Small Business Web Design, Local Internet Marketing, Local SEO, Online Video, Training | LOCAL Na8ion West Palm Beach, FL

My WordPress website Hosting special

Unlimited bandwidth and storage for only $72.50 a year (see end of post for updated code & pricing as of June 16, 2009)

It’s no secret here at LOCALNa8ion that we recommend WordPress for Small Business. In fact, here’s our video on our Top Ten reasons WordPress for Small Business beats the pants off the rest.

In a nutshell, WordPress is free and it allows non-technical small business owners to update your website content easily.  Updates are crtical to achieving better local search engine rankings so that’s not a trivial thing.

WordPress also makes it easily to perform Local Search Engine Optimization on your website. For example, in my post yesterday I gave readers tips on how to Re-write your website title for better local search results. Writing your new website title may take you 10 or 20 minutes but changing it in WordPress will take you less than a minute.

Now let’s talk about hosting your WordPress site

In the past I’ve published a video on Hosting your WordPress Small Business Web Site on Midphase and using Auto-Install. I now have an update and better pricing for you.

One of the beauties of using MidPhase is that they have a WordPress auto-install option for non-technical users (see the video I just linked to above for instructions).

I’ve continued to use MidPhase for all my WordPress client installations like Il Pasticcio Restaurant and Wine Bar in Savannah Georgia. I’ve had nothing but good luck with them so I can recommend MidPhase from experience.

I’ve got two offers for you that will depend on your needs.

$72.50 a Year | One Website, unlimited bandwidth & storage

First, if you have one website and want unlimited bandwidth and storage (this avoids nasty hosting overage charges) you can now host your site for one year plus register a domain name for only $72.50 a year. Go to MidPhase’s website and use my code GOTAPEX-ROX-01 during the order process in the Optional Coupon Code area. Select the Starter plan for $4.95 a month and then a term of 12 months. You can save even more if you buy 24 months.

$90.50 a Year | Unlimited Websites & databases, plus unlimited bandwidth & storage

If you think you’re going to end up with more than one website then this is the plan for you and it’s just $18.00 more per year. Why would a small business need more than one website? Multiple business lines and separate businesses are two common examples.

To order go to MidPhase’s website and use my code GOTAPEX-ROX-01 during the order process in the Optional Coupon Code area. Select the Unlimited plan for $6.95 a month and then a term of 12 months. You can save even more if you buy 24 months.

Per my blog policy on LOCALNa8ion I fully disclose that I receive a small fee if you signup for MidPhase hosting using my special code GOTAPEX-ROX-01 (see update below) that gets you 3 months free and a free domain for life. You save extra money over just going to MidPhase on your own and I use my commissions to defray the cost of bringing LOCALNa8ion to you for free.  Let me be clear, I’m not recommending MidPhase for profit. I recommend MidPhase because I use them for all my client websites and I’ve had continual good experiences with them. I represent that these offers represent a very good value when compared competitively.

Enjoy!

Julian, ed
Local Internet Marketing for Small Business | LOCALNa8ion.com

Update: The current coupon code as of June 16, 2009 is HOT. Type in HOT in the Coupon code area when you order (prices may have changed)- click on this link.

I am a happy midPhase affiliate and use and recommend their service. The majority of products and services I recommend do not pay me. But on the rare occasion where I’m both very satisfied with a product/service AND they have an affiliate program I will happily use it! If you’re interested in an alternative to midphase that is faster (also more expensive) try MediaLayer’s AppLayer hosting -it’s awesome!

5 minutes to better local search engine rankings

If you’re trying to attract free traffic from search engines to your small local business you need to optimize your site for local searches. This practice is generally known as local search engine optimization (Local SEO).

My tip today focuses on one specific but very important Local SEO technique…

Website titles

The website title is the text that appears at the very top of your web browser window when you visit someone’s website. It’s also what people see on search engine results pages like this.

Click to view larger image

Here’s an example of a local search someone might type into Google.

Local Search example

“Florists Charlotte”

Your website title should include descriptive words that read well, include your location, and includes the major search keyword/s or search terms for your business. While your business name is nice, it’s generally the least important part of your website title.

Guess what 98% of the small business website titles start out with?

The business name.

Think of it like this. Is a banner you make for your front window that says 50% Off – Spring Sale going to attract business or the one that says George’s Hardware?

Your website title is like a banner about what you do for both people and search engines.

Good Local Website Titles

Let’s take a look at the top 5 search engine results from the local search example I used above, ‘Charlotte Florists.’

1. Charlotte Florists, Flowers, Local Florist Shops – North Carolina (NC)
2. Charlotte florists and gift shops
3. Charlotte Florists – Flowers Charlotte NC – Starclaire House Of …
4. Port Charlotte Florists – Flowers Port Charlotte FL – Port …
5. Charlotte Florists – Flowers Charlotte NC – Gallery of Flowers

Notice a theme?

The winners on this list lead with their city and then their common search keyword/s or search term/s.

How to do it

Get out your pen and pad or favorite word processor and start working on a new website title. Keep your new title under 70 total characters and include your major town/city first, your keyword next, and if there is room, your business name. A pipe, one of these | is a great way to visually separate information in your website title. Use this tool to count the number of characters in your new website title so you don’t feel like you’re back in Kindergarten. Here’s an example I just worked up.

Charlotte Florists, Elegant Charlotte Flowers | Mary’s Botanicals

I included the location city and two major search terms in my title and snuck in a business name in 65 total characters.

1. Charlotte Florists
2. Charlotte Flowers
3. Something additive and descriptive “Elegant” for the people reading my title
4. Business Name

Want some more examples of what to do with your website title? Check out SEO expert Aaron Wall’s video on how to write great SEO website titles below.

Julian, ed LOCALNa8ion
Local Internet Marketing for Small Business | LOCALNa8ion.com
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