Powerful Orange County SEO Experts You Can Trust
With the continuous developments in the online business industry, it is only natural that online business owners from all over the world hire more and more intricate services in hopes of edging out the innumerable number of competition; and that’s where Orange County SEO experts can help you. The whole dynamics of the online market is can be compared to those of the real businesses world. There has been much talk going on about whether it is really that necessary for small businesses owners to even make themselves knowledgeable on these new marketing tactics available in the market because these businesses are still relatively new. Nevertheless, regardless of the size of an online business, it is still vital that one is familiarized with these marketing strategies for online entrepreneurs.
Search Engine Optimization Orange County is one of the business tactics that online business management teams use as a multi-tasking pair of hands and as a working extension in promoting your website and your products. SEO experts are going to be able to ensure that your website is getting valuable and relevant hits from potential customers who truly are searching the web for products similar to what you are offering. Search Engine Optimization enhances the visibility of your website in various search engine results through the use of providing keyword relevance, back linking, and content.
Service providers like the Orange County SEO online companies use two general ways in maximizing the effectiveness of seo orange county in gaining traffic for business websites all over the world. While other companies only consider this as a one-time business, Orange County SEO providers always reiterate how the industry is an every-changing and dynamic one, mainly because the tastes of people changes every so often. Thus, there is always a need for search engines to update the list of the most searched and relevant key words all over the world. Along with the adjustment made by search engines, online marketers must also make some adjustments for the websites they service for.
The first technique is the On-Page SEO technique wherein marketers utilize web content and keywords in heightening the relevance ranking of a certain web site in search results. White One-Page optimization, customized articles containing repeated keywords are written especially for your website. This way, when the said keywords are searched for in various search engines, your website would come up high on the list. This also includes linking and affiliating with other websites.
The second one that our orange county seo company uses is the Off-Page optimization techniques. This strategy leans more on gaining a very good amount of link backs and affiliate sites. The more popular your website is, the more it gets promoted through links in various relevant sites. This could also be considered as the viral approach in online business marketing. In Off-Page optimization strategies, your web hits come from online communities, forums, and other social sites.
These two techniques are vital especially if you want your online business to grow considerably. The amount of popularity and recognition that orange county internet marketing services could bring to your online business is quite astonishing, especially if orange county seo is used well.
What are LSI Keywords? How to Find Them and Use Them
If you’re business is SEO, you are no doubt familiar with LSI Keywords, but a very common question I hear from new marketers and clients is what is lsi? In short (but complicated terms) LSI means Latent Semantic Index, which if you ask Wikipedia it’s defined as:
“An indexing and retrieval method that uses a mathematical technique called Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to identify patterns in the relationships between the terms and concepts contained in an unstructured collection of text.”
If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is. I prefer to call LSI keywords by my own acronym:
Low
Search
Impact
I call them Low Search Impact because an LSI keyword is not your focus keyword. You might receive search results for them – which you can check through Google Analytics – but they are not the focus of your campaign. While they might be low search impact, but they definitely have an important role in good on-page optimization.
Now, what does that mean? Well, when I write an article, or copy for a page, I always put search engine optimization first; no matter what. I need to have good on-page SEO and properly optimized content; if nobody is going to see it and it doesn’t help my website, why would I post it? Does that mean that I’m going to stuff my pages full of keywords? No, not only do Google and other search engines recognize and penalize keyword stuffing, but you won’t be doing your readers any favors. I use keywords when I write (I used quite a bit in this article) but I use them where they don’t distract.
LSI keywords are a great companion to your focus keyword no matter where you use them – whether it’s an article submission, blog post, homepage content, whatever it might be; you need them. So now you’re probably wondering, “where do I find these LSI keywords?” Well, that’s the good news, they are incredibly easy to find, the best free lsi keyword tool is a lot closer than you might think.
If you use the Google Keyword tool, every time you put in a set of keywords or a singular keyword you are given their “keyword ideas”. Well that list is LSI keywords. Google is literally telling you what keywords it takes into account when searching for your main keywords. Take a look at the results the Google keywords tool spits out, they relate pretty closely to your main keyword, they might contain alternate spellings or wordings, sometimes they might be different terms completely, but one thing is for sure; they are all related.
