At the beginning of April 2008, Google AdWords unleashed a new quality score metric relating to the load time of your landing pages. Landing page load time is defined as the time it takes for a website page to load, in seconds. According to recent articles throughout the search engine news forums, if the load time of your landing page for your ads is slow, it can affect your quality score.

Google sees pages with a slow load time as bad for the user.  As their ultimate goal is to deliver a good user experience, bad for the user equals bad for Google.  One way to improve load time is to eliminate redirects that take too long to load.  If you improve load time and the content quality of your landing pages the user will be more “satisfied” and thus you can increase your quality score.

According to Google, your load time will receive one of two possible grades; “This page loads slowly.” and “No problems found.”  The ads will be negatively affected if the grade falls into the first category.

Google will also compare the load time of your site with others in your same geographic region. Google is also basing the grade of your websites load time on the destination URL that is being used.

If you choose to assign a destination URL at the keyword level, the load time will be graded based on that URL. Choosing not to assign a destination URL at the keyword level, gives Google the option of grading load time based on the slowest ad in the ad group.

There are many factors to consider if your quality score is affected by slow loading landing pages. Improving or eliminating these issues on your site will help to improve your quality score in Google AdWords.

1. Eliminate redirects that use multi-second refreshes. If a redirect takes several seconds, consider setting it to zero so it loads immediately.
2. Check the speed of your redirects. You can use tools such as Fiddler or IWebTool to find out how long it takes your page to complete a redirect.
3. Avoid using multiple redirects. Each time your page redirects, it increases the load time of the page.
4. If you use an interstitial page; requires the user to wait before being taken to the landing page, consider removing it. An example of this for a lodging property would be a page that has an introduction and link inviting the user to enter the site.
5. Compress the size of your page if the HTML document is too large. Google suggests using GZIP or DEFLATE.
6. Eliminate the use of IFrames on your landing pages.
7. Discuss other ways to reduce the load time of your pages with your webmaster or hosting provider.
8. Avoid using large graphics and image files to decrease the load time for your landing pages.
9. Place any JavaScript for analytics code as far down on the landing pages as possible.

While this change is not factored into the Google AdWords quality score yet, it is a good idea to address these issues before the new metric goes live. Once this quality score metric is in effect, you will be able to see the results in the Keyword Analysis section of your AdWords account.

If Blizzard is managing your PPC accounts, we have already adjusted and made load-time recommendations in anticipation of this change.

May 1^st was all about blizzards – Colorado was pummeled with a random May Day snowstorm, and Blizzard Internet Marketing was included on the prestigious list of the world’s top Organic Optimization firms!

Each month, TopSEOs.com evaluates Internet Marketing companies in a variety of categories, and based on a set of factors has ranked Blizzard Internet Marketing #21 in Organic Optimization for May.

TopSEOs criteria to rank the top Internet Marketing firms include: client feedback, customer service, competitive advantage, and overall performance.

What sets our Glenwood Springs based company apart from other Search Engine Optimization firms? Blizzard Internet’s experts are among the top authorities in SEO: Carrie Hill and Mary Bowling are speakers at invitation only conferences, regular contributors to respected industry publications, and attend numerous SEO symposiums to stay on top of up tomorrows’ trends.

Having top Internet Marketing authorities on the team means that Blizzard Internet clients are the first to benefit from the latest best practices SEO and see results in top search engine rankings.

We’d like to thank our clients for their constant support and trust, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on future Blizzard successes!

I recently took a leave of absence from Blizzard to visit my sister in Wellington, New Zealand.  During our visit together to the South Island, we made a stop in Christchurch, where we stayed at the Hotel So.  Opening in 2007, the designer hotel is a recent addition to the city’s myriad of accommodation choices.  They market themselves toward a younger, style (yet budget) conscious crowd, mainly composed of 20 and 30-something adventurers, as well as some business travelers.  The overall feel of the hotel is modern and chic, with minimal yet appealing interior design.  The bar serves designer martinis; the café menu is eclectic and trendy. 

The thing that grabbed my attention the most about this hot spot was their branding strategy.  Every detail of the hotel was considered in the planning of the business; all elements communicated with each other visually.  From the logo to the wallpaper, right down to the tea bags and chocolates, everything matched perfectly.  Simply said, it’s a designer’s paradise, and I fell in love immediately.  If their marketing team hasn’t won an award for this place yet, it’s about time they did!

When I returned to the states in March, I hadn’t checked out the Hotel So website yet, so when I finally did I was pleased to see that their website carried the same stunning brand identity that the hotel did.  Not only did the professional photography sweep me right back across the Pacific Ocean, but the graphic elements of the site reminded me of how carefully their designers made the place a cohesive whole.  The same unusual color combinations of brownish taupe and various pastel colors (which are all very fashionable combinations right now) that I found throughout the hotel itself, were now echoed on my computer screen. 

So what’s so important about creating a brand identity for your property?  Well, there are lots of reasons.  For starters, if you create a lasting impression on your customers, they will become repeat customers.  There is no doubt that if I were to find myself in Christchurch again, I would make a point of staying at the Hotel So.  Since my sister and I stayed in a variety of hotels and hostels all over New Zealand, many of them blur together in my memory.  However, this place was an experience in itself, and I won’t soon forget it. 

