Simple Search Engine Ranking Improvement Tip

Simple Search Engine Ranking Improvement Tip
We all know that improving search engine ranking is a difficult task. However, Google has made a subtle change in its formula that actually gives everyone an opportunity to improve their ranking with minimal effort and at no cost. The tip is to:

Update your Google Local Business Profile

Google has recently started placing a greater significance on its Google Local Business Profiles, now called Google Places. It appears that Google is starting to give a priority listing on the Google Map and organic listings to companies that have a complete business profile.

What is a Google Business Profile?

It is the information Google displays to the world about your business. If properly updated you can display:

Phone and Contact Information
Service Locations
Photos
Company Logo
Website Address (backlink from Google!)

Example Google Profile



Click to Enlarge



Why is a Google Busines Profile Important?

The more Google knows about your business, the better your company's website will rank on the search engine results.

Improved Search Engine Ranking
Get Noticed on the Google Map

Why is being on the Google Map Important?

Google displays its map of local businesses at the top of regular search results and businesses are individually displayed in the search results. These are two free methods to gain a priority listing for your business.

Map Displayed at Top of Results Page
Businesses on Map Individually Displayed on Results Page

Example Google Search Results Page



Click to Enlarge


How do I Improve my Google Map Ranking?

Google has updated their method of ranking websites to place more of an emphasis on the number of reviews a company has in their business profile - the more reviews the higher the ranking. Therefore, by establishing your Google Business Profile and growing the number of customer reviews you can increase your Google Map and Google search ranking.

Establish Google Business Profile
Get Customer Reviews

Google Map Prioritization


Click to Enlarge

How do I Establish My Google Business Profile?

You may contact Google directly and follow their instructions on establishing your business profile. Please be aware that as big of a company as they are, they have no customer support. Therefore, you will be on your own for creating your profile. However, if you have the time and patience you can establish your profile on your own without cost.

If you want the comfort of having your Google business profile established quickly for you, our trained experts are here to help. As you can imagine there are ways to complete the profile that will make your company stand out and opportunities for keyword placement. We charge a modest one-time fee to perform this service on your behalf and we make sure it is done right.

Regardless of how you do it, just make sure you do it. This is a simple way to improve your ranking and to improve your Internet exposure.

Sincerely,
Brian Starzec
HVAC Business Solutions

2010 US Ecommerce Stats - Fourth Quarter (Oct-Dec)

Just in case you are still thinking that ecommerce and the Internet is a fad, here is the initial projection for US Ecommerce activity in 2010 from October through December:

2010 October through December:
44.1 BILLION!

This means,


2010 Total US Ecommerce:
$164.6 Billion!


One more eye catching stat:


2010 Cyber Monday:
$1.028 Billion!


$1.028 billion in online sales in a single day! Here is one more chart to review. Keep in mind during the time period in the chart below we were in the middle of a recession.

(click image to enlarge)

Hopefully we can all agree now that doing business online is viable and that being online is as critical as ever. Now, the key question to ask is, "How do I increase my slice of that pie for my business?"

In next week's newsletter we will discuss a major change in the search engines and how you can capitalize on this one simple change to improve your website's search engine ranking.

Sincerely,
Brian Starzec
HVAC Business Solutions
Service Roundtable Member

Benchmark Conversion Rate for Replacement Sales from Service Agreements

In the HVAC industry, air conditioning contractors can expect to sell one replacement air conditioner for every 10 to 11 service agreement customers. This statistic comes courtesy from Ron Smith a member of the Contracting Business Contractor Hall of Hame and author of HVAC Spells Wealth.


1 Replacement Sale for Every
10 to 11 Service Agreements

Service agreements are the true life blood of a heating and air conditioning company. With a service agreement, you establish an ongoing relationship with your customer. Without a service agreement, the moment your service truck pulls away from the customer's house, he becomes a free agent and a prospect at large.

With a service agreement customer:

• Repeat business increases


• Return on marketing increases


• Referrals increase


• Margins increase


• Company value increases


• Employee retention and morale increases

As you are developing your 2011 plan, set targets for your service agreements. Benchmarks should include - total number of new service agreements, percent of service agreements retained and service agreement conversion rate.

If you are struggling to develop a plan or need tools to help your technicians increase their conversion rate, please don't hesitate to contact us. We have several affordable and effective tools to increase service agreements sales.

Sincerely,

Brian Starzec

Soldering and Brazing Video Now Available!

Soldering and Brazing Training Video by Carl Pollex - For Sale!

For the first time ever, HVAC Industry legend and instructor Carl Pollex has recorded his famous soldering, brazing and oxygen acetylene safety course. Carl Pollex has been teaching this class for over 30 years and now all of his valuable knowledge is available in this hour-an-a-half long video course. In this training course, Carl not only covers the fundamentals of metallurgy, but he gets hands-on and demonstrates techniques and everyday options for soldering and brazing.

Video Trailer

Click the image below to view a 2 minute overview of the Soldering and Brazing DVD.






View Website

For more information, we have created a dedicated website for this HVAC Training video - http://www.solderingbrazing.com/ or http://www.solderingbrazingtraining.com/.


Order Now

Click the image below to order the DVD for your HVAC company.