Content Writer Micky’s Blog

Is your small business easy to find in Google? No, I don’t mean by typing in your exact business name, that’s easy. Does your business come up on the first search results page when you type in the kinds of products or services you offer, perhaps in combination with the town or city you’re located in or your service area?

Not only are more people going online to search for certain products, services, shops and restaurants, Google is also increasingly moving towards a more locally oriented search engine. You may have noticed getting more and more search results targeted at your local area, lately often even without entering your location in the search box. Google seems to recognise that many people are actually searching for a business or service in their local area.

What do people type into the search box? 

A very common way that people search is by typing the general service or product they’re after into the Google search box, followed by their city or town. Example: “sports physiotherapists Coffs Harbour” or “Italian restaurants in Sydney”.

What can you do if you are a local business and have a website?

Make sure that those common search terms for your kinds of products or services plus your location or service area (these important terms are referred to as the SEO keywords you target) appear on your website. That way Google can make that match and your website comes up in the search results.

You should know that search engines can only understand actual words in the HTML code, they cannot interpret the meaning of images, graphics, video or Flash files. That’s why it is very important to use all the keywords that people may use to look for your services liberally throughout the text on your website and in your page titles and headings, among many other things. If your business is local, also make sure you include your full address and telephone number on your website, possibly even on every page.

Bottom line: Optimise your website for search engines and you’ll rank well in the free search results and won’t have to spend money on Google Adwords.

What if you have a business but DON’T have a website?

Don’t worry. Although you’ll always perform better online if you do have your own website, there are still many things you can do to appear in the search results in the categories your business is active in. There are dozens of websites where you can list your business for free, often with a description of your products and services, location, contact details and a link to your website if you have one. Even if you don’t offer online transactions, many people do their research online and select a business before picking up the phone or visiting the outlet.

Where to list your business?

If you only have time to list your business on 1 website, make it Google’s Local Business Center. Sign up for a free account and you can add a description, contact details, opening hours and even images and video.

Very importantly, in Google’s Local Business Center, you can select up to 5 categories you wish to appear under, and place your business on the map. So now, when people search for your type of business in Google (the search engine that accounts for about 90% of all online searches), your company will be included in the search results and your location will even be shown on a map! To include your business, go to http://www.google.com/local/add

But wait, there’s more. Once your business appears in Google’s Local Business Center, people can also leave reviews. Ask your loyal customers to spend a few minutes online to leave a good review, and not only does your business show up, but it will appear higher in the list, and potential customers will get a good impression of your business too!

Other local online directories where you can submit your business details for free – whether you have a website or not – and that may show up in search engine results pages, include: AussieWeb, HotFrog, LocalBusinessGuide, OurPatch, StartLocal and TrueLocal. These are some of the major ones for the Australian market. Other countries will have other popular local, regional or national directories. Also look out for major local and regional directories. And if you do have your own website, make sure to add a link to it, and if possible include some keywords within the link.

Be aware that after adding your free listing, you may get a call from a sales rep who will try to sell you a premium, advanced listing. Just be firm and resist if you’re not interested. Your free listing has no strings attached.

So take advantage of the free listing opportunities available on the Internet and you’ll see that more people will find you, even if they had no idea you existed. And if you have a website, make sure it is optimised for search engines so it will show up in relevant search results.

If you need help optimising your website, you can contact me, Micky Stuivenberg, a certified Search Engine Optimiser and Website Copywriter, for advice and rewriting of your content and page titles or making any other changes needed to rank higher for your targeted SEO keywords.

For the wide range of SEO, web design, copywriting and editing services I provide, please refer to my website at www.contentwriter.com.au.

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