url='http://chrisgauron.com/2009/09/07/deconstructing-search-by-analyzing-user-intent/'; Basically there are 3 different types of searches users will perform. Informational Navigational Transactional Although there is a way to monetize all of these, the real issue here is the user’s intent and...
For the past few months I have been talking about starting a forum for those interested in SEO. So finally, after finding a platform I believe will work the Minneapolis SEO Forum is here. Since this is a completely new forum I am open to any and all suggestions, but I think you’ll find quite a few relevant categories to ask your questions in.
I hope you enjoy the format and I look forward to answering your questions (and even asking a few).
I see a lot questions just like this and my best advice would be to purchase the “exact match” .com, .net or .org for the keyword(s) you are going for. Ideally the .com TLD would be best. This in combination with good content, a bit of luck and all the good links you can get will give you an excellent shot at success. Now this is not an option for most people, especially if they are late into the market, because domains like this are already taken or are simply too expensive. Another option would be to create a killer link strategy and make sure there is some great on site content people want to link to. If you have the time and money is an object this will be you best bet.
You can start a good link strategy by finding competing sites (for your keywords) that are in the first few pages of the search results. If the site has very few links but is ranking that is a signal, find out which of those links have the most weight and go for them. Now getting links is not always an easy task, and many get frustrated when progress is slow. The good news for those people is linking should not be a one shot deal. Build your links slowly over time, for example: Week one – 2 links, Week two – 4 links, Week three – 8 links and so on. If you build links in this manner it not only becomes much more feasible, it is signal to search engines your site is important.
On another note I would recommend before you go through all the effort, using paid search initially to see if the keyword even converts is a must. Make sure you aren’t putting the cart before the horse. You could end up ranking for a phrase that is highly informational but does not convert well.
Good luck and feel free to make a comment if you have more questions 
Just a quick tip for my readers -
Here is a $125 free credit from yahoo search marketing for new accounts.
http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/tdct
If you haven’t already set up an account it is fairly easy to do. You will have to deposit $30 into your account and set up your billing information to get the credit. Just be sure to watch your daily budget if you are not interested in spending any more than the intial amount on SEM with Yahoo. I actually set this up for a few of my clients and had to call Yahoo (866-YAHOO-SM) to get the credit intialized but there was no issues. Just have the link above for reference should they ask.
Many small businesses either cannot afford a professional SEO or they simply don’t have a website. For those businesses, there is a solution and it is free.
Google Business Center is an excellent solution for getting your business found, but really should be treated as a temporary fix. Many businesses are already listed, but the information could be outdated. By searching for your business you may find 5 or more listings, all of your business. And if the information is incorrect you are losing out.
What I suggest is finding those listings, if they do exist, and go through the claiming process. If you cannot find your business listing, then just go to the Goolge Business Center add page and add your business. It is a relativly easy process but if you do get stuck just post a comment with your question and I should be able to help you out.
So if you are looking to improve your rankings for your small business website, keep the following in mind.
Out of the information I offered here the most important would be to do your keyword research prior to putting work into other areas. If you plan to be successful through your website finding the right keywords is crucial. A great way to find the highest converting keywords is to run a PPC campaign and track your results, they may surprise you. This will also cause you to put a bit more thought into what keywords are achievable through SEO within your budget.
For example let’s use a particular keyword and see how the most achievable keyword combinations can be identified:
Keyword 1 – Widgets
So Google comes back with 6 million results and the estimate for paid placement is $4.00. Not so great for the small business, depending on your profit margins for one conversion.
Keyword 2 – Widget Specials
Google comes back with 500.000 results and the estimate for paid placement is $1.50. Much better price on the paid side plus moving up the rankings here is much more realistic.
Keyword 3 – Widget Specials in MN
Google now only shows 50,000 results and the paid placement estimate is $0.80. If your business is in MN this looks like a winner. Much easier to rank for than widgets and worth spending some money to see if the keywords convert for you.
By applying these tactics, along with the other bullet points above you should be well on your way to improving your search engine rankings and your ROI.
