We Sell iphones and blackberries. We also sell accessories for both. We unlock and jailbreak iphones 2G, 3G, and 3GS. We also unlock blackberries.

| Contact A+ Unlocking and Accessories

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is on the rise, and rightly so.  Recent studies show that the first three results in any given Google search yield 60% of the clicks.  As if that wasn’t proof enough, read that sentence again- the word ‘search’ is redundant after ‘Google’.  In our world, we no longer search for something- we Google it.  So it is only natural that any business would want to rank #1 on Google- or any other search engines- search results.

This doesn’t just apply to large name-brands, either.  If you have even a small local business, you have every reason to invest in SEO- in fact; you probably have more reasons than large name-brands.  So what can you do to help your local businesses website rise in the rankings?

Spend some time on your site, and look at it from a customers perspective- does it inspire them to convert, either by purchasing something online or coming into your store?  It doesn’t have to be flashy, but is it effective?  Dressing up your site is a great place to start for SEO.  While you’re there, how are your keywords?  That is, when Google looks at your site, how strong is your message.  Two great free(!) tools are the Google Keyword Tool and the SEOmoz term extractor.  Use the keyword tool to see what keywords you should focus on and then run your site through the term extractor and see how you match up.

Once you have taken a look at your site and improved it, it’s time to move ‘off-page’.  If at all possible, start a blog and keep it updated regularly.  This will generate fresh content for your site, and provide a ‘personal touch’ for your product.

Further off-page is links.  Other websites linking to yours is one of the most important areas of your SEO- especially for a local business.  Nowhere is ‘world wide web’ more fitting- Google and other search engines look at your links as the strands that connect you to the rest of the web, and define your place in it.  How do you go about getting links that will help your SEO?

For any local business, the easiest way is to think of the sites you frequent that are related to your business.  Are the local directories (cough, cough, Seattle Umbrella) you can submit your site to?  Are there blogs you could write a guest post for, which then include a link back to your site?  Online journals you can submit articles to?  The possibilities are endless.  A word of caution, though: be sure avoid ‘link spam’, that is hundreds (or even hundreds of thousands- no joke!) of links from spammy sites that are little more than lists of links.  This can actually hurt your SEO.  If you use the Google toolbar, add the PageRank tool and this will tell you on a scale of 1-10 how trustworthy the site is.

Those are just a couple ways you can improve your SEO.  If you really want to do a lot to move up in the rankings fast, consider hiring a SEO consultant.  They can allow you to concentrate on your business while they take care of your SEO.  Depending on the size of your business and your goals, don’t be afraid to read up on SEO and work at it yourself, though- the results might surprise you!

We are excited to share with you the following blog post that was written by Dean Richard, Owner & Founder of Compass SEO. You can view more of Dean’s work on his site here and on twitter – @deanfortythree

It seems somewhat contradictory on the surface to say your local business should be marketing on the world wide web. But why should you use social media to promote your small business, and how can you get the most out of those avenues?

If you’ve been to the multimedia page, you may have watched this video (if you haven’t, you should- it’s excellent). Make no mistake, social media is here to stay. I’d venture to say that if you’re reading this, you already use social media personally. So while it connects people all around the globe, why do you need it for you local business?

Actually, you need it because you are a local business. One of the great things about social media is that it works every bit as well- or even better- on a small scale as it does on a large one. Take, for example, the brand that everyone associates with our lovely city of Seattle- Starbucks. Their Twitter is approaching 900,000 followers- and their feed is littered with replies to customers. Your business probably does not have 900,000 people following it- so take advantage of that. Reply to everyone you possibly can. Interact with them, get to know them- that’s part of being a local business, right? Giving your customers that personal attention online will let them know they’ll get personal attention off-line.

The best part of using Twitter to promote your local business is you can be instantly referred. With a couple clicks, a satisfied customer can tell everyone they know about you. And when they do that, thank them for it on Twitter! A common response I hear a lot is “Isn’t the opposite true? Can’t someone say how much they hated it just as easily?” The answer is yes- and that’s a good thing! How so? Let’s pretend you see this tweet:

“Had a horrible time @yourlocalbusiness.”

Ouch. Pretty damaging, right? Wrong. Reply with this:

“@unsatisfiedcustomer: sorry you had a lousy time. We’d like to make it up to you. Please come in for a free #whatever.”

And with that you have probably turned an unsatisfied customer into a satisfied- and possibly repeat- customer, who hopefully will give you feedback so you can improve. Oh, and the whole world saw you make it right. Not bad for a complaint, huh?

