FIND the CLIENT » Articles

How to write a good meta description tag

Brian Farrell — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:14:55 +0000

The meta description is a special tag placed within the source code of your webpages. It’s used by search engines and directories to help understand what your page is about.

Sometimes, they’re also used as your “snippet” on the search engine results page.

The tag, placed between the and section, looks like this:

As suggested by Google’s Webmaster Central Blog, here are the best practices about using meta descriptions:

Each page of your website should have a unique meta description
It should contain a factual statement about the content on the page, not already mentioned in the page title
The description should be easy to read

Here is the actual meta description from this article, which supports the promise made in the page’s title:

How to write a good meta description tag | FIND the CLIENT

Well-written meta descriptions are preferred because they give users a clear idea of the page’s content. It’s important to note that while good meta descriptions can improve click through on the search engine results page, they don’t affect your natural rankings.

Your meta descriptions do not have to be solely in sentence format – it’s OK to follow a clearly defined formula listing data about the page. For example, a website about books could include the title of the book as the page title, and a description about the content of the book:

Playing For Pizza: A Novel

Your meta descriptions need to be descriptive. Even though they’re not displayed to a user when viewing your webpage, they’re important enough to spend a few extra minutes on. They could help improve the quality of your snippet — leading to more and better user traffic to your webpage.

Photo credit by svilen001.

Pay-Per-Click vs. Search Engine Optimization

Brian Farrell — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:49:13 +0000

There are few websites online today that don’t crave more attention from search engines, more views and purchases from customers, and more inbound links from other sites. However, getting to the point of online rock stardom takes more than simply wishing your way to the top. It often takes a ton of work optimizing pages, a few dollars spent on advertising, and an ounce of good luck to seal the deal. Two very different approaches – Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising and organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO), have been known to produce favorable results in increasing a website’s visibility, but the key to success online is in understanding and taking advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of both.

Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of following best practices in order to gain better position in a search engine for one or more keywords or phrases. With SEO, visitors use a search engine to find sites that are relevant to the keywords and phases they provide. The most common search engines used today (Yahoo!, Google and MSN) are relied on by over 90% of web users to find what they are looking for online, but most only view the top 30 results produced by search engines. These factors make getting to the top of a search engine’s results for specific keywords an absolute online necessity for websites.

Search Engine Optimization has several advantages which make it appealing to those looking to be online for the long run. Its most noted advantage is that, when using sound practices, its results are realized for the long term. Another major advantage of organic SEO comes in its cost, which ranges from free to minimal as the only costs incurred, if any, are those paid to make website changes. SEO methods that focus its keywords on the products, service and information provided by the website also have a better chance of delivering repeat visitors and customers that are ready to act.

Organic search engine optimization has two clear disadvantages, which are always outweighed by the advantages SEO methods provide. The first disadvantage is that SEO takes time – time in constructing pages to appeal to search engines; time for the search engines to find, index and “trust” the pages; and time to realize the positive ROI between customers and efforts spent. This disadvantage is usually minimal to those looking to be online for the long term. The final disadvantage with organic search engine optimization is that it does not deliver guarantees, especially for websites with lots of competition online. Keeping in mind that each website has the opportunity to “optimize” their pages as well should put the chances of success through SEO in perspective.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Both new websites and those finding it difficult to get their fair shake in the top of the search engines, may opt for Pay-Per-Click advertising to increase their visibility online. In short, Pay-Per-Click advertising allows you to select, bid, and pay for keywords that are relevant to your website’s offerings. In exchange, the Pay-Per-Click program offers a website guaranteed visibility when a searcher enters in the chosen keyword and when the searcher is on a website that is related to the keyword.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising guarantees that websites are put in the eyes of their chosen target audiences. When properly managed, the pay-per-click advertising costs can often times be recouped through the increase in sales that are driven to the website. In addition, the flexibility in keyword selection, the precise management of campaigns, the instant feedback provided, and the ability to budget spending make PPC appealing to most companies that do not appear in top search results.

