Get Free Online Advertising For Your Business – Even When You Don’t Have A Website

It is estimated that 30 to 40 % of all online searches are made with local intent. If your business offers a service that is relevant to a local area, you are missing many visitors if your website is not showing in the local search results. Local search is clearly a growing segment. Mobile search, which is rapidly increasing, will make local online listings for your business even more important in the future.

Even if you business doesn’t have a website, it is a good idea to submit it to online local directories. If this is done strategically and consistently, and you ask many of your happy customers to submit positive online reviews for you, you will have excellent chances that your business will show up among the top local online search results soon!

There are a multitude of local search websites ranging from Google, Yahoo and Bing Local to established directories like Yellow Pages and Super Pages, and city specific online guides like Yelp, Judie’s Book or Kudzu.

Most businesses don’t realize this, but to get your business ranked high in the top local search results you need to have the right strategy.

Here is our quick-start guide to help you submit your business yourself to the most important local search directories:

1. Prepare at least one picture with your logo or a photo of your store or office in .jpg format (this is optional but adds to your credibility and helps customers remember your business).
2. Prepare a description of about 150 to 200 words about the services you provide. Do not spam, and describe your business without exaggeration. Include your keywords (e.g. ‘graphic design San Diego’) in your company description.
3. To submit your business to local directories, you will have to set up accounts will all of these websites. For the sake of keeping the overview it is wise to make notes of all log-ins, email addresses and passwords you used. You will have to come back later to most of these websites and enter an activation code emailed to you. You also may have to update your listings over time. It is also a good idea or to check from time to time whether you have received positive or negative reviews. A great help to securely keep track of all your online passwords is the software program ‘RoboForm‘ that completely automates password entering and form filling.
4. If your main email is somehow ‘unprofessional’ like thecoolguy123@hotmail.com, you need to get a more professional email address like yourbusinessname@gmail.com. You can get it for free at Google GMail. GMail is excellent, it’s easy to use and has many options, and one of the best spam filters out there. If you don’t plan on using this GMail address regularly, you can set it to forward your emails to your regular email address. In any case you need to make sure you check all emails related to your business listings.
5. Very Important: Make sure that all listings are EXACTLY the same on all local directories. You want to use always the exact same business name, street address and phone number on each listing. This is very important to get high search engine rankings at Google, Yahoo and Bing!
6. Providing as much information as possible and uploading some photos is time consuming and doesn’t help your ranking, but it’s a good idea to enhance your business profile and make it stand out from your competitors. Include your description and add information about opening hours, payment types, etc. On some websites you can easily add a coupon which might appeal to your potential customers. Choose the best possible category for your website, and if you have the option to select more than one category, select all that apply.
7. Be aware that listing your business online will make it easy for disgruntled customers to give you a negative review or rating! However, even if you do not list your business with local directories, you might be rated without your knowledge anyway as these websites give their users the possibility to review just about any business they know by name and address. Listing it yourself gives you at least control over the way your business is presented, and in worst case you can click on the ‘report abuse’ button.
8. Encourage all your happy customers to leave online feedback for you, so negative review will hopefully be outranked by positive votes for your business. Also, more ‘stars’ will usually give your listing a higher position. Do not rate or review your business yourself! Faked reviews will be noticed, and your listing might get banned, or potential customers might avoid you!
9. On most local directory websites your listing will show immediately, but on others it might take a couple days or weeks to get approved. After you have set up a listing, always look for the direct link to your published listing and make sure to bookmark the exact url to your listing in your internet browser so you can get back to it. If you are using Internet Explorer, right-click with your mouse somewhere on the website and select ‘add to favorites’, or copy and paste the link from your browser’s navigation bar into a Word document. You should regularly check your listings for any reviews you might have received to stay always informed about your online reputation.
10. With the above ‘rules’ in mind, it’s now time to start visiting the following websites to set up accounts and create profiles.

Are You Ready For Do-It-Yourself Local Search Submissions Of Your Business?

Google Local Business Center

When you register your business, Google will call you to verify your listing, so make sure you are next to the phone number you provide, or save and finish your listing later. The other option is to get an activation code to your business mailing address by snail mail which will take a couple weeks. You have to type that activation code into your listing before it will be accepted.

