In today’s business landscape, having an optimized Internet presence can mean all the difference between staying in business, and losing out to your competition. And make no mistake, optimization is a lot more complicated than it was in 1998 when Google first arrived on the scene.
Are you “testing” your search presence by doing a Google search for your own business?
While this method can be informative and I do encourage business owners to do so, there are a number of facts you need to understand:
1. DO search on your business name to ensure that you are at the top. Of course, if your name is a common one (“Main Street Gas”) you might need to add the city.
2. DO search on keywords that describe your services and/or products. This is how those who don’t already know your name, are looking for someone who can help them.
3. DO search on keywords that describe a pain that you solve. Again, this is how people who don’t already know you, are looking for you.
4. DO NOT think that just because you are seeing your own site as #1, everyone else is seeing you there. Understand that Google “skews” results based on what you have already searched for, and where you have already been. If you’ve been to your company website (which is likely!) and you’ve searched for your own keywords, your site will be returned higher in the search results the next time you perform that search. But that does not mean someone who has never searched for you before is going to see the same results.
Questions? Talk with your Search Engine Optimization Company professional. She will be glad to help.