If so, be sure the title of at least one page on your website includes a reference to the service you provide and the locality you service. Your location and phone number should also be included on the bottom of your pages, or on a Contact Us page.

The reason: internet users are often very specific when they are searching for services they need. Someone with a toothache won't search for "dentist," for instance, they'll search for "dentist in Pasadena." A homeowner in Suffolk County, NY who wants to locate a landscaper, is very likely to search for "landscaper Suffolk County."

Search engines try to show searchers results that have exactly what they were looking for. If you have the service you perform - or the word people use to search for it - and your locality in the title and in the text of a page, they'll see that page as being a good match when a potential customer searches for your service and geographic area, and therefore be more likely to show your website in the first or second page of search results.

By Janet Attard