External or offsite blogs are a critical marketing tool for local SEO. Developing a blog for your small business will help boost brand awareness for your business as well as build a greater presence in the search results. External blogs hold great value for local SEO not only organically but also for the link building opportunities presented by developing the blog.

External Blogs Defined

External Blogs are weblogs set up as separate websites apart from your main small business website. These external blogs are used to post strong, relevant content that by linking from the external blog to your main website, provides a boost in credibility and relevancy for the main website.

These external blogs are set up on a completely separate domain from the main website. For example your main website might be www.teambuckhead.com whereas your blog site might be www.buckheadluxuryhomesblog.com. The two sites are very related, but are separate from each other to provide SEO benefits for the main site. So why are external blogs more powerful than blogs located on the main website? These external blogs provide powerful SEO link building opportunities to help promote the main website in the search results.

Blogging Strategies for SEO Link Building

When it comes to building links for SEO benefits, external links - or backlinks - boost the credibility of a website to the search engines. A website with numerous relevant backlinks are usually considered credible, popular, and trusted, by the search engines, and in turn rank higher in the search results.

It is important to remember that these backlinks coming from your external blog need to be linked from related content. For example if your main website is about Buckhead homes for sale, your external blog might publish topics centered around luxury homes in Atlanta. By developing your own external blogto build backlinks to your main website, you're participating in one of the strongest SEO strategies for building higher rankings, and you can do it at little or no cost. There are several free blogging platforms such as Blogger.com, Tumblr.com and Squidoo.com that allow you to create free accounts to publish your blog content.

Blog Link Building Strategies

Google recently tweaked its search algorithm to penalize websites and SEO's who over optimized websites by posting too many backlinks from non-credible external sources. These penalized websites have an unbalanced number of external backlinks on keyword anchor text. Because of this algorithm update you will want to make sure that you carefully build the backlinks from your blog and do it in moderation - don't go overboard! Don't continually link your keyword anchor text back to your website, be sure to change things up and link other text back to your site.

To further illustrate this point, let's say the main keyword target for your main website is "Local SEO Optimization." Rather than linking the words "Local SEO Optimization" back to your website every time, be sure to use keyword variations such as "Optimization for Local SEO" or simply "local seo." It is also a good move to link the domain address of your main website (e.g. www.local-small-business-seo.com) - this strategy helps to make your SEO link building efforts look as natural as possible to the search spiders, and will aid in avoiding "over-optimization" penalties from Google.

Another blog link building tip is to think about the importance of relevancy of the content you're linking from. Content relevancy is a critically important factor that the search engines take into consideration when weighing backlinks and ranking websites.

With this in mind, it's important to develop backlinks that are contextually relevant to the content you're linking to. Going back to our Local SEO Optimization example, it would be a good practice to build a link with the anchor text "Local SEO Optimization" from a blog post all about selling more to local customers.

Now that you know the basics of the benefits of external blogs for SEO link building, remember to develop your external blog with contextually relevant content. Be sure to set goals for your external blog, and be sure to continually publish fresh, meaningful content about your topic.

An internet marketing strategy is a fundamental part of any successful business today. This is more so for small businesses, which have to compete with more established global entities. Google, which is the leading search engine has recognized the potential of this platform and hence transformed its Google maps into Google Places, a tool meant to help local businesses reach their potential. However, while the process simply involves creating a page, adding business description, uploading video and photos, choosing a category, and waiting for success, local SEO isn’t just Google Places. How so?

Google Places’ Weaknesses

Google Places has its own Achilles heel including the reviews feature, which can lead to spammy posting and  turn away serious customers. If your business tends to draw only positive reviews, potential customers may become suspicious of your reviews and move on to another source. Another weak link in the popular platform is the requirement to fill 100% of your profile. Recent surveys including the Local Search Ranking Factors have cast doubt over its previously trumpeted value for local ranking on search engines.

Effective Local SEO

For the ultimate local SEO, you need to appreciate some specifics that apply. For a start, keywords always target location markers and they are not general. If a real estate agent is based in Buckhead Atlanta, the keywords must emphasize this. For example "Homes in Buckhead Atlanta"

Moreover, links should be location and niche-relevant to drive higher conversion rates. Content is also crucial and should target the local market hence it should be written from their view point. More importantly, your address and phone number must appear prominently on each page to help search engine spiders link your business with the Google Places listing.

