The document summarizes key rules for economic development organizations in the Internet age according to Google's principles and strategies. It discusses the importance of search engine optimization and social media presence to build "Google juice"; leveraging networks and partnerships rather than relying on middlemen; providing instant answers to common customer questions online; and using customer feedback to inform marketing strategies. Presenters from various economic development consulting and marketing firms provided examples and advice for applying these "Google rules" effectively.

1. WHAT WOULD GOOGLE DO?
Rethinking Economic Development
In the Internet Age
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
IEDC Annual Conference in Columbus

2. A Word About The Book
and “Google Rules”
Charles FitzGibbon, VP,
Business Development
Journal Communications

3. Team “And-atalio”
Andy Levine…President, DCI
• Specialized in marketing places
• Work with 400+ cities, regions, states
and countries since 1960.
Anatalio Ubalde, CEO, GIS Planning Inc. &
ZoomProspector.com
• Invented Web GIS for E.D. Site Selection
• Current clients in 42 states + majority of
top 100 cities + small communities

4. Team “Ben-Jen”
Ben Wright, CEO, Atlas Advertising
• Former practitioner, in ED Marketing since
1993
• Specializes in branding, websites, GIS, and
prospect management for ED
• Tucks i-Phone in at night
Jennifer Wakefield, Director of Public
Relations, Metro Orlando EDC
• Accredited in Public Relations, 10 years in PR,
Adjunct Instructor
• Economic Development Marketing > 4 years

5. Google Rule #1
EVERYBODY NEEDS
GOOGLE JUICE
“It isn’t what you say about yourself. It’s
what Google says about you.”
Chris Anderson,
Author, The Long Tail

6. WHAT’S GOOGLE JUICE?
• The magic elixir that
makes Google value you
more because the world
values you more
• If your website can’t be
found, you might as well
not exist

7. DO I HAVE GOOGLE JUICE?
Log-in to Google and search for:
• Your Community Name + “Economic Development”
• Your Community Name + “Business,” “Business
Expansion,” “Business Relocation,” “Demographics,”
“Foreign Direct Investment,” “Incentives,” “Maps,”
“Office Space,” “Site Selection,” “Workforce”
• Your Organization Name (including variations and
misspellings)

8. RATING YOUR “GJQ”
(Google Juice Quotient)
NO JUICE = No Sign Of Your Website On The
First Page Of Search Results
GOOGLEY = Website Consistently In The First
Page of Search Results
GOOGLIER = In Top Five Results
GOOGLIEST = We’re #1

9. HOW DO I GET MORE GOOGLE JUICE?
Four Rules
1. Get Others To Link To Your Website…Google
will notice their links and give you more juice.
2. Keyword Content…Identify keywords
prospects use to search for you and
prominently display.
3. Avoid Fancy Technology That’s Makes Your
Site “Dance And Sing”…Google won’t recognize
this and it will annoy prospects.
4. Give Every Page A Logical, Permanent Address

10. Google Rule #2
MIDDLEMEN ARE DOOMED
“For all middlemen the clock is ticking and
the question of value is looming.”
Jeff Jarvis, Author,
What Would Google Do?

11. Do you get value for what you pay
these people? Are they worth it? (page 74)
• Car salesmen • Advertising agencies
• Insurance brokers • Travel agents
• Head hunters • Real estate agents

12. According to Jeff Jarvis:
• Real estate agents are more distrusted than
tabloid writers
• “Eliminate advertising. Or at least fire your ad
agency.”
• “…travel agents (oh, sorry, they’re already
nearly extinct.”

13. Hi.
I’m an economic developer.
I’m here to help.

14. © GIS Planning Inc.

16. Google Rule #3
DO WHAT YOU DO BEST AND
LINK TO THE REST
“…the link forces specialization.”
Jeff Jarvis, Author,
What Would Google Do?

17. From general to specialized
• Linking is changing the structure – moving
generalization in media to specialization
• Specialization creates:
– Stronger USP’s
– Mass of “niches”
– Opportunities for collaboration

18. Examples of ED’s leveraging what
others do best
Mapping =
Google Mashup
Real Estate =
Third Party

19. Google Rule #4
BE A PLATFORM & LISTEN
“Stop callin’, stop callin’,
I don’t wanna talk anymore.”
Lady Gaga
“Telephone”

20. PLATFORMS

21. IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
flickr
Orlando Rocks

22. LISTEN

23. Examples of ED’s listening

24. Google Rule #5
JOIN A NETWORK &
THINK DISTRIBUTED
“We can’t expect our customers
to come to us”
Quincy Smith, President
CBS Interactive

25. Power of
Networks

27. How To
• Give a talk at an industry conference
explaining something that has value to the
attendees; develop relationships with them.
• Make sure your websites are linked from/to
the right partners.
• Grow your social network.
• Join online industry and economic
development networks.
• Grow where the networks are largest.
• Be where the networks are specialized.

