SEO Moves Blog - Search Engine Optimisation and Internet Marketing Tips and Resources » Localised SEO

Link Building: Art and Science

Phil — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:42:38 +0000

Good link building will help push a Web site to the top of popular search engines. The first step is identifying good sites and directories. Why is link building is so crucial to successful Web efforts? Because a successful online effort has to have a network of support. The network that can carry a Web site to the top is built with exposure to a specific group of people. Target audiences are the crucial factor for anyone considering directory submissions.

Assume you have a site that offers Product X and related services. A particular sector of the online population will go to search engines and use Product X or one of the related services as a keyword for their search. Having a Web site and its link at the top of the search engine when this target group searches is your goal. This could mean significant traffic to your site and consequently, significant income for you.

Link building is both a science and an art. There are proven ways to make these connections work without wasting a lot of time and money getting onto every list available. Search engines are important but that the process must be optimized. This means you have to do what it takes to make your site and your links available to the correct group of people.

Optimising For Local Search

Phil — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:40:47 +0000

If you sell stuff all over the world, or if what you sell is a service like consulting, then why in the world would you care about being listed on the local versions of the big search engines? The better question is, why not? It is easy and free to sign up with Google Local, Yahoo! Local, and Bing Local (though Yahoo! has an optional enhanced service that costs $9.95 per month). And you never know where your next big order or contract might come from. There are probably local businesses that would prefer to work with a local consultant or service provider compared to a remote one.

The process for signing up is similar for Google Local, Yahoo! Local, and Bing Local, though Yahoo! Local is a little more picky about what you have to have on your site and in your application in order to be accepted.
Google Local has the advantage of being the most popular search engine, and Bing has the distinction of having local search refinement that is very good. With a Yahoo! enhanced listing, you get reports detailing how many times your listing showed up and how many times people clicked on it. You could sign up for all three of these within half an hour, and Bing and Google allow you to post photos, coupons, and other goodies with your listing. This is one of the best half-hour investments you could make to benefit your business, and ignoring this could be to your competitor’s advantage.

3 Great Local Business Directories

Phil — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:57:39 +0000

Maybe you think that having your business on the web (solely or mostly) transcends the local business world, but that’s not the case at all. Even if you’re online only, there’s no reason not to list your business on local business listings. You never know who could be wanting your exact service – they might be only a few blocks away. It’s easy and free to sign up with most local business listings and it doesn’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes. Three you should consider signing up for are Yelp, Yahoo! Local, and Bing Local.

Yelp has not only listings for local businesses but also reviews. You may have to prime the pump a little at first by getting a friend or two to write positive reviews of your business, and you will have much more credibility if you also rate local businesses. But as the positive reviews add up, your business’s local profile can be raised significantly.

With Yahoo! Local, you have to be a local business, and there are both basic and enhanced listings. The enhanced listings cost $9.95 per month and get you a much more detailed listing.

Signing up for Bing Local is easy and quick, and Bing’s local search refinements are known to be good, so you definitely don’t want to miss out on signing up on Bing Local.

Considering how easy and quick it is to become part of these local business directories, there’s no reason for you not to sign up.