Google vs. Facebook, it’s not your fight…use both!

Google has made spectacular use of the companies they have acquired…IAC, not so much. And if you’re asking who IAC is, that was kind of the point…they owned Ask.com (AskJeeves). IAC thought Smiley Central and iWon were too good to pass up.

Happy with the advent of the iPad, although I’m still pounding away on a rapidly aging laptop, it’s great when things come together as something truly useful to all.  Google+ puts together all those tools I’ve pulled together myself to run a business and digital lifestyle.

Facebook too, both have great features. To me they aren’t competitors, both are feature ads for my clients…win win, use both.

Google vs. Facebook, and the Earth keeps turning…

Just read this article on BBC News and thought it was worth sharing.  It’s a continuation of the Google vs. Facebook saga…and the Earth keeps turning (see this post on the topic).

Noise Cancelling Consulting

When we are in the field talking to folks, meeting with clients, or just paying attention to our own Inbox’s we know there is a whole lot of noise around online marketing.  There are a bunch of “experts” (see last post) selling Pay-Per-Click or AdWords, or great claims of the miracle of Social Media.  Businesses are being screamed at from all angles about this stuff.

So we need a bit of noise cancellation…this is what the Metro-SEO Customer Advocates are all about.  By listening closely, explaining patiently, and reporting often we cut through the noise.  Then we apply best-practices to guide our clients to make the best web marketing decision given their exact situation.  We’ve boiled down our [Metro-SEO] services to performance…always asking how your web presence ranks and is it on the first page of Google when their customers search.

We don’t care if your business has a webmaster, a team of web designers, or had their site designed by an 8th grader…we get it sorted and under your control.

Buyer Beware…

Just read this article in ZDnet by Stephen Chapman…he sounds just as frustrated as us about shifty claims of guru or expert status, and gives you a few things to watch for.  I don’t know how many “black-hat”  online marketing “consultants” there are in Sacramento ripping people off…it has made building Metro-SEO much more difficult, since many have  been taken advantage of (maybe sinking several thousand dollars in a failed adwords campaign with little to show for it), but are still desperately in need of On-Site and Off-Site SEO.

We advocate for YOUR company, the only thing we sell is expertise and a get-it-done attitude…

This may be seen as a bit self serving, but I’d like to make a critical point concerning Metro-SEO’s approach.  We know the value when a company maintains a solid web presence, but we believe in providing a transparent  process that will empower our clients.  We believe the more informed a person/company only helps potential customers to choose us and better understand the project value upon completion.  We strive to ensure upon project wrap-up our clients have a full grasp and the tools to keep their web presence on track.

Actually, most of our clients prefer to continue with  a maintenance program or additional keyword campaigns.  The last thing we want to do is keep folks in the dark.  We all but demand we meet and explain in detail our process and set expectations  in writing.  We are a team of professionals with long careers and bring a high level  of confidence…we don’t waste a lot of time,  we tell it straight, we get your web presence straight, and empower you to keep it straight.

We don’t sell ads, all work is contracted, and we ONLY represent you and your company.  Come by our office,  if you have come by, please let us know how you felt about us  or our services…

Thanks!

Happy Earth Day!

Care, learn, vote, recycle, reuse, reclaim, respect, conserve, and educate…whenever possible.  Happy Earth Day!

Sierra backdrop from a space balloon.

Up, Up, and Away…

Recently I met John Powell, CEO of JP Aerospace, at his office right here in Rancho Cordova.  I had a blast as he showed me around his shop.  From submarines and sandbags (sorry, Sand Bricks) to space travel, there was eye candy everywhere.  There was even a Styrofoam airplane with Flintstone breaks (meaning your feet) that he actually pilots. In the trenches research and applied science…excellent!

John, author of Floating to Space, is best known for space balloons. This picture was taken as the balloon was on it’s way to orbit. Lindsay and I, being huge geeks and scifi buffs are over-the-moon.  We have over 400 images from take off to orbit, which I haven’t even seen yet. When John got back from last weekends mission he shot me a this one and a couple of others…just to tease me I think.

Metro-SEO goes global…or just above it.

John has two blogs: JP Aerospace and Sand Brick

Google Lets You Block Domains…

This is why Organic SEO and due-diligence concerning your business web presence is so important.  And why Metro-SEO works so hard to educate the public and especially our customers that if you are not who or what you say are, and you don’t “tell” the search engine who and what you are…then there is a very good chance that not only Google will ding your rankings, but now anyone can block your domain if they don’t think it should have come up in their search.  Check out this Google Announcement…

Thoughtful content and organic SEO wins the day…every time.

It is so easy to get lost in all the buzz about Facebook, Google, SEO, SEM, Cloud Computing, and a dozen other hot topics.  No wonder businesses are struggling, especially those businesses whos business is not the Internet.   Luckly, there are services like Metro-SEO that can help them grasp and create a much needed online strategy.

Unfortunately, for every ethical SEO provider, there feels like 10 shifty ones.  Most of our clients have been burned either by Pay-Per-Click advertising or a nightmare website developer.  Many have paid thousands for very little gains, or very short lived results.  Some have been paying out the yin-yang for Pay-Per-Click advertising without a serious effort toward the ascetics or content of the website they are advertising, so the ROI (Return on Investment) is very low or non-existent.

This is the reason website design, thoughtful content, and organic SEO wins the day every time.  Without these efforts all others will fail.  If you took a quarter page ad out in the local yellow pages (probably cost you over $1,000/mo), but the ad contained the wrong phone number or address would be pretty silly right?  Well this is exactly what we see everyday.

Just like that yellow page ad, your website and broader Web Presence is pretty worthless if it can’t be found, or the information is wrong when they do find you.  In 2011, you have to add value.  What I mean by that is give your site visitors something when they get there.  For Metro-SEO, we chose information and have done our best to ensure our potential clients understand our services, pricing, and approach.  We even post video on our FAQ from Matt Cutts, an SEO master from Google, that explain how this stuff works.  For your business, it maybe coupons or video…something calls on that visitor to take action, like pick up the phone or order your widgets.

Metro-SEO can help you cut through the buzz and uses the best tools possible to ensure proper SEO.  Even if you don’t use our services, we very much want to ensure folks are educated on Web Marketing and Design services…give us a call to find out.

Social Media used to organize people, news at 11…

“If a dictator is overthrown or a government ousted, it would be notable if Facebook or Twitter weren’t used.”  Caroline McCarthy CNET News said in a post yesterday while discussing the recent anti-government organizing in Tunisia and Egypt via social media.  More importantly, is this still News to anyone?  I just thought it was an interesting read.  What I got out of it…whether it be by phone, telegraph, smoke signals, or social media  folks will use the best available tools to communicate.  Duh, right?