Yahoo Local

The ‘Basic Listings’ option is free. You’ll need to set up a new or use an existing Yahoo account to be listed. Yahoo will review your submission for inclusion within 3-5 business days. You can check the status in your account

Bing (MSN City Search)

After you have submitted a new listing, MSN City Search will send you a confirmation code by snail mail in about 2-3 weeks. You’ll need to enter the code back into the Local Listings Center to activate and confirm your business submission.

Other Local Directories

Note: The more local directories list your business, the better. We know that it is time consuming, but you can always outsource it to another internet savvy person. Just make sure to have her follow the ten important bullet points as mentioned above.

On some of these websites the link to adding a new business is not easy to find. If you can’t find it, just type your business name and city or ZIP in the search field, and usually if it is not found, you will get a link to add it as a new business.

Note: Superpages, Info USA and Yellow Pages will call you and try to upsell! Feel free to upgrade your listing, but in our opinion this is not necessary.

City Search

Insider Pages Search for the business that you wish to add. If it is not listed, click on the ‘Add a Business’ button at the bottom of the page.

Kudzu

Yelp

Super Pages

Yellow Pages

Judy’s Book

RateItAll

Info USA

LocalEze

NavTeq

Venturebeat Profiles

Merchant Circle

HotFrog

Brown Book

San Diego only: Mojo

A great paid directory is Angie’s List

If you don’t mind paying for a listing, Angie’s List is a good choice. The fee is reasonable and you will get good value for it. They are known to refer high quality contractors, service companies and doctors and have over 1 million registered users. As it is members only, and you can even get help when a project goes wrong, many consumers feel safe to select a business that is listed at Angie’s.

Here is a tip how to save the $10 application fee: create a login, exit and wait for the email with the offer to waive the application fee when you join ‘now’ (worked in the past, may not work anymore)

In addition to being listed in the local search results, it is important to be listed in the regular results on Google.

These are the most important websites for local listings, and as mentioned before you don’t need a website to be listed there. If you do have a website however, it is a good idea to search online for more local directories for your specific city, or directories related to the services you provide, and submit your website to these. It will help your search engine ranking when you have many links from other reputable websites RELEVANT to your business.

Websites Are Us, Your San Diego Web Designer, will help you optimizing your websites, and getting it on Google’s first result page for the keywords you target.

Get your website on Google’s front page

Imagine what it would do for your business if your website showed up among the top 10 search results each time somebody is searching on Google for your products or services! We made this happen for other small business owners and invite you to be the next.

Our Proven 3 Steps Search Engine Optimization Strategy

Why Is My Website Not In Google Search Results?

Find Out How To Get Your Website On Google

If your website is not ranking high on Google, chances are that it is not ’search engine optimized’. The Google bot might not be able to spider your website’s coding or doesn’t find the right ‘keywords’ in your content.

In our detailed analysis of your website a search engine optimization professional and experienced web designer will research and analyze:

• How many people are looking online for the products or services you offer
• Which keywords they type in Google to find you
• For which of these keywords your website can rank high on Google’s front page
• How to re-write your website’s content and coding so Google will index and show it
• How to make your website ‘popular’ so Google will rank it in its top search results

The result will be presented to you in an easy to follow report in .pdf format (click here for a sample report).

More Then 1 Billion Online Searches Are Done Per Day

Is your website among Google’s top search results? Analyzing your website is the first important step to your online success!

• Discover how to improve your website’s ranking
• Find out how to get more visitors
• Learn how to optimize your website
• Identify how to make your website more profitable

100% Satisfaction Guarantee»

* We will waive your Website Analysis Report fee if you continue to work with us and implement the results (However, you are under NO obligation to further work with us after receiving your report!)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art to optimize your website in order to rank on top positions in the search engines without having to pay for advertising.

Do I Really Need Search Engine Optimization For My Website?

These days, you have to work very hard on getting the search engines to notice your website. Without a proactive approach to optimizing your web presence, you website’s only visitors will be you and your family and friends. But imagine what it will do to your business, when your website shows up for free on Google’s front page, every time a searcher is looking for the product or service you are offering!

How Long Does It Take?

