Google trends shows just a few of the trending holiday search terms that show up in November and December.

  One of my favorite seasonal topics is recipe related search terms. The Google trends data shows how the spikes for recipe terms take off during the holidays.

This trending data really comes home when we look at our modern society, especially for those of us in the North America, is faced with the pressure of gift giving. It is even true when there is not enough in the family budget to give a gift to everyone on the list. Not surprisingly, this pressure works to the advantage of numerous retail businesses. Modern retailers use this pressure to help market the latest releases of everything from games to shoes.

A retailer can use keyword trending data to optimize ads and webpages to improve the performance of paid and organic search campaigns. The brand BestBuy is a great example since they are a leading marketer of consumer technology products. If BestBuy wants to develop a marketing campaign around TVs they can use the Google Adword tool to inform them about the keywords that performed the best over the last 12 months.

The “broad match” keyword data shows the volume for these keywords is enormous and is highly competitive. The local trending data which is the nice graphic to the far right of the table is simply showing how the search demand (search traffic) for each keyword has changed over the last 12 months.  The trending data over the last 12 months helps the SEM (search engine marketing) professional to see what keywords have the most traffic and the highest CPC (cost per click).

The keywords with the highest demand and are most competitive are the generic “flat screen TV” and the brand term “Samsung TV”. The keyword that shows promise from this research is “42 inch TV” since it has good demand and begins to inform a more focused search. The search marketer could take this data and build a holiday campaign around the products and content relating to 42 inch TVs.

The search marketer armed with knowledge can build a campaign that combines the creation of a webpage optimized for a 42-inch TV product offering along with a PPC (pay per click) campaign using 42-inch TV search terms leading to a landing page offering to send product review information or the ability to make a purchase.

This is just one example of how to use trending keywords to build a search campaign. The focus of each campaign along with the tools used will vary depending on the product and target market. Every marketer needs to stay on top of the results and be able to react with changes to the campaign. This especially pertains to paid campaigns where minutes wasted on a poorly targeted campaign turn into major dollars wasted very quickly. The organic or SEO part of the campaign is less time sensitive but can have a large positive impact on the bottom line when executed in a focused and timely fashion.

Kent Yunk is VP and SEO Strategist with Roaring Pajamas

If you ran a magazine, wouldn’t you plan ahead for the content that you intend to include in your magazine? Wouldn’t you need to think about what’s happening in your magazine’s world for the next 3 to 6 months? Maybe even a year? Of course you would. For example, if you’re magazine focuses on food, you’d want to plan ahead for Halloween Treats, Thanksgiving Dinners and Christmas festivities, right? And you’d need to plan far enough ahead to leave time for the writers to create recipes and photographers and stylists to create the photos.

Well, successful marketing activities require the same type of planning. What’s happening in your business over the next 3 to 6 months? Is there a major product launch? Location change? Promotions, coupons, sales? New employees or customers that you want to mention? What’s happening in the external world with respect to your business – pertinent holidays, national days or months, local events, award ceremonies, worldwide events?

All of these events can be placed on your calendar and then you can plan your content in a timely manner. For a product launch, you can start posting teasers in the weeks prior to the launch. Or perhaps you can post a blurb about the launch event or upcoming show where you’ll be unveiling your new product. By entering other topics in between the events and holidays, you’ll find that you’ll spend less time looking for other content to post and retweet because you’ll know the type of content you’re seeking.

Last week, I posted step-by-step instructions for creating a social media editorial calendar on BayBusinessHelp.com and provided a detailed sample calendar. Take a look!

How do you manage your content and what tools do you use?

In this example of a search, the location is set for Denver Colorado with a search for “hair salons”. The results page includes a map of the possible local options. Often, with a more generic keyword search, there are too many possible choices.  This means that there are too many results for a logical selection and the search should be narrowed to include the name of a street or neighborhood. In addition to local search, businesses must also understand the keywords used to find their business using a search engine. The example above for “hair salons”, displays a list of nearby businesses specific to this keyword term. Search savvy business owners can research popular keywords using the Google keyword tool to find high-demand keywords.

