Shop Local Delmarva is happy to report that its daily average traffic flow has increased from one or two visits per day a month ago to three or four visits per day this month. The increase in traffic can be attributed to better search engine placement and social networking promotion.
At the present time, no businesses are listed in the directory. Hopefully, those who have visited Shop Local Delmarva have bookmarked the site for future reference in hopes the site will grow. Shop Local Delmarva has begun an agressive campaign to reach out to the locally owned businesses on Delmarva to make the site useful for the visitors looking for their locally owned businesses. The campaign includes new advertising on Craig's List and WBOC classifieds as well as personally visiting our locally owned businesses.
As always, all locally owned businesses can be listed for free under the Basic subscription plan. The Basic plan is and always will be free. In addition to the Basic Plan, Shop Local Delmarva currently offers two affordable paid subscriptions to enhance your business' Internet presence. Locally owned businesses can test ride the paid subscriptions for free!
Shop Local Delmarva has set a minimum goal of 100 listed businesses in the directory and a daily average traffic flow of ten visitors before Shop Local Delmarva will begin charging for the subscription services. Until those minimum standards are met, your business can be listed under the paid subscription plans for free. Once the minimum goals are met, Shop Local Delmarva will give you the option of continuing your subscription at the listed price or change your listing to the free, Basic plan at no charge to you.
To put the numbers in perspective, with an average daily flow of ten visitors, about 300 potential customers will visit the site each month. With 100 businesses listed, that translates to three new potential customers per business. With Shop Local Delmarva's low subscription rates, one new customer per month will pay for the subscription service.
Judging by the input Shop Local Delmarva has received so far, many people on Delmarva want to support their locally owned businesses and need an easy resource to find them. Shop Local Delmarva offers that resource, but can only be as successful as the support it receives from the locally owned business community. Get listed today! It's free!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
How will my business show up in Google search results?
Another interesting question popped up today. The gist of the question was if someone searched keywords for a particular type of business, would Shop Local Delmarva appear in the top ten search results. The short answer is it depends.
A generic search of "locally owned businesses on Delmarva" will return Shop Local Delmarva in the top spot along with Shop Local Delmarva's Facebook page and blog page. A specific search of "locally owned florists on Delmarva" will also return Shop Local Delmarva in the top spot. However, a more specific search of "locally owned florists in Cambridge" returns results from Cambridge, MA. If the search is changed to read "locally owned florists in Cambridge, MD", nothing from Shop Local Delmarva appears in the top twenty results. Why is that?
Shop Local Delmarva is geared towards all of Delmarva. Listing every possible town that a consumer may use is infeasible, not to mention that such a long list of keywords really irks the search engines. At the time of writing this article, Shop Local Delmarva has no florists listed in its directory. If a potential customer searches for a locally owned florist in a specific town on Delmarva, there is no telling what results would be returned. This is where the keywords to your individual listings play an important role.
If you look at the different listing packages, you will see a "number of keywords" option. The basic, free listing includes three search keywords. One of those keywords you would want is your town. The other two keywords would relate to your business, in this example, "florist" and "floral gifts" may be a good choice. Choosing these keywords doesn't guarantee a top-ten search result, but does get you closer to where you want to be.
The work for Shop Local Delmarva begins and continues indefinitely to refine these keywords. Periodically, the chosen keywords are tested and the search results evaluated. With only three keywords to describe your listing, search results probably won't return your listing in the top five, but should return your listing in the top thirty. In this example, if the chosen keywords "Cambridge", "florist", and "floral gifts" does not return desireable search results, Shop Local Delmarva will change the keywords to try to obtain results in at least the top thirty results. Perhaps, "Cambridge", "florist", and "flowers" would be a better choice of keywords. Shop Local Delmarva cannot guarantee a particular business' search result ranking, but will always strive to achieve the best possible ranking given the keywords available to use.
