Google-bots never looked so cool!

But what does all of this mean for you and your website? Well, the answer is simple: if you want the search engines to list you above the other sites on searches, you gotta’ make sure your site is showing what the gluttonous search engines are looking for. This is done by proving that your site is what you say it is and provides the best content possible for the end consumer. Unfortunately, the only way to prove this to the search engines is to have your website be what it says it is, and keep it that way. It usually takes six to twelve months, sometimes longer depending on what category your site fits in, for search engine marketing to really get you up there in the top search results. It’s just the nature of the beast, and the rules that we and everyone else has to play by.

The fact of the matter is that Search Engine Optimization takes time, as it is literally building trust with the search engines. Try to think about it as if you just got a new friend. It would take you a while before you really started to trust them. Trust, just like respect and companionship, takes time to build. The same holds true with the search engines. Before Google or Yahoo will trust your site, you have to prove that you deserve it.

That’s where search engine optimization (or, SEO for short) comes into play. By providing high quality content for the internet surfers, you can get yourself higher on the search engines, which is the whole point of SEO marketing. Don’t try to engineer your site just so you’ll get better rankings; it won’t work. The search engines are smart and can tell when someone is trying to dupe them. They respond to this by penalizing your site rankings, as well as possibly banning you from the engine. Imagine what being banned from Google would do to your online traffic…

Wow, look at that traffic!

So, basically, if you want to rank higher in the search engines, remember two simple facts:

1. It takes time for the search engines to crawl, categorize, and trust your site. You’re building a relationship with them and building a reputation for yourself with the largest entities on the web today.
2. If you’re patient, you’ll be rewarded. Be rash and cut corners, and you’ll get penalized, or worse, banned – which basically means death for your site.

Focus on the end user. If your site is geared towards the reader and not the search engine, you’ll find that you’ll start ranking better. After all, the search giants are categorizing and organizing the enormous amount of sites on the internet for the reader, not for themselves. They stay in business only if people use and trust them, and they do that by displaying sites they trust.

All in all, SEO services are important if you want to be found on the search engines. The whole process, however, takes time and patience. It isn’t a quick fix or something that can be magically done in just a few months. Typically, it takes six to twelve months to see results, and a year or two to really start seeing an ROI. And for all of you working on your SEO marketing, don’t give up! Your hard work will pay off, but it will only pay off if you keep with it. Don’t give up on the race half way through; you’ll regret it in the long run.

With countless businesses going green and utilizing paperless billing (including Web Editor’s Inc.!), we feel the time has come to do away with a wasteful dinosaur – the paper phone book. The majority of businesses today are listed online which is not only accessible via the web but on mobile devices as well. If we stopped using the monstrous amount of paper used for phone books each year, we could make a significant impact on the environment.  The phone book companies often use a tactic called “saturation distribution” which means you may get phone books even if you don’t have a land line.

If you are one of the millions of Americans who no longer use your phone book it’s time to opt-out, here are a number of methods:

• Fill out this form (http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/)
• AT&T/YellowPages (formerly SBC and Bell South):  1.800.792.2665
• Verizon (Idearc): 1.800.888.8448
• Dex: 1.877.243.8339
• Yellow Book: 1.800.373.3280 or 1.800.373.2324

If you do find that you would like a copy, you can simply call and request one, the decision to go paperless is not permanent.  What does this mean for your business? Here are some important facts:

• 43% of search engine users are seeking a local merchant to buy something offline.
• 54%   of search users have substituted Internet/search for the phone book (Source: comScore Networks)
• 73% of activity online is in one way or another is related to local content. (Google 5/07)

If your web site is not adequately listed for local search, your marketing may be out of synch with your customer’s habits. Contact us today to discuss our local or national online marketing packages.