CREATIVEMADE · PRINT & WEB MARKETING

Small Business Expo: 2015 SEO Resources

The original 2015 Small Business Expo presentation and reference material. Screenshots and examples reflect the event, rather than current ranking forecasts or software instructions.

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Thanks For Connecting at the Small Business Expo

If you were able to attend, we hope you enjoyed our presentation; and if you’ve made it this far – you’re on your path towards better rankings and more customers. Below is our full presentation, with additional resources for the smart business owner. Of course, if you need help or would like to hire us to manage your SEO campaign, just let us know!

Beginner SEO Steps for Success

1. Leverage Your Potential

With proper SEO, you can bring more customers to your door and allow more potentials to find your business.The true value comes through when you see the potential, and what is really achievable. In this conservative estimate, we’ve found numerous keywords that this company could be ranking for, and achieving a listing to their website within the top 10 (or front page) or Google and other search engines. Within a year, not only could they easily rank to the front page, but in doing so they increase their web traffic from around 300 visits a month, to more than 3,000.

2. Know Your Numbers

The first step to proper SEO with your company, is to setup Google Analytics. While there are many different resources out there, Google Analytics is by and far the best solution especially when it’s absolutely free.Google Analytics is an incredibly powerful solution, and ensuring that you have it setup means that you can track all the leads, traffic, and data that’s been coming to your website – because you can’t see results if you don’t track your traffic!

3. Find Your Keywords

The right keywords for your website can make all the difference!To start with, think of localized keywords and what we call “long tail” keywords – for “picture framing” in all of the world, you wouldn’t want your local picture framing shop to show up – more traffic that is not targetted wouldn’t bring your more business, and the competition nearly makes it impossible. By targetting a more specific keyword grouping, like “picture framing in orange county” – you not only can show up for local results when they’re searched for, but you also begin to get picked up by geolocation – and may show up for “picture framing” when a user searches from their cell phone using location services.Use Google Adwords, where you don’t have to plug in your billing information to setup an account, and their “Keyword Planner” under “tools”.

4. Check Your Work

Looking at your current site, and what all should be fixed, is very important. There are always “best practices” along with missing elements or errors picked up by search engines, that can not only negatively affect your SEO, but perhaps are even preventing your website from showing up on search engines.With many resources out there, we recommend you use this free tool to look at your website and get a good general idea of where your website sits in terms of performance – and you’ll even get a good list of items to fix and improve on. Once you know what to do, you can get to work!

5. Get Listed, Get Found.

These days, most potential customers use their cellphones and apps to find the companies they want to work with. From Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing, Yahoo, and Yelp – to name a few, there are specific directories which “fill in the data” to mobile apps, desktop apps, and more.Make sure you are not only listed in all the top service providers, but also add as much content rich information as you can – from photos to your business hours, you’d be amazed how many customers will find what’s going on with your business from Facebook or Siri. Lastly, make sure all the information that is crucial, is identical. Your address, hours, etc. should be identical across all resources.

6. Directory Overload

These days, the top directories can pass a lot of healthy leads toward your website and business – or simply generate leads via customers calling in or finding your listing on third party sites.Make sure that you’re in at least the top 50, and really the more the merrier, because any directory that is listing your information is more potential leads – think of it as getting in as many phone books as possible in the digital age.

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7. Get More Reviews

These days, reviews really do wonders. The word of mouth referral is always a strong performer, and when your site has great reviews on the top review websites, of course people pay attention.One thing to be critical of however, is to make sure you absolutely do not void the Terms of Service for each provider. With Yelp for example, you are not allowed to ask for reviews. You can however, through Yelp, offer incentives and rewards for things such as “checking in” – which as you can imagine, if they “connect” with your company on Yelp, they are looking at your profile, and much more likely to leave a review!

8. Get Affiliated

We absolutely love to support the community, a good cause, non-profit, etc. and as responsible business owners, I’m sure you do too!A great way to get some good referrals and links to your website that are “high value” and like minded, would be to contact the organizations that you support and donate to. If they have a website, if they publicize their sponsors or send out to an email list, see if you can get included or listed. You may already support the local AYSO team – along with your logo going on banners, get your website listed on the “sponsors” section of their site.