With the rise of mobile search and social media, local Web-presence optimization is becoming paramount to small businesses. Local businesses need to understand how Google can drive awareness and traffic to their locations, and they need to recognize the critical role that search-engine results play in their competition against their peers.

Consumers are more likely to click on search engine results that appear on the first page, according to research. When consumers hear of a local business that is not well known, it’s only natural that they conduct some research before making a purchase. Thus, “owning” the first page of the search engine results page (SERP) is an important part of Web-presence optimization for any local business.

You can optimize your Web presence to own page one of the Google SERPs in a variety of ways. Use a “build and buy” strategy that begins with paid advertising, and claim and create sites and social profiles that are active, optimized for search, and linked to one another.

Here are 10 effective ways your business can own the first page of search results.

1. Search Engine Advertising

2. Website

A business website is important for ranking well on search engines, especially if your domain contains your exact business name. By creating a search-optimized site with a front page that strategically lists your business name, address, phone number, and other important details, you can help your site rank well for searches that use your business name.

3. Optimized Website Pages

Create keyword-optimized pages throughout your website (e.g., the About, Products, Contacts, and Press Releases pages) to increase the chances of getting your business website ranked for your business name and getting individual pages of your site to rank high on SERPs.

Typically, up to four additional pages can rank on SERPs before Google displays a “Show more results from [website URL]” link.

4. Blog

Search engines love relevant, fresh, dynamic, and regularly published content about your business, industry, and community. Blogging is one of the most effective ways to dominate the first page of SERPs. In addition, social “likes” and “shares” are becoming important signals to search engines. People tend to share timely, informative, or entertaining content from blogs, rather than static pages from websites, so you can create search-friendly links and social authority via your blog.

You can create and host a blog in several ways. For example, you can integrate your blog with your business website, or create a blog on a different Web address and cross-link the blog with your website. The latter will enable your blog—with its unique Web address—to rank on its own. Moreover, your blog will be deemed a unique site, which means multiple pages from your blog could rank individually on SERPs for your business name.

5. Google Place Page

Claiming your Google Place page is an absolute must for any local business. You can optimize your Place page for search around your business name and business keywords, and your listing can also appear in Google Maps and at the top of the SERPs.

6. Google Profiles

The launch of Google+, Google’s social network, along with its recent decision to open up the network to businesses, too, bodes well for those seeking attention from search engines.

Those profiles can rank high on SERPs for your business name; of course, you should include business-name keywords in your Google Profiles or Google+ About pages.

7. Online Directories and Listings

List your business on digital directories and listing sites, such as Citysearch. Think of such sites as the “Yellow Pages” of the Web. By making sure that all of your listings are accurate and the information on all the sites is identical down to the details, you can help search engines such as Google pull your listings data higher in search.

8. Social Profiles

Claiming, optimizing, and using social profiles are important ways to own more real estate on page one of SERPs. The four most popular social networks used for ad campaigns are Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Company profiles on those social sites will often rank high for your business name, especially if you optimize your profiles to include your official business name in the content.

9. Review Sites

Listing your business on local review sites, such as Yelp, is another way you can own more territory in search. Customers may already be leaving reviews about your business online, so it’s important to claim your business profiles on review sites to monitor and manage your online reputation.

10. Syndicated Press Releases

Creating search-optimized press releases when major news occurs and syndicating them via a wire service can spread news about your business and help you own more SERP territory. Major news sites can pick up your press releases off the wire and run them, word-for-word, on their sites—which would pack a lot of authority with search engines.

To add more authority to your overall Web presence, optimize your press-release content just as you would a website page, and include links to your business website, pertinent blog posts, and social profiles.

* * *

Local businesses today have more options than ever for optimizing search engine rankings and owning page one of SERPs. Begin by thinking strategically about what would make the most sense for your business based on your available resources and what would be most relevant to your target customers.