There are several disadvantages to pay-per-click advertising which can be reduced or even eliminated with proactive PPC campaign management. One major disadvantage results from the bidding nature of PPC programs, which tend to list the highest bidder for a keyword ahead of lower bidders. This “bidding war” forces the lower bidder to increase their bid in order to regain position, and can squeeze out companies with smaller marketing budgets. Another disadvantage to PPC advertising comes in the improper selection of keywords which results in bidders paying for visitors that are simply “window shopping”, and have no intention of buying products. The final disadvantage to PPC advertising is the most obvious and the most painful – once the payments for keywords stop, so does the website’s visibility.

Which Method Is Best?
Websites with little or no visibility can easily change their circumstances by using Pay-Per-Click advertising to instantly gain web presence. And although the guaranteed visibility comes at a cost, those just starting out on the web can often time recoup their expenses through the building of repeat customers, word of mouth referrals and increased traffic flow. Also, keep in mind that paying to be in front of visitors has major disadvantages that good SEO should eliminate over time. So, our suggestion is to always use Pay-Per-Click advertising to get into the face of web surfers in the early stages of a website’s growth, but to also implement the techniques of Search Engine Optimization which will provide the website with long-term staying power. Used in conjunction with each other, your website will realize both immediate and long-term success on the web.

Photo credit by svilen001.

Simple Ways to Provide Great Client Service

Brian Farrell — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:51:52 +0000

Providing good service is often the fastest, least expensive way to make more revenues for your firm. Start by satisfying your clients before they even walk in the door, such as returning phone calls quickly, and really listening to their concerns. Often, lawyers are so busy they may miss huge opportunities (and referrals) without even knowing about them by not returning calls.

Another way to provide good service is to empower your staff to make decisions and reward them for good choices. This is often hard for lawyers or other professionals, who often have difficulty delegating tasks and incorrectly believe they are the only ones capable of making business decisions. But empowerment won’t bring down the business; it actually boosts job satisfaction, keeps turnover low and breeds loyalty. All of which equates to better client service, more revenues and more time for you to develop business and build on your competitive advantage.

What happens if you’ve really, really ruffled some feathers? It happens. Most attorneys just ignore problems, letting voicemail or worse, their assistants handle the brunt of client complaints. Instead, let your clients vent, directly to you. Even encourage them to do it. Imagine you are the one with the concern, and treat them how you’d expect to be treated. This could turn an ugly complaint (which, gasp, could even be posted online as a negative review!) into an opportunity to really hear someone out, and improve your service.

An interesting way to provide great client service is to show, don’t tell. Consider making social responsibility part of your client messaging. Many clients like to see and know what causes are important to you. So, consider posting information about your involvement on your website, and including it in client literature. Even better, involve your clients too. For example, if you’re collecting or donating food to a local homeless shelter, consider putting a box in your office, and ask your clients to contribute. Client loyalty increases when they see involvement with a good cause.

Great client service doesn’t happen by pushing a button. Review your current office policies, and consider implementing the above suggestions. I’m confident they will make an impact.

The Easy Button can be found at Staples.

My Two-Month Plan for Better Social Marketing

Brian Farrell — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:37:20 +0000

Dale Carnegie once said “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” So I’m taking this quote as a challenge to myself to become more social, and more interested in, those of you following me on Twitter, reading this blog or visiting me on Facebook. This goes beyond just “liking” someone’s status on Facebook, and doing something more meaningful than only re-tweeting on Twitter. I’m active in a number of locations, and here are the action steps I plan to take for each:

Twitter
How do you cultivate relationships in 140 characters or less? Not sure it can be done, but I’m going to focus more on @ replies and direct messages with new and existing followers. Second, to create more fun and interaction, I’m going to add polls, quotes and other things of interest more frequently. I don’t have the biggest following, but of the people I follow who do, it’s an endless barrage of self-promotion, MLM offers and the like. I’d rather tweet the same interesting post 3-4 times a day than blast out marketing messages. Third, and maybe this should have been first, I’m going to focus on Twitter lists targeting my geographic area, monitoring for tweet-ups and participating in real world networking. It’s much easier to connect with someone when you meet face to face.

