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28 JUL BOY AWAITING TRANSPLANT LOVES HIS PHONE BOOKS

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 15:47:55 GMT

28 JUL BOY AWAITING TRANSPLANT LOVES HIS PHONE BOOKS

PDS and The Pioneer Group family is sending a shout out to Alex Leach of Enderlin, North Dakota.

Charles Lupo, former Pioneer Group employee who has since relocated to North Dakota, was thoughtful enough to pass Alex’s story on to us. 12-year-old Alex is currently waiting for an organ transplant and during his wait he reads phone books for fun!

We shipped all seven of our directories to Alex and we’ll continue to mail directories to him as new ones are published. Thank you Alex, for your love of phone books and for sharing your courageous and inspiring story. From Michigan with love and phone books – the PDS Print & Digital team!

Click here to see Alex and hear his story.

Story and video screenshots from WDAY – Amy Unrau on Jul 26, 2016 at 10:58 p.m.

05 JUL LINK BUILDING: 5 BEST WEB SOURCES

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 15:38:29 GMT

05 JUL LINK BUILDING: 5 BEST WEB SOURCES

Every small business would like their website to show up a the top online search results. And there are many companies and tools online that promise to help grow your website in search rankings. It can be overwhelming for a business owner to choose from the many options. Calls, emails and pop ups selling website improvements get confusing. What is best for YOUR website? Who can you TRUST? Does this rank building stuff really WORK?

We have some answers for you. In most cases the form of rank building that companies are trying to sell you is called Link Building. Link Building means putting links to other websites onto your website (and vis versa). You need to be careful as to which links you are putting on your website, as well as which websites your page links are on as well. If you start linking a ton of irrelevant websites on your web pages, google and other search engines will classify your site as spam and start blocking it.

The best practice for Link Building is to place relevant links on your website as well as listing your website link on sites that are legit.

HERE ARE 5 OF THE BEST TYPES OF WEBSITES TO UTILIZE IN LINK BUILDING:

1. RELEVANT ONLINE DIRECTORIES

There are SO MANY online directories online today! It is a must for local businesses to claim their listings on the major search engines: Google, Yahoo, and Bing. But which other listing sites should you have your business info plugged into? Depending on your industry, links such as Angie’s List or Yelp may be helpful. Angie’s list is great for contractors for home improvement services. Yelp is great for viewing reviews for retail stores and restaurants. There are industry specific directory sites such as Trip Advisor for Hotels , Cabins and Inns. There are also directories for physicians like Health Grades and Doctor Directory.

To find the most relevant directory websites for your industry, it is best to do some research. Put your industry category in google and see what pops up on the first page. See where your competitors are listed and claim your free business listings in the directory sites that you see pop up on the first page in search.

NOTE: There is a down side to listing on some of these national directory sites. You’ll most likely get a lot of push from their customer service to subscribe to “enhanced” listings.

2. CHARITIES AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS

Does your business donate to a local or global charity or cause? You should let your viewers know! Including a logo of the charity and brief information about what they do with their donations is a great way to build PR and grow your ranking. It is even better if you donate to a local charity or one that fits into your industry. For example: a local lumber store contributing to Habitat for Humanity, a local restaurant donating food to the homeless shelter, a eye doctor contributing time to the Lions Club Eyeglasses Recycling Program, any type of local business contributing to local churches or any other local community organization. Mentioning these organizations on your website not only brings more attention to the causes you support, but also creates great SEO for your website.

Also check into the website your linking to. Do they have a listing page for supporters or sponsors? Ask and see if you can have your website link available where your business info is listed if the have space for it.

3. CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Your local Chamber of Commerce is one of the best local business and community networks to link to. Their websites usually generate a high amount of traffic for community members seeking event and area information. The Chamber of Commerce websites are rich with local keywords and most have business directories for area visitors and local dwellers to search.

At PDS we practice what we preach. Be a part of your local Chambers of Commerce! We are a member to the Chambers in all the areas we serve. From Traverse City to Rockford, Michigan and everywhere in between ( Newaygo’s River Country , Clare County Chamber, Panhandle Area Chamber, White Lake Area Chamber and more).

4. INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS

Do you carry an exclusive brand or are you a reseller of many brands? It is good to include links to manufacturers websites . You can also list and link brands of products you sell. There are many corporations that offer co-op advertising programs to their distributors. These programs give you a kick back for using their logo and product info in digital marketing campaigns .

5. LOCAL MEDIA NETWORKS

Google likens links in local Newspapers, TV Stations, Radio Stations to celebrity endorsements for local businesses. Having your website link on a local media network will help to boost your ranking for local searches. PDS offers a Rank Building Page to help our customers with local Link Building. This service links business websites to the Pioneer Group network of news sites. In turn they grow in the search rankings for keywords that are included on the link page.

Would you like help with your website rank building? PDS is Big Rapids offers Website Design & Development as well as all the tools you need to promote your website to grow your business online. Contact PDS today to schedule a face to face consultation with our Digital Marketing Strategist. We come to you!

13 APR GOOGLE SEARCH LISTINGS: WHAT IS SEO AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 15:29:48 GMT

13 APR GOOGLE SEARCH LISTINGS: WHAT IS SEO AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is what the crew at PDS Print & Digital Solutions refers to as “Google Juice”. It is power that pumps up your website to be found in online listings when viewers are searching for your products or services. Having good SEO qualities can place you ahead of your competitor on web searches (through Google Search Listings, Bing Search Listings, etc.)

If someone needs a service and looks for it on their electronic device (mobile phone, computer or tablet), they enter a keyword and location to get the nearest service provider.

For example: Jane is in Traverse City and wants to find a pizza place for dinner. She enters “Pizza” and “Traverse City” in the search bar on her phone’s internet search. After she enters the search, the results pop up in list format.

How do you get on the first page?

As a business owner, you want to be on the first page of the Google Search Listings. You need people to find you. Here are some options that will help your SEO:

DIRECT SEARCH ADS (PPC – Pay Per Click) : Pay Google, or another search engine company, directly for a premium ad listing.
WEBSITE CONTENT: Make sure your website has the right content.
VERIFY LISTINGS: Make sure your contact information, website link and location are verified on accredited websites (Google Maps, Yelp, Bing).
SOCIAL MEDIA: Create a business Facebook page with the correct content, current information and consistent posts (and link it to your website).
LINK BUILDING: Link to other websites that pertain to your industry. (ex. if you sell Purina Dog Food, see if you can list your website on Purina’s site as a local seller)
ASSOCIATIONS: Link to local media and associations. (ex. Newspapers and Chambers of Commerce).

SEO Explained: Video

Here is a GREAT video by Search Engine Land that explains SEO for anyone to understand:

Cheaters Never Prosper… on Google

Google has specific rules to their search rankings. If you try to “cheat” they will penalize you by pushing you down in the search list. One form of cheating is linking to sites that are NOT legit connections with your business. For Example, an Auto Repair Garage in Cadillac, Michigan shouldn’t be linking your site to a Disney site in Florida. Even though the Disney site gets high traffic, you are not affiliated with them or located near them. Throwing your link up on every site you can, will get you in trouble with all-mighty Google. Let’s say the same Auto Garage in Cadillac links to an Auto Parts store located down the road and does regular business with them, then Google will be pleased. It is good to stick to normal, natural, local link building to stay in google’s good graces. As a result they will reward you.

We’ve got your back(end)

PDS Print and Digital Solutions builds websites with on-page SEO and we have the tools to help with off-page SEO (links). We build in all the proper code to the back end of your website design. If you want to get ahead in the Google Search Listings, c ontact a PDS digital expert today !

11 MAR THE ANATOMY OF ONLINE SEARCH RESULTS

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 14:54:09 GMT

11 MAR THE ANATOMY OF ONLINE SEARCH RESULTS

The number one goal for any local business owner is to be FOUND when people are looking for you or your services. Where do customers look while researching a service or product, or when they want local business contact info? They browse in the phone books or search results online.

Where do you search for local services and products ONLINE? You are going to “Google it”. Which means they are entering general terms into the online search bar. Then the search engine spits out a relevant list of results. It is important to know what online search result lists consist of. That way you will know how you can make sure your business is there.

