For many, many reasons, I’m an unabashed fan of publicity guru Marcia Yudkin. And, because I’m an affiliate of hers, I have access to some of her resources to share with my readers.

So, today, I’m making Marcia Yudkin my guest blogger and reprinting (with permission, of course) this article. (Be sure to check out the link at the bottom of the article for information about a very special report.)

Location, Location: Geography in Web Marketing and SEO
by Marcia Yudkin

When you’re hunting online for a roofer, bicycle repair shop or optometrist, one of the first screening criteria you use when looking at web sites is “Are they nearby?” You want that question answered in the first five seconds after landing on a company’s site.

Sounds obvious, right? Yet during my judging of sites for the Webby Awards this year (my eighth time), failing to state clearly and prominently where the business operates is a common error, made by architectural firms, real estate developers, a one-state restaurant directory, a regional chain of hospitals, environmental engineers and others.

If you work nationally or internationally, web visitors might not realize that unless you say something like “From our headquarters in St. Cloud, Minnesota, we work with clients throughout North America and Europe.” Or, “Thanks to telephone conference calls and web-based collaboration tools, we can serve you regardless of where you live.”

Specifying your location and service area also helps you rank higher when shoppers search for a provider via geographical words. When you have a location-relevant business, don’t use only one geographical phrase, use many of them.

For instance, let’s suppose you have a pest-control business in Milford, Connecticut and serve customers within a 20-mile radius of your headquarters. One option that would help you come up in web searches would be to list all the towns you service. You could place such a list in a sidebar column and introduce it with “Getting rid of bugs and rodents in…”

Besides naming towns where you operate, you should think of general terms for your area, including the name of the county, the nearest big city, town neighborhoods and any local nicknames for your surroundings, so that you incorporate phrases like “Greater New Haven,” “New Haven area,” “New Haven suburbs” and “Naugatuck Valley.”

Where should you insert your location terms when location is central to your business? Always insert your most important location term in at least these four places: 1)Your graphical top banner. This is the picture that appears not only on top of your home page but also on top of major every page of your site. 2) Your page title. This is the wording that shows up in the upper left corner of your visitor’s browser. 3) Along the bottom of every page (designers call this the “footer”) along with your telephone number. 4) On the Contact page.

In addition, search engine optimization experts recommend you include location words: 5) In the alt-tag for the site’s top banner. The alt-tag is the little label that shows up when a user puts their mouse over an image. 6) In alt-tags for other graphics and photos included in the site. 7) Wherever appropriate, in photo captions. A caption is the line or two below a photo that identifies what’s in it.

Finally, try to include at least your most important geographical term in page headlines and subheads. These should be coded with the html command “h1” and “h2,” respectively.

By taking these measures, you maximize the chances that people looking for what you sell where you sell it can find you online. You also maximize the chances that when they reach your site, they realize quickly that you operate in the area they’re searching for. You then have the opportunity to turn your web site visitor into a customer.

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 11 books and publisher of the popular newsletter, The Marketing Minute. Ideas and techniques for getting found in geographical searches are part of her report, “Do-It-Yourself SEO: 16 Simple Tweaks That Increase Search Engine Traffic to Your Site.” It’s easy to follow and just $29.95: http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/?Clk=2705549

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This administration is touting “a new level of transparency” both in government and communication about that government, and has pledged to “use technology to reform government and improve the exchange of information.”

Merriam-Webster defines transparency as: “free from pretense or deceit, frank, easily detected or seen through, obvious, readily understood.”

I say, “Bravo!” for transparent communication … especially in business.

Remember, communication only happens when a message is sent, received and understood. Here’s my clear communication checklist to help you promote transparent communication between you and your constituents.

Does/is your communication:

• Have a defined purpose
• Focus on a single topic, when possible
• Free from unexplained jargon, acronyms and buzzwords
• Use clear, concise sentences and language
• Get to the point
• Open up the possibility for dialogue

In my opinion, transparency in communication is not that difficult to achieve from a tactical standpoint; it does, however, require you, your team, your business and your brand to make a real commitment to transparency. Are you in?

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Sharing this from today’s Get Great Copy e-newsletter:

With each passing January, I realize just how long I’ve been writing. I say it’s been 20+ years but it’s really been a lifetime.
 
At the age of 3, I became a self-proclaimed writer by scribbling “mmmm” on a piece of paper. At the age of 10, I submitted a handwritten short story to (and got my first rejection from) our local newspaper’s Sunday magazine. In college, I wrote resumes and bad, angst-filled poetry. At my first real job, I wrote anything and everything from TV scripts to commercials to taglines to correspondence.
 
And then there were the days of typing and mimeographing midterms for my college work-study program where I earned the nickname “Machine Gun” for my super-fast typing skills; the days of the literal cut-and-paste style of editing at a regional magazine; and the days of interviewing a little-known Tim Zagat about the Zagat Survey’s move to something strange, new and wonderful called the World Wide Web.
 
Suffice it to say, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the way we prepare the written word for consumption.
 
Yet, some things never change …

• Always create copy for your intended audience.
• Make your copy informative and interesting to read.
• Create well-organized, easy-to-follow sentences and paragraphs using language that’s easily understood.

And some things do change (thankfully) …

• It’s perfectly acceptable to end a sentence in a preposition.
• Fragments are okay. Even desired. Honest.
• It’s best to write the way we speak. Yuh huh.

So let me venture a few predictions — trends, really — that should, from my perspective, impact or change copy and the approach to it in 2009.
 
Consumer-Generated Content Expands
Look for more companies to open the way for both B2C and B2B audiences to participate in real dialogue with them. Watch for more brands to use Twitter to generate conversation starters — conversations that will find their way into the copy strategy behind television commercials, print ads and web content.
 
Video Content Surges
The popularity of video as entertainment will give way to video as critical communication tool. In the early months and years, however, video content strategy will be overlooked or under-resourced by everyone but the most savvy marketers.
 
The Value of Original Content Rises
Consumers will continue to demand fresh, thought-provoking content, which will require an investment in resources and a commitment to quality where copy is concerned. If consumers don’t get it? They’ll be extremely vocal about finding it elsewhere or creating it themselves.
 
Content Aggregation Grows
Content aggregation sites like Alltop.com will drive businesses to use human content aggregation to better organize their own content in ways that are more meaningful to audiences.
 
Mobile Content Extends Its Reach
Demand for mobile content delivery will become more urgent — which means more companies need to make their web sites and blogs phone-friendly.
 
SEO & Content Get Happily Married
Companies will become zealous about balancing the need for optimizing online copy for search with the need to publish copy that’s relevant and interesting to audiences.
 
Total Team Education Becomes High Priority
Companies will happily invest in expert-led training workshops and resources, especially as it relates to social media and Web 2.0 strategies.
 
Partnerships Form, Storm, Norm & Perform
Collaboration between companies and outside resources, such as web copy experts, communication strategists and online media buyers, will grow exponentially as companies realize the bottom line benefit of niche-based strategic planning.
 
Agree or disagree with my predictions? Post a comment to voice your opinion.

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