Tag Archives: first page placement on google

Professional SEO vs. DIY

Local Maps SEO, Local SEO, Organic SEO, , , , , , , ,

seoSome business owners are squeamish when it comes to working with a local search engine optimization (SEO) company. This is mostly due to the unfortunate truth that many local SEO firms are scams or use unaccepted SEO techniques. However, not all SEO companies are out to get you and although many SEO tactics and tools are free to use, getting to the top of the search engine rankings takes extensive time and knowledge. Here are the pros and cons of both utilizing the services of a top local SEO provider or taking a DIY approach.

DIY SEO:

Pros:

  • Most tools used for SEO are free and there’s plenty of free information about improving SEO on the Web. So to do local SEO for your company, it would essentially cost for your website and time.
  • It’s a great learning experience. Teaching yourself this valuable skill is advantageous and will continue to be as your business grows.

Cons:

  • DIY SEO is extremely time consuming. Achieving top rankings on Google and other search engines can be tedious and a lot of hard work.
  • There’s a lot of misinformation available on the Web and if you aren’t sure which sources are reliable, you could end up hurting your rankings or wasting your time and effort on an SEO campaign that doesn’t work.
  • Carrying out an SEO strategry is a full-time job. SEO is a long-term growth strategy and a huge commitment. It requires a lot of research, repetition and as time passes it only gets more complex.
  • Building an effective website or landing page can be expensive. You must pay for web hosting, copy writing, optimization and design.

Professional Local SEO:

Pros:

  • Let the professionals do all the heavy lifting. The hard, time consuming work can be passed off to a professional or company that has the time, tools and knowledge to get the job done efficiently. You can throw some money at the situation and leave the worries and stress to someone else.
  • Results come faster. Since an SEO company’s sole purpose is to perform Internet marketing and search engine optimization for companies like yours, they already have systems and tools in place to get started right away. They don’t need to teach themselves SEO first like you would have to do. Since they’re experts, they know all the best techniques and have the necessary connections to get you ranking as quick as possible.
  • Internet marketing is constantly changing. It’s hard to keep up with the ever-changing world of SEO. Search engines are always changing their algorithms and as a business owner, it would be hard to keep up with your employees, business location, customers and the ever-changing Internet marketing industry. Chances are, you don’t have the time. A professional can put full attention on the search engine optimization of your business so you get maximum results.

Cons:

  • It can be hard to find a legitimate company to work with. There are many unreliable black hat SEO companies out there, you must be tough when deciding who to work with in order to avoid the Google black list or losing money on less than desirable results. Check out the company’s credentials before deciding to work with them.
  • It costs money. Help from a professional costs money. However if your SEO company is doing its job and getting your business found on the first page of the search engines, you will be getting more leads and it will be well worth the money.

When you weigh the pros and cons it’s easy to see that if you have the funds, leaving the local SEO to the professionals is your best option. Although SEO can be done on your own, if you’re inexperienced it can be easy to make a mistake and hurt your rankings or waste your efforts on techniques that don’t really work. When choosing a local SEO provider, be aware of possible black hat SEOs and be sure to gather as much information about the company as possible before agreeing to work with them.

5 Advantages of Video SEO for Your Local Business

Last Updated On August 13th, 2014Local SEO, , , , , ,

YouTubeVideo search engine optimization (SEO) is becoming increasingly popular and if you have a business and haven’t taken advantage of this tool, there’s no time like the present. Did you know that 2 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day? The popular network has the power to give your business massive exposure and if your video happens to go viral, your company could become the next overnight sensation. Video SEO can help increase the visibility of your video, making it more likely to be seen by your target audience. Not sure if making a video for your business is worth it? Read these top advantages and you’ll be yelling “action!” in no time.

1. There are not as many videos on the Web as text content. For this reason, your video is 53 times more likely to show up in the Google search results than your text content, according to Forrester Research. Optimizing your video with keywords will ensure your video shows up in the search results to be seen by your target audience.