Facebook
Right now, my blog posts automatically feed to Facebook, and I’ve installed the Selective Tweets application so I can tag choice tweets to appear on Facebook. This passive approach hasn’t created much interaction, other than lots of “likes” on my posts. Instead, I plan to offer exclusive material to my Facebook fans. Also, and being really careful not to abuse, send messages and content to them directly via the messaging center on the fan page. An ideal outcome would be a combined tweet-up and Facebook meet-up in the Lehigh Valley (where I live).

LinkedIn
I used to feed my Tweets directly to LinkedIn as status updates, until a close friend told me he couldn’t keep up with me anymore. If he felt that way, I imagine many others did as well. So I’ve changed the application to only accept tweets with the #in hashtag. This way, I can be much more selective, and when linking to a recent article or post I’ve written, can leave it on LinkedIn as a status update for a day or so to get maximum viewership. Going beyond a commitment to write more recommendations, I plan to answer more questions and be more than a lurker on the groups I belong to. Finally, instead of waiting for an introduction, I’m going to turn the tables and introduce people to my network.

Blogging
This goes beyond my own blog, and maybe should be labeled “commenting on blogs”. Every blogger out there, regardless of fame or perceived fame, is driven hugely by their ego. I’ve always wondered who’s reading my blog, and the only proof I have, beyond what Google Analytics tells me, are the comments made. I can assure you, I will read each and every comment that comes in. Even some of the ones Askimet marks as spam. I’d venture to guess other bloggers do the same thing. So, I’ve reached a simple conclusion — the best way to engage with someone is to leave thoughtful, meaningful comments on his or her blog. It’s also proof you’re reading the material, and regular comments on blogs are a sure sign you value and appreciate the writer’s hard work. I doubt this will go unnoticed. If you have only limited time in your day for social marketing, I’d focus 95% of my efforts on entering thoughtful comments on blogs. It’s that powerful.

So there you have my two month plan. Lots of writing, reading and typing. Buying coffee for fans and friends who want to meet in real life. And truly enjoying social marketing. Will you join me?

Photo credit by eduardtrag.

Four Ways Your Website Helps Automate and Expand Your Business

Brian Farrell — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:44:51 +0000

Every day, tens of millions of searches are conducted online by people looking for local service providers. How many potential customers are you missing by not having a web presence? Having a website today is not only “hip,” it’s mandatory. Companies with websites are in control of a resource that works non-stop, providing customer service, processing orders and gathering information.

The problem? Most businesses never reach their full potential because they fail to realize that websites are employees – employees that work to gather leads 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The sooner you realize this, the closer you’ll be to reaching a new level of success; one that comes from possessing a global presence, a constantly networking and marketing tool, and a full-service establishment that serves your customers and potential clients effectively all day, every day.

Used properly, a website will change your online destiny and heighten your understanding of what your clients expect from you as a professional company, and, scary to say, what many of your competitors could well already know: websites have an enormous amount of power, both online and offline.

Your task is to harness this power in a way that works for you, and it starts by changing your mindset on what a website is, and why you either need one, or need to proactively put the one you already have to work. Consider this: radio took 37 years to get 50 million listeners. TV took 15. The Internet did it in less than 3 years. In today’s ultra-competitive economy, a website is your way of being heard.

First, your website acts as a customer service representative. Websites can provide customer service for your company like no other employee on your payroll. What other employee do you have that works non-stop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, for year after year after year? So leverage your website for what it’s great at: providing useful information about your business, such as your services and procedures. Recent news about your company or industry that may interest potential customers also can be posted to your website and updated regularly. Your website can and should provide unparalleled customer service on your behalf.

