Effective Google Local Search Strategies in Online Marketing

admin    Google Optimization     Effective, Google, Local, Marketing, Online, Search, Strategies

Effective Google Local Search Strategies in Online Marketing

Business owners are always looking for new ways to let their customers know that they exist and to offer their products and services to new customers. Placing posters, dropping flyers or even going to the cost of organising a local billboard may give you an edge over your competitors but is unlikely to be as effective, or profitable, as local online marketing.

It is a reality that most businesses start small and local. Few businesses are backed from start-up with large amounts of capital. Therefore organic growth is something that most business owners will have to oversee themselves. Historically few marketing channels have afforded business owners the ease of entry and cost effectiveness of owning and marketing a website. If you are a small business owner, you should hire an Australian web design company that will help promote your business locally. Consider starting your online marketing campaign in your immediate locality and maximise Google’s various online tools to boost your website’s local search potential. Even if you cater to a national or international audience you are likely to have significant competitive advantages in serving local customers at the beginning.

Unlike typical search engine optimisation, local search is different and relies on a different range of factors when determining which sites should rank highly in search engines like Google and Yahoo! For instance optimising your Google Places listing and thereby undertaking local search optimisation will require you optimising for a different range of factors than traditional SEO.

Google Maps Optimisation

Every time you search for a product or service within a geographical location you are likely seeing a small Google Map that highlights relevant businesses offering the service in the area. Indeed on some searches Google is now determining where you are located and showing local service providers regardless of your search query. By optimising your website for local search via Google Maps and Google Places you are more likely to tap into customers searching for your business type in your geographical location.

Google AdWords Management

Using Google AdWords’ keyword search tool will help you choose the appropriate keywords that will help put your business website at the top of paid local search results. In local search, you have to anticipate what your customers will type in the Google search bar when they are looking for the products and services that they want. When selecting keywords to target for your local search campaign, it is advisable to look at queries where geographic location is included. This will result in the highest quality customers and the lowest cost per click.

Google Places

Consider Google Places (formerly Local Business Centre) as a local business directory, a city map, and an advertising space rolled into one. You need to maximise Google Places’ untapped potential to grow your online marketing campaign. When developing your businesses listing you need to be careful to enter all of the data that Google requests. Google loves to see a local businesses engaging with it. As Google only provides broad categories, use specific phrases that best describe your business. Rather than entering only one category eg “builder,” enter numerous, “construction” , “residential builder”, “attic extensions” etc. Provided these are all real categories Google will reward the fact you are interacting with one of its key platforms. Most importantly, you have to verify your Google Places profile because it helps prove that the business establishment listed in Google Maps is yours.

Third-Party Site Citations

A citation is a reference of your business in third-party sites like Yellow Pages, Trip Advisor, and other online directories. Important business information from these sites include business name, address, phone number, and even product information, are cross-referenced by local search spiders to help complete your Google Places profile. In this way, a prominent presence in these supporting providers will help raise your standings in Google local search results.

An effective Google local search strategy is important for your online marketing campaign to attract prospective customers, develop your overall local presence and of course to slowly build your online exposure.

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Top Adsense Tips And Strategies

admin    Google Optimization     Adsense, Strategies, Tips

Top Adsense Tips And Strategies

Google Adsense has made a huge impact on internet advertising and it is not short of being a revolution. The fact that more and more people are using Adsense today is the proof of its success. It is a concept that can provide businesses, small and large with a good ROI and generate targeted traffic by creating a high visibility over the internet.

You should start applying Adsense if you have been losing money instead of gaining in any kind of affiliate programs. Google through its Adsense service is providing high quality and relevant ads, which match up to the content on your website. To add to this is the search engine, which will take care of most of the searching. Another salient point is that you will not have to spend too much time choosing various types of ads for your website pages. Google’s Adsense process makes it easy for you because it doesn’t involve codes like it is the case for several affiliate programs.

Adsense Tips

AdSense is something on the lines of a set and forget arrangement thanks to the state-of-the-art technology used by Google. Here are some strategic tips of what to do with Google Adsense and what not to do with it.

