It’s been happening for some time now.  We have been watching the off-shore internet marketing trends with search behaviour and have been following the patterns.

Years ago (before Google Adwords tool), when we started tracking search behaviour and volume around certain keywords, there was hardly a time when a local search in Google – eg ‘Auckland tyres’ would even rate a mention in terms of search volume. That’s changed.

For the sake of convenience and relevance from consumers, local search in search engines is BIG.  It’s also a big opportunity for businesses – big and small – assuming your catchment of customers comes from the local regional market.

This means that search engine optimisation is even more important as part of the overal marketing mix than ever.  Sure, it’s not the silver bullet (neither is social media or Adwords/PPC) however it IS still an important part.

Internet Marketing SEO Convergence

Marketing integration between offline and online – or what I call ‘convergence’ – will become a growing focus for businesses who want to maintain the edge but who also want to achieve a higher measureable ROI for their marketing dollar.

It starts with local search.  This means that if you own a cake shop in Auckland that you need to explore what’s involved in getting your business ranked#1 Google for the keywords ‘cake shop Auckland’.  Nutting out the return on investment, the strategy and other factors is step one of the process.  There are also other considerations like Google places optimisation and your website conversion optimisation.  It’s simple stuff – but not always easy to do.

To me, the performance of Yellow and Localist has been poor when it comes to actual organic SEO performance.  Do you see these ‘neighbourhood sites’ ranked in the top 3 (or even page one)  in Google?  Is it just me, or have they missed something in the internet marketing mix or just chosen to ignore it? Spending a ship-load of money offline (TVC, radio, print) to market the ‘brand’ in order to drive people online smells a bit like the old Ferrit.  And we all know what happened there!

Dumb Luck

Most websites winning in Google organic rankings in their regional categories or niches are doing so by ‘dumb luck’.  They are vulnerable to their competitors.  Especially thos ewho use our services.  We have a strategic, low cost, high value offering that takes into account this ‘convergence’ idea I discussed earlier. And, by the same token, businesses who are already accidental winners can strengthen their position by doing the same thing. In fact, they must.

There has never been a better time to create and maintain an online ‘barrier-to-entry’ strategy with local search.  I think getting to Google #1 in your local area for what you sell is an unexploited opportunity.

It wont last.

If you need help to understand how your business can benefit from local search, go ahead and contact me for a no-obligation discussion.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

SEO Copywriting. Why?: We all know the benefits of getting a higher online visibility by writing or providing good quality and interesting content for your website.

Part of the puzzle in search engine optimisation (SEO) copywriting.  This is the process of writing new content or tweaking existing content so that information is more easily found by search engines.  In NZ this means Google.

What’s Involved in SEO Copywriting?

Compelling copy that converts into action taken by your visitor is the goal right?  This means writing copy for both search engines AND people.

A site that looks spammy with keywords ‘stuffed’ all over the place simply wont evoke trust.  And trust is an important part of website conversion.

Keyword density is one of many factors that help with SEO rankings.  This relates to the number of times your keywords appear on any particular page.  Too few and Google won’t get the ‘gist’ of what you are targeting, and too many and you can be overlooked by Google for being too spammy.

Things that also matter are how you write the headlines and sub-headlines of a web page.  Using keywords in the titles and applying tag attributes (names) to the headlines is also important.

Once again, SEO copywriting is only part of the jigsaw to achieve greater online visibility and customer conversion. Other factors include:

• Conversion tactics
• Compelling copy that invites a direct response
• Internal website SEO structure (a whole other chapter)
• Backlinking (getting other websites to link to you)

And lots more…

Let us help you with your SEO copywriting.  We are a full service internet marketing and online lead generation company.

The best time to start understanding and implementing these concepts so that you can derive more value from your business is NOW. For a  free consultation, go ahead and contact us now.

Thank you for reading this,

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

If you are a company looking for MORE qualified enquiries, then online lead generation can be a very profitable way to grow.

