5 Things you can do to increase your presence with search engines in 2009!

Let’s face it.  2008 was a bad year for most small businesses.  The few that figured out online marketing was inexpensive and effective were able to gain new customers, but for the most part, they were simply replacing customers they had lost due to economic slowdowns.

So, what can you do to make your self visible to potential customers in 2009 and beyond?  The first thing you need to do is make yourself visible to the search engines!  Here are 5 things you can do today, to increase your search engine presence, and in turn, increase the number of individuals that call you.

1) Search Engine Placement, or Sponsored Links, or Pay Per Click advertising.  PPC advertising is quick and can be extremely effective if managed properly.  While it is possible to set up your own campaign, we recommend having your SEP program handled professionally.  Keyword research, ad copy and budgeting are all very important to a successful campaign, and with money tight, a high ROI is important now, more than ever.  Check out our Search Engine Placement page for more info on this service.

2) Local Business Listings, often come up next to the map when a user is searching for a company or service.  These listings have quickly become worth their weight in gold, and if you work with them consistently, you can appear on the first page of the search engines, where your next customers are likely to find you.  Combine this with SEP, and you are approaching what we call total page domination.  The more times a potential customer comes across your name, the more likely it is that they will select you.  Customers of NeTraffic Management can request a white paper on tips & tricks for local business listings.  These are things you can do for free to boost your online image.  Contact us for more information.

3) Reviews, Reviews, Reviews.  There are many, many places online that potential customers can leave a review of your company.  Internet Based Phone Book Listings, Local Business Listings and hopefully your website are all places that you should be directing your happy customers towards to leave a review.  Fresh reviews help with search engine placement rankings and also add a human element to your listing.  Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to go to bat for you.  If they are happy, they will do it willingly!

4) Links to your site.  Take advantage of online directories, industry sites and other spots to link back to your website.  The search engines look at how many other links point to your site, and give you a bump in the organic search rankings for popular sites.  Another nice thing about links is that people will come accross them when looking at other sites, a big bonus for you when they click on the link and see what you have to offer!

5) Contact a professional for help or consultation.  The initial cost of obtaining a blueprint for online success is small when you consider the long lasting effects the work will have.  A well designed search engine marketing plan will have you in the right place online, for a long time. Existing customers will continue to find you, and new customers will now know you are there.

Total search engine presence is important to your business.  Without incredible presence, your business gets lost in the millions and millions of search results that overwhelm potential customers.  “If you’re not on the first page of Google, you might as well be on the last”.