Category Archives: Inbound Advertising – Pillar 6

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Picking a domain name is not rocket science

I get asked all the time what to look for in the perfect domain name.

My recommendation is to go for at least 3 out of 6 of this criteria:

  • Short
  • Business name is the same
  • Explains what you do
  • Explains where you do it
  • Is easily spelled / read & memorable
  • .com is still better than anything else

.com and country specific extensions still rain supreme.

Source thedna.org

.co is still the worst of all the new extensions in my opinion because most are still trained not to read and will actually put in .com instead of .co

Some domain names are gaining in popularity like .io which seems to mean online app for those that can’t afford the .com. That or they often choose to say something line get____app.com.

Final thoughts

The domain name is really up to you now. Google really understands domain names and what people are known for regardless of the name nowadays.

Arguably for Bing and Google, domain names that have something in their name recognizable (some would say use keywords) is helpful still. But I would not pick that over the business name unless your business name is so out there.

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Keeping up With Internet Marketing

Where to go to learn and what to do about it

It takes many skills to build a house and few actually know all the pieces. It is the same with online marketers. Keeping up with it all let alone mastering all those skills is impossible.

I've spent hundreds of hours trying to keep up with it all. So instead here is my secret to never miss something huge.

The trick is to follow the thought leaders that stay up reading and analyzing everything instead of you doing it.

Ecommerce

Amazon

Local Small Business Lead Gen

Another secrete is just to read the newsletters and updates from the softwares you use.

If you find other great resources checkout these 3 apps/tools (GetPocket, Feedly, Casts) to keep up to date.

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How to Get My Business to Show up in Google

3 Parts to Local Search Engine Results

Source trustworkz.com

There are 3 pieces to Google local search results (how to show up in Google):

  • Paid Ads - PPC (Pay Per Click - Search)
  • Local Map Pack (SEO - Tied to Address)
  • Traditional Organic Results (SEO - Does not require an address)

Paid Ads

Google makes over 90% of their money from Google Ads. You can't miss them and most studies show that 30% of people are clicking them. Even more on mobile devices.

​Choose to show up for Google Ads to get at the top of results in more ways then you know.

Did you know Google typically only shows your business in the maps area if your business address is nearby the searcher? Though not fair Google AdWords actually widens the location net as well as the searches you can show up for.

​If your business is located in Atlanta you might come up for searches for "garage storage Atlanta" but not "garage storage Marietta" a nearby town.

Without an address nearby your only hope for showing up for something like "garage storage" is paid ads and well bellow on the traditional organic results..

When I ran ad campaigns for Money Bar Storage Atlanta dealer ads were a huge source of leads and sales. Both these types of searches are real examples where ads makes a difference.

Local Map Pack

Google search for roofing brings up listings

​Showing up in maps is highly tied to your businesses address as well as where the searches is located at the time of search.

You may have heard with more people using their voice to search on phones, near me searches are growing in popularity. 

Source Think With Google

People don't like doing business with companies far away. All the surveys on distance say so. This holds true even with service businesses since some charge a dreaded trip fee to nearby towns.​

To show up in maps more you need more legitimate addresses with their own reviews and marketing strategy or to bid in ads.

Google has really made it so rarely do you show in all parts of a large city. Try doing the same search from your mobile device when out and about and you will see what I mean.

Ads show in maps when people look past the first 3 results by hitting more.​ Google has also been testing home service ads which to some are scary and others an answer to this problem.

Traditional Organic Results

​The former days of Google these text link listings were all that showed. Now short of ads, these blue text links are your best hope to show up in location searches outside a small radius from your business address.

Here is a business without an address in Rexburg (where I live) using location pages to widen the net.​

Take Aways

Google is trying to maximize profits and make searchers happy. Having a strategy to show up in all 3 local search results areas is a must. 

  • Consider ads for broad searches
  • Consider ads for nearby towns
  • Understand the limitations of maps and addresses
  • Consider location pages for nearby towns

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Luke Alley on What Makes a Good Agency

Expert Marketer Interview

I like to have experts come on the contractor podcast from time to time. This one with Luke Alley from Avalaunch is perfect for helping you know what to look for in an agency. Also his top recommendations for your business marketing online.

Learn:

  • What makes a great marketing agency
  • What metrics matter (ROI, Leads…)
  • Unusual social media sites can still work
  • Where should contractors start