Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

How Do You Get Found Online?

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IMG_2820Lately as I’ve been talking to clients, I’ve seen an increased request to get found online. But where do you start? Yes you can hire SEO firms to work with you on this, and depending on what you do that might be a great idea. But if you’re a small business owner like me, it may not be in the budget. So where do you start? Here’s what I suggest to my clients:

  1. Setup Your Google Business Page – First things first, start with the big guns. Make sure to completely fill out your profile and add photos and your logo! I also have my blog posts automatically posted to my page so that it’s regularly updated. That way people know I’m alive and kicking, and by people, I mean the Google bots.
  2. Setup Bing Places – Why? Because we live in the Northwest and people actually use Bing. Bing Places is great because you can set it up and forget about it.
  3. Depending on your industry I recommend a few other options: Yelp, Angie’s List, and Houzz are three of the most popular.

There’s a ton or sites out there you can choose from but making sure that the main places that people are finding you are claimed and your profiles are completely filled out is the key. Here’s three resources that I use and recommend for clients:

  1. Moz Local – this website tells you all the spots you’re found online and what’s missing.
  2. Google Analytics – if you have your analytics setup then you can see each month where your traffic is coming from. If I see a new referral source to my site I make sure that my profile is filled out on that site to increase my chance of being found.
  3. Odd Dog Media – my friends over at Odd Dog Media are a great web development and local SEO firm. If you need a company, they’re it. But if you don’t have the budget, they wrote up this awesome and simple guide to Local SEO.

Questions? That’s what I’m here for!

Is That How You Treat Your Client?

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norm at the beachEvery once in a while I run into another service provider when I’m working with a client and think “huh.” A year ago I wrote about this – but it’s happening again, and I figured it was time for a reminder.

One of the reasons I started my own business is because I’m totally unemployable. I work at my own schedule, which bosses didn’t always appreciate and I like my own schedule. BUT when I’m working with a client and they have a team (graphic designer, web developer, SEO consultant, virtual assistant, etc.) I trust my client has hired them because they know, like and trust them, and I only refer service providers I know, like and trust.

So when another service provider decided to stop answering my emails about a week ago, I was annoyed. I talked with the client and the client recognized it, which is good. Then another service provider started giving a lot of suggestions that don’t seem to be in my client’s best interests. After reviewing an email that asked a lot of weird questions I thought we’d already answered or weren’t in the scope of need for this client, I asked my client about it. Luckily my client felt the same way and we’re working together with this service provider to ensure our CLIENT’S vision is going to be the final product. Not the service providers.

As a service provider we need to ensure our clients get the results they want, not what you want. Yes client’s hire us to give our expertise and opinion, but in the end, it’s their business and their decision. Just because I hate pink doesn’t mean my client shouldn’t have pink branding materials. Now, if my client uses comic sans, we have another story…

When you finish working with a client they should be happy with the work you’ve done, and proud to share it. If they are hesitant to use the materials you provided – it’s time for a conversation to figure out what’s going on. Make sure that you have THEIR best interests in mind, not your own desires.