Portal Sites

Developing A Local Business Directory Into A Thriving Web Portal

Creating local business directory that you can on sell for a lucrative profit or as the foundation to a successful Online – Offline Consultation Business requires you take a completely different angle.  The goal is to have it bringing profits on a regular basis while servicing your local community.  It must grow above the more generic type of local web directory.  These are portal type websites that flood the search engines with as many local long tail keywords to be found in the search engines.

Most local business directories are no more than link farms.  They offer little value outside of listing local businesses in their appropriate categories. Your local directory needs to be different.  It must be made attractive to entice local businesses to list with your directory at premium prices as opposed to the cheaper or free local directories.

How can you, as the local online – offline consultant provide that winning edge? You need a concept that will have local businesses seek you out opposed to a Yellow Pages(TM) utility type portal.  A first step is to create a full page description of the local business on the website. That is, from a generic A-Z category reference page – your links page – you redirect the surfer to a separate full page description which still resides within the website.

The enhanced page could well include a video interview with the local business owner to create a more personal feel.  This immediately starts to build trust and familiarity that that a casual local surfer will better identify with.

Also include a well placed link (or banner) on the page to make contact easy and intuitive. Include a strong call to action message directing the surfer to click the link (or banner) to instantly jump to the local business’ website. If the local business has not yet got an online presence, full address and operating hours details must be clearly shown.

The sky is the limit here.  Use your creativity and imagination to create a page that you would be proud to have on your own corporate website.  That way you know the owner of the local business will be profiting by displaying it.

The benefits of such a page to your local directory in the eyes of Google(TM) and the other search engines is greater exposure and higher rankings all around. Because you are providing relevant local content search returns will organically rank highly in any of the search engines.

With some basic search engine optimization for multiple appropriate keywords and phrases, as well as meta tags and some other tricks, the results for the business can be quite astounding.  This, in turn gives the local business exposure and positive results that they will be more than willing to pay a premium for the service.  It is demonstrably targeting responsive local shoppers that walk through the door from successful directory portal searches.

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