It’s always refreshing to hear from our subscribers by telephone or email about how they value the information in the pages of Cleanfax.

One recent comment from a subscriber really hit home. A loyal reader said Cleanfax was like “the final frontier.” Instantly, visions of Star Trek came to mind. If you are a Trekkie, you recall these famous words by Captain Kirk at the beginning of each episode: In part… To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Well, Cleanfax is always exploring “new worlds” and providing unbiased content in the way of current topics — providing management, marketing and technology tips and advice that can help you run your business.

The Cleanfax mission is to inform you about what’s new and what’s hot, either in an article or in a product announcement. We do this in the traditional print magazine and, with the current trends of media consumption habits, even more so online and digitally.

What can you look forward to in the pages of Cleanfax? Let me share with you examples from this issue and you can see we have your best interests in mind.

The cover story is really important. It’s by Jonathan Grubb on the topic of “The Big 3” strategies to get on the first page of Google. What a challenge you face getting better online positioning… this advice will be helpful.

The technical tip this month is by Lisa Wagner, and she covers the cool topic of shag rugs and the challenges technicians face when cleaning them.

Shag carpet may linger in your memories, reminding you of the 1970s, but shag rugs are popular again, and when you clean them, you could have issues you would rather avoid. Lisa knows rugs, and her article is right on target.

We also have the photo contest, our online poll, an online exclusive page that highlights web-only content and product announcements that you need to make the best buying decisions for your company.

There’s more… take a look. And enjoy each month’s issue of Cleanfax, as well as the online resources at www.Cleanfax.com, as you grow your cleaning or restoration business.

The post The Final Frontier: June 2016 Foreword appeared first on Cleanfax.

Photo of the Month Contest

The photo contest winner this month is Doug Dalton of Advanced Carpet Care in Astoria, OR. His company will receive a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros worth $500.

Doug describes this job: “Using the Cimex, it took about three hours to clean 1,073 square feet, going slow and steady to guarantee consistency. We decided on encapsulation with the Cimex after exhausting other methods and not getting the results we like. Each time using hot water extraction took five to six hours. We tried heavy solvents and rotary extractors and using air movers, but ended up with very bad streaking. This job was probably up to six months between cleanings. We weren’t sure the encapsulation product would have any effect on the greasy soils, but we figured it couldn’t be worse than what we were seeing before. The owners were never really happy with the results of our cleanings but understood that without much more frequent cleanings they couldn’t expect much more. After using encapsulation, they were thrilled.”

For an opportunity to win a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros (worth $500), send your images and a brief 100-word description on how you obtained your results to Jeff Cross, executive editor, at jcross@cleanfax.com or 193 Purple Finch Loop, Pataskala, OH 43062. Contest rules available by request.

Cleanfax Online Poll

How much impact on your work have IICRC standards and reference guides had?

They have greatly affected it for the better. ………………………………… 51%

They have had little to no effect on my work ……………………………… 28%

They have slightly affected it for the better ………………………………… 18%

They have slightly affected it for the worse ………………………………….. 3%

They have greatly affected it for the worse.  …………………………………. 0%

Facebook Focus

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The post The Last Word June 2016: Photo challenge, Facebook update and more appeared first on Cleanfax.

Is pay-per-click too expensive? Does it work? Am I better off hiring an SEO company? Does social media marketing generate real jobs? Can’t my “web guy” do all this?

These are common questions and are important when generating quality emergency water damage jobs. We’ll take a look at each form of digital advertising, dig into the pros and cons, and talk “best practices.”

In short: There are three ways to page one of Google’s. I’ll refer to these ways as “the big three.”

Let me give you my advertising philosophy: Do everything, and do it consistently. Just like you wouldn’t limit your diet to just one thing, you shouldn’t limit your advertising to only one effort. Doing so makes for an unhealthy strategy. Balance and consistency is key.

