First things first…get your business listed on Google!
Its imperative that you have a business listing created on Google because without it, chances are that no one will find your company in the local results when searching for keywords relative to your products and services, region, etc…
It is also important to create business local listings on Yahoo and Bing, as well as conduct listing submissions to all of the major IYP (Internet Yellow Pages) and niche/industry directories. This will help aggregate your data with the search engines, create some consistency and authority of business information and as a result, will improve your online visibility in just a couple of weeks.
Second on the list…audit your website and look for optimization opportunities.
This is where you should either contact a professional or purchase some software. What direction you take ultimately depends on the size of business you have, as well as your past history, size of website, etc… Here’s some ways to help identify what solution is best for you.
- If you are a small business with a basic website and don’t have internal webmaster resources, contact a professional and/or agency.
- If you are a small business with a complex website and have internal webmaster resources, contact a software company.
Ultimately, it is best to contact a professional and/or agency in both scenarios because you can get expert advice that will help guide your decision. Most agencies and professionals give free consultations, like us. So simply give someone a call and they will be more than happy to help you.
Third…analyze your competition and market to see what you’re up against.
Getting your business ranked highly in a locally competitive market is not quite as easy as some may think. It requires consistent, ongoing work each month with a lot of analysis and professional research, technical optimization, etc… Its tedious work! So before digging into things, its always a good idea to look at your competition and market rankings for various keywords, who’s on the front page, etc…and take it all in. Use that information to further enhance your own SEO campaign! There is a lot of gold out there that is publicly available if you know how to look. This is where a professional can really help you.