1. While working on Adsense, you should try and avoid default settings, instead work towards customizing your ads.

2. When you are writing the content, think about your reader and then target your content through Adsense.

3. One mistake that most businesses or people make is looking at AdSense as a competitor; instead you should look at it as a partner that is going to help generate revenue for your business and create visibility over the internet, and in fact provide you with a winning edge over your actual competitors.

4. You need to position the ads correctly. This is highly important if you want to profit you’re your Adsense campaign. You need to place your ads where you feel there is a higher probability for people to see it.

5. With Google, you can place three instances of AdSense code per page. You should use this to your advantage but remember you need to also bring a variety to the implementation.

6. If you have implemented the code on your Adsense ads then refrain yourself from clicking on the ad. Note: Google is extremely sensitive to click fraud.

7. One of the things that many people try is game the system. Google is aware of most of the things or tricks that people apply and is notorious for pursuing people caught doing a click fraud.

Here is a list of Don’ts:

1. Don’t try to implement your AdSense code in a palce where people won’t be able to see it.

2. There are many people who try to offer incentive to visitors so that they click on the AdSense ads. This is a no-no!

3. Never beg people to click on your ad

4. Never place your AdSense ads on empty pages.

Making money from the Rates

The Google Adsense ads can be easily customized, which is one of the reasons for its popularity. They can also be placed anywhere on your web page but it is always advisable to place them where people will be able to see them and click on them. You can always experiment a little with themes & colors and of course the placement but you should never go overboard. Too much of experimentation can kill the main purpose.

But before you can start with Google Adsense, you need to be aware of the rates, which can vary. Your Adsense strategy should revolve ideally around the rates because you will receive your payments per click and it will all depend on how much you are willing to pay per click to place an advertisement using AdWords. The minimum that advertisers pay is around 5 cents and it can go to as much as , and even more. For example: lawyers are paying around for using the keyword mesothelioma.

You can sign up for your Adsense account by clicking on the below mentioned URL: https://www.google.com/adsense/

Top Strategies And Tips To Optimize My Site For Google

admin    Google Optimization     Google, Optimize, Site, Strategies, Tips

Top Strategies And Tips To Optimize My Site For Google

Do you want to optimize your site for Google? Optimizing your site is a very good idea. There are certain tips which can help you to be successful in your venture. There are lots of people who think that it is quite tough to bring your website to the number one position in google.

But it is not at all difficult if you know the right strategies. With the help of these strategies in google you will be able to attract a lot of traffic for your website.

The traffic will grow as the number of people who is online increases. There are certain things that you need to keep in your mind. If you want to know how to optimize my site for google the first thing you need to decide about is the search engine.

You must decide whether you want your search engine to be google or something else. The second factor which is very important in case you want to know how to optimize my site for google is how frequently the website is updated.

If you do not update your website then it will automatically be removed from the first position in google. You need to update your website more than once every year. The more you update the website the more google will respond to the offer you give them.

Other than this you must also make sure that the content which is posted in your website is of top quality. If the content is not up to the mark then google might reject your offer.

So always try to pay special attention to the content. The content must be attractive and it must be of great interest to the users. Other than this web search engine optimization also has some more requirements. The other essential things are the internal as well as the external links.

The link must have the keywords that the text in the page has. These will act as the links and will help in search engine improve. After this you must be careful about the keywords that you use in the articles.

The keywords must always be popular so that it matches the requirement of the search engine. This will also help in website optimize. Now you might have found certain answers to how to optimize my site for google. The next essential thing is the back link.

Make sure the link is clickable and when the user clicks it he will be directed to your website. So follow these tips and strategies to make sure that win the number one position in the search engine organic. Content marketing is also a great way to increase traffic for the site.

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Internet Marketing Strategies- Highly Effective Ways for You

admin    Twitter     Effective, Highly, internet, Marketing, Strategies, Ways

Internet Marketing Strategies- Highly Effective Ways for You

Marketing strategies have become very popular in the internet. If you have a website and want to sell some product or service, just sitting will not fetch you any customers. There are special Internet marketing strategies which will help you to make a good income, invite more customers.

However a lot of these methods have been used and overused with time. As such they have reached their saturation level and there one needs better, more unique ways to reach their target customers.

Top Internet marketers use the following approaches to build a successful business. These ways had been carefully guarded up until now when we have decided to finally reveal them to you!

