Do I Really Need To Be Number One On Google?

Of course we have a web presence or a blog, that is an extension of what we do. So, why do we think we need to be on Google’s first page? And what does it mean?

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  Posted by Charles Wyatt, Gladstone, Oregon | Sep 05, 2011

  Gerald, I dance to the beat of a different drummer, but, Google is the search engine of choice for the masses(probably just about everyone on Facebook and Twitter). I won't be shy; I DO hate Google, even though I use adwords & have a gmail account. Google is once again about to tweak their algorithm. I reject Google's mission of world domination, and their rules- I do not give them the power of authority. This is my search engine of choice~ http://www.gigablast.com/
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  Posted by Conor MacEvilly, Seattle, Washington | Sep 05, 2011

  Good article Gearld and I completely agree. I was at a Biznik event once and asked 15 people sitting around a table (all of whom had websites) whether they had ever generated any business from their sites. Not one said yes! Fortunately my site does generate some income for me and because of the field I'm in, having a good website does pay. However, meeting people one on one and trust will ALWAYS supersede a website.
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  Posted by Anne (Annie) Berryhill, Laguna Niguel, California | Sep 06, 2011

  Well, I am sort of a newbie, but totally intrigued by all this SEO, Google algorithm stuff. I think that what you said Gerald is dead on..figure out where your business is coming from. For me, it seems to be much more related to Social Media and developing a relationship with the people who scan FB and Twitter everyday. Isnt that business 101? Define your customer and go where they are, communicate how they communicate? Referrals through existing clients will always be a better bet for business not matter how big Google gets! People still need some personal touch or interaction.
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  Posted by Angel Stevens, Seattle, Washington | Sep 06, 2011

  I get all kinds of sales through the organic section of the search engines (although I've never been number one). In my industry, junk removal, doing well in organic search is a marketing cornerstone because some many sales come from unique customers. I've done the website and seo myself. There really is no secret to it all and there are still tons of opportunities to make $$$ through the search engines. Most people fail at seo for the same reason most businesses fail. They fail from a lack of consistent effort and from competing in a competitive category such as real estate.

  Junk Removal in Seattle
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  Posted by Linda Clevenger, Fredericksburg, Virginia | Sep 06, 2011

  Lots of great information shared and interesting perspectives. Thanks.

  Home and Business Organizing
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  Posted by Gerald Grinter, Seattle, Washington | Sep 06, 2011

  Thank you everyone for such great comments. I had been thinking about this for a while and just couldn't get it out of my head.

  @Charles, I understand the beat of a different drummer. I think the constant shape shifting that Google does is what ultimately made me really evaluate where my business comes from. Thanks for not being shy. I love it.

  @Conor and Annie, True, so true. It's business 101. Business is done by people and through people. It's how we touch and interact with them that ultimate counts and makes us money.

  @Angel, I love it. There is no substitute for persistence and focus. That is why most business owners miss the success that they so desperately want. They give up at the slightest set back instead of digging deeper and find the solution. As for me, I like to think there are always possibilities.

  @Linda, I'm glad you found this information helpful.

  Have a fantastic week and may your businesses be successful.

  Gerald Grinter / Getting You Out Of The Way Of Your Business

  Gerald Grinter - The Twelfth Power Consulting
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  Posted by Gerald Leenerts, Scottsdale, Arizona | Sep 08, 2011

  This is an interesting topic, mostly because I've not been to this site in...3 or 4 years and since then I've started working for a company called spyfu.com - which we specialize in keeping track of what websites fall on what keywords (where they rank organically and what keywords they buy). Keep in mind, that's not meant to be a plug towards the site as much as a background as to what it is I do. I also apologize as my name is also Gerald so this could make things more confusing.

  But there are many businesses that do Pay Per Click (PPC) and SEO and are highly ranked in it. That is their business model and that's what works for them. But look at companies that come from ycombinator. When was the last time you found out about them via a google search? Most of the time they get hyped up so much outside of google they get plenty of success with out it.

