With 1 in 5 search queries now being related to local terms, it is more important than ever to focus on optimizing your business for local search. At Sage Island we have been working with many of our SEO and PPC clients on boosting their local search presence. In researching tactics and best practices we came across a very informative article explaining how users search for local businesses. Here are a few interesting highlights to keep in mind when optimizing for local search.

Study Findings and Suggested Tips to Optimizing Your Local Listings:

Finding: 71% of searchers value the information contained in local search results. 60% of these searchers said that local listings with an image get their attention more than standard listings.

Tip: Make your local listing stand out from the crowd. After claiming your listings within Google Places, Yahoo and Bing local listings, you wil want to enhance it with a great looking photo.

Finding: 17% of searchers do not use local geo-modifiers when searching, with this percentage on the rise amoung younger searchers. While on the other hand, older searchers are more inclined to search using local modifiers – roughly 63%.

Tip: When targeting a younger audience, businesses should focus more on generic terms. When targeting older consumers, businesses should focus more on local modifiers within their search related terms.

Finding: 60% of local searchers add a city name to their search query. 42% of searchers choose to add a zip code.

Tip: Optimizing for town name and city name should deliver more traffic than ZIP code, but a well-rounded local SEO campaign should utilize both.

Optimizing your local listings ensures that potential customers find you using search and map functions within search engines. Doing this correctly will support your SEO marketing efforts, as well as increase your visibility and online reputation. For more information, check out Google, Yahoo and Bing Local Listings. If you have questions, or would like to discuss claiming and optimizing your local listings, we would be happy to help. Contact Sage Island today!

Today we are off to Sunset Beach to join area businesses for an afternoon of panel discussions, seminars and networking! The event is designed to promote Wilmington SCORE and help area businesses with everyday challenges. It’s being held at the beautiful Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center.  We’re looking forward to meeting the Score Counseling Team and listening to the Cash Flow Workshop. Mike Duncan is speaking at 11:15 on Social Media Marketing. See you there!

Google AdWords is deemed one of the fastest, easiest and most cost-effective ways to advertise your product/service online. According to the Google Help Center, Google’s Network reaches 80% of the 170 million people that use the Internet in the U.S., and it doesn’t stop there. You can advertise in approximately 250 countries in 38 different languages. Below are the top 5 reasons why Google AdWords could benefit you:

1. Cost & Flexibility
AdWords allows you to choose between two different pricing models: Cost-Per-Click (CPC) or Cost-Per-Impression (CPM). This allows you to have an increased level of control with your advertising campaigns. You can also set a maximum daily budget and maximum CPC or CPM bids to completely manage your advertising costs.

2. Targeting & Scheduling Capabilities
Within your Google AdWords account you can specifically target ads to a city, region, state, metro area or any specific location you define for yourself. You can also target any of the provided 38 languages. Ad Scheduling can be extremely important to the performance of your advertising campaigns. With AdWords you can customize which days of the week and hours of the day you would like for your ads to run.

3. Ad Extensions
AdWords provide 4 different ad extensions in Google Search: Location Extension, Phone Extension, Ad Sitelinks and Product Extensions. Ad Extensions expand your standard text ad with additional information such as a product listing or image, address and phone number, click-to-call phone number, or additional links to your site. These extensions help users more easily find out about your business, product or service.

4. Conversion Optimizer
By using your conversion tracking data, AdWords features two ways to get you more conversions at a lower cost. The Conversion Optimizer keyword bidding option optimizes your ad placement in each ad auction for increased likelihood of conversion and avoidance of unprofitable clicks. You can set your maximum cost-per-acquisition (the most you’re willing to pay per conversion) and this feature will automatically choose the optimal CPC for each ad auction. The second feature is the “Optimize for conversions” ad rotation option. This feature shows the ads that are expected to provide more conversions more often.

5. The Google Network
Google is split into 2 networks; the Search Network, which includes Google and other search sites and the Display Network, which includes Gmail, YouTube and sites like the New York Times. The Search Network uses keywords to target text ads on search results pages. The Display Network reaches prospects at different points of the buying cycle through contextual targeting. Here you can run text/rich media ads, image or video ads depending on the site. Display ads serve as an effective media choice for both branding and direct response goals.

