GOOGLE LOCAL SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
For those unfamiliar with ‘Google’s Local Business Centre’, this article will provide you with a basis for using it in order to reach local consumers while generating more qualified leads.

GOOGLE LOCAL SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION – HOW TO
Before getting into the nuts & bolts of  ‘Google’s Local Search Platform’, it’s important to know the different types of search results that may appear on a Google search query; namely:
1. Sponsored Links
2. Local Business Results
3. Organic Search Results

1. Sponsored Links (also known as Pay-Per-Click (PPC)- usually frames the top portion (shaded) and/or right hand column of a Google search results page and is clearly identified by Google as being ‘Sponsored’.  This is paid advertising and as such, you can pay to be on the first page for your category.  Pay-Per-Click is an excellent way for new sites to gain immediate search engine exposure.

2. Local Business Results – usually appearing below the top page portion of sponsored links – up to a maximum of 10 listings per first page results – and is accompanied by a Google Map, Title, URL, Address and link to additional information.  This is a free service.

3. Organic Search Results (also known as ‘natural search engine listings’) – usually appearing below local business results with a maximum of 10 listings per page.  This is also a free service.

(Note: Not all Search Engine Results Pages contain ‘Sponsored Links’ and/or ‘Local Business Results’).

Unlike ‘Sponsored Links’, Google’s ‘Local Business Results’ and ‘Organic Search Results’ are free services and as such, Google is under no obligation to list a site in either.

Google goes to great lengths to protect its ranking algorithms for both its ‘Local Business Results’ and ‘Organic Search Results listings’.  At times, the same listings may appear in both ‘Google’s Local Business Results’ and ‘Organic Search Results’, sometimes on the same page.

The following local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips will help to get your site better visibility in both ‘Google’s Local Business Results’ and ‘Organic Search Results’ pages, in addition to learning what you can do to influence them.

GOOGLE LOCAL SEO TIPS
Google seeks out clues in determining a websites regional relevance; the more clues you provide Google, the better chance you’ll have of targeting and reaching your local audience.  Some of the following clues that will help Google determine regional relevance include:

1. Top Level Domain (TLD)
Google will consider your domain name in assigning regional relevance. A site with a [.ca] suffix provides a clue to Google that the site is Canadian, and likely targeting a Canadian audience. A url with the actual location/region built into it (e.g. www.toronto[service].ca) should provide another region-specific clue.

2. IP Address
Google will consider where your site is being hosted from.  For example, if it resides on a Canadian server, Google will have found another clue as to the regional relevance of that site.

3. Web Content (On Page Information)
The text on your website is yet another clue that Google – and your audience – use in determining regional relevance, and includes a number of considerations, for example:

• Contact Information: Google may cross-reference location information posted on websites against trusted third party sources (i.e. Local Telco’s and Directories).  As a result, it’s important to list this information on your site.  At the very least, this information should reside on your ‘Contact Us’ page, for the benefit of Google & visitors and should include the following elements:

• Address
• City/State
• Postal Code/Zip Code
• County
• Area Code
• Local Phone number

• Location and keyword usage: Build ‘geo-modifiers’ and spelling variations of those areas you want to target, including:

• Neighborhoods
• Suburbs
• Towns
• Cities

Searches for the same region may be conducted differently.  For example, those searching for something in ‘San Francisco’ might search using any one of the following ‘geo-modifiers’: “SF”, “SFO”, “Bay Area”, “North Beach”, “SanFrancisco” and “San-Francisco”. Those searching “Toronto” might also use “Greater Toronto Area” and/or “GTA”.

As well, some countries share the same city names:  For example, Cambridge (Massachusetts and United Kingdom), London (Ontario and United Kingdom) and Paris (Texas and France).

In a nutshell, consider short-forms, abbreviations, synonyms, alternative spellings, misspellings and region-specific references when optimizing content for local search engine optimization.

