February Issue  | Volume 1 Issue 5        

Don't you hate looking at long URL links and cringe just thinking about clicking on them?  Imagine sending a long url link to a client.  A classic example of this is the direct link to Reviews on a Google my Business page, it is a long, 'painful' url link.  Here's mine:
https://www.google.com/search?q=yeassociates&oq=yeassociates&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l4j69i60l3.3952j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x151d124f583ba95b:0x2af9076747edada2,1,,,

The solution is simple and elegant: create a free, customized super-short link with bitly. bitly (bitly.com) is a great little freeminum platform that allows you to create short url links and also provides you with usage stats for each link.  Check out my personal bitly link for reviews on my Google my Business and while you are there, please feel free to leave a review!  http://bit.ly/YEAlike Thanks!

While we are on the subject of Google my Business let me tell you about the 3 Pack.  The 3 Pack is the three top business listings found on Google my Business in any given search.  For example: if you google 'shoe stores Herzliya', Google will show you a list of three shoe stores located in Herzliya on the left side of the screen, as well as a button to click to see more.  Like everything on Google, you never have full control over your own listing, but this article may help you understand 3 packs and how you can achieve this status.
5starzlocal.com/google-my-business-local-3-pack/

Just one last point: keep in mind that Google my Business is geographic specific to your area, unless you key-in a different location. 

Every page in Facebook has a unique url: Facebook.com/Your.Name (there can be a dot, dash or no space between the words). For some reason when you create a business page, many times the default url contains a string of numbers, that can cause confusion for people.  You can easily remove them.

Click here and follow the instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH-R5DLVm6Y
Then use this link: www.facebook.com/username

Have you noticed that every website you open in your Google Chrome browser displays as a small tab on the top of your screen? I hope you have!  The logo/symbol that is contained in the tab is called a favicon.  Now, as you open more and more sites, the number of tabs displayed g-r-o-w-s. Below you see an example of part of my open browser tabs - from left to right: my site favicon, two Gmail favicons (for two different gmail accounts), a blank tab (no favicon available), a company favicon tab, a WIX favicon tab and two tabs with a generic (black circle with a squiggly line) favicon. (Note: Microsoft Edge browser displays tabs a bit differently).

Now imagine, a potential has googled businesses in your field.  They then clicked to open several of the businesses, including your own, each in a new separate tab to check out each business. Once a long line of tabs are displayed, it will be hard and off-putting for the potential to find your site again.  Yes, if she/he passes the mouse over each tab they can see the site name, but we all know the ugly truth: NO ONE WORKS HARD. So help every potential find you site easily: make sure your website has a Favicon!

This is a tip for you, not your clients.  You should always ask your potential clients where they found you: Facebook, Google search, word of mouth, networking or any other method.  This information will give you a better idea of which marketing efforts/channels work for you and armed with this information, which channels you should continue to invest your money and time in.
The problem is that most potentials don't remember where/how they found you and so for the most part they will just give you a generic "I found you online" answer.  

One of the most effective and accurate methods to get this information is to have a call tracking system in place, which enables you to insert a tracking number into your emails, paid ads, landing pages and thus enables you to track results from any given campaign.  Using a virtual phone number enables you to keep track of incoming calls from websites, social media ads, landing pages and the like and then track how many calls are coming from any given campaign source.  Companies such as https://www.maskyoo.com/ can be a good place to begin this process.
Once you know how many calls your received you can then calculate your conversion rates.  A conversion is a potential client (in this case each call) who has been converted into a paying client. You can learn more marketing terms here.