It’s been roughly a month since the much anticipated Apple iPhone 5 came out to the masses, finally giving Apple users several features that have been available on other smart phones for months. Even so, while most reviews have been great, the flaws, notably their new Apple Maps software, have left many pretty disappointed.

With a lack of details currently present on the popular Google Maps platform, and a bug-ridden GPS that appears to give wrong driving directions to several early adopters, the impact of the iPhone on the search marketing industry has been put into question.

However, regardless of the issues that may be widely discussed online, over 5 million people (including the Motoza guys) got their hands on an iPhone 5 withing the first 3 days of release. Several Apple Analysts predict that over 8 million iPhones may be sold by the end of the year! Add the fact that over 60% of iPhone/iPad/iPod users have upgraded to iOS6 (which also features Apple Maps), and you now have several million users on Apple’s new map system. It appears that even its faults aren’t going to get in the way of the iPhone continuing to be a serious contender in the mobile space, as a recent survey by ChangeWave Research suggests that the majority of users have had no significant issues with Apple Maps.

So what does this mean for small businesses? Plenty!

For one, Apple Maps uses a different system to pull up business information and location than the previous Google Maps platform. Whereas Google Maps is based on Google’s local search platform (which pulls information from a variety of sources online), Apple Maps uses the Tom Tom GPS system and Yelp.com to provide location, information, and user reviews for local businesses. Powered by the voice-activated Siri, Apple Maps likely shows different information for a particular business that also appears in Google Maps. While this may be inconvenient from a marketing perspective, small businesses need to be prepared to optimize their sites so that they appear when a few of those new million iPhone and iPad users search for their services.

Apple Maps obviously has its flaws, and while we’ve been assured that their development team is working steadily to greatly improve it’s functionality, small businesses risk losing far too much business in the meantime. So what can you do to ensure that you’re being properly displayed on Apple Maps? First, assume you’re not on there!

The first thing you need to do is get your hands on an iPhone or iPad that has iOS6 installed. Once you have the Maps app open, search for your business name and address (be as specific as possible). If your business does not appear, you may not be properly entered into the system (or not in all together). There are three things you can do to help Apple include your business:

• Report the issue to Apple Maps – Here’s a great tutorial on how to do so from iOS6.
• Add your business listing to Tom Tom’s GPS service – Go here to start the process
• Make sure your business is listed on Yelp – Apple uses Yelp’s business information and reviews to display results, if Yelp doesn’t have you listed, there a chance Apple won’t find you. If you are listed, make sure to enhance your Yelp profile and interact with your reviewers.

Apple Maps SEO is a new arena that marketers are quickly researching and tweaking (including us!) As more surveys are released, and user data analyzed, we’ll surely get more information on the various sources that are used to improve business result rankings and reviews. Until then, take the necessary steps we’ve highlighted, or contact us to optimize your entire mobile presence.

Google Panda 3.2 Update

The Panda 3.2 update occurred in mid-January and served as a data refresh of Google’s Panda algorithm and Google indicated that there weren’t additional changes to the algorithm. Shortly after the Panda update took effect, some webmasters had commented about losing rankings, but others mentioned that sites originally affected by the Panda update had recovered their traffic levels that were occurring prior to the Panda update. This supports Google’s explanation that this update was a data refresh in that Google ran the data refresh and updated sites based on whether or not they should have been affected by Panda or not. There is speculation that Google actually issued a Panda update back in November of 2011, but there hasn’t been a great deal of information regarding this. The reason stated for the large gap of time in between updates was due to Google’s promise of not launching any updates during the holidays.

Google Updated Privacy Policy

There has been a lot of buzz about Google’s updated privacy policy around the globe stemming from questions regarding whether or not the new policy violates domestic rules in Europe and Japan. The updated privacy policy went into effect on March 1st and the advocacy group EPIC has made attempts to block the new privacy policy on the grounds that it violates Google’s earlier Buzz case/investigation settlement with the FTC. EPIC’s effort to block the policy has so far been unsuccessful.

Representatives from Google state that the new policy is intended to simplify privacy issues across Google’s many properties and enable the company to roll-out a host of new consumer products and services. Some have suggested that the simplification of privacy being carried out by Google’s new policy is actually in response to mandates resulting from the settlement in the Buzz case investigation by the FTC. Representatives from Google have said that users will still have control over their browsing and search history and that the policy won’t change existing privacy settings or the manner in which personal information is shared outside of the company.

Google also states that it will not be selling the personal data of users or collecting any new or additional information about users. Google is taking responsibility for its mistakes in the past and appears to be making quite an effort to ensure users that its intentions remain guided by its principles of control, notification, and transparency in its attempts to balance the interests of both consumers and its advertising interests.