Target

This is the most important part of Internet marketing. No matter which tool you use, you should first select your target customers. This will help you to have a clear guideline and help you save tons of money on advertising.

Marketing materials are best used when they are customized for specialized needs. You can increase your Return on Investment by focusing on different niches. Your marketing strategies aimed to potential customers form different markets will help you in making the best out of your advertising.

Advertising

This can be done in several forms and packages such as Google AdWords, article marketing or twitter marketing. But all of these will be successful only when you have a “compelling” offer in your ads. You can offer free promotional items or more information related to the industry whose products you are selling.

In the second case, article marketing is the best resource. It provides information and at the same time fetches money for the articles you have written. Then it also attracts potential customers to your site. Your articles should generate more curiosity and hence more website traffic.

When the website traffic has increased, you can include in a certain bonus or discount that will instigate people to buy your package!

Contact Information

If you want to market your products to the customers, make sure that you collect their contact information the first time they visit your site. A lot of sites have been able to increase their sales by 50% simply by following up on the users who requested information in the first place but did not buy anything.

Add Something More

It is easier to sell new things to old customers than find new customers. One of the formidable marketing visions therefore is to try and create new products which you can build up with your existing products and then offer them to your customers. The best way to get hold of these new products is through Affiliate links. They provide great marketing tools to sell your product.

These are some of the unique marketing strategies that will help you to sell your online product or service.

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Simple Basic Twitter Marketing Strategies You Can Apply Immediately

admin    Twitter     Apply, Basic, Immediately, Marketing, Simple, Strategies, Twitter

Simple Basic Twitter Marketing Strategies You Can Apply Immediately

Twitter has become part of our social routine to update, share information and use as a tool to announce an idea, opinion, thought, experience, share news and to open up, giving the receiver the chance to join into the ‘conversation’. So, it is an effective way to get a stream of traffic to your primary online business, but you need to tweet the right marketing strategy.

Searching through the Twitter search allows you to find ‘niche’ prospects by keywords which are related and you can follow. Tweeting about specific topics and exchanging thoughts also closes the gap between you and your prospect. But pitching too early in any social media arena, even in Facebook can turn people off quickly, so you need to establish the right identity first.

Be transparent when you introduce yourself, share your personal thoughts, opinions, goals and life aspirations. When you open up to others and say who you really are, people begin to let their guard down and connect with you on a personal level. It is due to human nature that we truly connect with an inner person, not just their facade. It is about your personal branding and social personality that will link you to others.

Tweet funny moments during your day or perhaps share a joke with others, after all humor is a great way to break the ice. Tweet a contagious Youtube video and start a conversation perhaps. Twitter is also a place where people ‘lounge and relax’, not a place where everything is all about being professional. So, feel free to tweet what you think is crazy.

Posting powerful quotes is another great way to project the ‘thinker’ in you. It sets a positive image and portrays you as a ‘leader’ which will motivates others to follow you. Quotes could be written by famous figures or you can write your own quotes that you truly believe in.

Be charming when you deal with people. Treat them the same way you would want them to treat you. Being polite goes a long way towards establishing a good connection with people.

Also, do not be afraid to express your views and let others see the way you are, but do so diplomatically. After all, keeping an open mind by letting others know there is an alternative point of view, may in fact, win more people over to your way of thinking.

Finally, whatever you do, never be pushy to your prospect. The more you ‘push’, the more they will be pushed away. Be interested and curious in what others say. Engage them in a circle of conversation. Listening is also golden. By listening you will better understand and develop a greater insight into your prospect.

Using Twitter as a tool to draw in your prospect and market your primary online business should be fun and effective. What’s more, it is free and easy to meet new people this way, not to mention, be ethical and practical.

Here’s tweeting to your success!

“SPAM your followers and you will lose them!”

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Twitter Marketing Strategies Revealed – How You Can Begin Marketing With Twitter

admin    Twitter     Begin, Marketing, Revealed, Strategies, Twitter

Twitter Marketing Strategies Revealed – How You Can Begin Marketing With Twitter

Twitter has become huge in the social networking world, and you need to use it to your advantage and draw customers into your business. It is a powerful marketing tool no matter what niche you are in. You can become a big player online simply by using the power of twitter to grow your list of followers.

Lets take Twitter in stages, and consider the benefits of each to you.

