Small Business Marketing Blog Archives

Archive | SEO & Search Marketing

Google Places – Best Practices for Local Search Engine Optimization

Posted in Google, SEO & Search Marketing on February 1, 2011 by Debra Murphy
Google Places Blended Results

Last October, Google rolled out Google Place Search, a new user interface for local search that organizes information around location. These changes merged the Google Map listings and organic results in a new way that makes it critical to pay attention to your online presence. Gone are the pack of 7 or 3 results at the top with a map, replaced by blended results that incorporate pieces of your website, your Google places listing, citations about your business from other sources and reviews from sites such as CitySearch, Yelp, Yahoo, Merchant Circle, InsiderPages and other Internet Yellow Pages sites and directories. The major objective of the change is to cluster search results around specific locations so you can more easily […]

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“Welcome” is Not a Useful Keyword – 10 On Page SEO Tips

Posted in SEO & Search Marketing on March 27, 2010 by Debra Murphy
How useful is "Welcome" as your homepage title for your SEO?

It’s nice to be friendly and welcome your visitors to your website, but unless you are in the hospitality business, using Welcome! as your home page header and title is wasting valuable real estate when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization). You can have welcoming content for your visitors without sacrificing the best practices of SEO. Remember that a website is your primary tool for marketing your business online and you need to do what it takes to ensure your website is found. For those business owners that are writing the content for their website, keep these following on page SEO tips handy. Rather than provide the list in order of priority from an SEO perspective, I will present […]

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Is Your Business Listed in Local Search Results?

Posted in SEO & Search Marketing on March 23, 2009 by Debra Murphy
Get found in the local search results

If not, you are missing a huge opportunity! Most small business owners market their products and services to a specific geographic market and they most likely use a mix of local advertising, direct marketing, coupons and word of mouth marketing. Depending on your type of business, you may also use door hangers, flyers and site signs. These are all still relevant ways to get your name known in your geographic area. But today’s consumer is using the Internet more often to search for and evaluate local businesses. Many consumers under 40 (and many of us over 40) never look at the Yellow Pages or telephone books anymore. Searching the Internet is much more convenient. According to Google, 73% of online activity is […]

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