Increase your business with Local Search Engine Optimization

There is an increasing awareness about Local Search Engine Optimization particularly by those having local sales outlets. Companies that were marketing certain products or services nationally or globally were understandably unconcerned about local search engine optimization. With local search engine optimization gaining in importance, a new area has been added to search engine marketing.

Google Local Search Results

 

However, ever since local search engine optimization came to be accepted as part of industry norms, webmasters and local business owners started ways to explore this new opportunity. For web masters specializing in search engine optimization like SEO and SEM, optimizing sites for localized search queries – added another dimension to their work profile.

Local search is developing into a massive, multibillion dollar market. The yellow pages had hitherto dominated the local market ads, but search engines are now eating off their market share. Small businesses obviously have small marketing budgets and spend a sizable amount annually in Yellow Page advertisement. Market insiders predict that yellow pages will see a steady decline due to the aggressive thrust by local by search engines.

Please know that there are four different types of sites that online users may visit to gather local information:

• Primary Web Search Engines, such as Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.

• Top Local Search Engines, such as Google Maps, Yahoo Local, and MSN Live Local.

• Top online Yellow Pages, such as Superpages.com, Yellowpages.com and Switchboard.com

• Other sites with local components.

Check out for all local news sites

With users going haywire to such a wide array of sites to obtain local info, it can be baffling to figure out where to focus efforts for gaining maximum customer attention.

It is indeed a good idea to check out the local newspaper sites of your area. It is a fact that more and more people have switched from reading print newspapers to online sources, and the newspapers readership for ads is dwindling. Some local news sites include guides or yellow pages of businesses on their site, so make sure you are seen there as well.

The key thing to remember is that there are a variety of online sites from which users are obtaining local information. There is also the fact that many consumers are keen to know with whom they are talking business online. They would certainly be happy to visit the local business outlet or at least feel satisfied that the business place is accessible locally. Even though we are in the midst of free market economy, people are psychologically at ease when having their business dealings with the local merchants.

Achieving local Search Engine Optimization

The question arises - how does one achieve local search engine optimization? Just like any SEO process creating relevant and compelling content is absolutely crucial. Well-written text aimed at drawing the attention of the local buyers and proper local keyword density are the necessary factors for good local search engine optimization. It is only to be expected that the majority of users trying to locate local information will be going to the traditional web search engines first, as a matter of habit.

When a user begins a search for local info through the regular web search engine, there is a possibility that they may find your web site if you have imaginative content which matches their keyword search. So, your first step is producing the right content of your site in order to stand a chance to match these keyword searches. Your business website must contain text that would match the locality parameters. Assuming you are a small business owner, have your full business address clearly displayed on your site’s homepage, in the HTML text. If you happen to be a company with national presence, there should be a page for each of your local outlets and each outlet’s full address should be clearly displayed in the HTML text.

One important aspect in keyword research is to bear in mind there are many local colloquialisms across the country. Different people might be searching for the same thing, but entering two totally different search words. Localized keyword research is much tougher than what it may appear to be.

Inbound linking are indeed crucial – for instance, if you are a member of a Chamber of Commerce or any similar local business association, you can have them link to your site at a nominal or no cost. Inbound links like these can be an assured gateway to increased targeted traffic. This should be done without prejudice to traditional link building. Being a member of the local chamber can provide you with a bit more promotion sometimes, and you should be found in the chamber’s directory

Over the years, people have resorted to all types of methods – both ethical and unethical -to achieve high local search results. Earlier, the Meta Keywords tags were working fine till spam adult and gambling sites began competing. Besides, search engines were also capable of easy manipulation.

After studying various trends, Google introduced a geographic box at the top of its search results, tying it into its mapping feature. When it was first introduced, the engine would display three results at the top of its search results whenever somebody entered a geographic modifier into the search box. After the initial trial, Google found that its users appreciate this feature. The engine has now been further developed to display ten local search results, provided you have a geographic modifier attached.

There are of course many resources on the Internet if you are looking for local search engine optimization. But the question is - do many companies that cater to a national or international clientele really benefit from local search optimization? The answer strangely is in the affirmative.

It is evident many customers prefer to deal local contacts, even if their business is national or even global. There is no denying that it feels more comfortable to have a personal meeting than dialing an 800 number. Again, if you are a business owner with multiple locations spread across many cities and each serving a different function, you can certainly benefit from local search engine optimization.

As a final comment, make sure your business information is available in the online directories, remember to put your address info on your website for the search engine bots, and see you are listed with the secondary local info sites. These simple steps will guarantee that you have done your bit for local SEO.

 

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