Most companies are not sure what kind of ROI to expect from SEO efforts. Some want a guarantee, others trust that the results will come with proper implementation and support from a qualified consultant.

I thought I’d share a quick glimpse into the results I achieved for one of my favorite clients in Ann Arbor in early 2009. We are not talking about huge traffic numbers, but when you sell a niche service in a small market, even a few hundred extra visits a month can be the difference between a good month and a GREAT month!

Organic, Non-Branded Traffic (click to expand)

For those not intimately familiar with Google Analytics, here’s what we’re looking at:

• A comparison of March 2010 (blue line) to March 2009 (green line)
• Organic (non-paid) visits from search engines
• Non-branded keywords that do not include the company name (important!)

The results speak for themselves:

• Visits more than doubled (+103%)
• Visitors are spending more time on the site and viewing more pages
• More visitors click through beyond the page they land on instead of abandoning the site without clicking deeper (bounce rate)

The results for other clients have been as dramatic (or better in a lot of cases), but this a simple way to measure the success of any SEO effort.

Perhaps even simpler, the client has mentioned he is overwhelmed with new customers and has to hire more help to fill the need. Those are the types of results I like to see!

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As a consultant, it’s always important to take a moment to welcome and thank your clients. I’m honored to be working with these folks and their talented teams!

Probility Physical Therapy (Ann Arbor, MI)

The Probility team are some of the area’s foremost experts on physical therapy and manual therapy. Their 4 clinics cover the greater Ann Arbor area but their manual therapy blog and YouTube channel carry their educational content to runners, athletes, and anybody else suffering from injury or pain.

StyleCraft Homes (Richmond, VA)

StyleCraft Homes competes against the “big boys” in new home construction by focusing on quality, not quantity. Check out any of their new home communities, the difference is apparent. New home buyers have the upper hand in this market and are opting for quality homes that will maintain their value.

Atkins, Maestrello & Associates (Richmond, VA)

These pediatric dentists have been serving the community for over 25 years. The practice has helped thousands of children lead happier, healthier lives. It takes a special type of person to enjoy working with children (especially apprehensive children) every day. Thankfully the doctors and staff at this practice have this gift!

Great Lakes Seminars (Sylvania, OH)

A nationwide series of physical therapy continuing education seminars, Great Lakes Seminars offers PT and OT professionals the opportunity to learn new skills and earn continuing education hours. The team travels the country with their “tell-show-do” approach to teaching physical therapy treatments.

Natural Gas Campaign for Consumer Choice (Atlanta, GA)

Sponsored by the Georgia Public Service Commission, MyNaturalGasCoach.com educates Georgia natural gas consumers about their choice of natural gas marketers.

Agency Partners and Friends

These new client relationships (and some forthcoming announcements) wouldn’t be possible without some good friends at Hile Design, StudioSavvy Design, RedShift, Rick Whittington Consulting and Frederick+Swanston.

Thanks for a great start to 2010, and here’s to a prosperous year!

[Update 3.18.10] How could I forget a barter agreement with Professional Turf Management? They got a website, I get top-notch lawn treatment services (fertilization, aeration, seeding, weed control, etc.)!

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With only a week remaining before I move back to Richmond, I spent some time thinking about the things that make Ann Arbor a completely unique city and a cool place to live. Here are just 50 of the thousands of things I’ve experienced here that I hope never to forget:

1. Running in the Arb
2. Arbor Brewing Company’s IPA
3. The Guys at The Brickyard
4. Picnics at Gallup Park
5. Jerusalem Garden Shawarma
6. People watching at Art Fair
7. Real snow
8. Meeting people and learning at LA2M
9. Walking around Main Street
10. Vibrant student energy
11. The Big House
12. Tailgating with the pros
13. Hanging with other geeks at A2B3
14. Schakolad chocolate
15. Free parking downtown on Sundays
16. Le Dog lobster bisque
17. Kayaking on the Huron River
18. The feel of a true “college town”
19. Contributing to Arborwiki
20. Shalimar’s Chicken Korma
21. Making fun of the Detroit Lions
22. UM Basketball games
23. Biking to work
24. Sidetracks burgers and beer
25. Espresso Royale coffee
26. Student section heckling and chants at UM Hockey games
27. The omelets at Cafe Zola
28. Fresh, local product at the Farmer’s Market
29. The natural beauty of the UP
30. UM Marching Band practices in late summer
31. Shows at the Michigan Theater
32. AnnArborChronicle.com
33. Michigan Public Radio
34. Running the Big House Big Heart 5k
35. The gazpacho at Gandy Dancer
36. Taste of Ann Arbor
37. The International Auto Show in Detroit
38. Top of the Park
39. Early morning swims at the Mack Pool
40. Totoro sushi
41. Concerts at The Palace
42. Tigers games at Comerica Park
43. The Pittsfield branch of the AADL
44. Indoor soccer at WideWorld Sports
45. New friends at Crossroads Baptist Church
46. Swimming and working out at the Ann Arbor YMCA
47. Walking the same streets as my great-grandfather, grandfather, and 2 uncles
48. Biking on the Border to Border trail
49. Fish ‘n Chips at Conor O’Neills
50. Moosejaw