  All in all, companies spend a lot (A LOT) of money on advertising. SEO is actually one of the areas that is really easy to move up in if you are patient and take your time. Yeah, not every click is going to be a conversion, but if you play the odds ever, you're chances and # of conversions go up. The conversion rate on an SEO click vs a PPC click, is crazy high in comparison. But that being said Gerald is still right.

  A business is made up of people, not every company can survive off the same business model. Not ever 'best practice' is going to be the best for that company. I will say, if you take the time and be patient with SEO, it will pay off as most companies under-estimate SEO and it's potential. Both SEO and PPC are not for every company though.
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  Posted by William Thompson, Walnut Creek, California | Sep 08, 2011

  If a business person was operating 25 years ago, the question asked here might translate to "Is it really necessary for my business phone number to be listed?" Most then would have answered that question with an emphatic "yes!" Of course some would not even need a phone - but let's not talk about that tiny percentage. Today, the Internet is the acknowledged way of looking for products and services. It is the "phone book" of yore - but far more. Google is the predominant provider of searches on the net - and therefore it is the phone book of modern times - except it provides the opportunity to provide far more than a listing - through its ability to link to a firm's web site. The question posed in this article - however - leaves out one critical element, when asking "Do I really need to be number one on Google?" It doesn't answer the question - Number one for what search term(s)? If one is a dog groomer specializing only in Kerry Blue Terriers - and prospects look for a specialist like that, it might be fairly easy for that groomer to be on the first result page in a search for "kerry blue terrier groomer." In fact, it might be so easy to obtain page one status that a Dutch groomer has done it by simply posting information about her firm at a site specializing in the Kerry Blue Terrier breed. Her site link (http://www.trimsalonalaprof.nl/) is embedded in that link. So here is a business that is found with a logical search term - but a highly specialized one. Her firm will never be found by those searching using the terms "dog groomer." For those entering that search term - Google now first lists an array of local dog groomers with maps - so it is fairly easy (and free) to get on page one if you are a local business. Let me qualify that by saying one must know "how" to do all the things to get there, but there is no Voodoo to it. For all but the most "secretive" of businesses, to ignore the ease and non-recurring cost of being exposed to a public searching by the millions each second - is not a display of common sense. People can't do business with you if they don't know your name! That is not some "techie" factoid: it has been in existence since before Roman times. Having been a strategic marketing firm for more than 20 years, and a marketing executive for 20 years before that, it is an absolute delight to see the web provide such low-cost exposure to even the smallest of businesses. This is not to say search marketing should be the only way to gain business, but to diminish it's importance by saying it is not that important to be found (on search results - page one or otherwise) is simply not a sustainable marketing strategy in today's world. The article makes some excellent points - and it conveys great advice, such as know how your customers came to you (something small business owners should religiously keep track of - but most don't). It also points out that online advertising (such as PPC - Pay Per Click) and SEO efforts must result in a return on the investment in time, money or both. There are almost daily "messiah-like" promises flying toward you in emails saying you can be on page one. The question is, "page one for what search term(s)?" Beware of such pitches - as most are false unless they involve huge costs or very expensive PPC bids on certain keywords. The Internet, for all it's attractiveness and power, is today's equivalent of the wild west. Yet, as wild as the new frontiers can be, never fear to cross into them and adapt to the new environment and never think (for search terms highly specific to your business) that you can't be right up there on page one with the largest of companies.
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  Posted by Michael Cohn, Butler, New Jersey | Sep 08, 2011

  Gerald,

  I couldn't agree with you more. I find out that if you are a service oriented business as oppose to product oriented business, not only that being on page one of Google doesn't help but it may cause you to waste a lot of time with "price shoppers".

  As a consultant I cannot quote a price to a prospective client until I fully inderstand the nature of their business and their full requirements which are not always clearly defined. I find that people that find me on Google, get very quickly to the question "How much is going to cost me?" within less than 2 minutes into the conversation and way before they explaind their business and needs.

