Tips for sprucing up local online marketing

I don't normally write about "tips" resources, but since I know marketing and online sales prospecting remain a huge challenge for most small companies, I wanted to point out a new site called Don'tLeakLeads.com. 

Run by ReachLocal (yes, this is a site created by a vendor with an agenda), the site offers tips aimed at helping small businesses adjust their search engine optimization, traffic analysis, online Web contacts and so on. There's the ubiquitous calculator engine that helps identify your specific shortcomings or faux pas. 

I've embedded an infographic at the end of the site with some of the specific tips that are explored, but here are my five favorite insights:

• Make sure you run ads using your company's name as a keyword, so you don't lose leads to competitors that are trying to poach your prospects by using your business name.
• Optimize the messages on your Web pages so they are more likely to show up on the first page of search results (most people won't scroll past the first page).
• Create a mobile version of your Web site.
• Put a phone number and email contact on every page of your site; 50 percent of sales are lost because visitors can't find answers to questions and can't find a contact to ask.
• Return calls or emails quickly: research suggests that 50 percent of consumers will go with the company that calls them back first.

Related stories:

• ReachLocal closes the loop for online marketing
• Webcast debates SMB online marketing priorities