One way to kick up your local search optimization game is through beefing up the local signal through images. There are a few techniques for doing this -- read on for details. Incorporating images as part of your overall content mix is a good idea for search optimization in and of itself. Images can provide additional opportunities for keyword signals on a page, and they represent good opportunities for ranking in search results under Universal Search. But, if they're also associated with places properly, they can convey additional location signals, helping a business and/or its website [...]

Related Topics: How To | How To: SEO | Intermediate | Local Search | SEO: Image Search | SEO: Local

UK based SEO firm BrightLocal reported the results of two online surveys about local consumer behavior and local SEO. The surveys were conducted in Q1 2011. There were more than 600 SEO survey respondents and 1,250 US consumer survey respondents respectively. The findings are not a surprise. Google dominates as a traffic source to local business websites, though in this survey not as much as some other surveys. Mobile was not a part of the results reported. Here's how the SEO respondents ranked the top sources of traffic to their clients' sites: That ranking is further unpacked in [...]

Related Topics: Google: Maps & Local | Google: Place Pages | Google: Web Search | SEO: Image Search | SEO: Local

My last article about Wikipedia—An Untapped SEO Opportunity: Image Link Love From Wikipedia—prompted an Orwellian mantra: instead of "four legs good, two legs bad," people have started saying "images good, text bad" and wondering why the difference. The short answer is the Wikimedia Foundation created a white hat opportunity for SEO to generate outgoing links via image uploads. The strategy hinges on a copyleft licensing option called CC-by-sa, and the decision isn't accidental. They're glad to trade some link love in return for quality content. Or, as Wikimedia communica [...]

Related Topics: Search & Social | Search Engines: Wikipedia | SEO: Image Search

Suppose I told you about a way to create viral links on Wikipedia without raising objections from the site's volunteers. Would I have your attention? The key is images. Wikipedia suffers from a shortage of images for use as illustrations and the SEO profession has yet to recognize the opportunity this presents. A modest investment of time learning site standards and licensure options can yield substantial benefits in website traffic, brand recognition, and customer loyalty. According to Cary Bass of the Wikimedia Foundation, "The Wikimedia Foundation appreciates good quality, fr [...]

Related Topics: Search & Social | SEO: Image Search | Social Media Marketing

With the advent of Google Universal Search, Ask 3D and other "blended" search services, images will increasingly be appearing in search results. If you're not optimizing images on your web site, you're missing out on capturing some of this increasingly valuable real-estate. Not sure how to optimize images for search engines? Today's Search Illustrated shows you how to do it simply and quickly: Graphic by Elliance, an eMarketing firm specializing in results-driven search engine marketing, web site design, and outbound eMarketing campaigns. The firm is the creator of the ennect online mar [...]

Related Topics: Infographics | Search Illustrated | SEO: Image Search