The YELLOW PAGES just aren't what they used to be. In most regions, a full page ad can run $20,000  per year! And now they are trying to convince people to advertise with them online. A friend of mine owns a tree service. He works back and fourth between 2 different states. The YELLOW PAGES  quoted him  $2,000  PER MONTH, to list him on their site and help him come up in searches! THAT'S  OUTRAGEOUS. But people pay it.

I have had clients ask me, "Can the Internet really help me, if I just have a local business with local customers?" - The answer is  ABSOLUTELY! Local search is fast becoming the most exciting search vertical on the web. Recent research by the Kelsey Group reported that 70% of Americans consult the web before making local buying decisions, while 36% of search engine queries now request local results.

I have a client in Chicago who provides a very specialized service, locally.  She had NO web presence whatsoever. We helped her launch a blog, got her into some free directories and she is now coming up on page one in searches around her keywords. She only gets 5-10  hits a day - but in 4 months, has attracted 10 new clients!

Daniel Bower posted a great article at Wordtracker, Five Tips To Maximise The Long Tail Of Local Search. He says," Local search presents huge long tail opportunities; the range of keywords, and the variations of those keywords that can land someone on your page are vast. Take for example our site welovelocal.com. In the short term after our launch, 96% of non-paid keywords had just a single visit."

He also points out the benefits of review sites," It goes without saying that a business owner/marketer should ensure they have maximum visibility in the various review sites and local business directories.

In the US these sites include Yelp, Insider Pages and Angie's Lists, but also the much smaller sites such as the excellent Lawrence.com. These sites provide an invaluable source of local data which can help you research fresh keywords. Spend time examining the way they are structured, the terminology they use and, where possible, the language used in the reviews.

Research from Hitwise earlier this month reported that small businesses rely on search engines now more than ever before - it’s a trend that is only going to increase as SMEs see the lead potential of local search. It’s yet another reason to hone your local keyword research skills."


Derrick Sorles and Michael Snell - We Help "Pull"  New Business To You!
    Your Business MD's- Business Blog Consultants -Web 2.0  Consultants and Strategists 

     

Over the last 2 years we have come into contact with numerous people who wanted to start a blog and most never did. Or they did, and got off on the wrong foot, abandoned the blog, or they had unrealistic expectations about what the blog might deliver in the short-term from an SEO perspective and were frustrated.

We have been doing this for over 2 years now and have launched about 25 blogs. We have made many mistakes along the way and therefore, also have learned a lot. And continue to learn every day as this business changes. Eventually, all of our blogs have ended up on Page One of Google for organic, primary and numerous secondary key word searches...

Here are some of the most common blog mistakes we've seen -

1. Never actually starting one! I have  3 friends and  5 clients  that have been talking about launching blog for a year now! Do they realize, if they had in fact launched their blog one year ago, where they would be today??? Just DO IT already!

2. Using Subdomains.  We are not a big fan of hosting your site somewhere that has to use a subdomain. (ie  typepad, blogspot). If it's personal, that's fine. But for anything business related, where you hope to get search engine lift, we do not recommend it. - Buy a domain and use it. In fact, buy a few domains. If you don't buy it and you don't own it , it's  not yours.  So www.worldsbestflorist.typepad.com  really belongs to typepad. Plus, you deprive yourself of potential search engine lift by hosting your site with subdomains.

3. Design. DO NOT get caught up on design. Blogs are about words, not design. Blogs are all about the content. And that content is indexed by search engines. You can be one page one with the the most awful looking blog out there! Search engines do not care about flash and design. Blogs are about simplicity. That's why search engines like blogs more than websites.

4. Expecting too much too soon. The first 90 days are about  building "the temple." Most directories won't even let you list with them until you are 90 days old or have more than 36 posts. Don't even try to get traffic or build traffic the first few months. It's all about planting the seeds, building the temple, and then traffic will come!

5. Making Money. Every month I have clients that want to start a blog to make "some extra passive revenue." MOST blogs do not make a dime! At least the first year or two. Once you get a page rank of 5 or 6, in about 18 months to 24 months, then maybe, you can start to monetize your blog. Sure you can put Google AdSense on your blog. And make about 25 cents per month. If you are  lucky! The focus should be on building the blog. Build a following. Positioning yourself as the expert in your area of expertise. If you do it right, you will come up in searches and be found by new readers and potential new customers!


Derrick Sorles and Michael Snell - We Help "Pull"  New Business To You!
    Your Business MD's- Business Blog Consultants -Web 2.0  Consultant and Strategists 

We reported here a couple weeks back, the 2nd annual SOBCon blogger conference has been announced!

BIZ SCHOOL FOR BLOGGERS will take place in Chicago  May 2,3, and 4th!

Whether you are a blogger now and want to take your blog to the next level or a business owner who wants to jump into the blogosphere, THIS IS A MUST ATTEND EVENT!



To find out more about the contest, visit the SOBCon special page on their site.

To register to attend SOBCon, visit the registration page.


Derrick Sorles and Michael Snell - We Help "Pull"  New Business To You!
    Your Business MD's- Business Blog Consultants -Web 2.0  Consultants and Strategists