Which way forward then?

There is no denying that Google Places and Local Google Maps Optimization is an important tool but as a local business, diversification of your local SEO marketing strategies is very wise. Check out other tools such as the Bing Business Portal which has better multi-level management, assigning different importance to profile entries, among other enhancements. Also check out online review services such as Yelp and LinkedIn for genuine reviews, that are important to consumers.

Another viable local SEO option is Internet Yellow Pages (OYP) and their numbers run into millions every day. Yellowpages.com for example has 27 million visitors per month a number, which you can tap into. Finally, social media integration in your marketing could turn your SMB’s fortunes, Facebook pages, Google+, Twitter, forums, blogs, are just a few of the networks which can help your business create  a local presence and gain higher ranking.

This assessment reveals that local SEO isn’t just Google Places. You have a plethora of choices for your small business and many innovative SEO options keep coming up. As such, research and set up an ideal strategy .

Significantly more communities are recognizing the significance of local sustainability and securing their local economies. Companies are concentrating more on developing partnerships at a local level, and as a consequence SEO marketing strategies are also transforming with a focus on local market segments.

When executed properly, search engine optimization has generated a position of being a hugely successful marketing channel which can feature an unbelievable ROI. Having said that local SEO, a unique focus of SEO, can provide much more marketing efficiency and for businesses who are looking to invest in search engine marketing.

Local SEO Defined

The method of local SEO is simply the utilizing SEO strategies and applying a local or geographic target.

Many businesses and potential customers are searching online for a specific product or service within their local area. To further illustrate, in lieu of browsing for the keyword phrase "Wedding Cakes” to locate a hometown bakery, a geo-specific search would incorporate a local area such as “Atlanta Wedding Cakes” or “Wedding Cakes in Atlanta, or RDP in Atlanta.”

In simple terms, local SEO campaigns can promote a Website as high quality on both the major key phrase – and the geo-specific target for that phrase. By centering a Website’s search engine optimization campaign  with a focus on the local area, businesses can bring in qualified search traffic from potential customers within their local area.

Merits of Local SEO

As mentioned above, local SEO is a highly efficient way to conduct search engine optimization. Because Web searchers are looking for a service or product in a particular area, they are far more likely to be a conversion for a Website that has undergone a local SEO overhaul.

Local SEO is far more than just an efficient connection between a Website and a Google surfer. Local SEO is typically less competitive as compared to non-local  or National/Global search engine optimization campaigns, and consequently is far more cost-efficient for business owners.

In contrast to conventional SEO that could need several weeks off-site link building strategies in order to build search engine rankings, sometimes all it takes is a straightforward on-site search engine optimization campaign that focuses on Local SEO to achieve prime standings on the SERP.

As increasing numbers of businesses and the general public promote the local perspective to doing business online, opportunities for businesses that invest in a local search engine optimization strategy is sure to garner exceptional rewards and return on investment.

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

In an effort to promote their company's products and services, some businesses are looking to become a guest blogger on related industry Websites. This is a great local SEO strategy for businesses for many reasons. It furthers brand exposure and provides link building value from a relevant Website.

You might ask yourself what is guest blogging? And How does one become a guest blogger?

What is Guest Blogging?

If you want to become a guest blogger, you'll be providing written content that will be displayed on another Website or Blog that doesn't belong to your company. When you become a guest blogger, you must consider your Local SEO campaign. To do this, it's an excellent idea to write on a blog topic that relates to your business' services or products. To further explain, if your company is a finance training company, you might post a topic related to a technique and contribute that content to a blog about money, training or finances.

How do I Become a Guest Blogger?

If you want to become a guest blogger, the process is pretty simple. Many Websites are actually actively seeking guest bloggers. These Websites will have a link on their site that says “become a guest blogger” or something to that effect. If you're surfing around a Website and don't see any information on how to become a guest blogger, you should go to the Website's contact page and submit a message to them about your request to become a guest blogger.

Reap the Local SEO Benefits of Guest Blogging

Contributing content to other Websites when you become a guest blogger can provide many great benefits for your Local SEO campaign:

• If you become a guest blogger, you should be able to acquire on-text backlinks from the blog post that you contribute, back to your Website. Obtaining these backlinks is essential for Local SEO Optimization.
• Impressions for your brand expand and become greater if you become a guest blogger.
• Networking with other business owners is also a benefit when you become a guest blogger.

