The Value of Website Linking – Are you Linked in?

As an individual who works in the Internet advertising industry I am always seeking to understand how Internet visibility and websites work and perform. You may have heard of Google’s “algorithm” before, but may not exactly understand what it means. Basically, by simple definition, it’s a way for Google to assess the relevancy of a website for a given search term. Different parts of this secret equation are weighted, and that weighting changes constantly as technology, human behavior and different types of media evolve. Clear as mud?

I recently launched a blog to showcase my clients, send them “link juice” to increase their relevancy for certain search terms, and… honestly… to create my online professional identity and brag book. I took care of 3 professional necessities in 1 shot… winning! If you choose to visit www.inlandempirelawyers.wordpress.com, pay attention to the way I’ve titled, phrased and tagged my blogs. This is the digital world advertising has evolved to. Page authority, Domain authority, authoritative links, keyword density, H1 & H2 tags… it’s enough to make a person go crazy. At this point in time, inbound linking (quantity and quality), is roughly 40% of the algorithm weight. Think of inbound links as a popularity vote, the more you have the more search engines see you as relevant. The more you have from the jocks, preps and cheerleaders, the better. Media rich unique content, social media, blogging, proper site coding & tagging and about a dozen other factors determine how a website will rank… and the rules & weights change daily.

I love the show Mad Men… I sometimes think that was a time I should have been in advertising for. Slick taglines, fedoras and scotch… lots of scotch.

Why do marketers & businesses need to pay attention to this? Recent polls suggest that as many as 85% of Google users stay on the first page of results, and only about 10% will even grace page 2 with a click. Think about how you search… how many times do you click to page 2? Or do you just search again with a more targeted term like me?

 

How to Make Lemonade… A Sales Professional’s Approach.

In today’s economic world there’s a lot of lemons going around. As a sales person, I get to hear and experience a lot from my clients… but wanted to focus on how I get up everyday and make it happen.

Today I drove for an hour and a half, in the rain, in LA traffic to get to a client that didn’t remember that we had an appointment. Furthermore, he wasn’t in the office and wasn’t coming back. Initially, this is the point where I usually flip my s**t. Why isn’t my time to him, as important as his time to me? I had spent an hour crafting my pitch and was prepared with all of the collateral… he couldn’t have said no even if he tried.

I calmed myself for a moment, started my car and hit the “home” button on my navigation. Any sales person reading this has had this experience… guaranteed.

About 10 minutes into my journey back home… I reflected about how these are the times that deter people from choosing sales as a career, or choosing anything that has potential for heavy disappointment. Fear of disappointment and failure is the murderer of success. All of the idioms and sales cheerleading mottos from the last 10 years came into my head:
1) If it were easy everybody would do it.
2) ABC… Always Be Closing.
3) Look under every rock, you might find a diamond.
A funny thing happened. I turned my car around and decided to check in on a lead that I talked to a month prior. This was 30 minutes past my original appointment, but what the heck… I was all dressed up and wanted to dance. I walked into his office, sat in his lobby and told the receptionist I would wait. And wait I did.

Sales professionals are a special breed. We keep calling when 100 people said no. When people criticize our products and service we confirm, apologize and redirect. Most important, the successful ones look for a way to make lemonade… even when they have no lemons.

After about 45 minutes waiting, my potential sale walked out and said there was no way he was going to buy. I joined him in his office, had a conversation, showed him what I had prepared for my previous client that no showed, and he signed the contract.

This is what keeps me going. This small piece of success is the spark that drives some of the best innovators and entrepreneurs in the world. If you never taste the bitterness of failure, how will you ever truly know the sweetness of success. It’s the failures that keep me going… because they historically always inevitably lead to success.

Please visit my other blog if you’d like to know more about Inland Empire Lawyer marketing.

MC Hammer is Launching His Own Search Engine

MC Hammer announced his new search engine WireDoo today at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. There is so much to say about this… I really don’t even know how to organize my thoughts.

