subject: Free Search Engine Optimization Techniques To Grow Your Business [print this page] Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is extremely important for your business website to attract traffic to show up in online searches. However, great SEO services could be expensive and cheap SEO services can lose you customers and business. Many such services practice black hat SEO strategies that get outstanding results in the short-term but risk your website's removal from Bing, Google, and other search engines. Small businesses working with strained budgets find it difficult to hire professional SEO services and pay for often used keywords against competition that is prepared to pay top dollar.
Small businesses can take a number of steps to improve the organic ranking of their website. Take for example the option of using more than text to attract attention. An innovative opening has come up with Google's Universal Search concept that brings up videos, images, maps etc. apart from the natural search listing. Other free of charge SEO tactics that can help your page ranking in search results are:
1. Registering on Google Local Business Center
Google Local Business listings display your business for several keyword phrases in your local area, with your business name, a map with directions to your business and your address, phone, email, and website URL if any. This is an opportunity to promote your business irrespective of it being an e-commerce website or a brick-and-mortar establishment. Be sure to include important keyword phrases in the title and description of your business listing. The information is verified before your registration is approved. Request customers to publish their review of your business in the Google Local Business listing and get links from other websites such as trade directories, yellow pages, etc. Yahoo! Local offers similar features.
2. Registering your business on Google Product Search
Build a web feed for your products and include specifics such as description, pricing, specifications, value to customer, and other information. Make sure you include pertinent keywords, brand name, and product name in the title and description of the product listing. Product feedback make your claims sound more trustworthy. You should motivate customers to leave feedback by offering discounts or similar incentives.
3. Create a buzz with social media websites
Social media networking is the newest trend in promoting a business or a brand. As these websites are visited every day by hoards of potential buyers, they are a suitable platform to start a discussion about your business. Social networking portals such as Facebook and Twitter can divert traffic to your website as "most searched" topics often get pulled out by search engines.
4. Using multimedia
When clients type some keywords into a search box, they are primarily looking for information. Multimedia such as videos, audio files, animations, etc. can also meet this requirement. You must ensure that the video title and description includes popular keywords to make it come up in search results. Here too, customer reviews and feedback helps build your credibility. The more people link to the video or add it to their favorite, higher will be your brand visibility.
5. Publishing articles related to latest industry news
Websites such as Google News love to show content on happening subjects. Develop articles on pertinent trending topics and include targeted keywords in the title. Well written and meaningful content are linked to by bloggers and other websites.
These guidelines should help small businesses start on their SEO initiatives. Without basic SEO, a business website cannot attract prospects. Even if publicity is not the main objective of your website, not optimizing it is your loss. Websites cannot magically improve sales or expand your customer base. Some marketing is a must, and SEO is one of the most cost-effective yet powerful means of pulling in traffic.
