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Chapter 12: Web Directories

Web directories may appear 'pre-Google', but submitting to the best directories has got the advantage that the audience they attract includes individuals who have an interest in a specific topic and, if this really is your topic, you will get to your audience directly.

Web directories existed before the various search engines (SE's), particularly Google, were popular. As their name suggests, web directories are places where differing resources are brought together. Web directories consist of huge amounts of links for websites, arranged in various categories. The websites in a Web directory are listed in a certain order (usually alphabetic but it's not always so) and users search through them.

Although a lot of Web directories provide a search function of some sort, they differ from SE's in 2 ways - the majority of directories are managed by humans and the URLs aren't gathered automatically using spiders but, rather, submitted by webmasters. The benefit of Web directories is that, regardless of how clever spiders become, if you find a human to see and always check the pages, there's a lesser chance that pages will become classified in the incorrect categories.

The disadvantages are that the lists in web directories are occasionally outdated if no human was there to do the editing and checking for a while. This isn't that bad, though, because search engines also deliver pages that may not exist any more. Sometimes, therefore, you may have to hold on 6 months before being featured in a web directory.

The 2nd big difference - no spiders - means that you need to actually submit your own URL to the particular web directory yourself, instead of sitting and waiting for a spider to travel quickly to your website. Happily, this really is done only one time for every directory, so it's maybe not that bad.

When you get featured in a specific directory, generally, you are able to stay there for the length of time you desire and await people (and SE's) to locate you. If a hyper-link to your website appears in a decent Web directory, this is good because first, it's a back-link and 2nd, you boost your visibility for spiders, which raises your opportunity to be indexed by them.

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Chapter 7: Is It Too Late For Me To Start SEO?

The answer to this question is best demonstrated by the following story about a friend of the author's father.

He had an issue. He wasn't sure if SEO could really change his pottery business's direction. He said that pottery wasn't like rock bands and Super Bowl, and no body was thinking about it any-more. Gone were the times when little children were so subservient to every thing simply to learn the art of pot making.

He was about to turn fifty six and had not known anything about the internet. He had never even attempted to put one word into Google's search bar and knew nothing about hi-speed computers. He was, nevertheless, astonished with my Mac and the way my touch-screen cell phone worked. He believed he was too old for SEO but I refused to agree with him.

I opened Google and typed in: 'Pottery in USA'. I quickly said, while pointing to the incredible number of Google search engine results, 'On the web, every thing could be the Super Bowl and rock stars.'. For the 1st time, I witnessed his eyes widen. I quickly knew: he'd try SEO. He'd believe in an advocate of SEO like me.

From the beginning, it had been hard to describe the concept of SEO to him. Irrespective of his age, he was a genuine country man who had been never taken to new technology and was actually a genuine blue pottery artist. I even had to simplify my explanations for him to obtain my message. But, nonetheless, he allowed me to return everyday to show him more about SEO, and he listened each time I spoke. I knew that he was really very interested. At that point, I wasn't concentrating on closing a deal with him or creating a profit. I needed him to understand and experience something wonderful even at his time of life.

Being an SEO professional, I will plainly say that this was the turning point of my career. I had been rejected before and doubted by business people, but this friend of my father just turned sixty five last month and he is still very busy managing his 3 brand new local shops. He has also started online networking groups and has registered on Twitter. He has even got a WordPress weblog to teach people all about the art of pot making.

Obviously, what this story demonstrates is that it's never too late to begin SEO. Today SEO is really a serious business and thought to be an essential tool for internet marketing and promotion. Small entrepreneurs made large amount of bucks by remaining in the top search engine ranks. Now we begin to see the popular brands also investing a significant chunk of money on SEO. This shows how optimization is becoming essential for any sized business.

There are several essential facts associated with the usability of the various search engines which make them a great medium for marketing websites. They are certainly one of the more popular resources globally for choosing the best services or products, both at the neighbourhood and worldwide scale. This means that, whatever the function or nature of one's business, there's a good likelihood that somebody somewhere will be searching for your kind of business on the various search engines.

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Even if you operate mainly as a net business, it pays to take part in trade shows and conventions. Naturally this means you have to set up a demo that will draw in the attention of attendees as they walk by.

At the very least, you'll need a few graphics that will captivate the eye that might be mounted on tables or on the back boards for a demo booth. Along with images, you might need to include a couple of snippets from the text that you utilize on your net site or e-mail promotions.

Recall those crisp and concise bullets that you utilized as part of the e-mail crusade? They now transform into a few wonderful optic slogans to catch the eyes of conference people. Produce a few storyboards that splash those bullets across the facades in colors that will draw in attention.

By utilizing your words to entice individuals to come over to your demo, you've the opportunity to engage them in conversations that will help lead to the collection of candidates that you might follow up on following the show.

Along with utilizing your net text as graphics for the booth, think about reorganizing a few of the info into a slide presentation. This will let you set up a computer display and have the presentation continually running on a loop. Movement helps to draw in the eye.

Individuals will come over and check into your presentation, even if you're presently busy with additional visitors. This gives you the opportunity to make a connection even if you're not free to engage the individual in dialogue at that very minute.

As you're utilizing words that are part of your net site, the people will feel a sense of familiarity when they visit your net business at a later date. You'll likewise need a few printed materials that intrigued parties might take along with them. This will most likely be in the format of sales pamphlets.

Utilize text from your e-mail crusade to produce one easy to read bi-fold pamphlet, then the text from your net site to produce at least a few additional pamphlets that are different in size and form.

This adds a component of visual interest to your published matter, so odds are the visitor will choose one of each. Three pamphlets taken would mean 3 chances to capture the interest of the reader. Chances are you'll need to do little to no editing in order to adjust your net text for hard copy issues.

Bear in mind that when the trade show is done, you likewise have the power to utilize those same pamphlets as part of a direct mail crusade. This kind of application, while not inevitably a big money maker, is commonly worth the investment.

Going with printed mail crusades opens up one more means of acquiring steady buyers. Utilizing your existing copy to achieve the undertaking is all the better for your bottom line.