The AVS Group, a web services company in Wisconsin, explains another reason that branding is so important. “Brand identity commands a price-premium. Why is someone willing to pay thousands of dollars more for a Lexus than for a Toyota? They are virtually the same product with the exception of some additional options and accessories…the value proposition is wrapped around the brand. The Lexus…[is] worth more in the minds of consumers regardless of whether the product actually functions better.” According to an article by Lara Appelhans at INeedHits.com, “building your brand will create credibility, implies trustworthiness, and should make your business name synonymous with the product or service that you sell.”

When it’s time to start establishing your brand, make sure your design is consistent online and offline.  You and your designer(s) should work together to establish a standard of typefaces, layouts and color palettes.  If your outdoor signage is designed in the font Soho Gothic, carry that font over to your website and use it on some of your buttons (remember though that for many areas of a website, such as the copy, you will need to stick to web-safe fonts).  If the color of the walls in most of your rooms is hunter green, try using a similar color in your website design. 

One of the design elements that we see on the Hotel So website is the repeated abstract line pattern at the bottom of the screen:

Although not identical, it is very similar the line pattern found on the wood panels and comforters found in every room:

To the non-designer, details such as repeating lines may seem trivial.  However, when several of these small details tie together, it can create a visual theme that wows the consumer.  Next time you order new comforters for your beds, or new packaging for in-room amenities - think about the “style” you’re conveying with your property and with your website.  Sometimes making a few simple purchase decisions can go a long way towards giving your guests the experience today’s traveler is craving. 

 The negative review - every online business owners heart-thumping, middle-of-the-night, cold-sweat-inducing nightmare.  Okay maybe not that bad, but to be honest hearing anything negative about your business tends to set one on edge, I know it does me and that’s usually on my clients’ behalf, not my own!

I thought a few tips on handling a negative review in the online space would be handy to all of our readers.  I find that most owners are reluctant to say anything back to negative reviews.  The thing is - the negative reviewer is YEARNING for you to get involved, to tell them you’re “really sorry” and you hope they’ll “try again”. 

Not only is the negative reviewer looking for that - the future shopper that reads that review is looking for the interaction and the reassurance that you’ve fixed the problem.  If you don’t tell them you have fixed it - how will they know?

My number one rule for managing a negative review?  Fix it or nobody will forget it!  If it’s broken, fix it.  If it’s shabby, replace it.  If an employee is rude (on a consistent and repeated basis,) replace them.

DO’s:

• Acknowledge the problem, give out your personal email address and invite the reviewer to contact you directly to address their concerns.  Let the others that read that review know you’re willing to do whatever it takes to “make it right.” 
• Use the negative review as a tool to educatefuture shoppers.  If someone is upset because the vacation rental didn’t house 8 people comfortably - take the opportinity to respond, apologize for their inconvenience, and remind them that the house was only rated to fit 4 comfortably.

Andy Beal - blogger at MarketingPilgrim.com, author of Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online, and founder of Trackur.com talked about a great example of managing reviews in his recent article:  Advice for Managing Negative Reviews of Hotels or Small Businesses.  ResortQuest Waikiki thanks EVERY reviewer for leaving a review and responds to negative aspects of any review with a personal message.

I’ve got my copy of Beal’s book on order,  I’ll be posting a book review when I’m finished with it!

Don’ts:

• Ignore it. Like most things in life, ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Dig in and get it fixed - then let others know it has been fixed.

• Be Antagonistic.  Nothing looks worse than an owner attacking a guest for a less than accurate complaint.  You aren’t going to change their mind by attacking them.  Instead apologize and let them know you don’t do business that way and maybe point out the 10 other positive reviews to the readers of your response.

 Think about negative reviews as an opportunity to engage your audience, to show them how much you care about their vacation, trip or getaway.  Without that interaction, your online presence is pretty 1.0 - and 1.0 is about 4-years ago.  Move into Web 2.0 & 3.0 by striking up a conversation online.

I was an Army brat, so every few years while I was a kid, we moved. That meant a new neighborhood (sometimes in a new country!) and a new school. Out of necessity, I learned to make friends quickly, because if you didn’t put yourself out there, you’d get pretty lonely. The other kids already had plenty of friends and didn’t have much motivation to seek me out.

The most effective technique was to hang out where I thought the other kids would eventually be – places like the playground or the ballfield or the corner store. Sure enough, someone would show up, we’d start up a conversation and I’d at least have one new acquaintance that might develop into a friend.

Even if we didn’t bond much, they would introduce me to their siblings and others in the neighborhood. Just being in their presence increased my approachability.

Another technique was to pay attention to which other houses on the block contained kids around my age. When I got bored enough, I’d summon up my courage, go knock on the door and ask whoever answered if they (or their boy or girl) could come out to play. Even if they could not play right then and there, I was often invited in and introduced. Sometimes it resulted in a whole family full of new friends. Other times, it opened the door for them to talk to me at school or even come to knock at my house.