Most local business owners recognize that a local listing on the web is a necessity. They also know that this listing is not like the paper version of the Yellow Pages, where there is a clear method for paying to be included in the listings. Fortunately, the Yellow Pages is now online and provides an online listing service. Given this new trend, business owners can take control of the search experience for their business by creating free accounts on such sites as Google Places and taking ownership of dynamically created accounts such as those found on business ratings sites such as Yelp!, City Search and LocalPages. A business can still work with AT&T or the Yellow Pages to acquire a paid listing in each of these online directories. And despite all of their hype to the contrary, these directories may not yield the qualified traffic they promise.

Data shows that a large percentage of a business’s current and future customers are using search to help find and buy products and services nearby. The importance of being visible in these search engines is critical and it is only going to become more important.

Whether you are a small seller of food, hard goods, services or a large company that wants to grow revenue, local search should be a vital part of the lead generation process.

We’re excited to include this post from guest blogger, David Rodnitzky. David is the CEO of PPC Associates and he, as you’ll read below, has some big opinions about the differences between SEMs and SEOs and, lucky for us, we get to read about it here. Enjoy!

Five Ways Search Engine Marketers and Search Engine Optimizers are Different

Guest post by David Rodnitzky

I frequently get referrals from well-meaning colleagues that start with an introduction that sounds something like this: “I want to introduce you to David Rodnitzky, CEO of PPC Associates. David and his team are SEO rock stars and will be able to help your business out a lot!” While I do think my team is chock-full of rock stars, we’re SEM folks (paid search jor search engine marketing), not SEO (organic search or search engine optimization). Granted, the two terms sound very similar, but then again, so does neurology (study of the brain) and nephrology (study of the kidney). Believe me, if you had a kidney stone, you wouldn’t want a neurologist.

SEO and SEM are similar in that they both involve working with search engines, but beyond that, they are completely different arts and sciences. Indeed, the DNA of a good SEM and SEO practitioner is diametrically different. Here are a few of the primary differences:

1. SEOs love content; SEMs hate it. A good SEO page has lots of, um, what do you call those things? Oh yeah, “Words.” SEOs love to build “keyword density” on pages, meaning that they write long articles filled with words (repeated numerous times) that they hope will help them get a particular page ranked highly in the search engine results (SERPs).

   SEMs crave simplicity. The fewer the words, the better. A sparse page that pushes users to do just one thing (fill out this form! Buy this product!) is the preferred landing page for SEM.

2. SEOs understand code; SEMs don’t. SEOs spend much of their time optimizing a site’s meta-data– things like meta-titles, meta-descriptions, and meta-keywords. On top of that, they think about how your code is organized, like whether your javascript pixels will slow your page load time and impact your organic results.

   SEMs are blissfully unaware of all that HTML and PHP taking place behind a page loading. We do care that tracking pixels are properly installed (though we would not deign to actually do the installation ourselves); but beyond that, whether you use a H1, H2, or H134 tag for a headline doesn’t matter at all to us.

3. SEOs are patient; SEMs want immediate gratification. SEO takes a long time. Sometimes the work of an SEO expert might not drive results for a client for three to six months. SEOs have to counsel their clients to be patient as well (and still collect their checks in the meantime). [Editorial Note: Ouch. MEOW, David!]

   SEMs want results immediately. We check AdWords multiple times a day to see how many conversions we’ve received, and we get frustrated with “high-latency” conversions that take up to 30 days to close.

4. Google tolerates SEMs; Google hates SEOs. Google has a general disdain for search engine marketers, but they know it pays the bills so they placate us. The founders of Google originally envisioned a search engine free from the shackles of Madison Avenue. As Larry and Sergey noted in their original academic paper describing Google, “We believe the issue of advertising causes enough mixed incentives that it is crucial to have a competitive search engine that is transparent and in the academic realm.” A few private jets later, they’ve modified their viewpoint, albeit slightly.

