I have a confession to make.  I hate Google+.  Thanks to some business connections, I was among the first to receive an invitation when the service launched, and at the time, I was excited to give it a try.  Two years later, I find myself as unimpressed as I was when I first logged in.  As social networking sites go, G+ is cumbersome and inconvenient.

Even people who are unfamiliar with search engine optimization often maintain a vague association between SEO and link building. A customer purchasing internet marketing services for the first time or a small business owner attempting to optimize his or her own site may not be familiar with the specifics, but chances are, they realize that links are going to be an important part of their efforts.

Over the past several months, Facebook has been releasing more and more information about Graph Search, a new product that FB says has been in the works for several years.  This leaves us with two big questions.

1. Does Facebook’s new search format have what it takes to compete with traditional search engines like Google and Bing?  

and

Even Mad Men’s Don Draper would feel out of his element in today’s fast-paced marketing world.  New trends are always emerging, especially when it comes to building your brand and increasing your presence online.  That’s why we’ve created this brief look at the best marketing tactics modern businesses are using to get noticed and stay relevant.

#1:  Email Marketing

Merriam-Webster tells us that “branding” is something you do to a cow with a hot iron, but in business, we have a very different definition.  BNET defines branding as:

We just love this new infographic from SEOBook.com, detailing the many reasons why search engine optimization is a costly – but necessary – aspect of any internet marketing plan. 

Online marketing infographic by SEO Book

As smartphones and tablets continue increasing in popularity, responsive web design (RWD)  will continue to be an important part of every site hoping to succeed in a mobile market.  Using RWD to create one beautiful, functional site that works as well on a phone as it does on a desktop is far and away the option we recommend for companies that are building their web presence from the ground up. 

SEO Spammers vs The “White Hat” Brigade

You know that your business depends on its website to connect with customers and create sales opportunities so it may get your attention when you see an unsolicited email making such claims as:

“We've noticed that your site isn't ranking as well as it could in major search engines, but we can get you first page rankings….”

It might surprise you to learn that even Google receives these emails!  They say: 

To start, you can check out the “free” or absurdly cheap offers available from companies like Web.com, Network Solutions, and even Verizon. But didn’t you ever learn that there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Likewise, I can promise you, there’s no such thing as a free site…and here is why you should NEVER use a free or even a cheap web site design service:

With so many local directories competing with one another, the task of signing up for and maintaining business profiles on each one could easily become a full-time job.  It’s tempting to slack off and allow the listings to manage themselves.

Don’t do it!  Instead, check out the following five reasons why local directory (aka citation) sites are so important, and find the motivation to get your listings in order!

#5 – Local Search is Hot!