing the web.

British Columbia and Alberta continued to have the most people online, with 85% of the population, followed closely by Ontario, where 81% of people use the Internet.

Among Canadian cities, the highest rates of Internet use were reported in Calgary and Saskatoon, both at 89%. They were followed by Edmonton, Ottawa–Gatineau, Vancouver and Victoria, at around 86% each.

And while the “digital divide” in Internet use between larger communities and small towns continues to persist, the new statistics showed that the divide on the basis of income, education and age narrowed between 2007 and 2009.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=3008492#ixzz0wX1kJTx3

Is this the street version of your website?

Would you distribute a sales brochure to potential customers which was designed a decade ago, contained missing pictures and outdated information? I suppose some might, but no successful business owner would.

If you had a store front business on a busy pedestrian street would you never clean your windows or touch-up peeling paint? Would you allow your signage to become so dirty no-one could make out your company name? Again, some might, but successful business owners take pride in their business and the image they put forward to the public.

Why then, am I consistently coming across business websites which are equivalent of the problems above? Websites which were clearly designed a decade (or more) ago, show “last updated 2003”, have broken links, missing images, and just look completely neglected? I’m sure most of these business owners do take pride in their business, and either don’t understand or appreciate the value of their web presence, and the sales they could be losing because of their unmaintained website. Or perhaps they know they have a problem, but are at a lose as to what to do or where to turn.

Most Canadian Consumers Research Companies and Products Online Before Purchasing

As a consumer I can tell you the appearance of a company’s website definitely impacts my impression of that business, and my desire to do business with them. Do not underestimate the powerful impression your website has on the minds of potential consumers. An outdated and neglected website suggests a company which doesn’t care about its image – and by extension, possibly doesn’t care about its customers!

What Impression Does Your Website Give Visitors About Your Company?

Your website is your brochure or store front online, visible to Millions of potential consumers who are surfing looking for your product or service. Even if the majority of your sales come from in-person customers in your brick & mortar store, your website is your brochure for customers searching on the Web, and has the potential to be a Powerful Marketing Tool for your company, bringing customers to your front door, generating leads, or simply creating a positive impression when people research your company.

Before starting online campaigns, including Google AdWords, or spending money Optimizing your website (SEO), I recommend a complete appraisal of the effectiveness of your website in terms of your marketing objectives. I can provide an experienced, expert evaluation of your website from the first impression it makes, to the ease of navigation, your messaging and calls-to-action.

If your website isn’t ready to convert visitors to customers, you may be simply wasting your advertising dollars! Before you spend money marketing your website online, contact me to discuss your plans and request a free initial evaluation of your website.

Which comes first, the brand or the domain? Many start-up companies decide on their Domain Name first and then build their brand and identity around that name. Older, established companies tend to want to retain and carry their off-line brand onto the web, which can present additional challenges in finding the perfect domain name.

Your website URL is your online identity that is visible to millions of internet users. It impacts your business image, seo, and even if clients can relate to you. All these factors should be taken into consideration when deciding on a new domain (URL) for your business.

Also keep in mind that there are several ways to go about purchasing (or trying to purchase) that perfect domain, which is a topic I will cover in detail in my coming post, “How to Find and Buy the Perfect Domain Name”. Just because the name you want is already registered doesn’t mean it isn’t for sale or lease.

So without further a-do, here are my top 5 tips for finding that Perfect Domain Name:

1. Choose a Domain Name with at least One Keyword:

A keyword rich URL is a big plus for any website, especially with the most recent changes to the Google algorithm called Caffeine, which appears to place more importance on the relevancy of your domain name. Having at least 1 primary keyword in your domain can help boost your organic search engine rankings, and can also help communicate to surfers what services you provide or product you offer.

If the exact desired keyword-rich URL is not available, trying adding words before or after the keyword. Be careful however that you do not infringe on someone else’s trademarked company name! Stay away from variations of other’s company names. Don’t think that just because the .NET version of another company’s .COM name is available you can use it. For example, you can’t register Coke.net and expect to use it.

2. Register A Top Level Domain Name:

For North American companies, the top choice is always a domain ending in dot-COM. While there are .US and .CA domains available, it restricts you somewhat in where you can effectively market. Surfers are also far more used to seeing; expecting and typing URL’s ending in .COM.

Non-profit organizations should register a .ORG domain in addition to the .COM version if it’s available.

3. Avoid Hyphens in Your URL:

Even though search engines can distinguish between hyphenated words , surfers don’t think that way and may not remember the hyphen, or may put it in the wrong place. Hyphenated keywords in your URL should be avoided whenever possible to prevent confusion and misspellings. It also makes it hard to tell someone your domain name and expect them to remember, “Vancouver – Hyphen – Coast – Hyphen – Marketing”. Get the idea?

