Earlier this week, Google announced that it would be updating its privacy policy and consolidating 70 unique policies down to one, single document. The rollout is scheduled for March 1, 2012.

Your Google products will still look and work the same. The privacy update supports the evolution towards a fully integrated suite of Google products that all share your information with the end goal of offering a simple, intuitive experience to users.

The main change will be for Google Accounts. If you’re signed into one Google account, Google will be able to access information from that product and use it to fill in the gaps for another product.

This policy shift is no big surprise as we’ve been noticing a trend towards simpler, more transparent policies globally.

What does this mean for you?

This change promises more personalized search results from a variety of sources. For example, if you search for Thai food in Minneapolis, you’ll not only get results from the web but you’ll also see relevant Google+ posts and photos. So, if someone from one of your circles posted a picture of Pad Thai while they were at Roat Osha, Google will add that photo to your search results.

Google is also suggesting that sharing your information between Google products allows them to offer more helpful feedback. Feedback unique and relevant to you. For example, if you’re taking a trip to Mexico, by sharing more information within Google products, you’ll probably see ads about traveling to Mexico. Google will also be able to auto correct misspelled names or even notify you if you’re going to be late to pick up your kids based on your calendar, your location and what traffic is like. Wow, that’s powerful! Keep in mind you still need to drive your car (at least until the autonomous car is here).

What isn’t changing?

Google is still committed to data liberation and they will not sell your personal information. You still have the ability to turn off certain types of ads and set privacy information within Google+ circles. Whew!

For more information, watch this quick video.

Official Google Privacy Policy

Have you seen them? Have you used them, yet? Do you know what they are? If you’re not yet familiar with the white boxes filled with seemingly random patterns of little black squares, you might wonder why they’re popping up on everything. These Quick Response or QR codes have been all the rage in Japan and you’ve probably seen them being used by your favorite airline since around 1994. Now, with more smartphones in the hands of users than ever, QR codes are being used to pump-up marketing campaigns and drive people to your webpage.

What do QR Codes Do?
With the ability to hold lots of information, these little babies make it easy for anyone with an app on their smartphone to scan your code out in the real world and find your business or marketing campaign online (without running home to Google you later.) This is called hyperlink migration, where links are moving from the virtual world to the tangible world without typing in URLs. And because the use of QR Codes is free of any license, it means that this little code is egalitarian, making its use available to even the smallest business budget.

Generating a QR code for your business is free, using one of the many QR code generating websites. After generating the code, all you need to do is print that code on anything you like from business cards to posters to print advertising or product packaging and it’s ready for use.

According to Forrester.com, QR code adoption in the US has increased from 1% to 5% of the market with about 15% of consumers carrying smart phones. Why aren’t QR codes more popular? QR codes are a tool not a strategy.

What Can I Use it for?

Get New Site Visitors: A great way to generate sales leads and interest in your product or service. You can set your code to link to a webpage with a specific deal or discount for users who scan your code, driving those who want the deal directly to your business and all with a simple scan. If you’re looking to drive foot traffic to your physical location, have a coupon that they must print out and bring in available on that page.

Build your Email and Mobile List – Offering white papers, e-books and deals with the scan of the code can deliver prospects right to your landing page, where they fill out your opt-in form to claim their *Free offering. Your form can require email or mobile numbers in order to get the deal emailed or texted to them.

Sales or Informational Videos – Offering more information about your product, tips or advice via video (hosted on a mobile–friendly web page, of course!) can drive traffic to a landing page and all they have to do is quickly scan your code.

QR Codes a Fad or Here to Stay
QR codes are here to stay, at least until something with even more promise comes along. We are knee-deep in the information age, knowledge is power and content is King. With mobile devices, people are no longer chained to a terminal. They’re free to move about the planet and get their learning on the go. For a society that values information, freedom and ease as well as instant gratification– the QR code is a bit of a no-brainer.