 You can get free top rankings in a matter of months, weeks, or even days – it all depends on finding the right ‘keywords’. However, if you select the ’wrong’ keyword – e.g. a highly competitive term like ‘life insurance’ or ‘real estate’ – your website will most likely never be among the first 100 results… The good news is : Websites Are Us knows many other ways to get you lots of visitors to your website - without you having to pay a high fee to Google every time a visitor clicks on your link! 

What is ‘On Site’ Search Engine Optimization?

On Site Search Engine Optimization is the overall job of ensuring that your website content is accessible, suitable and indexable by the search engines. For the content for example, your site needs to have relevant content with the right relation between keyword density and page copy. For the architecture, it means e.g. having a targeted title and Meta description, headers and image alt tags, and providing some ‘extra help’ to the spiders in forms of intelligent robots and sitemap files.

What is ‘Off Site’ Search Engine Optimization?

Even more important that having a well structured website with great content is Off Site Search Engine Optimization. Your ranking in the search engines is mainly determined by the ‘link popularity’ of your website. Think of ‘links’ to your website as ‘votes’ from other websites for your site. The more other relevant and high ranking websites link to yours, the more popular it is in the eyes of the search engines, and the higher they will rank it. You can get a good part of such links by listing your website in local or specialty directories, being present on the many social network or social bookmarking websites or even publishing ‘how-to-videos’ on YouTube. However, as web marketing techniques become more and more sophisticated in an ongoing cat and mouse game with the ever-changing search engine algorithms, it becomes harder and harder to secure good quality, relevant links, and the risk to be ‘penalized’ by the search engines if it is done unprofessionally or in a ’spammy’ way is big.

When your website is optimized On Site and strategical and consistent Off Site promotion is done, you will see a dramatic improvement in your website’s positioning in the search engines. It’s not easy to get top 10 rankings on Google but it’s also not difficult for those who know how to do it.

Read more about our 3 Steps To Google’s Front Page Website Optimization Plan, or

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
We care deeply about the satisfaction of every customer we serve and did our best to make these Terms Of Service fair and reasonable. When you decide to work with us, a contract between Websites Are Us and you, the Client, shall be entered for web design and/or search engine optimization services with the following terms:

Definition of Website Analysis, Web Design and Search Engine Optimization Services

As described on this website and furthermore in the contract between the parties.

Website Analysis

Scope Of Work

Websites Are Us will thoroughly analyze your website, your online market, and your competition and issue a detailed report in .pdf format with the following content:
• Your website’s current ranking in the search engines
• Analysis of your online market and top 3 – 5 Competitors websites from SEO point of view
• Extensive keyword research with recommendation of keywords for those we deem top Google ‘organic ranking’ within 90 days of Search Engine Optimization by Websites Are Us (as described below) achievable
• How to improve your website’s content and coding for top search engine ranking
• How to improve your website’s content and functionality for better conversion

You will receive the results of our analysis in a .pdf report, usually within 7 business days.

Guaranteed Website Analysis

We guarantee that your website’s performance will show a dramatic improvement within 180 days, if you implement the results of our Website Analysis Report by subscribing to our Search Engine Optimization plan – or you’ll get your money back. However, you are under no obligation to further work with us after receiving your report.

Web Design

Website Content

The scope of work will be defined at the beginning of the project. Any text, design, logos, graphics, photos, printed brochures and/or any other artwork or items to be included in the design or content of your website must be submitted before starting your project. If you prefer not to contribute any text, artwork or other items, you agree that Websites Are Us will build your website writing copy we deem suitable, and using royalty-free stock images from our collection.

Web Design Process

Once we have received the signed contract with your initial deposit, we will provide you with an estimated finish date, which is usually about 4 to 6 weeks for regular websites (more for advanced projects). We will provide you with a basic layout and content draft usually within 10 business days. After you have reviewed the draft, we will continue to make modifications until the basic layout and content is approved by you. Once it is approved, we will create the detailed page layout and add content. During this process, you will have the opportunity to review the progress. We will establish a private directory for your new website on our testing server so that you may view the website development progress at any time. We will inform you via email when updates to the site have been made so you can review the most recent draft. We will continue to make modifications until the final layout and content is approved by you. After getting your final approval and payment we will transfer your website to your hosting company’s web server. From this point on your website is ‘live’ on the Internet.