The more keywords used in your listing, the more likely your listing will appear neaerer to the top of a typical search. A Premium subscription gives you four more keywords to use in your listing and an Enhanced subscription gives you seven more keywords to use. Shop Local Delmarva will manipulate the keywords in your listing level and compare them to Google analytics to optimize the best or most likely used keywords that a potential customer may use to find you.
In the example given, if you are the only florist listed on Shop Local Delmarva, you have the advantage of being the only florist to appear in the search results, but you have the disadvantage if the potential customer uses "Easton" instead of "Cambridge" in their search query. Odds are good that your listing would not appear in the top fifty results much less the ideal top twenty. If, however, there is a florist listed in Easton, there's a good chance the potential customer will find you through the Shop Local Delmarva directory as the potential customer shops around the site. That is the power behind having a large directory of businesses. Many businesses listed throughout Delmarva will guide potential customers searching for a business in a particular town to other related businesses located nearby the potential customer's town.
At this point, you may be thinking that attracting potential customers through the Internet is nothing more than a lucky throw of the dice. To the end user, your potential customer, this may appear true. But to you, the business listed on the Shop Local Delmarva website, you are the house controlling the dice and, as anyone who has been to Atlantic City or Vegas knows, the house always wins in the long run.
A generic search of "locally owned businesses on Delmarva" will return Shop Local Delmarva in the top spot along with Shop Local Delmarva's Facebook page and blog page. A specific search of "locally owned florists on Delmarva" will also return Shop Local Delmarva in the top spot. However, a more specific search of "locally owned florists in Cambridge" returns results from Cambridge, MA. If the search is changed to read "locally owned florists in Cambridge, MD", nothing from Shop Local Delmarva appears in the top twenty results. Why is that?
Shop Local Delmarva is geared towards all of Delmarva. Listing every possible town that a consumer may use is infeasible, not to mention that such a long list of keywords really irks the search engines. At the time of writing this article, Shop Local Delmarva has no florists listed in its directory. If a potential customer searches for a locally owned florist in a specific town on Delmarva, there is no telling what results would be returned. This is where the keywords to your individual listings play an important role.
If you look at the different listing packages, you will see a "number of keywords" option. The basic, free listing includes three search keywords. One of those keywords you would want is your town. The other two keywords would relate to your business, in this example, "florist" and "floral gifts" may be a good choice. Choosing these keywords doesn't guarantee a top-ten search result, but does get you closer to where you want to be.
The work for Shop Local Delmarva begins and continues indefinitely to refine these keywords. Periodically, the chosen keywords are tested and the search results evaluated. With only three keywords to describe your listing, search results probably won't return your listing in the top five, but should return your listing in the top thirty. In this example, if the chosen keywords "Cambridge", "florist", and "floral gifts" does not return desireable search results, Shop Local Delmarva will change the keywords to try to obtain results in at least the top thirty results. Perhaps, "Cambridge", "florist", and "flowers" would be a better choice of keywords. Shop Local Delmarva cannot guarantee a particular business' search result ranking, but will always strive to achieve the best possible ranking given the keywords available to use.
The more keywords used in your listing, the more likely your listing will appear neaerer to the top of a typical search. A Premium subscription gives you four more keywords to use in your listing and an Enhanced subscription gives you seven more keywords to use. Shop Local Delmarva will manipulate the keywords in your listing level and compare them to Google analytics to optimize the best or most likely used keywords that a potential customer may use to find you.
In the example given, if you are the only florist listed on Shop Local Delmarva, you have the advantage of being the only florist to appear in the search results, but you have the disadvantage if the potential customer uses "Easton" instead of "Cambridge" in their search query. Odds are good that your listing would not appear in the top fifty results much less the ideal top twenty. If, however, there is a florist listed in Easton, there's a good chance the potential customer will find you through the Shop Local Delmarva directory as the potential customer shops around the site. That is the power behind having a large directory of businesses. Many businesses listed throughout Delmarva will guide potential customers searching for a business in a particular town to other related businesses located nearby the potential customer's town.
