This is the last day of 2010, but instead of looking back through this year, I’m going to look ahead to 2011 and what tomorrow will bring. There are plenty of exciting opportunities on the horizon when it comes to internet marketing, and if you don’t stay updated on emerging SEO strategies in the new year, you just might find your page rank and your small business in trouble.

Online success means continually educating yourself on new marketing methods and small business SEO strategies so you aren’t left behind. This post looks at some of the most important SEO strategies for 2011. By taking advantage of these emerging trends quickly, you’ll be a step ahead of your competition in the new year.

Local Search Marketing

Local search listings are one of the best small business SEO strategies for 2011 — even if your business operates on a national or international level instead of just locally. Why? Because local search terms have way less competition, so it’s fairly easy to get high rankings for those terms. Plus, once you have high rankings for local searches, your website gains credibility with the search engines and a higher page rank. This results in a boost in your rankings for your other non-local keywords as well.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is hot as it gives businesses the perfect way to connect and establish a relationship with consumers. Whether you take advantage of social media marketing through your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or any other social media outlet, you also gain free viral marketing as consumers forward your social media posts to their friends. In addition, you have an easy way to instantly connect with your audience through social media, whether you’re promoting a sale or coupon, or you’re just providing information or news.

Video Marketing

Another important small business SEO strategy for 2011 is video marketing. Did you know YouTube is the second largest search engine in the entire world? While Google is still number one, consumers worldwide increasingly head to YouTube when seeking information. Why? Because many consumers prefer visual, interactive information. By creating short, informative videos with strong keyword based descriptions, and implementing good back linking and other SEO strategies, you’ll not only appear high in the YouTube results, but also in the Google search results.

Mobile Marketing

As more of today’s consumers connect to the internet and seek information through mobile devices like smart phones, the more important mobile web optimization becomes. The search engines now consider your mobile web optimization when ranking your website in both the mobile results and the regular search results. While mobile marketing is relatively new, it should be a part of your small business SEO strategies for 2011 so you’re ahead of the game.

Search engine optimization isn’t a set it and forget it process. As the world changes, the internet changes, consumer preferences change, and new devices enter the market, keeping up is crucial to business success. The good news is there’s an easy way to stay updated on evolutions in online marketing — contact Seattle SEO Consultant for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more today!