Privacy

Any data we collect from our Clients will be held securely by us for the sole purposes of carrying out business with you and on request returned after finishing the project. Your data will not be passed to any third parties.

Copyright

The Client unconditionally guarantees that any elements of text, graphics, photos, designs, trademarks, or other artwork furnished to Websites Are Us for inclusion in web pages are owned by the Client, and that the Client has permission from the rightful owner to use each of these elements. He will hold harmless, protect and defend Websites Are Us from any claim or suit arising from the use of such elements. Once Websites Are Us has received final payment for your project you will get the copyright to all files we created for your website.

Credit On Website

A link to Websites Are Us will appear in small type at the bottom of your website. This link may not be modified at any time without written consent of Websites Are Us during the existence of this website design on the internet.

Changes After Completion

Support by email or phone is included at no charge for up to 6 months after your website has launched (up to 30 minutes labor per month). Any additional work on your website by Websites Are Us after project completion will require additional contracting and incur a fee.

Website Alterations by Other Parties

Websites Are Us cannot accept responsibility for any alterations caused by the Client or third parties occurring to the Clients website once the website is placed on the web server.

Refusal Of Service

Websites Are Us reserves the right to refrain from creating websites with content deemed to be illegal or offensive.

Backup Of Data & Data Loss

After launching the website the Client shall be solely responsible for safe keeping and backup of all website files and related data such as access information. Websites Are Us will set up a backup routine, but shall not be liable for any damages, loss, costs or other expenses arising out of or in connection with any loss of data due to the failure of the Client or its partners or web hosts or any other reasons.

Guaranteed Web Site Design

Due to the high standard of our work we have the confidence to guarantee all our web designer work 100%. If you are not completely satisfied with the appearance and functionality of your website, Websites Are Us will continue to work on your website at no additional charge until you are, or you can cancel our contract. The copyright to all work done and files created will stay with Websites Are Us, and the payments you made to us will be refunded.

Search Engine Optimization

Scope Of Work

Step 1: We will optimize your website ‘on-site’ according to commonly known SEO standards so search engines can index it and submit it to the major search engines Google, Yahoo and Bing. While building a search engine friendly site is a critical requirement, other factors outside of the website itself must be implemented to achieve top search engine rankings. Link popularity and dozens of other factors outside of our control also play an important role.

Step 2: In an effort to establish free organic Search Engine Ranking for your website, we will do any or all of the following:
• Generate articles on article websites to establish web presence and drive traffic to your website
• Periodically submit press releases to announce new products or services
• Bookmark your website on Social Bookmarking websites
• Add your website to free general and product/service related directories
• Promote your website by posting and commenting in product/service related forums and blogs

Guaranteed Search Engine Optimization Services

Search engine optimization is a process that will take a couple weeks to show effect and a few months to reach its fullest potential, and needs to be done on an ongoing basis. While we cannot guarantee the exact position your website will be ranked on Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines and can’t influence the SEO efforts of your competition, we are so confident in meeting our goals that we will refund your last month’s SEO fee in case you are not completely satisfied with the results of our work.

Other Services

Domain Name And Web Hosting

If ordered with Websites Are Us, website hosting and the domain name will be purchased on behalf of the Client through a renowned domain and hosting partner of our choice. Hosting and domain name will be ordered for a period of one calendar year from time of purchase. Websites Are Us will register the Clients name and address as the administrative contact/owner of the domain. After completion of the first year it is the Clients’ responsibility to renew the contract. Warning of account expiration may or may not be sent via email directly from the domain name and hosting company to the Client’s registered email address. Domain and Hosting services are payable by the Client directly to the Registrant and Hosting company in advance, and are not refundable during this time period. It is the Clients’ responsibility to comply with all domain and hosting regulations.

Contract and Payment

Cancellation Of The Contract

If you cancel the project at any stage due to reasons not related to Websites Are Us’ performance, you will be required to make payment for work already completed. The copyright to this work will remain property of Websites Are Us. Payment must be made within seven days of the cancellation request. Failure to do so may result in legal action.