Second, your website acts as a public relations manager. Websites communicate who you are and help you connect with potential customers. Regardless of whether you’re locally famous or not, your website can make you known globally. By providing clear definitions, information and articles in simple terms everyday people understand, your website can make you more money and attract new customers. Not to mention the potential for making a more personal connection with people by including online professional biographies. A website thrives on attention, and when others reference it, link to it, and love it for providing what they’ve been desperately searching for, it shines brighter than ever, attracting yet more attention. By using your website and the knowledge you currently posses, you can become “the” expert who not only understands your own business, but how to communicate that understanding into the practical, hard-and-fast information surfers seek out.

Third, your website acts as a document provider. Websites can make the lives of your customers and staff easier. Ever faxed or mailed a form to a customer that they could easily have filled out online? Allowing your website to provide forms, general paperwork and documents with your company letterhead already in place saves everyone time and money. Your administrative staff will thank you, too, when you use your website to reduce both unnecessary office traffic and time spent needlessly explaining general documents. Do your clients and yourself a favor by providing forms, general paperwork and documents online.

Fourth, your website acts as an intelligence-gathering tool. We would all like to know what our customers are expecting from us before they say it, and there is absolutely no better way to have this knowledge in-hand than to allow your website to perform a bit of intelligence-gathering on behalf of your business. In this manner, your website is able to gather information and provide you with powerful insight that will improve all aspects of your business – both online and offline. Through feedback forms, website analytics and surveys, your website can be your company’s perpetual covert intelligence agent, working around the clock to help you get to know your clients so you can better communicate with them.

Essentially, the costs associated with creating, maintaining and distributing a website are minimal compared to the ROI your company will receive. Where else can you find a single, consistent medium to provide your company with ongoing customer service, public relations, document delivery, and intelligence gathering, which is not only accurate, but also complete?

With your website working for you fulltime, your company can level the playing field with larger competitors. A valid website will expose you and your company to global markets, while complementing the work you are already performing offline. By tapping the power of your website, you have hired an employee that never needs to be fired and that works just as hard as you do.

Down with the Masses

Brian Farrell — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:42:10 +0000

Most business owners view America as a 309+ million person mass market. But if we’ve learned anything from the recent economic mess we’re in, there are no mass answers. Whether you’re talking about gender, income or even regions, just remember everyone in those groups is an individual. So stop looking for mass solutions with your marketing. Don’t be afraid to focus on small markets, especially since your competitors probably cater to the masses. You could easily corner the market in a small niche and make more sales from fewer clients. For example, look at how this hydroplaning law firm is focused purely on one type of vehicular accident. They OWN this market in Texas.

Follow this Template
Build your database, or “house file,” on every client you have, with fields indicating what makes them unique. Fill out more details by surveying them, asking questions relevant to your business. Obviously, the more information you keep about your clients, the more personalized your marketing. Since most people, clients included, are reluctant to answer surveys, send along a crisp $1 bill. This creates a sense of reciprocity. To make it look less like a bribe, include a note saying they could give the dollar to a child or someone in need. But keep your survey short – four or five questions is plenty.

Getting clients to buy once is nice, but when they buy again and again, your business really takes off. Now that you have a database, stay in regular contact with your clients through a self-published newsletter or via email. Connect with them on LinkedIn and Twitter. Post interesting articles, news, and announcements of relevant events they’d be interested in. Even offline postcard marketing works, and depending on your business, may be the best $0.44 you spend. The key to staying in touch is technology — using the right system can put most of your follow-up marketing on autopilot, with you just needing to create the message. Keeping existing clients is much more lucrative than finding new ones.

