I remember the first time I ever had Pesto. I was 19 years old, at a friends house in Glastonbury.  We had pasta and I was asked if I’d ever had this mysterious smelly thing before before.

‘Of course’, I lied, not wanting to look uncool.

‘Oh good, help yourself then.’

With that, I got the tiniest teaspoonful of this green speckled sauce and placed it on the side of my plate, nowhere near my food, immediately making me look uncool.

The people I was with looked at each other, laughed and then someone spooned a whole lump onto the pasta twists and stirred it up. This made me look even uncooler than I looked 30 seconds ago, when I thought I was as uncool as it could get.

Why the reminiscence on this? Well, because I was trying to think of the first time I used the internet, and I just can’t remember it. Both pesto and the www are pretty much a daily part of my world now, but one has left a much more significant impression than the other.

I’m trying to make up for this by finding as many wonderful things online as I can, and this month I have got some great stuff for you. First up, while we are all recovering from Olympic fever, it seems for some it will never go away. One of the stars to come out of this whole exercise in physical punishment (not like that, steady) is Mo Farah who seems like the nicest man in the world. Unfortunately, he may be nice, but he constantly has people and things chasing after him. Don’t believe me? Check out this simple yet wonderful site.

http://mofarahrunningawayfromthings.tumblr.com/

My favourites are Mo Farah running away from Benny Hill and Mo Farah running away from many Mo Farah’s. Utter genius.

Mo pops up a lot on the net this month, as you might expect. He makes an appearance on The Poke, a good-natured spoof of red top newspapers. In the article, he is being sued by a burger chain for stealing their golden arches logo and using it as his victory celebration. Check out the story here http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2012/08/15/mcdonalds-to-sue-mo-farah-over-victory-pose/ and then have a look at the rest of the articles. Very clever and funny.

Fancy a break? Well, the odds are you won’t be going for a Kit-Kat. There are only really a few variations in the UK, and I for one am bored of them. The 2-fingered salute, the 4-way street and the chunky. Occasionally, if we are lucky, some new flavour might come out for 3 months, but really, come on chocolate boffins, put some imagination into it. If we lived in Japan (aka the BEST country in the world) we would have hundreds of different variations on this Great British invention (I have no idea if it actually is a British invention, but I’ve still got Olympic fever, so forgive me). How do I know? Well, I’ve been to Jen Kens Kit Kat Blog, of course http://jenkenskitkatblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Jen went to Japan, ostensibly to teach, but really it was to study and write about all the mental flavours of Kit Kat they have. Pumpkin Cheesecake, Bitter Strawberry, Pudding (very generic) and the revolting sounding Apple Vinegar – all are painstakingly documented here for your pleasure. Thanks Jen.

Hey, this is old but I just found it. Remember the X-Files? Well, apparently Scully used to say ‘Oh My God’ a lot! http://youtu.be/-Dw3m-vIj7A

My 2 and a half year old son has taken great delight in sticking googly eyes all over my house. I really cannot tell you how much pleasure it brings me walking into a room and finding these sticky blooming things stuck everywhere apart from on pieces of paper. I blame Mister Maker (a joke for the parents there). I was very surprised to find that this naughty and irritating activity is now considered to be a legitimate art form and even has it’s own website. http://eyebombing.com/ Is the home of what is called eyebombing, sticking googly eyes (available from any arts and craft shop) onto things. Stick with. It builds up and becomes more and more fascinating and amusing.

I had a lot of complaints that last months column did not feature enough cats. Or sinks. So, here are some cats. In sinks. http://catsinsinks.com/

Finally, if the opening few lines of this article have whetted your appetite, then go to http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/how-to-make-the-best-pesto-ever-(and-thats-official) because this is the best pesto recipe in the world.

As ever

If you’ve got any exciting websites you want to share, email me iainATiainleeDOTcom

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You can read Iain Lee’s very own take on the internet here on the 123-reg blog every last Friday of the month.

