Currently, there’s only one website that can read flash text and that’s Alltheweb.com. Google, Yahoo, MSN, and the other major search engines don’t read it (and will skip over it). This can be detrimental if your website only utilizes this type of web element. Some people may use just a little bit of Flash in an intro movie for their website, but consider the fact that many intro movies go unappreciated by ways of the “skip intro” button.

Also, take into consideration those with dial-up or very slow DSL internet connections. Rural America is still stuck with dial-up until a suitable alternative can be reached (there are bandwidth limits on satellite internet), so if you want to attract anyone to your website that potentially lives among those with dial-up access, consider using HTML format.

HTML websites are the best for optimization purposes because search engines can easily read it. It also loads quickly on the page and can be easily changed if you understand how to manipulate HTML language. While it may not be as “artfully, exquisite” as Flash, it definitely has a far better reach in regards to your audience.

Skip any kind of Flash if you can, search engines don’t like it and neither do most of the people visiting your website. If it’s not done properly, it can be hard to navigate and can irritate users who don’t have the patience for it to load.

If you must have a Flash website, consider developing an HTML version for visitors as well. You’ll gain favor with your visitors and provide an alternative version of your site in case the Flash doesn’t load properly on the person’s computer (Flash software has to be updated every so often). Remember that Flash can be good, but HTML is great.

To a good accounting firm one click driven to contact you for business services could turn into your next 30 thousand dollar client, if you cannot get them to do more than browse your website though then you have lost your chance, most companies are not in the business of educating, they are in the purpose of driving business growth.

Whether you are an accounting firm, a restaurant, or a pet groomer, at the end of the day once they arrive at your website you need to do something to either gather their information or drive them to contact you or in some cases buy on the spot.

In this case the customers current website provider would not allow them access to their site to modify it to properly set it up to target high conversion local customers. First off this is really pathetic to me, once a customer pays for a site it is THEIR site and they have every right to do anything they want to with it, but I digress.

To make up for the fact they could not modify their site we worked up a plan to build separate landing page sites to target locally targeted search traffic that would convert better for them and built a simple call to action banner in the site. The site did not need to be complex, a couple pages highly focused on converting customers is what it was all about.

Results?

Well, by using the landing page approach we were able to target the right customers and provide them with a way to easily contact the firm with a phone call or contact form. By doing this they now receive more customer contact from this one highly targeted, lower traffic site than they do from their primary website which gets 5 times the traffic.

In summary, it is important to provide mechanisms for customers to contact you by providing a compelling reason. This combined with targeting high conversion search terms is a sure fire success plan.

I guess the first question we should discuss, is what is Hyperlocal? Wikipedia defines Hyperlocal as:

“A new term used to refer to someone or something that is the best at connecting people, locally.”

So Hyperlocal can refer to a region, city, county, town, village, community, neighborhood, or any local community you want to target.  How far down you drill in the Hyperlocal space, depends on your target audience and desire to produce quality content tailored to local communities.

For example, if you are a real estate agent who specializes in certain neighborhoods, then you might want to target the larger communities in your area. You could produce one landing page for each neighborhood, with a list of homes for sale and historical sales data for that community. Boilerplate content for your neighborhood landing pages could include a small write about the community, school information, local resources, links to the homeowner’s association, and other information that would be helpful to prospective homeowners.

If you run a limo company that serves an entire metro area like Washington, DC or Miami, FL, you might want to target the primary cities/towns and counties that comprise the metro region. A city or town landing page could include restaurants, entertainment, and hotels frequented by travelers and residents looking for a fun evening out on the town. Your landing pages would attract people who are searching for local “hot spots”,  informing potential clients about your limo service that can help enhance their entertainment experience.

Whether you live in the city, suburbs, or rural area – one universal rule to your Hyperlocal SEO efforts is that you must connect with local residents. The more you engage local users, the better results you are going to see from your Hyperlocal SEO efforts.