Guest Blogging Local SEO Gains

Gaining on-text backlinks from the guest blogging site that you've contributed content to is an essential link building tool for Local SEO. These links can lead to higher PageRank, and can serve as a catalyst for an increase in Web traffic. If you become a guest blogger on several Websites, think about the link building opportunities available to you by simply writing an article for somebody else. This Local SEO tactic can send your rankings through the roof!

Google May Put Less Emphasis on Keyword Domains

One of the standard tactics to Local SEO Companies have used throughout the years for their clients' local seo campaigns may be changing. As a Local SEO Company, we work hard to give our clients a competitive edge in their respective local markets. Our competitive edge focuses on driving more qualified local SEO traffic and conversions to their Websites.

In the past, local SEO companies have suggested to their clients that they register and utilize keyword-rich domain names for their businesses. To further illustrate this concept, say your company provides home healthcare services in Tampa, Florida. Historically, the local SEO company probably would have suggested to their client that they register the domain name "www.tampahomehealthcare.com" or a different variation of that keyword phrase because of its targeted local SEO benefits.

That said, Google may be throwing a wrench into this tried and true local SEO tactic. In the video at the right, Google's Matt Cutts discusses how Google may be tweaking its powerful algorithm to put less emphasis on keyword-rich domain names. He explains that Google has received many complaints regarding them putting far too much emphasis on the domain name, and this is why Google is considering the algorithm change.

Also in the video, Cutts gives his opinion that he personally prefers brandable type domains such as Twitter.com or Facebook.com. He also points out that these brandable domains are key examples that search engine optimization can thrive without utilizing a keyword-rich domain..

In conclusion, if your business needs to purchase a domain name for its Website, it's not 100% necessary to purchase one that is keyword-rich based on your location, products or services. You may benefit more from purchasing a brandable domain that stands out in the memories of your customers.

Driving qualified traffic to your Website – that is local searchers who are actively searching for your product or service – depends greatly on how your small business ranks in the local search results. If your company is bricks and mortar and is located in Atlanta, Georgia, it does you no good to rank well in the search results in Eugene, Oregon.

Local SEO is the best way to drive qualified traffic to your small business, and a local small business SEO campaign driven by an SEO company is the best way to help you achieve maximum ROI. Consider these five local SEO tips that will help your small business dominate your local search engine listings.

Claim and Fill Out Your Google Places Listing

Google Places are business listings provided free of charge by Google. Claiming your small business' listing on Google Places is the first step, but doesn't mean you'll automatically be found by potential customers. One of the more important of our local SEO tips is for you to completely fill out your Google Places listing with your business' contact information, products and services, hours of operation and with supporting pictures of your products/services or portfolio of your work – and don't forget to choose the appropriate categories that your business falls into (i.e. Internet, marketing, etc.).

Consistently Post Your Information

The next one of our local SEO tips is to NOT be lazy! It is important to post all of your small business' data correctly and consistently on each business listing or directory that you join. Your information should include address, Website and phone number. Using consistent profile data on your business throughout the Internet makes you more relevant to the search engines and to potential customers.

If you want to boost your relevancy within your industry, it is important that you submit your Website and business information to as many business listings and search engines as you can. Consider creating profiles on Websites like Manta and LinkedIn. It is also useful to submit your website to niche directories and websites relevant to the theme of your Website.

Get Customer Reviews

If you do a good job, you should get credit for it! One of our great local SEO tips is for you to encourage your customers to post reviews on your local business listings or to offer testimonials that you can post on your Website. Pointing them to your Google Places, Yahoo or Bing business listings or your page on Yelp! to leave positive reviews not only improves your chances of landing a potential client who is reading your business listing, but also makes you more relevant to the search engines.

If you have less-than-desirable reviews on your listings, do not argue with customers over a bad review. Be friendly and professional if you decide to post in reply. Alternatively, you could hire a local marketing company to handle Online Reputation Management for your small business.

Have an Optimized Web Presence

Make sure your small business has a strong Web presence. Have a professional Web Design Company develop an attractive, user-friendly Website that features strong content and offers a full breadth of information on your products and services. The Website should be focused on conversions – have a prominent call to action and make it easy for site visitors to contact you.

