Author Archive
Getting the Right Domain Name for Local Search
Posted by: | CommentsWhile many of us already have long established business names and a domain name (your URL, or web site address) if you have the opportunity you should consider creating one friendlier for search engines (including local search).
For example in Bellevue WA where I live using the search term “bellevue auto repair” shows the number two listing as Ali’s Bellevue Auto Repair. Instead of alisautorepair.com he uses bellevueautorepair.com which helps his search results.
Now creating a domain name close to the search terms you potential customers and clients use is not going to change things overnight as far as search results are concerned. However, when it comes to optimizing anything on the web the more often Google, or any other search engine sees a consistent message of content the better your ultimate ranking will be.
Spend some doing doing keyword and keyword phrase research. To the right of this post (and on every page) is a list of useful keyword research tools. For the most part use the main Google Keyword Research Tool. Find what terms are being searched the most and then combine them with your primary geographical location search target. Or in other words auto repair in Bellevue WA becomes www.bellevueautorepair.com.
Sometimes you’ll end up with a pretty long domain name. I created a site just for research purposes called www.seattleaffordablehealthcaresolutions.com. It was used to generate leads for a friend who sold health insurance. You’re not likely to want this on your business card but for search purposes when interested parties simply click on a link it’s not a big deal.
If you have an existing domain name that’s not all that helpful then simply create a new domain name along these lines and forward your current domain name to the new one (it’s called a 301 redirect, any web master knows what this is). This means you don’t have to change printed matter (such as business cards) or worry about back links. They will all forward to your new keyword rich domain name.
In local search and overall site optimization every little bit helps.
Add a Geographical Reference to Your Web Site
Posted by: | CommentsWhile local search does not require a website to be effective it’s clear that it certainly can’t hurt! The overall success of any optimization campaign lies in creating as many accurate references to what you do (keywords) and where you are (geo tags) as possible. We are not talking about spam here, we are talking about using all of the options available to you. Google, in it’s wisdom provides all sorts of tools to help this process. Some may say too many and too disorganized but that’s for another day.
One method to help Google uses to understand where you are focusing your energy is by using Google Webmaster Tools. If you already have a local search listing or a Gmail account you are ready to go. I usually search for Google Webmaster Tools and then go to that site. Once you are logged go to Settings (If you are managing multiple website then select the target website first). There you will find one option called “Geographic target.” Specify your location and save.
Once this is done, and coupled with the use of content and meta tags identifying your geographical focus you will get just a bit more juice to help customer find you now!
Add Your Business to Yelp Today
Posted by: | CommentsWhile most attention is focused on optimizing a business listing for Google, Yahoo and Bing you should not miss out on the wide variety of national and local search directories. A search directory differs in that it is a catalog of businesses (found and entered) with basic information for each and the ability for people to leave reviews. Most directories tend to focus on hospitality related industries such as restaurants, hotels, bars and so forth. They do aslo pick up professional services and trades in some instances.
Just like for your local business listing on the search engines you should optimize your search listing as well. Yelp allows you to create a free business listing and optimize it like the search engines. While this ability is there it is not to quite the extent of the Google listing variables.
The Future of Voice-Enabled Mobile Search Speaks for Itself
Posted by: | CommentsAbout six months ago I got a Google Android phone from T-Mobile. While not quite the same as a iPhone it still has some great features and capabilities. One I discovered early was the voice search feature. I first used it returning from a ski trip to find a pizza place. As this article mentions the success rate on the voice recognition still needs some work it still is a great feature. On the Android only the first three results for a search are displayed, meaning local search optimization is more important than ever as people once again change their search habits. -Editor
This is a great forward looking article from Carl Weinschenk.
——————–
Search is big and mobility is big and voice-enablement is big. Thus, it goes without saying that voice-enabled mobile search will be huge.
This internetnews.com story, which is based on a panel at the SpeechTEK conference this week in New York City, focused more on the challenges than the potential of voice enablement of mobile search. The key is that despite the great coolness of this application, folks are extremely sophisticated and not likely to utilize services that are more hit than miss – or even if it is about equal.
The problem is that ambient noise – background conversations in restaurants or the motor of a car – can skew results. The piece also says that vocabularies must be limited. A great piece of circumstantial evidence that such issues must be dealt with is offered by Google. The company’s system is geared toward American English. Users in the UK and Australia, who were apt to get comparatively poor results due to this orientation, were less likely than Americans to use the service a second time.
This clearly is the kind of high-challenge, high-potential application that can make a small company either a household word or – even better for investors – a ripe takeover target. ReadWriteWeb reports that ChaCha bested bested Google and Yahoo in voice-enabled mobile search. The test was sponsored by ChaCha. Regardless, the company must be kept in mind when discussing the nascent field.
ReadWrite Web says that ChaCha identified queries accurately in 94.4 percent of cases and returned accurate results 88.9 percent of the time. Vlingo, the app used to test Yahoo, scored at 72.2 percent and 27.8 percent, respectively. Google brought up the rear, understanding the queries 16.7 percent of the time and accurately returning results in 22.2 percent of the cases, the story says. More details about the test are offered at MSearchGroove.
Within this broad story about the battle between social media and search sites – and quite a battle it is – is a very good description of what a well-done voice search function can provide. Stephan Spencer, the president and founder of search consulting firm Netconcepts, said that there will be times when the commonly used graphical user interface (GUI) is less useful than a language user interface (LUI). This occurs, he says, “where it’s much more efficient to have a conversation with a simulated personality.” That personality could anticipate what the user wants or needs in a far more proactive manner than a traditional GUI.
Efficient mobile voice search will be a big deal. The key questions that must be answered in the next few years include what vendors will be the big winners, whether they are the established players or upstarts, whether the smaller companies will be bought, and how long it will take to create stable and highly reliable platforms.
Avoid Negative Factors in Your Local Business Listing
Posted by: | CommentsLast in a series of five articles on factors affecting local business listing search rankings.
It is possible to lose some points in the game. David Mihm feels you can lose up to 20% of your score by doing everything wrong here. The good news is you’re not likely to do everything wrong, or even come close if you follow the steps above and avoid the ones coming.
- Keyword Spamming- Keyword spamming is the overuse of your selected keywords. I have seen listings where the description and the categories are just keywords strung together. First, the search engines don’t like this and penalize you. Second, it looks and sounds stupid. Remember, you are trying to impress a potential new client or customer so do so.
- Multiple Addresses On Your Contact Page- If you have a number of locations create a separate contact page for each. Be sure to create keyword rich URLs and title meta tags as discussed earlier.
- Negative Reviews- Negative reviews are not likely to hurt you in regards to your ranking success, however they may be a turn off for your potential clients and customers.
- Exclusive Use of Toll Free Numbers On the Contact Page- It is very helpful to add a local number to your contact page(s) instead of just a tool free number. The local number adds, well a local flavor.
- Multiple Local Business Listings With the Same Business Name- Now this is a big negative and is clearly spam. Ensure you have only one listing for each legitimate location. Any more and it is clearly out of line and deserves a negative rating.
- Exclusive Use of a PO Box- This is a difficult situation. For a variety of reasons you may only have a PO Box. If you are in that situation and you are not using an official USPS PO Box then call your PO Box a suite number.
- Multiple Local Business Listings With Same Address and Phone Number- This is another harmful situation, however it can be problematic where you use a shared office situation. It appears that as long as the listings with similar addresses are not all yours then you are OK. If you are doing the work for other companies consider having different accounts for each listing.
Try as much as possible to eliminate the impact of these negative factors. Your aim should be to score a 100% in each of your local business listings.
