Walt Goshert » Google Buzz

Your Business Card is CRAP!

Walt Goshert — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:43:38 +0000

“Your card should be so good even if they don’t like you they won’t throw it out…”

Epic share via Dian Joubert in a Google Buzz discussion.

(Thanks Dian, and thanks to all who participated in the Google Apps conversation.)

Every time I watch this, I bust a gut laughing because it’s so over the top…

Couple quick marketing take-aways here today:

1. Google Buzz- Check it out. Listen to conversations. Pick your Followers carefully. Choose quality. Share your insights and add value. Ask questions and allow others to bring and deliver their value. It’s a great place to build online relationships with like-minded people and do market research.

2. What Do YOU Do … Guaranteed?

Photo Credit: Flickr

Twitter and Facebook? What Does Google Think?

Walt Goshert — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:49:37 +0000

Ok… so in light of Google Buzz and Real-Time Search, where does Twitter and Facebook really fit into the Google mix?

Not from is Twitter and Facebook competition to the Google empire,(another whole conversation that’s been beat to death) but does Facebook and Twitter actually help your Google Search rankings?

And, for discussion here, we’re going to table Real-Time search results for a different conversation.

So, from a pure SEO play…

You’re sitting there wondering…

Do links from Facebook and Twitter increase your Google ranking?

After all, Twitter and Facebook, next to Google and YouTube are the top sites online. You’ve heard that links from top sites into your local website helps boost your Google rankings. Increased Google rankings mean better chances for your website to show up for your key search terms on Page 1 of Google. Showing up on Page 1 of Google translates into more visitors to your website, more phone calls to your local business, and ultimately, more sales and money in your pocket. Yep, that’s how you’d like to see it work for your business.

Since you’ve heard so much about Twitter and Facebook, and they’re both Free Sites, you’ve decided to build Profiles and Pages, and are attracting Friends and Followers. You’re posting to your Facebook Fan Page and Wall, and sending out Tweets with links back to your website.

All this activity… but is it working?

Is it helping to increase your Google ranking and begin the “Happy Cycle” that leads to sales in your local business?

Let’s get the answer straight from Google. Here’s Matt Cutts, a Google software engineer and head of Google’s Webspam team.

Ok, so what is Matt telling us here?

1. Links from Twitter and Facebook are treated the same as any other site. Google does not distinguish them.

2. Lots of Facebook Personal Profiles are set to “Private”. If set to “Private” for Friends viewing only, the Google bots can not crawl your Facebook Profile and pick up the links.

3. Facebook Fan Pages are Public and are DO Follow links vs. NO Follow. As DO Follow, they will help increase your Google rankings if you have links from your Facebook Fan Page pointing back to your website or blog. I’m seeing comments on different sites that question if this is really true. Here’s a tool to check DO Follow/ NO Follow links if you use the Firefox Browser.

4. Twitter links in Tweets are NO Follow, but the link in your Twitter Profile is DO Follow (as are links in your Personal Profile on most all Social Marketing sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Mixx, Yahoo Buzz, LinkedIn, etc.) This is a good reason to go out and create Profiles at as many of the Social Marketing sites as possible and include a link back to your website or blog.

5. Links on Tweets to your site are NO Follow, but remember, keywords you use in your Tweets now show up in Google’s Real-Time search results.

(In case you’re wondering DO Follow=Good, passes link juice on to your site. NO Follow= Not necessarily bad, but you get no link juice benefits. NO Follow is used on sites like Twitter to discourage SPAM commenting)

Your Three BIG take-aways here to increase your Google rankings from Twitter and Facebook:

ONE: Turn your Facebook Personal Profile “Public” if you have links to your site and want them to help you.

TWO: Set-Up a Facebook Fan Page for your business. Update it often with links back to your site. Check these links from time to time to make sure they are DO Follow. ( Somehow, I don’t think Facebook will announce this…)

THREE: Include a link in your Twitter Profile and all your Social Marketing Profiles. Get active on Social Marketing sites that fit your business. Build followers. AS you build followers, your Social Marketing Profile page increases in Google rank and passes more link value back to help increase your Google ranking.

Now, is this alone going to rocket you up the rankings for competitive keywords?

No.

But, if Facebook and Twitter are tactics and tools you’re using in your social media marketing strategy to build relationships with prospects and clients, why not get the most leverage out of them?

Because with On-line marketing, like many Off-line marketing tactics it’s not any ONE thing you do, it’s a combination of many things and how they fit into your overall marketing strategy.

So, you see, when you increase your Google ranking…

You start the “Happy Cycle”:

Your site shows up on Page 1 of Google, first for less competitive keywords, and eventually you start “owning” keywords in your sweet-spot.

You begin to see more visitors at your website.

These website visitors call you, fill out a site inquiry/lead form, print out a coupon…

Then these website visitors show up at your business with a coupon in hand, or you’ve set an appointment to see them.

They like what you do, how you do it, and hire you to solve their wants and desires, problems and challenges.

They give you cash, check, or a credit-card. They pay you.

Bottom-Line: More sales and more money in your pocket.

Flickr Photo Credt: Lall

Google News Tries Sharing With Facebook, But Where’s The Buzz Button? (techcrunch.com)
Want to Friend Me on Facebook? Please Use My Public Page or LinkedIn Instead (techipedia.com)
Social Selling (thecustomercollective.com)
Just How Popular Are You? – How To Check Right Now (thenextweb.com)

Calling Google Kool-Aid Drinkers…

Walt Goshert — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:48:38 +0000

Here are two quick gulps, mixed up fresh from Google:

Verify Your Google Profile

You know how those social media big-shots and Celebs have “Verified Twitter Accounts”?

