Category: Website Development
Putting Local Search Tools to Work for Small Business
If you’re a small business trying to navigate through the complex world of search engine optimization (SEO) to enhance your company website and social media activity, you may have heard about Google’s experiments with Local SERPs. (A SERP is search engine results page, or the listing of web pages returned by a search engine, such as Google, in response to an individual’s keyword search query.)
Localized search results have become increasingly EXPECTED by internet users over the past few years. Google spokespeople claim that the experiments aim to help people find businesses that are close by. If the outcome means integrating local search results into traditional organic results, then creating great listings, optimizing them with keywords and adding photos, videos, reviews and offers are going to become even more important for small business owners.
How do businesses take advantage?
- Do Not Ignore Meta Tags – Small businesses often skip developing strong meta tags on their company websites. Meta Descriptions and Keywords are important, even for a small business, and it WILL hurt you to leave them out. Implementing basic SEO tactics on your company website may just make the difference between someone clicking on your listing or someone else’s.
- Claim Your Business – Remember that Google is driving people to information about your business on websites other than your company site. Major review sites, such as Yelp, attract users to business profiles containing customer reviews of products and services. When consumers review a business on a site such as Yelp, those reviews are pulled into local search results. Take advantage of the features available to you through Yelp for Business Owners.
- Address Online Reviews – Even though you may not like seeing negative reviews about your business on sites like Yelp, it is important to acknowledge them. As a business owner, if you’re leaving negative reviews out there on the table, remember that they may be the only thing a potential customer sees when they do a search for your type of business. Make time to respond and manage reviews. Using tools like Google Alerts can help you track what is being said about your business online.
- Fill out your Google Place Page – Regardless of how you feel about Google Place pages, it is important that you fill out your business page as completely as you can. It’s inevitable that Google will increase the importance of Place Pages, so make sure that the correct information exists for your business.
Click here for a list of the basic information that you should include in your Google Place Page business listing.
It’s important to make sure your business listing is complete and accurate. Adding optional information like images and videos will help your listing stand out. Don’t forget to include the URL for your company website. And don’t be afraid to choose specific categories instead of broad ones. It is more important to choose categories that describe your business accurately.
If you have questions about local search or ways to improve your company website please do not hesitate to contact Barcelona Creative. You can call me, Juli Barcelona at 708-448-8077 or email me at juli@barcelonacreative.com
![[del.icio.us]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MySpace]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Newsvine]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/newsvine.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[Technorati]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://barcelonacreative.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
In Website Design There’s No Second Chance at First Impressions
There’s no denying it – if your website is the first glimpse potential customers get of your business online, then inherently, your business is perceived only as put together as your digital domain. Don’t be nervous, Barcelona Creative is here to give you some rules to live by when developing your business’ website. We want your current and potential customers to find what they need from your site, even through your design tactics.
Know the Goal of Your Company Website
Do you want visitors to stay for a long time, purchase online or call to make an appointment for your services? The answers to these questions should be reflected in the style of your site design.
Take the time to think about what you want on your website. Make a list of important topics, and be specific. When you visualize your site, think to yourself, “If I was looking for (insert product or service), what category would it be listed under?”
For example: If you are a plumber, a good idea would be to create a “Services” tab. From here, the customer should be able to see a list of all your services on one page. The goal is to have your site be user-friendly, and provide solutions to your customer’s needs. Visitors are quick to leave a website if the information they want is too difficult to find.
Content Is King, But Don’t Forget Good Design
Choose a good color scheme – colors should contrast and be used on every page of the website. Color Schemer has good palettes, both extreme and neutral, and you can find complementary colors to find a nice contrast.
Be consistent with your fonts. Depending on your taste, you may choose a serif or sans-serif font. If possible, avoid using cursive. This will help keep your font clean and legible to all potential viewers.
Pictures and graphics are a fantastic way to show product or demonstrate your work. But remember that sensory overload can kill a website. If you’re trying to attract professional customers, excessive pictures or graphics may make your business look unkempt. Find a balance and try to remain consistent throughout the site.
Don’t Neglect Your Brand
Your logo and company name should appear in the top left-hand corner on every page of the site. If visitors can click to it, then it should carry your brand in the places that people tend to look most.
Consistency is invaluable, balance is calming, and clean and simple design is best. When it comes to website design, remember that your site is the most accessible representation of your business. So be as professional and put together online as you are offline.
Smart Search Engine Optimization Brings Quality Web Traffic
This week kicks off April’s “Spring Cleaning” at Barcelona Creative Group. This month, we’re all about growing your business by tidying up your website. First – let’s talk about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
So, how can you improve the quantity and quality of traffic to your website from search engines?
