The Niche Marketing Blog » Scott Spooner

Facebook and Twitter as Search Engines

Scott — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:02:45 +0000

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By Scott Spooner

When you think of search engines, what names come to mind? if you are like most people, you’ll probably come up with some combination of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. If you’ve been on the Net for a while, you might also think of Alta Vista, Baidu, Ask, and dozens of others.

But let me ask you: did Facebook or Twitter come to mind?

Most netizens associate Facebook with social networking, and Twitter with micro-blogging. But few realize that both Facebook and Twitter are also up and coming search engines, as both offer searchable keyword databases.

With active Facebook members now exceeding 400 million, and active Twitter members now exceeding 100 million, the respective search databases are enormous.

Add to this Facebook’s pay-per-click ad network (with rumors that Twitter will be following suit with their own paid advertising), and you have a potent combination for both demographic/geographic keyword research and targeted advertising opportunities.

If you are an on-line marketer who is looking to build traffic and reach your target audience, then don’t overlook Facebook and Twitter when it comes to search.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Google, Scott Spooner, Twitter, Web search engine

Local Search: Web Site Owners Beware

Scott — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:34:33 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

By Scott Spooner

The other day I was having lunch with one of my clients when he mentioned that he had just received an email from a large “Internet marketing company” that was pitching “local search”. The email claimed that my client would be able to secure Page 1 rankings, for any keyword, in the major search engines, by simply adding the name of the local community to the keyword phrase.

My client asked me what I thought about this. I told him that I thought it was a waste of his money. Let me explain.

I have worked with many clients to set-up and optimize their local search programs. Local search is a valuable service, but only if you have a physical, brick-and-mortar, type of business. This particular client has an on-line presence only; there is no physical location. As such, they are looking for customers without reference to any particular locale.

Since their customers can arrive from any point on the Internet, and since they will never stop by any storefront, it doesn’t matter if the “store” is located in California or Kalamazoo.

For that reason, and for this particular client, local search won’t really buy them any more traffic because the frame of reference of the customer is on the product, not the location.

So, if you are considering setting up a local search program (or having someone do it for you), take a moment to decide whether or not local search will bring you any benefits. If you sell exclusively on-line, you can skip local search (and mobile marketing as well, but that’s another topic). If you have a physical location, and can benefit from walk-in traffic, then local search isn’t only desirable for your business, it is becoming mandatory.

SEO Advice: Make a web page for each store location (mattcutts.com)
Optimizing Your Website To Appeal To Regional Searchers (ronmedlin.com)
How to promote-in-local-search-engines (slideshare.net)

More articles for you to read:

How Local Search Works in 2010

This year, 34 local search marketers, small business owners, web developers, etc., have contributed thoughts and opinions on what matters most when it comes to ranking in the Google 7-pack, Yahoo’s local business listings, …

Publish Date: 06/07/2010 8:30

http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/how-local-search-works-in-2010/3338/

Local Search – This Isn’t Your Daddy’s Internet | Practical Local …

Local Search – This Isn’t Your Daddy’s Internet. By Richard Geasey. Related Articles. How Local Search Marketing works | Local SEO Tutorial · Does the Internet show the true colors of your business? Share/Bookmark …

Publish Date: 06/07/2010 13:06

http://practicallocalsearch.com/local-search-this-isnt-your-daddys-internet/

Technorati Tags: internet marketing, local search, Scott Spooner, Search Engine Optimization, Small business

Going Mobile

Scott — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:03:31 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

By Scott Spooner

In 1971, British rock group, The Who, released their seminal album, Who’s Next, which featured a song titled Going Mobile. This was a song about a guy who decided to give up his rooted existence and go on the road.

39 years later, it looks like he’s got lots of company.

Recent research indicates that, on a daily basis, more people are accessing the Internet via their smart phones, than there are people emailing. That’s an astounding figure considering that smart phones weren’t even around a decade ago.

So, “mobile” has arrived and while not all pieces of the mobile landscape have been figured out, the smart business owners are already looking to mobile marketing strategies in an effort to get ahead of the curve.

What can you do to begin the process for your own business? Start by making sure that your web site is formatted for mobile devices. If you are running a WordPress blog, it is a fairly simple process of installing one of several available plug-ins. I use WPTouch, but you can choose whichever one suits your tastes.

If you are running a web site, you will have to get into a little more programming. Contact your web site administrator and talk with him/her about adding some code that will allow the site to be formatted for mobile devices. Be aware that you will mostly likely have to set up an additional hosting service for the mobile site (I will cover this in another post).

Whatever you do (or do not do), understand that “mobile” is not only here to stay, but will most likely be the dominate platform of the near future.

Why mobile why now (slideshare.net)
8 ways to increase sales using mobile marketing (slideshare.net)
What We’re Going To Do With Mobile Now That We Own AdMob (businessinsider.com)

The Niche Marketing Blog » Scott Spooner

Facebook and Twitter as Search Engines

Local Search: Web Site Owners Beware

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Going Mobile

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