4. Title and Meta Tags
It’s vital to include location information in your title tags when optimizing for local search.  That said, Google is getting better at sussing out regional-specific indicators via on page content – good news for sites with poorly written title tags:  still, there’s no substitute for well crafted title tags and, to a lesser degree, description tags.  Taking care to do both will let Google and your audience know who you are, what you do and where you do it.

For example, a Web Writer (yours truly) that wants to attract clients from their local area (Toronto) may go about creating any one of the following 3 title tags:

Poor:
<title>Welcome</title>

Better:
<title>[Writing Web Words] [Web Writing Services]</title>

Best:
<title>[Writing Web Words] [Web Writing Services] [Toronto] [Ontario, Canada]</title>

Note: It is always a good idea to include both City and Province/State for local search engine optimization efforts.

5. Google’s Local Business Centre
A relative new comer to the world of ‘local search engine optimization’, Google’s local business centre is one of the most powerful weapons in any SEOs arsenal.

The most effective method of getting your site included in this directory is by submitting it to Google’s local business centre, also known as Google Maps.  Some sites acquire listings in this sub-directory without physically submitting their sites:  in these cases, Google populates Local Search Results with business listings from third party directories: To maximize your Local Listing, it’s best to do it yourself; or better yet, having someone familiar with this tool to do it for you.

Once you register with Google Local, they’ll confirm your listing by contacting you. Part of this process requires that you set up an account with Google.  Following that, you can start buidling out your Google Local Business Centre Listing.  In order to ensure that you are providing relevant information, Google will have you complete information relating to your business’ products and/or services.  This is where things can get tricky; entering the incorrect the information can result in improper categorization and lost opportunities.

There are 7 fields you will be asked to complete:

1. Basic Information Including:

• Country
• Company/Organization
• Address (City, Town, State, Province, Postal Code/Zip Code)
• Phone
• E-mail Address
• Website
• Business Description

2.    Categories:

Google’s Local Business Centre lets you enter up to 5 categories.  When doing so, consider keyphrases relevant to your business.  Getting this part right is crucial to local search engine optimization success.  Also, while some categories are pre-programmed (most likely drawn from business directories like Yellow Pages and Superpages), Google does allow you to customize some of your search terms and phrases.

3.    Hours of Operation:

This field is optional: You can choose to either display hours of operation or not.

4.    Payment Options:

Google offers a number of payment options that can be displayed.

5.    Photos:

There is also an ‘upload photo’ option (up to 10 images) should you wish to profile your storefront, logo and/or images of your products.

6.    Videos:

Google allows other listing enhancements such as videos (up to 5 videos per listing).

7.    Additional Details:

You can also include additional business information such as Parking, Brands Carried etc…

Once your website and business information have been submitted and accepted, it should take approximately 7 to 10 business days before you get ranked and listed in Google’s Local Search Results.  Shortly after going live, visitors will be able to post reviews which, according to some SEOs, may also help your ranking and visibility, as well as give visitors more reasons to contact you.

IN CONCLUSION
A number of factors are making Local Search Optimization and Advertising more attractive to consumers, especially for ‘service-related businesses’.  Considering the rising cost of gas and studies pointing to the fact that local consumers prefer to purchase locally, it’s a no brainer.  As for how much longer it will continue to be a free service has yet to be seen.

Happy Local Searching!

Ray Litvak
www.writingwebwords.com
Website Writer Toronto

Wikipedia.org defines the term professional as, “An occupation, vocation or career where specialized knowledge of a subject, field, or science is applied. It is usually applied to occupations that involve prolonged academic training and a formal qualification.”

Although ‘specialized knowledge’ is required to become a ‘professional web writer,’ there are no well recognized governing bodies that bestow such an accreditation.

One can take courses – mostly online – that are offered by web writers and self-proclaimed gurus; but again, none of them carry universal recognition.