If you have any questions about Google AdWords, or if you think PPC advertising could be the marketing choice for you, please contact Sage Island to begin your marketing success.

ASD Trade Show was established in 1961. They are one of the nation’s largest merchandise trade events in the industry, with over 3000 exhibitors and 45,000 retailers from all over the world, held in March & August. ASD Las Vegas showcases 4 major verticals—Gift & Toy, Jewelry, Style/Beauty, and Value & Variety. The Show runs February 27-March 2, 2010 at the Sands Expo Center. Sage Island’s CEO Mike Duncan will be giving two one hour seminars on Monday, Feb. 28th and Tuesday, March 1st. For more info on ASD Trade show visit their website at www.asdonline.com.

Mike is scheduled to speak on Feb. 28 and March 1st. His seminar “Strengthening Your Web Site’s Presence through an Integrated Marketing Plan” will teach business owners the tactics behind growing an online brand.

Check out the seminar schedule.

Strengthening Your Website through an Integrated Marketing Plan
Your website is a critical component of your business. At a time when online competition has never been so fierce, it’s crucial to ensure that qualified traffic is coming to your site. This seminar, presented my Mike Duncan, CEO of Sage Island addresses the necessity of a well designed, innovative website, and how to properly market it through a hands on approach of planning, analysis, and optimization. Mike speaks to the art of SEO and PPC tactics, successful eCommerce strategies, and how to properly utilize social media platforms to drive results and maximize your bottom line.

Quick Response or QR codes are bridging the gap between offline and online media. As more and more people integrate their smartphones into their daily life, it is only natural that businesses understand the importance of QR codes and how to use them effectively. Sage Island considers QR codes an important tool in our integrated marketing process, and have compiled some tips for how to use them successfully.

First, what is a QR code?

A  QR code is essentially a special barcode that you scan with your smartphone which allows you to access many types of information including web addresses, personal and professional contact information (vCard), product and service information and almost any other type of data.

QR codes provide an essential connection between print media and interactive media in a matter of seconds. With a QR code scanner app installed on your phone, you simply point your camera at the code to find out more information or even compare like products.

Here are some tips for creating QR codes that work.

There are many QR code generators found online. Be sure to use a code generator that links directly to your service, not through theirs. To find this out, simply scan the produced code.

Make them readable. Choose a QR code size that is appropriate for your medium. For print, you will need to use a larger size which will produce a higher resolution. For web, use a size that can allows you to scan without encountering errors.

You will get better performance if the QR code is placed on a white background and displayed straight up and down.

Keep the information you’re encoding as concise as possible. The greater the amount of data, the higher the level of error correction, or ECL, will be needed.

Make your content valuable! Point viewers to a landing page or set of information that relates directly to your call-to-action. This could include:

• Product details
• A coupon or special offer
• A YouTube video link
• A Facebook, Twitter, MySpace Page
• Event details
• White Papers and more!

How can your business use QR codes?

There are numerous ways in which your business can benefit by using QR Codes. They work best when added to business cards, conference badges, product packaging and any form of marketing material.

If you are new to QR Codes, or looking for innovative ideas, our expert designers, programmers and marketers are here to help you with your next project. Contact us to move your business to a new level of success.

We are excited to be heading out to Denver, CO tomorrow morning to attend this year’s SIA Snow Show.  We are excited to be a part of this great event, which for more than five decades, the SIA Snow Show has been bringing the entire snow sports market together in one place.  Making this show the most important trade event for the entire industry. Showcasing the latest trends, innovations, product lines and styles, the SIA Snow Show represents the only global event where 800+ brands are presented in an authentic environment both on and off the snow; all powered by the passion and culture of snow sports. Since its inception, the Snow Show has been listed in the top 200 U.S. trade shows by Tradeshow Week and is currently ranked 59th.

Sage Island is excited to be photographing the Snow Show as well as the On-Snow Demo & Ski-Ride Fest events and working with SIA to help make this another great show.  We have worked extensively with SIA over the years, developing their association and trade show websites, as well as various consumer initiative websites.  We are also excited to help market their online properties through various SEO and PPC tactics.

We are excited for another great SIA Snow Show.  See you there!