2. Making a video can help you stand out among your competitors. If a potential client is choosing between two companies, both with the same services and pricing, which is he more likely to do business with, the company that created the entertaining video he loved or the one that didn’t?

3. If your video is memorable and entertaining, potential customers are likely to share the video with friends. Suddenly, you have a whole new world of fans who are likely to become customers. Making sure this video is SEO-friendly helps get it found in the first place.

4. You already have a great platform for sharing your video, YouTube. Billions of videos are viewed on the network daily and the site makes it easy to add keywords to your title and description as well as in the keywords tag.

5. Videos help increase brand awareness. Sharing a funny video on YouTube that lets people know what your company does, without force feeding them blatant advertising, will give people who were unfamiliar with your business a great first impression. People who previously didn’t know your company existed may suddenly find themselves standing in line at your local business location or calling you to inquire about your services.

The bottom line is, if you haven’t tried making a video for your business and optimizing it for search engines, you are missing out on some great opportunities to attract new customers, connect with your target audience and show people that your business can be fun and entertaining while still keeping the level of professionalism that is expected by your current customers.

5 Expert Link Building Strategies to Use in 2011

Last Updated On June 2nd, 2023Local SEO, Newsletters, , ,

link buildingLink building is an important part of boosting your SEO and climbing to the top of the Google rankings. The more links leading back to your Website, the more people are likely to see your site and choose to do business with your company. Also, when search engines see that a business has a lot of links leading back to their Website, they view the business as more credible, thus rewarding the business with higher search engine rankings.

The higher ranking your listing can get in the Google results, the more business you will receive. As locals are searching for your services or products, your business will appear above your competitors and you will soon dominate the market in your area.

Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of all the link building strategies available to you? Here are the top 5 ways you can boost your back link numbers this year:

1. Write press releases. Writing and submitting press releases about your company’s announcements, events, new product offerings, accomplishments, etc. will not only let your target audience know what’s going on with your company, but it will also get you quality back links that last. It will cost your company some money to distribute your press release ($200-$300 at least) depending on which sites you choose and where you press release will be sent, but it is well worth it for the SEO boost press releases provide.

2. Utilize social media networks. Putting a link to your Website on your social media networks (Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, LinkedIn profile, YouTube videos, Foursquare, etc.) is a great (and free) way to boost your links. Also taking advantage of social bookmarking Websites such as Digg, Delicious, Reddit, Google Bookmarks, etc. also allows you to build links for free. Make sure to submit any press releases or videos to social bookmarking sites to maximize your SEO opportunities.

3. Get listed in quality directories. Local Splash submits your business listing to a variety of directories such as Google Places, Merchant Circle, SuperPages, Yahoo! Local, Yelp, etc. There are an endless amount of quality directories to list your business and most of them are free. Local Splash will also submit our clients to industry specific directories. For instance, Vast is a directory just for businesses in the auto and travel industry. Each directory your business is listed in provides one quality back link to your Website. Remember more quality back links equals better SEO and higher rankings.

4. Create a blog. If you don’t already have a blog for your business, it’s time for you to create one. Not only does a blog help you connect with your target audience and establish credibility within your industry, but it also helps with link building. Use keywords when writing and link those keywords to relevant pages on your Website. About 80% of blog visitors are first time visitors who found your blog when in search of specific information. That’s a lot of first time visitors that could potentially check out your Website and in turn, become clients. The fact that blogging helps with link building is simply an added bonus.

5. Write and submit articles. Article writing and submission helps with creating an online image, building credibility for your business and link building. Write expert articles that deal with tips and tricks of the trade or industry news and include a short description summary of your business complete with URL at the end of every article. Then submit your article to directories such as Ezine Articles and Article Dashboard to boost your permanent links.

If you haven’t begun working on link building for your Website, 2011 is the year to start. New Internet marketing techniques are developed every day and the power of marketing online is unlike any other. With the help of Local Splash, your business will be able to reach the top of the search engine page rankings in no time.