• Brazil’s archaic labor code penalizes businesses and workers alike: The Economist
• A list of dozen plus countries with least religious freedom: Richmond Times Dispatch
• Graphic: Where You Airline Ticket Costs Go:  Fortune
• Blooming Nonsense – Does Business Licensure Benefit Consumers?: Cato Institute
• In 1948 Lewis Fry Richardson, a British scientist, published what was probably the first rigorous analysis of the statistics of war: The Economist
• The Military-Industrial Complex at 50: Marking the 50th anniversary of Eisenhower’s farewell address: Cato Institute
• Babel or babble?:  Languages all have their roots in the same part of the world. But they are not as similar to each other as was once thought: The Economist
• What do bosses do all day? The shocking truth can at last be revealed: The Economist
• Curbing the Cost of Lawyers: The Economist

Searching – Google, Bing and other search engines are the places where consumers go looking for a business.  (The traditional media equivalent: phone books.)

Surfing – News, entertainment and lifestyle sties are grabbing more and more consumer media time (Magazines and newspapers.)

Socializing – Facebook and Twitter are the two main places where people connect with friends, family and followers online.  (Word-of-mouth)

Take a look at this slide presentation with 75 eye-popping stats regarding consumer behavior online. Know more about your customers… to get more customers!

If you are interested in online marketing or own/market a business, you should take a look. The presentation provides an overview of Google in 2011 and offers practical tips for staying on top of the search game. The presentation covers:

* Specific changes this year
* Why Google is changing
* How these changes impact businesses
* Tactics to stay ahead of the competition

By the way, co-founder Larry Page has just taken over as CEO of Google and it was just confirmed in the Wall Street Journal that Google will hire 6,000 people in 2011. That is the biggest hiring number for Google since ’07. While their initiatives will go well beyond search this year (Chrome, Android, etc.), search will continue to be their biggest revenue driver. So make sure you get up to speed!

Facebook specifically has made an interesting move to challenge the major search engines:  cnet Article.  Real online enthusiasts should take notice of this ambitious – and potentially game changing – initiative from Facebook.   With Facebook’s “Open Graph,” the company plans on connecting the entire web through their platform to capitalize on all of the places where their 400 million users search, surf and socialize online.  Here’s how it works:  Facebook’s Open Graph will enable their users to organize/share/like information outside of Facebook itself, on sites like the New York Times and Yelp.  So when Facebook users interact with non-Facebook pages therough Open Graph they are actually helping Facebook become a search engine of real-time information, organized by the people, for the people. The web could be soon organized by “likes”, not just links.

“Yelp is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to small businesses. Pandora is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to music,” Zuckerberg said. “If we can take these separate maps of the graph and pull them all together, then we can create a Web that’s smarter, more social, more personalized, and more semantically aware.”  (from cnet article)

Think about how real time search (and the entire concept of SEO) is changing.  Search has historically been driven by static pages (content) and inbound links (relevance).  Google’s PageRank – named for co-founder Larry Page – is a numeric value that represents how important a page is on the web. PageRank sees a link from one site to a second page as a vote for the second. Not only does Google “count the links” pointing to pages on the web, but is assigns a weight to each link based on the importance of the site the link is coming from. Google’s Pagerank algorithms mastered sorting out the world’s information in the original Web (Web 1.0) and putting it at our fingertips.  Google’s PageRank has been the most important innovation in terms of how we find information on the web through search engines and every major search engine has followed suit in looking at inbound links to web pages. This technique works very well with web pages that are pretty static in terms of content.

But now there is even more web content in the form of rich media, user generated content and real-time messages (content 2.0) and likes, shares, URL shortening services, Diggs, comments, ratings, etc. (relevance 2.0).   So the problem becomes:  how will a world of real-time information be organized and put at our fingertips in the web of this decade?

In addition to Facebook, many companies are participating in the evolution of search.  Here are a few projects that are changing the Internet:
* Google – Google Maps, Android O/S, Real-time Search and more
* Bing – “The Decision Engine” has several interesting twists on search
* Yahoo – Yahoo Answers
* Twitter – search.twitter.com, @anywhere
* Facebook – OpenGraph
* Wolfram Alpha – making knowledge computable
* bit.ly and tinyURL.com – measuring page popularity through “link shortening” services
* 4square, AroundMe app – location-based mobile applications

I personally think that one day we will look back and our kids will laugh-, “Dad, you actually typed into a search box for information and then sifted through lists of static links for the information you wanted?”  Bing does a great job of demonstrating this in their video ads about “Search Overload.”