For a demonstration, let’s take a look at a local search for Pizza in Big Rapids, MI

Here you see the results that popped up on my search engine. I used Google.

Did you know that 65% of the United States searches are done via Google Search? The remaining searches are done on Bing (20%), Yahoo (12%), Ask (1.8%) and AOL (1.8%).

First Page Search Results for Pizza in Big Rapids, MI on Google

The very top of the search results list consists of Paid Ads . Next in line is Google Maps . Then the Organic Listings are shown under the map section. What does this mean for a small business owner? They want to make sure that the local community is finding them in search. Here is some more info to help business owners:

#1 – Paid Search Ads

In order to show up in the top of the search results you would need pay google. This is done by starting an AdWords account for advertising to specific keywords. Managing AdWords campaigns can be quite the task for a small business owner. It takes time to learn, implement and manage. Working with a local digital marketing company that you can trust may be worth the investment if you desire these spots in the search results.

#2 – Google Maps

One of the best ways to be found in local search is to verify your business on Google Maps. To verify your business, Google would call you or send you a postcard to your location. There is also a profile for you to fill in more details about your business. This will help your map listing to pop up higher when people search for your products or services locally. To see if you show up on the map, search yourself on google. If the words “Claim this business” on the map result, then it is not verified. If you need help claiming your business on Google maps, contact PDS and we can assist you.

Search Results for Pizza in Big Rapids, MI – Map Section on Google

Example of Complete Google Map Results for Pizza in Big Rapids, MI

#3 – Organic Results

The organic results are located in the list below the maps. They show up based on what is in the website itself. Google and other search engines scan all of the data that makes up a web page. Then they place them in this list in order of relevance to the search terms that are typed in and your IP location (physical location of your internet connection).

To grow your business, it is important to make sure your website pops up in searches for services and products you provide. You need to have good SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Your website is made of code that contains the information that Google reads. In order to have the best results you need to have “keywords” in that code. For Example: I am searching for an “Auto Mechanic in Cadillac, MI”. If a website doesn’t have the words “Auto” “Mechanic” “Cadillac” in it, then it is not likely to pop up in the organic list.

In Conclusion

This is just a basic overview of ways that you can increase your online visibility. For a complete analysis of how you are being found online Contact PDS TODAY . Our digital specialists will review your online presence and contact you for a face to face meeting to discuss the results and recommended solutions.

01 FEB THE SCOOP ON DIGITAL MARKETING

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 14:45:32 GMT

01 FEB THE SCOOP ON DIGITAL MARKETING

If you are looking into ways to extend your reach to customers online you will need to know more about digital marketing. Here is some information to help you as you are investigating and wondering where to start.

What?

What is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing can be summed up as ways to get online users to engage with your website or page. To do this you first need a good website. The website is your online real estate. Much like having a physical location, you need to have an online location. Once you do, you need customers to find you. Digital marketing helps the community to find your website in online search, ads and social media.

Why?

Why is Digital Marketing important for Small Businesses?
It is vital for any business to reach potential customers online. Over 200 Million people in the US use the internet. There are several types of consumers that search online to find local products and services. As “Millennials” get older they will have more purchasing power. They are the largest population of internet users in the world. Currently the bulk of baby boomers prefer print media, but an increasing number of them are also using digital gadgets.

Smartphone use is rapidly on the rise, so it is also important to make sure your website is mobile friendly. If it isn’t then you are losing out on a big chunk of potential customers.

How?

How do you market online?
The key for marketing online is to have your website link and info visible to internet users. You would never expect to get high traffic if you put a billboard in your basement. This is the same with online visibility! The best ways to market online are: SEO, Targeted Advertising, and Social Media.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a fancy term for getting your website found in online search. The way to boost your ranking is to make sure the content in your website is accurate and searchable. You can also claim your online profiles (maps) on Google, Yahoo & Bing (major search engines). Linking your website to other popular, relevant sites helps search engines (like Google) validate your site. Those sites are called Authority Sites. Examples of Authority Sites are your local chamber of commerce, any brand that you sell, industry associations or organizations that you are a member of and local newspapers.

Who?

