If you've recently searched for a generic product or service on Google, you may have noticed that your search results appear together with a map pinging nearby locations of retailers or service providers that supply that good/service, listing contact info and directions in some cases. Some people may find it eerie that Google knows where you currently are, but really it's just been speculated that Google tracks the IP address of the computer you're searching on.

It used to be that Google returned millions of results for the most obscure searches but results for a local search were on a completely different scale. In fact, sites like www.justdial.com and www.asklaila.com were founded to meet the need of people searching for local goods/services. Now you can do all of your searching in one convenient location, just as Google intended.

Social media profile pages can send some nice “link juice” to the page linked to from the profile, especially if the profile is active and filled out with a good deal of information or whatever the site allows people to modify in their account (bookmarks, uploaded media, etc) You can also upload images, which can be effective in branding, as these social profile pages, for some reason, tend to rank fairly well for the brand name in most cases.

Creating Content

The more information you include in your brand’s social profiles, the more keywords are present, increasing the ranking and legitimacy of profile pages. While you don’t want to “spamdex” (index multiple links in a spamming manner) every page on your site inside your social profile, a few clear links to strong entry points of your site and maybe a few articles are a great idea to include.

We all know that the economy has been struggling. President Obama is doing his best to help out, but it could be awhile before the country is safely above water. What does this mean for SEO? How is the SEO industry affected by the current economy?

Great Time for SEO

There may not be a better time to be in the SEO industry. SEO is a tool that will be in demand for as long as the Internet functions in the way it currently does. Now more than ever, businesses need to do everything they can to succeed, to get any edge they can, and in the New Media age, that means SEO. Fortunately, while a good SEO strategy may require some capital outlay, you don’t incur the kind of hard costs that you might if you were running, say an automobile plant, but the profits you can see have no limits.

There is so much talk about SEO! And maybe you are thinking: I get most of my business through networking and referrals, do I really need SEO? It might make sense for businesses who are selling products online, but I am a service provider. How does SEO help my business?

 

Ok – so let’s start here. What is SEO?

Well you can read about the details in Dey’s blog posted a couple weeks ago – but in a nutshell: Search Engine Optimization is the process of helping YOUR business connect with the people who are searching online for what you do!

 

Why is SEO even important? 

Right now, we are finding that more and more people are going to the website to gather information before making a decision – whether it is product based or service based. They are even doing research on WHO they want to work with before they contact an agency or company. People are being very cautious, and taking longer to make decisions. Everyone wants to feel more secure with who they choose to work with.

Ever try searching for a used refrigerator for sale?

You would think trying to find a used appliance for sale in Los Angeles would be fairly easy...

I am moving into a new apartment this weekend and, while my new place is fabulous, it is missing a major appliance -a refrigerator. So my search to find a used, but in good condition, fridge for sale began.

This was an interesting little experiment to see WHO is out there - and what appliance companies are missing the SEO boat!

Being a single female in Los Angeles, my immediate concern was getting caught in a scam-or-spam scenario. I just want to find a nice-looking, fully-functioning fridge that can be delivered and installed without any hassle. I went to Google and started with some basic keyword phrases and of course I found the personal ad listings ranking organically first. Since meeting "Fred" at his house to look at his fridge (that is not even posted with a photo) didn't sound too appealing to me - I dug deeper, using local keywords to differentiate my listings - still finding personal ad after personal ad.

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving traffic (volume and quality) to a web-site from search engines, like Google and Yahoo, via organic or algorithmic search results. In most cases, the higher up the list a web-site appears in search results, the more traffic it will receive. This is the world of SEO.

Local Search was recently brought up at both the Kelsey Group's Interactive Local Media Conference and SES Chicago. A central theme at these shows was the economy. Advertising spending by small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) has taken a sharp turn downwards, but this tragedy for the overall advertising market may serve to advance the interests of local search as business owners look for more solid measurability and returns on investment.

 

These SMB owners have traditionally ignored looking into local search for the most part as it's a relatively new method and the habits of SMB owners are hard to break. These tough economic times may be exactly what's needed for local search to thrive.

 

Seeking Alternatives to Traditional Marketing

If you’re worried about the current state of the U.S. economy like most of us, it may pay off to invest in alternatives to traditional forms of doing business. One big change you can make is giving SEO consideration. Instead of investing in traditional marketing methods that now, of all times, seem to be a bit pricey, turning to less costly but very effective alternatives like SEO can really give you a jump on the competition.

Relaxing Your Marketing Budget with SEO

Search engine optimization, or SEO, does not require a huge investment by the client. If you’ve taken a look at paid search billing lately, it pales in comparison.  Unless you work with a top-tier agency, you’re not looking at spending too much. A great option to consider is to get a SEO audit. You can hire a consultant or some SEO agencies perform these audits themselves.

Dealing with Server Response Codes

Whenever a connection is made between either a user or a spider and a web page, the page returns a code, which explains whether the page was loaded correctly, has been moved, has been deleted or is experiencing any other problems. If the web page returns the wrong code, you could have trouble with the search engines or the usability of your site so understanding these codes is a vital part of search engine optimization.

Common Server Response Codes

There are numerous codes web pages can return but only a few of them are common enough to be worth knowing. The following server response codes are the ones you should familiarize yourself with:

200 (Page Loaded Successfully)

This is the typical response most users come across, and they don’t notice it as they won’t see a server response code because the page has loaded correctly. This means the request was accepted and the page you asked for will load momentarily.

Building Links for SEO Through Customers

One of the best ways to build links for SEO is through customers, since they already know about your product or service. Creating a relationship with these customers is an essential part of link development. Think of it as grassroots campaigning, which costs next to nothing. You don’t want to look at the customer as another transaction, but as a lifetime partner that will help you boost your business.

Using Word-of-Mouth in Link Building 

How do you get these people to promote your products and services in the first place? Exceptional customer service is crucial for local businesses like restaurants and online retailers. Another way to spread the word is by data mining registrations, profiles, newsletter sign-ups and blog comments. This information is valuable because you can use to prioritize where to get links from, such as someone who has a top site in your industry, not a random blogger.

Invite these customers to give you feedback on how you did and to talk about you through social networking, review websites, blogs and forums. One of the reasons Yelp is such a powerhouse is that people are more willing to trust a nonpartisan party that truly likes the business as opposed to an advertisement, which obviously has an agenda. Building links starts with building relationships with the people who support your business the best.