Still, we’re just dipping our toes in at the moment but adoption is happening quickly – with sales of smartphones increasing every day, it won’t be long before QR codes are on everything.

Where to Get Your QR Code
Want to learn more about QR codes or generate a free code for your business or marketing campaign? Check out the library of content on QR codes and the comprehensive list of free generators QR Media.

As 2010 comes to a close, we all start to think about how we can be happier, healthier, more vital, spend more time with family and friends and make more money. Several years ago, David, my husband and business partner at ArcStone decided to be more conscience about our New Years resolutions.

The last week of December brings all kinds of lists, the Top 10 songs, books, movies, trends, news stories and now even tweets. Its also the time that people decide to compile their list of personal New Years resolutions to tackle. Like most people, I never had much luck with my New Years resolutions until using the following simple tips.

1.    Set aside some alone time to think about what goals or resolutions are priorities? Are your resolutions the same year after year? Do you never stick to them? Ask yourself why that is.
2.    Choose goals / resolutions that will make you happy.
3.    Don’t try to take on too much. Stick with a small number of resolutions – five or less.
4.    Once you get your list of resolutions compiled, think about what impact they will have on your daily life. Are you being realistic? If not, make adjustments.
5.    Create a vision board using photos, pictures, words, phrases  anything that will inspire you. I create my vision board using a small poster board (11 x 14). Basically your vision board will serve as a daily reminder. I like to place my vision board in a prominent spot so I will see it and be reminded of my resolutions every day.
6.    Make your resolutions both attainable and challenging. For example, if you want to learn how to play the guitar, set up a quiet practice space, make sure you have a decent instrument, schedule lessons, buy a good lesson book…
7.    Share your resolutions. After determining my resolutions, I like to share them with my family and close friends. They can help me stay on track by sharing their insights and lending their support. I usually make this a special occasion by preparing an elegant dinner with candles, good music
8.    Check in with your resolutions often. I like to salamasize my resolutions by creating mini goals. Don’t wait until the year is half over to realize that you’re not on the right track.
9.    Combine your resolutions when you can. For example, if you’d like to spend more time with friends and family and you’d also like to be more fit, figure out a way to combine the two. Play tennis with a good friend, take of cross county skiing with your sister
10.    Keep track of your resolutions and build on them. I like to keep my lists from years past so that I can see where Ive been and were I’m going. At the very least, its fun.

Good luck making and keeping your New Years resolutions. Happy New Year!

Total SERP domination is just another way to build brand awareness, strengthen your brand and increase conversions. In this blog post I will describe five simple tactics to use when playing the SERP domination game.

1. Create microsites with clear calls to action. These microsites can be simple. Make sure to use a simple domain name to your primary domain. For example, our client Custom Remodelers, Inc. wanted to build brand awareness around the services they offer so ArcStone created a handful of microsites using their existing domain plus the targeted service area.

http://www.customremodelers-siding.com
http://www.customremodelersflooring-mn.com
http://www.customremodelersstormdamage.com

Microsites will help you grab additional spots in Google’s top ten. These sites not only help you get more top results, they also help push your competition down.

2. Use Social Media Profiles. Creating social media profiles is pretty much standard for every company today. If you’re not sure that LinkedIn, or Twitter may be right for your business, consider this. Social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube have a high domain authority and typically rank very high in the SERPs. Our client, Donnay Homes wanted to engage with customers on a deeper level and get more exposure in the SERPs. We created social media profiles for them.

Donnay Homes on Twitter
Donnay Homes on Facebook
Donnay Homes on LinkedIN

3. Claim Google Local Listings. Another way to dominate the SERPs is to create a listing in Google Local. Google Local listings (7-packs) are the listings that appear on a map when you a Google your company’s name. We claimed the Google local profile for our client Glendale Photographer, Cilento Photography.