A familiar face on television since he got his first break landing the job hosting Channel 4’s thrice weekly topical comedy show the 11 O’Clock Show at the age of 25, Iain is also an award winning radio presenter, top podcast creator and a genuinely funny guy with an eye for the bizarre.

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Usability, links and content all have an impact on search engine rankings. Major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing are constantly trying to improve their algorithms so that web users find exactly what they are looking for in as little time as possible.

In general, to rank higher in search engines, you site should be:

• User-friendly, easy to navigate and understand
• Useful by  providing relevant information and high quality content
• Accessible to the majority of browsers and browser versions

Links

It is a known fact that high quality sites are more popular and earn more links than low quality ones.  Today or 10 years ahead, some search engine algorithms will change but these principles will be constant. If the content on your site is high quality, it will attract attention and get people to write about it and share it. This translates into valuable links and better rankings.

Usability

Usability and user experience also have an impact on search engine rankings.  A quality site is also a site that has a good structure that people find to be logical and easy to use.  If the site is easy to use, it can increase its popularity and, as a result, influence its search engine ranking. That’s why it’s important to determine which site structure would make it easier for your visitors to navigate and ensure their experience on your site is positive.

If they are happy with your site, they will share it, bookmark it and return to it every chance they get. All of this is beneficial for your site from an SEO point of view as you are getting backlinks and can promote your site efficiently.

Content worth sharing

Publishing unique, appealing and useful content on your site is essential to SEO. The content on your site should provide solutions, solve problems, teach or guide your visitors. When they enter your site as a result of a search on Google, for instance, your content should satisfy their quest and informational needs. When visitors find what they need fast and easy, you get bonus points not only from your visitors who can recommend you to their friends, but also from the search engines.

Use every tool you have to give your visitors what they want – useful content backed with examples – images, podcasts, videos and other multimedia files that can help you reach your goal.

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What a year or so ago was a photo-collecting site adored by millions of US-based women is now being cited by some experts as a rival to Facebook in terms of business-usage. Yet, while the buzz about Pinterest is relatively new, only really registering on Google Trends midway through last year , it has actually been going since 2009. However, even it’s founders admit that even then when first shown to friends and family, people didn’t really get it.

I think the same is true today for many in the business world and social media sphere, myself included. I can see some of its worthy qualities and some of the reasons for its success but I am yet to be convinced that Pinterest is ever really going to be more than a secondary social network. Effectively it encourages visual search instead of text based search.

For certain businesses that could be a big benefit. Many designers, architects, photographers, cake-bakers, etc are using Instagram to great effect to show off their skills. But is that new? Haven’t they been able to do that with Flickr, Picasa even the 123-app Gallery, for many years? A gallery of your portfolio? I for one can’t see it changing the way we search.  People surf looking for solutions and Pinterest doesn’t really solve problems. It’s like an art gallery or large scale portfolio. It has a place but that isn’t the forefront of the internet in my opinion.

The other big noose hanging over Pinterest is intellectual property rights. From what I have seen too many small businesses are using it as a sounding board for creatives . Great to get feedback and act upon what your customers want but, it is a public forum and it is a nasty world out there. Once you have shared your concept or idea in the public ether you open it up for people to copy it and potentially steal your thunder. There’s also the issue of what rights Pinterest can claim in anything posted up using there service. It probably won’t be long before all of this ends up having to be tested in a court of law.

I am not adverse to Pinterest. Indeed I even have my own account. Mainly I use it as a visual bookmarking tool, for nice things I see and may want to refer back to. In terms of my own account, I have found it useful to tag infographics I quite like.

What do you think? How do you use Pinterest? Is it changing the way you do business?

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Tim Fuell is a former investigative journalist and qualified lawyer, turned social media fanatic who now oversees the 123-reg blog. After writing his Masters thesis on the topic of cybersquatting back in 1998, he has seen the internet develop before his eyes from dial-up bulletin boards to the beast it is today.

