Further optimization of Biznik profiles now gets members noticed in local searches
One of the biggest problems that indie business people face is simply getting noticed. So it’s been one of our goals from the beginning to help our members improve their visibility. That’s why we put a lot of effort into optimizing your Biznik profile so that it can come up as high as possible in Google search results. Until now, profiles have been optimized by name - in other words, your Biznik profile is likely to come up very high if someone is searching for you by name.
But that’s not much help if you’re trying to attract new customers, who don’t know your name. If, for example, someone is looking for a hypnotherapist in Port Townsend, they probably won’t Google for Ari Klein, who joined Biznik yesterday. They’d probably Google something like “Port Townsend Hypnotherapy.” And since Ari only joined Biznik yesterday, chances are good his profile won’t even come up at all, right?
Wrong. Believe it or not, less than 24 hours after joining Biznik, Ari Klein’s profile comes up #1. Try if yourself. If you had Googled his name, that’s OK - it comes up #1, too. But like a lot of indies, Ari wears more than one hat. No problem - you can also enter “Port Townsend sensory coaching” and he still comes up #1. In fact, you can simply enter “Port Townsend Coaching”, and he comes up in the top 10 at #7. And it’s not just because there isn’t any hypnotherapy happening in Port Townsend, either - for the search of “Port Townsend Hypnotherapy”, he’s #1 out of 35,600 results.
Of course, duplicating this in a town the size of, say, Kansas City would probably be more difficult, right? Wrong. Even I was surprised to find that Donna Gierman, who joined Biznik on Thursday, comes up #1 on a search of “Kansas City personal historian”, in a field of 2,140,000 results.
How about right here in Seattle? It’s gotta be tough for business writing and blogging coach Rachel Whalley to stand out in her field. There are a lot of business writers in Seattle! Nevertheless, she’s currently ranked #3 on a search for “seattle business writing.” And guess where she comes up in a search of “seattle blogging coach”? Number one, baby.
Wait a minute, you’re saying. How is that possible? Is Biznik resorting to black and unethical SEO practices to produce results like this for our members? Absolutely not. There’s nothing complicated about this at all. It’s just careful page design, coupled with the power of networking - Biznik.com has a lot of inbound links, and the fact that new content is being added to the site every day really helps.
Of course, we don’t make any promises. Anybody who promises you top placement on Google is talking trash. Google’s algorithm is top secret, and constantly changing. We believe that being remarkable is the best way for any indie business to get noticed. But having a great Biznik profile sure doesn’t hurt!
January 13th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I always suggest people really go in and tie down all the popular networking sites. Creating an online name for yourself and maximizing on specific keywords can get people a lot of business.
One of the things I specifically focus on, is when a professional is geographically bound to a community they need to put those terms in the search phrases for the profiles. For local northwest members, Seattle, Bellevue, Lynnwood, Redmond, Bothell, etc. are valuable terms that bump you right to the top.
I would suggest people who are interested in searching for good keywords to open a yahoo or google advertising account for free. Then they can play with the internal keyword system and see how many people search for things like “Seattle Care Giver” and target the keywords effectively.
January 13th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Looks like your Biznik profile is dong pretty well for you, Barry - you’re currently listed #11 out of 21,800,000 results for a search on “seattle business development.” Sarah Brand, another Biznik member, is listed just above you at #10.
January 13th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Wow, Sarah Brand also comes up #9 in Google for a search on seattle business consultant. Go Sarah!
January 13th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Funny that this article comes up today–the same day that I get an email from a member of the Whalley clan from somewhere in Oregon. He does geneaology for the extended family, and I’m assuming he found me because my Biznik profile is the first thing listed if you Google “Whalley Seattle.” I never would’ve expected so much richness just from joining a free online community…everyone else promises connection, but man, you guys deliver!
January 13th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Okay… now I’m complaining. If Rachel gets to have genealogy results, I want some too! LoL.
I am mostly German, with a dash of Native American in me.
Hurry up and get to work Dan. I’m sure I have some 2nd cousins five-times removed out there searching for me!
January 14th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
A journalist working for the The Everett Herald found me last week and came in as a patient. And once again, they just searched “Everett, Chiropractors” and there I was:-)
I also just tweeked my blog today and posted a classic New Year’s Resolution funny if that interests you.
January 17th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
OK, you guys are AMAZING. If you Google “Port Townsend magazine” or “Port Townsend magazine design,” I’m No. 1!
How do you do it? Wait… don’t tell me. Just keep that little trade secret to yourselves.
January 22nd, 2007 at 8:33 am
WOW!
Searching for “travel agency” in Severna Park, MD got me to # 23 in google. When I added “specialty travel agency . . .”, my biznik link was
#1!
February 14th, 2007 at 3:53 am
As you have an interest in business writing, would you like to review one or both of my eBooks?
The MAMBA Way To Make Your Words Sell
http://www.bookshaker.com/product_info.php?ref=49&products_id=109
and
The Easy Way To Be Brilliant At Business Writing
http://www.bookshaker.com/product_info.php?ref=49&products_id=126
If so, I will gladly email you a copy of either or both, needless to say FOC.
I look forward to hearing from you.
SUZE