Okay, you've made the decision to improve your website. That's a great start. With so many different web design companies to choose from, how in the world do you decide which is the best fit to handle your project?
Creating a new web site or redesigning an existing site is a major undertaking. Finding the right web design company to partner with will not only lead to great end result, it will also make the entire process much less stressful and, dare I say, enjoyable.
To help you in this all-important process, I encourage you to download the "Website Design Buyers Guide." It highlights 5 things to consider when choosing which web design company to handle your project.
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When it comes to ranking well in local search results, your success is contingent upon a number of different factors including how well your website is optimzed for SEO, the quality and quantity of other websites linking back to your website, as well as local business citations and online reviews. We anticipate that local business citations and user reviews will carry even more weight as local search becomes more and more social. Well-renowned local SEO expert David Mihm decribes local citations as the new links.
So what exactly are citations?
Citations, also known as "web references," are essentially mentions of your business and/or address on other webpages--even if the "mention" isn't a link. Citations help Google validate your business name, location and phone number, earning you Google's trust. For example, your website could be listed on the local chamber of commerce website, an online business directory, or trade association site. There is value to be had simply being listed on these sites, even if they don't directly link to your website. If you can earn some links in the process, all the better!
How to get started
Since citations are important for local SEO...you probably want to know how to start building them. The good news is that there are some things you can do right away. For your convenience, we've listed some of the best sites to get your business listed and carry good citation value. It's very worthwhile to go through this process.
Great sites for citations:
Yelp
Yelp is a popular place to review businesses, and an important location to be listed for both citations and user reviews.
Create a Yelp Business Listing
Google Places
Claiming and optimizing a Google Places listing for your business is vital to rank for important local search phrases. Learn some tips to optimize your Google Places listing.
Create a Google Places business listing
CitySearch
Citysearch is one of the more authoratative sites to get citations. People use it for reviews, recommendations and directions to local establishments.
Create a Citysearch business listing
Yahoo Local
Yahoo Local offers both a free listing option as well as an enhanced listing option for $9.95 per month.
Create Yahoo Local business listing
Bing Local
Creating a Bing Local page is very much like creating a Google Places page. Most of the same optimization rules apply.
Create a Bing Local business listing
InsiderPages
Here's another site owned by Citygrid. It's a pretty busy site, but is another site that is valuable for citations and local user reviews.
Create an InsiderPages business listing
SuperMedia
Supermedia powers the Superpages site as well as several of other online directories.
Create a Supermedia business listing
Yellow Pages
Also known as YP.com, this is another citation source that carries some weight. Don't get lost in the paid options; there are free options available.
Create a Yellow Pages business listing
Kudzu
This citation and review site has more of a local flavor to it. Online word-of-mouth advertising in action.
Create a Kudzu business listing
Angie's List
This site offers a subscription-based option for consumers in order to write and read reviews of local businesses.
Create an Angie's List business listing
Merchant Circle
Merchant Circle is the largest online network of local business owners.
Create a Merchant Circle business listing
Express Update USA
Infogroup recently launched Express Update USA. Get your business listed here, and it will list it in a variety of other places.
Create an ExpressUpdateUSA business listing
DexKnows
If your business isn't already listed here, it's another excellent local business listing site.
Create a Dex Knows business listing
Localeze
Adding to it's rising prominence, its data will be used by social media giants Facebook and Twitter.
Create a Localeze business listing