Payment

Our services require an initial deposit of 20% of the total project amount, 40% after the first draft is presented, and the remainder of your balance upon project completion. Advanced projects require payments as stated in the contract. Invoices will be sent via e-mail in PDF format. Payment is due upon receipt of invoice. Final payment is always due before we publish your website on the internet. NSF / Past Due Accounts Checks returned unpaid are subject to a $25 returned check fee. Invoices are considered past due on the 31 st day from the invoice date. A finance charge equaling 2% of the delinquent invoice will be assessed from the 31 st day. If payment is not received within 60 days, a second and final notice will be sent stating that if payment is not received within 90 days from the date of original invoice, the delinquent account will be submitted immediately to a collection agency. A $150.00 service charge plus costs and collection fees incurred during the collection process will also be billed to the delinquent customer.

No Liability for Consequential Damages

Websites Are Us shall not be liable to the Client or any third party for any direct, indirect, special, consequential, or incidental damages (including but not limited to damages for the loss of profits or savings, downtime, business interruption, loss of business information, damage to or replacement of equipment and property, recovery or replacement of programs or data, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use, the results of use, or inability to use the website. In any case, Websites Are Us’ entire liability under any provision of this agreement is limited to the pro rated amount actually paid by Client for the website.

The agreement between Websites Are Us and the Client will be governed by the laws of California. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of this license, or portion thereof, to be unenforceable, that provision of the license shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible so as to effect the intent of the parties, and the remainder of this license shall continue in full force and effect. Each of the parties hereto irrevocably patterns to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of California and further agrees to commence any litigation which may arise hereunder in the courts located in North County, San Diego, California.

The Client hereby acknowledges that he has read this agreement, understands it, and agrees to be bound by its terms and conditions. Client further agrees that this agreement is the complete and exclusive statement of agreement between Client and Websites Are Us, and that it supersedes all proposals or prior agreements, oral or written, and any other communications between the parties relating to the subject matter of this agreement.

The Client understands that a contract shall not exist between Client and Websites Are Us until Websites Are Us acknowledges receipt and acceptance of the work order and Clients initial deposit and confirms this to Client by in written by email, fax or mail.

Last updated: October 1, 2009

1. Register your website’s domain name
   A domain name is the name of your website, e.g. www.websitesare.us, and needs to be registered with a Domain Name Registrant. 
2. Select a web hosting company
   A web hosting company will store the files that make up your website on their publicly accessible
   web server so your website is online on the world wide web.
3. Create your website
   Ask your web designer what they will do to ensure that your website will be found on top of the search engines – or order your search engine optimized website with money back guarantee with Websites Are Us.

If you are confused how to order your domain name or website hosting, Websites Are Us is happy to help you and purchase a domain name and hosting services on your behalf through a renowned domain and hosting partner of our choice.

The fees for domain name registration (typically about $10 per year) and web hosting (typically about $5-$9 per month) are NOT included in our web design services as they are payable by the client directly to the domain and hosting company monthly or annually in advance (by credit card orPayPal).We have tested many domain registrants and web hosts and found that the following two companies provide excellent value for a great price:
for domain name registration and for web hosting.

I want to sell online and need a shopping cart e-commerce website. Can you do this?

Sure. Please see examples of shopping cart websites we created for other clients on our Web Design Clients page.

I already have a website that needs redesign, or I don’t get enough visitors. Can you help me?

You came to the right place. You will find the answer at our website design and website redesign page, and our search engine optimization page for more information about search engine optimized website design with money back guarantee.

How long does it take to get my website up and running?

Regular websites take us usually about 4 to 6 weeks after the start date. We can even rush your project for a small fee, so you can have your new website within one to two weeks.

How can I be sure that I will like my website?

We take pride in all our satisfied customers and look forward to giving you the same level of service excellence. Due to the high standard of our work we have the confidence to guarantee our work 100%. If you are not completely satisfied with the appearance or functionality of your web design, Websites Are Us will continue to work on your web site at no additional charge until you are, or you can cancel your contract with us for a refund. You get your money back, and we keep the copyright to the work we have already done for you.

Can I provide my own text and photos?

