Posts Tagged ‘keyword research’

5 Tips to Get Your Google Local Listing to the Top!

Client News, SEO Scotland | Posted by Gavin
Jun 01 2010

With all the search options within the Google portfolio, it is essential that businesses utilise the Google local listings.  Local & business listings are appearing more and more in the Google’s SERP’s in relation to geographical, regional and town/city related searches and users are becoming more and more used to seeing these listings and accepting them as highly relative to their specific searches.

With Google Local listings taking the top spot in most searches, it’s critical that you claim a listing for your business. Once done it is essential that your listing is set up correctly – below we have included some guidelines to help you:

  • Claim and update your listing (and only one listing) – make sure the description is as relevant and keyword rich, in relation to your products and services, as possible. Select the correct business category and make sure you use all contact numbers complete with area codes. Include any additional content in line with other web listings to ensure continuity.
  • Upload images and videos – ensure that you have logos and images of any products in relation to your business type.  Place description tags for each but don’t overdo it and avoid ‘spammy’ labels
  • Cultivate Reviews – this is good for user recommendation – other will be more likely to buy from a previously used and endorsed source, this is your opportunity to get business via online ‘word of mouth’. Encourage your client base to use your business listing as a point to leave reviews and refer to them in additional listings and blog posts
  • “More about this place” – This section is a listing of mentions on the web that Google consider to be relevant and authoritive. It will usually list key listings, blog entries and social media profiles.  This provides the user with a point of reference to find additional information about your business.
  • User Content – this section lists additional user generated resources & mentions of your website and will list mainly sites that allow users to tag and mention additional sources such as Flickr, Google maps and Wikipedia

The Google Local listings are a very powerful (free) resource available via your Google account and we cannot stress enough the value of getting this right.  So, make time to ensure your listing is as good as it can be – and if you don’t have the time, we are happy to help you or do it for you – contact us now.

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The Role of SEO in a Web Build Project

SEO Scotland | Posted by Gavin
Nov 13 2009

I have read many articles on delivery of web projects, how to plan them and who does what in what order. Designers, developers, programmers, SEO’s, they all play a vital part in the delivery of a great site that works.

Recently I came across a great article by Eric Enge at Search Engine Watch putting the case for the SEO … read the article

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Google Forum Search – important changes that will effect search rankings

SEO Scotland | Posted by Gavin
Aug 14 2009

Google’s recent ’show options’ addition to the SERP’s have provided additional search filters and I would like to continue this series of posts by looking at forums.

Online Forums and SEO

Online forums have been around for a number of years and were arguably the forerunner of social media and it’s many applications. Forums are basically online message boards, creating platforms for discussions around particular topics between people who share common interests – a place to connect with others online.

From an SEO point of view, forums represent relationship marketing opportunities as well as a chance to create and distribute valuable, topic specific content (and in some cases links).  Subject authority and online profile are additional benefits of forum participation and most market and interest categories are covered by the many that are widely used.

Google Forum Search Filter

It is not entirely clear as to what Google classifies as a forum within it’s SERP’s but indications are that not only large, specialised, dedicated forums that are listed but also forum pages that are included as part of a site, or are added as a sub domain or blog, associated with a site.

In any event, the development in the SERP’s indicate that many businesses and organisations should probably consider adding a forum in order to make full use of the this search filter option, especially ones that are particularly active in social media marketing.

As a direct result of this, posting to forums on other peoples sites is now even more important than ever.  While links within many forum posts may be subjected to the ‘nofollow’ attribute, the new filter makes the content of posts and thread more powerful and therefore a more effective traffic driver…

…What do you think?

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Google Video Search – important changes that will effect search rankings

SEO Scotland | Posted by Gavin
Aug 03 2009

Google video search filterGoogle’s recent ‘show options’ addition to the SERP’s have provided additional search filters and I would like to continue this series of posts by looking at video.

Google Video Search Filter

We all know about YouTube, Google’s video sharing website, where users can upload and share video content.  Since Google aquired YouTube in Nov 2006, it has fast become an internet phenomina in it’s own right and I recent read that it is the second most used search resource.

Google’s video filter option reinforces the value Google places on the ‘improved user experience’ and highlights the power of video to inform as well as entertain – something that text based content cannot do.

By using the video filter link, video based results are listed that best match the search query, including mini screenshots in the search results. The user then has further options that allow the results to be filtered by length, most recently upload etc.

SEO Actions – Utilising Video Search

  • Create topical, market related video
  • Ensure videos are of appropriate length and meet other upload criteria
  • Ensure that videos are optimised for search
  • Post videos to YouTube and other video search sites 
  • Post regularly, include interesting new video content

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The Burning Question – ‘How do I drive web traffic to my website?’ Pt2

SEO Scotland | Posted by Gavin
Jul 24 2009

Part 2.0

Off Page SEO

Off Page SEO

In my last post I talked about the on page SEO factors that influence the levels and quality of traffic that your website gets.  So, you have optimised your site for the search phrases that you are targeting and can now wait for some leads and sales, right? – wrong!  When I started optimising websites for high search engine rankings, the on page stuff, if done correctly, would pretty much ensure that your site would rank well.  Yes, you had to ‘tell’ the engines that the site was there but most of the influential ranking factors occurred on page, not off page.

Off Page Search Engine Optimisation

Off page search engine optimisation is a strategy whereby you build/raise the profile of your website via other online channels.  Getting product/service related content links and listing information placed on third party (preferably topic related) websites builds an ‘online buzz’ about your business. 

The objective of this strategy is to build your website as:

  • an authority in relation to your market
  • highly relevant in relation to your market
  • a reliable and trusted source of information  in relation to your market
  • an online source that people will happily recommend

 

Most people associate off page optimisation with link building, a much used (and abused) form of generating online references and listing of websites.

Link Building or Link Popularity [a definition]

Off Page SEO - Link Building

Off Page SEO - Link Building

Link Popularity refers to the number of links pointing to your site from other sites on the web. There are other terms used for Link Popularity, such as Link Building, In-Bound Links, Back Links, etc. If other high ranking and reputable sites link to your site, search engines will consider your site to be important within its subject field. If your website is constructed correctly and carries well-written, relevant and informative content, its chances of ranking well increase.

There are two types of links you can establish on the web. One type is to trade links (Link Exchange), where you give a link from the links page on your site to the partner site. The second method is to establish only “incoming links” also called One-way Links or Non-Reciprocal Links. With non-reciprocal links, you do not need to link back to them. There are several ways of developing In-bound links.

Getting it Right

Link building can be very effective if done correctly. Over time link building has been abused with many sites using ‘link farms’ or link directories and auto submit applications in order to get high numbers of inbound links. By definition, many of these link directories hold no value with search engines as they see them for what they are. Ensure that your link building is natural and above all topical – contact and speak to people that you would like to link to/from, network with other likeminded people/businesses and associated site administrators. Remember it is quality not quantity!

Link building is the first step in off page optimisation and one that all site owners and SEO’s must address when marketing any business online. However as is the nature of the Internet – ever changing, many more off page optimisation opportunities exist and I will look at these in Part 3.0 – coming soon!

visit www.aviemorebusiness.co.uk for more information

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