THE BASICS OF SETTING UP YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT

When you get your Twitter account you then have to create an attention grabbing profile, which is easier than it sounds as Twitter is happy to let you customize your profile. You only get one line for your bio, so you have to make it count. Other than the messages you post for others to read (these are called Tweets, by the way) your one line bio is what others will judge you on. Your bio is 160 characters (tweets are 140)

ADDING A PHOTO TO YOUR ACCOUNT

It is always best to use your own photograph or your company logo. People always relate better with a photograph of a human face. Frankly a business logo does tend to give the impression that you are only there to sell.

CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE PICTURE FOR THE BACKGROUND OF YOUR ACCOUNT

To really stand out from the crowd, you would do well to choose an image for your twitter account background. It can really be helpful in advertising your company. You can either search for free backgrounds on the web, or pay for professionals to create one for you, the cost will increase depending what you are looking for, but it will be worth it if marketed correctly.

HOW TO GET AND GROW YOUR NUMBER OF TWITTER FOLLOWERS

Followers are vital to your success. If you know anyone that is already on twitter get them to follow you. Get your Twitter account url out there for all to find! Put it in any emails you send. Making your twitter account sound interesting will be the best way of growing follower numbers.

Another tactic to use is to watch your competitors. Learn from them as they work in the same areas as you, and improve your own tweets accordingly. In addition to improving your own tweets you can get some of their followers to follow you.

If you tried following those that are following your competition, they will probably follow you back, as they have already demonstrated an interest in whatever niche you are in.

WHAT RE-TWEETING IS AND HOW IT CAN HELP YOU

Re-tweeting is when you re-post a message another user has already posted. Only tweet the things that you like and the things that you think your followers will like. You are simply sending out the original message again and improving your chances of attracting new followers with information that has already been considered worthy of sending out by your competition (thats right – re-tweet your competitors tweets). To do a re-tweet, click on the word retweet which is displayed next to a message when your mouse pointer hovers over it. When it asks if you want to retweet it, click on yes, and then you are done.

MORE ON RETWEETING

It is of benefit to all when you retweet a message you see on twitter. Both the original poster of the message and yourself will gain from the additional coverage of the tweet, and so will all those who read the tweet and like the content of it. Even if you do not get your messages re-tweeted by those you re-tweet for, it is of little importance. You are improving your chances of this happening whilst doing so, and gaining from the additional advertising of the message all the time. Your only concern is in finding messages to re-tweet that are in a related niche to your own.

Retweeting will give you much added value and exposure to your own Twitter page, provided you only retweet quality content. Never retweet any old rubbish you find simply to get yourself seen more often, and do not send out tweets whose only intention is in getting visitors to your sales pages.

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Twitter Marketing Strategies – Are These 4 Mistakes Costing You Money?

admin    Twitter     Costing, Marketing, Mistakes, Money, Strategies, These, Twitter

Twitter Marketing Strategies – Are These 4 Mistakes Costing You Money?

Twitter is an extremely popular and lucrative social networking site and is a great tool in your fight for traffic. Millions of people are now using twitter to converse on many different subjects all around the world, constantly. But before you start marketing on Twitter there are some mistakes that could cost you money if you dont avoid making them yourself.

1. Not using your own picture on your profile.

Although some twitter users do not use their own picture, they are missing out on potential followers because a real picture helps people connect with you and makes a good impression. Your own face on your profile allows others to know that you are a real person, not just a business trying to make money online.

2. Automatically sending direct messages to new followers that are sales messages.

This guarantees you will lose followers as quickly as you gained them. Only ever send out friendly, welcoming direct messages and not the type that tries to get your new follower to immediately buy something you are selling. It always puts people off, very few follow the link ion the message, and worse you might be losing followers by doing this.

It is possible that some will follow the link and purchase your product, but consider the overall cost of all those followers you have just lost. You get sick of salesmen, and so do your twitter followers, so dont be just another salesman. Instead just send a message that thanks them for following you.

3. Trying to get lots of followers without anything decent to post.

It is going to take you some time to grow your list of followers, so you have to be patient. You will not get many followers when all you are posting is that you are looking forward to using twitter, and those types of messages. If you have nothing of value to post yourself than simply retweet the valuable content of your niche market competitors. This is a great way of getting visitors to your profile, as people always like to see who is retweeting. Try and get yourself included in a discussion of others within your market.

