Launching a business online can be quite intimidating to any small business owner. Fortunately, any business can benefit from search engine optimization (SEO), which can make a small investment go a long way, as well as making sure that local buyers find their websites. Therefore, local SEO is an obvious choice to promote and market your business on the Web. The following Slideshare presentation provides 15 low-cost marketing techniques to help drive traffic and sales to your website. The blog post version can be read here: http://bit.ly/UTiXPl

1. Local SEO Guide
15 Marketing Techniques to Promote
Your Business Online

2. What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a specialist technique that aims at getting your business name
and website in front of people that are physically located near it. Search
engines are the modern-day yellow pages and your potential customers are
looking to find you where you and your products and services are located

3. Why Is Local SEO So Important?
82%
57% 53% 49%
38%
0
20
40
60
80
100
Search
engines
Yellow pages Newspapers TV Direct mail
Tools for finding local business
According to 2009 Marketingcharts.com report titled “Great Divide’
Separates Small Biz, Online Consumers,” 82 percent of local consumers
use search engines to find local businesses. Furthermore, more than
half (57 percent) use Yellow Pages directories with 49 percent using
local directories.

4. 1. Submit Your Website to Search
Engines
The first thing you will need to do when launching a website is submit the
site to search engines; Google and Bing are the major search engines to
focus on. Out of the 15 techniques, this will be the easiest but one of the
most important.

5. 2. Make Your Website Easy to
Use
Before marketing your website through various online channels, make sure
that your meta data is accurate and follows the Google Webmaster
guidelines. On-site optimization includes page titles and meta descriptions.
Page titles should include your business name and one or two keywords
that you want Web visitors to find you with.

6. 3. Implement Google Analytics
Web host providers will often try and bundle analytics and data
packages, but the best, free analytics tool on the Web is Google Analytics.
It takes less than two minutes to sign up and implement the code, and you
can start collecting Web traffic data immediately. Data includes number of
Web visitors, how long they browse your site, where the visitors are
located, and how they arrived at your site.

7. 4. Add Your Business to Google+
Local
Adding your business to Google+ Local is the next most important
technique to implement. More people search for businesses online than
anywhere else, and adding your website and business information to the
Google local business directory can help. It’s free and simple. Also, you
can manage your listing information including business
description, product/service details, photos, videos, and offers.

8. 5. Create Social Network
Business Profiles
If you are moving your business online, a great way to spread the word
about your website launch is through social networks. Sign up to the
business pages of Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Foursquare to
promote your business to your friends and network. Make sure you claim
your business URL. For example,: facebook.com/yourbusiness.

9. 6. Launch an Online Marketing
Campaign
The only activity on this list that has a cost is Google AdWords. Google
AdWords allows you to select keywords, write for online marketing ads, and
attract visitors to your website based on what customers search for. Each
time your ad is clicked, you will pay Google (you set the highest amount
before your campaign goes live). If no one clicks your ad, you don’t need to
pay.

10. 7. Get Listed in Local Directories
Get listed in local directories and increase the number of trusted inbound
links to your website. Most directories are free and by adding your
business, you will see an increase in Web visits from potential customers.
(According to Mashable, positive yelp ratings can boost a restaurant’s
nightly reservations by 19 percent.)

11. 8. Get Involved in Your
Community
If there are local forums in your field, then it’s a great idea to get your
business actively participating in them. By creating a profile and adding
value to the forums, this continues to add relevance of your business to
Google.

12. 9. Optimize Mobile SEO and Its
Accessibility
The smartphone is the new yellow pages and mobile search, as a
percentage of total Web traffic increases each month. In fact, experts
predict that mobile usage will overtake desktop usage by 2014. Local
business thrive on mobile searches as conversion rates searching on
local terms tend to be higher. Make sure your website is optimized for
mobile and is easy to use.

13. 10. Add Social-sharing Buttons
In the footer of your website, make sure you add a link your Google+
Local page along with other social sharing buttons. Make sure your
email address and phone number is listed on each and every page of
your footer.

14. 11. Implement Webmaster Tools
Using webmaster tools in both Google and Bing helps you identify issues
with your website. By fixing these issues, you will ensure that both search
engines have no issues crawling (finding) your website when a local
search is made.

15. 12. Upload pictures
The local directory sites like to provide users with pictures of your
business. To help ensure that your business gets the best
exposure, upload your own pictures. They don’t need to be of a
professional quality but they will represent your business, so make sure

16. 13. Ask for Reviews
Most local sites and directories allow customers reviews. Other than
Yelp, most are supportive in requesting reviews. Customer
reviews, whether good or bad, make your business more credible to future
customers.

17. 14. Launch a Blog
Write about your industry, your talent, your services, and promote it in all
channels. Blogging not only helps increase awareness of your
business, but it also improves your writing. You will learn more within your
field (become an expert!), and it is a great way to acquire new links to your
website.

18. 15. Be Consistent
Each time you add your website and business information to a local
directory, social network, or forum, make sure you be consistent with your
business name, address, telephone number, email address, website
link, and business description.

19. About me
Works at:
 www.superoffice.com
Blogs at:
 www.tribes.no
Follow me at:
 @StevenMacd0nald
Blog post on SEJ:
 Local SEO Guide