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In February 2009, it was widely reported that the Local Business Listing service provided by Google had been compromised. Apparently, individuals were hijacking local listings by masquerading as a local business, yet driving web traffic to another site altogether. How could Google let this happen!? Who has the sophistication to get to the heart of Google’s infrastructure at such a business-critical level? And how could the tech giant be infiltrated by some hacker stealing your prospects and the hard work that was driving them to your Web site?

It turns out that the sophistication necessary for such a ploy is a smoke screen, too. Meaning, anyone who can type and surf the Web can do it. The local business listing compromise is quite simple in nature:

1. Register with the Google service.
2. Enter the exact same physical information relating to your business as another listing of like-nature.
3. Once Google has merged the new data with the existing listing and verified the accuracy (with the hijacker no-less) then the perpetrator merely changes the Web address associated with the listing.
Now, when someone searches for your product or service and then clicks on your local listing, the resulting traffic is driven to the Web site of the hijacker’s choosing.

Supposedly, Google closed the loop hole; however, the issue has reared its head recently in the UK and has been dominating message boards for weeks.

Here is a description as one victim puts it:
“When I go to my Google local listing center and try to edit my listing, it still has my information. [But] when I click the “See your listing on Google Maps” link, the competitor’s information keeps showing up. Somehow they have gotten control of my listing and they keep changing it.

“Every time I change my listing back they go ahead and change it again. I have tried everything I could think of, but I have not received any help for the last 5 weeks.”

One would think that this would be a simple fix, but Google has not complied with public outcries for help. Their solution: give us a call and let us know. Sure Google will augment or delete the listing, but what good does that do – the violators just go back and claim the listing again.

In short, Google’s inaction points toward the “head-in-the-sand” approach. They recognize the issue but aren’t dedicating resources at the present time to fixing the situation. Multiple bloggers have noted that support numbers specifically for the issue are non-existent and discussion board questions directed toward Google remain largely un-responded to.

Here are a few lessons business owners can take away from this:

• First, give people the service you’d expect to receive. The “well you get what you pay for” – or get for free in this instance – mentality just doesn’t fly. Especially not from Google.
• Secondly, the more successful your business becomes, the more you should look out for your customer.
• Thirdly, dedicate a lot of time to delivering products and services that serve the best interests of you customers – not your business.

It’s been long recognized (and satisfaction numbers tied to revenue don’t lie) that when a business pleases its core audience with great products and services that serve the customer’s needs above the business’ needs, everybody flourishes. Maybe Google should take a cue from customer demands.

Owning a small business in this economy can be brutal. I keep driving around my community only to notice another business has closed without warning . . . paint store – empty, local market – closed, favorite dry cleaners – gone. With all this retail space, you could hear your voice echo. How are small businesses surviving? What kind of chance do they have when there are larger corporations in the same industry? What can these local owners do to make customers remember them? These are some of the concerns I continually hear from business owners. Can marketing make enough of a difference to help these businesses stay afloat in this economy – even thrive perhaps?

The answer is yes, but some research needs to be done first. Figuring out the demographic of your customers, understanding their needs, and asking for their feedback regarding your product or service can make the difference between a growing business and a stagnant one. Then use the new found information to communicate directly to them. Today, advertising online is not only an emerging market that is capturing more attention than any other medium, but recent years have shown it often provides some of the highest return on investment (ROI). Plus, customers are still buying, they’re just being smarter about how much they spend and where they spend it. In order to actually grow your business in a down economy, it’s crucial to spend your marketing budget targeting the exact clientele that is searching to buy exactly what you have to sell. There is no better way to do this than search engine marketing (SEM).

Knowing how tight money is these days it’s obvious there is not a penny to be wasted; which is why successful companies, while concerned with what the economy does, are not as affected because they’ve planned well and have the flexibility to roll with the trends and find the best way to keep moving full steam ahead. Putting your product or service directly in front of the people who need it at the best price possible will help ensure growth through these times and aid in establishing your brand as a solid, stable company that can always thrive; even in a tough economy like this.

-Contributed by Jacob Gardner

As we start this new year and embark on a new decade, it’s great to reflect a little at just how far we have come. Just think back for a brief moment…what comes to mind? It’s not like we are picturing mail being delivered on a horse and telegrams being the fastest form of communication… now it’s more like… remember when I got the newspaper delivered to my doorstep daily vs. my mobile device. Technology is advancing at a mind blowing pace and the speed of improvements that are being made seem to be growing at an exponential rate!

One area where we see this taking place is in the world of internet marketing. Some of you might have heard of it but don’t know quite what it means, while others are already utilizing this form of advertising and seeing huge results in the boost to your business.

WebVisible is an amazing company that is an absolute expert when it comes to local online advertising and I want to give you all a quick look at what I do here since I’ve joined the Account Management Team.

Ah, the life of an account manager…Here at WebVisible I make sure that accounts are performing and business owners are happy! It’s a perfect fit for me as what I enjoy doing is simply helping people do what they like to do best and be a part of ensuring their success. As an account manager I get to take the customer (Business Owner) and really focus on what their business goals are. The cool thing is I get to be a part of directly helping them achieve those goals. From the background setup work such as getting them logged in to the Merchant Center, our proprietary online customer service center, to keeping them posted on how well their online advertising campaign is performing, through connecting customers to them, my objective is to monitor the success of a campaign through the amount of “connections” that we provide for a client through phone calls, emails, and other methods the client uses to be contacted. Every day I keep a close eye on how well the campaign is doing and constantly work to improve it to generate the best results possible. I’ve got to admit that our Geneva Technology Platform is award winning for a reason. It really makes my job pretty easy, but all in all, as an account manager here at WebVisible, as long as customers are happy and able to focus on doing what they do best, then it’s a winning relationship that will continue to grow and achieve success!

