SEO or Search Engine Optimization for local or small businesses looking to increase their online traffic from search engines like Google and Yahoo, as well as gain more exposure in IYP (Internet Yellow Pages) and other online directories. line is as easy as 1-2 -3 .
Much is made of the intricacies of the Internet, especially when it comes to marketing and search engine optimization. While I’m not going to say there’s no nuance to search marketing and going the extra mile doesn’t make a difference, the simple truth is that for local and regional businesses, getting to the top of the SERPs (search engine results pages) search) can be very simple and uncomplicated.
This is my three step approach to generating search traffic and internet traffic for your local or regional small business.
Step 1 – Create a well-designed, keyword-rich website.
The first problem I diagnose with my clients is a lack of understanding of what makes a search engine work. It’s called relevance. Relevancy in its simplest terms is having text on your website that matches the text that a search engine uses when searching.
For example, if a person needs a plumber in their local area and searches Google for “plumber serving West Chester, PA” and you have that exact term on your website, then you have an excellent chance of appearing in the results. search for that person. .
Now this may sound easier than it is. Consider how many different ways there are to search for your business: services offered, products sold, business name and variations, misspellings, and then all the geographic areas your business serves or attracts customers from.
So when building or fixing your website, you have to accept that 100% coverage is not possible. Instead, you need to identify the top 20 or more services or products for which you want to be found locally. I suggest starting with those things that you do well, you have a competitive advantage over your competition; are the most profitable products or services that you offer or are unique to your company.
After identifying the top 20 products or services, you need to identify the most common geographic searches where you want to be found. These can be county, city, zip code, neighborhood, and region names. Be specific. Exact matches are rewarded by search engines.
Once you have the top 20 services or products and the top 20 geo bookmarks, you need to build your keyword database. That is, combine the keywords of your product and service with your geographical markers. An example would be “plumber West Chester pa 19380, plumber Exton pa, plumber Malvern pa, heating contractor West Chester pa, heating contractor Exton pa, heating contractor Malvern pa” and so on until you have about 400 combinations.
I know this may sound silly, but remember you are talking to a computer, not a person with these keywords. Computers don’t care if your website is pretty, if it matches the search term, you win: POINT! So make sure you have these keywords in the footer of every page of your website and watch Google search results from organic search increase every day.
In addition to these keywords in the footer, you also need a well-designed site with separate pages for each service or product group and pages for each geographic area you serve. By combining a well-designed page structure that is fully optimized for keywords, in addition to footer keywords, I guarantee you will get results.
Step 2 – Use FREE directory listings to optimize your site, manage your online reputation, and drive website traffic.
Your online business profiles are the foundation of any solid search engine marketing campaign. There are literally thousands of these online directories where you can list your business for FREE and get valuable search marketing and direct link traffic.
Maintaining these profiles online is also very important as most of the major search engines and mapping systems pull their information from these profiles to map your business and locate you when people search for you by name or address. Keeping these online profiles up to date ensures that your business name or address cannot be hijacked by any of your competitors.
Directories that offer FREE listings include Yahoo Local, Superpages.com, Yellowpages.com, Yellowbook.com, Local.com, Yelp.com, Ask.com, Switchboard.com, and national data providers like InfoUSA, Amacai, and Acxiom.
It is extremely important that you take the time and update your information in all of these directories and databases.
Step 3 – Get Inbound Links.
Inbound links are like votes for your websites in the eyes of search engines like Google. The more you have, the higher your ranking and the more often you will appear on the first page of the results pages. Now this is step 3 for a reason. Until you do 1 and 2, this step won’t really help you. Relevance and online reputation are more important,
However, after getting a proper website and making sure your information on the world wide web is correct, you need to focus on link building.
For local and regional businesses, the key is to get your web address in as many places as possible. Some suggestions include the website of your local chamber, network or trade association, the websites of your suppliers and customers. You should start a blog and post articles that link to your website and if you can write expert content then write articles for an online publisher like Ezinearticles.com or some other provider.
Identify local vertical or regional directories that may offer FREE or very cheap listings.
Each and every place you can list your web address and have it link to your site helps build your website’s ranking and therefore increase your placement on Google and other search engines.
By implementing this three-part strategy for your small, local, or regional business, you can be sure your internet search traffic will grow and you’ll start seeing traffic on your phone and through your front door without having to pay per click or direct. . mail.