  Heighten your reputation and exposure online.
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  Posted by omer kessel, Eilat Israel | Sep 08, 2011

  Ranking on Google's #1 page is a must. Web marketing is based on search engines and social networks...
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  Posted by Ryan Stutzman, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Thanks, Gerald! I think I will forward this to my online competition.
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  Posted by Michael Sobus, Peabody, Massachusetts | Sep 08, 2011

  Great point, Gerald, putting yourself where your customer hangs out and gets information is the place to be for sure.

  I coach my clients to imagine that they are looking for the product/service that your business offers. Where would I go to find that plumber, electrician, accountant or business coach?

  In so many business areas people do at least consult the internet to widen their choices. Word of mouth is powerful, but often I want to compare.

  If you believe people search the internet for your type of business, then the hard message is that you want to rank highly on Google and Bing.

  Brick and mortar businesses and local businesses can use localized search to get that high ranking in their area. In my blog http://bit.ly/iQrnzj I share 5 ways to receive a high ranking from Google in a local search.
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  Posted by Daniel Rogers, Virginia Beach, Virginia | Sep 08, 2011

  It's important these days for any business have a good presence on the internet and that may include prominence on the search results. But obviously the expense and effort should be governed by the return on investment. My business is a service type so my customer source is about 50/50 between internet and old fashioned referral building.

  http://final-analysis
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  Posted by Kent Hermes, Sammamish, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Very good article Gerald. In full agreement with your points...
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  Posted by Julie Cole, Jefferson, Ohio | Sep 08, 2011

  Interesting topic and I agree that if you have a brick and mortor business and your website is a supplement to other advertising, front page ranking is not needed. For e-business owners like myself and shoppers like myself ( a heavy online buyer) a good, highly ranked web presence is a must and the higher ranked page the more profitable for me as an owner and for the store I am buying from. In my business of rubber mulch sales I live and die by my ranking on Yahoo and Google. I pay such a minimal amount per click a month it barley shows up on the radar of my advertising budget. We have a highly ranked natural ranking that took time to get. As in real estate,in an internet business it is all about location,location,location. A brick and mortor business, I believe, needs a highly ranked web presence as well because many people like myself never use a telephone book anymore ,not even for local business. It really has become a brave new world out there as far as advertising your business. The interent and social networking for business use is growing rapidly. It simply cannot be overlooked for ANY business to not begin using these tools to their fullest, in my opinion. The very best way to find out where people find your business is to make it mandatory that anyone answering your calls at your business to ask "And how did you find us?"
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  Posted by Seth Basker, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Different strokes for different folks.

  My career and interview coaching website was on Page 1 locally for a long time. It helped launch the success of the business. As referrals grew, the need for a Page 1 position diminished. As SEO declined so did the resulting calls. There was a clear correlation between SEO positioning and qualified incoming calls. It was well worth the investment.

  Job Search and Interview Coach
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  Posted by Kevin Kestyn, Boston, Massachusetts | Sep 08, 2011

  You say in your article that you never actually got ranked on page #1 - there are 10 listings on page #1. How can you make a determination about Google natural search effectiveness? Doesn't it go without saying that Google won't refer customers to you if you are poorly ranked - as you are not listed and can not get clicked upon?
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  Posted by Brandon Na, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  You're going to think I'm biased because we run SEO agencies, but here are some clear cut facts:

