A few days ago we talked about how important local search / SEO has become – and what you can do to enhance your local search performance and Internet marketing efforts. Well, as we conducted our research for that story, we stumbled upon a number of neat local search engine optimization tools. And, knowing how much readers love lists (our competitive intelligence tools post is one definitely worth checking out), we made another one – this time, to help you in your search for tools that are designed to give you an edge over local competitors. Enjoy! Local Search Toolkit This is one of our favorite local SEO tools right now. The invention of seOverflow’s Mike Belasco and Mary Bowling, the Local Search Toolkit features a Google Places Results Analyzer which generates competitive analysis and data from search results in Google Places. With the Local Search Toolkit, you can download, analyze, and review citation sources – and sort seamlessly through – Read the full article
It’s great to drive traffic – online and offline – from all corners of the world. But if you’re a smart marketer, you’ll realize you don’t have to be so international – at least not when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). Thanks to local search, businesses don’t have to squander resources on attracting customers and visitors that are beyond their geographic reach anyway. One can instead focus on catering to the heart of the locals. Want to find out how? Here’s a list of 17 great local SEO and local search tips, tricks, and tools to help you get started. Claim. Claim your local listing on Google Places. While you’re at it, go to Bing Local and Yahoo Local and claim your listings there, too. Apply best practices. Read our guide on Google Places to put yourself closer to the center of the map. Submit your info to the online yellow pages. Sign up in online directories and – Read the full article
Here are the major players in local search engines – you can take the time to set-up accounts with each or find an easier way by using our service. You can find the direct link to the sign up on this listing website. The major players for data is superpages, info-usa and google. • Google• Yahoo• MSN• Yahoo Yellow Pages• AOL Yellow Pages• Verizon SuperPages• Switchboard• YellowPages.com• Sprint Yellow Pages• YP.com• InfoSpace• Local.com• Judy’s Book • True Local• HomeStore.com• Welcome Wagon• Realtor.com• MerchantCircle• Earthlink• 4INFO.net• KUDZU.com• InsiderPages.com• YPCity.com• InformationPages• Info USA• City Search• Axiom
It is super easy and think about the last time you used a phone book? Well maybe you still like to use a phone book but personally I haven’t used one in at least 4 years. I like to search on Google, only about 10 times faster and usually more accurate. But you will find most of the content has been uploaded by the business themselves. Visit google local. You can add pictures, logo, hours of store etc. So next time someone is searching for your phone number on Google, you will come up first. It can also be beneficial to add your self in different “categories.” Then when your potential customer searches for your industry, for example – contractor in your zip code, you come up. Just another free service that you can use for your business. Add your today.
When you try and use Internet marketing and blogging to bring in more business, it is essential to think about each word that you publish. Each page of your website needs to have a goal and each blog post must be aimed at achieving the following: Providing readers with information regarding your business and industry Creating a call for action Encouraging sales Working on optimizing the website Providing customer service Building brand recognition Installing trust Fitting all that into a blog post of around 300 to 500 words may seem like a lot but with the help of SEO copywriters, each of your blog posts can achieve all of those goals for you. Working on Web Copy Your website will no doubt be split up into different sections; what they are will depend upon the services and products that you provide. Most websites will have the obligatory Welcome page, About Us page, and the Contact page. These need to be – Read the full article
As a local business owner, you know exactly how important SEO is for your web presence. What is the use of having a website when you cannot be found anyway? And when it comes to SEO, your online content plays a huge role. However, optimizing your website isn’t as simple as posting your random thoughts on your page. The entire act of creating content for SEO can be so perplexing that even the most internet-savvy business owner may still end up confused. Here are a few tips for creating content which will please not just the search engines but also your human readers. Think about your readers It’s very easy to get caught up in the entire SEO process especially when you get too focused on keywords. Some people think of optimization as an end all, be all that they write content which isn’t pleasing to human readers anymore. They forget that the main reason for why they – Read the full article
Who knew the power of blogging would explode like it has? It seems like everyone has a blog now, from stay-at-home moms to chefs to local business owners. Blogging is a powerful Internet marketing tool for local businesses as it gives you a new, yet subtle way to promote your company. Think of a blog as a way to communicate to the local community without all the business jargon. The point of a blog should be to put out information only. Write about relevant topics that relate to your business and give important facts that people want and need to know. Avoid being a salesman in your blog or people won’t read it. But provide an invaluable resource that people trust and you will build credibility within your community and generate more traffic. 5 hidden benefits of blogging for local business Change your perspective. Blogging forces you to examine your industry from all angles, not just as a provider of – Read the full article
Google is not the only search engine in the world. In some large countries like Russia, it isn’t even the most popular. It has been estimated that only one fourth of the Internet’s 2 billion users speak English as their native language. Only one fourth! That means that if you are only optimizing your site for people who speak English then you may be missing out on 1.5 billion potential customers! Obviously if you want to expand your market globally, you have to start thinking about targeting local areas around the globe that search on the Internet in different languages. This means translating your site, among other things that will help SEO-wise, and you should do so because it has been proven that people searching on the web trust their native speaking tongue when it comes to making a purchase on the Internet. Where to Start You must first decide if you want to target by location or by language. – Read the full article
