Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of your web site or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic”) search results. Other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings. In general, the earlier (or higher on the page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of back-links, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
We concentrate on the most generic of SEO strategy working to optimize your web site presence in your immediate local market. So we optimize for local search as it compliments location based (GPS) technologies for smart-phones and their applications such as Foursquare and Google location based concepts. For example, your local restaurant, local retail store or your local service business needs to be optimized locally for optimal results. If your business is in Charlotte, NC, it will not do you any good to be found in a search result from someone in San Francisco. Make Sense?
Local Search is just a little different from normal website SEO. Local Search will also varies from state to state. Local Search is affected by what’s on your website, but it is more affected by off website conditions.
Google has a special control process called Local Business Center. It allows you to update marker locations, edit phone numbers and add categories and custom descriptions that are very keyword sensitive. Local Business Center then provides you an ongoing dialog on how your listing displays against specific terms and how often it is clicked.
There are things you can do in LBC to boost results like linking videos and adding coupons. It is wonderfully pragmatic and changes start having an effect within minutes. Bing is suppose to have similar controls.
So, the first thing we will need to do is claim your business listing in Google’s Local Business Center and then optimize it.
Google also depends a lot on authority websites to determine your location and relevance to a search. It may be the Yellow Pages or Yelp. It may look for ‘citations’ on authority sites like Chambers of Commerce to determine your street address and phone number. The more ‘citations’, the more highly you’ll rank in a competitive locality/term. ‘Citations’ are not inbound links to your website – they are just content in pages that connect you to a locality.
