At Ninthlink, we always like to give credit where credit is due. And we happened to come across a great article that features the 50 best creative websites of 2011 from Splashnology.com. This is a great read that showcases the most innovative websites and redesigns from last year. Job well done guys! Enjoy!
50 Best Websites of 2011
To go to the article, please click here: http://www.splashnology.com/article/50-best-creative-websites-of-2011/4144/
A few months ago, Google reported that twenty percent of ALL their searches are locally related terms. That figure doubles when taking into account a smart phone, tablet or other mobile device. Bing reported similar numbers last year. With this knowledge, the engines have adjusted their search engine listings to offer more locally based results including maps, reviews, site links, and site previews that can help a searcher with local intent find what they are looking for more readily. More recently, Google launched Google Plus For Business, which can enable a local business to set up a page on Google’s Plus One Social Network. As the major search engines get smarter about what the intent of the searcher is, all indications are that setting up for local is what you should be doing for your business today.
Fact #1: There are 100 million local searches on Google every day.
Fact #2: 97% of Consumers Now Use Online Media to Shop Locally, According to BIA/Kelsey and ConStat.
So, how do you go about setting up your local business? And where exactly should you focus your efforts?
Local is the latest buzzword in Online Marketing and seems to be the very last mile of the Internet Marketing gold rush. Now, everyone from the major search engines to city specific business directories and publishers are vying for your local marketing dollar. Having been in this space for over 12 years, the local play makes sense. Early on, the search engines focused completely on National rankings. So if you optimized your website, for example, for a keyword phrase such as “Apparel”, you’d be competing on nationwide level – even if you were a local brick and mortar establishment. Ad platforms were the first to offer geo-targeting and then others followed suit. But soon came local review and directory sites and such and then a whole Industry was formed around localization. With that came the snarky salespeople (yes Yellow Pages, we mean you) that went after the small Mom & Pop shops with vigor and left a lot of small businesses with a bad taste in their mouths for local advertising. Throw in a recession and suddenly sites like Groupon.com and other daily deal websites have emerged in the local space. Admittedly, it can be confusing out there. With so many options now, what should you do if you are a local business?
Easy come, easy go. It’s a saying that is often used in regards to money. But the same can also be said for clients in an Interactive agency. Ahhh. Such is Agency Life in 2011. Mostly, it a glorious state of affairs – getting to know a client and having the opportunity to learn about (and then grow) their businesses. In fact nothing is more rewarding than showing a client an increase in business and a positive ROI from their online marketing efforts. And that is why I still love what I do. However, one of the sad facts of working in an agency these days is that clients come and go for a variety of reasons, most that have nothing to do with you or the results you are getting for them. Often we lose business because “a friend of a friend” knows somebody that dabbles in Online Marketing. Other times, many businesses simply cannot afford the on-going investment it takes to compete effectively online these days.
In online marketing, the old adage used-to-be that if you built it, marketed it and optimized it, they would come. A top ranking in Google could be achieved through search engine optimization techniques and you’d have all the traffic you wanted to your site. Over the years, however, people got tired of going to websites that were “over-optimized” and didn’t answer their needs. Google and the other engines started updating their rankings less on algorithm manipulations and based positioning on relevancy and solid user experiences. While all this was going on with the search engines, the explosion in Social media occurred. Suddenly, your brand reputation became the focal point for smart and savvy consumers. A top position in Google, for example, meant a whole lot less… if you had several bad reviews in Yelp. Google and the other engines also started docking businesses that were not living up to their promises. This change in online marketing has been happening now for the past few years behind the scenes but has been a welcomed change for good brands. So now, in late 2011, it is extremely difficult to rank if your site and your company does not deliver.
We are now in an era of complete transparency. If you don’t believe it, try searching for your “brand name” and use the word “reviews” at the end of your search query. Chances are there is either a review site out there with real customers posting a review about your site and/or your competitor has built a landing page that compares your brand with theirs. Reputation matters a whole lot these days. Ask anyone who has been on “rip off report” and has tried to manage back to better rankings.
The goal, moving forward, for any online business is to be consistent in thought, in message, and in fulfillment. From your advertising to your customer service department, stand for who and what you are and be that brand. Those brands that heed the call will undoubtedly receive a wealth of praise and new business opportunities from word of mouth marketing through Social media channels and higher rankings on the engines. The age of transparency is a win-win for both customers and for the best brands out on the web. We, at Ninthlink, love what we are seeing and look forward to seeing how this plays out in the coming years.
A former client of ours, NOHO, the first “anti-hangover drink” just aired on a CNBC segment. Ninthlink created the initial web design for NOHO and did some basic Search Engine Optimization for the brand. Check out the full report on NOHO Video On CNBC . Congratulations NOHO!
The signals are clear. Google has gone social. We’ve seen examples of this for a while now, especially in local search, where positive social feedback (citations, reviews, ratings, etc.) can help a business secure coveted positioning in Google Places. We’ve also seen additional clues from Google with their recent introduction of the “+1″ feature (akin to the Facebook like button). Now with social media monitoring a business can keep tabs on their social reputation by setting up alerts and removing unwanted content. Reputation management is going to be a critical step for all businesses on the web moving forward. For more information about this release, please review the Mashable.com Article “Google Me On The Web.”
What is that saying…what is old is often new again? Well consider “Digital Strategy”, which was formerly in place about a decade ago as the way to approach the Internet, a topic that fits that old adage perfectly. In 2011, digital strategies are back and better than ever. Forward-thinking companies who are now embracing this old method are reaping great rewards. Companies who are stuck managing digital tactics are finding that their landscape is changing quickly and that results are getting more difficult to obtain.
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