So how do you use them – you’ll have to wait for a future article detailing that – but in short: a variety of them should be used, a lot lighter than your main keyword, and liberally enough to be recognized but not penalized.
A smart marketer will sprinkle these keywords in every piece of content they write. To search engines (and Google in particular) an lsi keyword is associated with your main keyword and they will take those terms into account when ranking a particular page. So by sprinkling these terms in your content and articles, you are creating a more attractive page; which will certainly help with your search results.
You will no doubt have some issues trying to use these lsi keywords, and you might have to get creative. For example, one of my LSI keywords for this article was “what is lsi”, if you look back at the 1st paragraph, you can see how I fit that in without causing too much of a distraction.
Now LSI keywords and on-page content are not the only tools when it comes to search engine optimization, but they are a huge part of the process and extremely crucial. You can send thousands of links to a page, but if it doesn’t have properly optimized content it’s going to be a lot more difficult to be ranked highly in the SERPS. And without LSI keywords your content will not be as highly rewarded and important to the search engines.
So now that you know what they are and how to find them, can you tell how many LSI keywords I included in this article?
Promote Your Website With an Orange County SEO Expert
Online Marketing has quickly become one of the most popular ways to promote a website online, and if you live around here, you will need an orange county seo expert. Unknown to many people, most of the successful online business companies these days are backed up by very capable teams handling online business management. These teams include service providers from the website layout to the content and the promotion. Behind every profiting and earning online business is a smart owner who, during the vital starting stages of his business, has decided to take the step forward by letting professional management teams handle the more technical work consisting of organizing, maintenance, and marketing.
For anyone who wants to seriously pursue the potential growth of his online business, it is important that he knows the vital role that marketing and promotions play in the online market. The main goal of search engine optimization companies is to provide effective business solutions that will help in the continuous visibility of their clients’ websites through the use of online search engines and viral promotions.
Most of the successful online business tactics known of today are some of which that effectively utilized SEO as a smart marketing strategy. An orange county SEO expert will tell you that virtual assistance service and online marketing are considered to be the most efficient and convenient tools in online business expansions because they widen the sphere which your business could reach.
Through the years, internet marketing has become inevitably associated with “easy money” schemes because of the common conception that everything could be achieved easy in the internet. The said assumption misses a few vital points, though. Internet marketing, when done properly, is the best way through which an online entrepreneur could reach out and pull in people from various circles, from all over the world. Thus, as most local seo expert marketers would say, it is vital that an entrepreneur realizes that your business’ marketing strategies should project long-term plans.
Long term techniques will help build a steady customer pool. This is mainly because internet marketing, mainly through the use of SEO, helps in promoting awareness of your product. By the use of effective search engine optimization techniques, you could get relevant hits from people who are truly searching for products like yours. These days, social media marketing has become one of the top Off-Page tools used by search engine optimization companies.
For small business owners, it is indeed very relieving that the social network landscape is easy to navigate and relatively cost-free. You can market your product and promote your services through these social media outlets. However, these will be a time when these small-time strategies with the use of social networking sites will not be enough. The trends all over the world change constantly, and you will need a professional to keep this in track for you.
If you are serious in wanting to create a steady and stable pool of customers, you might want to consider hiring an Orange County SEO expert. The level of success that online companies get from online marketing services has been consistent through the years. For long term business entrepreneurs, internet marketing through SEO and great orange county web design could just be your door to success.
Orange County SEO Expert – Orange County Web Design
When it comes to marketing online in Orange County, California if you want to succeed, you’ll need an orange county seo expert. More and more people are using technology in ways they never have before. Smart phones, tablets; people are carrying the internet around with them. When they want directions, are looking for somewhere to eat, looking for product reviews, no matter what it is – they are consistently utilizing these devices and you need to appeal to them if you want your business to succeed.