   There is little to no love for SEOs at Google. Oh, sure, Matt Cutts is friendly with a cadre of top SEO folks, but at its heart, Google spends a lot of cycles updating its algorithms to punish or pre-emptively fight SEO. We SEMs get wined and dined by Google’s ad team quite frequently – SEOs are lucky to get invited to lunch in the Google cafeteria.

5. SEOs are lone wolfs; SEMs are herd animals.SEOs strike me as the guys in college who would rather play video games than go to a party. SEMs are closer to drunken, albeit still awkward, frat boys (the less awkward ones become sales guys, I think). SEOs typically like to do stuff themselves, which is why so many of them are solo consultants. SEMs like to interact with different internal teams and socialize. Yes, I know, this is a gross generalization. [Editor's Note: Uh, general, ya think?]

   One commonality shared by SEOs and SEMs – we both hate it when people confuse our respective professions! And on that note, I’ve got a little bit of a headache. I’m going to take two aspirin and call my nephrologist in the morning.

- David Rodnitzky, CEO of PPC Associates

After researching phrases, we came up with the phrase, “Provence Tour.”

We added this keyword phrase to the <title> and <h1> elements on the page, and easily peppered the content with this content-appropriate phrase. The phrase was used as an exact phrase and sometimes as the broad match phrase “Provence Design Tour.”

Courtyard at Villa in Provence from Provence Tour 2011

Prior to optimizing, search traffic to this page was practically non-existent and the page appeared on page 28 on Google. After performing search engine optimization and ensuring that Google crawled the site by updating a sitemap, Google keyword traffic increased by 600% and the page appeared on page 1 on Google in positions 2 and 3!

Kit was thrilled and sold out the tour before the deadline, attributing many of her reservations coming from keyword traffic to her tour page! Our happy client took a house full of excited Provence design enthusiasts on the tour of their lives. In fact, the tour was so successful that Chic Provence is hosting their 2nd Annual Provence Tour from May 11 to 18, 2012. If you've always loved France and want to be guided through Provence flea markets, wineries, design shops, while dining on fabulous gourmet food in a beautiful villa, visit Kit's Provence Tour page to learn more.

Also, Chic Provence is offering a Design Tour Giveaway where you could win $250 in beautiful French linens from {Rough Linen}. Check it out and enter to win! As Kit says. . . Bonne Chance!

1. Jim Farley, CMO, Ford Motor Company rocks. His keynote session was inspirational, emotional and absolutely amazing. He makes us happy to drive Fords.
2. The party on the rooftop at the Icon LA Ultra Lounge sported excellent weather, beautiful views a few excellent appetizers and lots of cocktails.
3. C.C. Chapman’s session: Content Rules, But Common Sense Rocks! Enough said.
4. Listening to the amazing Mari Smith. Plus, we met her and snapped a photo, although that pic will remain a secret to all due to its imperfect nature.
5. Free Heineken and U4RIK Tequila!
6. Lisa Stone, CEO of BlogHer was very inspirational and informative. She says 1 of 2 women reads a blog and 80% of those who do, buy products based on blogger recommendations.
7. At Guy Kawasaki’s keynote he said, “Google+ is to Facebook what Macintosh is to Windows, and in Mari Smith’s tweet, “the room goes ooooh!”
8. The free vodka from U4RIK at the J Lounge party. (We have a theme here, for sure!)
9. Peter Shankman’s keynote was pure enjoyment. We especially like his video about his dating predicament while training for an Iron Man. We wish him well on his upcoming nuptials.
10. Our new friends, including @MindNMediaSales, Marcia Zellers at TootzyPop and @ShaneBarnhill!

Too bad we couldn’t clone ourselves. . . with all the great sessions at BlogWorld 2011, we can’t wait to find all the recorded sessions in our account next week, so we can watch those we missed. What was your favorite session, event, party, new friend?

