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38 Comments
- isteal26, on 10/12/2007, -9/+31Take control of your business. Stop relying on Big G or anyone else for that matter. Stop complaining that you lost free traffic, free leads. Hijack them, kidnap them, steal them from your competitors. Guerilla warfare!
- Arkonnan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19Google is no substitute for good marketing. A lot of small business owners don't understand this and have foolishly relied on Google for free marketing and promotion.
If Google is your sole source of advertisement, you probably have no business running a company anyway. - AssProphet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Am I the only one who still thinks that word of mouth is what keeps most good businesses successful? Google cannot replace good referrals.
- tom6a, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Is there anyone out there that has tried adding Google coupons to their business since the announcement last week? That is one way business owners can take control and try to make a difference with Google.
If you haven't seen it, here's the run-down:
Google Maps Adds Coupons for Local Businesses
http://www.omninerd.com/2006/08/15/news/877 - clerix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Exactly right on with that comment. There's a place not too far away from where I live, a restaurant that does ZERO advertising, is in an out of the way location such that you'd have to be lost or purposely trying to find it, and their business is BOOMING. You have to get reservations at least two to three weeks in advance and this is in the dead of summer where holidays are more rare than the polar ends of any given year.
- h3smith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Bingo.
While google IS important, there are far more imporant factors to consider other than google. Anyone who hinges their business on one client/partner/source of advertising is bound to run into problems. Diversify and diversify well. - konno, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Sometimes it's the case when someone suceeds, they are automatically painted as bad - just because they are sucessful enough to capture a huge part of the market. Not a good message for the next generation, who more than likely will be intelligent enough not to worry so much about these things.
- thescimitar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This was fascinating. I had always assumed that Google's various management changed results... but never really thought about the impact on small business owners (as I am one, but not dependant on "walk-ins"). This article was tremendous. Dugg.
- capstinence, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Apparently YOU didn't read the entire article (the part that says that Google is basically responsible for ruining small businesses, with a comparison to Wal-mart).
Though I think the publisher lady needs to take a reality check. First, she tells Google not to digitize her books, then they say "Okay," and she's then mad because she might miss out on some future business opportunity that Google offers. You can't have your cake and eat it too. - Exi7wound, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What's worse is having a horrible website that has very little relevant content, and getting indexed by Google regularly. If you're not maintaining your website, you shouldn't have one at all. You make your competition look far and away better by comparison.
- mistarOblivion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Absolutely Ridiculous:
(snip)
"The argument: Computer hardware prices are plummeting in any case. Experts say Google may one day start giving away PCs, reducing them to the equivalent of the free calculator you get when you open a bank account. The Google PC would come loaded with ad-supported software designed to keep people Googling - and not necessarily doing their work.
A recent study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that employees spend 11 seconds a day, on average, glancing at ads surrounding free software. Clicking on ads wastes another 15 seconds a day. These are tiny increments of time, but they add up. Over a year, Nielsen Norman estimates, a free computer could easily cost a company $100 an employee in lost productivity. "
Talk about speculative nonsense!
This whole article is just absurd Google-bashing. Google is shaking up several markets - it's creating new niches and destroying old ones. This is A Good Thing. If you can't adapt your business, stop whining: It's called capitalism. And FORTUNE, of all publications, should know this. - TimTim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I used to work for a company that does absolutely zero advertising, and rely only on word of mouth. That company is Ryan's Steak House! The trouble with word of mouth is that it works both ways! A bad reputation can destroy your business. More than a third of Ryan's stores are now in the red! Business lesson #1: don't rely on word of mouth!
By the way, the restaurant that I worked at had a bad history of not passing the health inspections. Also, the male managers tended to brag about using the security cameras to stock children around the buffet bars. Worst place I ever worked at in my entire life! - L0t3k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think the best way to take advantage of Google, is to jump in head first. As Tom6a mentioned, add your company coupons to your Maps listing. Make one up if you don't have one. Use Sitemaps and Analytics. Sometimes it's a pain [Sitemaps], but do the legwork. Use your best whitehat SEO... don't try to outsmart the guys who work at a place where PhD's mop the floor. Use Google Base, Froogle... whatever you can. Invest the time and do it the way they suggest you do it.
Then of course, promote with people in your industry. Work with them, call them on the phone, follow up... build a working network with them. Continue to leverage other promotional techniques that have worked for your type of business in the past. Often you'll see a better return (if less consistent) with the old staples. Google is big for some people, but be able to trade on your name. If you couldn't, chances are you're overrated in Google anyways and living on borrowed time.
I've worked for a few companies that have been very successful with their online presence, and can honestly say that playing it straight with Google and everyone else is the best way to go. If you're constantly trying to squeeze one more clickthru out of your site via SEO, you're probably wasting valuable effort that could be far more productive doing something else. - mike503, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1s/google/poor marketing, cluelessness, laziness, etc/
[read: common sense] - freddo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Now, that's a great idea I'd wish my phone had...
8< - - - - - - -
Cellphones already have cameras, goes the reasoning. So why not add a bar-code scanner? You could walk into an electronics store and scan a DVD player. Up would pop the price, along with Google ads for various area merchants, touting their lower prices on the very same item. "This is a logical direction for Google," says Roger Entner, a telecom analyst in the Boston office of Ovum, a research firm. "It would extend their advertising reach out onto the actual floors of merchants."
