[frame_right][/frame_right]The return-on-investment of Pittsburgh SEO efforts can be hampered by businesses that don't understand the viability of global markets for their products or services. In fact, many local Allegheny County businesses could realize millions of dollars in additional revenue simply by tapping into markets traditionally considered beyond their reach. Understanding the full scope of a Pittsburgh SEO campaign and how it can bring business locally and globally is critical for businesses seeking vertical growth.
When it comes to search engine optimization, the tools to target a local market versus a global market are essentially the same. It is the keywords targeted by a given campaign that will determine the reach of any SEO efforts. Therefore, local businesses that wish to go global don't necessarily need to change their tactics – instead, they only need to change the targeted keywords and phrases.
By running a campaign that targets both local and global keywords, many businesses will be able to successfully dominate their markets by partnering with a professional Pittsburgh SEO firm. The strategies used to run such a campaign generally include:
*Keyword Research
This is the most important step of any optimization plan. A professional keyword researcher will develop a list of keywords that your customers are using right now to find products or services similar to yours. These keywords will form the basis for all of the strategies you'll use for SEO purposes.
*Backlinking
Backlinking is an extremely effective but resource-intensive process of building links on other websites that point back to yours. The keywords used – whether targeting local Pittsburgh clients or a worldwide audience – will often be featured in the form of anchor text links back to your site. This is the most valuable type of link provided that it is contextually relevant.
*On-Page Optimization
You must write for the consumers you wish to attract. This means keyword relevant content and Meta data must be added to your website in order to achieve top rankings in the search engines for those terms. This includes adding important keywords in the titles, descriptions, SEO plugin data fields, and other areas advised by your Pittsburgh SEO services provider.
One of the best ways to target traffic at a local, national or even international level is to blog. By creating a relevant blog on your website, you can create a stream of consistent content that can be used as part of a powerful interlinking and deep linking campaign, as well as significantly boosting your on-page optimization.
*Directory Listings
Not all directories are created equal, but they all provide at least some value. In general directory listings refer to the submission of websites to major search engines like Google and Yahoo, but also to lesser-known search engines like Scrub the Web, Jayde, Seeks, InfoTiger, Feedplex, Anoox and hundreds of others. And while the links from some of these directories might not provide much value, having your site available to their searches could prove to be quite profitable if you list it in the right place.
Directory listings can be especially useful because many of them target specific languages and/or geographic regions. Therefore, strategic listings with the right directories can help you dominate your local market as well as any other market where there is a demand for your products or services.
In Pittsburgh SEO: From Local to Global Part 2, we'll discuss a number of other important aspects about expanding your markets on a local and global level. To skip the next part and get started right now, click here for an immediate no-cost consultation with a professional firm.