When I talk about online lead generation, I don’t mean buying leads – I’m referring to organic lead generation.  Organic lead generation is the process of gaining more qualified enquiries from YOUR OWN website that has been specifically designed to do two things:

• Achieve #1 organic (not PPC or Adwords) search engine rankings for your targeted key-phrase
• Convert those site visitors from ‘suspects’ to ‘prospects’ by helping them to take action.  This is normally in the form of a short or long form which they will complete, or a phone call made to your office or call-centre.

There is More to Internet Marketing than PPC

When it comes to the world of Internet Marketing, we know that buying leads or paying for clicks can and does work…but in our view, if you are looking for a more long-term and sustainable return on investment, then your strategy simply must include organic SEO lead generation.

There are great advantages from achieving a consistent stream of leads coming from a website (or in most cases for our clients – multiple websites).

They include:

• Improved conversion and click-through rates (generally) that comes from owning the number #1 organic position in your target area.  Generally, the conversion on sites that are at #1 ranking is higher with often a greater perceived credibility by the site visitor.

• Depending on the structure of the arrangement, generally the cost of each lead reduces over time as the return on investment increases.
• There is an opportunity to attract repeat visitors to your site who may not interact on their first visit.
• There is the opportunity to build your list and sell to them later from email marketing…from visitors who may not be ready to request a quote or contact, but who may be willing to receive communication from you (whitepaper, email mini-course or newsletter sign up etc).
• You build assumed credibility and a high brand profile (assuming your brand is displayed which it may not always be).
• Investment in organic lead generation as a complimentary internet marketing tactic increases the barrier to entry of your competitors and discourages competition.  With PPC, the company with the deepest pockets wins

There’s more, but I’m sure you get the picture.

Did you know that right now there are stunning opportunities online right now for NZ companies wanting to grow using organic lead generation.  It’s also a fact that MOST companies don’t even know it’s possible or what’s involved.

One thing is for sure, the opportunities will not last.  Why?  Because as each new vertical market or niche or market is claimed, the cost and barrier to entry increases the risk and potentially reduces the ROI.

What business are you in?  If you want to explore how organic lead generation might fit your company or business category, contact us personally for a confidential discussion.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

When you are in the internet marketing business and you look at hundreds of websites a day with a ‘users’ hat on – as opposed to a web designers hat on -  you start to see some principles emerging that make complete sense.

For example, we know that we only have a few seconds to attract your visitors attention.  So what have we purposefully added or emphasised on our website to attract attention in the right way?

Yes, it sounds simple, but it’s easy to overlook.  The answer to this question lies in the answer to this: “What do you want the visitor TO DO?”

So, finding a design feature, some call-to-action feature or copy that helps to answer this question for your visitor is important.

Internet Marketing Example

For instance, if you own a life coaching business in say, Auckland, your preferred or primary method of contact may be a phone call, followed by an email, followed by a newsletter sign up and then finally RSS feed.

Here’s an example of this in action:

www.lifecoachauckland.co.nz

Google #1: ‘Auckland Life Coach’

So, what’s the MAIN thing you want visitors to do? Once you have worked this out, make sure you incorporate design features on the website to emphasise this.

Sure, this is only one of many internet marketing actions you can do over time, but I believe it’s one of the most important.

If you would like a free internet marketing assessment of your website taking into account website conversion or search engine optimisation, go ahead and request a free phone consultation.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

Oh boy, things are changing so fast.  It wasn’t too long ago that TV was the answer to all marketing problems.  ‘Throw enough money at it and they would come’ seemed to be the order of the day.

But the marketing landscape is morphing.  Google search augmented with social media is dominating a lot of consumer behaviour and internet marketing has been thrust to the front of mind for a business owners.

But there are still very lucrative opportunities for businesses and organisations of all size to gain a foot-hold and competitive advantage in their sector or market.

At Internet New Zealand, we talk to organisations every week and without exception, we’re able to uncover and shine the spotlight on low cost and low risk opportunities to help them grow.

When we talk about using internet marketing to help organisations grow, I mean:

• to increase repeat visits from customers
• to increase the average sale
• to increase interaction and grow the permission database list
• to increase leads or qualified enquiries
• to identify opportunities based on competitor behaviour and gaps in an under-served markets

And lots more…

Providing solutions online involves being able to have a deep insight and understanding of what’s happening offline first – and then to blend the requirements of an organisation with the changing online landscape.

