The second half of the Nudging Homeowners into Action workshop by Aaron Goldfeder of Energy Savvy and Peter Troast of Energy Circle. This is my portion--4 proven internet marketing ideas for energy raters and auditors, home performance contractors, single measure contractors and other energy efficiency professionals.

1. Peter Troast
Founder/CEO of Energy Circle and Energy Circle PRO
Internet geek, student of marketing, SEO & social media, dad, husband,
skier, organic heirloom apple hack, flailer of fly lines
CFM of my house pre-retrofit: 3442
CFM of my house post-retrofit: 2200
Fuel Oil Consumption pre-retrofit: 110 gallons/month
Fuel Oil Consumption post-retrofit: 59 gallons/month
Number of Electricity Monitors Measuring My House: 5
Our Electric Use Reduction Since Monitoring Started: 29-50%
December 2008 : $218.94 / 1377 kwh
December 2009 : $ 123.86 / 779 kwh
December 2010 : $ 108.44 / 682 kwh
Followers on Twitter: 3237
!"# RESNET 11 1
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2. #6 Fish Where They Are
aka Understanding Keyword Volume
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3. Understanding Keyword Volumes
Energy Rating 9900
Energy Assessment 3600
Energy Audit 49500
Energy Evaluation 1600
Energy Auditor 6600
Energy Auditing 1600
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000
Data from Google External Keyword Tool on 3.3.11
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4. Understanding Keyword Volumes
home energy 110000
solar energy 368000
renewable energy 246000
wind power 301000
energy efficiency 110000
home performance 8100
0 80000 160000 240000 320000 400000
Data from Google External Keyword Tool on 3.3.11
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5. Understanding Keyword Volumes
Energy Star Homes 9900
Energy Efficient Homes 8100
Green Building 110000
Net Zero Homes 3600
Passive House 12100
LEED Homes 4400
0 30000 60000 90000 120000 150000
Data from Google External Keyword Tool on 3.3.11
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6. Understanding Keyword Volumes
duct sealing 5400
air sealing 3600
foam insulation 165000
cellulose insulation 22200
radiant barrier 33100
window replacement 165000
0 40000 80000 120000 160000 200000
Data from Google External Keyword Tool on 3.3.11
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7. Understanding Keyword Volumes
home performance 8100
energy retrofit 4400
weatherization 49500
green remodeling 2400
energy saving improvements 320
deep energy retrofit 320
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000
Data from Google External Keyword Tool on 3.3.11
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8. Google External Keyword Tool
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
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9. Keyword Research Takeaways
• Learn to love the keyword tool
• Keyword volume is a proxy for the mindset of the consumer
• Keyword data is one point in time--not where the world has been or
where it is going
• Beware the “mile wide and inch deep” tendency
• To start, focus on 5-10 terms, and concentrate on 1-3
• Remember that your searches will likely be localized-- “Energy Audits,
Topeka”
• Meta keywords don’t matter anymore (except to your competitors)
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10. #7 Ignore the Snake Oil Salesmen
aka Learn a little SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
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11. What is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the
process of improving the visibility of a
website or web page in search engines via
the "natural" or un-paid (“organic” or
"algorithmic") search results.
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12. Sorting Through the BS
www.seomoz.org
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13. Where to Focus
1. Incoming Links
2. Titles and Descriptions
3. Fresh Content with Smart Keywords
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14. Titles and Descriptions
The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
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15. Best Practices--Titles & Desc.
Titles
Search Engine Imposed Limits
Less than 70 characters
Optimal Format
Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name | Location
or
Brand Name | Primary Keyword and Secondary Keyword | Location
Descriptions
Search Engine Imposed Limits
Less than 156 characters
Optimal Format
Write for humans first
Smart use of keywords
Unique to page/Relevant to content
Thanks to SEOMoz
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16. Cool Tools--Title & Description
Energy Circle PRO
SEO MOFO
www.seomofo.com
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17. #8 Does your About Us page suck?
aka: the most important page on your website
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18. From Home to Where?
Dominant Traffic Flow
Home Page --> About Us
Home Page --> Services
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19. A Good About Us Page
• Use Photos
• Be Personal
• Share your Business Philosophy
• Show off your Credentials
• Demonstrate your Community Commitment
http://www.energycircle.com/blog/2011/01/26/5-elements-of-successful-about-us-page-home-performance-businesses
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20. Friday, March 4, 2011

21. #9 Get Listed
aka: the easiest and most important link building for local biz
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22. Just a Few Good Listings
Google
Places Kudzu
https://register.kudzu.com/packageSelect.do
http://places.google.com/business
Yahoo! Local DMOZ
http://local.yahoo.com/ http://www.dmoz.org/public/suggest
Bing Local Energy Conservatory
https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx http://energyconservatory.com/contractors/
contractors2.htm
Ask.com Local
http://city.ask.com/ - this is in Beta Manta
http://www.manta.com/profile/my-companies/
Green Home Guide select?rl=http://www.manta.com/cr/mvrjhk3/1st-
http://greenhomeguide.com/apply restoration&add_driver=company%20page-bar-
header
HotFrog
http://www.hotfrog.com/ Best of the Web
http://local.botw.org/helpcenter/
YELP getlistedorg.aspx
http://www.yelp.com/
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23. GetListed.org
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24. Contact
Peter Troast
Energy Circle PRO
207.865.3400
ptroast@energycircle.com
Twitter: @EnergyCircle
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/petertroast
Energy Circle PRO Blog: www.energycircle.com/pro/blog
!"# DATE 24
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