At this point, you may be thinking that attracting potential customers through the Internet is nothing more than a lucky throw of the dice. To the end user, your potential customer, this may appear true. But to you, the business listed on the Shop Local Delmarva website, you are the house controlling the dice and, as anyone who has been to Atlantic City or Vegas knows, the house always wins in the long run.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
"Shop local" movement is a national trend
Across the nation, a growing number of communities have formed organizations to promote the idea of "shopping local." Here is a good article spotlighting the effort on the other side of the country in, no less, a major metropolitan area - Phoenix, AZ.
As Shop Local Delmarva grows, the plans are to become a major advocacy group for the "shop local" movement here on Delmarva. Shop Local Delmarva's philosophy is that national chains have their place in any community, but they should not form the foundation and they should always be encouraged to source their products, support services, and employees locally before choosing outside sources to fill their needs.
To achieve the long range goals Shop Local Delmarva has established, your support is needed. As a consumer, choose to do business locally at least once a month. When shopping around for goods or services, don't forget to get pricing from your locally owned businesses. Contrary to the popular myth, locally owned businesses aren't always more expensive than a nationally owned chain. Often times they are competitively priced or even offer savings.
As a local business owner, get listed on the Shop Local Delmarva directory. A basic listing is and always will be free. Your potential customers need a resource to easily find their locally owned businesses. Shop Local Delmarva strives to be that resource for them. The more businesses listed in the directory, the more potential customers will use the resource and the more likely the customer will find you.
And remember, shop local, Delmarva!
As Shop Local Delmarva grows, the plans are to become a major advocacy group for the "shop local" movement here on Delmarva. Shop Local Delmarva's philosophy is that national chains have their place in any community, but they should not form the foundation and they should always be encouraged to source their products, support services, and employees locally before choosing outside sources to fill their needs.
To achieve the long range goals Shop Local Delmarva has established, your support is needed. As a consumer, choose to do business locally at least once a month. When shopping around for goods or services, don't forget to get pricing from your locally owned businesses. Contrary to the popular myth, locally owned businesses aren't always more expensive than a nationally owned chain. Often times they are competitively priced or even offer savings.
As a local business owner, get listed on the Shop Local Delmarva directory. A basic listing is and always will be free. Your potential customers need a resource to easily find their locally owned businesses. Shop Local Delmarva strives to be that resource for them. The more businesses listed in the directory, the more potential customers will use the resource and the more likely the customer will find you.
And remember, shop local, Delmarva!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Shop Local Delmarva's Internet Structure
Where do I follow you on the Internet so I don't miss anything?
That was a question Shop Local Delmarva received and a good one that warrants an answer for everyone who may have the same question to see.
Shop Local Delmarva has established itself on the Internet through its main website and two auxiliary social networking sites as explained below. Scheduled to come on line will be a link to a third social networking site, Twitter. Whether you follow all or just one of the paths, you won't miss a thing going on at Shop Local Delmarva or in your locally owned and operated business community.
Main website - http://www.shoplocaldelmarva.com/
This is where you will want to go to find your locally owned and operated businesses. The directory is broken down by county and further refined to businesses located in the county as well as businesses that serve the county. Individual business listings include the basics such as address and phone number as well as a Google map to help you find the business. If the business is running any specials, coupons, or sales, you will find all of them posted with the business' listing. At the bottom of the map, you can even rate your visit with the business using a simple five-star voting system. The site also has other general information about the importance of shopping local. In the right margin, you will find featured businesses' sales, deals, and coupons. In the left margin, you will see two feeds: one from Facebook and the other from Blogger.