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Buying links is not the most effective technique to earn your way to the top rankings. SEOmoz CEO Rand Fishkin believes that paying for links is short-term and a waste of money because:

Rankings are tactical: When you pay for links, you’re earning a small amount of traffic and the conversion is a lot lower than if you would grow your site with honest branding, trust, social media and word-of-mouth.

It’s Overpriced:  Buying links is more expensive than you would think. You could pay several hundred pounds for a few links in a post, but prices are a lot higher when you are dealing with big sites with a great authority and huge amounts of traffic.

It’s Risky: Buying links is not accepted by the major search engine Google, thus you might be penalized for being a “link spammer”.

Are paid links a waste of money?

Buying and selling links to increase ranking was considered normal back in 2000 but 7 years later, Google declared that manipulating search results with paid links was not an acceptable SEO link building technique and will be penalized according to their Webmaster Guidelines.

However, depending on the source, the quality of the links and the short or long-term impact, paying for links can sometimes be a good way to increase your rankings.

There are three main types of paid links:

• Directory links

Directory submissions can be a useful component of your link building strategy as long as you select just a few relevant and authority directories to submit your links to. When you have a new website and want to get the word out there and get some traffic back to your site, you can use online directories for that. Some are paid and some are free, but the important thing is for these to be relevant for your site, otherwise you’ll be losing money as well as time.

• Paid blog reviews

Paid blog reviews are not as trusted as unpaid blog reviews. That’s because people tend to assume that a paid review cannot be honest or critical because the author has been paid to write it. On the other hand, when you pay someone to review your product, the review might just not be as favorable as you’d wish it to be.

However, if the review is positive, it can work in your benefit and generate the buzz you need to make your product known to the public. Blog reviews also have a great effect on your SEO because when you choose a popular blog that is relevant for your business you can get high-quality links and targeted traffic especially.

• Online PR links

Paid PR distribution sites are only valuable when you use them to share real news.  Of course these can work against your company if you are publishing three, four, five press releases a week.  It’s unlikely you have such big news to share every two days, thus you should limit your press releases to when you are promoting new products or services, or when you are hosting an event or conference that is of real interest to clients or potential clients.

In other words, you can’t get away with spam or press releases that aren’t newsworthy. Press releases are meant to increase brand awareness and generate buzz around your products and services.

So, should you invest in paid links as part of your SEO strategy? Yes, as long as you are aware that this is a short-term way to drive traffic to your site. Otherwise, invest the cost of paid links into promoting your business online through the use of fresh content and social media sharing.

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Optimising a website for search engines is not easy and it’s a continuous process that takes time. Go through the most frequently asked questions on Search Engine Optimisation and find answers that can help you understand the basics of SEO and what techniques you can use to have your site rank higher than your competitors.

What is SEO?

When you enter a word or a phrase in a search engine, whether it’s Google, Yahoo, Bing or another one, and click “Search”, you get a list of search results that include that word or phrase. People usually visit the top 5-10 websites on that page because they consider them to be the most relevant to their search query.  SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is responsible for getting those sites in the top results on search engines.

SEO is a technique that helps improve the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s list of results. This means that SEO helps a site rank higher than millions of other sites when people search for a certain word or phrase. Ultimately, SEO is responsible for getting more visitors to your site.

What are Meta Tags?

Meta Tags provide details on what type of information is included on a web page, thus helping search engines categorise it easier.  These elements are inserted into an HTML document and are not visible to users visiting your site.  Meta Tags are a very effective marketing tool because they are used to give users snippets of your website content. Thus, they’re a hook that you can use to get Internet users to visit your site. Read more on how to create meta descriptions.

How do I create Meta Tags?

InstantTraffic a search engine optimising tool from 123-reg, will help you create the perfect Meta Tags for your site by using a Meta Tags generator. This powerful tool gives you suggestions of Meta Tags you can use based on the content on your site.

Where do I add Meta Tags?

The Meta Tags generator tool from InstantTraffic will not only suggest the perfect Meta Tags for your site, but also show you exactly where you need to insert them inside your site’s HTML document.

How can SEO help me?

