I am a software engineer experienced in SEO, and I am living in Dubai now. I have been providing SEO services to internet marketers all over the world.

I would like to explore the options available in local SEO business.

I am willing to provide a service to firms in UAE which include a guaranteed 1st page placement in Google.

However, I would like to know if there is a good market in UAE for this.

Also, please suggest me ways to go forward with this.

Thanks
Tom

For ex. Is it better go have www.store.com and www.store.es for local search engines? Or will Google still find the .com in Google.es ? Also, would it be better to do a 301 webredirect from the .es domain to the .com domain?

I work with many local businesses to help them use the web to generate leads and sales. Much different than national or e commerce sites.

Here is a list of tactics I use for local websites to help them rank and get customers, what are some of the best tactics you use:

1. Youtube Videos
2. Merchant Circle
3. Blogging
4. Yelp/Kudzu
5. CitySearch
6. Craigslist/Kijiji
7. Yahoo Answers
8. PPC
9. Press Releases
10. Google Business Center/Maps
11. Directory Submission
12. Link Campaigns
13. Article Writing
14. Buying Local Domain names (ie, http://www.orangecountycabinets.net)
15. Local Portal Business Submission
16. Chamber of Commerce Links
17. BBB Seals

I’d love to hear from SEO’ers that use other tactics. Its good to share.
15.

http://www.orangecountycabinets.net

Paid Search Freakonomics: Finding and Ostracizing Losers
Effective optimization is about picking on freaks and losers — segments in your account that deviate from the norm. Here are six useful tools for setting context and hunting down paid search losers. …

Read more on Search Engine Watch

Find out how to add your business to Google local listings. Let us show you why this is important for local SEO campaigns. www.indieresults.com

Where 2 Get It Client Waffle House Launches Mobile SMS Text Locator Campaign
ANAHEIM, Calif.—-Where 2 Get It, Inc., a leading provider of mobile marketing and local search solutions for national brands is excited to announce that long time client Waffle House, Inc. has successfully launched their first 2-way SMS text marketing campaign.

Read more on Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance

In 2002 my wife and I bought our business. I submitted our business to the Google Local Business Center. I kept checking to see if I was listed. After about 3 months it was was but my listing was on page 4 of the listings. Well I thought I was listed but how in the world is my listing ever going to get found when there are 35 other businesses ahead of mine.

I failed……

Google only lists the TOP 10 listings on page 1. So if someone searches for “WHAT WE DO” in the “CITY WE DO IT IN”, Google will display a map with 10 businesses, their phone number and a hyperlink to their website.

Lets face it, if you are not on this first page what are the chances of ever getting a phone call? Think about it, If someone needs a service or product they might check 3 different businesses to get price quotes or ask the questions they need to make decision. There are plenty of businesses to choose from on the Google Map and the rest of the listings in the sponsored links and regular organic listings.

So I worked o this listing for 3 years. Honestly for 3 years I tried to figure out how to get my rankings to improve. in 2005 I was still not on page 1. Arrrg!! I was frustrated. Why are my competitors here and not our business!!!!They were getting my customers and I was quite frankly getting pissed off. The Google Map was a new thinking back then and there wasn’t hardly any information on ow to improve your map listing.

But then I “cracked the code”…..

Yep, I had literally spent thousands from self proclaimed internet gurus and sepnt thousands of hours figureing this stuff out. I was self teaching myself and still getting nowhere. Their techniques were not locally targeted and were way to confusing. But then I stumbled upon something called the 30 Day Challenge. And what this course taught was the fundamentals of Internet Marketing. It was a hard course as you had to work on it everyday for 30 days straight. It was basic SEO that I learned. About this time I also got the job at Reach Local. I then applied these basic skills to my Google Local Business Listing.

And then the magic happened. Our Local business cracked the top 10 and was on the first page of Google. And I dint have to pay for clicks or pay an SEO firm or anything like. that. It’s on the first page day in and day out……FOR FREE!!!!!

……And it’s moved up from #10 up to #4 now.

……And it appears for multiple search terms.

Its all about how you load your information. Basic SEO applies here. I can show you exactly how to do it.

Pandia Search Engine News Wrap-up March 13
The search never stops! Here are the search industry headlines of the week, brought to you by Pandia. China warns Google to obey or ‘pay the consequences’ Web censorship battle rumbles on (techcrunch March 2010) SEO Professional FireFox Toolbar: Tracks Yahoo! Backlinks SEO stats as the page loads, stats tracking, on-page diagnostics help, etc (SE Journal March 12 [...]

Read more on Pandia

Although there are vast resources for Google/Yahoo SEO there is little information available in English for optimizing a site for Baidu and the local Chinese search engines.
I would like to know as much as possible, links or personal experiences, about SEO for the Chinese SE market, specifically Baidu. References to Chinese sites will be highly appreciated as well.

SEO Firm Says Keeping Up With Google Is Essential To SEO Success
According to Peter Crisafi, Vice President of dzine it, Inc., ( www.dzineit.net ) a Manhattan web development and search engine optimization (SEO) firm with years of online marketing experience under its belt, the Google search engine is one of the main reasons people seek to properly optimize their website.

Read more on OfficialWire