Now being listed in the top three seems even more of an uphill struggle…

The good news is achieving this key objective is still possible. Although, it does take time, skills and knowledge for getting the job done.  Being found by local consumers who are searching online for your type of product or service is one of the most targeted forms of marketing available today.  But unless you really know what you are doing, getting there can be tricky indeed.

The fact is if your business is listed in the Google Maps SEO 3-pack for valuable keywords, you will effectively be acquiring customers on a regular basis. Below is a typical example of 3-pack listing – (which shows the top 3 ranked local businesses) for the keywords ‘Dentist Romford’ via Google search results…

To help you get started on the right track to show up in the Google 3-pack for relevant keyword search phrases, here are some major tips:

Generate more business citations

In terms of ranking your local listing, one thing Google pays close attention to is how regularly a company is mentioned or displayed by other sources across the internet. This means it looks for quality “citations” to verify your business.  If you are not already aware, a citation is basically your business name, address and phone number appearing anywhere on the web – with OR without a link back to your website.

For a citation to count, your information shown by other external sources across the internet must be an EXACT match to the information on your Google My Business listing.

Citations help prove to the search engines that you are a genuine company. Hence the more of them you generate from quality sources, the better your local listing SEO rankings.

Paste photos inside your listings

As the saying goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and consumers love photos. The more top quality images you add to your Google local listing profile, the more it attracts prospective customers. This goes beyond  Google;  even Yelp has published advice on how to optimise your business listings, stating that pictures make a huge difference. It even goes as far as to say that according to research from Review Trackers, the listings that include photos make consumers spent 2.5 times more of their time than the listings without.

Gain as many reviews as possible

It’s no secret that reviews are an important part of getting noticed online for a local business these days. Consumers love writing reviews about businesses they visit or use and they also relish reading them.  Google takes note of this. It wants to promote the best local businesses and what better way to decide on who those businesses are than through positive user reviews? If you would really like to effectively boost your local SEO rankings, ask your customers as much as possible to leave reviews on your ‘Google My Business’ page.

My Last Words…

For your business to be showing up on Google SEO 3-pack and be acquiring new leads is surely a lot more challenging than it was with the 7-pack; obviously as there are less spots now available.

The tips above will help, but there are also other important tasks required in order to rank in the 3-pack Maps listings. You will of course need to always keep up with local search engine changes and ensure all of your company’s information including your Google My Business profile is listed correctly and updated whenever required.  Besides, ensure you make clever use of categories and strategic relevant keyword placement within your profile to give it strength on an ongoing basis. Feel free to contact us if you need help, as we specialise in doing this stuff successfully for local businesses.

The post Tips to Appear in Google SEO 3-Pack for Acquiring Customers! appeared first on Market Business Online.

There are of course different ways you can learn Search Engine Optimisation for business growth. You are probably already overwhelmed with information on it. But the following is what I consider to be the right approach:

1. Begin With SEO Books

Start to learn SEO from books.  As this provides you with simple logical steps to follow and gradually develop your skill.   I remember clearly before I started doing my own SEO, I was receiving so many emails from experts on the subject matter.  But no easy step-by-step guide to learn from.  And I was really frustrated by the idea of having to put so many pieces together from  different emails received.  So, start with books to effectively master the basics before you move on to more advanced stuff.

There are some really good SEO books out there you can obtain by researching online.  But three particular books I will personally recommend which are also highly regarded by internet marketers include:

www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo

Google Seo Starter Guide

www.seobook.com

2. Gradually Put Your Learning Into Practise

Any of the above books will provide you with step-by-step guide for learning SEO fundamentals.  However, it’s important to put what you learn into practise as you go along. This way, you can effectively understand how and why things work!

For example, you can learn one topic at a time and practise it on your website.  If you do not want to use your main website, you can always create another one for your experiments.

And whilst learning, avoid information overload. Trust me, I’ve been there and it can be frustrating!  Just gradually combine learning with practising to develop your skill.

Study step-by-step from books to first master SEO fundamentals!

3. Attend Forums For Ongoing Development

Once you have mastered the core foundation from books, you can attend relevant forums online to continuously learn SEO.  Some people might say you should initially visit forums to start learning.  I will not recommend this approach.  Because it does not provide you with logical step-by-step learning guide like books.

Although SEO forums have clued up people that you can learn from, but also some beginners.  And if you lack some SEO knowledge, you can easily be wrongly advised by newbies.  So, start your learning curve from books before visiting relevant forums to share and acquire more knowledge.

Please bear in mind that not all forums are equal.  For that reason, be flexible and don’t narrow your choices.  As they say, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

There are many forums available online for learning SEO.  From the search engine, just search for “Internet Marketing Forums” or “SEO Forums”.  Choose the ones that are constantly updated and where people regularly interact. The more a forum is active, the more help and learning you can get from it.