Colleges and Universities are starting to offer courses of this nature, but they tend to be one-off courses, rarely providing certification and that sought after professional designation that would and could separate the amateurs  from the professionals.

So, how does one become a professional writer?  How do you determine a professional web writer from an amateur and what is a professional web writer worth?

Becoming a Professional Web Writer
Yours truly has had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with others making a living as web writers and the consensus is in – most are self taught.

Like anything worthwhile, it involves trial and error and in some cases, baptism by fire.  But it can be learned.

It helps to have a penchant for writing, research, a love of the Web and a curious mind.  It involves continuous learning, the ability to spot trends and patterns and more importantly, doing it day in and day out.

In short, the best place to learn to write for the Web is the Web. There are a number of credible –and not so credible – online sources and resources that will help you get started.  For instance, search engines have ‘content quality guidelines’ that tell you what they value in terms of content and what will get you flagged; or worse, banned.

Forums are another excellent resource.  Try to align yourself with a well established forum that has been around for a while and has a section devoted specifically to your area(s) of interest (i.e. Online Copywriting, Search Engine Optimization etc).  One of the better ‘Online Copywriting Techniques’ forum is Jill Whalen’s, found at http://www.highrankings.com/forum/.

Web writing authorities do exist.  These authorities acquire and maintain their status by publishing insightful articles, studies and observations about web writing.  One of these authorities is Jakob Nielsen:  If you research the world of web writing, chances are good that you will stumble upon Mr. Nielsen’s website – www.useit.com.

In addition to Jakob Nielsen, other popular – and veteran – authorities include Roberty Bly, Bryan Eisenberg, Steve Krug, Rachel McAlpine, Gerry McGovern, Janice (Ginny) Redish and Nick Usborne, to name a few.

Ironically, many ‘web writing authorities’ also produce print publications.  It would seem that a number of people still consume information via the printed word; be that as a result of habit, online readability issues, carpal-tunnel-syndrome-prevention, or all of the above.  As much as yours truly tries to live a paperless lifestyle, the printed word is still the preferred mode of information gathering, especially for longer reads.

What Should a Professional Web Writer Know?
Becoming a professional web writer involves knowledge of a number of web and writing related elements, along with the ability to combine and make order of them – all of this while still writing with your audience and search engines in mind. A professional web writer may be considered someone with a deep understanding and knowledge of:

• Web page design and technical guidelines;
• Search engine (SEO) quality guidelines and best practices;
• Keywords and keyword relevance;
• Proper grammar and usage;
• Web content writing; and,
• Web copy writing/persuasion.

And yes, there is a difference between a ‘web content writer’, ‘web copy writer,’ and just to add to the confusion, a ‘seo writer.’

For instance, web content writing is about answering your visitor’s questions; namely Do You andCan You questions.  Examples of web content would be your
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), About Us and Contact Us pages, to name a few.

Web copy writing is that copy on your web pages that gives your reader a reson to take take action, whether it be to contact, subscribe, register, download
something or reach for their credit card.

Copy Writing has been around since Sears published its first print catalogue in 1888.  The main difference in this case is the medium, but the message remains
the same - providing reasons for people to act.  Some examples of web copywriting elements would be the following calls-to-action:

• Free Trial Offer
• Save 10%
• While Supplies Last

Most e-tail websites measure success based on conversions: also known as sales in the bricks and mortal world.  Effective web copy should and could help
increase conversions, turning browsers into buyers.  And when it comes to e-tailing, no one does it better than Amazon.

So, if web content explains the person, place or thing you are promoting, web copy should help to persuade yoru visitor to find out more about that person, place or
thing and take the next step in the process.

But before any of the above happens, a visitor must first be able to find your website online: this is the role of seo writing.  Although you write for your audience
first, search engines look for and value relevancy and to be indexed, ranked and found, your site must be relevant.  A large part of this process is determining
the ‘search words’ or ‘keywords’ that your audience uses and strategically building them into your copy.