Practice Asking Why
When you do lose a client, perform an “exit interview,” like most large employers do, and find out the reasons why they left. Your goal isn’t to win them back, it’s to change the perception future clients will have of your business. You can always send “lost” clients a reactivation letter or series of offerings down the road, even announcing the solution to the problem that caused them to leave. Here’s a trick most consultants won’t know (or won’t tell you): be your own client. Shop where they shop, observing how they, as clients, are treated, looking at what they spend money on, and at what kinds of services seem important.

The more you know about your clients and future prospects (since future prospects will look much like your existing clients), the easier they are to target and market. You’ll find it easier to then expand geographically, rather than demographically (all lawyers in PA vs. lawyers in Philadelphia). Your reputation of serving lawyers is easier to expand than it is to start over with accountants.

Instead of mass marketing, hone your efforts on keeping clients. It’s much easier to sell to someone who’s already bought from you.

3 Step Marketing Plan

Brian Farrell — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:38:42 +0000

When it comes to successful marketing, most consultants tell you to put it in writing. But who has time to write 20, 30, or more pages? Instead, try this simple, yet powerful, 3 step plan, which answers these questions about you and your business:

Who are you?
Who do you help, and why?
What should you spend?

Who are you?
Every business has something that makes it unique, which becomes the basis for your unique selling proposition (“USP”). Most consultants will have you examine your business, looking for ideas, but that takes away time from earning money. Here’s a trick — instead of trying to figure it out yourself, simply survey your currents clients asking them why they bought from you. You’re bound to find some gems from which to build your USP on. Once you’ve got your USP, integrate it in all your marketing efforts. You’ve got to stand for something in today’s marketplace.

Who do you help?
Begin by crafting a service description similar to this: I help (people, business owners, etc.) who have this problem (legal issues, leaky pipes, etc.) in this location (Dallas, Orange County, Utah, etc.). Show them how you serve their needs and their needs alone. The most important element of your business is your service description — not your signs, storefronts or office space. Add demographic questions to your business survey, and find out where your clients live, work, play, eat, what kind of car they drive, musical tastes — anything and everything to help you uncover patterns, which you’ll then use to laser-focus your marketing. Why do you get up each morning to help your clients? The answer to “why” helps your clients connect to you emotionally, which is on a much deeper level than price. Get the advantage and answer why!

What should you spend?
Marketing budgets are easier to express as a percentage of sales, but take the extra time and figure exactly what you should spend to acquire a new client. Three to five percent of gross annual sales is a rough starting point. Let’s say you have a law firm in Texas, and clients bringing in uncontested matters spend an average of $700 each time they see you. This client hires you twice a year for about five years. Simply put, the lifetime value of this client is $7000. If you only take 5% of this amount and apply it to your marketing efforts, you’d need to invest $350 to attract one new client. Then multiply this number times the number of clients you want to attract to create your budget.

Plan for success by drafting and documenting this simple, yet powerful, marketing plan. Writing it down forces you to think about your business and serves as a constant reminder. Refer to your plan often, and make minor course adjustments along the way. With plan in hand, set a timeline and begin implementing. As the saying goes, “most people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.”

Marketing Your Service Business During a Recession

Brian Farrell — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:35:52 +0000

Times are tough for our economy, and even if your company hasn’t experienced a decline in business, you certainly know others either suffering or closing altogether. It’s time to take a look at the budget and decide what stays and what goes. Often, the marketing budget is first to get cut. But cutting your overall marketing budget couldn’t be a bigger mistake! Studies have shown time and again this is a wrong move. Recessions offer new opportunities and decreased competition. Instead of cutting (if you must cut something, jettison all outbound marketing, like traditional advertising and trade shows), make it more efficient through inbound marketing.

Why Spend Money Now?
Obviously, marketing when others aren’t gives you an advantage. Your clients still have leaky pipes, need legal assistance or accounting services regardless of the state of the economy (remember, service providers are problem solvers in nearly all cases). Some businesses are even recession-resistant, e.g. accident and injury lawyers, auditing services, food services, etc. Not to mention the incredible deals you’ll get from other businesses! Your marketing dollars will go much further during bad times, so take advantage of it and gain market share.