  We started our first agency, Seattle Organic SEO off of an investment of about $150 and did our best to get to page one, if not #1 for the search phrase "seattle seo." After we got to page 1, we got a request from a $200 million/year company selling amps in Woodinville fill out our contact form and asked us to come and pitch them. No sales, no cold calling and no traditional ways of securing business. We just built a simple website and people just came to us.
  After finishing the work for our first few clients, we waited for the results over a span of 3-6 months because it is "organic" and it should take a while to reach #1 or page 1. After helping them with their organic SEO, they achieved year over year traffic growth as high as 250%+ It took us about 8 months to get to #1 and after we did, we started to notice more contact forms being filled out and more calls as well. We've been hovering around #1 and #2 for both the phrase "seattle seo" and "seo seattle", but like many people who've complained about google, they're tough to figure out. We can't say we'll know where we're at tomorrow for these two phrases or the other handful of phrases this one website ranks on the top page or #1, but we know we're getting good traffic from being there So do our clients. Beyond the first few clients, we recently have taken on very large clients due to our very strong results earlier during the business. And we've even helped sites with close to 30 million visits a month move their traffic dial with SEO. This larger client of ours had only branded keywords generating organic traffic before we started working with them (approx 664 of them), but now with our help, they now generate more than 65% of their original organic traffic with a doubling of the organic keywords bringing traffic to their site *So, do you have to be #1? Not necessarily, but do you need to focus on SEO? Well, if you want clients/customers to come to you while you're sleeping, out making business calls, and sometimes literally just sitting on your rear without having to spend money on gas, phones, etc., it doesn't hurt.

  Frankly, I've never found a form of marketing more efficient and more effective in my 20+ years working or helping run businesses.

  Why don't you ask Amazon or Expedia if being #1 is important? When I was at both companies, I was always surprised at how seriously they took their search marketing until I ventured out on my own and experienced all I did with SEO. I'm one of the most cynical people about any marketing method or product, but after spending 5+ years figuring it out and diligently working at it, I haven't found anything better.

  With that said, is it a panacea? No. You should be doing everything you possibly can (strong social media, paid search, some traditional forms of marketing that are effective, email marketing, and much more). You should also be focusing on some of the traditional and old fashioned ways of securing business as well. Good ole fashioned networking has done us wonders as well.

  With the last two Biznik Hotsheets having the top featured post bashing SEO, I thought I should say something.

  It's quite ironic given that Biznik promotes SEO through their own website and is successful due to SEO. They even hired an SEO to help them garner more traffic. Yet, here are two highly publicized posts questioning it's efficacy.

  It kind of reminds me of Rush Limbaugh saying what he does to generate buzz and conflict to get more visitors. At the same time, I'll continue to diligently help clients get basically get qualified increases in traffic with something that frankly takes a lot of hard work to achieve. I wish I wasn't so busy helping them because I would of really loved to write a post about how SEO really is dead ... ha, ha. (yes, I'm being saracastic)
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  Posted by Michael Hartzell, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Gerald,

  You don't need to do anything specific when creating and executing a marketing plan. The means to grow a healthy and profitable business is dependent on the skill, will, talent and vision of each owner.

  If you are ranked #1 on Google, you are able to take advantage and be found by those already looking for your product/service.

  If we could instead change your question to: "What is the most cost effective way to get leads/customers?" and how can we moving the "closing ratio" results from 1 in 20 to 1 in 10?

  This would have us doing a breakdown of "cost to create a sale". When you analyze the cost of creating a customer, traditional marketing methods may not keep a business owner profitable. The time it may take to call, drive, snail mail, network, etc. to search for potential clients/customers can be very time consuming.

  Scenario:

  If you are ranked well for a phrase that people are already looking for, (top 3) and they find your website, the next step is the conversion (lead) or the "buy".

  If you are able to use the inbound marketing principles to "get found" (with ranking 24/7 around the clock), and use a website page to represent the awesomeness of your business to convert (get a lead), then instead of searching for people who are interested in your products or services THEY are searching for you.

  Do you need to be #1 on Google for a key phrase? Nope.

  If you are and the numbers look like this: 10,000 visitors 3% Conversion to leads =300 leads per month And 20% turn into customers or clients at $200 each transaction *Revenue generated is $12000

  The cost for each lead? 5 to 8 hours a week with inbound marketing. (for the less experienced a bit more)

  Outsource for $30 / hour X 10 hours a week = $300 = $1200 / month.

  $1200 cost / 60 customers = cost of $20 per customer

  *The numbers change for each business.
  Change the avg. transaction or results which fits your business. Hire someone for less money. Consider the experience level of the team and the how long the inbound marketing plan has been in place.

