Friday, May 3, 2013

Local Search Marketing Tips

By Therese Goodwint


Local search marketing online has become the standard for driving new customers to a local business. In this article, we will show you 10 specific ways to get your business to outperform competition and stay successful.

Local Directories Provide Valuable Info

Similar to any type of SEO, local search optimization plans take some research and knowledge. Perform a search query for your Business. It's essential to find out how your business is listed on local directories, so doing this search is the best way to start. Your business name is not the only thing you should look up during this search; plug in different variations of your address and phone number as well. Keep this information in your records by using a spreadsheet to document links and listings.

Third party data providers and local directories inform the search engines. The major search engines use this external data to confirm whether your business' information matches what's in their own index. It's important, therefore, to ensure the signals from every local directory and data provider are correct and consistent. Citations are also utilized by search engines as well as 3rd party data, this is taken into account in rankings. Name, address and phone number (NAP) references of a company on the internet are what citations cover.

Google Places

A Google Places listing is important, be sure to make one. Make sure you include as much information as possible. Make sure to keep all of your contact information correct, fill out your hours and description, and above all, make sure you have one or more categories selected. The categories are one of the biggest parts; make sure that you include all categories that match your offering. Be sure to select both "restaurant" and "Mexican restaurant" if your business is a Mexican restaurant. Select a tastefully done cover photo, and some other pictures (at least 5) that will let the customer know the great kinds of products and services that you are offering.

Create Geo-specific Pages

When there is more than one location, be sure to create location pages showing them all. Your company could benefit from having a page dedicated to each of the locations that your business has on your website Be certain that you choose the right keywords in order to generate business in the area that you are focused on, use some words that are well known in the area. It makes sense to use landing pages that correlate to the areas your business is operating in.

Boost your rankings in your local area by targeting the consumers in your region on your website pages, instead of wasting time advertising to those on the other side of the world. When you focus on local as opposed to global response, you'll see that the number of competing pages plummets dramatically, leaving you with a greater opportunity to punch through to the top position for your targeted keywords and keyword phrases.

Request Reviews of your Business

Your marketing strategy should include reviews from customers, as they are invaluable. Reviews play a huge role in impacting search engine rankings, so you should encourage feedback from anyone you've felt has had a good experience. Let customers know that their satisfaction and feedback are very important to you, and ask them to share their opinions on your website.




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