SEO

Regulated search? I don’t think so.

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Just wanted to chime in quickly on today’s buzz-producing post on TechCrunch about the need to regulate search.

Admittedly, it is pretty amazing to think about the control that Google has over search. Without a transparent algorithm, they can seemingly do what they want and keep SEOs guessing. But does that mean we need regulation? I’d have to vote no for one big reason:

Regulation = getting the government involved as an overseer.

That definitely doesn’t sound good. While I’m sympathetic to the argument that Google wields too much power, there’s no way the government will be able to keep current with technology. If the IRS is still trying to figure out how to get all of their forms to go paperless, how can we expect such a massive organization to stay ahead of the curve in something like search? I just can’t see it working.

Picking the Best Domain for Your New Business

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We posted another free SEO tip to our Search Engine Resources section. This latest post covers the keys to picking the best domain name for a startup.

A lot of startups spin their wheels trying to think of the most creative or cool Web 2.0 name possible. The truth is that names like Google and Twitter are one-in-a-million. The safe play is to follow some basic SEO practices (discussed in the article) to help you pick the best (i.e. most valuable) domain for your business. This can mean the difference between starting from scratch or hitting the SEO ground running.

Be sure to check it out and be sure to read some of our other free tips about search engine optimization.

Submit Your Business to Bing Local Search

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Have all of you business owners out there noticed the buzz about Bing Local? Have you even tried it? If so, did your business appear in the search results?

The SEO experts want to debate whether Bing Local will ever surpass Google’s local search. Probably not. It would take an astronomical shift in search behavior. But that’s not to say that Bing Local doesn’t have some cool features that your customers might find appealing.

Regardless of whether or not you think it will ever become #1, there’s a quick SEO task that all business owners should be doing – submitting their sites to Bing Local.

It’s easy to do (takes less than 15 minutes) and it’s FREE. Basically, there’s no reason not to do it.

Here are the steps you’ll need to go through to get listed:

  1. Go to Bing Local’s Listing Center.
  2. Make sure you don’t already have a listing.
  3. Setup a Windows ID (If you don’t already have one)
  4. Enter your business info (description, tagline, specialties) as wells as contact info.
  5. Select as many as 6 categories in which you want your website listed (this is great for being associated with your top keywords). [SEE SCREENSHOT BELOW]
  6. Provide details about specific features of your business.
  7. Verify your location on a map.
  8. Submit

bingcategoriesWhether you know a lot about search engine optimization or not, this is a very simple process. When you weigh the potential of Bing Local, you can’t afford to ignore the possibility to gain additional qualified traffic.

Be sure to set a side a little time and get your business listed in Bing Local right away.

Free Search Engine Evaluation – Do it!

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A lot of business owners know they need help with search engine optimization, but they don’t know where to start.  The good news is that there are a ton of search engine optimization companies out there looking for clients.

A valuable way for both sides to feel each other out are free evaluations, just like the one we offer to potential clients.

A lot of companies with search engine optimization services will offer such an analysis to try and soften the sales process (because understanding the ins-and-outs of SEO can be difficult for biz owners)  and win your business.  My advice is to take them up on their offer. Where else can you get something for free?

The real value is the learning you get from it. The best SEO firms will give you a very clear snapshot of your current search situation and tell you how they think it can be fixed. Not only will you learn something about SEO, but you’ll get a good sense of the company’s ability to deliver.

I’ve seen many free SEO evaluations. A large percentage of them don’t do a good job of giving business owners a justification for their costs. Frankly, that’s probably because that search firm doesn’t know what they are doing.

So, if you are just warming up to the idea of hiring an SEO expert, do yourself a favor and take some search engine optimization companies up on their free offer. You’ll learn a lot about your website’s search engine needs and it will help you choose the right partner for your business.