When it comes to being successful online there are three main factors you must focus on:
- Website Design
- Search Engine Optimization
- Social Media Presence
Good website design is the way to create a friendly and business ready website for potential clients – they need to be able to access your information easily, concisely, and be ready to buy or make contact. Too often website functionality is overlooked in favor of a flashy exterior; you need a website that sells, not a website that dazzles the eyes. When it comes to orange county web design, Omikron Media is who you should be talking to. We have helped people turn their small business dreams into thriving internet empires.
Search Engine Optimization is the way to get people to your site. Millions upon millions of people use Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yelp!, and other search services to find businesses close by, find a product, research a topic, pretty much anything you can think of; the internet is a hotbed of information at your fingertips, it’s the source of information and you need to reach people through it to succeed in today’s market place. But what’s really important is that if you’re a small business, you need to find a good local seo expert; someone who knows the local marketplace and can help you succeed there; if you are from around here, you need orange county seo services from an orange county seo expert. Search Engine optimization is performed on-page and off-page, and stretches far beyond just Google results today. It’s the way to bring people to your website or business.
And by far the newest and arguably growing to be one of the most important aspects of Online Marketing is your social media presence. This is not just creating a list of Facebook friends, it’s creating a network of people that you can consistently tap time and time again for business. Social media includes: business directory listings on popular sites like Yelp!, Facebook friends, mailing list management, Twitter followers, Google Local, YouTube, and much much more. Once a client or potential client decides to join your network, you can continue to keep in contact with them and generate business from them consistently; it’s growing your business into an online empire – no matter what you do. This is something search engine optimization companies like Omikron Media can help you achieve; we already have the know-how, it’s about applying it.
When it comes to finding an orange county seo expert or an orange county web design company, look no further than Omikron Media LLC. Other search engine optimization companies can promise you the world, but we actually deliver it, just ask some of our clients; they are making more money now, then they ever have before. So contact your local seo expert at Omikron today and see how we can supercharge your business into a thriving online empire.
Orange County SEO Experts – Leading the Way in Southern California
More and more people are looking to an orange county seo expert to generate business in Southern California. With people readily having access to online information like never before, SEO is becoming a necessity, not just a choice for businesses. In order to succeed in today’s market place, you need seo experts.
Orange County, CA has grown into a busy and crowded place; a place where citizens can live just beyond the city of Los Angeles; a place where tourists can enjoy beautiful beaches, golf courses, and entertainment; and a great place to start a business. But with the population becoming more and more tech savy, many people are looking beyond traditional forms of advertising – like print and TV – and finding ways to reach clients online.
The orange county seo team at Omikron Media LLC have been dedicated to helping small and medium sized businesses exceed their online marketing goals. Whether it’s local, national, or even international results, the seo experts at Omikron Media are dedicated to bringing the full potential and power of the web to your business.
Not only is Omikron an orange county seo company, but they are also an orange county web design company; offering custom designed websites – fully optimized and ready to sell – at a fraction of the cost of their competitors. Don’t get caught overpaying or hiring a wet-behind-the-ears kid off Craigslist; the team at Omikron have over 30 years combined experience creating custom website designs and performing search engine optimization.
SEO and Website Design are two things you can’t put aside in today’s market place, and you have to hire someone you can trust. Getting stuck with a bad company or contractor can cost you hundreds (even thousands) of dollars and lead to weeks (even months) of lost time. You need someone who will answer your emails and calls, who will work with you; not against you, and most of all: do the job right the first time.
As a website optimization company, you need to provide a level trust and knowhow to your clients; in the wrong hands search engine optimization can literally destroy a website; that’s right, destroy! You can be banned from search engines; sometimes even banned from service providers or even hosting companies, search engine optimization is no joke – it must be taken seriously. Our seo experts know how to perform campaigns that are both safe and lucrative. We target specific words and phrases that will provide you with immediate results and long-term profitability. We know what we are doing, just ask some of our clients:
The people at Omikron Media accomplish what everyone else promises. My website has experienced phenomenal growth that I thought only fortune 500 companies could afford. Best of all, they are easy to deal with and deliver in a timely manner way under my expectations of cost. Highly recommended!
Our team is dedicated to providing the highest quality services at the lowest possible cost. We don’t succeed until you do. We love nothing better than to hear your success stories; our business is improving your business. So when it comes to orange county seo and orange county website design, look no further than the team at Omikron Media LLC. We are here to help you succeed.