SEO is an invaluable technique for any site owner that wants to rank high in search engines and increase the number of users visiting the site.  InstantTraffic includes everything you need to reach as many Internet users as possible. We can submit your site to over 400 search engines every month including Google, Yahoo and Bing to increase your website’s visibility which can lead to traffic increase. We will also advise you on what keywords to use to help increase your site’s rankings.

What is Google Ranking or PageRank?

Google Ranking or PageRank is a link analysis algorithm that determines how important a website is.  The PageRank is responsible for your site showing up at the top of the first page of results or on the 15^th page of results that almost no one visits.

What elements influence the Google Ranking of my site?

There are a number of factors that contribute to a better PageRank and the most important one is the number of quality websites that link to your site, also known as incoming links. An incoming link is interpreted by Google as a recommendation or a vote of support.  Having links from websites with a high PageRank can also help increase your site’s PageRank.

How long does it take for a website to have a good ranking?

There is no exact answer because this depends on a lot of factors such as the quality of your content, relevancy, the keywords you are using and their location, and many others.  However, if you publish quality content constantly and get authority sites to link to you, you can increase the chances of ranking higher faster.

How long does it take for a website to be indexed?

As for the previous question, there isn’t an exact answer for this question. For more information, read our blog post on this subject.

Why doesn’t my website appear in search engines?

If you have a new website and have already submitted it manually to several search engines, it may not be crawled and indexed right away. There are so many new websites that are submitted daily that it’s understandable why it may take longer for it to show up in search engine results.

With our InstantTraffic SEO software, we can help get your site listed on Google within 8 weeks. We will submit it to numerous major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing to increase your site’s visibility worldwide and get traffic to your site.

How do I choose the right keywords for my website?

InstantTraffic will perform a detailed keyword research in order to recommend you with a list of strong and relevant keywords that you can use. These will be targeted keywords that we will choose based on your audience, your competitors, your site’s performance and incoming links. Using the right keywords can help your site rank higher and ultimately increase traffic to your site.

How can I get quality websites to link to my site?

InstantTraffic will do an analysis on your competitors to determine what they are doing right so you can use this information to your advantage. You will be able to see what sites link to your competitors’ websites and where most of their traffic comes from.

How can I market a website created with InstantSite, Website Builder and eCommerce from 123-reg?

If you are using InstantSite or Website Builder website creation tools from 123-reg to build your site or 123-reg’s eCommerce to run your online shop, then InstantTraffic is the perfect solution to market it on the Internet. It will help you increase your site’s visibility, get more traffic and increase sales. Once you implement it, you will get to use the powerful InstantTraffic tools to modify the URLs, titles, descriptions, alt tags and keywords based on our recommendations.

 Do you have other questions about SEO? Let’s hear them in a comment below.

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Alexandra Gavril is a web copywriter or as she describes herself “a recovering journalist”. Since joining the 123-reg team, she has been covering subjects on our blog from search engine optimisation to choosing the perfect domain for your website.

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There has long been much debate about whether older domain names rank higher simply by age or more by having more chance of being indexed, linked and found, but even after Google’s most recent changes, the general consensus still appears to be that an older domain name can help with your search engine ranking.

To get the best value out of an old domain name however, remember that SEO is a package of tools. An old domain without an track history may be limited in worth but an old domain with a strong existing PageRank, a set of worthy backlinks and a track record of traffic becomes very valuable, but equally will be reflected in the cost if you are looking to buy.

So let’s have a look at how the various factors may affect whether or not you buy an older domain name:

Availability

A targeted keyword in a domain name can be a massive boost to site rankings and with often limited availability of those in the first-come-first-served market of domain names, a ‘previously-owned’ domain offers a chance to tap into that potential. Equally it may be the best domain to match your branding is not longer available new, but it may well be owned by another who has yet put it to proper use and may even be keen to sell for the right price.

Quicker results

Many experts now suggest that it is far more difficult for new websites to achieve decent rankings on Google. This may or may not have a scientific reason, but with more domains than ever an older domain with an existing ranking is easier to push up the list from lower down than jump straight in. In addition, an older domain is more likely to have more Google trust and organically good rankings for keywords that can quickly be tapped into.

