I started SEO project 192.168.1.254 to see can small micro niche site, strictly aimed, rank for one simple keyword. Everything went well, little bit of article marketing, little bit of social bookmarking and little bit of links from my existing pages did work like charm. Out of 227 000 results for 192.168.1.254 my site ended up second in place.
Only bad thing was is that my keyword is poor and is not getting any traffic thus no clicks on ads. Couple of cents here and there.
Those who don’t know 192.168.1.254 is an IP address from private range used as default router address from many manufacturers. However it looks that people dont have problems with the mentioned but those who have just in case can check these two hyperlinked articles for solutions.
So your restaurant just got brand new web site and you want to rank locally on search engines in goal of getting more visitors and in the end real guests. Local ranking and restaurant marketing is usually easier to get and maintain since local competition is lower then global.
Beside regular promotion here are some things you should additionally do:
- Site directories – Insert your site not to business category but on regional section of the site directories. Beside region try to hit the city if available.
- Local backlinks – Visit local city sites and forums. Try to get backlink from them. Somewhere you can simply comment certain page or answer something on forum, but somewhere contact the administrator for backlink. You can give him romantic dinner for two in exchange for backlink.
- Buy banners on local sites which are pointed to your sites. Don’t worries if they are nofollow, Google insist that paid backlinks have nofollow attribute.
- This one is most important. Get listed on Google Local Business on this link http://www.google.com/local/add/analyticsSplashPage. This will ultimately list you at local search on Google and it will even show a map where your restaurant is located in the city. Do note that for this step you need to have address on given place since confirmation is done by real mail.
- Restaurant review sites – Use this list to submit your restaurant on review. Those guys will come test your restaurant, they will give you a grade and in their review backlink to your site. Try to impress them, since good review will mean more real visitors directed by those sites.
- Social Bookmarking – When you start social bookmarking campaign then always mention your city name in descriptions and tags.
Beside this steps, other steps are same as for any other seo job, make buzz, submit your restaurant related articles to article directories, comment on local people blogs with your restaurant name and link, be active on restaurant and food oriented forums…
You should understand that good SEO services will cost more than the majority companies. Getting ranked in a general search engine like Google can take months before results can be seen. Some SEO specialists can get your site introduced to what are known as vertical search engines that are built to specialize in your niche. No matter what the ranking strategy, it all takes time and commitment. For example, an SEO and design firm might have not only ranking as part of its services but post-click analysis as well. The post-click analysis would reveal if incoming traffic is converting into sales. If the conversion is not favorable, the strategy would have to be adjusted. This could result in more time and cost but the outcome would realize more sales for you.
A website design service offering SEO will probably be a long-term relationship. And you should be skeptical of any website design services that tells you that it can get your site ranked in a matter of days. SEO is a lengthy and time consuming process because of the amount of work involved. For example, inbound link building requires time for article and link submissions to reputable sites utilized for these purposes. It takes time for these links to get picked up and aged. Also, having the articles written takes time, especially if you want them to get you traffic and link power. Some of the SEO tasks, you might be able to take on yourself. For example, if you are selling products, you can write descriptions that are search engine friendly. The SEO/design companies can give you advice on which keywords would be the best to use. You can also write articles yourself if you are an expert in your field along with the advice of the service you hire. You can then submit these articles to article directories to gain back links and traffic.
It’s natural when you are seeking to hire a web design service to insist that they create a design unique to your business. In other words, many potential clients cringe when the service presents them with a catalog of pre-fabricated templates to use as a basis for their proposed website. But it should be emphasized that templates are only a basis from which the design service will build from and your site will still have its own personality when finalized.
Design from scratch will always cost more. Not every small business desiring a web presence has the budget to pay for a custom design project. Also, for some web developers or designers, creating custom websites exclusively may result in decreased profit margins. Decreased profit margins affect the ability of a design firm to continue operations and perform future support for existing clients. Therefore, by offering a combination of template and custom designs, they can provide pricing to fit all types of clients and ensure the sustainability of the design firm’s business.
They know that good templates have already been through tests. Testing can be a very time consuming, therefore expensive for a freelance web developer working from home and frequently the time expended ends up costing the client more than what they can afford to pay. So usually, templates have already been implemented with other clients and the bugs have been worked out. When a web developer use template for clients, they add value by creating a site that has already been proven to be reliable and able to give the client a cheaper price.
Many freelance web developers offer their own rich inventory of templates to choose from. Quite often, a client seeks to hire a web developer and doesn’t know what he or she wants. So this is a great and fast way for the client to see the possible results before parting with any money. When a developer has an extensive catalog to choose from, it can direct a client into identifying the look they desire. This makes the process much simpler for both the client and the web developer.