Orange County SEO and Orange County Website Design
Search Engine Optimization has grown into something that must be performed for any business to succeed online, whether it comes to orange county seo, or anywhere in the world; you absolutely need it to succeed online.
Today, as our technology expands, so does access to online information. Almost all modern technological advances in the field of consumer electronics are geared toward accessing information from an online source, improving social media connections, or allowing customers to purchase products more easily online. With the coming of smart phones and tablets, access to online information is readily available to more consumers than ever before.
With more and more connectivity, people are starting to rely on the technology of the internet and social media more and more before buying something, deciding where to eat, or even where to golf. Everything can be researched online: locations, reviews, friend suggestions, etc. If you aren’t reaching these people, your business will decline. Smart phones are becoming the new normal for cell phone use; tablets and laptops are a necessity for people; technology is spreading further and further into our society and your business can’t be left behind.
At Omikron Media, we recognize the need for local business’s to succeed in orange county seo, this is a tech-savy area of California, and your business needs to reach these people in order to succeed. That’s why we help businesses reach new levels of communication with their clients and customers through social media, website development, and of course, search engine optimization. When it comes to orange county website design and search engine optimization orange county, we are the experts; with over 30 years of experience, we can teach you the ways to succeed online, and generate more business then you ever thought was possible.
So contact us today to find out more about our seo experts, and our orange county website design company. We offer a free analysis of your current website or marketing campaigns, and we are affordably priced. We believe that everyone has a right to compete online, no matter how big their business is, so we try and work with our potential clients however we can to agree on affordable rates and payment plans that are comfortable for them. Omikron Media LLC are orange county seo experts and are a proven orange county website design company.
Google Vs. Microsoft – The Search War Continues in 2010.
2009 was definitely an interesting year for search engines. We saw in implementation of real time search results, Microsoft unveiling Bing, and Yahoo giving up on search.
But if there is one thing that was made predominately clear in 2009, it’s that Microsoft is serious about competing with Google. After buying up Yahoo, Microsoft is claiming a much larger portion of online search results and ad revenue.
Currently Google takes up about 70% of all online searches, Yahoo claims around 16% and Bing claims about 10% (source HitWise). One thing that is interesting to note is that Bing’s numbers have actually dropped since the their launch buzz wore off – they were initially seeing about 12% of search results (as of June 2009).
Despite the drop in numbers, I think most people would characterize Bing as a success. Google didn’t start out a giant, it grew into its position by innovating search results with a more advanced and refined algorithm than its competitors, they also gained popularity by not focusing on ad-based results (which is definitely not the case now), and a unique look.
Bing doesn’t offer much in the way of an improved algorithm, less of a focus on ad-based results, or looks (Bing definitely used Google as a source of inspiration on all of these). Microsoft’s game plan is to set itself apart by expanding search related services, integrating with social networks, and generally spending lots of money.
In terms of search results, Microsoft really doesn’t offer any improvements from the Google algorithm. The search results are similar but nothing especially different or more useful. I think that Google is a better and more friendly search engine than Bing; I get much more traffic from Google, their business listings are much easier than Bings, and Google’s suite of Webmaster Tools, Analytics, and PPC advertising is top notch.
Microsoft was the first to announce a partnership with Twitter for real-time search results (although Google quickly responded with Twitter search of their own). And with the introduction of real-time Facebook results in searches, it’s clear that both search engines view social networking as a burgeoning frontier. It’s still unclear where and if this integration will effect marketing online, but it’s exciting to see the expanse of social networking.
Things started to heat up when Rupert Murdoch spoke out against Google and their “stealing stories”. Microsoft answered the call and began offering publishers money for search results. With stories like these, it’s easy to tell that the search landscape will continue to change in 2010; for better or worse.
While Microsoft seems intent on pressuring Google to spend money in order to compete, it’s unclear on whether or not this tactic will work. Google hasn’t necessarily been open on whether or not they would pay for search results, but it seems contradictory to their nature. Google is known as a search engine where the best site wins, by opening up search results to large publishers this could effectively phase out smaller news sources (like yours truly) from ever gaining the recognition we currently receive through organic search results.