4. Keep the Name Easy to Spell and Remember

Use normal English words which aren’t prone to misspelling. Intentional misspellings to get around domains already registered will likely only result in sending visitors to the properly spelt domain, or worse, legal action from the owner of the other domain. Also, don’t try and be clever and ‘invent’ words, or use words with obscure or multiple meanings. I can think of numerous examples of companies who have done this. It’s fine if you are already a house-hold brand name, otherwise how do you expect people to find you?

5. Pick Only One Name to Promote

If you register multiple domains for the same website, pick only 1 which you will use to market the site, and just park and redirect the others. Marketing the same site under multiple domain names can lead to the search engines penalizing you for spamming based on duplicate content. You also dilute your ‘brand’ in the customer’s mind.

Bob Parsons, the founder and owner of GoDaddy.com, has a fun, short video giving his Top 10 Tips for Selecting A Domain Name. Given Bob’s success, his videos are light-hearted, but well worth having a look at!

The world of Organic SEO is unfortunately littered with fly-by-night companies, self-proclaimed “SEO Experts” with no qualifications, and enough myths and urban legends to make your head spin! The following was originally published on my old blog in April 2009 and was always very popular so I updated it slightly and re-posted it here.

SEO is an inexact science primarily because of the secrecy of the algorithms the major search engines utilize to determine where your site “ranks” for specific search terms. The SE algorithms are not simple mathematical formulas, but actually take into account hundreds of factors, some you can control – others you cannot, which will ultimately determine where your website will appear in the search engine results (SERPS) The rules can change weekly or sometimes daily!

I recommend that you do not believe for a moment anyone who claims to “know the algorithms”, since only deep Google, Bing and Yahoo insiders would have that knowledge. What a successful SEO professional should know and be able to demonstrate, is what practices have worked for them, knowledge of the major factors which can change your rankings, and what practices are not allowed and can get your website banned.

During the last couple of years I have assisted several clients who were being deceived or mislead by so-called “SEO Experts”, some of whom were companies held in high esteem in the local area. I decided to write what I feel are the most prevalent myths and out-dated practices still being promoted by companies you should be avoiding.

Myth #1, The Keyword Meta Tag:

In the early days of optimization (pre-Google) search engines used this hidden tag to determine what the topic of your website was. Because of rampant abuse, this tag has been all but ignored by the major search engines for years now. Only Yahoo gives it some (minor) weight, but Google has never put any value on the information in this tag. While it generally has not been shown to hurt your rankings, wasting time and money on this tag will not help you in any way. Not convinced? Read this article

Myth #2, Keyword Density

Some SEO companies will market their expertise at calculating the proper “density” for each of your keywords to obtain top rankings. Keyword density refers to the ratio of text-to-keywords in the content of a page.

In my opinion is this is nothing but a marketing ploy, and many industry experts agree. In 2005 Search Engine Roundtable published a great article which supported this, but it seems to be gone form the web now. Here is just one of many well written articles on this topic. In fact, Matt Cutts of Google, in 2008 wrote on his blog:

“Keyword Density is not really a factor. Yes keyword should be present but density is not important. Include the keyword but make writing sound natural.”

And in another post in 2006 Matt made this statement about KWD:

…in the on-page space, I’d recommend thinking more about words and variants (the “long-tail”) and thinking less about keyword density or repeating phrases.

While your content should include your most important keywords and phrases, there is absolutely no evidence that any search engine gives preference to a certain ratio, or that repetition leads to higher rankings. If this was the case, sites with only 1-2 paragraphs of content on their home page would never rank well, but I can show you examples of many site with very little text, but with well written Title Tags, proper use of Header Tags, and naturally written content which have Top 5 Google rankings.

Myth #3 Hidden Text Keyword Stuffing

Some website owners and SEO companies will place keywords inside a hidden “comment tag” in order to improve rankings for those keywords. No search engine has ever been known to consider comment tags when crawling a site. In fact, comment tags are intended to be invisible to all but the site developer and are invisible to search bots. If you are dealing with a company using this tactic, run!

Myth #4, Google Partners and Guaranteed Rankings

Avoid companies claiming to have a special partnership with Google. There is no such thing as a “preferred” relationship with Google and they state in their SEO consumers guide “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submission” to Google.”

Also be wary of companies claiming to be Google SEO Certified. There are several certifications offered by Google, including the GAQI (Google Analytics Qualification Individual) and GAAC (Google Analytics Authorized Consultant). There are similar certifications for Google AdWords, (CGAP & QGAP) but there is no Google training or certification specific to SEO.

Myth #5, Doorway Pages

Some SEO companies will sell the idea of increasing your ranking by creating hundreds of single-page websites containing only keywords and linking them to your site from numerous other domains. An even older practice is to create hundreds of pages on your own domain loaded with keywords and clearly intended only for search engine crawlers

Both of these practices are considered spamming by all major search engines and a sure way to get either penalized or banned completely from their listings. Pages containing properly written and optimized content intended for human readers will get listed and increase your search engine visibility much quicker than doorway pages ever could.