The web is changing from a place where we searched for content that was pretty static to a new place where information is more fluid.  My friend Zorik Gordon likes to define Web 2.0 as the Internet in which “everyone and everything becomes a publisher.”  Most of us used to only pull information from the web.  Today, most of us are also putting information into the Web.  Whether you are posting to your blog (like I am at this moment), updating your status on Facebook or writing a Citysearch review on your favorite restaurant, you have become a “prosumer” of web content.  A prosumer both produces and consumes web content.   Think of the Iranian citizens who, with a cheap cell phone and a Twitter account, could report on the riots in the streets last year.  Web 2.0 presents new challenges to world governments like China (CBS Article) and Iran.

And this is just the beginning.  What experts believe will happen in the years to come is mind-blowing.  Feel free to research Web 3.0 / the Semantic Web and geek out.

What does the new real-time web (Web 2.0) mean for small business? Your static website will be replaced with tools that allow you publish real-time content and rich media across the web, including (but not only) your “official” website.  In the same way that as people we manage our Facebook pages for friends and family, businesses will be updating the world across a vast Web for existing and potential customers.

Today, customers shouldn’t have to walk in your store to know what is going on inside.  Now, they’re used to finding your business online through Google Maps, on mobile devices, on friends’ Facebook posts, on review sites like Yelp, in articles, through your online ads… you get the idea.  Because there are so many points on the real-time web to cover, your ability to represent your business with rich and real-time data to customers across all these touchpoints will become vital.  Even more important will be your ability to actually engage customers at each of these spots so they can call you, email you, chat with you, purchase from you, tag you or share your information with friends from each location where you are represented online.  The internet is making this possible for you to do. The big question is – who will build the tools to make this feasible for your business in the new Internet?  You will want to manage your business content, special offers, customer interactions, online reputation, inventory — heck, everything across the web, from a single place.

Pretty soon, a well-optimized static website and quality inbound links for SEO won’t cut it anymore… The web is replacing “links” with “likes” in a hurry.

But let’s try to tackle this question on its own… Should I bid on my own business name?

You already know that consumers are looking for your business online. Many are searching for yourbusiness by name because they are researching your company or looking for your contact info.  After all, the easiest way for consumers to run a free “background check” on your business is by looking for you on one of the three major search engines:  Google, Yahoo! or Bing.  But what shows up for those searches, known as your online reputation, can convince a consumer whether to purchase your product or service, or buy from one of your competitors.

When it comes to search engine marketing, bidding on business category keywords (ex: “Dallas spa”) is a must if you want your business to show up in a paid ad when someone is looking for your kind of products or services. But it’s just as important to bid on your business name keywords (ex: “Sally’s Swanky Spa”).  Here are some reasons why:

The Competition

It’s your business name – so why pay for it? Because your competitors are! According to Performics, leading brands only receive 87% of traffic from their business name keyword searches. The remaining 13% are “poached” by competitors!* That’s because they know that when your customers search for your business, they have an opportunity to snatch the sale straight out of your hands with a well-worded sponsored ad.  Don’t give them the chance.

Dominate the Page

Instead, dominate the search results page when someone searches with your business name keywords.  Efforts you’ve made to manage your reputation will help you dominate the organic listings, but bidding on your business name will ensure you dominate the sponsored ad listings on the search engine results page.

Control the Message

Controlling what appears in natural (or “organic”) listings is difficult and happens slowly. But you can control the message using a paid ad quickly and easily! Highlight seasonal specials, new inventory, a rewards program or unique features and convert an interested consumer into a paying customer. Plus, a paid ad for your business name keywords lets you control the click-through destination to a special landing page featuring a promotion or product.

It’s Inexpensive

More businesses like yours are bidding on the same business category keywords because many businesses may offer the types of products or services you do. That makes category keywords more costly. But although a few sneaky competitors may bid on your name, it’s yours which means the search engines will typically give you the best placement at the best price.