Thanks for a great couple of years.

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No, I haven’t disappeared into the Isle Royale wilderness or the backwoods of Georgia (although sometimes I’d rather). The last 6 weeks have included nearly nonstop travel and planning. Oh yeah, and a lot of client work.

If you know me, you have probably heard that there are 3 big events in my life at the moment. All of them have contributed to long hours and sleepless nights as I try to figure out how to make it all happen.

We’re moving back to Richmond

Homeward Bound

Elizabeth’s residency at U of M is coming to a close next week. It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Ann Arbor for 2.5 years already. We have made many, many good friends up here and have come to appreciate the diversity and natural beauty that Michigan has to offer. We are going to miss the town and our friends, but the pull of family and familiarity led us to put down roots in Richmond. We’ve had a lot of good times in and around the Great Lakes region, the UP, and the place that outsiders refer to simply as “flyover country”. They’re missing out.

We bought a house

Visitors Welcome

I’m now convinced that there is no more dire environmental threat than the home-buying process. I think our real estate agents and closing attorney leveled an entire forest of virgin pine to create enough paper for the applications, contracts, agreements, addendums, and reports required to legally purchase a home. But, we ended up with a real beauty and couldn’t be more excited about moving in. It’s a perfect size for a growing family because…

We’re having a baby

Working Title: "Peanut"

It’s a boy, due at the end of March. We haven’t settled on a name yet, but a few strong contenders are emerging from the list of family member names we compiled going back to the 1600′s. Sorry Aarenault and Marinus, you’re off the list. So far Elizabeth and the baby seem to be doing just fine and we are hoping for a happy, healthy baby. I think I’ve finally realized that my sleepless nights are only just beginning, and will probably continue until the “Peanut” has graduated college.

On top of all of this madness, I’ve been fortunate to have a steady stream of client work and Elizabeth has been madly working on her master’s thesis for a solid 18 months.

I hope to be back up to speed after the new year and get my head back above water. But really, I just hope to finally get a good night’s sleep.

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Web Design Sketchbook

Attention web professionals: do yourself a favor and check out the Web Design Sketchbook. It’s a spiral-bound time saver that helps web designers and developers capture thoughts and concepts on paper.

From the site:

This 52 page book features pages of varying canvas sizes complete with grids and browser chrome and areas for taking notes, adding descriptions and rating your concepts. Save time and produce better creative work for less than the cost of your monthly coffee bill.

It’s a handy tool to keep around. Ross Johnson created a few prototypes to use in his web design company and decided to refine the concept and make it available to others.

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Measuring Social Media

If you are into Social Media and want to learn how to measure your social marketing efforts, I highly recommend you attend Dave Linabury’s “Measuring the Success of Online Communities” presentation at LA2M on Wednesday, November 4th.

Dave is a nationally recognized expert on creating, building, nurturing, and activating social networks. I had the privilege of working with him on a few projects at Campbell-Ewald Advertising and I can honestly say he’s lapping the field in this area.

You may recognize him from a previous post a few weeks ago called “Why Social Media Users Revolt“.

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3. Ringing in the New Year

Thanks to all of you who attended my LA2M Advanced Google Analytics presentation! I barely had time to fit everything in and unfortunately we didn’t have enough time for questions at the end. I know, I’ve already been told I talk a lot when I get excited about something. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions that I didn’t cover.

I’ve posted the slides below and a recap of the presentation (and outline with links) on a separate page. If you can’t see the slides in the RSS feed, click here to see the full version.

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