4. Never send out one sales tweet after another.

If all you ever do is advertise your business all the time, without posting any other content type, then your followers will quickly get tired of this and stop following you. Think about this, why would anyone want to follow someone who only ever sells stuff and has nothing else of interest to say?

Twitter is for humans, not computers, so be friendly and do not over promote your business. Limit sales or advertising tweets to 10% of tweet content and keep the rest educational and informative. Try and post content that you would like to see yourself if the roles were reversed.

Although all this is mostly common sense, there are some twitter marketing strategies which are more complex, and perhaps best left to professional marketing automation products. These are not free, but the professional can see how to recoup such marketing expenditure in minutes when these twitter marketing strategies are in use.

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Twitter Marketing Strategies For Your Online Business

admin    Twitter     business, Marketing, Online, Strategies, Twitter

Twitter Marketing Strategies For Your Online Business

Are you aware of the amount of targeted traffic available at Twitter?

The immense growth of social media sites, just like Twitter, have definitely attracted the attention of internet marketers. It’s official – Twitter is now one of the world’s most favorite destination to network and communicate about anything under the sun. For search engines, Twitter means fresh news and content – 24/7. That’s why the IM crowd is finding so much success at Twitter. The other reason why this social hangout place proves to be an attraction for online marketers is because of the high quality traffic. All online marketers know there are more opportunities for successful conversions with higher targeted traffic. Twitter marketing is really all about doing business with friends and people you know. In a moment we’ll discuss a few Twitter strategies for marketing and finding higher targeted traffic generation.

One of the most reliable ways to get the most out of your Twitter marketing campaign is to establish yourself. You can easily build a presence at Twitter by walking around, following, getting followed, and interacting. Before you rush into it, first you’ll need to know some Twitter basics. Before you promote your business at Twitter, it’s advisable to just go there and hang out a little. You can’t just rush in and start promoting – big mistake. This way, you’ll not only establish yourself but will also gain respect with the other users. If you go out there and start promoting straight away, you’ll be labeled as a spammer, which you definitely don’t want. So it’s always important to know your priorities before you take any action.

The core concept of Twitter marketing success is interacting with the community. You need to interact with the community to attain your goals; you can’t be all business. Twitter allows people to connect with each other, so sending sales messages to your followers one after another will make them un-follow you and get off your list. This doesn’t mean that you can’t send any offers; of course you can, but make sure they form only a small percentage of all the tweets you’re sending. Try and keep them under 10 percent. All the rest of your tweets need to give back to the community by providing helpful information. It is vital that you regularly tweet once you begin marketing on Twitter. Your followers will see that you are active.

Twitter has rapidly emerged as one of the most influential and widely used online platforms. If used properly, the influence of Twitter can singlehandedly bring your online marketing to new heights. Just keep in mind that you need to stay ethical when you’re dealing with people on Twitter or else it can harm your reputation.

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Search Engine Optimization: 11 Basic SEO Strategies for Beginners

admin    Google     Basic, Beginners, Engine, Optimization, Search, Strategies

Copyright (c) 2008 OnlineBizU.com

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process getting your website ready to be found in organic webs searches. By organic searches, I’m referring to web searches that appear naturally as the result of a search for a particular keyword or phrase, rather than appearing in the sponsored links (pay-per-click advertising) section of a search page.

Frankly, for the first few years I was online, the thought of doing my own SEO made my eyes cross, and I was overwhelmed at where to start. I even toyed with the idea of hiring a specialist to do this for me, but never got around to it. However, over time, I slowly began to see a pattern emerging, and started to optimize some of my sites accordingly. One of the best days of my business was when I recently ranked #1 for a particularly competitive search term.

I’m not a search engine optimization (SEO) specialist, nor do I play one on TV. However, even a new business owner who creates and updates her own websites can implement some very basic SEO strategies to make her website appear higher in the organic rankings on certain keyword searches.

Here are the 11 strategies that I regularly implement on my sites for better SEO positioning:

1. Page title tags. This is the page information that you see in the blue bar of your browser in the upper left-hand corner when you visit a website. For best SEO, use your top 2 keywords in your title tag. The best way to do that is separated with a bar, as illustrated in this example: Internet Marketing | Web Marketing.

