Google Plus Setup For Businesses, Franchises & Brands

April 17, 2012 in How-To Strategy, How-To Tactics, Tips and Best Practices

Clients often ask us, “What should we be doing with Google+?” Usually it’s already understood that it’s a social offshoot of Google that fits somewhere into the scheme of online marketing, but the details of how to get started can often get confusing.

  1. Changes are happening fast – check for timestamps on articles online (this one, too).
  2. As Google continues to integrate Google+ with existing assets, bloggers from a variety of industry segments are racing to declare the latest implications. The most dramatic pronouncements tend to gain inflated visibility because of their share/click appeal.

ISM set out to take a closer look at Google’s latest offering, crossed that with some quality investigative blog posts, and boiled the results down to a roadmap for businesses. Many thanks to gurus Danny Sullivan, A.J. Kohn, and many others whose research efforts were included this article.

Google Plus Background

Overview

Summary of Google Plus

Google+ is a social network created by Google, integrated with existing Google user accounts, the “+1” sharing system, and other existing Google assets. Google+ users can “follow” or “friend” other Google+ users or pages by adding them to their “Circles”. Google+ Circles provide a way for users to … Read More

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iSM announces support for ClearWater

April 13, 2012 in Company News

ISM is pleased to announce its support for the ClearWater project, which aims to provide sustainable clean water to thousands of indigenous families spread across 20 villages and hamlets in the oil-ravaged areas of northeastern Ecuador.

ClearWater is a collaboration between local communities in the northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon, the grassroots organization Amazon Defense Coalition, Berlin-based child welfare charity Saving an Angel Foundation, San Francisco-based charity GroundWork Opportunites, and the international environmental and human rights organization Amazon Watch.

ISM is proud to offer SEO and social media consulting services to the project owners in an effort to maximize search engine visibility and encourage the virality of the ClearWater vision.

Please take a few minutes to watch the video below, and if you are so inclined, donate to this important cause.

 


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iSM hosts first-ever cookie bake-off

April 10, 2012 in ISM Culture

After many controversial company competitions, including guacamole & salsa-offs, the company was finally able to settle on the ultimate food competition this quarter: a cookie bake off.

The competition was tight with 7 entries ranging from chewy to crunchy and chocolaty to nutty. After we were given very specific scoring instructions (1 means best, not worst!) the tastings began aided by flowing cups of milk, soy milk and champagne (good combo, right?). From chocolate chip cookies, to nutella to raspeberry thumbprints, we had quite an array to test. Let me take a moment for a PSA (for the uninitiated into cookie bake-offs): do not eat 7 cookies in a 10 minute time frame…you might not feel so good afterwards!

 

We all handed in our ballot and waited anxiously for the results to be tabulated. It seemed to take hours as we contestants chewed our finger nails in anxiety hoping  to win the grand prize: a $100 gift card! Though I hoped desperately that I could edge out a win, it was no surprise that Annie Meurs, with her delicious soft and goey creation: salted caramel stuffed chocolate truffle cookies, was the illustrious victor. You know if a cookie has that many words … Read More

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Google Adwords 101: The basics of quality score

April 3, 2012 in Tips and Best Practices

You may or may not know that competition is not the only determining factor in AdWords click cost. Quality score (QS) has a huge impact on how much you pay per click, and can even impact how often an ad is displayed. Here are some basics to help any advertiser better understand quality score and its implications.

The Basics:

Quality Score is a number between 1 and 10 that Google assigns to each keyword in an account. This number is dynamic so it can and will change over time as Google reassesses performance. This number is Google’s interpretation of your ad & product relevance to the targeted keyword. The reason for this is twofold; the consumer gets a better online “shopping” experience if an advertiser can provide them with highly targeted, relevant ads, and Google profits from every click. The more relevant the ad, the more likely users are to click on that ad, and the more likely Google will make money.

Where is QS Reported:

Quality scores are found in the Keywords tab of the AdWords interface. If it is not displayed, click Columns -> Customize columns and add Qual. Score (under Attributes) to the view.… Read More

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Mobile SEO: Tips for optimizing your site for mobile search

March 22, 2012 in Industry Trends, Tips and Best Practices

Recent research estimates that among the 83% of American adults who have a mobile phone, 42% of those have a smartphone; this translates to roughly about 35% (or approximately 100 million) of all US adults. With 25% of mobile users claiming that their mobile device is their primary connection to the Internet, it’s becoming increasingly important for companies to optimize their sites for mobile search. If the sheer number of mobile users doesn’t convince you, then consider divergent search habits and trends of mobile vs. desktop.

  • Search on mobile devices tend to focus more on generic, non-branded keywords rather than brand-based keywords. For example, users will search “women’s shoes” instead of Nine West (with the end goal of looking for a non-specific women’s shoes retailer close by), unless they are actually looking for a Nine West store.
  • There is also more emphasis on proximity and local terms in mobile search. For that reason, Google Places listings and businesses with a local intent sometimes will appear higher in mobile search results. This makes optimizing and claiming your Google Places listings essential.
  • Depending on the location of the searcher, different search results will appear, especially if those queries are location specific. So

    • … Read More

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