Overall, the fight continues. Microsoft will no doubt try and reclaim more of the search market in 2010 (they still have plenty of fight and money left before they back down). The big question that remains is if Google will set itself apart from Bing. At this point, they seem to be mirroring each other’s innovations and services and not offering anything unique. I think once the Facebook and Twitter search fizzles out the focus will be on content. Will Google pay for results? Will Microsoft even pay for results? I think this will be the key issue that dominate search engine news for the majority of 2010. If one things clear, Microsoft has an uphill battle in front of them, and they will need to provide something unique from Google to stand out and ultimately succeed.
Common SEO Mistakes – The Bad Link
There is nothing better for a website than a high authority link. A couple great links can lift a website from obscurity to ranking well in the serps in a very short amount of time. Although links can be a great thing, it’s important to remember that bad links can harm your website as much as good ones can help them.
As search engines get smarter, the serps become more and more filtered with quality results. It’s no longer a viable option to just buy a bunch of links and hope for good results. The most powerful links today are gained organically and bring a good amount of quality traffic to your site. Remember the word quality because it’s the most important thing about your web traffic. You could get 100s or 1,000s of visits a day but unless those visits are coming from quality sources and actual people, they don’t mean anything. Search engines are looking more and more at the quality, consistency, and longevity of traffic to a website when they compile their results.
Most Bad Links Are Paid for.
It’s sad but true. You will want to avoid bad links like the plague and the most common place to find them is by paying for them. There is an awesome article by randfish from SEOmoz that explains how link building has changed. While I don’t agree with him that buying links is entirely a bad thing; it definitely pays to be cautious.
Don’t use link building services
It’s so tempting. There’s a site offering hundreds, possibly thousands of links for a mere $100. They promise you the links aren’t bad, they even claim most of the sites have a PR between 1 and 4. Sounds too good to be true; that’s because it is. What these services don’t tell you is that some (if not most) of the places your link will end up are in the bad part of town – the javascript-trojan-spam-fest part of the web.
Submit to Directories but be Cautious
Directories can be a great source of high quality back links but you’ll want to avoid submitting haphazardly to any directory you come across. Long term SEO goals should not rely on directory submissions, they are however, a good way to build page strength and quality back links quickly. Here are a few great tips to remember when submitting to directories:
What Makes a Good Directory?
Here are some quick things to keep in mind when looking at a directory for a potential back link.
What’s the Page and Domain Strength
Check the strength of the page your link will be appearing, is it worth having a back link? Is it worth paying for that link? Check the page and domain strength (I recommend Linkscape) and find out whether or not this link will be valuable.
Is the Site Indexed?
Always make sure your link will be indexed by search engines. If it’s not, don’t submit. If they don’t recognize it, the link is pretty much worthless; especially if you paying for it. Here’s a simple trick to find out whether or not your link will be indexed:
Type site:http://www.yourwebsite.com in any search engine and find out if it’s being indexed.
How much Advertising do they have?
Directories with so many ads that it becomes cumbersome to navigate (there are tons of these) are not worth links. You’ll find that the best directories online (free and paid) don’t have that many ads; sometimes they have none. It’s not a coincidence.
Do they List Adult Sites?
If a directory lists adult sites (unless it’s a large and prominent directory) don’t list your site there; unless of course you’re promoting an adult site. It’s always a good idea to remain in family friendly directories, the links are typically worth more and there is no possible guilt by association.
Avoid Auto Approval Directories
A good rule of thumb when submitting to directories is to make sure that they are human edited. If all sites are accepted, chances are your link won’t be worth much. Search Engines put more emphasis on directories which are human edited and actually try to avoid auto-submit directories.
Avoid Free Directories
In my experience, most free directories are not well edited. Most are used in hopes of generating traffic to click on their ads and make a few dollars for the webmaster; they’re mostly junk sites. But that’s not to say that there aren’t great free directories online, they’re just usually hard to find. The truth is, I’ve probably spent more time removing bad free directory links then I’ve ever had gaining good free directory links.
