I want to use an example to explain why local search is important. I created a company, Acme Widgets Inc., that has an office in Nanaimo and an office in Courtenay. They each serve the surrounding areas, like the Comox Valley, and Ladysmith right through Lantzville.
Acme wants to have a website so customers can read about them and submit orders online. Most of their new business still comes from referrals so it’s important to show up when people type in their name, address or phone number.
Right, so, there’s things Acme can do. They can use their page titles to emphasize their company name first and follow it with their regions… something like this
Acme Widgets Inc. – Widgets to Nanaimo, Ladysmith and the Comox Valley.
The formula isn’t set in stone, I would recommend that Acme experiment with different combinations to see which work best.
Once a site is optimized, there’s a certain amount of ongoing promotion that has to take place. Depending on your business and targets, the costs may be free or they may be in the thousands of dollars. It may take one person a few hours a week, or it may be an outsourced job. If you’re just concerned with minimal, basic SEO have a read through some of the things I do when I’m starting an SEO campaign.
I have a Google account and I recommend that every business owner get one master account for their business. It gives you access to Google Docs, gMail, Google Analytics, AdWords, AdSense and anything new they crank out. You need one for a Google Maps Listing and I recommend that every business have one of those too. If you’re serious and want all the tools in the Google toolkit, check out the Google Dashboard on Techcrunch.
I advertise in local directories. Be wary of any costs or listing fees. I don’t spend a cent until Ive done the research to see if it’s a good link and if I even need to buy a link to get to the top position.
I participate on the web. I blog, I forum (is the verb forumming? foraging? I was foraging in the forum?). I facebook and twitter. I don’t linkedin, but I should. Extreme enthusiasts might consider adding a YouTube channel, a digg profile, an eBay store and a yahoo! store.
You may only get to a few of these things, and you may not need to spend much time on SEO. If you want some advice on your current SEO or have questions about local search, let me know.
This entry was written by Sean Enns, posted on June 2, 2009 at 1:32 am, filed under Search Engine Optimization and tagged Google, Marketing, Search, SEO. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
The Open Directory Project (also known as DMOZ) is a free directory created and hosted by the Netscape Communication Corporation (remember Netscape? They’re now part of Time Warner’s AOL).
The ODP has lost favour with webmasters and search professionals over the past few years, mainly due to two reasons. The first is the theory that the volunteer editorial staff doesn’t evaluate links and submissions objectively, that they have their own ulterior motives when it comes to whether a link makes it in. The second is that the sheer backlog of submissions means that you could wait weeks, or months before your site makes it in.
I still think it’s worth the effort to submit your site, even if you have to submit multiple times and wait for months. Here’s why.
Google still uses the data from the ODP to seed their own directory, which means they trust the ODP, which means they likely trust listings in the ODP. Along with Google, there are over 150 sites using the ODP’s data to seed their listings – so one link often equals 10, 0r 20 good directory links.
Most SEO’s will tell you that they hate directory submission. It’s a long, painstaking process and often the links are worthless. The ODP isn’t worthless (as we’ve established) and the links you get are of solid quality.
There’s nothing that says that non-commercial sites carry more weight with major search engines than commercial sites, but I’ve seen strong evidence to support the value of a link from a non-commercial site over one from a commercial site.
Now That I’ve covered why, I’ll take a quick moment to cover how. Getting in to the ODP isn’t easy, but it’s not rocket science. You just have to follow the rules.
Find the category that most closely reflects what your website or business is about. Don’t go for the most popular categories, just because they’re there.
If you write your description with loads of sales copy, “the best” this and “the greatest” that, you won’t get in. Well, you might – probably not though. Keep it simple and real. For instance, if you sell widgets to the Greater Nanaimo area – your description should be short and accurate, like this.
Supplier of widgets and widget related accessories serving greater Nanaimo and surrounding areas. Includes Ladysmith, Cedar, Nanaimo, Lantzville and Parksville. Free same day delivery in Nanaimo.
See? No puff, no shmooze – just the straight dope.
Like I say, you may have to submit more than once and it may take a while – but I’ve seen it continue to produce results for over a decade where many other directories are dead and gone.
This entry was written by Sean Enns, posted on June 1, 2009 at 7:26 pm, filed under Link Building and tagged Marketing, SEO. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.