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shop-Local-Delmarva/143805389003402?ref=share
Facebook is the largest social networking site and an important tool that allows you, and your friends and families to easily share their experiences with their locally owned and operated businesses. By clicking the "Like" button, your newsfeed will automatically include Shop Local Delmarva's updates and allow you to post to Shop Local Delmarva's wall. Your locally owned and operated businesses want to hear from you and Facebook makes it really easy for you to communicate with them and everyone else. Shop Local Delmarva uses Facebook to keep everyone informed of the latest news in the locally owned business world. Any changes made to the main website, such as the addition of a business to the directory or new specials being offered by a business, will also be posted to Facebook.
Blogger - http://shoplocaldelmarva.blogspot.com/
Like Facebook, blogger is another social networking site that serves the same purpose for Shop Local Delmarva as Facebook does. The advantage of Blogger is Shop Local Delmarva can post expanded explanations, news items, and features that Facebook limits due to its character limits on posts. This explanation, for example, could not be posted on Facebook in its entirety as it is posted on Blogger.
Twitter - not available yet
Twitter will function in the same capacity as Facebook. Twitter is scheduled to come online in January 2011.
Now, you may be wondering how you would know about the answer to this question posted on Blogger if you only subscribe to Facebook or simply have the main website bookmarked.
Even though the answer to the question appears on Blogger, a short announcement with a link to Blogger is also posted on Facebook. Facebook users can then read the answer in its entiriety by clicking on the link. When Twitter is available, a short announcement will be sent out for our Twitter subscribers. If you solely use the main website, the Facebook and Blogger feeds will show the same updated information and, of course, this question is added to the FAQ section of the main website.
No matter how you choose to follow Shop Local Delmarva, you will be kept informed of the latest updates and happenings.
That was a question Shop Local Delmarva received and a good one that warrants an answer for everyone who may have the same question to see.
Shop Local Delmarva has established itself on the Internet through its main website and two auxiliary social networking sites as explained below. Scheduled to come on line will be a link to a third social networking site, Twitter. Whether you follow all or just one of the paths, you won't miss a thing going on at Shop Local Delmarva or in your locally owned and operated business community.
Main website - http://www.shoplocaldelmarva.com/
This is where you will want to go to find your locally owned and operated businesses. The directory is broken down by county and further refined to businesses located in the county as well as businesses that serve the county. Individual business listings include the basics such as address and phone number as well as a Google map to help you find the business. If the business is running any specials, coupons, or sales, you will find all of them posted with the business' listing. At the bottom of the map, you can even rate your visit with the business using a simple five-star voting system. The site also has other general information about the importance of shopping local. In the right margin, you will find featured businesses' sales, deals, and coupons. In the left margin, you will see two feeds: one from Facebook and the other from Blogger.
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shop-Local-Delmarva/143805389003402?ref=share
Facebook is the largest social networking site and an important tool that allows you, and your friends and families to easily share their experiences with their locally owned and operated businesses. By clicking the "Like" button, your newsfeed will automatically include Shop Local Delmarva's updates and allow you to post to Shop Local Delmarva's wall. Your locally owned and operated businesses want to hear from you and Facebook makes it really easy for you to communicate with them and everyone else. Shop Local Delmarva uses Facebook to keep everyone informed of the latest news in the locally owned business world. Any changes made to the main website, such as the addition of a business to the directory or new specials being offered by a business, will also be posted to Facebook.
Blogger - http://shoplocaldelmarva.blogspot.com/
Like Facebook, blogger is another social networking site that serves the same purpose for Shop Local Delmarva as Facebook does. The advantage of Blogger is Shop Local Delmarva can post expanded explanations, news items, and features that Facebook limits due to its character limits on posts. This explanation, for example, could not be posted on Facebook in its entirety as it is posted on Blogger.
Twitter - not available yet
Twitter will function in the same capacity as Facebook. Twitter is scheduled to come online in January 2011.
Now, you may be wondering how you would know about the answer to this question posted on Blogger if you only subscribe to Facebook or simply have the main website bookmarked.
