It's hard to believe, but the time has finally come that the marketing tides have turned in favor of the small business. [1] At the dawn of 2010 a big wallet is no longer necessary to climb to the top. With a big brain and that great tool we call the internet, your small business can compete, even outdo, the big guys.

The internet has given the power to the consumer, and thus the way people purchase has changed. They don't need fancy commercials or ads shouting at them at every corner they turn. In fact, they've stopped listening because they know they can find the answer to their every want and need all by themselves on the internet. 

Most companies acknowledge the change has taken place, but few have taken appropriate action. Other companies have payed the big bucks and hired so called 'experts' to help them climb the google ladder and get in front of the consumer while they're surfing the web looking for the services/products their company provides. Reference [1]...A BIG WALLET IS NO LONGER NECESSARY! Save your money and opt for your brain instead. Your small business's website can climb Google's, Bing's, and Yahoo's ladder on its own. With some simple 'do it yourself' SEO, you can help your small business get found. The cost? Some time, effort, and brain power.

Keywords

What does your small business provide and what terms would prospects use to search for these products/services? It only makes sense that these are the words you should be using to describe what you offer. Optimize the content on your site around these terms..use them often and in many places: copy, descriptions, titles, in the h1 heading tags of each page on your site. If your small business makes mittens, don't title your page "stay warm." If someone is looking for mittens, they're not going to search "stay warm," but they will search "mittens." What makes your mittens special? Are they made of wool? If so, say so...this would be another keyword.

Blog

One of the easiest, best ways for your small business to start climbing is through a company blog. Create content that will get people talking and spreading the word about what you do. And don't forget to optimize this content around the keywords you want to be found for. Each blog post is like one more line in the water just waiting to be snatched up by hungry web surfing fish.

Link Building

Getting found and pushed up the search engine ladder is basically a popularity contest. It's important to get people talking about what your small business does. Take for example becoming popular in the offline world. It requires mingling and making your mark on people. You want people to remember you and keep coming back to you for advice, information, etc. Well the same goes for becoming popular and sought for advice and information on the internet. You need to mingle and offer remarkable conversation. And by this I mean commenting on other blogs, answering questions in forums, tweeting useful information, etc. And remember to always link this information back to your small business's site! The more remarkable conversations you're starting and joining online the better. You're getting your company's name out there as a great source, and people will start seeking your small business's site for what they're looking for. Become friends with the right people and get them linking to you, and you may find your Google rank takes a giant leap.

Bottom line, your company can do all of these things on their own. It may be a bit of a nuisance to make sure you're always optimizing content around keywords, and it may require a big time commitment to build links back to your site by starting and joining online conversations, but it will not only save you a ton of money by not hiring someone else to do it, it will help get your small business in front of the right people. Save your money and start accelerating sales with some simple 'do it yourself SEO.'

"What you don't know about SEO" - February 2010 | Entrepreneur.com

 HXCQ895ER2W8