Best Practices for Search Engine Marketing

 

Local SEO 

Local search enables Web users to find everything from restaurants to retail stores in mere seconds.  As a local business with a website, local SEO should be a primary focus of your overall marketing plan.  Even if businesses don’t have a website, local search seamlessly connects Web users to the brick and motor locations where a majority of transactions will take place.  So, understanding the basics of where to go and what to do is imperative. 

With more businesses planning to use local search as a means to acquire new customers, this white paper provides a quick overview of the local search space and provides important guidance on how businesses can create, claim and optimize local search listing before your competitors do the same. 

Google, Yahoo and Bing still drive the majority of local exposure, but know at the start that there are approximately 85 that we submit our clients to.  If you are just getting started with local search, the opportunities to enhance your visibility and increase sales are very, very important to include in your marketing mix.  

However, thanks to its control of 70% of all searched performed on the web, Google is by far the leading local search vendor and should be the primary focus of any business.  Almost all Google searches involving a region or city in the search query (of searches that Google has determined to be local) will result in listings displayed in what is referred to as the “Local Onebox.”  There are several different variations including the Local 7-pack (where seven companies appear for a generic term), the local 3-pack (a brief version of the 8-Pack), and the single listing, which more often appears when users search for specific companies. 

Business listings can be submitted directly to Google Maps through the Google Local Business Center.  The key to Local SEO on Google is to include your website address along with corresponding business information and verify that the listing and contact information is correct.   

Of course, Google is not the only game in town.  Yahoo Local remains a major player in the world of local search, but as you might expect, has far less traffic than Google.  Yahoo openly features local listings in their organic search results within a map recently shifting from a three-listing display to a more detailed five-listing display.  

If a website or local business is not listed in the local listings, the business will need to submit it for inclusion.  In addition, to Yahoo’s free local listing, they also offer an enhanced listing for $9.95 per month.  The enhanced listing includes a company tagline, business description, two links to pages on your website and up to 10 photos.  This is a good value for two links from such a trusted and authoritative website. 

One important note is that business reviews tend to be weighted more in the Yahoo Local algorithm then in Google Local.  As such, reviews to your website in Yahoo Local will increase Yahoo Local search rankings. 

Don’t rule out Microsoft.  Bing shows local listings on Bing Maps when users perform a local search, and their results include three local listings within the organic search results.  While it is unknown today what the Bing-Yahoo search and advertising deal will mean for local businesses looking to generate exposure on the Web, a safe course of action is to submit your business to Bing using the Bing Local Listing Center. 

Now that we have our three primary targets in our sights – and a long list of alternatives that should be added over time – we can start creating local search listings. 

Creating Local Search Listings: 

While many of the tips included below apply primarily to Google, using these principles when entering business information will prove useful on all of the local engines in the market place. 

·         Company Name

·         Business Address

·         Phone Number

·         Business Description

·         Business Category

 

The above categories require little time and just common sense in completing each category.  The local search revolution has arrived and thanks to mobile, it is growing rapidly.  Maximizing the local search listings does take expertise and if businesses need help, Advantix Marketing is ready to help.