Whether you run an online business or a local one, and whether your company has global or local reach, you can benefit from the opportunities provided by the internet. Many small businesses make the mistake of assuming that since their business is small or local, or because it doesn't deal in a high tech sector of the economy, that there is no competitive advantage associated with an online storefront. This is simply untrue. Today, more people find local businesses online than through the phone book.

Of course, it simply isn't enough to set up a website. It must be effectively promoted in order for customers to find you. While there are several methods of accomplishing this, one of the most effective is referred to as search engine optimization. This method uses an understanding of how the search engines work in order to improve rankings. This means that when a user searches for a particular phrase in Google or Bing, your site will appear closer to the top of the results, without being placed inside of the advertisements.

There are many different factors that the search engines use in order to determine the relevance and authority of a website, but one of the most important factors are links. Since the content on a website can be easily altered, older search engines that focused on the content of the page were easily manipulated. Google revolutionized the industry by using off-page factors. Specifically, if another site links to yours, it is an indication that your site can be trusted.

Modern search engine optimization focuses primarily on a strategy known as link building. This means that, in one way or another, you create the links that are pointed back to your site. Link building is immensely helpful because each link sends a signal to Google that your site is authoritative. The content of the link itself says something about the content of the page it is pointing to. The content on the page surrounding the link also builds relevance.

While it certainly isn't the only way to get links, the web directory is one of the best places to start. A web directory is a listing of websites, organized by category, with a link back to your site. Since the link is located on a page of related sites, and since you often have control over the content of the link itself, submission to web directories is an excellent way to improve your site's rankings. Submission is most effective when it is with authoritative, related directories.