- - - - - - >8
It would be cool if it also searched store only within 50km radius, or would end up calculating the price of the petrol spent to go there and eventually gave a map. Or, as an alternative check the shipping price from onlines chops too.
-- Freddo, dreaming again... - MrBilly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Great article. Shows you should not rely on free advertising (although word of mouth is best for of free advertising when it is free), and it shows how times are changing... an interesting development indeed. WOw! A 20% drop... thats huge!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Litepost.com plans to compete directly with Google, according to (g)rumblings...
- freddo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sorry for the double post, looks like something went wrong when I updated the comment, bury this one.
- heavensblade23, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It seems to me that the article is taking the tack that Google might be bad, because of their potentially disruptive technology. Isn't that a form of Luddism?
- freddo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Now, that's a great idea I'd wish my phone had...
8< - - - - - - -
Cellphones already have cameras, goes the reasoning. So why not add a bar-code scanner? You could walk into an electronics store and scan a DVD player. Up would pop the price, along with Google ads for various area merchants, touting their lower prices on the very same item. "This is a logical direction for Google," says Roger Entner, a telecom analyst in the Boston office of Ovum, a research firm. "It would extend their advertising reach out onto the actual floors of merchants."
- - - - - - >8
It would be cool if it also searched store only within 50km radius, or would end up calculating the price of the petrol spent to go there and eventually gave a map. Or, as an alternative check the shipping price from onlines chops too. - shiftt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Easier said than done, my friend.
When you're just starting out, Google is your best bet for building traffic. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I run a large adult website started in 2002. Since then we have grown to one of the largest in our niche, and are one of the originators anyways. We are the uhm consumer reports of pay porn, a review site. Google always loved our site, because honestly we didn't optimize at all, we just built it for people and google reacted well. About 2 months back one day I woke up to see our traffic was waaay down. As it turned out we lost about 85% of our google traffic that was steady as a rock for 4 years, in one day. It hasn't recovered, it's stayed rock solid at an 85% loss since then. Still can't put a finger on why it happened. It was about 60% of our total traffic.
What it didn't turn into was a loss of a company. Even with such a dire problem, you have to be able to survive. We've turned to various ways of increasing our traffic, and are working to return favour of the google gods. Still, if I wasn't such an optimist it's a scary prospect for an online business. - tfizzle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I would have to disagree. For many online-only businesses (like the one I work for), roughly 50% of our traffic and probably around that number of sales comes directly from Google. Word of mouth is nice, but people are going to plug something in on Google and click on what they get back. If that's you, you suceed, if not, plan on a lot less revenue.
- L0t3k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They're certainly important, nobody would argue with that. I disagree with the notion that Google is a horrible behemoth that indiscriminately makes or breaks companies. What breaks a company is a business plan that revolves around a website's performance in Google. I think if you focus on your core business, the traffic will often follow. Of course, THEN you do what you can to play the online game well... but I couldn't count all the site owners (corporate and private) who thought Google was going to be the key to their success and it didn't pan out.
- domaincollector, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think you mean adwords
Adsense is for web publishers
Adwords is for Marketers - radu79, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It is nice to be in the first page on Google, but you have to be stupid to rely on that.
Most of our visitors come from other sites or friends, and relatively few from generic search engines. We are on the second page on google, which is relatively good, and we never even tried to optimize our site to be on the first page, which we could proably do with little effort. - darkmist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Did anyone notice that the Title bar said September 1, 2006. This must be REALLY OLD that was over 4000 years ago...
Reported - how2123, on 06/14/2009, -0/+0cool! visit my blog at http://www.twomakemoney.wordpress.com
- ianjones, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Google controls part of the revenue of so many businesses around the world, shouldn't they be more transparent when changing their algorithms? A drop in the SERPS can cause a business to go under, and Google gives no explanation as to why it happened or what you can do about it.
- DavidNYC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That guys a joke for what it seems putting all his eggs in one basket. If your running an online business you need to keep up with the times. You can't rely on only organic search engine traffic, it's only a small piece. Business owners need to start learning "Social Network Optimization". Using sites such as digg, social bookmarking, even the hated myspace (which can bring in massive traffic for a business), etc. etc.. Viral marketing, word of mouth - that can play a big role.
- tomofumi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0It is stupid just to rely on google's search results for a living, the web is changing every second, you can't guarantee your ranking will keep there forever. The best you can do maybe pay for them to become a sponsor, and that's what they want too!
- kerry11, on 10/16/2007, -2/+0just look at it and enjoy it
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Google is slowing sucking...
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Once again, how about reading the article before posting?
This is another fluff piece, praising google as the second coming of christ. Let's just look at the last paragaph shall we?
" For good and ill, Google is one of the most awesome forces ever to be unleashed on the business world - or rather the Google world in which all business owners now live. "
Ah, that's it. We're all living in a Google world, yet you think the author is being negative and even a Luddite. What planet are you on?
This is yet another fluff piece. Here, let me sum up Google:
"Became a popular search engine when everyone else sucked. Now they put text ads all over the web that look like normal links so stupid people click on them without realizing they are ads. PROFIT." - gd007, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2you can always use adsense to promote your site. probably much cheaper than tv.
- konno, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1But can you afford not to suck ?
- pixelmixer, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4friggin leaches... suckling the tit of the Google overlord, then complaining when he decides you've had your share and its time to let the rest suckle.
- konno, on 10/12/2007, -15/+2Yeah too right ...get out there and go get em
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