PR, PR

Many domainers will constantly cite PR as their measure as to how valuable a domain is. In specific terms they are referring to Page Rank, so where the domain ranks on the search engine lists, but more generally it can also apply to Public Relations. The more popular the domain the more value it has. That is important not only to help you work out the value of a domain you are considering buying, but also as to the value of any advertising you may be able to sell on the site once you own it. In terms of attractiveness to would-be advertisers, a top page ranking is a lot more appealing than one several pages on which is unlikely to attract their money.

Link value

Google’s new focus on the need for relevant and quality links has made this factor even more important. A domain name with a batch of authoritative links to sites relevant to the content you want to push, has great value in the Google-sphere. Equally, quality is the important measure as quantity may actually have a negative impact if the links are deemed irrelevant to the content on the site.

Traffic

Heavy traffic domain names obviously come at a premium, but they can offer obvious benefits. It’s a bit like buying a ready planted flower garden compared to planting the seeds yourself which is the standard approach of buying a new domain name. However, be sure you know what traffic you are buying into. Is it still relevant to what you want to put the domain to use for? Traffic can go down as well as up, so make sure you know exactly what is driving that traffic there before you invest.

Once of the biggest fears of those looking to buy a second-hand domain is that they may fall foul of a scam. What if the seller doesn’t actually own that domain? what if the statistics provided are just wrong? If you’ve searched for a domain name  recently on 123-reg you will have seen we now offer premium domain names as alternatives to your initial search. Our premium domain names are all domains previously purchased by someone that they are now selling for a set price via our premium domain partner. While not every domain listed will be aged, the chances they have some additional ‘age’ value over a new domain name as well as the usual ‘catchy’ nature of premium domains. So if you want to find the best way of tapping into the value of older domain names, our Premium domain offerings are a great first point of call and you can be sure the seller is legitimate leaving you with at least one less worry.

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With ICANN’s recent liberalisation of the domain name market, there will soon be lots of new domain name extensions to choose from. Good news if you’re aching for a domain name ending in .transformers or .website, which are just two of the many new domains proposed.

As this new era of domain names dawns, it seems a good moment to look into just how new domain names come into being. Who creates them? And how long do they take to set up?

It depends on the kind of domain

Brand new domain name extensions don’t just spring into life overnight. A lot of planning and preparation goes into a domain name launch, from technical work to manage registrations to a marketing push so potential buyers know about the new domain.

The exact process for creating a new domain depends on what sort of domain name extension it is:

• If it’s a country code domain, like .uk (the United Kingdom), .so (Somalia) or .be (Belgium), it’ll be administered by that country’s government. In practice, the government usually appoints a separate organisation, which has the knowledge to do this effectively. In the UK, that organisation is Nominet.
• If it’s another domain name, like .info, .xxx or .org, it’ll be handled by ICANN, the organisation with overall control of the domain name system. For most new domains now, ICANN’s role is to approve new extensions and assign them to an organisation which has applied to  handle the launch and registrations. Learn more about this process.

Once a domain name has been approved, the organisation responsible for it must put in place systems to handle all the complicated technical stuff that has to happen in the background. This means creating a robust registration system (so people can actually buy domain names), handling expiry dates, renewals and ensuring that everything works properly.

Making a domain name available

Now, let’s assume everything’s in place and the domain name is about to hit the market. Typically, there are three stages to the registration process:

1. Sunrise. This stage gives trademark holders a chance to register their domain names first. The idea is that they get the chance to protect their brand early. Often, the sunrise period will allow trademark holders to block registration of domains containing their trademark. This means they don’t have to worry about remembering to renew and manage lots of domains, but still ensures nobody else can use them.
2. Landrush. At this point, it’s possible for anyone to bid for a domain name. The process is different for different domains, but what usually happens is that you can apply to register a domain name. At the end of the landrush period, domain names are allocated appropriately. If there’s more than one applicant for a domain name, an auction is held. Landrush enables you to pay a bit more to secure particularly attractive domains.
3. General availability. This is where the new domains become available on an ongoing basis. Anyone can take their pick of remaining domains, and it’s first-come-first-served. If the domain you want is available, you can register it there and then.

