Promote your business and get noticed through improved page ranking and search results with these 7 easy tips.

1. MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE IS SEO READY

Before you submit your site to major search engines, make sure it’s ready by following a few organic SEO tips.

• Include keywords in header tags (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5) – Search engines consider the content in a header tag to be keywords. Be concise about your header tags.
• Make sure your keywords are in the first paragraph of your body text
• Create a site map – A site map is a list of pages of a web site accessible to crawlers or users.
• Request reciprocal links – Ask other related sites to link to you and you agree to link back to their site.
• Use descriptive keywords for image tags

2. SUBMIT YOUR WEBSITE TO SEARCH ENGINES

A simple way to get search engines to recognize your site is to submit your site to the most popular search engines.

• Google
• Yahoo
• Open Directory Project
• Bing

3. ADD YOUR LOCAL BUSINESS PROFILE

Use online tools to promote your business based on your geographical location.

• Google Places
• Yahoo! Local
• Bing Local
• Yellow Pages

4. CLAIM  & UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE PROFILE

These sites allow you to view your site popularity, see similar sites, and simple web traffic data. Make sure your profile is a true reflection of your business.

• Alexa
• AboutUs
• Compete
• Quarkbase

5. USE SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS

The more links to your website the better your search engine ranking. Build your online identity using social networking tools designed for business owners.

• LinkedIn
• Facebook Pages
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Card.Ly

6. SHARE GOOD CONTENT

Another way to promote your business online is to create good content that users can use as a resource and establishes you as a leader in your industry.

• Slideshare – Share an online presentation.
• PRWeb – Create a press release to share updates
• Squidoo – Create a lens to share content, advice, and recommendations
• Ezine Articles – Spread your content
• Idea Marketers – Meet likeminded business owners and share resources

7. BE ENGAGED

Be active online. Participate in relevant discussions, share your knowledge or experience in forums, and comment on relevant blog postings. Do more than just saying “I Agree”, explain why and let your response reflect your knowledge.

• Participate in LinkedIn Answers
• Join the conversation at AskInc
• Connect with other business owners at American Express OPEN Forum

Interested in developing your own personal online strategy for your business? Contact Rochelle