As I’ve mentioned before, SEO is extremely important to small businesses because it levels the playing field with larger companies. If you’re a small organization looking to build a strong online presence, here are a few quick SEO tips according to the Bruce Clay Blog.
- Google Local Business Listings – This is really where local businesses have a chance to shine. Since many large companies are able to invest in impressive SEO efforts, Google has provided the opportunity for local businesses to be seen first by creating free Google Local Business Listings. Many times when users conduct a search query, local business listings are displayed first. This also keeps the company’s information fresh and up-to-date so that if a person searches for a restaurant or store, for example, he or she will not only see the company on the results page, but receive the correct address and information as well.
- Blogging – Blogs are a powerful component of SEO. Whereas your website will mostly stay static, blogs will provide daily or weekly content, which will capture the attention of search engines. Engines value fresh and new content, so the more you can produce on your blog, the better. Additionally, blogs allow your customers the opportunity to connect with you and ask questions or provide feedback. This is your opportunity to show off the personality behind your business and build stronger customer relationships. Not to mention, blogs provide you the opportunity to show off your expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader. Blogs will be relevant to businesses for years to come.
- Social Marketing for Traffic – Whether you are on LinkedIn for Business, Digg, Facebook for Business, or Reddit or any of the numerous social sites out there, these tools will help drive traffic to your site and blog. Not only will each bookmark help search engines to quickly locate your website and index new information, it will increase the chances of your content going viral as well.
- Twitter – Twitter is a free tool that has many networking benefits. Not only can you communicate with customers, but prospects might find you when looking out for a specific item or keyword, and you can provide links to your site, thereby driving traffic to your pages.
- Get Links through Directories – Inbound links are vital to your SEO strategy. The more inbound links (links from other websites to your page) you have, the more important search engines will think you are. Research respected directories that are relevant to your business and be sure to add your blog or website to each reputable page. Not only will you have a new source for traffic, you will also have new inbound links as well. About.me, FourSquare for Business and Yahoo for Business are directories that companies can be listed on.
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