Certainly, you know a key strategy to attracting customers is to have a strong Internet presence. That means strategizing for strong local search-engine optimization (SEO).
With strong local SEO performance, your business will have online top-of-the-mind awareness in your community. You want to be easily discovered by potential customers.
Plus, one obvious goal for any company is to generate repeat customers. Telephone books are passé.
Because most consumers no longer use hard copies of the big telephone directory, SEO will also aid your customers when they want to look up your address or phone number.
So avoid these six errors:
Error No. 1 — effective Internet listings
Not having an effective presence on Google, Bing Places for Business, and Yahoo Local. Such listings put you in the spotlight on the search engines.
As you know, Google has about a 66 percent market share in the U.S. Bing is second and Yahoo third. There are a few remaining search engines, but they’re powered by Google.
It goes without saying, but many companies fail to make certain their contact information and hours are posted correctly.
Consistency is important — the information should be completely and exactly worded as the contact page on your Web site.
Error No. 2 — duplications
Failing to verify duplication of listings. Duplications should be eliminated. It portrays your business as disorganized.
Consumers aren’t impressed and search engines aren’t wild about duplication either.
With strong local SEO performance, your business will have online top-of-the-mind awareness in your community.
Error No. 3 — reviews
Lacking creativity in obtaining reviews. Consumers are influenced by positive reviews .
They’re also beneficial in improving your Internet presence because search-engine crawlers consider them to be relevant.
If you have negative reviews, take proper steps to deal with them. Note: There are 14 ways to profit from online reviews.
Error No. 4 — preferred listings
Not focusing on the search engines’ preferred listings. Many businesses use a shotgun approach by listing anywhere and everywhere.
Quality counts most, such listings with Facebook, foursquare, Local.com, Mapquest, Yelp and YP.com.
Error No. 5 — links
Ignoring effective link-building is another oversight of many. That calls for links from high-quality sites.
Ways to start: You’ll realize stronger results with links from the news media and inserting a toolbar for users to share your content.
Error No. 6 — content
Failing to freshen your site’s content. Consumers have become very savvy. They now prefer a personal connection — content directly from your site’s blog or other pages. Search engine crawlers notice, too.
From the Coach’s Corner, I’d also read this related information:
SEO and Other Strategic Tips for a No.1 Rated Blog — To own your blogging niche, you must understand the evolving process — important basics in search engine optimization (SEO) and other strategies. If you’ve been blogging for awhile, you know success doesn’t keep come automatically. Blogging is arduous work. You must have a strategic blogging goal. Is it to promote your business or e-commerce?
Task-Management Checklist for Digital Marketing — To generate revenue from digital marketing, naturally, you must strategize to use best practices for customer relationship management and for pursuing new business. What are the task-management tips to maximize your time and energies in digital marketing?
“…The objective is not to ‘make your links appear natural’; the objective is that your links are natural.”
-Matt Cutts
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