subject: Build Your Local Business With Seo [print this page] Every industry has big names, and if you want to get the most from those local searches, you'll do your best to get listed with those names. We're talking about Google Maps and Yahoo! Local. Listing with these huge names should be your first priority before you go on to something else. If you can list with them, the rest is downhill because the search engines and human searchers will always know where to find your website.
Getting Google Maps to list you is actually quite simple. All you have to do is fill out a little form and you'll then be sent a phone message or an email so that you can let them know you are who you claim to be. As soon as you get verified, it will take up to 4 to 6 weeks to find yourself in the local listings part of the search results. You'll see that Yahoo! isn't much different, except the verification process is missing. Yahoo! allows you to fully customize your listing any way you wish.
Another plus about going with Yahoo! is that the approval process is very fast. Don't forget to do this or else you'll find getting targeted traffic quite difficult. Most of the local websites out there have no problem with business owners asking clients and customers to post reviews (Yelp is one of these sites). Since this is an allowable practice and your local SEO can benefit from it why not start doing it? Be sure to mention these things in your e-mail signatures, on your invoices, your contact forms and any place else you can.
All you have to do is include a line that says "we'd be very grateful if you could put a review for us on LocalWebsiteWhatever.Whatever." Even though you won't be able to control the content and you cannot ask for them to be favorable or harsh, they will add credibility and make you look more reliable to your potential clients. No matter what else you try to do, make sure you use this one tip because it has the potential to help you grow your business by leaps and bounds.
You should also try to list your business with all of the Yellow Pages and like directories online. YellowPages.com, YellowBook.com and SuperPages.com are all great directories to start out with. YellowPages.com gets more than one hundred million searches every month and they offer businesses free listings. Of course, the major sites like MSN and About.com get some of their business listings from SuperPages.com. You can have a very basic listing with them for free.
If you use these local SEO tactics, you will find that you can get publicity for your business and more traffic to your site.
by: Dario Montes de Oca
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