As a quick point of reference, here are the big three ways to Google’s first page:

1. Paid ad placement through pay-per-click via Google AdWords, also called “PPC,”
2. Local map results, often referred to as “Google Local” or “Google Places,” and now called “Google My Business,”
3. Organic or natural results, via search engine optimization (SEO), referred to as “organic results.”

In this article, we will only discuss Google products, as they control about two thirds of search-market share.

#1 PPC and Google AdWords

I’ve been involved with water damage lead generation via pay-per-click (PPC) since 2009. In 2013, I formed United Restorers. Our core competency is Google Ad- Words management for restoration companies.

Over the years, I’ve managed millions of dollars in PPC ads. Allow me to give you an insider’s view of what it is , how it works and how to succeed with your PPC effort.

What exactly is Google pay-per-click?

Google revolutionized how information is organized and displayed in searches. But with thousands of websites vying for the coveted first page, Google surpassed other search engines by offering top-of-search placement in the form of an advertisement.

What this means for us is that we can pay to ensure our company appears above other companies in the search results, and given the emergency nature of our business, being found first often means you’re called first.

There’s one key drawback to PPC: Cost. Google designed their PPC system as an auction. You and your competitors are allowed to bid on probable search terms a customer might use, such as “water damage companies.” Therefore, more competitive terms result in a higher cost per click (CPC). Because it’s no longer a secret that PPC ads generate water damage jobs, the ad space has become increasingly competitive.

There are three common PPC misconceptions:

Misconception: It’s too expensive. Most companies begin a PPC campaign ill prepared. What I mean is companies budget for the first month of PPC advertising without a budget (or plan) in place for months two, three, etc. It is imperative that a company budget for a minimum of 90 days when beginning a PPC campaign. Why? Planning for only the first month of a PPC campaign assumes:

• Your keyword (and negative keyword) list performs flawlessly,
• You have achieved page one, top-of-page placement,
• Your target areas are finely tuned and working,
• Your ad content is perfectly constructed for conversions (click-throughs to your website),
• Your website converts 100 percent of traffic.

In my experience, it is rare to achieve these goals during the first 90 days, let alone in the first month. Good Adwords management looks at data over time and makes reasonable adjustments based on that data.

Just 30 days’ worth of Adwords data is not enough time to judge an account’s success or failure. Smart Adwords users will take a conservative approach, budgeting three to six months’ worth of advertising and sticking to these budgets. In time and with a clear plan, PPC will pay off.

*Note: PPC marketers often contact you claiming to be a “Google partner” but are not affiliated with Google.

Misconception: My competitors will just click on my ads. Google has become increasingly good at identifying what they call “invalid clicks.” A few years ago, a competitor could — theoretically — click on your ad repeatedly, taking your ad offline and costing you a small fortune. While these invalid clicks would be credited back to your account within a week or so, your ads went offline because your daily budget was exhausted. This is not the case today. Google now immediately identifies more than one click on an ad. Multiple clicks don’t count against your daily budget, your ads don’t go offline and you’re not charged beyond the first click.

Misconception: I don’t look at Google ads. No one looks at Google ads. Well, my clients disagree. Granted, you may overlook a Google ad when searching for new tires for your van, but your customers, when ankle-deep in their flooded kitchen, often click on the first result they see, which is an ad.

And consider this: Nearly 65 percent of searches in our industry happen via smartphone (as of last year). If nearly two-thirds of customers are using phones to search, what do they see when they Google for help?

Try a search yourself. Do you see any organic results? Map results? No. You see ads! You have to scroll far down to see either organic or map results. Your customers see the same thing. This is why you need to be in the ad section. It is the number one of “the big three.”

Yes, PPC is expensive relative to other marketing efforts such as parking a wrapped van on the side of the road. But PPC only results in failure when it’s approached with no plan or a short-sided plan. Contact an expert, make a plan, analyze your data and make adjustments as necessary. Most importantly, be consistent!

#2 Google My Business (Maps)

After all that talk of “cost” and paying per click, let’s talk about free stuff! Google My Business is one of Google’s most helpful tools for customers and can be one of the most powerful tools in your program.

