Is your Web site listed of the first page of Google’s search results? Good for you.
Now you get to figure out if that ranking has a prayer of translating into any sales leads.
Ever been approached by an Internet consultant making this promise?: “I’ll get your Web site listed on the first page of Google!”
A listing on the first page means that Google displays a link to your Web site on the first page of its search results. First page rankings are important because most searchers never look beyond the first page of their search results when deciding what links they’ll click on. That means that the Web sites Google lists on the first page of its search results get the substantial majority of traffic.
If early signs are any predictor, many home improvement companies are going to have a strong spring selling season. Have I got your attention now?
Let me share what some of you may already sense. The home improvement market is, well, improving. And, if early signs are any predictor, many home improvement companies are going to have a strong spring selling season.
Next time you’re pitched on a campaign that promises to keep your phone ringing off the hook, take the time to ask some tough questions about the quality of the leads you can expect. Caveat emptor.
I attended the Borrell local online advertising conference in New York City this week. While there, I heard various speakers from “old media” firms like YellowPages and Yellowbook. It’s no surprise that they were hard at work selling their new media solutions.
In their sessions, many referenced “call volume” and “call length” as measures of their clients’ success with lead generation programs. Here’s the sort of thing I heard:
Think Google is just a gigantic search engine that knows everything about everything? Think again. Turn Google to your advantage to track what homeowners and competitors are saying about you online.
A lot of people believe that Google sees all, knows all. They’re watching your every move online. And they know everything that the general public is saying about you.
I’ll give you no argument. Google is indeed the online equivalent of Big Brother. But now, there’s a simple (FREE, no less) way for you to know everything that Google knows about your business.
Last week I shared how easy it is for disgruntled homeowners to post their frustrations about your home improvement company online. Moreover, I offered that such bad postings can have a material effect on your business. Here’s Part 2 on what you can do about it.
It’s happening more and more in the home improvement business. Homeowners angry at a contractor, for reasons real or perceived, harness their frustrations by posting their scathing opinions online. Homeowners hammer companies over a slight, and then post it online for all the world to see. In extreme cases, homeowners even post videos of their projects, and berate their contractor by name.
The Internet offers numerous opportunities for homeowners to post complaints about your home improvement company. Many companies ignore these Web sites, and the comments posted there about them. They do so at their peril.
It used to be that consumers who weren’t happy with a home improvement company had limited options. They could call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint. Or they could simply tell their friends and neighbors about how badly their project went or the unresponsiveness of their contractor.
For over four years, our company has connected dealers to homeowners searching the Internet for solutions to their home improvement challenges. We’ve loved every minute of it, as we have enjoyed the opportunity to work with many of you.
As both the Internet and the home improvement market evolve, so will our company. After a three-year debate inside our company, we’re changing our name to Keyword Connects.
Many home improvement brands spend great sums of money buying national media to generate leads for their dealers. A great strategy…or a big waste? Read on.
As we’ve worked with home improvement brands and manufacturers, we’ve learned a lot about their challenges of running national media campaigns. Turns out that brands that run campaigns on behalf of their dealers take on key challenges…not just to develop programs that work, but to also track the results.
Internet banner advertising is essential for lead generation. But ONLY if you follow these important tips.
Last week I wrote about ‘banner blindness.’ That’s behavior that Internet users have developed that causes them to ignore banner advertising on the Web pages they visit. This week, I promised to share with you how you can make Internet banner advertising work for your home improvement company?
Here’s the short answer: get your media salespeople selling you offline advertising to throw-in banner advertising on their Web sites.
“Throw-in?” you ask. What is a “throw-in”? And why would a media salesperson “throw in” banners into a media sale?
Been offered a great deal on Internet banner advertising? Caveat emptor. Because as far as Internet visitors are concerned, today’s Internet banner ads are hidden in plain sight.
Banner blindness? No, it’s not a disease, and you don’t need to go get your eyes checked! Banner blindness is a relatively new phenomenon, that’s been growing along with the Internet.
First off, Internet banners are the ads you see on popular Web sites, i.e.:
Click on them, and you’re taken directly to a page that pitches the advertiser’s product or service.
Every week, Todd Bairstow—our online expert—shares his wisdom on an aspect of Internet marketing for home improvement companies. You can read his thoughts here on his blog or you can subscribe, and we'll send you his latest posts each week.
Every week, Todd Bairstow—our online expert—shares his wisdom on an aspect of Internet marketing for home improvement companies. You can read his thoughts here on his blog or you can subscribe, and we'll send you his latest posts each week.