Not every domain extension release follows this process exactly. But most of them follow a similar pattern.

What if you miss out?

If you have your eyes on a particular new domain name, get in there early when it’s released – especially if you think there’ll be competition.

Landrush is your best chance to secure the name, although you may have to pay more than at general availability.

If you miss out altogether and can’t find any alternatives you like, you can always source a domain name in other ways. There’s a thriving secondary domain name market, where individuals and businesses buy and sell domain names.

In fact, we’ve recently introduced a premium domain registration service, which gives you access to many domain names being sold on the secondary market. Just look for the premium domains box to the right of your domain name search results (see image).

Two-letter domains

As a general rule, the fewer letters in your domain name, the more memorable and easy to type it is.

Two-letter domains are like gold dust. They’re hard to find and only a few companies – like O2 and BT – have really been able to use them.

But now you can register two letter domain names ending in .uk.com – and they cost from just £199. To see what’s available, just search for a two-letter domain using our normal search tool.

Looking for a domain name right now? See the extensions we offer, or search and buy instantly.

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If content is king, the way you tell it is certainly in line for a noble title. How your chosen words and sentences combine can have a massive influence on your readers. Tapping into a reader’s subconscious is a route to hidden sales and making a connection with a visitor to your site also makes them more likely to react positively to you and spread the word.

So here are our six tip top tips on writing engaging copy that will keep your readers entertained and coming back for more.

1. Reason

Anybody can give an opinion, but to back it up with proof gives you credibility and gives your argument sense. Telling people what you think and then telling them why you think that gives them a chance to ‘reason’ your argument themselves, although in practice they rarely do, instead natural instinct means more credibility is given to those who offer a reasoned approach.

2. Compare

Your chosen words are your tool and the use of metaphors, similies and analogies are the master wordsmith’s tools of choice. By offering examples, comparisons and illustrating your writing in a literary sense you immediately get your reader thinking about what they are reading, gaining their attention and ensuring they read on.

3. Prove

Reasoning and comparing are steps towards proving what you say but a customer testimonial or external review adds extra validation. Whatever you say, however you re-inforce it, having another person confirming the same is always going to more strength to your argument and make people sit up and take more notice.

4. Empathise

Getting your readers to agree with your thoughts is a perfect way of engaging them, and to do that you need to understand your readership and make them feel you know them well. You also want them to think you know the topic well too. That gives you credibility, immediate impact and with that persuasiveness too.

5. Repeat

Psychologists swear by it. Students succeed by it and TV Broadcasters survive by it. Repetition re-inforces your point and triggers subconscious memory points that will make information recall more likely in the future. Use it wisely though. Just repeating the same thing in the same way however will ultimately turn your reader off. Making the same point in different words is easy, as is making it in a different way such as with a second example. Reminding your reader what your aim of the article is about will also make sure they are in the right mindset to read it.

6. Respond

A two -way conversation is always more successful. If a reader responds to your piece, either via direct comment or perhaps via social media, make sure you respond back. They have taken time to not only read your piece but also to reply, so give them the respect they deserve and do the same.

Picking your words and making them work on the page can drastically improve your engagement scores and ultimately your sales too. Take care, take your time and take note of the reaction when you do finally publish your content and you will quickly begin to see a positive response.

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When you are starting a business, targeting the general public is hardly the way to go. You want to offer a product that satisfies a specific need. That’s why when you are targeting general keywords such as travel, footwear or domain names, you can have 5,000 searches a day but in reality discover these keywords rarely convert. The competition is fierce on general keywords so your best bet is using long-tail keywords. There are millions of unique searches performed by people that are looking for specific information on the Internet.

What are long tail keywords?