A professional web writer should know how to write for a website audience AND search engines while also building readability, searchability and persuasion into
web pages.
What Does a Professional Web Writer Do?
Suffice it to say that not all web writers offer the same services.  Some will offer straight writing, while others may offer ala carte services.  For instance, some will require you to provide your own keywords and in some instances, your own copy which they will convert to web friendly documents.

Simply put, a professional web writer writes web content and/or web copy.  More to the point, web content and web copy that consider a number of elements including ‘on page content/copy’, ‘meta data’ and ‘writing’.  Someone offering a complete service would most likely include the following:

• Page Theme – as a rule, one page should deal with one thought;
• Page Goals – what is the purpose of the page (i.e. sell, inform);
• Category and Topical Research – what information will the page contain (i.e. citations, statistics, references, quotations);
• Keywords Research and Analysis;
• Metadata development – (i.e. Title, Description Tags, Keywords Tags);
• URL’s – (i.e. Optimizing and Organizing);
• Crafting Compelling Headlines and Headings – (H1 Tags);
• Page Formatting – (i.e. Readability, Scannability, Usability);
• Call To Action;
• Editing and Proofreading.

When it comes to web writing, the devil really is in the details.

Challenges in Establishing a Web Writing Career
One of the biggest challenges you’ll have is promoting your services.

Once you’ve determined that you have the desire and basic writing abilities, you’ll need familiarity with the following:

• Marketing skills – knowing who your audience is and how to market to them;
• Sales skills – knowing what your services are worth and how to sell yourself;
• An Entrepreneurial attitude – necessary to manage administrative duties;
• Creativity; and,
• Tenacity.

These skills will serve you well; especially at the beginning and until you can build up referrals and a regular client base.

At the outset, a professional website will be your most effective marketing tool.  Your customers will expect you to have a high quality and effective web presence

Those that sell sign products use the following axiom: “A business with no sign, is a sign of NO business.”  A web-based business without a website is akin to
a business with no sign online.  Consider a high quality website that profiles your work as an investment and example of the high quality work you can and will deliver.

Furthermore, the knowledge you have gained during your web writing research will help you to write and optimize your content, ensuring that it gets indexed and
ranked by major search engines.  If developed properly - and in time - your website should yield leads via those searching for your services online.

What Is a Professional Web Writer Worth?
This depends on a number of things; one of which is the value you bring to your client.  There are clients who place a low value on web content development, choosing instead to write it themselves, use print brochures and/or hire cheap labor.  Sadly, there are people who will write for pennies-per-word and low-dollars-per-page.

There are also clients who require high quality content from expert writers familiar with a particular niche, or are willing to educate themselves on certain
subjects, products and services.  These clients know that high quality content is what maintains and attracts existing and new visitors/customers to their web
properties, builds site authority and in turn, advertising revenue.  Clients who value your services are to be cherished: They will pay for your services and
appreciate the value derived from them.  In essence, charge what YOU are worth.

Determining What Your Web Writing Services are Worth
Again, it comes down to value; or, the perception of value.  For instance, some clients view writers as providers of words on paper or in this case, words
that are rendered on someone else’s computer monitor.

Other clients view writers as providers of:

• Higher search engine rankings;
• Targeted traffic;
• Sales; and,
• Advertising revenues.

Both writers may offer a similar service, but which writer would you rather hire? In essence, talk – or write – in terms of the benefits that your web writing
skills will deliver. Anyone can write.  But it’s the rare individual that can help grow a business.

Ray Litvak
www.writingwebwords.com
Professional Web Content and Copy Writing Services – Toronto

Using and Optimizing HTML Title Tags for Search
An HTML Title Tag is a snippet (short text preview) of HTML that provides details about a web page:  It is primarily used by Search Engines for indexing and displaying sites in SERP’s (search engine result pages).  Title Tags help search engines and searchers determine the nature, importance and relevance of your web pages.