  (Inbound marketing is like tulips which grows more each year)

  What you are talking about "#1 on Google" is only one piece of the puzzle as part of an inbound marketing plan. To depend on inbound marketing as the sole means to create more business is risky (As search engines evolve and change).

  Next Wednesday, I will be building a website from scratch at a Biznik event and will be talking about Inbound Marketing a bit. You might be interested?

  The Biznik event is here:

  http://biznik.com/events/the-fastest-way-to-build-a-successful-website-blog-michael-hartzell-demonstrates-in-60-minutes

  You are very welcome to attend!

  Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts,

  Mike

  PS

  Beyond SEO and ranking, the website is more than an inbound marketing tool... don't you think? It is a mirror of the awesomeness of business owners who shine (but not everyone knows).

  At the end of the day, when the offline business puts the closed sign up, when phone goes into the answer machine mode; the Internet represents and replaces the business around the clock. This lowers the cost to acquire leads and customers.

  There are other methods but it is difficult to ignore the opportunity of being "open" 24/7.

  Thanks again for the question and perspective...

  Guerrilla Marketing Ideas that Rock!
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  Posted by John Locke, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  The most recent comments seem more on target...

  We get somewhere close to half our business from our web site, and most of those customers originally found us on Google. Not because we have a specific SEO effort underway -- but because we create a lot of content relevant to our services, and we get rewarded with high organic rankings.

  I would say the real point here is to take a look at your overall marketing plan, and your business goals. We find nothing beats having a solid, content-rich web site out there marketing for us -- and good SEO results confirm that we're on the right track. If you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, and provide a steady stream of relevant content, you will get better SEO results, and that can lead to a huge increase of business.

  It is important to rank highly in Google for terms your potential customers search on -- if you're not on the first page, you're not going to be found. But you should concentrate your efforts on making the content of your web site sell you as the best provider, rather than concentrating on merely your search result ranking.
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  Posted by Gerald Grinter, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Wow! I am absolutely floored by the diversity of everyone's responses as I read through all of them. I love it. This takes this conversation to such a great level to which there are many solutions. All of which work for the businesses applying their given strategies for success. I really enjoy looking at how to do business through a different lens and this take me there. This makes me smile. As my father always says, "I love learning something new every day"

  Looking forward to keeping the discussion going.

  Thanks you for such great comments.

  Gerald

  Gerald Grinter - The Twelfth Power Consulting
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  Posted by Nancy Rose, Gurnee, Illinois | Sep 08, 2011

  Love your perspective along with other comments. I've ranked #1 on google and yahoo, depends on the keywords folks are typing in. I do agree that SEO is constantly changing. I tend to more clients from other search engines besides google. But agree that first and foremost customers come from events and people we personally connect with.
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  Posted by Shannon Moynihan, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  For me no, but I don't have a big web presence for my business; however, my husband gets a lot of business from Google searches (he comes up first, after the paid ads) - people find his Biznik profile there (apparently Google loves Biznik) and contact him.
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  Posted by Randal DeHart, PMP, QPA, Lynnwood, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Gerald,

  Your article provides lots of "Bbread for the Head" and some new perspectives.

  Warm Regards,

  Randal

  Contractors Accounting And Bookkeeping Service
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  Posted by Julie Cole, Jefferson, Ohio | Sep 08, 2011

  I have noticed a lot of mention of face to face ,relationship building in a business. We strive to do this even in as a strictly internet sales company. Even though we may not get many repeat customers,our customers have freinds,neighbors and business contacts that they may share their experiences they have had with us. They MUST be good experiences or in my eyes we lose business somewhere down the road. The internet business world is no longer anonymous any more. An internet customers service and experience are just as important as a brick and mortor customers...or if not they should be. We offer exceptional customer service by responding after hours and weekends to emails,by offering what I call "aggrevation" refunds to customers who experience shipping issues or any other issue on our products and service. (I wouldn't have any grey hair at all if not for shipping issues). We also ask our customers to send us pictures of the finished results so we can possibly display them on our website. We try very hard here at Perfect Rubber Mulch in a"virtual" world to be customer friendly place that our customer can trust even though they cannot walk through our front door. Just my thoughts on some of the remarks veing made. Great thread!
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  Posted by Pam Johnson-Bennett, CCBC, Nashville, Tennessee | Sep 08, 2011