Cilento Photography - Google Maps

4. Write Press Releases and News about your company. Distributing press releases and news about your company will snag another result in the search engine results pages. Coming up with good topics is really quite easy. Recently our client, Minneapolis moving company, Barrett Moving & Storage won a van operator of the year award. ArcStone helped get the word out about Barrett’s achievement by submitting the press release to distribution sites on the Web. If you’re unsure what to write about here are some other topic ideas:

• Personnel changes
• The launch of a new program or service
• Events & Awards

5. Build Brand Profiles on High Authority Sites. Building company pages on sites like Wikipedia will also help you pick up additional results in the search engine results pages. Keep in mind that Wikipedia will reject pages that blatantly sell or market your brand. If your company has newsworthy history you may be able to pass the Wikipedia sniff test. Our client Meshbesher & Spence, founded by Ron Meshbesher has a very rich history in Minnesota. ArcStone created a Wikipedia page for Ron Meshbesher that consistently ranks in Google’s top ten.

6. Run a PPC Campaign. Pay per click is another way to dominate the SERPs and generally speaking, your company’s name will not be an expensive keyword to target.

Meshbesher & Spence PPC

Good luck with TOTAL SERP domination! As always, if you have questions or need assistance. Contact me at lisa@arcstone.com.

Earlier this month Google rolled out a new feature called “Google Instant.” From Google’s official blog:

“Google Instant is search-before-you-type. Instant takes what you have typed already, predicts the most likely completion and streams results in real-time for those predictions—yielding a smarter and faster search that is interactive, predictive and powerful.”

Currently Google Instant is only available to logged in users. The search behemoth plans to roll-out the mobile version “soon.”

Right away I wondered how this latest feature would impact SEO and Reputation Management, my main focus at ArcStone Technologies.

I tested the roll-out by starting to type in ArcStone. By the time I typed ArcSt – Google instant produced results for ArcStone (http://www.arcstone.com).

What does it mean for your brand?

If a company can dominate the search results for a keyword term or their company name this will increase the company’s visibility in a big way.

Similarly if you can achieve high rankings for some popular Google Instant results you will be able to significantly impact your website’s traffic.

Google claims that Google Instant will save searchers time. I’m not sure I buy this. Yes, Google Instant allows you to refine your search on the fly so you can get the results you want to see but will you save loads of time using it?

How will this change the SEO game?

Google Instant adds another layer to SEO. Fortunately most SEOs are in the field because they like the fast-paced, always-evolving demands of the job. Google Instant will definitely impact the keywords we select for optimization. SEOs will look for trending themes and try to rank for those keywords. For example, if I was working with a Minnesota Car Accident Lawyer or a Minneapolis Moving Company, I’d probably look for opportunities around trending Google Instant “Minnesota” searches. I’d capitalize on these searches by creating and optimizing content that ties-in to the Minnesota Vikings or Minnesota State Fair.

Google Instant will impact longtail keyword opportunities because Instant will finish the query before the searcher will be able to type in their longer, more specific query.

It’s too early to tell the consequences for SEO. Time will tell.

Deciding to overhaul your company’s website is no small decision. Beyond setting aside a moderate budget for the project, there are important decisions to be made: what should it look like? Who should you hire to handle the coding and design? What does it even need to do, that it doesn’t do now?

Given these tough questions, and the expense of a quality website, it’s no wonder so many business owners and marketing managers decide to put off upgrading their sites. Deciding to hesitate, however, is usually false economy: it ends up costing you more than you’d save, when you consider lost online sales, lowered impressions of your company, and so on. For most businesses, an outdated website is like having a salesman with a polyester suit and bell-bottom pants—it’s telling people that you aren’t with the times.

To keep you fashionably profitable, here are five tips for taking the website redesign plunge:

1. Ask questions. A critical part of the web design process happens before a single pixel is placed. Some of the things you’ll want to know before you begin your new site are what it’s going to look like, how long it’s going to take, what the costs will be, which features will be added, and so on. Don’t be afraid to ask about things you aren’t familiar with, either. A good web design partner can help steer you towards the features and platforms you need, rather than just the ones you’re most comfortable with.