This is what we do, and it puts us ahead of the game.

I know, that sounds a bit like a bit of waffle (sorry ’bout that)…but think about it.  The internet is a tool that almost everyone uses.  But a tool doesn’t fix anything.  The answer lies in how we apply what a tool does in the right area in the right way.

Internet Marketing Strategy

More engagement is the goal.  Engagement could mean permission to join our list, requesting a consultation or buying something on-line.  But whatever it is, our first objective is to get our message in front of the right people.

There are lots of ways we can do this.  We can buy clicks from Google adwords, we can buy ads on Facebook, we can buy advertising on related websites, we can initiate cross-promotions, run email marketing campaigns and much more…

But I still believe the smart money is invested in search engine optimisation (SEO).  Why?  Because a long-term return is achievable (all things being equal).

These things include whether or not the offering is sound, what the competitors are up to, the reputation of the company, the ability to grow …and a lot more factors.

Internet Marketing Front & Centre

Smart organisations are now allowing digital engagement to take centre stage in planning, budgets and marketing.  They are taking a web-centric approach to their business.

This doesn’t mean that underlying operations, production, marketing and sales systems are irrelevant – it simply means that the web (digital) is now the hub and those important factors become the spokes.

I want to say it again…

There is SO MUCH opportunity on-line at low-risk for those organisations who want to take action.  That will not always be the case in my opinion and the time to take action is right now.

If you want to explore how internet marketing strategy can be applied to your existing operation, go ahead and contact us for a free interview.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

After more than a year in planning and live testing, the wraps are coming off our new lead generation and internet marketing product called BizRank.

We predict that BizRank will make a big splash in the online lead generation area in New Zealand and Australia.

While officially ‘out’ the product is still in BETA and pre-launch.

Read on and I’ll explain more…

Lead Generation & SEO

Most NZ business owners know that search engines dominate the way that people research a purchase online.  We don’t need convincing that Google plays a massive way in the way we behave when it comes to shopping or shopping around.

Why? Because we all do it.

Over the last few years of providing lead generation and internet marketing services to a wide range of customers, we started to notice a few trends.

We noticed that for local businesses who wanted to be at the top of search engines AND get more quality leads in their region – eg “Christchurch Hairdresser” – that there was NO truly viable product that was low-risk, low-price and effective.

However, most companies who simply want to get to #1 in Google organic search (not Google Places or paid adwords) realise that it can be costly.  For some, getting the right mix of design, SEO, site conversion seemed like a dream.

And that’s when we started to build and test BizRank.

Lead Generation Websites

For a long time we have been using well designed, ethical and effective lead generation websites to drive enquiries to our larger clients.

The challenge for us for small to medium businesses wanting regional domination in Google was not easy.  How do you create a proven formula that incorporated essential features at an affordable price?

These features include good web development and design, powerful search engine optimisation (SEO), and proven website conversion features such as sales copywriting, email marketing, blogs, video and other features to improve a site’s call-to-action.

So that’s what we created.

And, if you add exclusivity in a given region combined with no long-term contracts so that our clients get a real competitive advantage, we believe it’s a recipe for success!

Limited Internet Marketing Offer

For the rest of 2010, we’re inviting only a selected number of businesses from different business categories to be our clients who would be willing to share feedback, test various aspects of BizRank.

In exchange we’re offering extra value, deep discounts (including freebies) and the chance to be part of a launch that we believe will a first for New Zealand and Australia.

If you are a business (especially if you sell services), and you would like to get ongoing qualified leads from your local area, city or town please contact us for more information.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

There is so much noise online when it comes to internet marketing. Would you agree?  If you are feeling confused or overwhelmed, then perhaps the following advice might help you get some clarity.

Did you know that the principles of internet marketing and the principles of offline marketing are the same?  It’s true.  Two of theses principles seem so basic that they’re hardly worth reminding you about…but it’s so easy to overlook them.

As an internet marketing company that specialises in helping companies sell more stuff and get more leads, you would be amazed at how these two simple rules are ignored or not even considered!

