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This just in from WebProNews.

Google will be adding tweets to search results…

Love you guys, but this is a little delayed!  I posted a new website purely for the fun of it… Yes I love my job!… about 3 weeks ago.  Then I tweeted it.  Well the tweet showed up on google long before the website ever did.  And the only location you find a link to this new website is on my tweet.  Check it out… Google BlackShirtSeo.com… By the way… the only thing black about it is the shirt. I bought it purely so I could make a T-Shirt. I am sure it will be one of the most expensive T-Shirts I have ever bought.

Your results will show the actual domain now and then tweet under it.  If you didn’t think Google was interested in your tweets then you are falling behind. Tweets on the other hand, are typically not going to rank well.  They are supplemental to good SEO.  I like twitter, but I would never build my optimization plan centered around Twitter, or Facebook or any other social media.  Including google’s new Wave…  If you haven’t checked into the wave then go read up on it by someone who’s taking a test drive on it now… GOOGLE WAVE.

With that said, YES YOU SHOULD TWEET.  NO YOU SHOULD NOT SPAM TWITTER.

Tweet Tweet, but please be Sweet…

PEST CONTROLLERS- Don’t just send out endless ads about your company.  You won’t make many friends on twitter that way.

I hate to bring up past experiences that I would rather forget, but I can’t ignore the lessons I have learned.  I once was involved in a MLM – Marketing Pyramid.  I tried to sell everyone I knew and everyone I didn’t know.  Perhaps it was just my leadership who told me to go steal hourly employees from the mall, but I chased people away.  I looked at everyone as if they were money bags.  That is absolutely a horrible thing to do.  I have since repented… I was very young and naive at the time…. sorry making excuses… I told you I didn’t like to bring up the past!

Morale of the story, Don’t just tweet to sell your service.  Tweet to connect and communicate.  Sure, I support sending out a reminder on occasion about what you do, but every 5 minutes is not an occasion.

… If I could only control the pests on twitter.  =)

-Thos003

Phoenix Pest Controller for hire.

Google has been undergoing a lot of face lifts recently.  As of date, google’s 2009 maps addition have made a huge impact on search results and overall website traffic.  The maps are stealing some if not most of the spot light for many searches.  And if you haven’t caught this google wave then built your ship and get on board.

What’s new as of today, is that the coveted “10 box” or “pack 10″ for local searches is now down to 7!

That’s right, you will find only 7 local companies now when you search for “Pest Control Austin AZ“…   Let’s try again 7-box when you search for “Pest Control Mesa AZ“. Just barely above the cut on that one…

The new limit is 7! Which may not be a big deal,… unless you were 8, 9, 0r 10.  That is just the way google crumbles.

Wait, your not seeing what I am seeing in your results?

Oh yeah, as of today on 3 separate pieces of equipment from, 3 different IP addresses, I got 3 totally different results.  Google Local Search Results are now popping up everywhere!

Here is a quick tally for www.BulwarkPestControl.com search term “pest control” (of course)…

I-Phone – #19 (used to search this before) Different top placements for 1,2,3…

PC – #19 (used to search this before) Different top placements 1,2,3,…

Blackberry – #13 (Never searched for pest control before) Similar top 1,2,3, as I-phone different than PC.

GOOGLE!!!! Quit changing my results!

Oh, and as far as the maps go… If you put in your location, or let it locate you through your IP address it will give you map results based on proximity.  If my IP is in Raleigh, NC… it gives me a different 10, I mean 7, on the map results.  If I change my location to a zip code it changes, if I change my location to a city it changes again.  Each time it pulls the listings that are closest to your IP, Zip Code, or City location and the listings that are most relevant to your search.

Soooo, forget optimizing your location for the entire metro area!  Unless, the niche isn’t that competitive. It is internet real estate where value is based on location, location, and location.

Hope this helps!

* Search results will vary based on user, device, browser, IP address, web history, search term, and other undetermined factors, therefore we are not sure what results are typical and make no claims as to testimonials given hereof, or thereof.

** and for my FTC disclaimer… If you consider this a Google review then your wrong. It’s a Google Report, either way Google did not pay me for this.  I am however associated with a pest control company, so if you see a link that says Exterminator Tulsa and it points to a particular website then yes I did that on purpose and yes they pay me to work for them, but, this is kinda not work stuff… so classify it as you wish.  Man I love my job!

P.S. You can optimize for an entire metro as a key word… try “Austin Pest Control”, but google is changing the way people search by adding local results to service terms, like “pest control”.  Why add in my location if google will give me results based on my location?

Interesting read today from Fox news on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  This is something that would effect SEO companies as they are prone to adding links and building blogs to get more traffic.  The FTC has voted to regulate blogging and fine those that are posting product reviews for money.  They believe that these reviews are misleading in that the consumer is unaware if the review is a organic unsolicited review or if the review is paid for by the product company.  Further, many of these sites and reviews sign on as affiliates and receive a commission if the product is bought through their site.

The law will require that bloggers must make it known that they are being paid in a “clear and conspicuous” manner and the law goes into force December 1st, 2009. The law does not require notification for “free” products, meaning if I were to offer you free pest control service in exchange for a review then you are not required to disclose that you are receiving free service. While these regulations may make many bloggers nervous, the FTC says that they intend to target the companies and advertisers.  This actually makes me more nervous as a pest control company.

Let’s say that I am paying an SEO company to build my site and back links.  How can I be sure that the SEO company I hire is adhering to this law?  Who then is responsible, the SEO company or the pest control company?  Further, this law seems very inadequate.  How do you define a “review” of a company or a review of a product?  How will the FTC distinguish between legitimate customers reviewing a product or service versus the paid reviews? And what about blogs that benefit indirectly from their reviews (i.e. Google adsense)?

Or better yet define “clear and conspicuous”. How do I know if this site “clearly and conspicuously” show that I am a Bulwark employee.  Is the facebook profile on the left sufficient or do I need to disclose this in every post?  Beyond that this blog isn’t purely a Bulwark blog, its my own blog and thoughts as well.  Bulwark does not sanction everything written on this blog and I am not really getting paid directly for my content.

Overall, however, I applaud the FTC’s attempt to regulate this gross flood of solicited reviews. It is unfortunate that so many companies and individuals are cashing in on the naive public.  Having worked on the internet for sometime I  spot the propaganda reviews and comments regularly. In fact, there are entire blogs that look like just a single user reviewing everyday products, but in fact are a paid blogger.

As far as I am aware Bulwark has not overstepped these requirements.  But, again, I am unaware of every attempt hired SEO firms have undergone to boost my web presence. Further, I don’t know how they define “clear and conspicuous”.  Hopefully a site that is owned by Bulwark is clear. But, it does sound  like I will need to check in on my SEO team, and I would advise all internet advertisers and business owners to do the same. Don’t get caught with your pants down.

From your Pest Control SEO guy.

This post was not directly paid for by Bulwark Exterminating, however the writter is biased as to which pest control service is the best.

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