With Google My Business, you claim or register your business with Google. Your new business profile will show your web address, number, location, hours of operation and more. You even can upload photos and manage customer reviews. Think of this profile as a Google-sponsored mini-website for your company.

Most importantly, this profile can be found by customers when they search via Google search or Maps. Let’s try this: Grab your phone and search “dentists.” What do you see? Most likely 3-4 ads followed by multiple My Business listings and, finally, organic results.

Now click on one of those My Business listings, and you’ll see a new page showing information from this company’s My Business page (hours of operation, photos and reviews). It also will show organic results for this company along with every relevant local competitor.

Think like a water damage customer for a moment. What do they choose? Your My Business listing can stand out from all other listings or you can be completely overlooked.

If it seems this easy, then why do most companies fail at My Business listings? It’s all about ignorance. I don’t intend to insult anyone, so allow me to explain: You understand or you’ve heard that the three key ways you market your company online are:

• Paid ads, or PPC,
• SEO, or optimizing your site for a Google Search,
• Social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus).

But Google My Business exists in a very weird place. My Business is the offspring of a bizarre love triangle between Google Search, Google Maps and Google Plus, which is Google’s alleged alternative to Facebook. Because of the social media hybrid that is My Business, it requires a more disciplined approach than Facebook or LinkedIn.

How to master My Business

Once you’ve claimed or created and verified your My Business page with Google, don’t stop there. You need to:

• Update your hours of operation, and if you do emergency water damage, you are open on Sundays.
• Tailor your service area, and be realistic. • Upload photos of you, your crew, your vans and your job sites; be genuine.
• Encourage recent customers to leave reviews; help new ones find your My Business page for a review; address all old reviews on your My Business page.

Post regularly but not too frequently. In other words, be relevant. Don’t spam.

Don’t be a phony

In the past, companies could “fake” My Business pages, creating dozens of “locations” in a metro to artificially enlarge the company’s service area.

In fact, marketing companies and lead generators sprung up, seemingly overnight, to help in this effort. Don’t do it. And don’t believe any company that says they can create multiple My Business pages for you.

Unless you have multiple, physical company locations, with company signage bolted to the building, Google won’t allow you more than one page. A fake My Business page threatens your real My Business page with being flagged and removed by Google.

Easy to set up, free to manage and very powerful, Google My Business is your number two of “the big three.”

#3 Good, old fashioned SEO

I Googled “water damage repair companies in Los Angeles” and my search showed 1,760,000 results. So what causes Company A to show up on page one while Company pany B shows up on page 3,729?

The simple answer is good SEO.

Unfortunately, Google doesn’t publish complete statistics for Google Search, but I did find some interesting information recently. I’m going to hit you with statistics:

• 71 percent of all searches resulted in a page-one click.
• Pages two and three get less than six percent of all clicks.
• Results one through five on page one account for two thirds of all clicks.
• Results six through 10 account for nearly four percent of all clicks.

So the question shouldn’t be “Why has poor, helpless Company B been banished to the Google Badlands?” It should be “Why isn’t it at the top of page one?”

I won’t go into the nuances of what is “good SEO” versus what is “black hat.” Frankly, SEO isn’t my specialty. What I will say is your website deserves good SEO. But, simply put, here are the pros and cons of doing SEO:

Pretty easy, right? SEO is a long-term strategy. It takes a lot of work to get to page one and stay there.

Every day, I talk to restoration companies like yours. Inevitably, the “SEO question” comes up. Here are some questions I’m most often asked, along with my responses.

• My web guy does this. Why is it not working? Is your “web guy” also an SEO expert? He built your website, right? Doesn’t that make him a developer or a designer? I don’t trust my car to my gastroenterologist or my gut to my mechanic. Yes, they both “fix” things, but they have two different specialties.
• How do I get my site on page one naturally? Good SEO. Does the tagline under your company name say, “Water Damage Repair and SEO”? Stop doing SEO on your own, and hire a professional.
• Is my SEO company any good? Does your SEO company specialize in restoration? You’re part of a niche industry that require marketers who know it. Hiring a general SEO company most often results in poor results. Hiring an SEO company that knows the business like you do produces good results. Simple.