Keywords can be short-tail (often generic keywords such as “women sandals”) or long-tail.  Long-tail keywords are phrases starting with three, four terms that are extremely specific to the product or service that you are selling.  Long-tail keywords are more efficient and more likely to convert because when customers are searching for a product, they use a highly specific phrase to ensure they will find exactly what they’re looking for and buy it immediately.

Why use long-tail keywords?

There are two very important reasons to use long-tail keywords:

1. Rank well much easier than with generic keywords where the competition is high
2. Increase sales, as people who reach your page through the use of long-tail keywords usually end up buying the product or service.

Highly specific long-tail keywords often rank well easier than generic single keywords. For instance, a site that sells travel packages for a specific area (mountain, sea or Dubai, London, etc) would convert better when it’s optimised for long-tail keywords such as “all inclusive Dubai holidays” or  “family short break London” or “couple short break London last minute” than it would for a generic keyword such as “travel” or “travel packages”.

When you choose to optimise for generic keywords, you will soon come to discover you have to compete with big sites, in this case travel sites like Travelocity.com and even Wikipedia, Yahoo.com or CNN.com. Also, people are often using generic keywords when they’re researching on a product or service and they’re not yet decided.  When they visit your site on a long-tail keyword, it means they’ve already made their decision and are ready to buy your product or service. This also means that long-tail keywords send you targeted traffic that is there to buy, not to research.

Create more pages

Put a list together with the long-tail keywords relevant for your niche and create more pages for each combination. Google likes the websites that include more pages so you can’t go wrong with that.

Each webpage should be unique. This means unique title, meta description and content for each page where you focus on a specific long-tail keyword from your list. The purpose is to optimise for each valuable keyword so you can outrank your competitors, attract more customers and get more sales.

Combine short and long-tail keywords

There are many benefits to optimising your website for long-tail keywords. However, try not to overdo it and optimise for keywords that are too specific because you might get little traffic which would make it difficult to sustain your business.

You should have many pages with content that is optimised for long-tail keywords, which will send you a smaller amount of traffic that is highly targeted. Along with that, you should also create a few pages with content optimised for more generic keywords. These pages will send you a larger amount of traffic, although less targeted.

At the end of the day, it’s the 100 buyers that count, not the 1,000 visitors that are visiting your site for research purposes only.

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Local search is one of the easiest ways to drive traffic to your website. Google Place and Bing Local can help get your business up in the rankings of search engines for relevant geographical keywords faster and easier than SEO. Best of all, it’s free!

Benefits of local search

There are a lot of advantages to local search when you are a local business targeting a specific geographical area nearby, such as:

• immediate global reach, attracting local customers
• all the information on one page: basic information on your business, map, directions and reviews from clients
• more inbound links to your website, which increase credibility with major search engines
• transparent and open to your customers, making you a trustworthy business.

Tips to optimise for local search rankings

Here are a few simple tips to optimise your online business for local search rankings and attract local customers:

1. Claim your profile
This is the first step and it’s very simple. You only need to log into Google Places or Bing Local and go through a few verification steps to validate your business.

2. Upload images
These local sites usually provide pictures of businesses and this is beneficial for when a visitor wants to find out more information about your business, see how your headquarter or how your products look like. These pictures will represent your business so ensure they are high quality and send a message.

3. Ask for reviews
Ask your customers to review your business and share their feedback for other interested people to read. You can use your site’s contact form, an invoice or any other method that comes to mind to redirect them to Google/ Bing Local and encourage them to write a review.

4. Add local phone number
Be sure to include a local number, preferably in text rather than image. It’s fine if you have an 800 number but this doesn’t give any kind of location indication, so it’s best to include a local number.

5. Include full physical mailing address
Aside from the e-mail address, also add your mailing address to reinforce your geographic location.

6. Consider the right keywords for customers to find you
Rather than including popular or general keywords, consider adding long-tail keywords that describe your business. Unlike popular keywords where the competition is fierce, long-tail keywords are more personalised and there is a higher possibility of making sales because customers will find you easier.

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