Posts Tagged ‘Search Google’

February 18th, 2010

Search Engine Optimization for Local Businesses

Google Local Searches – SEO for Local Business

For brick-and-mortar businesses, it is very important to reach out to local customers. It is useless to reach global customers that can’t even visit your business office or store to avail of your products and services. Another reason why local search engine optimization is vital for brick-and-mortar businesses is that there is no way business owners can reach the local market if the information and content of their websites are not designed locally.

Local search marketing is not all about local Google maps. It may be true that Google holds a large chunk of the internet but it doesn’t own cyberspace. A third of it is dominated by local search engines. Social local search is where a big part of the crowd is. Social media is where the real conversations happen. Local social media is very prominent due to the personal views and reviews of the user’s experiences about anything and it may include your products and services. Word of mouth marketing is very effective in social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

An online business is different than a local business. This is where many local business owners miss the mark in marketing their business online. First of all, they do not see the potential of building a website that is a business unto itself. It may be an extension of your local business, but someone half way around the world finding your website online won’t care. Their experience is strictly linked to the experience they have through their mouse and keyboard.

Local SEO is not just about attracting people to your site but pulling the right people who are serious about your business. Think of the keywords a possible client would type if they want to buy a product or get a service. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes as to better understand them.

February 18th, 2010

Your Local Website Promotion and Visibility

Google Local Searches – Promotion & Visibility

Every local business has an opportunity to get a free listing in Google local. Your web site address needs to be placed on all of your advertising such as print ads and yellow page advertising giving you the ability to use an integrated approach to advertising with each promotional approach, whether online or offline, complementing the other.

If your site is highly relevant to exactly what your visitors look for, you multiply your chances of turning those visitors into your newest customers. When websites make the mistake of being vague and disorganized, they hand you a huge potential advantage: If your site is laser-focused on specific services or products, you rise up high on Google and attract people who want exactly what you offer.

The key is to break your site up into many smaller, extremely targeted pages. The more specific you can make your pages, the better. For example, if you’re a doctor and you treat both neck and back injuries, use one web page to talk all about how you treat a painful neck, and have another separate page devoted entirely to back troubles.

Website promotion is not like a vending machine. You cannot plop in a few thousand dollars and expect your website to attain and retain first page ranking. It is an ongoing and ever evolving process. To get a free listing, simply search for Google Local and submit your request. You will receive information from Google requesting that you verify the address you have submitted and then Google will list your office and directions to your office.

February 16th, 2010

Your Business In Google Top Search Results

Google Local Searches – Top Results

Most business owners don’t realize you can get your business listed among the top 10 search results on Google front page. Once you have a website online and Google has successfully found and indexed it then it’s time to start promoting your site. Promoting your website could be considered a branch within search engine optimization; hence there are many other important factors that should be considered in making it possible for your website to appear in the popular searches of Google. Many locals keep lists of local businesses, and your business may already be listed. Make sure there is a link to your website within the listing.

It is ideal to have social networking accounts for your business in Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc. Make sure it contains a link to your website. Did you know you can create a company account on many of these sites? These sites may already be crawlable by search engines and the information you post there could be included in search results. These sites can also be helpful to keep a friendly dialogue open between you and your customers by giving them an informal means to communicate with you and your business. If your target audience is younger than 30 you should definitely embrace the social media website.

Add your business website in Google Maps listing. Quite often the top search result in Google will be a map showing local business listings, so this is a great way to get your business right at the top of page 1 in Google. While there are no clear instructions for how Google determines which businesses to list in the map that it shows in the search results, including relevant keywords in the business description and category seems to help.

Promoting your website is just a link in the search engine optimization chain. Be sure to consider all aspects of SEO in order to get great performance from your website.