Tag Archives: business
The Advantages of Local Search Marketing
The amount of attention you can get directly influences amount of income and Local search marketing is all about getting maximum exposure for your business in your area. Find out more about what’s involved and how it can help.
Local search marketing is about getting a business good exposure in local search results and local directories and there’s a lot to gain by being prominent in these. Most consumers like buying from businesses close to home : I’ve seen statistics that about 80% of customers live with 8km of the stores they go to. Search engines are now detecting searches that have a local intention and displaying the local results along with a map. This makes it far easier for consumers to find what they’re looking for and how to travel to the business as well. Local directories can also bring businesses good exposure.
You can create an account pretty easily with most online directories. In Australia the best known ones are True Local, Smart Local and Hotfrog. Google, Yahoo and Bing also allow you to claim a “Places” page where you can upload your business details, and these are used as the basis for ranking you in the local search results. You don’t need to have a website to be listed in any of these. The Places pages are free and an entry-level listing in the local directories is also free.
How are the Yellow pages going ?
Not too well from reports I see. The physical yellow pages have been pretty-much replaced by smart-phone and desktop searches. And Yellow pages listings don’t provide nearly as much info. Even online, directories like Hotfrog will tell you far more about the businesses you find.
Search engines have fast become the new Yellow pages, saving people a lot of time and energy looking for the location of businesses and the products and services they provide.
What should you do ?
We know that masses of consumers are searching online for solutions to their problems, so marketing online is a different technique to marketing offline. Rather than sending out a message indiscriminately using fliers, billboards or radio and TV commercials, the game has become getting found by people who are specifically searching for what you provide. So you need to make sure you can be found in the places they’re looking . . .
1) Local search engine results. you need to claim a places page with each search engine.
2) Local business directories
3) Review websites
4) Online Press release website
5) Online trade magazines that your type of customer may read
Does Your Business Need SEO Specialists?
Whether youve got an online company or a brick-and-mortar store in the real world, it makes sound business sense to hire the services of SEO specialists. Many people think that SEO is something that only affects Internet businesses. The truth is that it affects all businesses, online and offline. The very scope of the Internet is immense, with small, local businesses having immediate access to international markets with a mere click of a mouse. This also means that the Internet can become your best friend in business or your worst enemy. If youre not paying attention to SEO and your online presence, you could be losing out on valuable business and making yourself vulnerable to smear campaigns from unscrupulous competitors.
What Does SEO Mean for Your Business?
In order to understand the importance of hiring SEO specialists, we need to learn about the importance of SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. When people use the Internet, they usually use search engines. Sites that are ranked on the first page are generally the ones that people click on. If your site appears on the fourth or fifth page, chances are that people arent even going to see it. Unfortunately, this is how many good businesses end up getting buried online. If people cant find you online, they cant give you any business. This is precisely where search engine optimization comes in. SEO uses a range of different techniques to ensure that your site gets a higher ranking with the search engines.
So what does this actually mean in terms of your business? To understand this, lets look at the simple example of distributing sales flyers. Lets say that you distribute them to anyone and everyone you meet. You may end up giving away a lot of flyers, but that doesnt mean youre going to get a lot of customers. Now, lets say that you distribute these same flyers to people that you know are interested in this specific sale. The chances of you attracting customers who are liable to make purchases are much higher. SEO specialists can help you attract this kind of targeted traffic. It can bring people to your site who are actually interested in your product and are not just liable to buy something; they will probably tell others as well.
Reputation Management
SEO specialists can also help you to manage your online business reputation. You may have a great reputation in the real world, but if someone is intentionally slandering your name online, those negative statements could wind up on the first pages when people use the search engines. When you hire SEO teams, youre also hiring a security task force of sorts. Not only will they be able to monitor your reputation online, but they will be able to implement techniques and strategies to ensure that your online reputation helps your overall business image.
The bottom line is that, when it comes to doing better business, you simply cant afford to ignore your online presence. Search engine optimization and online reputation management are important for all businesses, big or small, online or offline. Hiring SEO specialists will help you to target the right kinds of customers to your business. It will also give you more control over your online presence and reputation.