Who should you work with to start marketing online?
Most small business owners and managers don’t have the time or resources to create digital marketing campaigns. When outsourcing your digital marketing, it is best to work with a company who knows your area and your target audience. It is also more convenient to have someone to work with face to face who is readily available when you have questions. They should also give you statistics periodically so that you KNOW that your marketing is working and you’re getting a return on your digital advertising investment.

When?

When should I start marketing online?
Digital Marketing works for you as soon as you start. Through time it grows your online presence and you get more results. If you aren’t marketing online currently then you are leaving money on the table for your competition to grab. The best time to start was yesterday!

Click here to review the Digital Media Presentation for the Reed City Chamber of Commerce Lunch & Learn from November 12th 2015.

05 JAN DO YOU YELLOW? YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING IS STILL IMPORTANT

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 14:39:57 GMT

05 JAN DO YOU YELLOW? YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING IS STILL IMPORTANT

Yellow Pages Advertising in an ever-changing era.

There are so many distractions that pull on your attention. With all of this commotion, how are small businesses supposed to reach new customers? Most of them are so busy trying to dodge advertisements, it seems like an impossible feat. To understand how to cut through to your customer, you will need to know more about their habits. You need to be in the right place, at the right time.

There are two types of advertising that you need to consider when targeting customers.

The first is the type that most people try to avoid. It is called Promotional Advertising. Sale Today! Stop Here! 50% off! They’re on billboards, pop-ups, email blasts, newspaper ads, radio commercials, and sooooo much more. This type of advertising helps with branding awareness. You may not want the burger on the billboard now, but you recall the golden arches when you’re hungry.

The second type of advertising is one that consumers seek out. Directional Advertising, is when someone is looking to purchase something. They are on the hunt and know what they want. These customers just need you to be there when they are looking. Where do ready-to-buy customers go? They are searching in the Yellow Pages and online search engines. They want to order a pizza, so they find the number and call. They NEED a plumber, they find a number and call. They need a new dentist or doctor… you get the idea.

So are you online?

Are you advertising or properly listed in your local phone book Yellow Pages? It seems obvious to some but there are a LOT of small businesses that aren’t visible when customers are looking for their products or services. It can make a big difference over the course of a year if you are left out of the Yellow Pages.

When business slows down, what can keep you afloat? Persistence is vital in todays market. The advertisers who stayed consistent with their presence in the Yellow Pages took less of a hit in the recession than those who dropped out.

“Take out a Yellow Pages ad. Simple as it may seem, an ad in the telephone directory can be a smart choice for many small companies. It won’t break the bank. It won’t bring in a flood of new business either – and that’s ok. You don’t need to deluge, you need a steady flow… It’s an extremely effective means of putting your company’s name in the right place at the right time.”(Kuk-Baldwin & Associates)

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28 JUL BOY AWAITING TRANSPLANT LOVES HIS PHONE BOOKS

28 JUL BOY AWAITING TRANSPLANT LOVES HIS PHONE BOOKS ﻿

05 JUL LINK BUILDING: 5 BEST WEB SOURCES

05 JUL LINK BUILDING: 5 BEST WEB SOURCES

HERE ARE 5 OF THE BEST TYPES OF WEBSITES TO UTILIZE IN LINK BUILDING:

13 APR GOOGLE SEARCH LISTINGS: WHAT IS SEO AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

13 APR GOOGLE SEARCH LISTINGS: WHAT IS SEO AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

11 MAR THE ANATOMY OF ONLINE SEARCH RESULTS

11 MAR THE ANATOMY OF ONLINE SEARCH RESULTS

For a demonstration, let’s take a look at a local search for Pizza in Big Rapids, MI

01 FEB THE SCOOP ON DIGITAL MARKETING

01 FEB THE SCOOP ON DIGITAL MARKETING ﻿

What?

Why?

How?

Who?

When?

05 JAN DO YOU YELLOW? YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING IS STILL IMPORTANT

05 JAN DO YOU YELLOW? YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING IS STILL IMPORTANT

There are two types of advertising that you need to consider when targeting customers.

So are you online?

28 JUL BOY AWAITING TRANSPLANT LOVES HIS PHONE BOOKS

01 FEB THE SCOOP ON DIGITAL MARKETING