2. Think of all the numbers involved. What you end up paying for your website isn’t nearly as important as what it ends up paying you back. Most business owners understand this point on a certain level, but find it’s easy to forget once they’re looking at different bids. Make sure to compare apples to apples and remember that six months from now, it’s what your site is earning that will matter most.

3. Consider design, functionality and marketing. Lots of clients never get past the first mockup picture; they become so mesmerized by the new look of their website that they get into a rush to put it online without much further thought. Most profits, however, come from what your site can do… not just what it looks like, so give as much time to the functions and programming as you do to the artistic vision.

4. Test out a new design using a landing page. Not sure about redesigning your entire site? Start with a baby step. A landing page is a good way to try out a new look, logo or message. Make sure there is a clear call-to-action and use analytics tools like CrazyEgg to conduct A-B testing. Check out the landing page we did for Donnay Homes.

5. Find a design partner you can trust. Redesigning a website is a longer and harder process than most people think; there are layouts, meetings, changes, more meetings, and a whole lot of tests and opinions. For that reason, it’s important you choose a design partner you trust to lead you through the process. Otherwise, you could find yourself several weeks – and several checks – into the process feeling more confused than when you began.

Think your website could use an overhaul? Contact ArcStone Technologies today to find out about our web design services and get a free website evaluation. It probably costs less than you think, and we’ll keep your site looking better than ever – both online and on the bottom line.

One of the greatest things about the Internet is that it’s allowed people to share information and impressions with each other at an absolutely unprecedented rate. Review sites for different products, vendors, and services are popping up all over the Internet. If you run across something you’re interested in buying, but haven’t heard of before, or using a company you’ve never heard of, it usually only takes a few mouse clicks to figure out what others’ impressions have been, which is a great thing…

As long as it’s being done honestly and legitimately.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. There is a growing trend among some unscrupulous businesses to go online and post negative reviews about their competitors. Because these review sites carry a lot of weight with search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, it only takes one or two bad comments to put a major dent in your sales – online and off. Here are four things you can do to stop review sites from killing your online reputation:

Encourage reviews.
Of course, the best thing you can do is make sure every customer you have is happy with you, and telling the world about it. Just as bad reviews can kill your business, good ones can push it over the top and help you gather more customers than ever. In fact, a steady stream of strong reviews will usually drown out one or two instances of average or poor feedback, so do what you can to encourage happy customers to speak out.

Monitor the sites yourself.
You don’t want to find out you’ve gotten a bad review weeks or months after it has been posted. Take a bit of time every couple of weeks – marking your calendar if that’s what it takes to remember – and look through what customers are saying. It should only take you a minute, but the information you’ll get is invaluable. Use tools like Google Alerts to monitor your reputation. Create alerts for your business name, key personnel or products.

Dispute malicious or incorrect information.
If someone has posted information about your company that just isn’t true, then make sure to find it. Most review sites have set policies for challenging entries, and it’s usually easy to have one removed if it’s obviously been posted by a competitor or someone who hasn’t done business with you. Again, a keen eye is your best weapon.

Take feedback to heart.
There are going to be times, of course, when you get a poor review and it’s your fault. There isn’t much you can do in that situation except trying to remedy the situation with the customer (who might in turn remove or edit their review), or vowing to do better in the future. Over time, your reviews will likely show a positive or negative trend, depending on how hard you’re willing to work to improve your product or service.

Want to keep closer tabs on your online reputation? Ask us about ArcStone’s Reputation Management Services, which scans all major websites, and the web in general, for feedback and information provided about your company. It’s the ultimate tool for any company that wants to make a positive impression on their next customer.

I’ve been thinking about writing a post on Google Caffeine since Google announced their search engine upgrade back in August (and then again in November). Yes, there was a little hype – Matt Cutts, (a software engineer at Google – can you say nerd celebrity?) said it would be rolling out in early January 2010. This was big news in the SEO world. There was a lot of buzz and speculation. Mostly, SEOs were anxious about how this new upgrade would change the way we search.