If your website is already indexed in the Google search engine (if not, start here by indexing your URL on Google), an easy way to track your stats on Google is the stat monitor, which will allow you to see where your website appears on the list of search results. As you are probably aware, the higher your website is in the organic search results, the more hits your website will likely receive. Ready to clear the clutter and bring in more potential customers? Here are a few suggestions:
Know who you are targeting: This has to be your starting point when optimizing your search-ability. Taking the position that you’re targeting “everyone and anyone” simply isn’t good enough and will yield poor results. So think about the age range, employment type, level of education, geographic region, gender, etc., and be as specific as you possibly can.
Keyword Development: How will your target audience search for what they want? Think of a product, service, or phrase that your business will be directly associated with, and type it into the Google Adwords Keyword Tool.
“Remember, as the largest search engine in the world, Google is your friend.”
This tool compiles a list of keywords recommended by Google and will provide a good start. From here, as we posted on Facebook earlier this week, test theses phrases on a tool like Wordtracker. This will narrow down the keyword list to show you which keywords are going to be most effective for your website’s SEO.
Get an update of how you’re doing: Site Report Card is a free tool that offers a variety of services to optimize your website from finding broken links to meta tag optimization to load time analysis.
It’s a harsh reality, but simply having a website out in the digital void is not enough to grow your business. If you find yourself in need of change, maybe it’s time to put some oil in the joints of your search engine. As with any marketing strategy, the most important place to begin is to establish to whom you’re marketing your product or service. From there, figure out how your target may search for that product or service. Explore keyword options through the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and via Wordtracker. In order to maintain a competitive edge, do not fear change, especially when it comes to your website. Even the simplest keyword change to increase your ranking in a Google search can have a profound impact on the number of people you attract to your sight and the amount of business you bring in.
For additional tips and tools to improve your company website, join us for “Spring Cleaning” all month long on the Barcelona Creative Facebook Page, or send us a Tweet (@barccreativegrp). Feel free to ask questions, share the good, the bad and the ugly, or suggest your own favorite SEO tool!
Have a question that’s too big for a wall post or won’t quite fit in 140 characters? Contact Juli Barcelona, VP and Director of New Media at Barcelona Creative by email at juli@barcelonacreative.com, on Twitter (@julibarcelona) or by phone at 708.448.8077.
Be a part of the Barcelona Creative Group “Extreme Makeover”
A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry about how a company’s website can no longer be just an online brochure. (Click here to read.) Today’s fast paced and demanding world is challenging businesses to become part of the consumer’s community of reliable resources. Static websites must evolve to provide solutions and offer content that is relevant.
After writing this post, I started thinking about the BCG company website. Not only does our site need to be more engaging and solution-oriented, but we fail to provide our clients and prospects with the information they really should have. We need to practice what we preach – our website is static and it’s time for a makeover!!
I am calling on you – our clients, colleagues and friends – to be a part of the “BCG Extreme Website Makeover”.
We want to know what you like or don’t like about our current website and what information or features you would like to see become part of our makeover.
Now, because of social media tools, we have a number of ways you can communicate with BCG. I invite you to choose the method that works best for you. The best part is that for taking time out of your day to tell us how we can better serve you, we would like to reward you.
BCG will be giving away a $5 Starbuck’s gift card to the first person to either:
- Become a fan of BCG’s Facebook page and post a comment or suggestion on our wall.
- Communicate your recommendation to me in a direct message on Twitter. – We Have A Winner!
- Submit your likes, dislikes, and requests by commenting on this blog post. – We Have A Winner!
- Send me your request or feedback via LinkedIn.
After we have awarded our winners, I will write a follow-up post detailing the feedback I have received. More importantly, it is my hope that we will be able to incorporate our winner’s suggestions into our new website and have a much better end product.
Websites Can No Longer Be Just Online Brochures
Today’s world is fast-paced, information is in high demand and easily accessible, and websites, blogs and social media sites are changing how businesses can and must communicate with current and potential customers. Businesses are being challenged to become part of the consumer’s community of reliable resources.
With social media giving people the opportunity to tell your business, in their own words, what is important to them, businesses are gaining access to people’s thoughts, needs and questions. The good news is – this is market research at your fingertips, and it’s FREE!
All this means websites are changing. Are you ready?
Static websites must evolve –
Your company’s website must become more interactive – allowing for connection and engagement with your current and potential customers.
Content is king –
Website content must be relevant and provide solutions. It must also be valuable and portable, with the ability to be pushed out to other channels, such as a company blog or social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, etc.
Social media isn’t going away -
Whether or not you believe in incorporating things like email marketing, Facebook and Twitter, into your marketing strategy, you need to do it.
Even though Twitter may be the reigning king of social media today, and a year from now it may be something else, the point is social media is here to stay. Brands that embrace the “idea” of communicating and building relationships through social networks will be the ones that stick around in the future.
The internet and social media sites are changing the way businesses and brands communicate with the public. The time to embrace this change is now!