SEO Strategies For Small Businesses – Go Local & Get Social – Milestone Interviews SEOmoz and Blitz Local

The following are several tips and tactics given by Gillian and Dennis during the PPC Summit in LA to small businesses.

1. Claim your local listings on the search engines and enhance your local profile! The goal is to be very visible and found easily on Search Engines through PPC, organic results, and Maps.
2. Enhance your local profile and make sure your listings are complete – use images, videos, testimonials, and rich descriptions.
3. Take advantage of Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs to enhance internet marketing campaigns and utilize them effectively to keep in touch with customers.
4. Create a separate company profile and fan page for your business – Fan pages add juice and elevate your search rankings.
5. Social Media is about having conversations with your customers, with real-time communication – specials, tips, and products. Customers who enjoy what you are talking about will re-tweet and give links. This is how you can dramatically expand your reach.
6. Brand Factor – How far does your brand go? Social media broadcasts and expands your reach for little cost and increases your search factor.
7. Video Impact on Organic Search – Videos have a huge impact on the number of visitors to your website and conversion rates. Videos on your website or landing pages create excitement and help people understand your business.
8. Use analytics to find out what is driving traffic, and then do more of what is driving that traffic.
9. Focus on conversion rates. See what your website is saying about your business and if it is exciting for your customers.
10. Network with Local Businesses – Get links from your ecosystem and network, and create a community.

While small businesses face many challenges in online marketing, they can expand their presence and profitability through local search campaigns, social media, video, and analytics. Claim your place on the internet, see what drives traffic, and make your site exciting so that you boost conversion rates. Staying in touch with customers drives real-time conversions.

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Contributed by: Benu Aggarwal, Milestone Internet Marketing