Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a critical element toward getting found, indexed and more importantly ranked by the major search engines.  SEO is central to implementing Internet marketing for your small business website. This section is devoted to showing small business owners the importance of SEO for their small business website. Specifically, local search or local search marketing!

Search engine optimization (SEO) is generally broken down into two major categories; 1.) Onsite SEO and Offsite SEO.  This section will focus, if not exclusively then mostly,  on Onsite SEO.  There is good reason for this.  SEO is principally used to drive free, organic traffic to your small business website.  Our clients are most interested in finding local customers, so all they really need is local search marketing for local customers.  After all an attorney, a dentist or a plumber is not interested in attracting potential clients or customers from California.  We are located in the Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland area.  The key is getting targeted traffic to a small business website. That’s local search marketing! So, they need Local Search engine optimization.  If they don’t have a website, we build it.  However, if your business is located in California, we can help you with local search marketing as well!!

The point is, we don’t have to worry about national, or international search.  The focus is on local search! So, national or international search is not going to do any of us any good.  In fact, if our clients spend money on search engine optimization trying to do this, yet don’t need to, they are wasting their money.  The sad fact is, they don’t know they are doing it in a lot of cases.  There is a huge difference between local search and national or international search.  If, on the other hand, one of clients is selling products on an e-commerce website and they need a broader search, then national or international search is important.  Suffice it to say that this is not our focus.  But, if it were, Offsite SEO would prove valuable!

This is as good a place as any a word of caution to small business owners.  We’ve found that there are a lot of SEO companies and other services that do not understand local search.  Yet, they continue to try to sell their rather expensive search engine optimization services to small business owners… services that don’t distinguish between local and national search.  If you ever need a sounding board, consider us a resource you can call upon anytime for advice.  We are only a phone call away (301-752-5909)!

This is a great section for small business owners who do not have a lot of time nor the staff to use Internet marketing for their small business website; yet they want to get an appreciation for some of the things that make this whole process work so effectively!  We have chosen a fantastic video series produced by Manta.  Manta is a business networking website designed specifically for small business owners to grow their business through Internet marketing.  We register all our clients for a free Manta account.

Manta recently started a new and free video series on SEO.  We want to thank Manta for doing this great support work for small business.  These videos are part of the Manta Minute series.Plus, we devote an entire section to “Local Search Marketing” that offers you the most current trends and refined ideas on marketing your small business online using local search marketing.

Go to Understanding Keywords and What they Tell You

Related articles

• Local Search Marketing for Small Businesses(pbsmartessentials.com)

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• How to Google-Proof Your Small Business SEM Strategy(searchenginewatch.com)

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Square, Inc. manages more than $2 billion a year in credit card transactions made through mobile phones. Square, Inc. is a credit card-processing company co-founded by Twitter inventor Jack Dorsey. Square transactions primarily occur on a small plastic plug (see left picture), inserted into a smartphone’s headphone jack, through which people swipe credit cards.  Watch this short video on Square to see how it works!

The Quarter Salon Gets Paid With Square from Square on Vimeo.

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It’s easy to set up your business account with Square. Just visit Squareup.com and complete the registration process. You are encouraged to fill out information about your business: business name, address, phone number,etc.; and you can upload your business logo if you have one.  This information will be included on your customer’s receipt for payment.  Once, you complete the registration, Square will mail you your Square headphone jack.  Of course, you will also have to provide the routing number and account number for your business checking or savings account.

You will also need to download the applicable Square application for your smart phone.  Square will send you a link to download this application.  Or, you can find it at your application store.  For example, I use an Android.  So, I used the “Play Store” to download and install my application.  It’s easy!

The rates are reasonable particularly if you consider the convenience and timeliness of payments.  I used to only accept checks. It might take me a couple of days before I could get to the bank where I have my business account. And, as we all know, time is money. As you can see in this picture, there are no monthly fees or set-up costs. There is no limit to the number or amount of payment you can accept.  The application is free. The Square headphone jack is free and there is no shipping cost for the headphone jack.  Plus, you have access to the payment the next day.

Related Articles:

According to John Swartz, USA Today: Square has found a lucrative niche among small businesses and is becoming a go-to fixture for a variety of companies — ranging from those hawking quirky goods to vendors at local farmers’ markets. Even some Salvation Army bell ringers collect charitable donations via the Square Reader.

Read more about this new start-up company and its CEO in this New York Times article

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