For search engines, title tags are the most important piece of text on your website and usually the first text to be crawled and categorized.  A well-written title tag defines the topic of your web page and influences your site will rank.  For searchers, the title tag is the first copy viewed relative to a particular search result as well as the link to your website from SERP’s.  A well-written title tag
is compelling, and should encourage readers to click-through to your website.

Data about online information seeking behavior shows that many searchers choose to view nothing else but the title tag – the first line on a SERP. If well-written, they help with conversions, so they should be written with care.

Identifying and Viewing HTML Title Tags
Title Tags can be viewed a number of ways including:

• search engine results pages, as blue hyperlinks
• at the very top of your browser’s window title, on the left hand side
• a websites source code, also referred to as hidden content*

*hidden content is ‘Meta Information’ found in a website source code.

To view a websites ‘Title Tag Information’, do the following:

1. Using Internet Explorer, click on the ‘View’ button
2. Next, click on ‘Source’, the tenth button from the top
3. By clicking on ‘Source’, you should now be able to view that websites ‘Title Tag’, surrounded by HTML tags:
<html>
<head>
<title>Insert Title Tag Text Here</title>

The text inserted between the title tags is what will appear in the search engine results pages as hyperlinks to your web page(s).

Title Tag Examples
Search engines allow limited space for title tags in search engine results pages; Google shows about 70 characters, including spaces and punctuation.  Other search engines may show more before being truncated – cut off.

Writing a compelling title tag within the allotted space can be challenging.  Along with a compelling message, you may also want your title tags to communicate:

• who you are
• what you do
• where you do it

For examples of good – and not so good – title tags, see the following fictional web design company examples:

Not good:
<title>Welcome</title>

Better:
<title>Web Design Home Page</title>

Best:
<title>Web Design home page | Web Design services for small and medium sized business</title>

Avoid doing this (may be seen as spam by search engines):
<title>Web Design web site design web-site designs commercial corporate industrial professional small medium large business custom web design web development</title>

Google says:

“Make sure that your TITLE tags are descriptive and accurate.
Your title tags contain important information that Google uses when indexing your site. Descriptive information will give us good information about the content of your site. In addition, text contained in your title tag can appear in search results pages, and useful, descriptive text is more likely to be clicked on by users.”

Title Tag Uses – A Marketing Perspective:
Along with telling search engines and searchers what your web pages are about, title tags can also serve to:

• brand your company, products and services online
• inspire a call to action
• geo-target (let searchers know you serve a specific region)
• help gain a competitive edge – you can view competitor site title tags

10.5 HTML Title Tag Writing Tips:

• every web page should have its own ‘unique title tag’
• avoid duplicate title tags
• use keyword-rich text, leading with your most important words first
• treat title tags as you would headings
• ensure title tags can stand alone, independent of your web page
• omit adjectives and fluff words (i.e. Welcome) – space is limited
• keep title tags to about 70 characters, including spaces and punctuation
• if your business is local, be sure to insert the region (i.e. Web Design services in Toronto, Canada) in your title tag
• although some use automatic title tag generators, we recommend customized title tags for best results
• your web pages title tag text should also be reflected in the body of that web pages content

Note: For more visibility in SERP’s, CAPITALIZE the first few words in your title tag
Ray Litvak
www.writingwebwords.com
Web Writing and Online Copy Writer – Toronto

Not to be confused with Reading, ‘Riting, and Rithmetic, these 3 R’s will help you succeed online.

The 3 R’s in question being:

• Reach
• Response
• Results

1. Reach – Consider geography
More to the point, know the location of your target audience.  Are they Local, Provincial, National or Global?  Knowing this information – and maximizing it – results in more focused Internet Marketing efforts and results.

So, now that you know where your audience is, it’s time to dig deeper.  For instance, do your customer’s physically come to you for your product/service; or, do you physically go to them?

