You Just Don"t Get It Guys: Geo-targeting Testimonial

[Green_Day]

This is for all you that think you know everything. YOU DON'T! I don't really care any more whether you do business with me or my company. But my local area landscapers do and are benefiting from our services. Some of you say that you just use Google adwords, GREAT, so what! You won't see yourself in the sponsored link section like our advertisers are! You won't be seen on Landscaping.com or marthstewart or davesGarden, SO WHAT! You won't be getting 15 million hits on your website because you are not linked in with our directory, SO WHAT, I don't care anymore. I do care about my customers and they are getting results. I am tired of trying to educate you hard headed landscapers. You know grass, I know the internet. Go to http://www.localadlink-usa.com/testimonials.php and see what you could have and then I will see you at the finish line.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Chris, Maybe we should do a podcast on this in the near future to help better explain this concept to the forum members.

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[SprinklerRepair]

SEO versus PPC?

read this

and this

If someone wanted to rank for the term "landscaping", ppc would be the only way, and a flat $200 a month would be cheap. However the the term has little commercial value. It is an informational, one word search term according to the msn commercial intent tool (see photo.)

The search term "landscaping doylestown pa" does have commercial intention (see photo) and ranking for that term organically is very possible.

www.**********.com

[Green_Day]

That guy seems pretty good at what he is doing, ripping people's websites off. I didnt see him in sponsored links. He isnt sending his website to related websites like LocalAdLink does. He doesn't give you an I-Supply store allowing you to sell any type of product in I-Supply's store and then get 3% of the gross a month. Never have to lift a finger. You can customize the store to sell landscaping stuff only. We offer more than anyone PERIOD. But interesting video, thanks

[Steve]

Just like planting seeds Organic SEO as an internet marketing strategy requires patience, but the rewards when reaped are plentiful. Although organic optimization is not the first choice for many (depending on the brand and business model) organic search does have inherent benefits that are unparalleled by sponsored or paid advertising tactics. The benefits and results last for longer period.

This is a quote from the second article. It is very fascinating. I think the problem with SEO is that people in general have this desire for immediate gratification and if they tweak something on their website and it doesn't change their ranking immediately, they tend to stop and give up. While ppc allows you to pay now and get an ad out now that you can see.

I think more of us should focus on search engine optimization however I doubt it will happen. Why? Because it takes time to learn. Heck, think about how difficult it can be to even get a website together. That alone is a huge undertaking.

The average business owner will be lucky enough to get a website up and the last thing they will want to do is learn SEO. But as we see, they should.

But ultimately, isn't that what advertising is all about? Leveraging others to talk about you? We spend money to have others promote us when we don't have time or don't want to promote ourselves.

Time and time again we see that word of mouth is the best way to advertise but to get that, you need to be a self promoter and many business owners just want to do a specific job and then be done with it. They don't want to self promote. That is why they buy ad space.

What's your thoughts on that?

[SprinklerRepair]

PPC and companies that do ppc absolutely have their place. Paid listings get instant exposure, SEO does not.

However, organic listings are clicked more often than paid listings as searchers tend to trust organic results, and drive 75% of search clicks.

I read on one website that 4 out of 5 searchers do not click PPC, but after searching for that data I could not locate any confirmation, so I don't know if that is accurate.

Getting a top listing for "lawn care" organically would require a huge budget and would take at least a couple of years. And you would need a reason for that level of traffic, such as an online store. In that situation, PPC is the only choice that you would have, as you are competing with websites that are 10 years old and have already been professionally SEO'd.


But, as you stretch your keyword specificity to a term such as "lawn care Orlando Fl" you enter a lower level of competition that the average person, with the right information, can play at. Although this can still be difficult, depending on the sophistication of your competition.

The narrower that you drill down on your keywords, the more likely that you will rank organically. And the more specific the search term, the higher the conversion (phone call, email sign up, whatever your desired action is.)