Here are some great free directories I’ve come across:
Simply put, this is the best directory online. If you can actually manage to secure a link here, it will significantly boost your page and domain strength. Be aware, the wait for link approval is beyond long and it’s highly political. So don’t count on your site being linked here, but if it is, be happy.
This is a great human edited free and paid directory. They have almost no advertising and have great domain and page strength. Their free approvals can be very long (up to 6 months) but they only list quality sites.
No advertising, human edited, great page strength.
No ads, human edited decent page strength.
Best Web Directories provides a great list of free directories online.
Listen to the Search Engines
Google, Bing, and Yahoo constantly give out information in interviews, blogs, and other sources which explains parts of their ranking process. In a great article by Chris Crum over at WebProNews, he talks about the dos and don’ts of link building for Bing with Rick DeJarnette of Bing’s Webmaster Center. The interview provides a great layout of what makes a website successful in today’s serps.
Be in Control of Your Links
The easiest way to avoid bad links is to know where your site is being linked. Keeping a constant watch of your back links is a great way to make sure your site isn’t ending up in the wrong part of town.
Google Webmaster Tools provides a great free service for your website which can check your back links recognized by Google.
Domain Inbound Links Checker is a really great tool that picks up on links a lot of other services don’t. (no anchor text in the results).
Backlink Watch is another great tool and picks up a lot of backlinks other tools don’t, but they have a lot of ads and the results are kind of slow (they display the anchor text).
12 Essential Geo-Targeted Business Directories
Business directories can be a powerful tool that can gain you more exposure online. Many provide free links and a great platform to present your business to potential customers. After all, making your business easy to find is half the battle of a good SEO campaign.
Keep in mind that the majority, if not all, of these directories will “nofollow” your links. You won’t be gaining any quality back links here, but you will be improving your geo-targeted search results; not to mention appearing to millions of potential customers every day.
If you’re not familiar with geo-targeting, it is the practice of targeting your search results and business listings to a local or regional marketplace rather than a worldwide or national marketplace. Many companies receive a large amount of traffic and business from geo-targeted results. In many places, geo-targeting will still be attracting millions of potential visitors and is a very powerful form of search engine optimization and online marketing.
Here are some great geo-targeting business directories to list to:
Google Local Business Center
Google Local Business Center, or more commonly known as Google Maps, is probably one of the best places to list your business online.
A free listing here notifies Google and its millions of users that you exist. Your listings can include pictures, movies, links, descriptions (it’s pretty much a mini website).
Your listing can appear in local search results for relevant keywords, Google Maps, and Google Maps applications (Iphone, etc.).
If you haven’t already listed your business here, what are you waiting for?
Be aware that phone verification is required.
Yahoo Local and Yahoo Directory
Listing with Yahoo Local is similar to Google Local except the level of exposure is not as great. Their search results do not include business listings in relevant areas like Google Maps, and I know of hardly any platforms that use Yahoo’s Local directory in their search results.
If you want to improve your traffic with Yahoo you should consider listing to the Yahoo Directory. It’s expensive ($299 per year) but can provide dozens of great quality back links and will increase your traffic in Yahoo’s search results.
Yahoo used to include directory results within their organic searches, but I don’t see this being applied anymore. However, listing to their directory will increase your traffic with them and possibly give you a good bump in PR.
Bing Local Business Center
Bing, like Yahoo, does not include its local business listings in search results, and really has no other platforms that carry their business listings either.
Listing your business with Bing is beneficial because it’s growing in popularity and its persistent battle against Google, will probably end up in a lot of similar features; including map results in geo-targeted searches.
The one really bad thing about listing your business to Bing is the extremely long verification process. They only allow verification by snail mail. That’s right, you’ll need to wait 6 weeks (they claim 3; it was 6) to get a letter in the mail with a PIN verification. From there, you’re listing is still under review for another week or two until they decide to approve it. It’s an extremely annoying process.
Yelp
Yelp receives an estimated 6.6 million visitors a month (data by Quantcast). Although all businesses can benefit from a listing here, I find that the most frequently searched businesses through Yelp are retail or restaurants.