Internet Marketing Simple Rule #1:  Do You Have A Hungry Market?

The late and great Gary Halbert – pioneer internet marketer and copywriting legend – taught me that uccess [online] starts with a hungry market.

You can translate that idea  into what you want to do online?  The premise is: Do I have a product or service that people really and truly DESIRE?  It’s a simple idea, but the reality is nothing happens online until you can answer this question with a ‘yes’.

Quite often there is a reason why ‘no-one is doing this online’…which is a statement we often get thrown at us.  Often (not always), the reason is because the idea sucks!  And if the idea sucks, there will be zero chance of finding – let alone attracting a hungry market.

Is your product or service really that desirable?  How could you find out?

Internet Marketing Simple Rule #2 : Do You Have  A Compelling Offer?

Let’s stick with the ‘hungry market’ analogy for a moment.  Let’s assume you have a product or service that people desire.  Great.  Probem solved, right?  Wrong!

There is still another simple question of internet marketing to ask.  The question is “what are you going to feed them?”

Put another way, the rule is all about the offer.  Are you giving the hungry market something they can and will eat immediately?

So what is your offer?  How can you add value to make the offer attractive, and what risk reversal or guarantee can you apply to reduce any resistance that may come up.

If you have are working in a hungry market with a product or servce that customers actually desire, and you have a compelling offer, then you are over half way there.  The next step is getting your offer in front of the hungry market in the most cost-effective way possible.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the most effective (and cost-effective) ways to achieve this.

To learn more about how Internet New Zealand can help you increase turnover and generate more qualified leads, go ahead and request a free interview.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

When it comes to internet marketing, here’s one of the best TVads I’ve seen in ages.  It ran at the recent, always-hyped TV ad segments during the 2010 superbowl in the USA.

I love this ad not just because of how Google search has been responsble for the ‘democratisation’ of the internet (so even the little guys can win)…

But also because of the way that the ad gets to the very heart of what they do: SEARCH.  And what makes them the masters of the universe.

Getting your message out so that visitors to your website immediately understand what it is that you do is overlooked more than you might think!  Check out the video below.

Google and Your Internet Marketing Strategy

We know that Google search is king the number one most visited website in New Zealand.  According to Hitwise, 7.75% of all internet traffic heads to Google.

We also know that Google is becoming an interwoven part of people’s lives.  Like in the video it can influence what we do and how we do it…in very profound ways.

But What Does That Mean if You’re A Business Owner?

If you’re a business owner then it’s easy to just imagine that getting to the top of Google will solve all your problems.  We face this all the time with our clients.  High Google rankings aint the goal!  The goal is an increase in enquiries that leads to an increase in sales – right?

So to achieve that it takes what most web designers can’t provide…Online Strategy.

What is Online Strategy?

Online or Internet Marketing Strategy is the online battleplan or blueprint that takes into account how you will compete with and win against your competitors.

There are a lot of factors that need to be thought about when it comes to internet marketing strategy.  They include:

• What are your overall business goals?
• What are your potential customers looking for online and in what numbers?
• What are your competitors doing online and how can we defeat them?
• How can we improve traffic (visitors) and not just rankings?
• How can we improve ‘conversion’ on the website so that we can measure the return on investment?
• How can we achieve your goals in the best way without wasting time and money?

Plus more.

Winning online is not about SEO, it’s about strategy.  It’s about planning the right things and executing that plan in the right way to achieve your goals so that you can SELL MORE STUFF.

I hope this makes sense.  If you would like to know more about how we can develop an internet marketing strategy for you so you can get your business in front of hungry customers who are using Google and looking for what you can sell, please contact us for a confidential discussion.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

Bad News Burial Service (ORM):

Thank your visiting and reading this.

The fact that you have found this article is probably due to one of the tactics that we use when it comes to Online Reputation Management or ORM: search engine optimistion (SEO).

This article explains a little about why there is a growing demand for Online Reputation Management services for both individuals and companies alike. It also talks about some of the methods we use to influence search engines using search engine optimisation (SEO).