Pinterest is a social photo sharing website that connects its users through theme-based virtual pinboards. The site’s mission statement is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” Pinterest users organize, save, and share images of everything ranging from recipes and craft projects to home décor ideas and vacation destinations.

How do I create pins and pinboards?

Individual images, or “pins” can be grouped by topic into folders or “boards.” Users can upload photos directly from their computers or add online images by using the “Pin It” feature. By adding the “Pin it” button to your internet browser’s bookmark bar, you can quickly save any image you find online. You “pin” the image to one of your themed “boards”, and Pinterest bookmarks the webpage so you only have to click on the picture to return to the site. It’s that simple—no more scrolling through endless bookmarks you don’t recognize. Just browse the thumbnail pictures on your boards and easily find the website you’re looking for!

Where can I get ideas for pins and boards?

Pinterest is similar to social bookmarking sites in that you can browse through pinboards created by other users and “re-pin” their images to your own boards. Pinterest allows its users to “follow” other users and view shared interests. When you log onto Pinterest, you see a “Pin Feed” of recent pins saved by the users you follow. Pinterest essentially enables you to browse the internet and bookmark the links of others with interests similar to yours.

How do I get started?

Pinterest is an invite-only website. New users must receive an invitation from someone already registered with the site, or they can request an invitation directly from Pinterest’s home page. Once you receive the invitation via email, log in and select a few interests from the options provided. You will see a list of suggested users who share your interests. Browse through their pinboards, and start pinning!

Here are just a few things you can do with Pinterest:

• Redecorate. Whether you are remodeling your bathroom or just looking for a new accent table, you can search Pinterest and save images and websites that strike your fancy.
• Window shop. Pin now, buy later. Pinterest can be a virtual wish list for anything your heart desires.
• Party plan like a pro. Pin ideas for every aspect of your big event, from invitations and menu ideas to decorations and party favors.
• Get beauty and fitness tips. Pin make-up tips, hairstyles, and workout how-tos. Any website with an image is fair game.
• Find crafty inspiration. Search Pinterest for new do-it-yourself projects, sewing tutorials, or handy fix-it tips. The possibilities are endless!
• Try out a new recipe. Search Pinterest for new recipes or even share some of your favorite recipes. If you find some that you like, you can just “pin it” and check them out later.

Now that you know what Pinterest is and how you can use it, start pinning!

The relationship between search engines and websites is constantly changing due to new technologies that allow them to communicate better. Back in the ‘early’ days of the internet, this relationship was pretty simple and straightforward. A website had content in it’s pages, Google read the content, the page title, the domain, and determined what the website was about. The website told Google what it was about. If you had a website about Los Angeles Insurance, by simply writing that phrase within content, you were informing Google the page is about Insurance in Los Angeles. With the introduction of spam, and abuse by webmasters trying to manipulate search engine results, Google’s algorithm got smarter, making the communication between them and websites more complicated. Hundreds of factors, in addition to on-page content, now play a vital role in successful SEO. However, this is where the semantic web can play a role.

Microformatting, a semantic markup used within the HTML web language, is an accepted form of communicating certain aspects of your business or website to search engines. In mid 2011, Google, Yahoo, and Bing, the top three major search engines, agreed on using schema.org, a certain kind of HTML markup, as a form of better retrieving information about business websites, such as physical location, address, production information, and customer reviews. In essence, Search Engines want businesses to input their information using this special code, so that they have a better idea about the specifics. For Local SEO, this is fantastic, and the majority of websites out there, have no idea this exists.

For example, if you were to search in Google for Auto Transport, you’ll notice that uShip.com has an additional line under their title with information about their star ratings. By using the schema.org Aggregate Reviews mark up on their website, they’re able to tell Google specific information about their customer reviews, which is being displayed on the Google search result page. The fact that these stars appear for uShip most certainly results in an increase in click-through-rate. Those yellow stars simply pop out on a text-filled search result page. Reviews are only one example of many tidbits of information Google uses to gather more information about a site.

Whether you sell products online, are a locally-based business, have customer reviews you’d like to feature, or are promoting an event or object, schema.org should definitely be on your list of things to implement soon.

Inbound Marketing mostly takes place in Search Engine Marketing, since people are usually already searching for a product like yours, therefore they’re coming to you rather than being lured by you. Since inbound marketing is a relatively new concept, it’s not applied as much as it probably should be. However, there are clear advantage to this new ‘hot’ marketing technique, and I’ve listed a few here:

1) You get warm-to-hot leads coming to your website. Unlike traditional marketing, which could range from advertising on a niche website, to radio-tv spots and billboard/print advertising, search marketing allows you to place yourself in front of people looking for your service. This is something that traditional marketing simply can’t offer, there is no TV channel, or magazine that can be specifically tailored for your exact product. While the traffic numbers might be lower in search marketing, they’re definitely higher converting than any other traditional marketing channel out there.