Document and look at your current marketing plan. It’s important to examine each item in terms of value so you can focus and hone in on low-risk, high-reward campaigns. This is also the time to test new things, such as inbound marketing (and if you’re doing this, time to refine and get even better results).

Consider These Inbound Marketing Activities
First, a definition: inbound marketing is an online strategy which places information about your business in front of people already looking for what it is you sell. It simply means creating content and talking about it. Inbound marketing turns strangers into friends, friends into clients and clients into salespeople. Hard to beat this positioning!

Here are some inbound marketing tasks you can do to gain more market share:

Get listed on business directories and Internet yellow pages. Each provides implied credibility and can deliver leads fast. There are too many to list, but identify those appropriate for your industry. For example, Lawyers.com is a directory of lawyers and law firms, OutFishing.com is a directory of fishing guides, and the SuperPages is an Internet yellow pages directory.
Optimize your website (you have one, right??). Since most professional service businesses are not ‘bought’ online, make sure your content and information is designed to generate leads. Continue to add new and relevant content and information to your website on a regular basis.
Leverage social marketing. Consider launching a blog or using a service like Twitter to stay in front of potential clients. And don’t ignore social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. The profiles and pages are free and deliver very qualified leads. The key with social marketing, and social networking in particular, is to remember that everyone knows why you’re there, so don’t be too obvious or overly promotional with your sales pitches.
For the creative side in you, grab your video camera or buy an inexpensive Flip HD camera, and record short, informational movies and clips about your business. The quality of the production isn’t nearly as important as the quality of the content. So show off your office, your staff, a how-to video, or even something as simple as a 30-60 second recording explaining why you’re in the business you’re in. Be genuine!

It’s easy to list these items and never take action, so consider working with a specialist or a marketing consultant who “gets” inbound marketing; one who understands the challenges professional services providers face. New clients are already online and looking for someone like you to solve a problem they have. Regardless of where you market, help them find you with inbound marketing.

Social Marketing

Brian Farrell — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:51:39 +0000

Social marketing uses the sound techniques of Internet marketing and the proven power behind word-of-mouth advertising to create instant buzz for a company’s products, services and brand. Through highly visited social sites like MySpace and Facebook, interest-driven networks like Stumbleupon and Del.icio.us, and popularity-based sites like Digg and Reddit, companies are using Social marketing techniques to effectively reach their target audiences.

What is social marketing?
Social marketing is the indirect spread of a website’s products, services, information, and opinions through channels and networks formed by various social groups a/k/a “virtual friends”. The foundation of these social friendships is built on a type of “web trust”, as group members gain popularity by expanding on, debating, support and providing contributions to current topics. And because group members may belong to and hold similar discussions within multiple groups and networks, the viral growth of a topic (or product or company) becomes explosive.

Social Marketing: Out With the Old, In With the New
With social sites doing the marketing, the days of soft selling are out and social marketing is in. Consumers have spoken, and no one wants to hear from strangers about a product or service, or how a company can change the world with its new, revolutionary idea, or how much lower and better a price or product is. When generated by members of the social media websites, your message changes from marketing noise into a viral, marketing “buzz”.

A Few Tools of Social Marketing: Blogs, Tags and Sharing
Blogs, short for weblogs, are online commentaries and journals of free speech. Blogs have been very popular over the last few years, especially in the political and high-tech arena. Today’s companies use them to discuss relevant topics, promote and review their products and to answer questions posed by consumers. Loved by search engines, linked to by other websites and read by faithful followers, blogs are becoming even more popular as an online marketing tool.

And with blogs, come tags – the author’s labeling of a blog post (or any web page) with relevant keywords (tags) to help those searching find the page. Used with blog indexing systems like Technorati, tags are an alternative traffic generator bringing in both traffic and inbound links to tagged pages.

