It’s true.  Google is not the only search engine out there.  Nevertheless, search engine optimization professionals spend the lions’ share of their time trying to get their clients websites to rank on Google.  And when they’re not doing that, they’re trying to figure out the latest changes and updates to the algorithms Google uses to determine the order in which websites will be listed on the SERPs.

So, why are we SEO professionals so focused on Google?  There are countless reasons why Google gets so much attention in terms of optimization.  First, they really wrote the book on…well, on the most common practices of all the major search engines.  You can almost guarantee that if Google makes a major change to how it determines rank, the other websites will quickly follow suit.

Regardless, of these reasons there is one overriding fact that makes SEO professionals disproportionately focus their efforts on Google.  The reason is market share.  According to Hitwise, of all the searches done on the Internet in the United States from mid-March to mid-April of 2010, 70.57% of those searches were done using Google.  15.14% of the searches for the same period were performed on Yahoo, while only 9.57% were done on Bing.  When people conduct searches on the Internet, they are usually using Google.

That doesn’t mean that you should stop all efforts to rank on Yahoo or Bing.  You can spend anywhere from six months to three years trying to rank for common keywords on Google.  Rankings on Yahoo and Bing are not necessarily easy to come by, but these sites are definitely less competitive than Google.

Where should you put your energy?  Weigh your options.  Getting a high ranking on Yahoo or Bing could be just the thing to get your company the exposure it needs while you continue working towards ranking on Google.  Think of it this way, there are a few hundred million searches done on the Internet every day.  While Yahoo and Bing have a small amount of market share, it’s still one colossal market.

Is It Really All About Google? is a post from: SEO For Small Business

Last week we talked about how Google’s been expanding their local search results and what that could mean for your business.  Last year Google began adding new features and abilities to their Google Maps system.  Essentially, if someone searches for a company that mainly offers their products or services locally (i.e. a restaurant, salon, chiropractor, etc.), then in addition to getting natural search results, users will also see a list of companies that are located near their location, based on the searcher’s IP address. 

The good news is that this gives local companies an opportunity to rank above national companies and provide additional information like store hours and coupons.  For these reasons alone, it’s important to make sure that your company can also be listed in these results. 

The first and most important thing you need to do if you haven’t already done it, is to sign up with Google’s Local Business Center.  There you can control how your company is listed and more.  This video does a fantastic job of explaining some of the benefits of creating a local business account with Google.

One of the great things about Google’s Local Business Center is that it includes a dashboard of features that go beyond Google Analytics.  For example, when someone searches for “florist” on Google, they might get a local listing for your store.  If they click on your link and then request directions to your location, Google will capture their zip code and include it in your reporting.  This tells you exactly where your customers are coming from.  This type of detail can help you refine any offline marketing your company is doing, or make changes to your business to better meet customer needs. 

You’ll also find out the top search phrases people are using when they find your business.  For example if you own a restaurant and you’re paying top dollar to get good rankings for the keyword phrase “family restaurant”, but most of the people that actually get directions to your restaurant are searching for the phrase “affordable restaurant”, this can give you invaluable direction about how to focus your marketing efforts.

In addition to increased reporting capabilities, Google local results listings can provide small or local business owners with another opportunity to get their name in front of prospective customers, and that’s always a good thing.

How to Get Listed in Google’s Local Search Results is a post from: SEO For Small Business