First, a shameless 90′s throwback:

Okay… so… is MC Hammer’s search engine idea really that bad? First off, I am a fan of competition and Google’s (roughly) 75% market share has always bothered me. Sure… Yahoo and Bing have the opportunity to out-tech and acquire more users, but Google is such a simple, gratifying experience how can the other 25% compete? First we should quickly talk about how search engines actually make money… it sounds like an easy question, but not many people know the answer. When a search is done, search engines can deliver ads on the top and margin of results that are relevant to the search. Advertisers don’t pay when their ad is seen, but only pay for each click that goes to their website through a fairly elaborate bidding system. Rates range from $0.05 to over $50.00 for each click depending on the search volume and competition. The psychology behind the value of the type of advertising is fascinating, but beyond the scope of this lil ole blog. In 2010 Google’s revenue grew over 24% over 2009 to $29.3B… and there’s no plateau in sight. I believe that this market is a prime target for upstarts with something to offer… but can a former rap star create a credible rival to Google, Yahoo or Bing?

For the sake of this conversation I have to actually pause calling him MC Hammer and I’ll now switch to his real name Stanley Burrell… It’s hard to picture “MC Hammer” as a genius Internet mogul and I can’t take it seriously. We now have to address why a user would want to use Burrell’s WireDoo… there would have to be some sort of value proposition. Burrell is positioning his WireDoo to deliver ”relational” results. So as a possibility you could search “Houses” and WireDoo might deliver results for websites with content regarding mortgage rates, mobile homes, home loans etc. Unfortunately I find it hard to believe that users would regularly use a search engine to find stuff they were “sorta” looking for, but not what you wanted. Google is the popular choice for many reasons, but mostly because the uncanny accuracy of it’s relevancy algorithm (this is the reason their stock price is $580 a share versus Yahoo’s $16 share price). Google can even finish your thoughts in the search bar using it’s predictive search based on the volume & frequency of search phrases done by other users.

So is this just capitalism getting ready to self regulate the Google machine? Could the future of search engines be private branding and Hammer, (switching back now), is truly way ahead of his time? Will Snooki have her own search engine some day that delivers results relating to tanning, alcohol and foul language? Please Hammer don’t hurt us (sorry, I promised myself I’d use at least 1 of his works as a cheap joke… I played my hand).

In the end I commend Hammer… it takes some stones to throw your hat into a $50,000,000,000 ring. Many failed inventions lead to incredible technologies. Maybe the “Hammerithm” will bewilder technology buffs in the coming years. Quite frankly, it’s also kind of nice to talk about search engines in a way other than the de facto standard that Google has set.

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Why Does Hollywood Keep Remaking Movies?

So I just got out of watching the “new” movie remake “The Thing”. I am now thoroughly convinced that Hollywood has run out of original ideas. Before I went to ”The Thing” I knew I wanted to write about it, but didn’t have an angle. After the credits I knew how this blog would end up. I also happened  to watch the original for reference since it had been years since I last saw it… I highly receommend it even if your not going to see the new incarnation.

I’m the type of person who likes to see who directed a film before I go to a movie and learned ahead of time that The Thing’s new director is Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. I was surprised that a virtual unknown was commissioned to take on a horror classic and walk in the footsteps of horror great John Carpenter. I was alarmed, but hopeful that I would get an unexpected surprise like I did when I saw (a then unknown) David Slade’s “30 Days of Night” which I thought was phenomenal.

SPOILER ALERT: The entire movie is set as the prequel to the 1982 original. That being said, one would expect a movie with a different plot and different sequence of events… at the very least different fricking scenes! Van Heijningen was either trying at an homage or direct rip off of Carpenter’s work, I can’t tell which. Carpenter’s best scene (IMO) where the scientists were tested one-by-one, revealing a monster in disguise… hacked. Carpenter’s scene where a member of the group is isolated until tested… hacked. If the main function of this movie is to lead up to the opening scene of the 1982 original, then why would Van Heijningen use virtually the same scenes?