In both instances, it’s likely that you supply your product/service locally. That being the case, it’s smart to build that information into your web content and copy.  This can be done both visually (showing a map of your location and the surrounding area) and textually (spelling out the areas serviced and even providing driving directions to-and-from specific locations).  If done properly, search engines will index this information, helping you to rank better for your targeted search queries, especially those focused on your local areas of service.

What does this mean?  It means that someone searching for [Insert your product/service here] in your service area(s) [Insert your city or regions here] will find you following an Internet Search for that product/service in that region.

So, if you are a [web content writer] and you service [The Greater Toronto Area], it would make sense to build that information into your website’s Meta Data, On Page Text, and Links.

Keep in mind that searchers are motivated and while searching and researching online, are – in many cases – ready to make a purchase.  Appearing prominently in local search results will move you and the consumer closer to the sale.

2. Response – Consider the call-to-action (CTA)
Internet Marketer’s love using Three Letter Acronym’s (TLA’s): Also known as (AKA) The call-to-action (CTA) – a fancy term for ‘desired response’.

When a consumer/visitor is ready to make a decision, do not be coy, shy or bashful.  They’ve taken the time to find you online and  are knocking on your door: your web marketing efforts are working! To get them to take the ‘desired action’, tell them:

• What you want them to do,
• How to do it, and;
• How easy it is to do.

Case in point – Amazon.com (the biggest online book retailer) is all about E-commerce and the call-to-action.  They sell books and other stuff online and do it well.

They make their intention quite clear and will help move you toward the ‘desired response’ – the sale in this case – by:

• Making it easy to register
• Personalizing your account
• Making suggestions that – I admit – are almost impossible to resist
• Placing a Shopping cart at the top of their home page
• Express and Free Shipping incentives
• Deep discounting and more……

Amazon wants to move books and other stuff off of their shelves and they use a number of methods to do so.

The call-to-action directs your visitor, waving them this way to your ‘desired action’, whether it involves:

• Handing over your contact information
• Downloading something
• Registering for a newsletter
• Taking out your credit card to make a purchase

Keep the end in mind.  Know what you want your visitor to do and help them to do it.

3. Results – Consider site stats and conversion rates
Now that you know where your audience is located and what you want them to do, it’s time to find out if they’re finding you and taking action.

This information is readily available and measurable, allowing you to delve into the minds of your audience and discover:

• Keywords and phrases they use to find you online
• Which of your web pages are actually indexed in search results
• Where your web traffic is coming from, and more…

All of this information can be accessed for FREE via a number of Internet Measurement Tools  – Google Analytics being one -  that gives you insight into visitor behavior and other valuable data; for example:

• The number of daily, weekly and monthly visitors to your site
• The number of New vs. returning visitors
• The amount of time people spend on your site
• How they find you (i.e. search engine, referring site etc.)
• Where they are located
• The most popular – and least popular – pages

Knowledge is power and with this knowledge, the savvy website owner can run powerful online campaigns, generate even more organic (free) search engine traffic and  maximize gathered data, attracting the most qualified prospects at a low cost. This data can be built into your site, turning it into a ‘qualified’ prospect magnet.

For instance, if a popular and relevant search phrase appears in your ‘searched for keywords’ data, you would be wise to capitalize on this trend, perhaps including more instances and variations of the phrase in your web content, copy and link text.  If done properly, this will result in more of the type of traffic and visitors you desire.

In essence, knowing where your customer lives, getting them to take action and making use of their online behavior will result in a more positive user experience for your visitor, while putting more food on your plate.
Ray Litvak
www.writingwebwords.com
Professional Web Content and Copy Writer – Toronto, Canada

The term ‘Search Engine Optimization’ (SEO) is usually associated with increasing the amount – and or quality – of visitors to a website and its content.  A large part of the process involves writing compelling and relevant web pages that are easily findable in search engine results pages.

But what about optimizing non-textual content such as web video?  In a nutshell, optimizing your web video makes good sense, as you’ll soon see.

Why should I optimize my web video?