2) You’re engaging in non-destruptive marketing. Most studies today show that companies are dealing with a lot of backlash from advertising campaigns since the average person is ‘tuning off’ from any sort of promotions and advertising. It’s not really hard to blame anyone, considering the average person gets bombarded hundreds of times a day with advertisements from different brands, products and services. Inbound Marketing, since it’s directed as people already looking for a particular service or product, is considered more ‘natural’, since the user is looking for services voluntarily. Why risk having someone angry at your product every time they’re ‘punished’ on Pandora or Hulu because they’re trying to watch their favorite shows/songs?

3) Inbound marketing provides a much better return-on-investment in the long run. Paying for direct advertisements usually means spending X amount of money for each time you promote your service and product. Each time you spend that money, your ROI is determined by how effective that particular campaign was. Once you stop spending money, the exposure and sales stop. The only way to make more sales or reach more customers is by spending more money. Search marketing works differently. Since the majority of costs in a search marketing campaign is in increasing your rankings in search engines, the longer you optimize the more business you’re likely to achieve. Once you reach the top rankings for your preferred keywords, and traffic begins to come to your business website, your sales will likely increase. By investing enough time and resources into an ongoing inbound marketing campaign, you set your business up to a position where you have lots of people finding you online, interacting with you and purchasing your product. Since search engine marketing fees aren’t on a ‘per-visitor’ or ‘per-impression’ basis, your sales are not directly correlated to the amount of money you invest.

Overall, inbound marketing is the really the way to go for small to medium businesses looking to compete in large markets. Search Marketing allows these smaller businesses to compete against bigger corporations, without having to spend millions of dollars on traditional marketing techniques. By mixing a good search marketing campaign with a strong social media presence, you can increase your sales, build your brand, and create loyal customers without spending an outrageous amount of money in the long run.

With the rise of local review sites such as Citysearch.com and Yelp.com, more and more people that used to rely on traditional sources information, such as yellow pages, phone calls, and friend recommendations, are using the web to find the best restaurants, plumbers, landscapers and other common local businesses.

Nowadays, simply having a website is not enough. Creating a local search strategy can be the difference between companies that are trusted, and those with no reputation. Creating a strategy that allows your business website to be found through search engines, and plans out how people contact you should be top priority and in reality is not that complicated.

Besides optimizing your online business listings so they’re top ranked in their respective search engines, it’s also important to create a system in where you can encourage happy customers to share their experiences with others, and provide a quick and streamlined method of communicating with your prospective clients. By utilizing free services such as Yelp, FourSquare, Twitter, Facebook and Gowalla, you expand your reach and not only build recognition, but possibly new customers too.

Since online marketing is still a relatively new idea for small businesses, the majority of people haven’t started taking advantage of it. Now is the time to develop your own local search strategy. Contact Motoza for instructions on how to get started, and what the best strategy is for your small business.

Do you go with traditional yellow pages, TV spots and Radio ads? Or do you try something modern, ‘techie’ and online?

Even when a business does decide on going online, there are so many avenues and services available that it can be almost impossible to know where to go.

For the majority of small businesses online, Local Search Engine Optimization, also known as Local SEO, is very likely the best route to take.

Unlike full SEO, Local SEO is designed to help businesses gain visibility in

search engine maps and local business searches.  The basic purpose is still the same, in where a business can be found in Google when someone searches for a specif keyword. However, the method of appearing, and the way it’s displayed, differs from regular SEO.

For one thing, Google Local optimized websites only appear for certain, local based keyword. For Example, “Georgetown Massage Therapist” will show local-based businesses (Local SEO) in the area before general Massage Therapist websites (General SEO). In addition, Local SEO allows businesses to be found in Maps, which are heavily used on mobile devices such as iPhones and other smartphones.

The way Local SEO works is different from regular SEO. Many factors, including changes to the website and the link popularity of the website, are non-factors in Local SEO. That is, you can rank high in Google and be well optimized for general SEO, but you may not be appearing in local based searches and maps.

Local SEO uses a variety of local directory, sources, and business information to determine which businesses are most relevant for specific searches. The process is usually less complicated and robust (for now), and therefore requires less resources. As a result, Local SEO is usually lower in price and easier to manage.

It’s very important for all business, small and large, to employ Local SEO if they do business locally. All that is needed is a business address and phone number, and a team to manage the optimization.