DOMINATE the First Search Engine Results Page

Companies often wonder how they can obtain more customers, especially considering today’s consumer is very digitally charged. Of course, if you have a great business, your current customers will refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues, but it’s not safe to put all your prospecting strategies into one basket called word of mouth. Today’s consumers may hear about your company through a friend, but you can bet they are then goggling your business soon after to find out more for themselves. Therefore, you need to dominate the first search engine results page and here’s how you can start now:

1) Pay Per Click Advertising – There’s a saying that goes, “pay more to get more.” And that’s exactly how it works with pay per click advertising. If you want your business to appear at the top of the first search engine results page, then it costs money. Pay per click advertising appears before anything else on the page, so it’s important to be there when consumers are readily researching for your products or services.

2) Update Your Website Including Your Google Places Page – Undoubtedly, you need a website first and foremost, but I find several companies don’t update their sites as often as they should. There isn’t a one size fits all approach here, but having the same website for years and years surely won’t benefit your business. Even something as simple as adding images to your site helps. Another important extension of your main website is your Google Places Page, which is completely free to use and offers another means of being found online.

3) Don’t Forget to Blog – Sure, it takes time and effort to maintain a blog, but guess what? Search engines place a huge emphasis on fresh content online, so without a blog, your business isn’t ranking as highly as it could be. Take my blog for instance. When you type in, “pay per click advertising baltimore,” what comes up? Having a separate domain URL for your blog can improve your organic rankings, too.

4) Social Media Marketing – You may not be convinced of the benefits of social media yet, but believe me, having a strong social following for your business can only increase your referrals and bottom line results, especially when your fans feel appreciated. Search engines also place significant emphasis on your online reputation, so social media is integral to your business being found on the search engine results page.

Have you considered your domination strategy? Share your thoughts in a comment!

About Alan Moore: Alan is an Internet Marketing Consultant with ReachLocal Baltimore. His mission is to help you increase your revenues and decrease unproductive advertising expenses through proven, online marketing strategies. He manages over $1.4 million in annual marketing budgets and has worked with local businesses, agencies and the US government. Give him a call at (877)655-3438 to schedule a free consultation.