Finally, the most important of our local SEO tips is to have your professional Web company develop a targeted local SEO campaign for your small business. Your local small business SEO campaign should focus on driving traffic from potential customers in your area. Your SEO Company will craft targeted keywords for your products or services that have geo-specific modifiers based on city, state and zip codes (i.e. gas station 30309).

These 5 local SEO tips can help drive more qualified traffic to your Website and help build your brand locally. For more information on Local SEO strategies, contact our Atlanta SEO Company.

In the Internet age where new businesses are popping up daily and competition is at an all-time high, businesses are trying to gain any advantage they have over their rivals. The most obvious place for businesses to target better brand visibility is online in the local search results. Getting the maximum amount of search engine traffic and being No. 1 in the local search results is the best way for businesses edge out the local competition.

How to increase search engine traffic to your business' Website isn't rocket science. The amount of information online that can be found on blogs about local SEO tactics and how to optimize a Website can be overwhelming. But the most critical aspect for business owners is to locate the right local SEO company to help guide them on how to increase search engine traffic to their Websites.

Local SEO campaigns are the best way how to increase search engine traffic from Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Local SEO focuses on geo-targeted areas that businesses are likely to gain customers from. Defining this target area and developing relevant, worthwhile content that will captivate the audience – and the search engines – is critically important to Local SEO and is how to increase search engine traffic.

This compelling content should be optimized for the search engines, using geo-targeted keyword phrases that relate to the business' products or services. For example, a residential roofing business located in Charlotte, North Carolina targeting local customers should focus its content on keywords surrounding Charlotte, such as: “charlotte roofing repair” , “residential roofers in charlotte nc”, or “roofers 28201” throughout the content and in the page title.

Using the appropriate amount of keyword phrases (keyword density) is also important for well optimized content and local SEO. The search engines are looking for keywords and variations of the keywords that users are searching for. Developing strong content that includes these keywords on the Web page can promote a jump in search engine rankings and in turn an increase in search engine traffic.

The last piece of the puzzle that will help us answer how to increase search engine traffic is to build relevant, quality links from high ranking Websites. Backlinks are the most influential catalyst in Local SEO campaigns. Getting these on-text backlinks from Websites with a PageRank of 4 or higher is optimal. These links will help the business' Website gain PageRank on their targeted keywords, and is a major contributing factor in how to increase search engine traffic to the site.

Creating a worthwhile press release and blasting it out to several PR mediums is a solid start for increasing brand visibility. Press releases can be powerful tools to help promote Local small business SEO campaigns – but only if they are properly optimized. Coupled with increased brand visibility, a well executed and well optimized press release can also generate something of potentially even greater value – higher search engine results for Local small business SEO.

Optimize Press Releases

In order to reap the profits of higher search engine rankings for local small business SEO, the following strategies should be used to optimize press releases.

1. Press release optimization can be compared to SEOing a page on a Website. Optimized press releases should include targeted keywords throughout the body text of the press release. Potential customers are searching for these targeted keywords, and by including them in your optimized press release, you're increasing your chances of your press release getting found by the search engines.
2. Structuring the press release with headers and utilizing strong and italics tags in the body copy is also a smart optimization tactic. Including your targeted keywords in the headers and applying a strong tag to a few usages of the targeted keywords in the body copy can also help promote relevancy for your press release for the targeted keyword terms.
3. Your small business will also want to Include on-text links either back to your own Website or to another authoritative voice on the topic. Including links in your optimized press release builds value for your release and can reward you with higher local small business SEO search engine results.
4. Include videos or images with your press release to increase relevancy. To capitalize on the local small business SEO angle, you should include targeted keywords in the file names and in the alt tags of the media being attached to the optimized press release.
5. Finally, don't be CHEAP! Settling for distribution of your optimized press release to non-paid sites isn't a good idea. These Free sites don't hold as much clout as the fee-based press release sites. The fee based press release distribution websites offer higher quality opportunities for backlinks and brand exposure than the free PR sites.

There are many opportunities to profit from distributing an optimized press release as part of a local SEO campaign for your small business. Back linking and brand impressions are two of the primary benefits that can help generate more traffic and sales for your Website.