1. Social Media and Gourmet Food are totally addicting. I don’t know about you, but I can spend hours reading tweets and Facebook posts and who can eat just half a gourmet meal, take just one sip of a glass of fine wine or take a single bite of a homemade cake made with artisan chocolate? Not me. That’s why I consult. . . because my husband told me to either get off “the Twitter” and make some money or find a way to make money tweeting. He’s a very wise man, by the way.
   
2. They’re both delicious. Obviously, gourmet food is delicious or it wouldn’t be gourmet. . . but social media? Delicious, really? I say “absolutely!” Have you seen all the foodies and chefs on Twitter, Facebook and 100s (1000s?) of food blogs, writing about their latest gourmet creations? I personally am Facebook friends with at least 350 chefs and foodies from all over the world. My Facebook page is – delicious – every day and my foodie friends on Twitter, like @LDGourmet, @chezus and @GrillGrrl are always cooking up something tasty.
3. Social media and gourmet food require creativity. Only a creative chef would think of combining Madagasgar vanilla with creme fraiche and tupelo honey over a stack of banana buttermilk pancakes. People tweeting and posting must be creative to attract attention to their pages. Ok. I agree, not everyone has a creative Facebook page. In fact, some are downright boring. However, people who successfully tweet and post for business are very creative. Have you seen the Kingsford Charcoal Facebook page? @DrBBQ is always up to something on his Twitter page.
4. Left unattended, they’ll fade away. If a social media site is ignored, the site will eventually lose its readership and followers. An unattended gourmet meal will shrivel, smoke or even catch on fire – poof – gone.
5. They’re not always good for you. Too much gourmet food may make you fat and too much social media gets you in trouble with your “real” friends and family. (See No. 1 above.)

So, there you go. Five justifications for leaving one addicting, delicious and creative job for another with the same traits. Whaddya think? Do you have any additions to the list?

Social Media Day was originally proclaimed by Mashable in 2010 and was celebrated with more than 600 meetups around the world. This year, the event included more than 1400 meetups with 8500 attendees on 6 continents, including San Carlos’ meetup on this newly proclaimed Day.

The official Social Media Day was proclaimed by the City of San Carlos during a City Council meeting on June 13. Present to receive the proclamation were San Carlos Chamber of Commerce CEO, David Bouchard, and board members, Ron Collins (Collins Insurance) and our company’s president, Melanie Yunk. Andy Klein presented the proclamation as one of his first duties after being sworn in as the City’s Mayor that same evening.

The Treasure Hunt was produced by the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Bullfrog Media and Roaring Pajamas. The turnout was a big success as people from San Carlos and nearby towns used their smart phones to receive clues via Twitter. The clues led participants to various businesses where a checkin via Gowalla was required. In one instance, a video chat via Fring enhanced the experience as participants called in to prove they had arrived at The Olive Crush, a local store that sells many flavors of olive oils and handmade pasta.

Participants who solved at least 4 of 8 clues and checked into those same businesses were automatically entered to win some really great prizes. The prizes, their sponsors and winners are listed below:

• 32” flat screen television from Best Buy San Carlos – Nikki Bazzani
• Black pearl necklace from Geoffrey’s Diamonds – Pete Benevides
• Giants tickets from Collins Insurance – Maura McNulty
• One month of free VoIP calls from Fring – Kacie Nicole Jarvis
• $25 gift certificate from Bianchini’s Market – Jeff Walikonis

As one of the sponsors of this groundbreaking event, we’d like to thank the Chamber of Commerce, our co-sponsor, Bullfrog Media, all our prize donors and the City of San Carlos. We’re very proud that our City and its businesses are embracing social media.