Yelp also has a very popular iPhone Application that contains all the same information as its online service, including map locations.
Local.com
Local.com is a great resource to gain exposure for your business. I have clients that receive dozens of customers a month through their local.com premium listing ($49.95 a month).
Local.com receives an estimated 4.2 million visitors a month (data by Quantcast) and has a very loyal user base. It is a great place to list your business online; either free or paid. Any type of business has a good chance to gain exposure here. Premium listings aren’t required, but they will certainly drive more traffic your way.
Superpages.com
Superpages.com is another high traffic business directory that offers both free and paid listings. I don’t see much traffic or phone calls as a result of a free listing, but you can gain a link to your website and blog through their free submission service.
iBegin.com
iBegin is a business directory for the US and Canada. Listings are free and provide photos, links, and descriptions for your business.
Be aware phone verification is required.
Yellowpages.com
Yellowpages.com is large business directory that accepts both free and paid listings. The only problem with the free listing is that they will constantly call you in hopes of upgrading your listing. I used to get about 4 calls a month asking me to upgrade my listing, I eventually had to tell them to stop calling.
You won’t see much of an increase in traffic or phone calls from a free listing but premium listings do receive a decent amount of traffic and they do a good job of promoting your business through their service.
Localeze
Localeze offers an interesting service. They claim that listing with them will improve your local search results. It’s an interesting concept that could benefit a geo-targeted business (which the majority online are). Their listings are free but I believe they offer some premium services as well.
Insiderpages
Insiderpages is another large geo-targeted business directory. They emphasize reviews for local businesses so retail and restaurant listings will benefit more than others.
Openlist
Open list is another large online business directory but they only allow businesses that meet their category criteria (mostly retail, automotive, and physicians). If you can list your site here, do it.
City Search
City Search is a good geo-targeted business directory for retail, bars and clubs, hotels, and other specialized business listings. Most businesses will not be able to list here, but if you’re in their desired category, make sure you submit a listing.
If you have any additional business directories you would like to mention, please leave them in the comments below.
Common SEO Mistakes – Links in the Footer
More and more I see sites that are using inbound links in the footer. The idea of creating a list of inbound links is a great idea (you can help distribute page strength) but it’s become increasingly clear that the footer is no longer the place to keep them.
Search Engines might devalue Footer links
An interview with Yahoo’s Priyank Garg reveals they might devalue footer links. There is also speculation that Google might penalize sites for too many Footer links. Not to mention numerous reports from webmasters (including myself) that they have seen a jump in rankings when inbound footer links are removed.
Footer links have terrible CTR.
While I doubt that webmasters place inbound links in their footer in the hopes of directing traffic, the truth is, nobody clicks on them. Consistently we’ve seen that footer links are almost never used by visitors.
Footer links can lead to unhealthy link totals
The amount of juice passed by a link is affected by the number of links on a page. Many sites have dozens of links per page and adding more links in the footer can negatively affect the strength gained from each link. This is also something to keep in mind when evaluating the value of a link in general – try to stay away from pages with over 100 outbound links.
Use ‘nofollow” links instead
If you must use links in your footer, think about using some “nofollow” links. I’m sure there are some pages on your website that you wouldn’t want gaining in page strength (policy pages, forms, etc.). “nofollow” links are not recognized by search engines and thus wont negatively affect your page or link strength.
Make functional Footers
Don’t just stuff links into the footer of your website. Make them look attractive and provide a functional purpose. There’s nothing worse than seeing a footer jumbled with inconsequential links. Try placing relevant links in your footer, or separate them into categories, your visitors will be much more inclined to use them.
This is a very common mistake perpetrated widely throughout the online community. Footers might provide functional aspects for larger websites but most websites simply don’t need them. Additionally, the fact that search engines might devalue these links might convince webmasters to stray from this practice.
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Google Page Layout Changes
Google has begun to take page layout very seriously when it comes to search results. They are now incorporating changes into their algorithm which will examine what appears “above the fold” on a webpage.
The algorithm will detect how much content is contained within the top portion of webpage. It will not be looking for a (Continue Reading...)