An organic search result achieved through good SEO is a trusted, relevant answer for companies wishing to achieve better rankings. Yes, good SEO takes time and requires a professional who specializes in our industry, but the payoff is big. Rounding out number three on our list: Good, old fashioned “natural” search results.

Bring it all together

There is an art to Google’s page one. But just as a single brush stroke doesn’t make a complete painting, no single marketing technique is the answer. Do everything, and do it consistently.

In order to have the most powerful effect on page one of Google, your efforts with PPC, My Business and SEO must be working together. When you Google “water damage companies” or “emergency water damage repair” do you see your website? Is your website displayed throughout “the big three?” If not, seize these opportunities! This strategy is what the most successful restoration companies in your market do.

Think of it this way: If you’re the best restorer in your market (and you are), you owe it to your customers to be found . Remember, nearly three-quarters of all Google searches result in a page-one click. If you’re not dominating page one, your customers are finding and calling your competitor.

Jonathan Grubb is the founder and president of United Restorers LLC, which creates and manages online advertising efforts for restoration companies with the aim of ensuring its clients stay at the top of Google’s first page.

The post The Big 3: Key points to getting on Google’s first page appeared first on Cleanfax.

At least until it gets dirty.

Those of us who remember shag carpeting installed in homes in the 1970s also can remember why it quickly fell out of favor. Besides seeming to swallow small children in those especially long strands, it also was impossible to keep the stuff clean.

Now we have shag rugs of all shapes, sizes and materials — a great decorative idea but a horrible household reality.

Here are some of the cleaning challenges of shag rugs and how to handle them.

Chunky wool shags

Most rug cleaners are familiar with Flokati rugs. These are woven rugs from Greece that come in mostly off-white, natural tones and look like big sheepdogs on the floor. These shaggy, wool rugs are woven, so you clearly see the wool strands visible on the back.

There are also woven shag rugs from Morocco, which tend to have geometric designs instead of the solid color creations of the Greeks.

Today, however, we also have a huge variety of wool shag rugs ranging from dyed to undyed, from spun to felted and from thin strands to big noodle shapes. Many of the custom wool creations are strands tufted into a cotton canvas foundation, often utilizing latex to hold them together.

Some of the challenges with wool shag rugs are:

Shedding and pilling. Wool yarn is spun from short-plied staple fibers, so when they are shag length, they tend to pull apart. Rugs made of the looser, chunkier wool often shed for years. On tighter-spun fibers, you also see pilling not unlike what you see on the elbows of wool sweaters after use. A wash can sometimes lessen this rug wool shedding, but in many cases this is a characteristic the owner has to live with.

Tough to vacuum. Standard vacuum cleaners are not going to work on these rugs. A horse hair brush can be used to groom and pick up surface matter and a crevice tool can be used to try to grab the gunk that gets embedded into the foundation of these rugs. Smaller rugs can be taken outside to shake free loose particulate matter, and large rugs can be hung and a leaf blower used to try to beat and blow out the dirt and grit. In rug facilities, tumblers and compressed air tools can help remove soil as well as fluff up the fibers.

Tough to wash and decontaminate. These rugs become extremely heavy when wet, and agitation is a challenge because of the tendency to lose fibers and for the wool rows to not easily open up to release soil from the base. Crevice tools and pressure rinsing wands help you reach the foundation of these rugs in between these rows. Rugs with urine contamination often need extended soaking to try to remove contaminants. Smaller, woven Flokati rugs can be washed in a commercial washer, but you must watch the alkalinity and temperature because these rugs can yellow and shrink if improperly laundered.