2. Domain name: If at all possible, use one primary keyword in your domain name. You will have a slight edge over your competition by doing so. If you already have a domain that you have used for some time, include a keyword in the name of files for your website pages. Example: http://www.yoursite.com/internet-marketing.htm if your keyword is Internet marketing.

3. Meta tags. These are descriptions on a web page that are not seen by most visitors except when looking at the page source code in their browser. While the keyword and description metatags used to be the primary way that search engines indexed sites, that is no longer the case. However, you shouldn’t ignore them entirely, as it is still worthwhile to include them as a part of your page description. For optimal SEO, your meta description and keyword tags should be no more than 150 characters each.

4. Header tags. Header tags are the HTML code that indicates a headline, like H1, H2 and H3 and show up as bolded headlines in your page content. The first 3 header tags are the only ones you need to be concerned about, and the primary header tag, H1, is the most important. Use your primary keyword one time in the H1 tag, 2-3 times in your H2 tags, and multiple times in your H3 tags.

5. Alt image tag: The alt tag typically describes an image in a floating text window when you put your mouse over the image if the image isn’t able to be displayed. The best use of any tag is to use your keywords in your image descriptions.

6. Content formatting. Search engines pay attention to formatted content, as in when text is bolded, italicized, and underlined. Make sure that you are bolding your keywords in the content of your website.

7. Keyword density. Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword or keyword phrase appears on a web page. Rather than trying to focus on the number of times a keyword appears in the content of your page, aim for a more natural density by keeping your keyword phrases in mind as you write the copy for your page. Optimally, keyword density should be between 2% – 7%. There are a number of keyword density checkers available online to assist you with determining the keyword density of a page.

8. Anchor text. Anchor text refer to links on a page that connect your visitor to other pages. So, rather than telling someone to “click here” in the content of your page, include a keyword in your anchor text, as in “click here for dog training tips.”

9.. Inbound links. Reciprocal link exchange (you link to my site and I’ll link to yours) used to be a great way to attract the attention of search engines to your site. Now, search engines pay attention only to the quality and popularity of the site providing you with an inbound link that is not a reciprocal link. One of the best ways to get quality inbound links back to your site is to submit articles to high traffic article directories and submit press releases to paid press release services.

A second way to gain high quality inbound links is by listing your site in search engine-friendly directories in which humans review the listings. Google and other search engines place more credibility in the directories in which the listings are reviewed by real people than they do other kinds of directories. Consequently, these links are weighted more heavily and favorably in the inbound link evaluation process.

10. New content. Content is still king, so one way to increase your page rank for a search term is to write high quality articles containing one or two of your keywords in the title and posting those regularly (weekly is best) to your site. Search engines are always seeking good, fresh, content, so your goal should be to make your site into an information-rich resource for your industry.

11. Site maps. There are sitemaps that help a visitor navigate a site, and sitemaps that are expressly designed for the search engines. The two are not the same. To enhance your site, submit an xml sitemap to Google Webmaster Central and Yahoo Site Explorer. I use XML Sitemaps, http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/, to build search engine-friendly sitemaps on my sites.

Search engine optimization strategy is not a difficult as it appears. Take some time to do some keyword research for your site, and then spend another 15 minutes a day employing a few of these strategies until you have a well-optimized site. Why pay for visitors through pay-per-click advertising if you don’t have to?

Top 3 Google Linking Strategies of 2008

admin    Google     2008, Google, Linking, Strategies

To get the best ranking results on Google you need to use the best linking strategies. With so many methods to choose from, this is easier said than done. Fortunately, the information in this article can take you through everything you need to know to have hundreds of top quality inbound links in no time flat!

First let’s start with getting inbound links from directories. A link from a directory gets a lot of weight from Google because they value it as a form of endorsement. You’ve probably used some directories yourself, like Yahoo. Or maybe you’ve used some without even knowing it, like The Open Directory Project (DMOZ.org) that powers many of the most popular search engines, including Google!