Once a blog entry has been tagged, others looking for topics related to the tagged keywords will be lead to click through. If a visitor finds thinks the information in the blog entry needs to be shared, tools like those provided by Stumbleupon, Digg, and Del.icio.us provide ways to tell others of the new find. As more people “stumble upon”, “digg” or find the entry to be “del.icio.us” the more likely the blog will enter into the world of mega-social medias like Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. where it’s popularity will continue to grow.

Conclusion
Social marketing is fast becoming an inexpensive way to gain visibility, build a network of followers and to get the word out on products, services and expertise. When used properly, social marketing’s very nature will create a wealth of inbound links, increase visibility and promote the Internet buzz for a company or organization. The realized effects tend to be an increase in search engine rank, brand trust and the power to influence others online.

With social marketing, hard sells become obsolete and softsells are seen as welcomed suggestions; visitors become advocates, and supporters become your sales teams. It’s becoming the most efficient and effective way to harness the power of the web.

Build Links To Drive Traffic

Brian Farrell — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:47:49 +0000

Most search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, present search results based on the quality of inbound links to your site. Links also drive traffic to your website. Imagine this scenario:

You (the search engine) are vacationing in a distant city (the Internet), and want to find the best place to eat in town (search engine query). Stopping at a convenience store for a map, you ask the clerk where she likes to eat.

“Sunrise Diner is my favorite place,” she says (a link).

Not satisfied, you walk a few doors down to the local chamber of commerce. You ask for a recommendation for lunch. The receptionist hands you a stack of fliers for all the businesses in town (bunch of unrelated links). She winks at you and says “I eat lunch at Sunrise Diner three times a week” (a link).

Thinking you have found the perfect place, you hop in a taxi.

“Sunrise Diner, please”.

The driver turns towards you and smiles.

“Of course — my wife works there. She’s the best cook in town (a link)!”

It’s easy to see how website links are like face-to-face networking to the search engines.

Get your first links today.
Hop on the Internet and look for directories in your niche. For example, OutFishing.com is a directory of fishing related businesses, and SEMPO maintains a list of certified search engine marketing professionals. In addition, based on your budget, consider a link on Business.com and/or the Yahoo! Directory (both $299/year). Directory listings are valuable in a number of ways: they imply credibility, they often have established traffic volumes and most are “human-edited”, meaning your URL is subject to some editorial guidelines (which search engines also appreciate).

Don’t overlook obvious link partners.
Look at the websites of your local chamber of commerce, your business associations, networking or referral groups, etc. for a “links” or “directory” page. Most organizations will gladly list their member businesses. These easy links are very relevant, frequently including local or location based listings, and are often yours for the asking!

Other ways to get links.
There are many other ways to get links.

Create a short “signature file” that includes your name, URL, and a brief sales message (ex. “Follow me on Twitter”). Then make comments on blogs and forums within your industry, adding your “signature file” to each posting (when permitted). Although these links do not pass along any search engine value, potential clients and prospects may see them, and click through to your website.
Write and distribute articles, including your website URL and short bio in the footer. There are hundreds of article directories available. I like GoArticles.com and eZineArticles.com.
Similarly, you can distribute an online tool, offer a free service, or create an award logo (such as “YourWebsite.com’s Site of the Week”). Don’t forget to ask visitors to link to you.

Find out who’s linking to you now.
Want to know who is linking to you now? Use the Yahoo! Site Explorer (https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com; free, requires Yahoo! account). Enter your URL, hit Explore and then filter by InLinks. This should present a list of links. Or try using the tools located on the following websites:

Why inbound links are so important.
Create lots of high quality content for your website, which creates a larger funnel of pages for search engines to find you. If the content is relevant and interesting, webmasters naturally link to it. And since search engines prefer to find your page from links on other websites, link building is a necessity. Just remember, it’s the relevance of the link, not the number of links, that determine your rankings. Link building is like making friendships – best done one at a time.

What are your link building strategies?