  Wow. What a great discussion. I'm even more confused than I was before reading. I have a love/hate relationship with SEO. My business depends on veterinarian referral (I'm in the animal behavior field) but it also depends heavily on whether people find me on the internet. It's a balance and I must do both to compete in this business environment now.
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  Posted by Mayme Fu, Bellevue, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Gerald,

  Good job on the wisdom of marketing in cyberspace. I'm a skeptic as far as how much I can trust any of these bigwigs to get me the clients, especially when my business as an acupuncturist and herbal medicine practitioner is entirely organic oriented at treating people back to wellness, one person at a time. Therefore, I get new patients thru word of mouth and I'm also constantly out there meeting people and talking to them by listening to them.

  Thanks for sharing.

  Mayme
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  Posted by Katrina Hamilton, San Diego, California | Sep 08, 2011

  Very much enjoyed your article and agree 100%; know where your clients are coming from. Another key note to SEO is external links, which of course helps to get you to page 1, however can also drive clients away from your site.

  With my creation and own SEO, only hosting dollars spent, I've manage to make it to page one of Google, Yahoo, & Bing. Now if I could only incorporate a new site that would allow me the control; I think I could stay there. Search "Downtown San Diego Foreclosures" as I mentioned page 1. Have fun with it and create many streams of opportunity!
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  Posted by Alexander Roberts, Seattle, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Gerald,

  Love your article, we have to get ready for social search. Facebook is going public in 2012, it will be a grand battle in Search between Google the crown king and Facebook as it enters the search market.

  You are right in that identifying your audience is a fundamental principle of marketing since the dawn of marketing and business.

  No different online but definitely a different skill set with the technical aspect.

  From now on businesses will demand more than just being #1 on Google. Now businesses want prospect/client engagement and lead capture as a way to create brand advocates.

  That's what social media is (peer-to-peer permission based marketing) we still want the #1 status but now we want a dialogue that opens to a lifetime of business that is generational.

  The internet is only one arm of any marketing process, but if used to compliment existing marketing can create allot of power and be very effective.

  Social profiles and blogging are considered the most cost effective form of lead capture for any business on a budget.
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  Posted by Phil Ross, Kent, Washington | Sep 08, 2011

  Luv it! Gerald, great article...sumthin we all needed to hear.
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  Posted by Jose Osegueda, san francaisco, California | Sep 08, 2011

  Gerald you offer great education for all marketers.
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  Posted by Gil Pauley, Bellevue, Washington | Sep 09, 2011

  Gerald, Very interesting article. A wide variance in the answers and the perception of how useful one's rank is. We ask each new patient how they found us or heard about us and our page one position with the three major search engines does play a role in generating new people for our dental practice. We used to see about 80%-20% split in favor of word of mouth reference from existing patients, but I think now it is closer to 60%-40%. We recently redid our website, six months ago, from the ground up with all new content and photos and I think that has made a big difference. Our web presence is all organic and local search rank for the search terms we want to be found under (no PPC or adwords). Most dentists that I talk with rely on their websites to some degree for new patients unless they are specialists that rely on referrals from general dentists.
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  Posted by Pat Deacon, Ottawa, Ontario Canada | Sep 09, 2011

  Very refreshing, Gerald! Thank you.
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  Posted by Celeste Tyree, Maple Valley, Washington | Sep 10, 2011