28. Expecting Customers to Come to You
© GIS Planning Inc.

29. Be Distributed: Where the Customers Are
© GIS Planning Inc.

30. Result: More Customers Come to You
© GIS Planning Inc.

31. How To
• Hire more people.
• Fly more places.
• Buy more ads.
• Distribute your online presence.
• Widgitize your organization.
• Be where your customers are.
• Create EDO profiles/pages on social
media networks. Add value on them to
customers seek you out.

32. Being Distributed
• Create value within the networks you occupy.
Make sure you’re are a node in the network
that each time it’s touched the other nodes
get value.
• Be where your customers are.
• If you are small be a part of something big: a
network (page 56)
• Create something so great that others
distribute it.

33. Build a Digital Ambassador Program
• Identify savvy executives
in your community with
social media followings
• Provide with frequent
updates that they can
tweet, blog and share to
their networks

35. Google Rule #6
ANSWERS ARE
INSTANTANEOUS
“Fast is better than slow.”
Ten Things Google Has
Found To Be True

36. “Comprehensive List of Major
Private Sector Employers
with Headcount”
Dennis Donovan
WDG Consulting
ED Organization Easy to Difficult to Not
Website Find Find Found
Airdrie Economic Development
Athens County Economic
Development Council
Iowa City Area Development
Kilgore Economic Development
Corporation
Metro MSP
The Indy Partnership

37. “A Map That Shows
Your Location in the Context
Kathy Mussio of Surrounding States.”
Atlas Insight LLC
ED Organization Easy to Difficult to Not
Website Find Find Found
Airdrie Economic Development
Athens County Economic
Development Council
Iowa City Area Development
Kilgore Economic Development
Corporation
Metro MSP
The Indy Partnership

38. “List of Four-Year and
Two-Year Colleges with
Joe Lacy Enrollment Stats”
Biggins, Lacy & Shapiro
ED Organization Easy to Difficult to Not
Website Find Find Found
Airdrie Economic Development
Athens County Economic
Development Council
Iowa City Area Development
Kilgore Economic Development
Corporation
Metro MSP
The Indy Partnership

39. “Contact information (direct
telephone line and email) for
Jason Hickey
senior economic developers”
Hickey & Associates, LLC
ED Organization Website Easy to Difficult Not
Find to Find Found
Airdrie Economic Development
Athens County Economic
Development Council
Iowa City Area Development
Kilgore Economic Development
Corporation
Metro MSP
The Indy Partnership

40. All Consultants “A Concise List of Economic
Surveyed Development Incentives”
ED Organization Website Easy to Difficult Not
Find to Find Found
Airdrie Economic Development
Athens County Economic
Development Council
Iowa City Area Development
Kilgore Economic Development
Corporation
Metro MSP
The Indy Partnership

41. Google Rule #7
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE
YOUR AD AGENCY
“In the 20th century, we did monologue
marketing. In the 21st century, we’ve
moved to dialogue. Customers…will not
tolerate not being heard”
Source: John Hayes,
CMO, American Express

42. SHARE

43. Your Customers are varied – use
them to develop and tell the story
• Real estate devleopers/brokers = inventory
experts
• Local bloggers = local insight and color
• Local CEO’s = your sales team
• Site Selectors = the translators of your
message

44. Testimonial Example

45. Google Rule #8
MAKE MISTAKES WELL
“Oops. I did it again.”
Britney Spears
“Oops. I Did It Again”

46. OUTSTANDING MISTAKES

47. Summing It Up
1. Everybody Needs 5. Join a Network &
Google Juice Think Distributed
2. Middlemen Are 6. Answers are
Doomed Instantaneous
3. Do What You Do 7. Your Customers
Best and Link to Are Your Ad
the Rest Agency
4. Be A Platform & 8. Make Mistakes
Listen Well

48. Thank You!!!
•For a copy of this presentation, visit
Slideshare.net/?
•Presenter emails:
• Andy Levine: andy.levine@aboutdci.com / twitter:
@AboutDCI
• Anatalio Ubalde: ubalde@gisplanning.com / twitter:
@ZoomProspector
• Jennifer Wakefield:
jennifer.wakefield@orlandoedc.com
• Ben Wright: benw@atlas-advertising.com / twitter:
@atlasad
• Charles FitzGibbon: cfitzgibbon@jnlcom.com