If it’s true that you found this article through a search engine like Google or Yahoo, then you’ll also see why using search engine optimisation forms a critical part (both on and offline) of managing your online reputation.

ORM: A New Age

The days when news was spread by only by TV, radio and newspapers is a long gone. Today there is no faster (or better) way of disseminating information than the internet. Malicious, negative or incorrect information published online by critics can spread quickly and damage your company’s reputation if left uncorrected or un-refuted.

Even if you have operated a business ethically and cleanly for years, all it can take is one negative event to blemish your public brand image. This event may affect your business and it can be ongoing…costing you customers, business and money.

Simple things like a negative product review in a blog or forum can have negative effects to your brand or you personally, and can be especially damaging if you operate in a environment where competitors are ready top act against you.

Online Reputation Management (ORM) is Becoming Important

Google it. It’s what we do. If I want to buy a new car, I’ll Google it. Same thing for plumbers, health insurance and even for researching the best internet market companies to use in New Zealand.

As consumers we also research company brands (as well as individuals), with search engines giving fast and convenient access for performing due diligence.

As broadband internet increases in New Zealand, as more and more people start using search engines to research, the demand for online reputation management ORM) servies will increase.

Social Networking and ORM

At the time of writing, Facebook has displaced Trade Me as the number one accessed site in NZ (after Google). Social networking then, is becoming a more important internet medium.

While some smart businesses see social networking as a long-term strategy to strengthen their business and interact with their customers, most businesses struggle with it. But regardless of how business comes to term with social networking, one thing is certain…

Consumers (and competitors) now have a voice for which to share ideas information and contacts. And that includes negative or even malicious information about any brand and any person.

Reactive and Procative Reputation Management

There are two ways that companies can act when it comes to online reputation management (ORM).

• First is the proactive management of your name or brand. This involves the ongoing monitoring of news, social networks, customer feedback, forums etc. Often, damage to your reputation may be happening without your knowledge.

Proative reputation management involves the monitoring of customer and market perceptions online from blogs, social networking, forums etc., as well as the creation of blogs, sub-domain websites, websites and other online ‘assets’ that present truthful and positive information. The setting up of these assets effectively ensures that any damaging information can be relegated further down the search engines…often to page 3 or 4.

• Reactive reputation mangement involves the relegation of harmful information in search engines (using the same methods), once it appears as well as publishing information that refutes negative, malicious or damaging information.

So how do we do this?

There are a number of ways we achieve this. One way is to use effective keyword analysis and the effective creation of these online assets which contain factual and positive information. Next we use link-building and other ‘off-page’ SEO techniques to elevate the rankings of these sites.

Online Reputation Services

If you or your organisation would like more information about online reputation management, please go ahead and contact us. We’ll set up a confidential meeting by phone or skype to discuss your situation.

We’ll also provide you with our ORM Brand Audit at no charge. It will give you a ‘snapshot’ glance at the state of your online reputation including some concepts ideas and strategy to deal with negative information (if any).

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand

SEO Copywriting is an important part of online success.  When it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO) there are other factors that are argueably more relevant or important than SEO copywriting, but when combined with these elements that obey the quality principles of search engines…the results can be awesome!

Good SEO Copywriting is about out producing copy for websites that serves two purposes at the same time.  These are:

• Skillful writing and manipulation of words to be attractive to search engines to improve rankings
• Producing  succint, effectively persuasive text for a well-written web page

SEO copywriting must be performed as part of the overall search engine optimisation strategy of a website or business. Writing that simply “optimises” for a search, but that offers little useful information or only weak persuasion doesn’t help anyone.  It not only wastes time for potential customers to a website, but it is also ineffective and reduces the overall  value perception of the internet.

SEO Copywriting and Art

Seo copywriting  is not just about technical science and ‘ticking the boxes’ in the right places.  When it’s part of a strategy, obeying Google’s guidelines as well as writing copy that is persuasive and succinct, is the goal.  If you can achieve this,  you’ll win online…eventually.

We provide both aspects (the technical SEO as well as the persuasive and creative) as part of our SEO services.

Published by Internet New Zealand - Internet Marketing Auckland, New Zealand