Strategic Defense

Bidding on your own business name keywords lets you seed the page with more positive results to actively “counter-attack” any negative links on the page. A negative review looks more serious when there are lots of them, but when the bulk of the results on the page are positive it looks more isolated and rare.

Big Brands Know Why

Still not convinced? Then consider this: big, well-established brands like Apple, Verizon or Walmart bid on their own keywords. These brands have enough global recognition, local presence and customer loyalty that most customers know to go to them directly. Yet they still run television ads and understand the value of locking out competitors by dominating the search engine results page. So take a page out of their multi-million dollar marketing playbook and be sure to bid on your business name keywords!

By the way, your brand name or business name may qualify as being “trademarked” by some search engines.  That will protect you from competitors who might want to bid on your business name keywords! Check the link below to see if our business name is eligible on Google.  http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/answer.

1. Make sure you get help from an expert.  This was the first realization.  Time is better spent running the business than dealing with keywords, bids and optimization across all the major search engines.

2. Tracking is key.  A good search engine marketing provider will show you more than clicks and impressions.  The number of “conversions” like phone calls and online inquiries are crucial and need to be measured.

3.  Know your Lifetime Customer Value.  Since search engine marketing (and online advertising in general) is trackable, you will be able to determine ROI.  But many businesses have never asked themselves about the real financial value of a customer.  Consider the amount of money your customers spend in your business over time.  Consider your profit margins, cost structures and capacity.  Since word-of-mouth referalls are key, how many people does each customer refer?   Most people severely underestimate the fiancial value of customers and what they should expect to spend to attract them.

4.  Respond quickly and effectively to prospective customers.  When valuable calls come in, are your phones being answered?  Are the inbound calls and emails being handled well?  Are you building a marketing database from the prospects who call your business?  Do calls come in after hours?  (Prospects usually will not leave messages when they get voicemail.)  These leads are valuable and need to be handled with care!

5.  Brand advertising can turbo charge search engine marketing.  When people know your business already from advertising (or your prime business location), they are more likely to click on your link on a search engine when faced with several choices.  Brand advertising can give your search engine marketing an edge and also helps your quality score.

6.  Your Reputation Matters.  When people do click on your search engine link, they many not call you immediately.  Many will research you first on key sites where they investigate businesses.  People “background check” your business on sites like Google Maps, Yahoo Local, Yelp, Citysearch, Angie’s List and more.  The sites they use depend on the type of business they are researching.   (My “foodie” wife researches all her favorite restaurants on Chowhound and Yelp.)  If customers like what they see about you on review sites, they will call.  If they see bad reviews, they call someone else for their needs.  Your happy customers can help you build a good reputation on key review sites if you ask them.  (And in foodie circles, they even take pictures of their meals and upload them to blogs and review sites!)

7.  Remarketing gives you a second, third, fourth chance and more.  There are many ways you can target banner ads online.  My wife uses remarketing which is a very targeted technique used primarily by big companies like major banks, airlines and auto companies.  When someone visits her website they are “tagged”, then shown banners as they surf the web.  This “reminds them” of her business at a later time in case they were not quite ready to buy.  Or maybe they were interrupted and never finished checking out her site.  (Since remarketing is a new concept to many, you can go to reachlocal.com to learn more.  When you leave, you will likely see some of our banner ads because we will start remarketing you as you surf the web!)

Bottom right: an example of a remarketing ad

As we are sitting here typing this, my wife is recounting even more search engine marketing revelations.   (She is also considering her menu selections for tomorrow night’s dinner at a spot we love.)  The big lesson is this.  Search engine marketing requires a holistic approach.  Running a good search marketing program is important, but is part of a bigger picture.  Understanding the financial value of customers, handling leads effectively, having a good reputation, having an established or well advertised business, using remarketing techniques and more can help you attain a strong ROI.

I think Anita has decided on the ribeye with a special Bearnaise for tomorrow night at Nana.  She thinks I will go for the duck, but I will decide tomorrow night when I get there.  Or maybe I’ll just check out some reviews and see what the foodies recommend…