In an unpredictable world, only two things are certain year in and out:

1. Income taxes.
2. Google rolling out a new update that can drastically mess with your rankings.

I’m sure you’re all too aware of the first one, so let’s talk about the second.

What Google has gone and done for 2017 is create a mobile index, essentially separate mobile search results and desktop search results.

This is BIG because it could drastically affect your rankings on mobile devices.

Here are 5 key things you need to know:

1. What is Google’s mobile index?

The mobile index is going to rank pages based on the content that’s shown to a user on a mobile device, rather than ranking the results based on content served on the “full-size” page. Prior to this, Google has ranked its search results based on the content found on the desktop version of a page, regardless of whether or not the user searching was on a mobile device.

2.  Do I need to worry?

If your mobile site is skimpy on content or not optimized for SEO, probably. If you have a robust, fleshed-out mobile site, however, you’ll be fine. In fact, since most companies’ mobile sites are terrible, you’ll likely see a big boost in your mobile results if you have a quality, mobile-friendly site.

3.  What if I don’t have a mobile-friendly site?

First, if you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, what are you even doing? You’re likely hurting your conversions BIG TIME (reading “desktop” sites on a mobile device is the stuff of nightmares).  It’s 2017 and everyone is glued to their smartphones—NOT having a mobile-friendly website is simply NOT an option anymore.
The good news is that if you don’t have a mobile site, Google will crawl your main website. Nothing changes in this instance.

4.  How do I make my mobile site search-engine friendly?

The same way you make your “full” site Google friendly: relevant content, strategically placed keywords, “nerd” coding, and all that good stuff.

5.  When Does Google’s mobile index roll out?

Google is currently testing their mobile index with some of its users. It probably won’t take effect for everyone for a few months.

Of course, MYM clients need not fear…

We’re always one step ahead of Google’s SEO shakeups.

We build our clients’ websites to be “responsive,” which means the sites respond to the visitor’s browser size.

Instead of detecting that a visitor is on their mobile phone, and then serving a completely separate version of the site, our sites detect the reader is on a mobile phone and serve the same content with mobile-friendly navigation.

This not only makes it easier for someone visiting the site to browse it on a phone, but also ensures the mobile-friendly version contains ALL of the juicy SEO content and features of the “full” site.

What this means: While contractors with crappy mobile sites will see their mobile search results sink into the Google abyss, our clients’ mobile rankings will rise to the top.

Need a powerful, high-converting website that’s mobile-friendly? You know where to go.

P.S. If you want to see one of our “responsive” websites in action, click on this client’s website and shrink the browser to a little less than half the width of your computer screen. Presto!

Note: Last post, I showed you Part One of the amazing internet marketing transformation we performed for Soberg Windows & Doors.

That email focused on creating a compelling Identity and beautiful website for the company. Today, I’m going to tell you about phase two: SEO.

Here’s the story…

Crushing The SEO Competition

To create a dominating internet presence, a powerful website is only part of the equation. If you’re not performing SEO (Search Engine Optimization), your awesome site is useless.

Prior to joining Monopolize Your Marketplace, Troy had someone else handling his SEO… his ex-wife. And believe it or not, she did a solid job! “She did have us up in the rankings pretty well. Still, it was up and down. Inconsistent.”

That’s no surprise, considering search engines like Google constantly tinker with their search algorithms, making it practically impossible for SEO non-professionals to keep up. When we built Soberg’s new website and took over the contractor’s SEO, it took the normal four or five months to ‘kick in.’ But after that initial start-up period, Troy couldn’t be more thrilled with his SEO.

“With MYM, I’ve seen very, very positive SEO results. I’m pretty much on the first page for all keywords relating to windows and doors in my area. Now we are consistently where we want to be. Monopolize Your Marketplace’s SEO services have definitely helped produce a lot of leads.”

As of 10/28/16, 2016, 95% of Soberg’s keywords are in the top 10 on Google,
with many ranking in the coveted first two spots.

Unlike a lot of SEO companies—which tend to provide their clients with poor reporting and slow response—we insist on timely, clear, consistent communication.

“Regarding my SEO, I deal a lot with [MYM Digital Services Director] Katie Colihan. I can’t say enough about her. She is very personable, caring, and interested in what I do. Anything I need with my SEO, boom, she is right on it.”

