The world just keeps inventing new things, though few make me pay attention. This one did.
A website for a therapist in Montreal, Bianca Saia, includes a new kind of use of video. Apparently, the website uses a service call VYou, which in essence makes it looks like a) you're sitting there online on a webcam when people visit, and b) you can answer questions.
It seems you must record answers to some questions and the VYou service must use some kind of artificial intelligence to pick the right video answer to play.
It is sorta damn cool. And maybe a little spooky. Take a peek and tell me what you think! Peter
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Google Adwords ads - some now appearing at the bottom of the page
Hi fellow therapists,
If you are already an Adwords customer, you may have been looking at the Google search results lately going "where is my ad?" You may want to scroll down and look for it at the bottom of the page.
According to this November 2nd post on Google's Inside Adwords blog Google has decided to move ads for some searches (seems like local service searches, mostly) from the right side to the bottom. It appears ads that were able to have a high enough CTR/bid for that keyword will still show at the top of the page. This will only impact the ads that were showing on the right side of the screen.
They claim this will often result in an INCREASE in click-thru rate. I don't know that I believe that will be true, but I don't have any data yet to back it up.
I do believe it will cause an increase in worried emails to Your Google Guy :-)
I'll be watching this to see what the impact of this change is.
Best, Peter
If you are already an Adwords customer, you may have been looking at the Google search results lately going "where is my ad?" You may want to scroll down and look for it at the bottom of the page.
According to this November 2nd post on Google's Inside Adwords blog Google has decided to move ads for some searches (seems like local service searches, mostly) from the right side to the bottom. It appears ads that were able to have a high enough CTR/bid for that keyword will still show at the top of the page. This will only impact the ads that were showing on the right side of the screen.
They claim this will often result in an INCREASE in click-thru rate. I don't know that I believe that will be true, but I don't have any data yet to back it up.
I do believe it will cause an increase in worried emails to Your Google Guy :-)
I'll be watching this to see what the impact of this change is.
Best, Peter
Sunday, October 16, 2011
"The Blog Life-Cycle"
I LOVE this article, found it yesterday. It echoes my belief that most people launch into blogging and will stop (pretty quickly).
Their stats are that 95% of blogs are abandoned within 120 days. 60-80% in the first month.
Well I can bore you to death or you can read it here.
If you're wondering whether to bother clicking, the very funny Blog Lifecycle is worth it!
Best, Peter
Your Web-Blog-Marketing-Twitter-Google Guy
Their stats are that 95% of blogs are abandoned within 120 days. 60-80% in the first month.
Well I can bore you to death or you can read it here.
If you're wondering whether to bother clicking, the very funny Blog Lifecycle is worth it!
Best, Peter
Your Web-Blog-Marketing-Twitter-Google Guy
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The First "Death Watch" Article I've Seen for Google+
Hi everyone,
I've been pretty busy in both the counseling and SEO/Adwords sphere lately. Not a lot of time for fun and games. So, I've got to say I am one of the many who apparently spent a week on Google+, and then never went back. I've certainly been on Facebook, but have heard nary a peep from old +, or people inviting me/dogging me to get active on it.
I hadn't thought about it much (I've been basically waiting to see when they offered some kind of Business Page - I'll be the first to hop on and list mine when they do!) until today. One of the industry newsletters I follow had the following article: Google+ Goes Critical - But Not in a Good Way.
It's the first "death watch" article I've seen. I've always been pretty pessimistic that Google+ could break the hold Facebook had on us, or that there was enough attention to support both. Appears I was right.
Money quote:
Take care, Peter
Your Good Ole Google Guy
I've been pretty busy in both the counseling and SEO/Adwords sphere lately. Not a lot of time for fun and games. So, I've got to say I am one of the many who apparently spent a week on Google+, and then never went back. I've certainly been on Facebook, but have heard nary a peep from old +, or people inviting me/dogging me to get active on it.
I hadn't thought about it much (I've been basically waiting to see when they offered some kind of Business Page - I'll be the first to hop on and list mine when they do!) until today. One of the industry newsletters I follow had the following article: Google+ Goes Critical - But Not in a Good Way.
It's the first "death watch" article I've seen. I've always been pretty pessimistic that Google+ could break the hold Facebook had on us, or that there was enough attention to support both. Appears I was right.
Money quote:
Millions signed onto Google's service as soon as it went public. Critical mass seemed well on its way. If the trends held up, this could change everything.How about you? Have you stayed active on Google+? Or tried it and forgot it? I'd love to know. Comment, tweet me or email.
And then it died.
Take care, Peter
Your Good Ole Google Guy
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
My newest SEO package for therapists!
Hi everyone,
Well, fall is like an elixir for me, gets me refocused on work and getting stuff done! To that end, I am happy to present my newest SEO services package to you. It's based on the experienced, feedback and input of therapists along the way, and is really focused on providing value for your money.
The full details are at: http://www.yourgoogleguy.com/seofortherapists.htm but here's the gist of it:
MONTH 1
1/2 Hour Call with Peter - Feedback on Your Website to Help Make More Visitors Turn Into Clients!