As for the popularity of this medium, a recent study listed YouTube as the 3rd most popular website behind Google and Yahoo! with no sign of slowing down. In fact, there are approximately 200,000 videos uploaded per day on YouTube, all competing for eyeballs.

By placing a link to your web site in and around the video, you will notice immediate spikes in traffic and higher search engine rankings.  In addition, your web video will thrive semi-independently in cyberspace, not just on your website.

What keywords do I use?

Utilizing keywords is the best way to make sure your web video is found and that viewer’s also find their way to your website.  Finding the right keywords can be accomplished by using the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, a useful gift that will help you determine the most powerful keywords to implement.

You’ll be able to learn about how people use search engines and develop a slew of ideas about what terms to use; thus, maximizing your chances of appearing on the first page of search results.  For example, if your video and website are selling “sentient robots”, this tool will tell you that only about 90 people search for that phrase in any given month. It will let you know, however, that “artificial intelligence” receives over 200,000 searches per month.

Use keywords in your title, description and tags

Keywords in your video title are as important as those on your web page’s title tag.  The video title on YouTube will become the video page’s title. The description of the video is also searched and it is recommended to use the keyword at least twice in this section, however it’s more beneficial to place the word in a phrase instead of an unintelligible jumble.

When entering tags for your video, put the keyword first so it increases the chance of both YouTube and Google searchers finding it.  Google is an incredibly intelligent piece of software and is worth taking advantage of, but don’t cheat: employing keywords such as “Angelina Jolie” when your video is completely unrelated will result in lower rankings.

Create a buzz around your video

The number of backlinks to your content increases your SEO potential, as does having viewers leave comments. This will create a “buzz”. These comments are eventually more important than views because if Google sees thousands of views with zero comments, it assumes that the content must not be very good and isn’t worth ranking.

Encourage viewers to leave comments in your description or in your video itself and direct as many people to your video as possible by posting it on Facebook and other social networks and submitting it to Digg, del.icio.us or other content aggregators. As long as you have quality content, this will produce views resulting in web site traffic.

About Writing Web Words Inc:

Based in Toronto, Ontario, we are a full service Content Development and Web Writing Company that helps small and mid-sized companies maximize the potential of their websites via Search Engine Optimization (SEO), SEO Copywriting, Social Media Marketing and other leading edge interactive marketing services.

Modern advertising: same battle, different battle ground

Since the birth of advertising, businesses have done everything in their power to get noticed and appear desirable to potential customers. They’ve flown banners over planes; they’ve given free samples at supermarkets and shopping malls; they’ve tried radio, television, even giant billboards in Times Square.

The process is a lot like trying to get your crush’s attention in high school. You wear your best clothes, brush your hair, douse yourself in perfume or cologne – anything to make you stand out amidst the crowd of other suitors.

Today, the same principles still apply; businesses still try to “woo” customers by making themselves highly visible and their products irresistible. But the battle ground between competitors has changed rapidly.

Reaching customers online is just as important as attracting them over the airwaves or in a crowded shopping center. If businesses don’t adapt and start playing the game by making themselves both easy to find and appealing in the online space, they’ll flounder.

So how can they beat out the hungry competitors and win over their desired audience? Google is the key.

Google is the new Yellow Pages

Not only is Google the best place for any business to promote itself online, reaching a whopping 85 per cent of searchers globally, it’s now one of the best places on Earth to advertise. In May 2010 alone, Google had more than 365 million unique visitors. Still think TV is king? When was the last time a TV program had 365 million viewers? Try never. The record is 106.5 million.

Unfortunately, having such an all-encompassing online presence also makes Google a very competitive place. To stand out from the crowd, it often takes a truly unique product or pitch. Say, Dean Martin hand puppets or cookie jars autographed by Mini-Me from Austin Powers.

But most of us base our businesses, services and products around everyday utility. That means we have plenty of competition. So how does a florist, mechanic, personal trainer or dentist separate his or herself from the pack?

