Local Search - Get Your Business Information Listed in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN Live Search for Free

Many sites do not have optimum or even acceptable search engine visibility. Search engine optimization (SEO) is one possible course of action to attract more targeted traffic. Search engine marketing (SEM) via pay per click or banner ads are other ways to drive targeted traffic to a business site. Both can be very profitable for businesses when applied appropriately, but they come at a cost. A business owner must either invest the time and probably some money in learning or having one of their employees learn what some consider the “dark art” of SEO; or they must pay someone to help optimize their site or manage their pay-per-click campaign.

Before doing either of these things a business owner can take some simple steps towards improving their traffic flow from search engines. Every business with a physical presence should ensure their business is listed in the big 3 search engines' local business pages. The business doesn't even need to have a web page to be listed! (If you own a business and don't have a web page though, please give us a call...)

We're going to go after the low hanging fruit to get the most benefit from our time. Google, Yahoo!, and MSN Live Search account for approximately 87 percent of the search engine queries (Aug 2007), so it makes sense to get our business information listed in those engines first. Here are some simple instructions to get you going:

1. Google Business Pages

  • Go to the Google Local Business Center
  • Create a Google account if you do not already have one.
  • Follow the instructions to create your listing
  • The most important part of your listing is your site description which can be a maximum of 200 characters. Do some research on the keywords you should use. Choose your words carefully and make each one count.

2. Yahoo!

  • Complete this form
  • It isn't necessary to create an account

3. MSN Live Search

  • Complete this form
  • Please note that the form has no Microsoft branding. It is called “localeze”. It is the correct place to add your business listing information for MSN Live Search. Also, please be aware that as of this update in October 2007, MSN Live Search is in Beta so the location of the page to add a business listing may move. To find the new location, the best place to look is in the Site Owner Section on MSN.

Getting your business information listed in the big 3 search engines is absolutely essential. Fortunately, it is a simple task once you know where to go. Now, take a few minutes and go list your business information while it is still at the forefront of your mind.

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