Boost your google ranking in just 8 minutes
Or, how I used free directory sites to boost my profile
Believe it or not, sometimes the best way to increase your site ranking in Google is not to list it in Google. There are hundreds of free (and hundreds more paid) directory sites where you can have a small blurb and link to your business placed on their website. This post goes through how you can boost your google ranking and how I saw results in just 8 minutes!
What you will need
To make sure you use your time most effectively you’re going to need to have a few bits of information at hand. Firstly have your ABN, some of the sites below require you to prove you’re a business so it will be useful to have this upfront. Secondly you need to have your ad “copy” ready. Your copy should be a snappy headline plus a paragraph or two of content.
What kind of text should you include to boost your rankings?
To get the most out of directory listings you’re going to have to be fairly consistent with the text you use and you should have an idea of the type of keywords you want to target. So before you get too carried away with your quill and ink, think of keywords your potential clients are going to be likely to type in. If you’ve got google analytics installed, have a look through there for what keywords people are already finding you with and use google’s keyword tools to find what people are not finding you with. For AutoCarLog, the keywords I want to target are:
- mileage log book
- tax return
- vehicle log book
The headline will draw people in, it should be enough to explain what you do but entice people to want to read more, think your elevator pitch in one sentence or less. Try and include as many of your keywords without sounding silly. For AutoCarLog, the headline I choose was:
Maximise your tax return with an automatic vehicle mileage log book by AutoCarLog
Next is the body copy. The body copy should be one – two paragraphs, some of the sites only allow a short text so keep this in mind. Ideally you want to have your key words
One of the most efficient ways of getting your business-related vehicle expenses back from the tax department is with the logbook method. AutoCarLog is the easiest tool to keep your logbook up-to-date, a tool which could save you thousands!
AutoCarLog is an automated vehicle mileage logbook which you keep up-to-date using SMS. To use it, simply SMS your mileage at the end of each trip and at the end of the year, AutoCarLog automatically calculates your allowable tax deduction.
20 free sites to list your business
Armed with this information, now it’s time to visit each of the sites below and add your business. This list isn’t exhaustive, there are hundreds more – if you think one deserves to be added, add a comment below and I’ll be sure to update the list.
- Google Local Listing
(you will need to set up a Google Account, you can use your current email address to do this) - True Local
- RAYV
- Hot Frog
- Easy Biz
- Australian Local Search
- Gumtree
- DLook
- Aussie Directory
(Not for everyone, needs a reciprocal link on your site) - Live Pages
- Our Patch
- Local Business Guide
- AussiePages
- SearchMySuburb.com.au
- StartLocal
- Aussie Local
- Aussie Web
- Street Corner
- I Need To…
- Web Find
And the result….
I have a google alert setup to trigger whenever google indexes a new site. Within just 8 minutes of adding AutoCarLog to HotFrog google had indexed it and already my business was one step easier to find.
Google Alerts for AutoCarLog
7 Comments to “Boost your google ranking in just 8 minutes”
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Thanks for the useful list. Another to add is http://womow.com.au, although this is more of a review site.
Interestingly, after reading this yesterday I created a listing in a couple of the directories. Like you, I found the HotFrog listing was indexed by Google really quickly.
What I found interesting, and I am hypothesising here, is that very soon after (ie less than an hour) after the HotFrog listing was indexed, I got a telemarketing call from dlook (whom I hadn’t listed with). I brushed them off, but they called back this morning. [Spammy phone calls = fail]
I suspect they are monitoring listings on their competitors sites that are newly indexed and telemarketing to them.
Not cool, but not as creepy as the fact the bloke with the indian accent who called me from dlook said his name was ‘Monique’. Weird choice.
I would never have thought of this – you know me and that to be the truth. Given my developing start-ups, these will prove invaluable and will certainly leverage my efforts.
You’ll be pleased to know that I am now directing a whole bunch of folk to this blog – it has too much information to be kept a secret!
Cheers mate, greatly appreciate it! I was totally amazed at how quickly google picked up on these rankings. I’ve tried it with a few different sites now, all with similar results too.
Hey Seb, I’m trying to contact you but couldn’t find a link for it. Can you please send me your email? thanks
hi there, you can contact me at seb[-at-]semi-blog.com
So few businesses are aware of the value of these free business directories and so I went ahead a couple of years and created a package where I will list their business for them on 15-20 free directories, many of which are listed above. Many of the directories now allow logos to be added, photos and even documents, and some even include social media links such as Twitter which all add to the ability to expose and promote your business.
And do you find those businesses of yours get a good response? Feel free to reply with a link to your site, I’ll happily approve it as I see that sort of service valuable for others trying to achieve the same!