Another excellent avenue to explore is having a blog for your business. Twitter only allows you 140 characters- with a blog, you can talk as much as you like! What should you blog about, though? Trust me when I say this: you can blog about anything. You want to frequently connect it to your business, but your customers want to know you- so give it to them. Talk about your dog, your family, your hobbies- what makes you, you. And, as I said before, social media works better on a small scale, and that’s certainly true of your local business. Why do you live in Seattle? Why is your business in Seattle? Your fellow Seattleites will eat it up- it’s what we want and what we love.

In the video I referenced earlier (did you catch that youTube is social media too?), my favorite statistic is that 78% of people trust peer reccomendations, while only 14% trust advertising- and word of mouth is basically free. A well written, regularly updated blog goes a long way for that word of mouth. So pick a schedule, pick some topics and get writing (I write blogs about writing blogs- it’s a vicious cycle).

So if you haven’t already, fire up a twitter account and a blog for your business. Email links to them to everyone you know, local or not. Put up signs in your business and get it printed on cards. It’s the best marketing you can possibly do. If you ever get stuck, email me at deanfortythree@gmail.com or tweet me @deanfortythree and I’ll be happy to help out.

Dean Richard is a SEO Specialist and blogger for Bellingham-based Compass SEO, which specializes in marketing. He has lived in Western Washington his whole life, and loves all things Seattle – Well, most, anyway.

CPO is a prosthetics/orthotics practice with 3 convenient locations serving the greater Seattle-Eastside area. Our staff members share a common philosophy providing tenacious pursuit of care that is professional and innovative. CPO holds the reputation establishing the Gold Standard to the physically challenged patient and their health care team.

Visit The Website | Contact Center for Prosthetics Orthotics

Kurt Lindsay and Don Milgate have been photographing for clients in and around the country for over 24 years. (Wow, pass the Ibuprofen please!) Working both in studio and on location for retail, catalog, internet, graphic designers, ad agencies, magazines, architects, corporations and small businesses. We continue to enjoy shooting all types of people, places and things. Have you got one of those?

Visit The Website | Contact Lindsay Milgate Photographers

At New Element Chiropractic & Massage we are dedicated to helping you achieve your wellness objectives through advanced chiropractic care and massage therapy. We provide gentle personalized care for individuals suffering from work, automobile, sports or personal injuries. We specialize in the treatment & prevention of discomfort for the head, neck, back, shoulders, hands & feet.

Visit The Website | Contact New Element Chiropractic & Massage

With social media today businesses are able to reach their target market and have conversations, discussions, promotions, and whatever communications they desire instantly – and free! This is invaluable to many businesses, and when used properly can be extremely advantageous particularly to those who don’t have the time or money to spend on traditional advertising. As a matter of fact, there are many schools of thought that would say traditional advertising will vanish for small businesses due to the progression of social media. With over 400 million people on facebook and over 18 million people on twitter, it is obvious that these are places that businesses need to be. There are many techniques that small businesses can use once on these sites and having a strong online presence has never been more important than it is today.

At The Seattle Umbrella we use social media in various manners, but primarily as a means to promote the companies that are “certified local” on our site. We have spent the last 6 months developing our social media followers, and are continuously working. We are slowly but surely compiling an audience of people in Seattle who want to do what they can to support local businesses here in Seattle. Thus is the beauty of The Seattle Umbrella project. With the continued success of our social media efforts, we are growing at an extremely steady pace, which in turn increases the value of using our social media to advertise here in Seattle. Local businesses can now use our social media to instantly reach an extremely targeted audience for a fraction of the price of any traditional advertising, and vastly more targeted.

Social media is changing the way business is done, and it is truly an exciting time for business. We wish all of you continued success, and encourage you to use social media to your advantage!

Cheers!

Our passion is helping you find the perfect eyewear. Relax in our warm and friendly boutique and have fun discovering new looks. Here you will find frames from independent designers whose only focus is eyewear. Our unique collections range from colorful, fun & funky to bold, sophisticated & sassy. At 4 Your Eyes Only, we have eyewear you’ll fall in love with.

Visit The Website | Contact 4 Your Eyes Only Optical

Paragon Media is one of the nation’s largest media services companies offering authoring for DVDs, Copy Protection for DVDs and CDs, CD and DVD Duplication, USB Duplication, Custom Printed Packaging, Kit Assembly, Product Fulfillment, On-demand Printing, and a Web Portal for Ordering, Managing and Tracking projects 24/7. Paragon Media makes disc manufacturing easy.

Visit The Website | Contact Paragon Media

The Finish Company is primarily a residential contractor offering specialties in interior/exterior painting, tiling, carpentry, flooring, countertops and millwork. It operates in Greater Seattle Area. We employ 31 craftsmen across all trades, which allow us to do projects of any size. Whether you are a homeowner with the need to complete a new tile floor, kitchen/bathroom remodel or paint your home, we have the team to get it done within your budget. If you have a small or large project, give us a call for a free estimate.

Visit The Website | Contact The Finish Company