Even though the answer to the question appears on Blogger, a short announcement with a link to Blogger is also posted on Facebook. Facebook users can then read the answer in its entiriety by clicking on the link. When Twitter is available, a short announcement will be sent out for our Twitter subscribers. If you solely use the main website, the Facebook and Blogger feeds will show the same updated information and, of course, this question is added to the FAQ section of the main website.
No matter how you choose to follow Shop Local Delmarva, you will be kept informed of the latest updates and happenings.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Website development update
Shop Local Delmarva search engine optimization is proceding as planned. Some common keywords one would expect a Delmarva resident to use when searching for a locally owned business places the Shop Local Delmarva website at the top or within the top five Google results. Much more refining for better placement is still ongoing.
In addition to Facebook support for the website, this blog now supplements the website with updates and new traffic. On the website, the feed from this blog can be found at the bottom of most pages. Like Facebook, it is absent from the individual business listings. The individual business listings are to promote the listed business only, so the decision was made to keep the Facebook and blog feeds off the individual listings.
The two ads placed on WBOC Classifieds and Craigslist generated medicore results. Two more revised ads in different categories have been placed in hopes of attracting more attention.
Shop Local Delmarva thanks its newest three friends for their support as expressed on Facebook. We're starting off small, but we hope you have us bookmarked and we become a valuable resource for you as we grow.
As a reminder, Shop Local Delmarva has committed to a two-year growth plan. The support of you, the consumer, and of the locally owned and operated businesses will help project Shop Local Delmarva past the two-year mark. Tell your friends and your locally owned businesses about us. We look forward to serving you and the local business community for many years to come.
In addition to Facebook support for the website, this blog now supplements the website with updates and new traffic. On the website, the feed from this blog can be found at the bottom of most pages. Like Facebook, it is absent from the individual business listings. The individual business listings are to promote the listed business only, so the decision was made to keep the Facebook and blog feeds off the individual listings.
The two ads placed on WBOC Classifieds and Craigslist generated medicore results. Two more revised ads in different categories have been placed in hopes of attracting more attention.
Shop Local Delmarva thanks its newest three friends for their support as expressed on Facebook. We're starting off small, but we hope you have us bookmarked and we become a valuable resource for you as we grow.
As a reminder, Shop Local Delmarva has committed to a two-year growth plan. The support of you, the consumer, and of the locally owned and operated businesses will help project Shop Local Delmarva past the two-year mark. Tell your friends and your locally owned businesses about us. We look forward to serving you and the local business community for many years to come.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Welcome to Shop Local Delmarva
Shop Local Delmarva is your one-stop directory to locally owned and operated businesses on Delmarva. You can find us on Facebook, too, but Facebook limits what we have to say to a few snippets of information at a time. In short, Facebook is an advertising site. We're more than an advertising site and we wanted an outlet that offers more than snippets of advertising to be able to talk to you.
If you want to know more about why you should consider shopping local and you want to know more about who our locally owned and operated businesses are and what they are doing, you'll find the information here. Don't worry. If you rely on Facebook to get the latest news, anything posted here will also be posted on our Facebook page for you to link here for more information. You won't miss a thing.
So welcome to Shop Local Delmarva! Remember, you have the buying power and your buying power helps determine the character of your community. Shop at the national chains and your community will be like thousands across the country - indistinguishable. Shop local and you will help retain some of your community's uniqueness.
Oh, yeah, and all of our local businesses' specials and deals that could save you money are listed here, too!
If you want to know more about why you should consider shopping local and you want to know more about who our locally owned and operated businesses are and what they are doing, you'll find the information here. Don't worry. If you rely on Facebook to get the latest news, anything posted here will also be posted on our Facebook page for you to link here for more information. You won't miss a thing.
So welcome to Shop Local Delmarva! Remember, you have the buying power and your buying power helps determine the character of your community. Shop at the national chains and your community will be like thousands across the country - indistinguishable. Shop local and you will help retain some of your community's uniqueness.
Oh, yeah, and all of our local businesses' specials and deals that could save you money are listed here, too!
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