South Florida Sprinkler Service

F & S Enterprises became a client over the Summer of 2011. I mentioned at the time that I would need them at some point. This morning they delivered! I called on Monday morning to make an appointment. I asked for an early one, so I got Wednesday 8am. They called back to confirm if I wanted an estimate or repair. Since I was already comfortable with them, I said repair.

The sprinkler service / repair guy showed up right on time in a very clean, professional truck. I showed him the areas I knew there were issues. We recently had a few trees removed and they destroyed some of the main sprinkler lines!

He got right to it. Now, normally in the case of sprinklers, I am a do it yourself kind of guy. But I can also admit, when a professional should be called. He repaired two major breaks that I was aware of, and found two more. He swapped out a few sprinkler heads and then cleaned up behind himself.

I really like working with my clients when I get the chance. F &S Sprinklers did not disappoint. If you need sprinkler service in South Florida, check them out.

Thanks,
Joe

PS The price was right and the work was done in under two hours. Since I mention above that I really like working with clients, if you are a Pool Remodeling Contractor in Broward County, FL, Please reach out to me for a barter deal. :)

Little Joey's First Offshore Adventure

I got to take my Dad and Son out fishing yesterday for the first time together. Making some very long stories short - My Dad has not been out in over a year due to health issues, My Son was supposed to go out with me the past two Father's days, and I only fished twice last year due to working too much!

Everything aligned and J Pop even joined us (and did all the work!). We were targeting Wahoo first thing in the morning. We trolled over a nice school of tiny bonita and expected Mr Wahoo to come into the spread. Sure enough, the starboard outrigger popped and we were on. The initial strike and head shaking made us think we had a baracuda or skipjack tuna. Joey started reeling in his first fish.

After about 10 minutes, we saw a large hammerhead shark (figures, right? with all the Rosie nonsence lately) come cruising across the back of the boat headed towards our fish. Deciding that we didn't want to loose Joey's first fish to a shark, J Pop grabbed the rod and started cranking very quickly. The fish got bumped by the shark, but it was ok. We realized as the fish came up to the boat we had a nice sized Wahoo!!! A great gaff shot and tah dah:

We ended up catching a small keeper dolphin (Mahi Mahi) and called it a day. It was a perfect first offshore fishing trip for my Son and nice way to get my Dad back on the boat.

Joe Laratro and Tandem Interactive’s 2012 Search Engine Marketing Resolutions

1. Follow the SEO Diet. I preach / teach the SEO Diet at conferences and I fulfill those SEO guidelines for my clients… but I do not take care of myself the same way. The plan is to practice what I preach and add regular content to Tandem-Interactive.com, our Blog, and work on monthly high quality link building.

2. Give and Get Google+ Love. I am very pro Google+. I love that they are now pushing TV commercials promoting it. I think when the world understands that is affects search, it will really be game on! In the mean time I plan to use it for checking in, integrate it more into our sites, update it with valuable content, and get +1s wherever possible.

3. Be more proactive with client communication. Monthly reports are great, but the majority of Tandem’s clients are happy enough with their cash registers ringing and do not rock the boat. That is not good enough in 2012! Tandem Interactive was named for working in “Tandem” with clients. The more feedback we get, the better we can do. Tandem’s family has grown with the addition of Lauren Demarco. She comes from a customer service background and will be reaching out to everyone to get them more involved.

4. Research, Experiment, Learn. This year can prove to be a major game changer in Search. Social is going to matter more for regular SEO. The algorithms are going to get better. Local search optimization is getting harder. We are going to continue to devote time every day for learning. This is not an industry where status quo breeds success.

5. Track, track, and more tracking. Last year Tandem Interactive embraced Basecamp for our project management. It has been an invaluable tool for organization and accountability. We are going to continue this trend with more in depth reporting for 2012. We are also going to sharpen our focus with Google Analytics through custom reports and its latest features.

Happy New Years and welcome to a prosperous 2012.

Joe Laratro

Google + and SEO Rankings

With the popularity of social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google +, it's a common question: How much do these sites impact search results?

For Facebook and Twitter, the impact is slim to none, at least when it comes to Google. Not ironically, Google + does not only make an impact, it makes a huge one. It was only introduced to the Internet in the past few months, but it's already poised to have a significant impact on Google's search engine results.

Facebook does have the advantage of indexing in Bing, but for the most part, Google is a heavily used search engine that both web savvy and web newbies alike utilize. Indexed Twitter results are basically obsolete. But Google + shares? Anything public contributes to your Google results and when they receive a +1, they get even more of a boost.

If you haven't set up a Google + profile, now is the time!

Say Goodbye to Facebook Places

Despite past speculation, Foursquare has remained a stalwart in the social "check-in" industry. Facebook, however, has decided to cut its losses and shut down Facebook Places. While geographical check-ins will not disappear from Facebook entirely, they will be combined with other features--such as tagging a photo with a location. On smartphones, stand alone check-ins from others will no longer show up in your news feed.

Foursquare will still be a dominant provider of social check-in and meetup services. With partnerships with American Express, Groupon, and Living Social, among others, Foursquare is solidifying itself as a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, let's not forget Google has a hand in the local check-ins as well. Google+ has a check in feature that should correlate directly to local search results and help Google Places in search.

Blackhat Scamming on Google Places

Google Places has a huge effect on search results, which we've addressed before with the significance of optimized place pages and user reviews. Well, it was only a matter of time before the blackhat SEOs manipulated the system to their clients benefit. Fake negative reviews have been a problem for many companies, and now the new tactic is to go to competitor listing pages and mark the business location as "place is permanently closed."

So far, the only troubleshooting you can do for this is to periodically check your listing, and to report to us if any suspicious activity occurs. We will also be checking your listings, but an extra set of eyes won't hurt! Hopefully Google will enhance Places communication in the near future and notify business owners of any settings that are modified on their listings--especially to verify that their place of business is in fact closed permanently.

Remember, your team here at Tandem is here to help with any questions or problems you are having. Do not hesitate to reach out!

Foursquare Forges Partnerships with AMEX and Groupon

Back in January, we asked you if you were on Foursquare yet. Now, several months later, the company has grown leaps and bounds--particularly in the partnerships division. Over the past two months, Foursquare has announced a deal with American Express and a separate deal with coupon conglomerate Groupon.

The AMEX deal is pretty straightforward: cardholders will receive discounts when they check in to specific bars and restaurants. Syncing your account with the app will make you eligible for cash back, discounts, and all kinds of AMEX-only perks. There are no coupons to print or show, the rewards simply show up on your statement.

The Groupon deal opens Foursquare savings to everyone, not just AMEX holders. While Groupon has been long-standing on the platform of buy-now, print tomorrow savings at various vendors, a new deal has formed where checking-in on Foursquare triggers nearby Groupon deals to pop up for instant purchase & redemption. The real time coupon app is aptly called Groupon Now.

If you haven't joined Foursquare...or if you've been slacking on the check-ins...now's the time to get back in the game!

Here at Tandem, we eat, sleep, and breathe all things Internet. We strive to be your one-stop search marketing and SEO shop! If you've got questions about Foursquare or any other site, shoot us an e-mail or leave us a comment here on the blog.

Happy weekend from Tandem!