4. Visit SEO Blogs For Ongoing Development 

To continue developing with d.i.y. SEO, another option is to visit active blogs regularly. Just like forums, the issue with blogs is that they are not equal in content.  Again, you need to be flexible and broaden your options.  Three reputable blogs I can personally recommend include:

www.moz.com/blog

www.smallbusinesssem.com

www.localseoguide.com

5. Meet Local SEO Groups 

“Meet-up” is the biggest network globally for organising local groups with common interest to link up. If you prefer, you can personally meet face-to-face with SEO groups in or around your local area.

Visit their website and search for “Internet Marketing” followed by your local area. Then see what groups come up in or around your location.  The site address is…….

www.meetup.com

6. Never Stop Learning SEO  

As the internet evolves, it’s important to keep learning, testing and tweaking to stay ahead. You simply need to have the mentality of someone who is prepared to move with the times. Also keep an eye on your business SEO competitors to learn from what they do well.

Personally I enjoy the fact that Search Engine Optimisation is unpredictable and constantly produces new challenges. The thing is once you’ve mastered the core principles, you can easily adapt to changes.

And there are some huge Benefits To Learn SEO yourself as I revealed in another article.  You can check it out!  Finally, what are your thoughts on SEO?  Like me, are you highly in favour of getting the job done yourself?

The post How To Learn SEO Properly appeared first on Market Business Online.

There is certainly no direct answer to the question.  So, let’s go through the benefits and drawbacks of both options in order to have a clearer picture of the best way forward.

Do It Yourself SEO

In all honesty, I do my own SEO and really enjoy the challenges it provides as the internet keeps evolving.  The one key benefit of going it alone is that it puts you in total control of your own destiny.  You can easily make changes to your website and boost your optimisation without relying on anyone else.

Besides, diy SEO will give you a great sense of personal pride for your achievements.  It will also save you a lot of money.  Because you won’t have to hire an expert and keep paying them to make changes.  If you are particularly on a tight budget or want to save yourself a fortune, it’s worth considering this option.

You’ll of course need to have some time to spare and know your stuff in order to do the job yourself.   As a beginner, you can possibly make bad mistakes or find the whole adventure a bit daunting.

However if you can just spare a few hours a week, you can easily learn SEO properly in quick time.  Then gradually develop your skill as the internet evolves.  In the long run, it will be worth the effort.   And if you have SEO Knowledge and end up hiring an expert, you can oversee what they do.  Both of you will also be able to communicate better about your website optimisation.

Going on a D.I.Y. seo trip definitely puts you in full control

Hiring SEO Specialist

Hiring an SEO specialist means you can save time to focus on other aspects of your business.  You’ll actually have someone on board who knows exactly what they are doing and will get results.   But unlike ‘do it yourself SEO’, it’s very expensive to hire an expert and there is ongoing cost involved to keep making required changes.

Finding an excellent SEO company is never straightforward but they are out there for sure!  Majority of companies claiming to be experts are not.  You need to be very wary of those promising the earth or top search engine ranking in quick time.  Avoid them, it just doesn’t happen.  It takes some time and effort to effectively rank high in the search engines.

Also stay away particularly from companies practicing black hat Search Engine Optimisation techniques.  You can easily fall into their trap. This method is applied to manipulate the search engine for quick high ranking results and if found out, you’ll get heavily penalised.

Thorough research is certainly required if you were to go for this option rather than diy SEO.  Company credibility, price comparisons, previous customer testimonials are other things to check before hiring an expert.

Conclusion

As you can see, Learning SEO or passing the responsibility to an expert clearly has its strengths and weaknesses.  I really hope the information I’ve provided will help you make an informed choice.  You can have your say on the subject matter by leaving a comment.

The post Do It Yourself SEO or Hire An SEO Expert? appeared first on Market Business Online.

(1) Google Adwords Keyword Tool

One great keyword research tool for SEO is Google Keyword Tool.  And it’s free to use. By visiting this site, you can first select your country location and preferred language.  You can then research on keywords or phrases relating to your local business and what your potential customers are searching for online.

For example, a Plumber based in a local area called Ealing can research on keywords such as “Plumber in Ealing”. The Google research results will then appear in columns. The results will confirm…….

(A) whether potential customers are searching for those keywords (Plumber in Ealing) in the search engines

(B) the amount of monthly searches (if any) for the same keywords

(C) the gauge of competition by other businesses for the same keywords

(D) 100 extra keyword ideas relating to “Plumber in Ealing”.

When using keyword research tools, the advice is to select phrases that have low competition and a good level of local monthly searches by potential customers.