Thankfully, Google has a magic trifecta – three key services that can give you a leg up. Some are free, some require a fee, but using all three is almost guaranteed to make your business noticeable and, more importantly, make it boom.

1. Google AdWords: Pay for Play

As handy as Google is, it isn’t just a universal service or free resource that flows like a waterfall. It’s still a business with shareholders and profit margins and devoted to making money.

So how does Google do it? In a way, it functions like a newspaper. It sells space – advertising space – using a service called Google AdWords. Using AdWords, businesses can get their message out whenever potential customers search for specific terms.

Try a Google search. Instead of focusing on the results, look at the boxed off areas under “Sponsored links” on the right of your screen. Those are the AdWords boxes. Businesses place their promotional material in those spaces and can program their ads so they only appear when people search certain terms specific to their niche.

Selling studded leather belts? Your ads won’t pop up when someone searches “online poker” and drive uninterested customers your way. You’ll only get people searching for leather belts – and those people are pretty darned likely to take interest in your ads, aren’t they?

Businesses also only pay Google when someone actually clicks on their ads. Unlike in a newspaper, when you pay in advance and cross your fingers hoping the masses read your ad, the transaction only goes through with AdWords when someone clicks on your promo. You pay per click.

The process is still competitive in that businesses have to pay or “bid” higher per keyword/click on more common terms. “Video game store” will cost a lot, as there are countless video game stores out there. But AdWords is also democratic in that it standardizes the look within its boxes. Every ad has the same font size, style and word count. The ads are crisp and clean, not invasive like pop-ups.

2. Google Places: Put your business on the map…literally

Targeting a local market? Google Places is the place for your business to be.

Formerly known as Google Local, Google places lists businesses’ information, including their location and contact details, on local maps. Businesses that use a limited range of reach to be effective – like pizzerias – can ensure that they pop up on Google Maps whenever someone searches for the product or service they offer.

Google Places is free, but users be warned: that doesn’t mean Google will automatically list your business on Google Maps. It’s your job (or, ahem, an expert helper’s job) to make sure Google knows about you. Provide them with your correct address and contact information and voila! You have a free and effective way to promote your business online.

3. Organic Search Results: The natural way

Perhaps the most competitive online battle ground of all is the one not directly associated with advertising: organic search results.

Organic search results are the information that pops up on a basic search. Ranking high – whether it’s first, “above the fold” or on page one – isn’t about spending the most money. It’s about having the most “relevant” content.

In Google’s case, businesses and websites aren’t the first priority in organic search results. First and foremost, Google caters to the searcher. Google is the world’s top search engine because it strives to give searchers exactly what they want when they type in search terms.

To do so, Google has very high standards. It uses constantly changing algorithms with hundreds of criteria to determine the most relevant websites for search results.

So how can businesses crack Google’s code to get noticed online? The first and easiest way is to produce quality content. A good, attractive website with quality content will attract more visitors. Having high web traffic is a key factor in Google’s ranking system.

Other ways to rank highly in Google results include the number of links driving to your site from other relevant, high-quality sites and the types of keywords popping up in your site’s content. Some businesses develop special departments devoted entirely to upping their search engine rankings. Other smaller businesses can outsource it to specialists.

Organic search results can be a tough nut to crack but, if you put the work in to provide quality content, there may be no more effective way to promote your business.

Location, location, location

The right location can make or break your business. That’s an old principle every business owner knows. The next step is understanding that the online space is just as real and important as any location you can touch. Giving it proper attention – and maximizing its effectiveness using Google’s services – can make your business stand head and shoulders above the competition. Google gets you noticed.

About Writing Web Words Inc:
Based in Toronto, Ontario, we are a full-service Web Content Development Company that helps businesses optimize their online presence through original  SEO Copywriting, proven SEO Servicesand customized Business Blogging that attracts, engages and converts target audiences.