Here’s a pretty good list of some bad hollywood remakes, which begs the question: Why do they keep doing this to us? I am starting to think that there are really no original ideas left in Hollywood and all that’s left is unoriginal re-hashed movies that catch our eye with new computer generated graphics or trendy 3D. The last movie I can remember seeing that I thought had a truly original concept was “Inception” from writer/director Christopher Nolan.

Nolan also impressed me with his other original masterpiece “Memento” which he directed and co-wrote with his brother Jonathan Nolan. The irony is that Nolan has also directed the latest run of “Batman” remake movies: 2005, 2008, 2012 (which I think are the best versions in addition to Tim Burton’s 1989 version). Nolan also recently worked as a story writer for ”Man of Steel”… yes… a Superman remake prepped for a 2013 release (no official trailer available yet).

I guess I’m just tired of it. Either: A) Hollywood thinks we’re stupid and will spoon feed us the same regurgitated plots like a mama bird because we continue to fork out the $11.00 a ticket, or B) They really have run out of original ideas and are scrambling like crack heads with a $10 bill to find their next fix. Either way… it’s just bad business.

What are the best and worst movie remakes in your opinion and do you want to keep seeing the same storylines updated by technology? Is this a lack of originality, or just moviemakers capitalizing on the “franchiseness” of classic titles.

Oh yeah… as I left the theater I enjoyed the freshly pressed movie promo signage for “Footloose” and “The Three Musketeers“… all new and soon coming to a theater near you.

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Occupy Wall Street Says Close Your Bank Account

The group “Occupy Wall Street” recommended today that we all close our bank accounts and move to smaller banks and credit unions by November 5th 2011.

Yahoo article here, provided by Main St.

Right now 192,451 people have “liked” the group’s Facebook page and support is growing for this movement. I’m not necessarily for or against their cause, but it seems to me that they are the hippies of the 21st century (that’s not an insult). The main difference is that today they have the ability to reach and organize a wide audience much faster than in the 60s using social media. But what will moving your money accomplish?

Since banks use our money to reinvest and loan to other people it would make sense to “reduce their inventory” of loanable dollars. If they have less money to loan, the less money they will make on the inventory they have… right? Not necessarily. If they have less inventory that only means that the loanable dollars they do have is now more valuable, possibly causing interest rates on mortgages, car loans and revolving credit to inflate. This seems a case of supply and demand. If the “Big 3″ banks, Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo, (who happen to own about 30% of the US market share), have less inventory that means that the cost gets passed along to us… the “99%”.

I’m not saying do it or not, but think about it before you make your decision. Of course if this is a matter of principle you’ll obviously do whatever you think needs to be done (as would I). But it seems the only institutions that will really benefit from this are the smaller banks and credit unions that Occupy Wall Street recommends we turn to… because they will have more money to lend and thus be more profitable and grow larger… but… wait… What problem are we solving again?

Before you go closing your Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo accounts and moving the money here’s a few things you should consider first… How many direct deposit, auto-pay, auto-donate, and other streamlined services do you already have set up with these institutions and what real effort will it take to switch? It’s not as easy as taking your money and running… and that’s what Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo love!

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Will Best Buy Survive?

First a little disclosure… I previously worked for Best Buy for 8 years and in early 2011 sold the small amount of stock I had in BBY.

When I started working at Best Buy in 2003 it seemed like people couldn’t buy stuff there fast enough. The main competition at the time was Circuit City and they had pretty bad service by comparison. I remember people coming in and literally buying everything the sales force recommended. Credit was easy and so was taking equity out of your house. Just when you thought they couldn’t find more ways to make money they started pushing the sales force to sell “D-Sub” or digital subscriptions to customers. These were subscriptions to things like magazines, a new service called “Netflix“, and other subscriptions which were close to 100% profit. Sure, it pissed some people off being solicited in a retail store… but it makes a ton of cash with virtually no COGS.

And then there was the “Internet”.