These are only my Top 5 myths or misleading practices that you should be aware of, and may encounter when shopping for an Optimization Company. Watch for Part 2 coming soon with even more out-dated and outlandish myths still being promoted by some Search Engine Optimization companies.

This is especially true with Google Analytics Accounts. The question of account ownership needs to be addressed at the beginning of the relationship, as Google Analytics accounts and profiles are generally not transferable. I have successfully moved profiles for a handful of clients, but both parties need to be willing to transfer control. Google Support has also helped on one occasion to re-acquire access to an account once we were able to prove ownership.

Unfortunately when a client ends a marketing relationship with a firm or consultant, often they are not offered the opportunity to gain control of their own data and end up losing the account and having to start again from scratch.

How does this happen? Many SEO & Internet Marketing companies continue to create client accounts as profiles under their own company account.

Why does it happen? In some cases it’s just “what they’ve always done” and is viewed as a service for the client. However, in a few cases it’s intentional and about power. It allows the provider to use the client’s analytics data as leverage to keep that client from ending the service. “Sure you can cancel your contract, but you will lose all of your analytics or pay-per-click data because it’s our account”. I have run across this practice several times, amazingly even from companies with otherwise glowing reputations.

A similar situation can arise when an internal employee who set-up, or has been managing you Google account(s) leaves your company. Often this person has created the company analytics account using their personal Gmail log-in, or as a new profile under their own Analytics log-in. I have run into this on a few occasions and only once have seen the former employee agree to transfer control of the company profile.

My advice is simple. Never allow your marketing or SEO firm to create a Google Analytics account for you under their Master account. Create your own Google Analytics account, or ask your SEO firm do this for you. The actual creation of the account is simple and only takes minutes. If your SEO firm insists on having your account under theirs, I suggest you find another company to work with.

Once your account has been created, you can grant your SEO Consultant Administrative Access to properly configure the settings and set-up tracking on your web pages. You will also be shown as an “Administrator” and this access cannot be removed or changed. Using this approach ensures you retain control of the account, and if you decide to end the relationship or change consultants you simply remove their access and grant access to your new consultant without risking the lose of your analytics data.

My approach for new clients without an existing Google Analytics account is to create a new account for them, add myself as an Administrator, and provide the client full instructions for logging in. I also provide basic training on understanding the dashboard and the primary reports for KPI tracking.

This same advice extends to creating a Google Adwords Account. Create your own account and allow the person who will be managing the account to have Administrative Access. Most Google Advertising Professionals and Google Certified Companies will have what is called a “Client Center”, and will request access to manage your account from within this management interface. This keeps your own log-in credentials private and secure, and access can be removed by the client at any time.

Another benefit of having both your Analytics and Adwords accounts under the same log-in is the ability for the two services to share data. This makes conversion tracking more accurate and saves you time having to combine and compare reports between the two services yourself.

That said, it’s important not to make changes to your account settings, keyword bids or ad copy without first consulting with the person responsible for managing your account. You are paying for their expertise and you should trust their knowledge and let them handle the details. Certainly you should feel free to ask questions and expect timely and honest answers.

If you have questions or concerns about your Analytics or AdWords account, or are in need of professional and experienced account set-up and management, please contact me. Feel free to explore my full website.

June 2010 U.S. Core Search Rankings

Google Sites led the U.S. core search market in June with 62.6 percent of the searches conducted, followed by Yahoo! Sites (up 0.6 percentage points to 18.9 percent), and Microsoft Sites (up 0.6 percentage points to 12.7 percent). Both Yahoo! Sites and Microsoft Sites have experienced gains due in part to the continued utilization of contextual search approaches that tie content and related search results together. (For more detail on contextual searches, please read the following post on the comScore Voices blog: http://blog.comscore.com/2010/06/changes_in_search_landscape.html)
Ask Network captured 3.6 percent of the search market, followed by AOL LLC with 2.2 percent.

* Based on the five major search engines including partner searches and
cross-channel searches. Searches for mapping, local directory, and
user-generated video sites that are not on the core domain of the five
search engines are not included in the core search numbers.

Americans conducted 16.4 billion searches in June, up 3 percent from May. Google Sites accounted for 10.3 billion searches (up 1 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 3.1 billion (up 7 percent), Microsoft Sites with 2.1 billion (up 8 percent), Ask Network with 584 million (up 1 percent), and AOL LLC with 368 million (up 2 percent).

* Based on the five major search engines including partner searches and
cross-channel searches. Searches for mapping, local directory, and
user-generated video sites that are not on the core domain of the five
search engines are not included in the core search numbers.

June 2010 U.S. Expanded Search Rankings

In the June analysis of the top properties where search activity is observed, Google Sites led the search market with 14.6 billion search queries, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 3.2 billion queries and Microsoft Sites with 2.2 billion.

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.