Read more about this event on these sites:

• Laurel Street Spy
• San Carlos Patch
• Zest Bakery & Deli Blog

1. Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. We’re not texting here, folks. Our exception is Twitter where we occasionally abbreviate a word or eliminate a period to fit into 140 characters. Otherwise, we keep our communications professional, with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
2. The shorter, the better. People don’t have all day to read your emails, so keep your content concise (while using complete sentences, of course.)
3. Never write in all caps unless you’re YELLING at someone.
4. Never yell at anyone in email. In fact, please be careful about your “tone” of voice. A little smiley face may seem cheesy, but that little icon will go a long way to communicating your intent.  8*)
5. When an email goes back and forth a couple of times and a resolution isn’t near, it’s probably time to pick up the phone. Many misunderstandings occur via email because one person believes the other is upset or rude while the other person can’t believe their communication isn’t being received as intended. This situation always requires someone to pick up a phone. Don’t be afraid to call!
6. When a discussion is heated, draft your email, walk away for awhile, then review it again and edit before sending. Avoid emotional responses in professional communications.
7. Answer promptly. Don’t ignore clients, fans or followers. People who take the time to write to you want to be heard.
8. Be sure to use a bcc (blind carbon copy) when sending an email to a large list. People don’t want their email address exposed and using a cc (carbon copy) instead of a bcc may offend some of those people.
9. Use a descriptive and concise subject line. Your email will be opened more often and found again by the receiver when the subject line describes the content of your email.
10. Be careful not to overuse the “Reply All” feature. Reply only to those who truly need to see your response. Replying only to the sending is often more effective and easier to manage for the original creator of the message.

By reviewing and using these simple rules of proper email etiquette, you’re sure to create excellent communications to your clients, fans and followers.



Well, the answer isn’t simple. Google doesn’t provide a one-stop place that offers a handy list of a site’s penalties and possible resolutions. The process is lengthy, investigative and involves a lot of educated guess work. So, we followed this process with the help of a couple of savvy SEO colleagues and some very helpful posts at Search Engine Journal and Gabblet:

1. Use the Google Penalty Checker Tool at SEO Moves to see if a Google penalty exists for the site. Any type of warning that comes back tells us a penalty applies. However, this tool doesn’t tell you anything about the penalty. On to the next step.
2. Run the Bad Neighborhood tool to see if the site is linking to inappropriate content such as gambling or adult sites. The tool stopped after 4600 pages, but gave us some insight into a few issues that most likely haven’t caused the penalty, but we need to address at some point in time.
3. Check the Google Webmaster Tools account for inbound links. Check for penalties on the sites with the largest number of links to see if any of them are penalized by Google. If so, the site could be guilty by association. In this case the largest number of links are coming from a “sister” site on the same IP block. That site has one or more Google penalties.
4. Check for a Google penalty for the domain that owns the domain, if this condition exists. In this case, a large entity owns our client’s domain. That domain has severe penalties. Yikes again.
5. Check this site for malware. We’re clear!
6. Check the Google page rank – a gray bar is a bad sign. In this case, the site is new with no page rank expected. The home page is white, but the product pages are gray – definitely an indicator, although many new pages were recently added to this site, so this condition is expected.
7. Check the link strategy. Using too many links with the same anchor text can trigger a Google audit. Our client’s linking is just fine.
8. Does the site include content that is an exact duplicate on another site? If so, Google recently changed its algorithm to eliminate duplicate content. See Matt Cutt’s blog post, Algorithm Change Launched.

Herein lies our biggest issue. Duplicate content from a partner’s site makes up a large number of pages. We’re concentrating on creating unique content as soon as possible.

We’re creating a strategy to resolve some or all of these issues. The first task: create unique and valuable content for each of the product pages so we’re offering a unique and valuable experience for our client’s visitors. Of course, this task was already on our list of to-dos, but now we’re raising the priority. Our focus has been on the SEO for on-page elements such as titles, headings and also the meta descriptions. Now we’ll shift our focus to unique paragraphs.

Once many of our issues are resolved, we’ll submit a request for reconsideration to Google.

I hope this information is helpful! Is your site in Google jail for one or more Google penalties? If so, tell us about your experience and how you remedied the penalties.