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Top Ten Website Design and Marketing Tips and Tools
to Improve Your Local Business
ATAK Interactive is a Los Angeles SEO company focusing on improved online
marketing for local businesses. The top 10 local search engine marketing tip series
intends to help business owners better reach a local demographic using web sites
and tools on the internet. If you do not have a well coded website, get one. Then,
use these local search engine optimization tips along with other research because
this article alone will not cut it. This article is just a summary to follow, ATAK
Interactive will be releasing long detailed tips on each tips as a series.
Tip #1: Create Quality Content With Plenty of Keywords.
Search engines and customers use keywords and phrases to find your website.
Make sure you use plenty of the words you would like to be found for in the text of
your website. Website designers and owners should create plenty of pages that
display all of the content necessary to tell a search engine to show you as an
expert for your keywords. Take the time to look at your competitors' websites and
try and have at least as many pages as they do, if not more. One last important tip
for local search is to take every opportunity to put your location in your text.
Tip #2: Update Content Often With Local Information.
Take every opportunity to add new pages to your site which discuss local topics and
events. Search engines will see that you are discussing local events with local
keywords and move up your ranking as a local expert. Participate in local events
and get your company name on charity and community websites with links back to

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your websites. These types of links are invaluable and can only be acquired
through hard work and giving back to your community.
Tip #3: Use Available Resources - Some Recommendations and Examples
Provided
One of the best tools we have found to help promote websites locally is the Google
Business Tools suite. This amazing resource center allows website designers and
managers analyze, manage, advertise, and invest in a websites online presence.
Google has put most of their main business tools together in one location for easy
use and understanding at http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/services/var_2.html.
Check these website design resources out, read about them, and sign up for the
ones that apply to you.
Our Recommends:
•Google Website Optimizer
•Google AdWords
•Google Apps
•Google Webmaster Tools
•Google Base
•Google Local Business Center
Tip #4: Pay Per Click - Monitor Closely and Spend Wisely
If you can set up and optimize your pay per click campaign it can be very
successful and sometimes the results are amazing. That being said, we have
witnessed many different cases where Pay Per Click advertising has burned through
an entire budget in a couple of days. This can happen if you don't take the time to
read through the entire process before making your section. Use Local words in
your PPC campaign to save money by competing locally instead of globally.
Remember, spending money to make money is necessary, but spend wisely.
Tip #5: Local Search Engines: Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, Bing Local
This is an obvious and easy way to increase your local exposure. We have all used
a search tool that has given results with a map and indicator dots on related
business locations. If you would like to come up for these types of local searches,
carefully submit for these specialized location based results. The search engines
will often request some sort of verification through call back or traditional mail and
pin verification.

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Tip #6: Yelp!
Take the time to list yourself on Yelp and register your business. Make sure that
you spend the time on these postings that you would for any piece of marketing
material for your business. Yelp!, or websites like it, is sometimes the only chance
to give an impression you will have with a customer.
Be careful. These types of listings are double edged swords. If you don't maintain a
high standard of service and quality, this will also be the location that customers
will go to vent about their frustrations. These listings will also count as a quality
inbound link for search and is useful to increase your search ranking.
Tip #7: Chambers of Commerce
You should become members with at least one local chamber of commerce. This is
a great way to establish credibility and become a member of your local business
community. Once you have this membership, make sure that your listing on the
chamber website is a direct link to your website. Chambers of commerce are
considered to be local experts, and their link to you is a valuable one.
Tip #8: CitySearch
CitySearch is very similar to Yelp in that it is a popular local search engine. Make
sure that you spend some quality time explaining yourself and your business. You
should also make sure to check back and monitor your reviews often.
Tip #9: Press Release Services, Face book, and Twitter
Social Media and local publicity can be very important for local results. Make sure
to use locations and city information in your profile descriptions. Search engines
will look at social media websites, and if you do a good job of mentioning locale
search words with your search engine keywords, you will begin to see additional
results in the social media results sections of search engines.
Press releases can be the most important local marketing item a business can
employ. Implemented wisely, a well optimized press release or social media blast
can bring you first-page visibility for your keywords very quickly. Sometimes, you
can take over more than one spot on the first page of Google. These same items
used in their traditional roles of simple media notifications will get you nothing in
terms of search results, make sure your marketing and PR companies know what
they are doing. It could be hurting you.

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Tip #10: Mobile
Make sure you have some information available to mobile visitors. Your potential
customer can be right outside your door using their phone to decide weather of not
to come in. Having a mobile website can be very useful for those wanting a mobile
presence, but be prepared to pay for the cost of your website again in development
for mobile platforms. There are cheaper alternatives, so make sure to ask your web
developer or consultant.
Above is the Local Marketing Checklist from ATAK Interactive, a Los Angeles Web
Design company. All year, ATAK Interactive will release more detailed information
about each local SEO tip so their readers can further push their businesses above
competitors.
Another Useful Resources:
1.Top 10 Ecommerce SEO Checklist for Marketing Your Website
2.Retail Store Lessons to Apply to Your Ecommerce Website