SEO for Small Businesses
At this moment, thousands of people search Google, Yahoo, Bing, & MSN to find businesses like yours. Will you be found or will it be your competition?
It’s hard when you own a small business. The large corporate businesses and their marketing budgets can be intimidating. As a result many small business owners don’t attempt to market their business online and live in fear of “this whole Internet thing”. But, most large businesses don’t take advantage of the many ways you can market a business on a local level. This is where your business can have an edge and we can make your business shine online! We call it Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Although your business may be smaller, there is no shortage of opportunities for medium-sized & small businesses to compete on the search engines. That fact is proven when you consider that almost 40% of searches include local keywords, and the search engines are now using local search results, even when a searcher doesn’t specifically ask for them. If you’re small business, this is a huge opportunity for Search Engine Marketing!
Okay, so you’re a small business owner looking for search engine optimization on a dime. You have a domain name, you have a website, and you’re ready to attract the world (or at least your city) to your website. Weeks and months pass and your website is nowhere to be found online. Being small and working with a budget means you need to think smarter. It’s about doing all the little things that will pack the big rewards. Where do you start? Great question. We start by localizing your content.
It’s important to reveal your location on your Web site. If you make it a secret to search engines or your customers, you can’t expect either of them to find your web site. Your business location is natural search information that the search engines and your clients are going to want to know. When we optimize a client’s website we take all of this into consideration. Who do you target? What area or areas are is your business relevant to? What are your business hours and days of operation? How can people can find you? Think Local Marketing will tell them.
There are many other steps we take to ensure your business gets the best search results rank online, and we can tell you more about it when you decide to get serious about your online marketing.
Below is a sample of the other services that make up our Small Business Search Engine Marketing (SEO):
- Google Local & Yahoo Local Business Listings with Client Testimonials, Videos and Coupons.
- On-page Optimization of Page Titles, Descriptions, Meta Tags, Sitemap Submission, Keyword Optimized Copy, and more.
- Off-page Optimization including Link Building, Press Releases, and Social Bookmarking, and Directory Listings.
Inquire about our many Search Engine Marketing & Optimization Services for Small Business today!
It’s hard when you’re small. Everything seems bigger and more intimidating. Puppies get toppled by bigger dogs, middle schoolers are stuffed in lockers and small business owners back away in fear of this whole “Internet” thing. But like the chess player who grew up to be accepted by the Homecoming Queen, you, too, can overcome! The trick is to never let your fear stop you from your plans of Word domination.
Though you may be smaller, there’s no shortage of opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to compete in search. And that statement is made even more true when you consider that nearly 40 percent of searches include local intent and that the search engines are now using local results even when a user doesn’t implicitly ask for them. If you’re a small business, that’s an opportunity.
Okay, so say you’re a small business looking for search on a dime. You have your domain, your hosting is squared away, you have a few pages of content up and you’re finally ready to attract the world (or at least your city) to your Web site. Being small means you need to be smarter. It’s about doing all the little things that will pack the big rewards. Where do you start?
Localize Your Site Content
Don’t be afraid to mention your location on your Web site. Don’t make it a secret to the engines or your customers. Let them know where you live (figuratively speaking. Let’s not endanger the fam), where you work and where you’re from. It’s natural information that both the search engines and your users are going to want to know. Who do you target? What area(s) are you relevant to? When are you open? How can people can find you? Tell them.
Where do you slip in these trust and location cues within your content?
- Home page: While you’re out there telling people what you’re about, mention where you’re located. It shows customers you really exist, while also giving the engines’ local algorithms something to snack on.
- About page: Your About page should not only tell people who you are, it should tell them where you’re located. It’s one of the many trust signals users will be looking for and it acts as a great citation for the search engines.
- Press page: Do you have a page on your site that encourages people to get in touch with you for media purposes? Don’t forget to include your address, phone number and email.
- Contact page: This should be a no brainer but you’d be surprised how many people lose their brains writing Web copy.
Include your location, a map, your cities served, hours, email address, fax number, phone number, directions and other any information you have that establishes your location.
Create, Claim Your Business Listings
Okay, I encourage you to grab some coffee (and maybe some pizza) before setting in on this task. We understand it’s a bit time consuming, but it’s also important. With reports of nefarious others hijacking unclaimed business listings and then (virtually) closing down the company, you want to make sure you control what’s yours.
Google Local
https://www.google.com/local/add/login
Even if you don’t have a Web site, you can list your important business attributes in Google’s Local Business Center. This entails heading over to their Business Center and adding all your vitals (name, town, phone, description, URL, etc), adding images, video, etc. Be careful to put your business in the right category because if you don’t, you’re going to have a seriously hard time ranking for anything relevant. You should also be conscious of the terms you’re using when filling out important areas like Titles and Descriptions. Enter in as much relevant information about your business as you can. The more accurate your details, the better chances your company has of ranking for local queries. Google wants to provide users with the most relevant results possible. Show them why you’re relevant to a particular city, town or region.
If you haven’t played with Google Local Business Center, they just released a comprehensive user guide that can help you get started.
Yahoo Local
http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/local/business.php
Your Yahoo Local listing will work very much the same as Google’s. You’re just optimizing your business listing for the Yahoo engine. So go in there and feed them all your important information like business name, URL, address, category, hours, payment methods, etc. Yahoo also offers an Enhanced Listing for $9.99/month and a Featured Local Listing for $24.99/month. Both programs offers a moderately expanded list of options, including added Web links, photos, searchable descriptions, and even a basic 5-page Web site with the highest package. Honestly, a lot of the “bells and whistles” they include are just as easily done yourself (and probably in a more attractive fashion). Still, if you’re dying for the all-in-one approach, Yahoo has you covered.
