Google gets up to date - what took them so long?

Google has launched its Realtime search page - now you can see search engine results about your business, area, keyword or even yourself from Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in etc as soon as they appear. Social media just became serious - yes, I know, media people in tight jeans and unforgiveable hair have been saying that for years but now it’s official.

Google’s added some useful tools too. You can set alerts for Realtime search results so that if you want to know what’s being said about a keyword, you can get an email as soon as the results appears. Handy for managing your reputation if somebody takes a pop at your business. Also handy for raising blood pressure, paranoia and adrenal levels…

If you’re interest is primarily driven by your location or you want to know what’s being said about somewhere else like, for example, your holiday destination, you can nominate it and get anything relevant to that area. And if you want to look back, you can set a timelime and see all the horrible things that your so called ‘friends’ on Facebook said about you last week, the week before, the week before that - the fun is endless.

So why does this matter? It should be obvious even to those, like me, who have scorned the potential for social media to become a commercially viable medium that Google’s development takes it to a new level. It’s no longer the preserve of the self obsessed and Triviati but a way to gain visibility in Google, the world’s single most powerful marketplace.

Time to join the Twitterati?

After getting its knuckles rapped by the ASA for misleading broadband ads, we now learn that BT’s ‘SearchSmart’ service failed to deliver a single lead to a client of ours after she invested £2500 in a pay-per-click advertising campaign - incompetence of a high order.

When she asked why she hadn’t had any response from the campaign, the reply from her ‘expert search professional’ was that it was a problem with her website. That would be the same website that was online when she signed up and which, presumably, the ‘expert search professional’ would have checked. Did BT suggest putting a contact form on the landing page? Er no, they didn’t suggest a landing page - “the home page would do”. Did they add Google Adwords Conversion code so that they could track the campaign’s results - don’t be a big silly! Is BT ripping off small businesses? I couldn’t possibly comment.

One might have thought that during the 12 campaign  BT would have checked its performance and recommended changes to the site but they didn’t.

The lesson is simple, if you want slow Broadband, hire BT. If you want search engine marketing support such as pay-per-click advertising, talk to a professional not to a telephone company.

Gloucestershire, Wednesday:

In a blatant attempt to nudge customers into committing to website builds, search engine optimisation or pay-per-click advertising campaigns before August, Epicado, Stroud’s answer to Chipperfield’s Circus (”shome mishtake shurely, shouldn’t that be Google?”Ed),  is offering up to 20% off any previously quoted website price and any new estimates, if customers buy during July.

Speaking from his executive tree-house, a normally tight lipped Paul Lock, Director of Silly Offers, said “Have we gone bonkers? Yes, pass the coconuts Phil”.

Regaining what’s left of his composure, a clearly deranged Lock continued “We’re about to launch two new websites for Jillie Bushell Associates and ETS Technical Sales but there’s a window before the September pre-Christmas madness. We can’t get enough madness so we thought, why wait, let’s have some pre-September, pre-Christmas madness!’

Doctors advise Epicado customers and prospects to act now. They say Lock could regain his sanity at any time.

Last night the Woodchester based guru was reported to be “enjoying a quiet dinner with friends”.