5 steps to Google search success

Here’s the best thing about these 5 tactics of your online marketing plan: you are probably already doing some of them. The second best thing is that they are fun, at least for a geek like me.

So enter each one of the numbered items below in your “to do” list, and then, when you are trying to not feel guilty for avoiding making a sales call, you can do one of these. Each will take about 15 minutes, and you will be doing your business a powerful service. So when that guilt voice comes on, you can say, “Shut up! I raised my ranking in Google!”

1. If you are a local business (and who isn’t?) go to GetListed.org and list your business on Google.

2. If you haven’t already, sign up for Twitter, and send a tweet about your business. Then send four about other businesses you like. It’s social, people.

3. If you don’t have a Facebook account, sign up for it now. If you are already signed up, update your Facebook page. Do it daily.

4. Are you the face of your business? Write a recommendation for someone on LinkedIn. It will make that someone’s day, and the activity will show up in the most unlikely places. Like Google search.

5. Claim your identity with a Google profile: This is so cool! Whenever anyone types your name into Google search, they get the same search results as always, but at the bottom of the page, there is the profile you created, with all the ways to contact you, a link to your business. Be sure to put in photos. People love photos.

6. Trade a Yelp review with a mutual fan. This is a little tricky, because you don’t want to game the system—it’s a great service. But if you are truly a fan of a business, go ahead and write them a review. If they thank you—and a business-owner is missing out on a real opportunity if they don’t respond to their reviews on Yelp—mention that you sure would like to get reviews on Yelp… And after you’ve got one, put the logo on your website with a link to your Yelp page, and let your friends and fans know that you love reviews.

One of the things I’ve learned about search is to be ubiquitous. I can’t believe the places that come up when I search for Ardentio, partly because I put my company name and description wherever I see an opportunity, but also because other people do it for me. Once you get out there in the social network, people will re-Tweet you, comment on your Facebook photos, and review you on Yelp! and the whole thing starts to multiply.

When you are looking at it from the outside, it looks as if the social media network has no bottom; but get inside and start connecting, and you’ll find a net to catch you!

Later this week: Write a compelling profile for your business AND How to monitor your online presence. Stay tuned!