Here are two examples that will help convey the importance of optimizing your website with local search keywords.

Scenario:
John lives in San Jose, CA and is looking online for a pizza restaurant that offers New Your Style pizzas.

John’s first Search:
John goes to Google and does a search for “New York Pizza”, the results are a list of Pizzeria’s in the state of New York .  Well, John is in San Jose CA so this search won’t help him find a local pizza restaurant.

John’s second Search:
John realizes that he did not include the local city that he lives in when he did his search, so he goes back to Google and does another search but this time includes the city he lives in: “New York Pizza San Jose”.
This time John gets a list of local San Jose Pizza restaurants that offer New York Style pizzas. And this is exactly what he is looking for!

In Johns second search every website that came up on page one of Google had the Keywords “New York Pizza” and “San Jose” incorporated into the content of their websites.

In summary, it’s important to have Local Targeted content on your website so that local customers can find your website when they search for your services!

By: Hector Moran
Remember! If you don’t have a website, you don’t exist!
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Oversized Headers And Logos:

 In this year, things are big and so are the headers and logos. These oversized logos and headers is that they help create a better impression on visitors and work extremely well for brand recognition.

 Hand-Drawn Designs And Sketches:

 Another latest trend is to have hand-drawn design. The big reason behind the growing popularity of these designs is that they look personalized and allow a personal interaction between the site and its visitors.

Interactive Designs:

 In 2010, you will find many sites with interactive designs based on Flash. The advent of sIFR, swfobject2.2, and other specific Flash technologies has made Flash-based sites accessible for search engines. So, be ready to see designers making use of more redeeming Flash elements now.

 Typography:

 Although many trends have just started capturing a large market, few trends from 2009 are still going strong. Typography, for instance, is one such trend that was extremely popular in 2009. You will again find new websites with typography as their basic design element in the year 2010.

 In addition, you will see more and more websites with Modal Boxes, Minimalism, Hub Images, Intro Boxes, and Oversized Footers. However, these are only few of the very best and latest website design trends. All of them are growing in popularity and that’s the reason why you should keep them in mind when designing a new website. In fact, it is a better idea to hire an experienced website designer, as he is updated with all these trends for designing a new site or redesigning an old one with the latest website design.

The correct logo design is vital to a company’s success. As an asset, good logo design leaves an imprint on the memories of those who see it. Most people do not recall actively memorizing the logos of companies like Nike or Coca-Cola. The symbols are so unshakable because of their outstanding quality that consumers are able to recognize the logo signatures of these companies even if the actual names are not present.

There are many rules behind the successful design of a logo. Most companies have their logos designed in the colors of the company.  A common trend in logo design is to have a logo that represents a vital message related to the theme and vision of the company. The “swoosh” of Nike is intended to be an official endorsement of the quality of the product, while the green planet often found in the logos of environmental companies is intended to signify their commitment to a greener and healthier planet.

Another important rule in the design of a good logo is that of simplicity. Logos are not meant to be masterpieces of art; instead, they should be simple and clear while retaining significant aesthetic appeal. It is the simplicity of a logo that makes it easier for people to remember it. A look at most of the major logos available today will confirm this fact. It is therefore a good idea that companies entrust the design of their company’s logo to professional graphic artists who understand what is required for an effective logo. These professionals may be somewhat expensive, but the end design will be worth it in increased recognition, brand loyalty and profits.

1. Get your business listed on the Google Business Directory, the Yahoo Business Directory, and the Bing Business Directory? It’s like Free advertising. The more you provide the easier it is for customers to find you!
2. Market your business on Craig’s List.  Put together 5 to 10 different HTML ads and post them weekly -  It’s free and they work! 
3. Make sure your website has a lead generation form so customers can contact you.  Also don’t forget to give your customers a reason to fill out your lead form!  “Free Quote” forms work great!
4. Make sure your website has an 800 number or your local number prominently displayed and easy for customers to find.
5. Be sure to tag your links on any online advertising campaign or eNewsletter. This will allow you to track your website traffic using Google Analytics. This will tell you what online marketing efforts are actually driving traffic to your website.
6. Be sure to create vanity url’s for all offline marketing, such as flyers, postcards, and newspaper ads.   A vanity url will allow you to track offline marketing traffic using Google Analytics.  This is a great way to see how effective your offline marketing strategies are and if they actually drive traffic to your website.
7. Find 5 directories to post your website information on this month.  Then keep doing 5 new directories every month for the next 6 months.  This will create over 35 incoming links to your website.  This will help generate traffic to your website and also help with your Google page ranking!
8. Check how fast your website loads.  Google is about to inject a new ranking factor into the algorithm – Site Speed.  What this means is that Google will be pushing faster sites higher in the search results.  Be ready!!
9. Give your website a facelift.  No matter how good it looks, if you had it built 4 to 5 years ago then it’s time to give it a makeover.   Your website will thank you and customers looking for you will buy from you.
10. Give your website some friends:  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and a Blog will work.  They are not only the most popular kids on the internet block, but they can drive a lot of traffic to your website. After all Social Media is the “New Word of Mouth”.

Happy Marketing!