by Amie Marse |
Any small business worth its salt is trying for the coveted top slots on Google for their key terms. Did you know that branding your business can go a long way on achieving lasting ranks? It makes sense, just think about it: Google wants to stay competitive. They don’t want to end up a worthless search engine. It’s the reason behind the panda update; it’s why blackhat methods are booted when possible. Google can’t be full of worthless spam links; it seeks, craves, and yearns for quality.
Therefore it makes sense that Google would track indicators for quality. And to be fair, even if for some reason they aren’t now… they will soon. And the following list will never get your site sandboxed. Better safe than sorry my friends. Alright, are you ready for the list? I thought so, here it is:Let Google Know Your Site Means Business
1) Register Your Business. For those companies within the US, you should register your business with Federal and State government. This means going to irs.gov and applying for an EIN. This is like a social security number for your company. You also need to apply for a business license via your state. For example, Content Equals Money is an LLC (limited liability corporation) within the state of Kentucky. The EIN is free and I think our state registration was like $50. Each state has different fees but the vast majority of states have virtual registrations. This means there is a virtual trail of the transaction. And then there is a virtual inventory. Why do you hear an echo? Because “virtual” means that people and…. Google can track things like business registration.
2) Better Business Bureau. Forgive me international readers; the BBB is only for US and Canadian companies. However, I cannot possibly leave this off the list. Registering your company with the BBB does a lot toward building your credibility. Not only will your potential clients appreciate the third party endorsement, Google can track BBB registrations. And if that isn’t enough, read this awesome youmoz post about how a BBB link increased a site’s ranking like gangbuster’s due to its inherent site authority.
3) Traditional Branding. This is the stuff they taught us in our MBA programs. Decide on a color scheme, produce a quality logo, consider what fonts to use, etc. This is something that most of us thoroughly enjoy doing. When your company is your baby, you tend to spoil it with these goodies. Why would Google care about this? I think it is because spammers never take the time. Right? You’ve seen the sites that look like something someone splashed up overnight. They took 20 minutes and $10 and suddenly they have a whole new company? I don’t think so. When you spoil your company with this time and effort your whole website has a feel to itself. When Google Quality Control comes along they view it as unique, diffeSpoil Your Companyrent. Don’t let your site look like spam. Which leads to #4.
4) Professional Site Design. This goes right along with #3 but it deserves a spot all to itself. Spammers are getting smarter and so are their sites. How are we normal folk suppose to compete? One way is to get your site professional done. Now, if you are reading this article on our home page then you will quickly see we use a WP theme off the shelf. So this is something I am still trying to find space in my budget for. However, a unique site with a personal touch goes a long way in proving to Google that your company is cared for. It is just one more indicator to Google that you are not a spam site and that you will hold your ranking with pride.
5) Promote Your Business. Google site crawlers are crazy smart. Did you know that one of the things Google tracks is the words around your company/brand name? Yup, anchor texts are great, but just keeping descriptions similar will help your rankings. For example, instead of describing your company as “my new start up company, ______” you should describe it as “my (keyterm you are trying to rank for) company, ______.” And where would you do this amazing job of optimizing your company description? Short answer: anywhere and everywhere. Take an afternoon and create company profiles on LinkedIn and anywhere else you can go. Then, if you are ambitious encourage your team members to do the same thing. Provide them a short list of keyterms to use in descriptions. One clarification, I am not promoting spamming profile sites. That’s silly and dangerous. I am promoting the concept of having your team members use your company in their profiles. Then, make sure you keep your company someplace they are proud to be working for!
ALSO SEE:
10 Valuable Basics of SEO
Brand Identity 101: 5 Basic Ways to Start Building your Brand
6 Effective Ways to Drive Traffic to your Website
Takeaway: Spoil your company and your website just like you want to. Go all out, spending the money and the time. Prove to Google that you are for real. Prove to Google that your company is loved, and that it won’t be replaced by an ad for boner pills once it hits top rankings. Your business needs Google, but consider for a moment that Google might just need you. It needs you to filter out the trashy spam. Prove to Google that your company and your brand are here to stay!
This post was written by Amie Marse, the founder of content generation firmContentEqualsMoney.com. If you would like to order content writing services emailinfo@contentequalsmoney.com and she will hook you up.
[Post Tags: SEO, Google, Marketing]
From: http://ping.fm/9c9CL
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