Over the last five years Best Buy’s stock has slipped from over $57 a share (Oct. 2006) to under $25 (Sept. 2011). If you lined that decrease up on a timeline over the rate of adoption of high speed Internet you’ll see a correlation. Internet retailers like Amazon, Overstock and literally thousands of micro-retailers focus on drop shipping rather than profit margin. Even more detrimental to Best Buy is that today’s consumers are shopshifting more everyday. Oh yeah… and then there’s the recession. Word on the inside is that they also recently changed their employee purchase policy. They used to allow employee purchases at 5% above cost, in mid 2011 they no longer offer anything close. I have heard that they now cap the employee discount to 50%. That sounds like a lot but some products, like accessories, have over 500% profit margin.

I’m not a Best Buy hater… I actually like going to Best Buy. I’ve found that if I talk to the right sales person I have a great experience. Over the last 5 years they have expanded their installation services as the complexity of consumer technology has grown exponentially. They also needed to do something to offset the decreasing profit margins on the actual products that they sell. I’ve also found that their “Product Service Plans” have worked out well for me and had several items replaced within 2 years due to malfunction. However, even that profit generator is being eroded by online solutions like SquareTrade.

In my opinion there is no replacement for actually shopping in a store. There’s a feeling I get when looking at, seeing and touching products in a retail environment that I just don’t get online… yet. However, the need and want to save money often trumps any “warm and fuzzy” I get when holding the latest gadget.

Jan 2012 Update: Larry Downes at Forbes really lays out a great article about this situation and how it is progressive… they are at the beginning of the “Out of Business” process if they don’t change immediately.

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Magellan Roadmate 3045-LM Review

As a traveling salesperson I use my GPS daily and often. I’ve owned a Harmon Kardon, Navigon, Garmin and this is my second Magellan. I bought this Magellan 3045-LM for about $130 at a local Best Buy and my initial impression after 1 month of use is that I’m not that impressed.

First off the box contains everything you’d expect for using a GPS: USB cable to car charger, window suction cup, instruction manual… the one thing I see missing is the self-adhesive “hockey puck” that many manufacturers include so you can suction it anywhere in you car. This unit also has “Lifetime Map Updates” which is the only reason I bought this one over the model that was $20 cheaper.

Here are a few of my gripes on the Roadmate 3045-LM. First: No manual volume control. This sounds petty, but when an important call comes through and I have speaker phone on the last thing I want to do is fumble through the menu on the LCD screen to quickly turn it down or up. This is also irritating while driving if I’ve turned the GPS down and I need to quickly turn it back up to hear directions. I’m guessing it costs about $0.20 more per unit to build in an actual tactile volume up and down toggle switch, I’d be willing to pay $10.00 more for a GPS with this feature. Second: You have to know the North, East, South and West designation for your destination. While entering your destination address the Roadmate 3045-LM forces you to choose the directional designation while models like the Garmin do not. If you are not sure, unfortunatley you’ll have to guess. Third: The window GPS holder is a hot mess. You actually have to slide the GPS unit down from the top. Since your windshield is slanted at a 45 degree angle towards you this can become somewhat of a problem… however, this is only where your issue begins. Magellan designed an awkward USB slot so that you can pop the USB charger cord directly into the windshield holder. I’m guessing they did this as a cost saving feature of some sort. This means that as you’re sliding the GPS unit down, you have to align the unit with both hands to fit & connect with the USB charger at the bottom of the holder. You’ll also have to wiggle it free when removing. This is completely unnecesary when you compare it to most of the “pop-in” styles of cradels on the market.

Here are some of the things I like about the RoadMate 3045-LM: Large 4.7″ LCD screen, free lifetime map updates, and multi-destination routing. Multi-destination routing is important when your in sales because you can pop in 6 addresses and hit go and the GPS will give the most optimal route… this feature is a deal breaker for me. I’ve also noticed that the RoadMate 3045-LM can acquire satellites much faster than any other GPS I’ve owned.. it is always connected by the time I’ve finished entering my destination address.

Although the RoadMate 3045-LM has many more features I haven’t covered I thought it best to focus on the most important. Manufacturers seem to building a lot of bells & whistles into their devices without trying to perfect the most basics of functionality. Unfortunately, the “basics” are the reason I buy something, the rest is supposed to be the icing.

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