Prone to moths. Owners of these wool shag rugs tend to wait too long to clean them, and the rug foundations are rarely reached by a vacuum. This makes this wool very susceptible to moths and carpet beetles. Bugs like dark, undisturbed places with a food source, so deep at the base of these fibers is a perfect home for them. Always grin open fibers to inspect for insect activity.

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Leather strip shags and cotton rag shags

The next popular category of shag rugs is created with strips of material tied together to create a rug. These can be either strips of leather or cotton, both of which are often dyed.

Some of the challenges with leather and cotton rag shag rugs are:

Loss of sizing. A starch sizing is often utilized on leather and fabric pieces used in making these shag rugs, and this washes away. The challenge with leather rugs is they are woven into a cotton foundation. Often, the cotton requires washing (especially if there are pets in the house); however, the leather strips themselves do not wash up well.

Using leather cleaning products after a wash to condition and revive the leather is occasionally needed. The cotton rag shag rugs wash up well, but tumbling may be needed to help bring life back into those fabric strips.

Loss of color. Depending on the quality of dyeing, both leather strip shags and cotton rag shags may bleed. Test for dye stability, and use the appropriate chemistry and solutions based on your tests. Remember pet urine can create dye bleed problems even in a colorfast rug.

Fabric unraveling and knots untying. Foot traffic tends to loosen the knots of these hand tied rugs, and strips can be pulled loose and require repair. With cotton fabric, wear and tear over time can cause the fabric strips to unravel and fray.

Polyester and viscose designer shag rugs

The final group of shag rugs that are especially popular today are the artificial silk shag rugs. These use synthetic fibers, either viscose or polyester, crafted into shaggy, shiny creations.

Some of the challenges with synthetic shag rugs are:

Unable to hide soil. These fibers have no ability to hide soil, so these rugs quickly become grey in traffic areas. Brushing with a horsehair brush or wiping down with microfiber cloths can help grab loose soil before it begins to discolor the traffic areas. Heavy cotton backing absorbs every spill. Many of these silky shag rugs have thin strands strung through a very thick cotton foundation. Spills move immediately past the strands and get soaked up into that thick cotton. This means every spill is a potential disaster that requires professional cleaning.

Tufts remove easily from these rugs. These silky strands are not knotted or tied, but rather simply looped into a backing material. If you yank any individual strand, you will easily remove it. This means traffic areas can suffer from loose tufts, and any dusting, scrubbing or extracting can easily lead to a loss of fibers. Using air crevice tools can help with dusting as well as drying these rugs with less fiber risk.

Polyester fibers easily fray and scratch; viscose easily breaks. Polyester fibers are plastic, so they tend to scratch and wear in a way that makes them reflect light differently. These areas get dull instead of shiny and can sometimes be mistaken as dirty areas instead of simply as worn areas. Viscose fibers are very weak, so they tend to split and break away in traffic areas, and these areas also become dull as a result.

Protect yourself with a very thorough pre-inspection

The more time a professional rug cleaner spends on pre-inspecting a shag rug, the less time that cleaner will spend on trying to clean up after an unexpected disaster.

Carefully look over the front and back of each shag rug. Sometimes the front fibers will not have any issues to address, but the backing material may have construction or dye flaws.

Determine fiber type, dye stability and construction type. Photo-document both sides of the rug for every area of concern you might have. Share those photos with experienced professionals, if you have not cleaned a particular shag rug type before, in order to get their feedback.

Finally, if you take on the shag rug job, charge for the additional time and care the piece requires. Most cleaners turn away shag rug jobs, so the ones who do accept the challenge charge accordingly. You should as well.

Lisa Wagner is a second-generation rug care expert, a NIRC Certified Rug Specialist and an owner of K. Blatchford’s San Diego Rug Cleaning Company. She was recognized as the 2006 Cleanfax magazine Person of the Year for her industry contributions. For online rug course and training event details, visit .

The post Shagtastic!: Dealing with troublesome shag rugs appeared first on Cleanfax.