Well, Google gives you a tool to “Verify Your Google Profile”… without the need for a million Followers.

(WARNING: You will need to give up your Social Security Number or Credit Card Number to prove it is you.)

Setting aside Privacy concerns, if you’re looking to build a Buzz Following, a Verified Profile probably makes sense.

(click to enlarge)

Here’s the complete “How to Verify Your Google Profile”:

Are You Buzzing? Get Your Google Profile Verified

Oh, yeah… here’s another warning:

If you decide NOT to drink the Google Buzz Kool-Aid and want to deep-six Buzz, seems that Google wipes your Profile off the face of the Earth.

“Ouch, Baby, Ouch”

Ok, moving on…

Google Local Listing Enhancements

Available currently in San Jose and Houston, for 25 bucks a month, local businesses in those cities can highlight links to Photos, Videos, Coupons, and More:

(click on image to Enlarge)

For more on Google’s Enhanced Listing Experiment:

Google Local Listing Enhancements

Google Testing Enhancements to Local Listings

Even if Listing Enhancements are not currently available in your area, the one thing you MUST-DO is Claim Your Google Local Business Listing.

Make sure you add Photos, Videos, Coupons, Driving Directions, Menus, etc., and begin testing click-throughs and responses to these items on your Listing. When Enhanced Listings hit your area, you’ll then be ready to jump on the opportunity to distinguish your business from your competition.

Now before you click away and go …

Let me ask you a question.

While I like and appreciate all the Google tools and innovation…

How concerned are you about Google’s dominance and access to your private information?

___________________

Google Buzz Makes Your Profile Searchable (thaibrother.com)
Your Google Profile Is The New Resume (timelliott.us)
Using Buzz and a Google Profile (sharedcreation.com)
Google Buzz (techhotspot.com)
Speaking Of Creepy Location Features: Google’s Opt-Out Latitude Alerts (techcrunch.com)
A simple way for local businesses to enhance their listing (google-latlong.blogspot.com)

Photo Credit: Flickr lowereastside

_________________

Free Google Name-Claim

Walt Goshert — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:13:26 +0000

If you’re a local business professional, what’s the first thing your prospects now do before they hire you?

They’re gonna “Google” you… Your Business Name and YOUR Name too.

Your Google Profile is where you begin to “Own Your Name” online.

So the Big Question is:

When your prospects and clients “Google” you, what do they find?

Do you “own” The Google space for your own name?

Here’s how to Claim Your Google Profile Name.

1. Sign into your Google account. Don’t have a Google account? Create one. RIGHT NOW. (click on “Sign In” in the upper right corner of your screen and follow the screen prompts) Before you read one. more. word.

Tip: Use your name as your Gmail address. Your Personal Profile URL Name defaults to this, but you can change it.

(Here’s a BIG TIP: Use your name consistently on all your online profiles. Your name is now your brand. We’re moving from the days of Location, Location, Location for Local Businesses to Content, Content, Content and Community, Community, Community. If you have a common name, like a “John Smith, you’ll need to use your Full Middle Name, or something like John Michael Smith, DDS to distinguish from non-dentist John Smiths)

2. If you haven’t claimed a Personal Profile… Click “Create a Profile”.

3. Add your Personal Information. Complete it all. You never know when an old school friend, past co-worker, or previous neighbor is looking to find you. Make sure you add a Photo Head Shot of yourself. Pick a good one because you’ll want to use this photo as your personal brand at other social sites online.

4. Add “A little personality” Have fun, but if your Personal Profile is for business connections, (yes, if you’re in business it IS for business connections online) be professional and consistent with the brand image you want to create.

5. Add Links This is KEY. Add links to your Website, Website Landing Pages, Company Blog, Personal Blog, Facebook Profile and Pages, Twitter Accounts, Flickr Photo Sharing account, YouTube Channel… all the places where you have information and content online. Remember, Google passes “link-love” from your Personal Profile back to your sites. Take advantage of this “Google Gift” and keep your links up-to-date. I go in and add and update my links monthly.

6. Add Photos- You can tie into any Photos you have on Picasa or Flickr.

7. Add your Contact Information.

And when you finish, Your Google Personal Profile should look something like this:

Walt Goshert: Google Personal Profile

(You’ll find Google Profile screen captures in my Photos. You can click on them and enlarge them)

There you have it… Your Free Google Name-Claim. You’re on your way to On-Line Fame!

After you complete your Google Personal Profile and Claim Your Name, go ahead and “Google” yourself.

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the first page of results. You should find your Profile Picture and a link back to your Google Personal Profile. Here’s mine.

After you create your Google Personal Profile, don’t stop. You’ll want to Claim Your Name on other relevant social media sites.

Walt Goshert » Google Buzz

Your Business Card is CRAP!

Photo Credit: Flickr

Twitter and Facebook? What Does Google Think?

Do links from Facebook and Twitter increase your Google ranking?

Related Facebook, Twitter, and Social Media Articles:

Calling Google Kool-Aid Drinkers…

Verify Your Google Profile

Google Local Listing Enhancements

Related Google Buzz articles:

Free Google Name-Claim

Related articles Google Profiles and Google Buzz: