Matt Cutts from Google gave an interview in USA today that provides a basic primer for the SEO newbie on how to get your site optimized for Google. In the article Matt gave tips on increasing your site’s visibility to Google.

1. Spotlight your search term on the page. “Think about what people are going to type in to try and find you,”
2. Fill in your “tags.” When creating websites, Internet coding language includes two key tags: title and description.
3. Get other sites to “link” back to you. Google says it looks at more than 100 pieces of data to determine a site’s ranking. But links are where it’s at, once your search terms are clearly visible on your site and the title and description tags correctly marked.
4. Create a blog and post often. Blogging is a great way to add links and start a conversation with customers and friends. It will cost you only time: Google’s Blogger, WordPress and others offer free blogging tools. With a blog, you can link back to your site and offer links to others. It’s also a great way to start building content.
5. Register for free tools. Google’s google.com/webmaster offers freebies to help get your site found.

The advice offered in the article is a great starting point for people unfamiliar with SEO and SERPs, but it’s not going to be a shining beacon of ideas for webmasters and online advertising gurus. In the article, Matt does say that it is only a myth that you have to advertise to get to the top of Google’s searches. That is true, but depending on what your site is about and it’s keyword popularity, you’ll be facing steep competition for traffic. If you are a car dealer, there’s just no way that your dealership is going to show up if someone just types in “Ford Truck, Iowa.” Unless, that is, you follow some hardcore SEO strategies and have an advertising budget.

Again, it’s always nice to hear from one of the Big Boys’ specialists about what they’re considering the important factors in rankings and how to get to the top.

For the intended USA Today reader, the article was interesting but for serious business, it was a wash. If they write an article about what algorithms they’re using, however, we’ll be all over it.

News of a beta version of Google Merchant Search is creating a real buzz all over the local advertising blogs. It appears to be a search and compare engine for services. Right now, the service being used in the beta version is loan providers.

From what I can see in snapshots and the FAQ, you can compare loan providers, choose a vendor, and then be put into contact with that vendor, all within this system.

The current beta being tested is for loan providers in the UK right now, however the new search will spread rapidly once it’s testing foothold is firm.

What Google is doing here, simply by the nature of this search product is adding their reputation and respectability to the companies they are recommending. It should be a pretty big deal for local merchants in the days to come.

Here are the Google Merchant Search FAQs, and here is a demo page.

Google Merchant Search is an easy new way for you to find products or services from providers who match your needs.
What products or services are supported through Google Merchant Search?
The service is currently only available for secured loans from financial services providers.
How do you choose which providers to show me?
Our search results are based on the criteria you provided in your request; we compare your request with our list of participating providers, and show those that are most relevant for you. Participating providers pay Google when someone requests a quote through this system.

For many local businesses, getting their name out there both online and offline can be a struggle. The competition seemingly increases each year and opportunities diminish for many. The best way for any local business to stay in front of their potential customer’s eyes is through online local listings. These days most consumers look to the internet when searching for the best place to provide them with exactly what they need. This is where Local Search Engine Marketing comes into play. By placing your business in these local listing sites with optimized content regarding your services, you are effectively allowing your site to be found multiple times within the search engines. For just 49.95 a month, Brick Marketing will submit your business profile along with your website, address, phone number and hours of operation to local search engines – Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, MSN Local, YellowPages.com and several more. The good thing about this service is that the business does not even need a website in order to be listed. Providing your business simply has an address and phone number, it can be listed along with every other business in your area. This is a submission service and does not guarantee a particular ranking on any search engine but does mean your business will exist on the web if it doesn’t already. At any time, you may change your information and there is no commitment period. You may cancel at any time for any reason.

With Brick Marketing offering this form of Local Online Marketing, you can be sure you are in good hands as they are members of the Better Business Bureau and are known widely for their impeccable service and reputation. Sign up now for Brick Marketing Local and enhance your local business today!

A couple of days ago we shared two social networking tools that small business owners can use to develop a social network at the local level. The tools are not public yet. They are still awaiting release. But the latest development could change a few things for you if you decide to use these tools.

Facebook has decided not to let Google tap into its user base to include Facebook profiles into its Google FriendConnect tool. The reason cited is because Google won’t promise the same level of privacy that Facebook demands and promises to its users. I think this is a good move for Facebook. It shows that the social networking site is serious about protecting the privacy of its users and it also shows that Google is not. This will likely be a serious consideration for local businesses that want to build a social network into their local platforms.

If you have been wondering how you can build a true social website for your local community without shelling out thousands of dollars in technology and software to make it happen, there are two new tools on the way to beta right now that can help you do that. And both are recognizable names.

Facebook is in the process of rolling out Facebook Connect. And Google is opening up the beta version of Google FriendConnect.

Both of these applications look very promising. Which one you choose depends a lot on your preferences and there may be reasons why you’d want to use either one. Facebook, of course, needs no introduction. The friend connect application for Facebook will be limited to allowing your site visitors to connect using only Facebook. If Facebook is popular in your community then you might find that to be useful. Google FriendConnect, on the other hand, is more versatile. You’ll be able to add networking features on your local website that allow your visitors to connect with their friends through Facebook, hi5, Orkut, Plaxo, and a few other social websites.

That may make Google a bit more attractive to many users, but if you’re looking for online privacy, Google FriendConnect will likely be a less attractive application than Facebook Connect. With Facebook Connect you’ll still be able to tap into the same privacy features that Facebook has built into its community. But Google FriendConnect, being that it will be compatible with several networking sites, can’t promise that level of privacy. And some people are a little jittery about how much information they want Google knowing about them, so that’s one concern.

Both Google FriendConnect and Facebook Connect will allow you to turn your local website into a community portal. That could mean more traffic for you and a way to ensure that you can charge more for advertising dollars.

There’s a new search engine in town that hopes to topple Google. It’s called Powerset. I’ve already read two reviews of Powerset, as well as tried it out for myself, and the two reviews could not have been different. Both were by bloggers that I respect and admire.

Greg Sterling of Screenwerk likes Powerset. Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim doesn’t. They both make good points.

Andy Beal is right when he says that Powerset simply appears to be another way to search Wikipedia. But I’d hope that Powerset has plans to take their search engine beyond Wikipedia. Just for the record, they do also pull information from Freebase, as pointed out by Greg Sterling. But the overriding question is, does it provide anything valuable?

I’ll have to agree with Greg Sterling and say that there is some value in it. I tested a query that would intentionally be ambiguous. “Poetry schools” can mean all sorts of things. Under traditional keyword-type queries, anything that mentions the word poetry or school, if the query is made without quotation marks, would be pulled into the SERP. If I’m looking for information specifically about poetic movements, which is what the terms Poetry Schools typically refers to, then the keyword-type query wouldn’t prove much helpful. I tested it in Google and I was right. I got a few results in the top 10 that were helpful, but most of them were not.

On the other hand, Powerset gave me exactly what I was looking for, mostly from Wikipedia and some from Freebase, but without the fluff that came in Google. So that’s one query in particular where Powerset was more useful. But what about local search?

Local searchers are going to be looking for information that is useful to them in their particular neck of the woods. For most people, especially rural searchers, Wikipedia isn’t going to be much help. A search for Texas brought up information organized into 4 tabs: Geographically (about the state of Texas), TV Series, Band, and Novel. In other words, somewhat helpful. But what about Sweetwater, Texas? 515 Wikipedia articles that mention Sweetwater, Texas, a community with less than 15,000 residents.

Among the type of entries found for Sweetwater, Texas are:

• Rattlesnake Roundup
• KTXS-TV
• Registered Historic Places
• Libby Thompson (a prostitute and madam of a famous brothel)
• Women Airforce Service Pilots
• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
• Bat Masterson (his first gunfight took place in Sweetwater, Texas)
• Clyde L. Garrett
• Asa Earl Carter
• Willie Amos
• Active Worlds
• Pig Show

So does Powerset, or semantic search, have any local search applications? Possibly. I think so in limited terms, but it can’t go on forever relying on Wikipedia. If Powerset could tap into the search algorithms of the major search engines and aggregate them with its semantic search technology then that would prove a lot more useful. It would have to filter out the fluff that is found and simply include useful search results based on the semantic intentions of the searcher - if that is possible. But for now, let’s suffice it to say, it’s off to a not-half-bad start.

Here’s a novel idea: Start a local search engine!

Before you think I’ve gone and flipped my lid, consider how easy it is to put a search box on your local website. It really is a snap. Google Custom Search Engine makes it so.

A useful way to attract new visitors to your website and keep them coming back is to use the Google Custom Search Engine, which now powers Site Search, to help your visitors find what they are looking for online. You can build your own custom search engine that helps your visitors find local businesses that have what they want.

For instance, let’s say you live in St. Paul, Minnesota. If you own a bookstore and you want to provide a useful service to your online customers then install the Google Custom Search feature and program it so that any business with a website in St. Paul, Minnesota can be found through a simple search from your website. If you have a Google AdSense account then this can become a new source of revenue for your business. And you tell the Google Custom Search feature to favor your website over others so that searchers looking for your competition using your search engine will more likely find you all over again. This is one great tool. Start your own local search engine.

Debra Mastaler asked a great question on her blog, Link Spiel:

what’s better at giving us the quick qualifying factor like the PageRank toolbar?

In other words, she wants to know if there is a resource that webmasters can turn to in order to find information on authority - a kind of one-size-fits-all way to determine which sites are the greatest authorities within their niche. Then she recommends Myriad Search.

I hadn’t heard of Myriad Search until I read Link Spiel’s post on it. Then I tried it out. It seems a bit limited, but it does do what it promises to do and deliver results from the four top search engines for a particular key phrase. It looks like a good tool for competitive research.

Just for giggles, I performed a search for “Gettysburg Pennsylvania.” I wanted to try the local angle to see what would happen. You can see the results of that search here.

If I were truly interested in building a website to search the local market of Gettysburg Pennsylvania and wanted to use that place name as my primary keyword then this search for that key phrase is very telling. Here’s what I see:

• The most authoritative site for that key phrase is www.gettysburg.com. Not surprising.
• The most authoritative site for my key phrase is No. 1 on 3 of the top 4 search engines.
• It is also No. 2 on the fourth search engine (Yahoo!).
• The second most authoritative site for the local place name I’m interested in is a government website (the National Park Service) - very important to know that for competitive analysis!
• The Gettysburg Welcome Center’s website is the the third most authoritative site on the local key phrase.
• Also, GWCs website has only half the authority as the No. 1 most authoritative site - great information!
• Coming in below GWC are Gettysburg College, Wikipedia (who’d have thunk?), the local newspaper, and various nonprofits, tourism websites, and local businesses.

Now I know what the competitive landscape is for my key search term. But what if I wanted to compete locally for the key phrase “auto mechanic?”

Well, I tried using my first key phrase along with “auto mechanic,” putting both key phrases in quotes and all I got back was a bunch of useless websites. So let’s try it without the quotes. Here are the results of that search.

I can see who the most authoritative site in Gettysburg for the term “auto mechanic.” It truly is a competitor and I know where he ranks in each of the search engines. It doesn’t look like any of my other competitors are even close. After Mike’s Towing and Recovery, it’s government websites and the Chamber of Commerce of Gettysburg. The next real competitor is an About Us page for Eagle Software, which makes software for auto shops. It looks like I have an in here if I was an auto mechanic in Gettysburg.

So you can see how useful this tool is for doing competitive research at the local level. I hope you get some use of it.

Google Maps is one of the best tools for local business owners to ensure being found online. In fact, I’d recommend listing your business with Google Maps and its competitors - Yahoo! Maps and MSN Live. But if you do it wrong you just may find yourself not being listed at all.

According to Tom on Google Maps Help Group:

If you put a
business description, or name, or anything that’s not an address in
either of the address fields, your listing may not display on Google
Maps.

While this isn’t a serious issue, because you can always go back into Google Maps and enter another listing, it can cost you some time and lost business if your listing is delayed by a few weeks. Save yourself the headache and do it right the first time. I’d hate to see you not get listed on Google Maps just because of a silly error.

With Google local maps, your clients can see at a glance where you are and how to get to you. This is invaluable, especially when local clients are looking for the nearest store or service to get what you sell.

If you aren´t already on Google local maps, it´s definitely recommended. Local searches will turn up quite a bit of information and maps only help your cause. Getting direction to your store is an excellent way to convince customers to actually use your offline business. They find you online and come buy offline. It´s a commonly known fact that those searching locally are more ready to buy than those searching in general for products, so make sure you take full advantage of this and get your business on those Google local maps.

In addition, you may want to provide a link to Google local maps on your business website. This allows visitors to get directions and see where you are nice and easily, since a simple address is often not enough for someone to visualize where your business is. So, take advantage of Google local maps and make them work for you.

Google recently wrote a blog post on ad placement, aimed specifically at Blogger blogs. There are quite a few people who want to make a quick buck and just do a very simple site and use AdWords as content. Not only is this confusing and misleading for visitors, it also hits Google local advertisers where it hurts, in the wallet.

With the latest regulations, things are looking up. There will hopefully be less of this type of non-blogging going on and therefore fewer useless clickthroughs that Google local advertisers are paying for. There´s nothing worse than ending up with clicks that aren´t going to do anything for you because people are looking for content that just doesn´t exist on the blog.

According to Google, there are several types of bad ad placement that will be banned.

Ads shouldn’t be placed under a title or section heading in a way that implies that the ads are not ads.
For example, ads shouldn’t be placed under titles such as “Dallas Business Opportunities” or “Today’s Hot Deals”. Placing ads directly below titles such as these implies to your users that the links in the ads are publisher-created content.

Ads should be easily distinguishable from surrounding content.
Similarly, you should not place an ad unit by a group of links that has identical colors and line spacing. Doing so may cause users to think the ad unit is content created by you.

This could drastically reduce those extra clicks that you as a Google local advertiser can´t use. While it may mean a loss of income for some spam bloggers, it will certainly be a step forward for Google´s advertisers.

Did you know that getting listed in Google local listings isn´t necessarily left to chance? You can list your own business, set up your profile and edit your information. This is extremely valuable because you don´t even have to pay!

When you list your business with Google Local, you will be sent a PIN via snail mail to the address you put for your business. This is to prevent people from scamming the system and setting up multiple locations for their supposedly local store when none actually exists. So, as long as you are legit, you should have no problems at all.

The next step, once you have your PIN, is to log into your business profile on Google Local and set up your profile page. This is where the real value comes in. When a business appears in the local listings, there is a little “more” link beside or below it. This will take people to your profile, so you want to sell your business here. Include photos, carefully written copy and anything else that could help promote your business, including location and operating hours.

Google local business listings can be invaluable. Being listed right up at the top of the results page is undeniably the best place to be for free and it isn´t that difficult.

For anyone who has struggled with finding a category for their business on Google local maps will be pleased to hear that things have changed drastically and for the better. Mike Blumenthal recently reported this on his blog:

This upgrade comes in response to 18 months of complaints in the Google Maps for Business Group. The all too common refrain: Why can’t I be in the same category as my competitor, will no longer be heard. The very limited and limiting system previously used by Google forced unusual workarounds for businesses that did not fit into the small number of categories. In a February 22nd interview with Carter Maslan, Maps Product Management Director, he indicated that this category upgrade was in the works.

The new features that Google local maps has incorporated are quite useful to all businesses. You can now choose from a wider range of categories, with Google even suggesting suitable categories as you type. If you aren´t sure where your business fits, this is a great feature. You can also now add a listing the maps, which will probably be taken advantage of by some spammers, but could be quite useful in the long run.

Google has been testing their newest idea, television ads. The concept is simple, really. AdWords advertisers

Here are a few of the features of this technology, according to Pinny:

• show you how many impressions were shown (1 impression here means 1 view per screen).
• let you choose a CPM rate to bid against other ads in that slot.
• let you run national, local, or demographic based TV campaigns.
• schedule ads based on day, time, and network.
• estimate how many people tuned in to the ad.
• tell you how long viewers watched the ad for on average
• show you what point in your ad you lost most viewers.

Once Google goes mainstream with this television feature, things could get pretty interesting. The post goes on to talk about the pros and cons of having user generated content on television, basically turning it into a glorified YouTube. The fact of the matter is that it could be a very interesting advance in marketing for businesses large and small.

It looks like Google local maps is now allowing users to sort their results by ratings. This was reported by Mike over at Understanding Google Maps and Yahoo Local Search. You can see screen shot examples of this new feature on his blog.

There has been much discussion in the local community about the impact of reviews and review star rating on local rankings. In research done last year, it seemed that the quantity of reviews had significantly more impact on ranking than the quality of reviews.Recently however Google Maps has added a new option in Maps Text View mode that allows searchers to limit listings by the quality ratings, at least in certain highly reviewed categories like restaurants and hotels.

What does this mean for your local business? Start getting satisfied customers to go online and give you a smoking review! Most people are going to be looking for the best of the best, so they´ll be clicking most often on the four star reviews, which means you need to get your rankings up there in order to show up on the refined search!

Making sure that your happy customers are willing to give you a good review is just the beginning. You have to make them happy, too! Offer great service, great prices and they´ll start writing you up and giving you higher ratings that will in turn boost your ranking on Google Local Maps.