-Contributed by Jacob Gardner

Have you ever been a victim of a scam or rip-off? Do you hear about friends who’ve had their computer infected with a virus or malware? Or have you ever paid for a service you thought you were getting, only to receive half as much?

If any of this sounds familiar, then you’re probably aware of the sad truth that the world is rife with people who make it their mission to take advantage of others for their own benefit.

Compounding the fact is that while we know we don’t want to be scammed, we’re a trusting bunch. Most of us are pretty honest too – making it doubly hard to spot a scam when we encounter one.

So what does a scam look like? First of all, the old saying, “if it looks too good to be true it probably is,” continues to hold a lot of weight.

Whether a scam happens online or in the real world, there are three things that typically characterize one: (more…)

For the nearly 14 million children in the US living below the federal poverty level, the holidays can be especially difficult, with food and shelter taking precedence over Xbox and Barbie. WebVisible recently teamed up with the American Red Cross to reach out to approximately 1,600 local families from communities in Orange County, California for the 21^st Annual Children’s Safety Festival.

“WebVisible was proud to contribute to such a meaningful event, especially with the enormous efforts put forth by local high school students,” said Kevin Ryan, WebVisible CMO.

In preparation for the festival, WebVisible hosted a large company toy drive, collecting toys given to the children attending the event. WebVisible’s Toy Drive was also accompanied by other local businesses and 16 high school Red Cross Clubs. These corporate and student-run efforts helped the CSF reach its goal of 3,000 toys.

“The holidays are traditionally a time of giving, so it is wonderful to be able to brighten a family’s day by giving a child a present,” said Nargess Akhavi, director of the Red Cross Youth Services department. “But we could not have provided these gifts without the work of our volunteers and the generous donations by WebVisible and Westbound Communications.”

If you haven’t had a chance to give this holiday season, please consider making a donation. The charities and assistance organizations within your local community can always use your help during the holiday season. Go to www.redcross.org to find a local chapter in your area.

Happy Holidays from your friends at WebVisible.

This week, WebVisible will be at the Greater New York Dental Meeting http://www.gnydm.com at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, New York. With over 50,000 attendees the GNYDM is the largest dental meeting, convention, and expo in the United States.

WebVisible will be exhibiting at booth #3911, located toward the front of the exhibit hall, near the entrance. Stop by our booth for a demo and a free gift, and ask about our special show site promotions!

See you in New York!

WebVisible is excited to announce the availability of the first in a new series of quarterly reports: State of Small Business Online Advertising. Our first edition focuses on search, examining trends through a sampling of the company’s small and medium-sized business (SMB) clients collected in the third quarter of 2009. Among the findings, a couple of landmark trends that have pertinent applications to the small business advertising sector were revealed:
(more…)

As online Internet marketing continues to gain market share, the passion for click metrics and following the latest trends are at the top of every marketer’s mind.  According to WebVisible Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Ryan, writing this week for iMedia Connection, “Online doesn’t get its fair share. Ever. What can we do about that? Everyone’s online team and CMOs should pay more attention to online.”

Article Highlights:

• Online marketers are unwittingly addicted to click metrics.
• When it comes to social media measurement, think of it as a process that has multiple constituencies.
• The problem isn’t whether interactive media should take a seat at the big boys’ table; it’s about the means many are using to get there.

Click here to read ”The Click is dead; long live the click” in its entirety.

Ad:Tech New York was a great success for WebVisible. In the coming months we’ll be able to translate key insights gained at the conference to bolster our robust offerings to customer campaign options already in place.

With 4 employees present at the event, a plethora of sessions ranging from Digital Branding,  to Tips to Growing Your Online Audience were attended. It was also great to get some face time with several of our current and potential business partners. If you happen to be a small business owner, then you understand the value of being able to meet face to face with your partners or vendors,  instead of simply doing business over phone or email. (more…)

This evening a few members from the WebVisible crew will start making the cross-country pilgrimage to New York City where they will participate in this year’s pinnacle event in the digital marketing community.

Personally, I am not only looking forward to networking and meeting other people in our industry, but our very own Chief Marketing Officer, Kevin Ryan, will also be speaking on a few panels at the conference.

On Wednesday, November 3rd at 3:10pm you can catch him reporting on tactics in reaching and monetizing local digital consumers along with Matt Crowley of AT&T, David Kidder of Clickable, Inc., and Chris LaSala of Google.

On Thursday, November 4th at 3:10pm Kevin will also be discussing local, video, and search tactics along with Cindy Krum of Rank-Mobile, LLC and Eric Papczun of Performics.

Ad:tech will also be featuring a full line up including key note speakers Martin Sorrell of WPP, Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, and Johnathan Miller of News Corp.

With a long list of talented speakers highlighting everything from Media & Entertainment to Analytics & Strategy, we’re excited to kick off ad:tech 2009!

By the way, if you’re not signed up yet, you can still register here.  See you on Wednesday!

-Contributed by Jenni Brown