Maintaining Internet-Marketing Dominance

Whether you’re a contractor in a small rural county or a huge sprawling metropolis, one thing remains constant: In today’s always-online world, you MUST have both a strong Identity and internet presence to succeed.

By powerfully branding Soberg Windows & Doors and getting them to #1 on Google for many of their keywords, we’ve helped the company become the big fish in a relatively small pond.

When people search online for windows and doors in Walworth County, the first link they see on the results page is for Soberg’s website. And when those prospects click through to the company’s site, they’re greeted with a strong Identity that conveys how Soberg is much different—and much BETTER—than the average small-town contractor. Prospects can’t help but fall in love.

In all, the synergy between Soberg’s Identity and SEO has produced great results for Troy and his company. “It took about four months for the SEO to ‘kick in,’ but we are now getting a lot of leads from internet searches and our website.”

On what it’s like being an MYM client, Troy says, “Marketing is tough for small businesses. It can be expensive and there’s so much involved. Monopolize Your Marketplace makes everything easy and has produced very positive results for my company. Becoming one of their clients has definitely paid off.”

Ready To Monopolize YOUR Marketplace?

If you’re interested in knowing more about becoming an MYM client, give us a call at 817-416-4333 or visit our website and use the Live Chat box.

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Note: Over the next few posts, I’m going to share an in-depth case study about one of our clients, Soberg Windows & Doors. I’ll show you how we took his internet marketing from “Dud” to “Stud”—and shaped him a powerful, lead-generating online presence—within nine months.

Here’s Part One of the case study, which focuses on creating the client a strong Identity.

Sometimes it pays to be the big fish in a small pond. Just ask Troy Soberg.

Troy owns Soberg Windows & Doors, a window replacement company located in Walworth County, Wisconsin.

Walworth is a small, scenic rural area about an hour and a half from Chicago. It’s made up mostly of blue-collar folks, and it’s also a popular resort area for people from big cities (like Chicago) who own vacation homes. As a result, Soberg provides windows and doors for houses anywhere from $100K to $5 million.

When the entire county you service has the population of an average-sized U.S. city (a hair above 100,000), reputation is everything.

“In a rural area, the biggest thing to focus on if you’re a contractor is your reputation,” Troy says. “The area we service is made up of a bunch of small towns 15 minutes apart. Word of one bad job spreads like wildfire.”

Contractors in general have a bad reputation. Contractors in small towns are thought of even more poorly—especially by people who live in large metropolitan areas.

“A lot of people who own vacation homes here who are from big cities like Chicago think Wisconsin contractors are a bunch of unreliable idiots who don’t call back, follow through, and lack professionalism,” says Troy.

Prior to joining Monopolize Your Marketplace in 2013, Troy personally created Soberg’s old website and ads.

Since he knew little about marketing, he had trouble communicating that his company was the opposite of the stereotypically unreliable, unprofessional small-town contractor. “I was shooting from the hip. I didn’t know much about marketing, branding, or SEO. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what I was doing or the kind of content I should be creating. And my website wasn’t drawing people in.”

Then Troy discovered Monopolize Your Marketplace

At first, Troy was skeptical of investing in MYM. But Troy knows that to make money, you’ve got to spend money.

“I knew I needed help with my contractor marketing. Initially, I didn’t have the funds to pay for MYM’s services. So I found the money to do it. It has definitely paid off.”

Creating A Powerful Identity

To set Soberg Windows & Doors apart from the competition and help them monopolize their marketplace, we needed to create an Identity that proved the company was not the usual “Chuck in a Truck” contractor so common to the area. So we based his Identity on his immaculate reputation. Here’s a look:

Soberg Window & Door’s MYM-built website homepage (above the fold).

Right off the bat, the Identity focuses on how important Troy’s reputation is to him. To show that he puts his money where his money is, we placed numerous links to reviews and customer references throughout the page.

Focusing on Soberg’s reputation has paid off big time—especially with those affluent second-home customers. “Advertising my good reputation goes really far with the second-home market. They’re so impressed by our company and Identity that often they don’t even get estimates from other contractors. The Identity is working very well and people respond to it. Even my competitors say I have a great website!”

Ready To Monopolize YOUR Marketplace?

Next I’ll post Part Two of Soberg’s MYM marketing transformation. That one covers SEO.

In the meantime…

If you’re interested in knowing more about becoming an MYM client, give us a call at 817-416-4333 or visit our website and use the Live Chat box.

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