  Interestingly Google is not the only fish in the sea. If your web site is out there long enough you do show up on the top :-) when someone searches for you. For advertising we found LookSmart to be the better partner. Larger ads, cheaper and more traffic for my dollar. Yes, I spend a small about of money on Google because they have grown on me but as an entrepreneurial being scrappy I don't always go with the flow.
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  Posted by Brian Jaeger, Seattle, Washington | Sep 12, 2011

  Spot on Gerald. Solopreneurs and microenterprises generally compete better with a strategy of meeting 1:1 with clients during the start-up phase. SEO ranking for such companies is both an attractive task and a distraction from the prize. It's a brave new world out there with many options . . . earning and keeping as much revenue as possible when others are skilled at removing it is a challenge.
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  Posted by David Miller, Issaquah, Washington | Sep 14, 2011

  This is a great article because it raises the question of what you want your website to do. For my business, which is basically business writing and communication, I don't expect someone to look for me on Google. They might look for me on LinkedIn perhaps. But mainly, my website is for two purposes. One, to refer potential clients to a store of information about me and what I offer. Two, because a website is viewed by many as a kind of credential that you're a serious businessperson. I know some businesses are quite different, but for me being on the first page of Google or really any page isn't that important.
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  Posted by William Dudley Bass, Seattle, Washington | Sep 22, 2011

  Gerald, wow...brilliant & pointy article. You poured yourself into it, too. And the reactions & responses you generated make for another article or two!

  Integrating people, technology, business, etc. to market & sell & serve. Not to mention how our personal & professional lives and work & play have become so intertwined in our daily lives - in part driven by our massive use of technology, globalization, the Recession, & new opportunities to create value.

  Perhaps we're so enamored with technology, or opposed to it, we've forgotten the Marketplace to some degree. Where is the market? Who is the market?

  Once upon a time the market was the village commons or the town square. You carried, pushed, or pulled your products there to trade, barter, buy, & sale.

  Now the market seems everywhere with technology so globalized. But the marketplace fundamentally remains the people, and the people are scattered rather than concentrated in the town square. Technology gets us there. And still...face to face, handshake to handshake, eye to eye, and even the smells and textures matter.

  Perhaps we have to first lose sight of our marketplace as we're lost in the machines to learn from our mistakes and relearn it's the people, our fellow customers, that matter. Our Internet & wireless technologies are simply today's Postmodern version of strong legs & backs, donkeys, & mules to get us & our products & services "there" to market.

  Thanks for shaking things awake.
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  Posted by Brian Setzler, CPA, Portland, Oregon | Sep 29, 2011

  Our business continues to grow fast without being on the 1st page of a generic "Portland area CPA" search. However, this isn't where we expect to get much business. Someone finding us and becoming a client through a generic Google search is a bonus.

  Word of mouth, referrals, niche marketing, and repeat business are far more important sources of business. I think we'd do fine even if Google didn't exist.

  Portland CPA and tax expert
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  Posted by Liz Manicatide, Boston, Massachusetts | Oct 02, 2011

  I agree Brian- for you and many of the companies I work with, some customers are the result of Google searches but far more are personal referrals and industry knowledge. You can't beat personal contacts, then they look you up on the web and your site impress es them again- sold! :) For many companies the value of a website is more in communicating value, providing information, and creating a dialogue with the customers.
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  Posted by Gil Pauley, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 03, 2011

  Liz, that's it in a nutshell. Give quality service and product and get personal word of mouth referrals. They will check out your website and if it is well done it will make the final impression and convert them to your business (if they weren't totally sold by their friends -LOL).
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  Posted by Nick Webb, Seattle, Washington | Oct 05, 2011

  Gerald, great article. I think the gist of it may have been lost on some, but the answer to:

  Do I really need to be number one on Google?

  Is the consulting favorite, it depends!

  For the audience here on Biznik, techies excluded, I think being number one on Google is overrated.

  If you are an SEO expert, you better be close to #1. If you are a highly skilled website shop, your customers will find you online (or should). If you are a dentist? It won't hurt, but likely you get most customers elsewhere.

  Congrats on the buzz!