Why was it such big news for SEO? Easy – Google Caffeine was going to revolutionize search by adding a live search component. Basically live search allows up to the minute announcements from Social Media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, and news feeds. Interesting.

I started seeing live search results a few weeks ago. My first reaction was lukewarm as I was afraid that the organic search results would be diluted by a bunch of useless tweets. In fact, several industry experts speculated that adding the live search results would change the way people search.

How did they think it would change search? Consider this – A typical Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) may contain all of these elements – sponsored listings, organic links, GoogleBase links, video links, news links and now social media links. That’s a pretty big page with lots of stuff on it!

What does this mean? Slowly, pages two and three may become more significant in search results. People will get used to clicking on “next results.” They will search deeper – similar to the way they search through images.

Fast Forward 3 Weeks

I noticed this when i was working on one of my new search engine optimization accounts – ICE-Qube.com. They make these fantastic emergency preparedness kits.

I was searching for “emergency survival kits” and this nice little image, description and link showed up from “My Social Circle” on the 1st page of Google. “My Social Circle” has the potential to turn search marketing upside down. Basically it could mean the more connected, the wider your social circle grows, the more we utilize social media – in this case Twitter – the more likely it is that we will be in Google’s 1st page of results. Wow, this is incredibly powerful stuff!!

ArcStone client Ice-Qube.com on 1st page of Google search.

If you weren’t on the social media bandwagon before, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

Incidentally, here comes my pitch – if you need help setting up a social media strategy, feel free to contact me. Yes, that’s a shameless plug.

Recently I was working on a client’s search marketing campaign. Within a few clicks it became apparent just how important monitoring and managing your reputation online can be.

Contributor sites like Yelp, CitySearch & Google Maps / Local make it very easy for anyone on the web to write and publish a review about your business. You might be thinking, “That’s great! We really strive to provide great service, an awesome product (fill in the blank).”

But what about the dangerous cocktail of that one customer who received bad service, slipped through the cracks and likes to talk? You may provide great service 99.9% of the time but one negative review or comment can spread like a nasty virus. You’ve worked for months – even years to build your brand – don’t let one disgruntled person wipe it all away.

Fortunately my client’s online reputation was all very positive but one of their main competitors had numerous scathing, negative reviews and comments that I would guess they know nothing about.

Monitor what people are saying about you

First of all, in order to take action against negative comments about your business you need to know that they exist. If you don’t know they’re out there how can you possibly respond quickly and effectively?

Is the buzz about your business good or bad?

Tools to help you manage your reputation online

One free tool that I like is WhosTalkin. This site lets you search social media conversations. Their search and sorting algorithm uses data from over 60 social media websites like Twitter and WordPress.

WhosTalkin for Reputation Management

Another essential tool for managing your online reputation is Google Alerts.

Google Alerts is an extremely useful tool when you want to know what both consumers and the press are saying about a brand, company, issue or event, or, if you want to know how the public feels about something.

Setting up Alerts is easy. Simply go to Google News and click on the ‘Alerts’ button in the left hand column, choose the word or phrase you wish to monitor, what kind of alerts you want and how often. You can edit and add new ones whenever you like but remember to use quotations to designate an “exact search” if you are monitoring a phrase rather than a single word or you’ll get a lot of irrelevant results.

Google Alerts for Managing Your Reputation Online

Google Alerts can be useful to track the evolution of a news story such as the H1-N1 virus or follow an industry trend. I use it to track SEO trends and product news. It can also be very useful to track the competition and as a reputation management tool. For example, if a disgruntled employee bashes your business on a blog site you will be notified and you can take action.

What should you do if you find a bad review?

Find out who wrote the comment. Who are they? Who do they work for? Is it a competitor? Try to determine what their comment will mean for your business? Is the comment posted on a well-respected, heavily trafficked site? What is their audience reach?