This is the way I like to think of social websites. With search, we are waiting for people to come find us. However, like the established kids in a neighborhood, they probably have plenty of friends and little motivation to seek us out. They may not even know we exist, which makes it even tougher.

Some social websites, like Facebook, allow us to go hang out where the people are and strike up relationships. We may also gain new relationships through that initial tier of contacts. We become approachable to others and, before you know it, we have a great social circle. People who were never even looking for us have now discovered us because we’ve gone to where they are.

Other sites, like Linked In, provide more of a can you come out and play environment. You need to put yourself out there a little, asking for introductions and recommendations, but the rewards can be well worth it.

So, if you’re having a hard time embracing social websites, don’t give up just yet. Go where the people you want to have relationships with already are and allow yourself to be discovered. The key is finding the right places to go-the places where the people you want to interact with are already hanging out.

Adding this layer of discovery to your search marketing can reap unforeseen rewards for you and your online business.

upper photo from Easternblot

lower photo from Moody75

Last week in Houston, a group of online marketers held the first of its kind conference, Small Business Marketing Unleashed. While most Search Marketing events provide information and sessions to appeal to a wide cross section of marketers, this one focused completely on effectively and efficiently marketing small businesses on the internet.

The emphasis was on how to balance the time and effort spent promoting your enterprise with actually running it and how one must zero in on results, not rankings, to measure success. The two day event included both informational sessions and hands on workshops.

Read Jennifer Laycock’s article Focus on Ranking Improvement, Not Domination, then check out the collection of Small Business Marketing Unleashed Videos at WebProNews to see what you missed.

The business models seem to go hand in hand on the surface. Realtors usually have the skinny on vacation property for sale and can represent the owners in sales and rental situations fairly easily. This makes it easy for owners that live out of state.

The problem comes when those Realtors combine their real estate website with a vacation rental website. From a marketing and usability standpoint, this is a scary combination. The two business models are entirely different, although loosely related, and combining them creates problems with your marketing efforts - and with the visitor that’s landing on your website looking for a relaxing vacation with the kids.

Usability

• For a web site user, combining two different business models can muddy the waters and they’re never sure which part of the site they’re looking at.
• Your potential vacation rental clients are sometimes unsure when they hit a realty site if you have “vacation rentals” or “monthly rentals.” Sites that have both are especially confusing.
• You’ve probably implemented at least two forms of navigation to separate sales from vacation rentals. This can add unneeded confusion to your site as the visitor isn’t really sure where they are and the navigation is no help.
• There is a perception that a vacation rental that is tied to a realty website is for timeshares, and you’re inevitably going to be sold something you don’t want.
• Branding is doubly difficult. Is your URL MyRealty.com. That isn’t very vacation rental friendly. Wouldn’t you rather be able to promote a url that says what you are such as MyVacationRentals.com?

Marketing

• The content on a site is a factor to good search engine rankings. When content addresses two different markets – the search engines might rank a site lower than they would if the content was focused on one industry. If they don’t have the “trust” in what they’re spidering, they may not consider that content authoritative – resulting in lower rankings.
• Link-building should be accomplished carefully, with relevant and supportive websites and directories. A site that is relevant to your real estate sales is not relevant to a vacation rental program. This means that links from a real estate site are unlikely to help vacation rental pages rank well. By separating content and linkbuilding to two separate websites, your links are going to count more, and be more likely to help you rank in a higher position.

The Problem:
In the past real estate websites had a tendency to participate in vast link exchanges. The example below is a site that breaks all of my rules.

I’m not going to “out” them because that’s not nice, but I will point out some issues that they’re having and that can be corrected, but it will take time and separation.

• Their URL has “Realty” in it
• They combine both sales and rentals on one site

They have a link on their homepage that says “North Carolina Vacation Resources.” This links to a link exchange form and a page that features links from all over the world. Their link text pointing TO this page is misleading – and the content on the site is irrelevant to vacation rentals…and probably most of the links are irrelevant to Outer Banks Home Sales

The Consequences:

1. They’re buying Paid Ads in the top 5 position – pretty expensive for terms like “Outer Banks Vacation Rentals”
2. They don’t rank organically in the top 100
3. They’ve got over 100 “link exchanges” going on – but Google is only giving them credit for 7 links back to their site – pretty big waste of time and space.
4. The user has to choose immediately from a menu when they hit the homepage – sales or rentals. No matter which way they go – the look & feel of the site changes. The visitor is confused and not sure they’re even on the same website.

There are instances when the two have combined, and it can work pretty well, but I always advise clients to consider separating their offerings. Integrating booking engines and MLS pages can be much easier when you don’t have to worry about how one is going to affect the other.

If you can’t separate your sites - the lesson here is to stop participating in irrelevant link exchanges. They don’t work very well. You CAN exchange links with relevant area businesses that add value to the readers, but not with real estate sites in cities and towns your shoppers are highly unlikely to even care about. The proof is in the Google Back Links of the example above. They require a link back to their site - but Google is giving them NO credit for those backlinks.