Local SEO

The purpose of this post is to briefly give you some pointers as to how to get your customers to give you good reviews on Google Maps and Places, a very effective way of improving your search engine rankings in Google. Google Maps listings are now integrated within the results from a general Google search, so getting to the top of these listings can mean getting to the top of Google within your area. Lots […]

Back in 2013, Jonathon Monk gave an hours presentation to over 1,000 delegates in Basingstoke regarding Local Search Engine optimisation and the key things that business owners can do themselves. The information in this video is still 100% relevant today. Jonathon’s full talk can be seen below; though this blog post is also a brief summary of the main points that Jonathon covers within his talk.  Introduction Viewed by some people like the dark […]

This post is a very brief and beginner-focused summary of the first social media services I set up for small businesses; by the end of this post, you will know which are the primary services to set up as a small business with some tips on how to best do this. Why use social media? Social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) are tools that should be used by the majority of small businesses. From personal […]

Online Directories The following post is a very brief introduction to web directories for Small Business and which ones we recommend registering with. It has been the practice of many SEO companies over the years to register clients with sometimes thousands of web directories. This practice is now not only ineffective for your SEO efforts but due to changes made in 2012 to their algorithm can actually have a negative impact on your efforts. There […]

The following are 10 top tips for things you can do to your business website to assist with local search optimisation: 1. Geo-Targeting Within the text on your site, and especially your home page, include the target towns, areas, and counties within your copy, filenames, anchor text, and meta tags. For more on the concept of ‘geo-targeting’, please click here. 2. Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) Within the crawlable text, above the fold, and […]

Setting up a good quality Google Places listing is THE first thing a local business should do to market themselves locally online. People click on Google Places listings over and above the natural listings because the business address and customers reviews are shown, and people like to buy from highly regarded local firms. This post explains how to set up a good quality Google Places listing that will ‘fly’ for your business. First Steps to Setting up Your Google Places Listing 1) You firstly […]

There are a relatively small number of steps that need to be followed to submit your website for listing on DMOZ. Note these have to be done properly, for if you do not and put your business into the correct section your listing may be rejected, and you will not get a second chance to re-enter your details. Step 1 – Ensure that your website is not already listed on DMOZ The first and most […]

One of the most significant keys to creating a successful search engine optimisation campaign is finding a way to ensure that Google trusts your website. There are a number of ways to try and achieve this goal but one of the most highly respected methods is ensuring that your website is listed on the DMOZ Directory. Whilst not packing quite the same punch that it used to previously, DMOZ is still the most respected online […]

These are five steps that you can do today to start your business being found online locally. The following is the recording of a seminar given by Jonathon Monk to local business owners on how to get your website found locally on Google; the steps include: Name, Address, and Phone Number on your website Claim your listing with the 3 major Search Engines Get Directory Listings Get Reviews GEO Targeting This presentation was given two years […]