Claim Google Places page
Optimize Google Places page
Keyword Research
Keyword Mapping - Identifying which pages should rank for each page
Title Tag Optimization
Meta Tag Optimization (Description & Keyword Tags)
Creation of Sitemap.xml File
Robots.txt File Review
Setup Google Webmaster Tools
On-site footer optimization
MONTH 2 and BEYOND
Rank Tracking for multiple keywords on Google & Google Local
Continued Link-Building to raise your rankings
Updates (and action if needed) on all major Google algorithm changes
Action Item for you to increase web & SEO visibility
PRICING:
First month: $399
Following months: $199
Minimum 2 months of service
Prices slightly higher for practitioners wishing to optimize multiple office locations
For this package, you'll be working with me and my business partner, Michael Borgelt. Michael's got an amazing track record of national and local SEO results. If this package doesn't meet your particular needs, please contact me to discuss a custom SEO services package.
I know this stuff can be confusing for many practitioners, so I am happy to offer a free 20-30 minute chat to answer all your questions. Drop me an email and we'll set something up! Best, Peter
Well, fall is like an elixir for me, gets me refocused on work and getting stuff done! To that end, I am happy to present my newest SEO services package to you. It's based on the experienced, feedback and input of therapists along the way, and is really focused on providing value for your money.
The full details are at: http://www.yourgoogleguy.com/seofortherapists.htm but here's the gist of it:
MONTH 1
MONTH 2 and BEYOND
PRICING:
For this package, you'll be working with me and my business partner, Michael Borgelt. Michael's got an amazing track record of national and local SEO results. If this package doesn't meet your particular needs, please contact me to discuss a custom SEO services package.
I know this stuff can be confusing for many practitioners, so I am happy to offer a free 20-30 minute chat to answer all your questions. Drop me an email and we'll set something up! Best, Peter
Saturday, July 30, 2011
About That Adwords Click-To-Call Email
Hi Folks,
Getting a lot of questions about the announcement from Google about an enhancement to their Click-To-Call service. This is one that let's you actually call (from your computer) based on an Adwords ad.
Two things, first for people who I've worked with - this doesn't affect you. This feature is not something I use for therapy businesses. So, as with many Google things, just delete that email and enjoy your weekend.
For those out there, this only impacts you if you have ads with your phone # in them, or are using a very advanced feature called "Call Extensions".
I don't think that having the phone # in an ad is useful for us as therapists. For some businesses (let's say a locksmith, or a tow-truck) where you really don't care *who* provides the service, you just want it *now*, I see this as a useful thing. But, unless your ideal client really can pick a therapist from a 25-character headline, and 70 characters of ad copy, then I have never seen it as a useful thing.
In my counseling experience, I've found people who want a generic counselor to be difficult clients that don't stay long, don't do much work, and often have trouble paying.
As a client of other practitioners (therapy, massage, acupuncture, etc.) I cannot imagine calling from an Adwords ad. I'd need to go to the therapist's website (or some other web page about them) before wanting to call.
As always, you can count on me to have an opinion :-)
Now go get back to the weekend! Best, Peter
Google Adwords for Therapists
Getting a lot of questions about the announcement from Google about an enhancement to their Click-To-Call service. This is one that let's you actually call (from your computer) based on an Adwords ad.
Two things, first for people who I've worked with - this doesn't affect you. This feature is not something I use for therapy businesses. So, as with many Google things, just delete that email and enjoy your weekend.
For those out there, this only impacts you if you have ads with your phone # in them, or are using a very advanced feature called "Call Extensions".
I don't think that having the phone # in an ad is useful for us as therapists. For some businesses (let's say a locksmith, or a tow-truck) where you really don't care *who* provides the service, you just want it *now*, I see this as a useful thing. But, unless your ideal client really can pick a therapist from a 25-character headline, and 70 characters of ad copy, then I have never seen it as a useful thing.
In my counseling experience, I've found people who want a generic counselor to be difficult clients that don't stay long, don't do much work, and often have trouble paying.
As a client of other practitioners (therapy, massage, acupuncture, etc.) I cannot imagine calling from an Adwords ad. I'd need to go to the therapist's website (or some other web page about them) before wanting to call.
As always, you can count on me to have an opinion :-)
Now go get back to the weekend! Best, Peter
Google Adwords for Therapists
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Today's Advice About Google Plus
Hey folks,
Had some fun with an animating tool called Xtranormal. But the message is what I'd say if I had to type it. So take a look - two and a half minutes of fun (it made my wife laugh).
FYI, the link for a Google Plus button is at http://www.google.com/webmasters/+1/button/
Happy Summer! Peter in still rainy Seattle
Your Google (+?) Guy
Had some fun with an animating tool called Xtranormal. But the message is what I'd say if I had to type it. So take a look - two and a half minutes of fun (it made my wife laugh).
FYI, the link for a Google Plus button is at http://www.google.com/webmasters/+1/button/
Happy Summer! Peter in still rainy Seattle
Your Google (+?) Guy
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