Determine whether the comment is factually incorrect. If it is, request removal or retraction of the comment. Offer to keep the person who wrote the comment up to date on your business via email. If you receive no response leave a comment in your defense at the site. Keep in mind that this should be your last resort. You really want the comment removed.

What if the comment is negative but true?

Try to share your side of the story. Were there extenuating circumstances that kept your business from performing well that day? Note – Don’t make excuses. Show how you are resolving the issue. Did you make an additional hire to help assist customers? Did you change a policy or procedure? Indicate that you are willing to take additional questions or comments via email. Doing so will make the public conversation private.

What can positive review do for you?

Other than giving you a nice stroke and ego boost, a positive comment can have a positive effect in your local search rankings. Local search rankings are influenced by the number of reviews and citations the business has. Citations are “mentions” of your website (may not have a link).

How can you get more positive reviews?

Writing a review for your business may not be on the top of your customer’s list. Let’s face it – It’s a pain. Make it as easy as possible for them to give you good feedback. At ArcStone we use RRR (Ratings, Reviews & Recommendations) pages to help facilitate gathering reviews. The RRR page provides links to the local search sites and explains the process.

Good luck managing your online reputation! Remember if it’s too daunting or you’re just too busy doing what you do – reputation management is a service we specialize in at ArcStone Technologies. Please contact me at lisa@arcstone.com if you’d like details on our SEO & Search Marketing Services.

Big news in Facebook land. Starting on June 12th at 11:01pm (to be exact), people and companies using the social networking giant, will be able to create their own “vanity URL”.

What does that mean to you and me? For you, it might mean an easier Facebook address to direct people to, for me it means new search engine optimization (SEO) and branding opportunities to explore.

On The Facebook blog, Facebook Designer, Blaise DiPersia writes,

“We’re planning to offer Facebook usernames to make it easier for people to find and connect with you. When your friends, family members or co-workers visit your profile or Pages on Facebook, they will be able to enter your username as part of the URL in their browser. This way people will have an easy-to-remember way to find you. We expect to offer even more ways to use your Facebook username in the future.”

Note, new Facebookers (those who joined after May 31, 2009) and those fan pages with fewer than 1,000 fans will not be eligible. Sorry newbies!

What does that mean for SEO? Simply put, individuals and companies will be able to market their brands much easier. Did I mention that MySpace and Twitter already offer vanity URLs? Facebook has always lagged behind in this area. Very soon, individuals and companies will be able to easily share their “branded” Facebook URL. For example, in the past, finding someone on Facebook was a bit of a pain. Now people can just use your name.

See Blaise’s example:

A couple of notes, if you want to remain anonymous, you may not want your vanity URL. If your name is John Smith, be prepared for a longer vanity like www.facebook.com/JohnGeorgeFranklinSmith, unless you’re very lucky.

I suspect that there will be a mad frenzy to snatch up popular names and brands. Remember back when those sneaky cyber squatters bought up lots of great domains just to turn around and sell them for mucho dinaro? Facebook says that it is setup to handle trademark infringement cases but still, expect lots of gray areas and legal battles.

One significant thing to note, Facebookers will not be able to register generic terms like ‘houses’. I’m sure there will be a lot of people pushing the envelope on this one. Will you be allowed to select MinneapolisGreenHomes? It’s still pretty generic but it’s a specific, generic term.

Another important note, once you select your vanity URL you cannot go back and change it. Now is not the time to make a typo because you were rushed. Carefully review your selection before hitting that save button.

On a related note, Facebook’s rollout seems to coincide with speculation that Twitter is going to implode because of its inability to scale. It’s a little reminiscent of the hysteria around Y2K. Remember that? Call me a cynic, but how is it possible that this weekend is significant for the two social media giants? I wish I could believe that it’s pure coincidence but…

Be sure to remember to get your Facebook URL rockin’! As for me, I’ll be busy celebrating my son, Jackson’s 9th birthday!