And I've got to respond to Green Days' comment "he's good at ripping off websites." Sheesch, I've got to explain this again? well, here goes:

Competing for search results is not "ripping off other peoples websites." That is what LocalAdLink does, thats what Merchant Circle does, and that is what I do. We all compete for "eyeballs" on the search engines.

If my clients target keyword is "Sacramento brick pavers", and some other company already has www.SacramentoBrickPavers.com, I'll get them www.SacramentoBrickPavers.net or www.BrickPaversSacramento.com or www.Sacramento-Brick-Pavers.com (although dashes are a poor choice due to the awkwardness in using that URL in other advertising mediums.)

Saying that buying an available, keyword targeted URL is "ripping off websites" borders on short bus logic. A keyword is a keyword, whether used in a URL or in a PPC campaign.

So you can pay PPC forever, or list organically. Each choice has it's benefits.

www.**********.com

[Steve]

It is quite a fascinating discussion.

I read on one website that 4 out of 5 searchers do not click PPC, but after searching for that data I could not locate any confirmation, so I don't know if that is accurate.

I have to do some more research on this topic. I wonder in such situations if the ppc ads are not being visited because they aren't as relevant at times to the search results.

I am not sure but I am guessing people will click on what ever comes across as being the most relevant to what they are searching for? Whether it be ads or organic search results?

[SprinklerRepair]

If it wasn't for the "this guy is good at ripping off websites" remark, I would not have bothered with this, BUT with my character in called into question, I feel obligated to respond in a factual manner.

Here is a very quick video on the ranking for the keyword term (2/14/09) that Green Day used in his testimonial video, "landscaping doylestown".

#2 and #3 organic? They did exactly what I espouse on my free report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5h2tg4Zym0

In fact, if you type into Google "local ad link", look at SERP 4 and 5. That is for their SERP for their own company (photo attached.)

We are NOT all "hardheaded landscapers" here and some of us do understand the internet as well as Green Day does. Yes, some of us are "know it all's" and we are as wrong as anyone else at times.

Where did that saying "the proof is in the pudding" come from anyway?

P.S., No hard feelings Green Day. I here there is good money doing Amway as well.

[Steve]

In fact, if you type into Google "local ad link", look at SERP 4 and 5. That is for their SERP for their own company (photo attached.)

For search engine results #4 and 5, on your attached image, I see two youtube videos?

What does that mean? I am just trying to follow along here.

I also just watched your video. There was a local ad link ad on the right side, so that is good for them right? They are trying to be displayed when a person searches for those keywords?

Oh wait, I had to watch it again. You are making a video with his video in it. LOL I was a bit confused there. Ok you use a section of his video and it has a localadlink ad in it at top right, but when you do a search for it, the local ad link ad isn't appearing. But I am guessing that is because these things can change daily based on how much you are spending on those specific search terms?

But your point is that those who use search engine optimization techniques, they stay ranked high on the search results regardless of if they are advertising that day or not?

[SprinklerRepair]

Originally Posted by Steve

It is quite a fascinating discussion.



I have to do some more research on this topic. I wonder in such situations if the ppc ads are not being visited because they aren't as relevant at times to the search results.

I am not sure but I am guessing people will click on what ever comes across as being the most relevant to what they are searching for? Whether it be ads or organic search results?

Sorry Steve, I missed your question due to being called a "rip-off."

Relevancy for PPC can be as exact as those for SEO, and even with less effort.

Let's face it, if you are adding keywords to your PPC account, you only have to type them once. A lot easier than writing a blog or article expanding the depth of the keyword.

The high click through rate of organic listings comes from the trust in that, no matter how much you pay, organic listing can not be bought. PPC is viewed as an advertisement, where as organic listings are viewed as "reliable."

It's the next best thing to having your clients neighbor say "hire Joe, he's good at lawn care."

Without a doubt, "word of mouth" is the highest converting advertising on the planet.

2nd is organic results on search engines.

A long off 3rd is PPC. It's kinda like this "that guy had TO PAY to get listed because he is not REPUTABLE ENOUGH to get listed on Google."

Unfair as that attitude toward PPC is, it still is what it is.

www.**********.com