Sure. You can submit text, design, logos, graphics, photos, printed brochures and/or any other artwork or items to be included in the design or content of your website before we start your project. You can either mail or email them to us, or upload it onto our web server, or we can meet in person if you are located in the San Diego area.

Do I have to come up with text and photos?

No. If you prefer not to contribute any text, artwork or other items, you agree that Websites Are Us will build your website drafting text we deem suitable, and use royalty-free stock images from our collection.

How is your working process?

We will provide you with a basic layout and content draft for your website, usually within 7 to 10 business days. After you have reviewed the web design draft, we will continue to make modifications until the basic layout and content is approved by you. Once it is approved, we will create the detailed page layout, add programming, pictures, photos, and text. During this process, you will have the opportunity to review the progress. We will establish a private directory for your new website on our testing server so that you may view the website development progress at any time. Our project manager will inform you via email when extensive updates to the site have been made so you can review the most recent progress.
We will continue to make modifications until the final layout and content is approved by you. After getting your final approval and payment we will transfer your website to the hosting company’s web server. From this point on your website is ‘live’ on the internet.

Will I own the copyright to my website?

Yes. Once Websites Are Us has received final payment for your project you will own the copyright to everything we created for your website.

Can I edit my content or add new photos once my website is online?

Your website will be set up as a flexible CMS (Content Management System) with an online ‘back office’ where you can easily log in and edit your website’s content yourself. Websites Are Us will provide you with a written manual or train you how to do so. If you need additional help, we offer phone or email support at no additional charge for up to 6 months after the website has launched (up to 30 minutes per month). Your ‘back office’ is really easy to use for everybody with basic computer knowledge.

Other Questions? Please click here to contact us. Our San Diego web designer team will be happy to answer all your website questions

San Diego Ballet	Medicare Health Insurance
Computer Repair Store	Business Ethics Training
Motorsports	Clothing Store
Fashion Accessories	Learn Guitar Lessons Website
Harley Davidson Accessories	Risk Management
General Contractor	Health Insurance
Canadian Hunting Lodge	Mosaic Design Artist
Real Estate	Construction Material Supplier
Real Estate	Fashionable Footwear
Apartment Rentals	General Contractor
Assisted Living Facility	Your website here?

Start your website today!

Guitar Lesson Program Website Optimization

In summer 2009, our customer asked us to create a search engine optimized blog where she could sell several learn guitar programs and easily add and edit content herself.

As young ’start-up’ in online sales, our client preferred not to spend much for individual design, so we agreed on using a free available blog template and concentrate our efforts on creating traffic to the website.

After defining the relevant  ’search terms’, we decided on a long-term and short-term strategy. As over 1 million websites compete for this market, we knew that getting her website on Google’s front page for free would be a longer process. Therefore, our long-term strategy, positioning the website among the free results on Google’s front page by using our ‘off-site’ search engine optimization strategy, was backed up by several paid advertising campaigns on Google’s Adwords in order to get instant traffic and income.

After creating and optimizing the blog copy around the search terms, we defined our ’short-term’ Google Adwords strategy. We set up several ad campaigns, each targeted for a few very specific keyword phrases, and split-tested different versions with various titles, ad copy and keywords. We monitored daily the traffic the different ads created, and how well they converted. We adjusted our landing pages, re-wrote the blog copy and the ads accordingly until the website would create enough income to cover the advertising expenses and make profit.

At the same time we started our long-term search engine optimization by creating links from other websites to it. We submitted it to directories and social bookmarking websites, and commented on relevant blogs linking back to the site. We also created complimenting free blogs on Blogger and Squidoo.

After adjusting and optimizing our Google Adwords campaign the paid traffic is now creating about 300 visitors a day and a constant passive income stream for our client.

Within one month we were also able to get her website on Google’s front page for two very competitive search terms, her best selling product ‘Learn And Master Guitar’ and the broader keyword ‘learn guitar fast’. The website is on the 2nd page of Google for 3 more keywords, as well as on MSN/Bing and Yahoo for 6 keywords.

We keep monitoring the website’s traffic and conversion rate, and will be adjusting our strategy if necessary, as well as continue submitting the website to more free online sources in order to constantly create new links and furthermore improve its ranking.