Mainly target phrases relating to your own local area and the nature of your business.

Gather as many relevant keywords as possible when doing your research.  And dig deeper to discover sub-keywords around your main selections. Then optimise them all to generate free traffic from the search engines.  That means regularly include your chosen keywords or phrases  (to read naturally) within related site content, blog posts, articles and so on for SEO purpose.

(2) Wordtracker Keyword Tool

Another valuable keyword research tool is Wordtracker. This gives you detailed and comprehensive research information. It’s also ideal if you are looking to add a region to a local SEO campaign. So, click the above link for further information.

Hope you find these keyword research tools valuable and start applying them to your search engine optimisation campaign. It will be worth it in the long run and feel free to leave a comment.

The post Main Keyword Research Tools For Local SEO Strategies appeared first on Market Business Online.

But firstly, what’s local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) in the online world?

Well, it’s about receiving organic (free) traffic to your website through local search engine “page results”.   In a more simple term, it allows you to generate free leads from search engines such as Google.  This happens when you optimise your website with keywords specifically related to your own local business and located area.   Keywords are of course the words that people type into their browser when searching for information on the internet.

Now, let me highlight seven crucial SEO basics for growing your local business….

Keywords Application

Apply relevant keywords throughout your website.   Include them in your titles, contents, image names and URL’s.  Imagine what people will search for online, if they are looking for information on your type of local business?

Well, online visitors will typically search for your industry type and location.   Let me give you an imaginary example.   Assuming someone runs a florist business in a location called Essex.   People can search the internet for relevant keywords such as “Florist in Essex”.   You can use this same approach to quickly optimise your own website and rank highly in the search engines.  Which means constantly getting free traffic to grow your business.

However, be careful not to stuff or insert your keywords too many times on your website.   Because you’ll be perceived as a spammer in the search engines.  And therefore it will weaken your ranking status in local SEO results.

Internal Linking To Your Site

The integration of internal links into your website is another way to really increase traffic generation.   This method will easily boost traffic to each of your site pages.   And you should make it a regular task to link to your archives when producing fresh contents to your site.   Do you realise why this is so important?..

If your site visitors click on previous internal page contents, it will improve your site’s popularity within the search engines.  This is an indication that your website content is very valuable. And of course, that means more free leads for your business in the long run.  However, don’t include too many hyperlinks into your web pages, as you certainly don’t want to put off  your visitors.  The quality of your site content is more important to your audience.

Sitemap

Creating a sitemap is also crucial for enhancing your Google local SEO rankings.  And why is that the case?  Because it’s a page listing and linking to all key pages on your site.  And this makes it much easier for the search engine spiders to crawl your site quickly.  In other words, your web pages get indexed and become visible much quicker by search engines if you create a site map.

Link Building With Authority Sites

To successfully market business online, one popular key tactic is link building with other sites that have authority in the search engines.    By that, I mean developing good working relationship with some highly ranked and quality websites in your industry.   So, how can this approach really benefit you?

The fact is when highly ranked websites are linked to your own site, this informs search engine spiders your web pages are valuable to the audience searching for information relevant to your niche.  If your link appears on popular websites, you simply have a winning formula to generate quality free traffic to your site.  But how can you set up this link building method?

You can personally ask the website owners of well respected authority sites if they could add a link to your site on theirs.  And in some cases, you have to return the favour.   This way, everybody is a winner!  Besides, many other website owners will allow you to do this without asking for anything in return.  There are so many options out there. Link building should certainly be a regular part of your local business internet marketing campaign. Because the more sites linking back to yours, the higher your search engine rankings.

Blogging

Regularly updating your site with fresh unique content will also increase your Google local SEO traffic.   It’s a known fact that the most valuable sites for users and search engines are constantly updated with new information.

One of the most popular ways of having regular content on your site is to set up a blog.  This is an excellent way to reach your audience and also create more link building opportunities both internally and externally for your website.  And of course having a blog will provide your site with a more personal voice and interactions with your users.

Local SEO-Friendly URL

Naming your website address with relevant keywords will make it search engine optimisation friendly.  Imagine someone searching online for a local business like yours and your URL matches their exact keyword phrase?   The point is if your site name and pages are keyword-rich, the more people will find your business.  As Google reward sites that are highly relevant to search queries.

Avoiding Flash

Flash does nothing for your search engine optimisation, even though it might look great on your site.  The key disadvantage of using Flash on your website is that you won’t be able to link to a single page.  However if you do have to use it, just make sure it’s in moderation for best search engine outcome.

By applying Google local SEO strategies to your marketing efforts, you can really move your business forward online.

The post Google Local SEO – 7 Major Tips To Grow Your Business appeared first on Market Business Online.