Miami Internet Marketing | SEO | Josh Nelson

The Ultimate Online Marketing Checklist for LOCAL Business

Online Marketing, the practice of promoting your products and services via the Internet is a comprehensive topic that covers Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media, Online Video and many other avenues for exposure. With all of the information available about Internet Marketing it can be very difficult figure out where to start and what things you can do that will actually have an impact on your online marketing efforts as it relates to your local business. To help you get started I have put together a checklist of what I feel are the most imperative things you can do that will have the quickest and most tangible impact on your visibility online for your local business.

• Claim your local listings on the major sites (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yelp, 4Squared, Best of the Web, City Search, Angie’s List).
• Set up a fan page on Facebook and a Twitter Account.
• Set up a blog on your site (www.your site.com/blog) and create a new post for each of your most frequently asked questions. ***Tip – push those posts out via your Facebook & Twitter account.
• Update the “title tag” on each of your website pages & make each title unique. ****Tip – use localized / keyword rich titles (E.G. “Miami Body Shop – Jorge’s Body Shop”, “Fort Lauderdale Roofer – Academy Roofing”). Click here to learn more about my SEO Strategies for Local Business.
• Make sure that your full company name and address are listed at the bottom of each page of your site along with a “text link” navigation structure.
• Create a simple video about your services & upload it to YouTube. *** Tip – Title the YouTube Video with those same localized / keyword rich keywords.
• Get Links! Be sure that you have a link to your site from any and all associations that you belong to (E.G. Trade Association, Chamber of Commerce, Networking Groups, etc).
• Set up a pay-per-click account on the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing).

If you take care of these simple items your local presence will be more optimized than 99% of the sites in your market and you will start to see Your Company dominate the web in your area for what you do. If you would like to learn more about my SEO Strategies for Local Business click here.

Of course, if you need help or have any questions you can give me a call any time 786-325-6761.

As an Internet Marketing Consultant I help South Florida Businesses evaluate their marketing strategy as a whole and implement online marketing initiatives that drive increased sales activity and revenue.

You can reach me directly at 786-325-6761 or via email josh@joshnelsonimc.com.

Below is a video recording of my thoughts on Local SEO – Search Engine Optimization.

Key Actionable Ideas:

• Title Tag – Update your Title Tags with Localized Keywords E.G. “Miami Dentist | Your Company Name | Dr. John Doe”
• H1 Tag - Be sure that you have an H1 Tag with your Localized Keywords E.G. “Your Miami Dentist”
• Meta Description & Meta Data – Use your keywords here but make sure your description makes sense to human readers
• Body Text – Use your keywords early in the Body of your website
• Anchor Text – Add your primary keyword and hyper link it to your homepage in the body & footer (if possible). E.G. – Miami Internet Marketing (This is anchor text back to my homepage www.joshnelsonimc.com)
• Site Map – Create a sitemap and submit it to Google, Yahoo & Bing.

Remember that the suggestions listed above are all related to “On The Page Optimization”. They are the foundation for good SEO but the real trick is getting inbound links. Getting inbound links or “Off The Page Optimization” accounts for more than 70% of your actual placement in the Search Engines. He who has the most credible links gets top placement.

Give me a call or shoot me an email if you have any questions. You can email me at josh@joshnelsonimc.com or call me directly at 786-325-6761.

This is a video recording of me talking you through the process of claiming your local map listing on Google, Yahoo & Bing.

Below you will find a step-by-step guide for checking, claiming & managing your Local Business Listings on Google.

1. Go to http://www.Google.com/places

2. Click on Create an account or Log-in using your Google Username & Password

3. Enter all of the necessary contact information

4. Then click on “List your business”

5. Enter your phone number so that Google can determine if you already exist in their database

6. If your company comes up, click “Edit” if it doesn’t, click “Add New Listing”

7. Fill in all of the necessary information

• Update Your Company Name to Read “Company Name – Core City + Main Service) – E.G. Heights Roofing – Miami Roofing Contractor” E.G. Reserve Dental Group – Boca Raton Dentist”
• Add your Website Address – This will create an important inbound link
• Upload PHOTOS – AS MANY AS POSSIBLE – Use personal Photos – Pictures of yourself (the owner), Pictures of Your Staff, Pictures of the Office, Pictures of Your Trucks, Your Logo, Coupons, Pictures of your work. People Connect & Resonate With People. Leverage that in your Map Listing
• Upload a Video if you have one (If you don’t – Get one made!)
• List your hours of operation & services offered

Press Submit

8. You will be asked how you want to confirm your listing – via Phone or Postcard.

• ALWAYS CHOOSE PHONE. It is much faster & will ensure that your complete the process
• The Postcard Option takes 2-3 weeks

 9. You will receive a call from Google’s automated system immediately. The automated system will provide you with a 5 digit code

• Make sure you or someone is available to answer the Office Line listed in your map listing.

10. Enter that code on the next screen & press “GO” in order to activate your listing

You will see a confirmation page indicating that you have successfully activated your listing.

That’s it! You have completed the 10 steps to claiming & setting up your Google Map listing on Google Places.

Here is what your Google Places Account Admin Area will look like once you are complete:

Here you will be able to edit your listing, add a coupon & check our your Google Places Page Stats 

• How many people are pulling up your Google Places Page
• What are they searching to get to you
• How many of them are clicking to your site, etc

Here is what you Google Map Listing will look like on Google once you are Complete

• Look for the “Business Owner Verified” check box in the top right corner
• GET REVIEWS – Getting reviews has been proven to increase placement in the map listing

Feel free to give me a call at 786-325-6761 or shoot me an email at josh@joshnelsonimc.com if you get stuck of if you have any questions. To learn how to Improve Your Placement on the Google Map click here. You can learn more about my Local SEO Strategies by clicing here.

As an Internet Marketing Consultant I help South Florida Businesses significantly improve their sales and revenue performance by effectively marketing online via Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, MSN, etc), Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, etc) and other internet platforms.

I have a passion for sales & marketing as well as a burning desire to help business owners accomplish their goals. During my initial meeting with potential clients I provide them with value that they will benefit from whether they decide to do business with me or not:

• Educate them from a high level on internet marketing, how search engines work, local search marketing and new methods for driving sales opportunities and revenue to their local business that they may have never even considered.
• Provide them with an overview of the monthly / daily search volume for their products & services within their service areas. Most of my clients are floored to see how many people are actually searching for their services here in the South Florida Market.
• Show them how they could be tapping into these local searches to drive increased sales revenue.
• I personally configure their company listing with Google to ensure they are properly registered to appear in the “Local Map Based Searches“.  According to Google, 90% of local businesses have not completed this process and as result they are missing out on a significant opportunity.
  

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss your marketing initiatives and explore the possibilities of working together. You can reach me at 786-325-6761 or via email josh@joshnelsonimc.com to schedule a Free one-on-one Consultation.

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