With some relevant searches he was at top in the 10 pac and with others he wasn’t. In one search where not at the top in the ten pac he was #1 in G maps. On some of those searches his organic listing sat below some other sites.

I’m sure he still maintains one of the highest volume stores in this large metro region, and possibly nationwide. I sent him an email copying this article
Hope you are able to help Chuck.

Dave

I am hoping to do a follow up with some recommendations for Chuck…

Mike

I’ve got to reference this to a long term friend of mine, who I unfortunately don’t see as much as I should. He has operated a “suck and sew” / vacuum and sewing shop business for decades. Extremely successful. In the past one of his sewing machine suppliers had him speak to store owners around the nation. Way, way way before the web he had this killer business in what I considered one of the worst retail spots one could imagine. A high energy guy, for sure.

I’ve got to look into that industry and what if anything my friend is doing on the web (assuming he still owns the business). I can only imagine the long tail is extraordinarily rich for this business type.

Chuck: Get help on your site. Do some basic optimizing. You can sooooo pick up traffic. I made some basic suggestions here concerning optimization in maps and organic.

I so believe in what Bill Slawski exposed back in 2005. It still applies in organic google for extraordinary reasons that still apply. They take a topic that might compete with all sorts of authority sites and give it authority for a location that supercedes the authority sites.

Optimize for maps and optimize for organic. Move ones own site above the venders such as YP’s and MC, etc. Drive the traffic directly to you. Go man go.

I’m going to forward this thread to my old friend.

Chuck: If you are the webmaster and in charge of your site, do a little writing and rewriting at night. You know who is a great wordsmith….Miriam, referenced above. Study the heck out of keyword research for your industry. Once you’ve got the phrases/products/etc down…work on off page optimizing. Good luck, man.

Great article Mike. I’ll reference it to the guy who had to be one of the great “suck and sew”merchants in the country. I wonder how he is doing?

Dave

I also much appreciate the questions and potential advise for future marketing. The reality of being a SBO is I am accounts payable, accounts receivable, secretary, salesman, customer service, service technician, webmaster…etc! I think you get the point. It is true that I could use help but haven’t really even had the time to seek that. You will find my business not to be the exception. It is difficult to determine who is just trying to get you to “subscribe” to another agency. That is why I have mostly done things that I could do at little or no cost as I see no real benefit to the provider to try and squeeze another dollar out of a small business. I have been reluctant to add additional services as I have seen little results that would motivate me to move forward. Example, superpages which claimed numbers that they charged me for when in reality google analytics has shown only 2 visits directly related to superpages in almost a year. I realize customers may have seen me at superpages and not gone the next step to visit my site…but where is the benefit to me in this?
As far as my emails, I use my stores point of sale software from JMM Software to handle all of my bulk emailing. It is basic html that I can design and send to complete database or I can be selective and send to only sewing customers or only customers that have taken classes or bought a specific brand of product…or maybe that haven’t been in since ???.
Mike thanks for sharing my “story” and I look forward to following your blog and learning.

Chuck Bruce
Bruce’s Sew Handy
Central Valley Vacuum & Sewing Center

The management

http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Bruces.Sew.Handy.559-641-7300/coupons

He is just using the coupons in his main listing and once, drove people to that coupon via his email to his client base.

I don’t believe that he is using their newsletter service.

Mike