Each directory is different and offers different options for obtaining links to your site. Here’s a rundown of how different directories will link to your site…

1.) Free Submission: Just like it sounds. No charges for inclusion. DMOZ.org is the best one and powers Google, AOL and even Yahoo Search (not Yahoo directory.) Just be sure to follow their submission guidelines and pick the most appropriate sub category possible for inclusion. This is extremely important.

2.) Paid Submissions: They charge a fee to review the submitted link and possibly list the page. You might pay a few dollars one time, a recurring annual fee or as much as the $300 that Yahoo charges for commercial site review.

3.) Reciprocal Link: These usually require you to link to the directory before they will even consider linking back.

4.) Featured Link: Your link gets a premium spot that you pay for.

5.) Featured Homepage Link: This is a featured link on the homepage. As you’ve probably guessed, this can get real expensive.

Yahoo is easily the most popular (and most expensive) but it’s not the best. It’s been my experience that a free listing with DMOZ.org is worth more than a paid listing with Yahoo. Even though Yahoo is more popular as a directory that people actually visit, DMOZ is much more popular with search engines and carries a lot of weight. A “vote” from DMOZ is a big deal indeed.

Here are the five top directories offering free listings. Some even offer inexpensive expedited listing services or featured listings:

1.) dmoz.com

2.) directoryvault.com

3.) domaining.in

4.) getlistedrightnow.com

5.) visitalink.com

There’s a site that keeps an updated list of directories, but not all are free. You have to visit each to see if there is any cost. Go to http://www.topwebsitetips.com/FreeLinks-Directories.aspx and scroll down to the drop down box at the bottom of the page. Select your desired Google PR and search. If you want to avoid getting niche directories in the results, check the “General Directories Only” box after your first return set and rerun the search.

As a second option, you can also consider paying a submission service to get your site listed in the major directories. There are plenty that will do it for a reasonable fee. Just be sure they do the following three things:

1.) Manual submission only

2.) Verify that your site is not already listed

3.) Provide proof of submission (usually screen captures)

Just search Google for “directory submission service” and you’ll get plenty of options. I’ve used http://www.seonext.com/directory-submission.html in the past with good success. They offer a “slow submission” service that makes your link building appear more natural to Google and other top search engines.

And finally, there is no better way to get quality links than from a traditional reciprocal link campaign. This can be a time consuming step without automated software, but is very important.

Here are ten steps to a successful reciprocal linking campaign:

1.) List the keywords you want to be found for.

2.) Write a standardized form letter you can easily customize for each site (customization tips at the end.)

3.) Run a search on Google for each keyword and jot down the URL for each match returned (not just the homepage but the URL for the actual page you want the link from, which is the one that came up in the search.)

4.) Remove all direct competitors from the list.

5.) Go back through your list and find the contact info for each site. Record this information.

6.) Create a link to each page you want to get a link from. This should be from the most appropriate page on your site, not the homepage. Do not exceed 10 outbound links per page at most. The fewer, the better.

7.) Send the customized email with the considerations outlined below.

8.) Verify their backlinks.

9.) Remove any outbound links that do not reciprocate within a month or so.

10.) Check your inbound links every couple of weeks. Make sure you are still getting the links you earned and that the people linking to you have not moved you to a less desirable page.

Reciprocal Link Email Tips:

A.) Address the email to a person by name if possible.

B.) Start with a complimentary statement about what you like on their site.

C.) Introduce yourself and your site.

D.) Lead into why you feel your site is a good, non competing match (list benefits for them and their visitors.)

E.) Mention that you have already linked to their site and hope they feel a reciprocal link will be beneficial. Provide the URL to the page you linked from.

F.) Explain why you linked from the page you did and the anchor text you used to show you understand link strategy.

G.) Request that if they link back they use one of your anchor text suggestions along with the exact URL you want them to link to.

H.) Offer to change the link anchor text of their URL if they wish.

I.) Thank them genuinely for the time and sign with your first name to make it more personal and natural.

You can do all of this manually or invest in a good piece of software to do the difficult and time consuming work for you. Many SEO professionals (myself included) use SEO Elite (http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com) because it finds the best link partners, automatically gets their contact info and even manages entire campaigns. It’s also a link verification system and search engine rank checker so it covers all of my SEO needs nicely ($167.)

So whether you do the work by hand or invest in a time saving “instant gratification” SEO tool, the information in this article can help you to the top of Google in record time. Good luck!