subject: Local Search And Its Benefits For Your Businesses [print this page] When you're trying to successfully promote your small business online, you have to use every option available to you to combine them into a marketing strategy that really works. There are some internet marketing tools that everyone knows about by now, such as social media marketing and search engine optimization, but some others which are still being overlooked by those that are trying to build a more substantial web presence for their business. One of these which is often overlooked is that of local search.
Local search is essentially search engine optimization that is designed to get your site to rank higher for searches for you type of business in your area. This can be incredibly helpful as it can help drive more qualified traffic to you site. Qualified traffic means that they are people that are actually potentially customers, not just visitors, which in themselves mean nothing. It also helps that driving this kind of traffic to your site means visitors who may actually be able to visit your real world location if you have one.
Since local search is so important for online success, you should start trying to implement some basic local search techniques immediately. The good news is that some of the most effective methods are in fact extremely simple, and can still product quality results.
The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you have a "contact" page somewhere on your website which lists your full address and phone number with a local area code. Including the zip code is also important. This helps Google to understand where your business is actually located geographically. Including that information on the home page as well as on the contact page can also be useful.
Another thing that you can do which will greatly improve your performance in local search is to get your company listed in as many localized directories as possible. Specifically, this means things like the yellow pages for your city online. When you're listed as being part of a certain city in this kind of directory, especially when the listing contains your full address and local phone number, it counts for a great deal in Google's eyes when establishing the local search results. Any sites which list a number of businesses in your area, especially if they are related by business sector, can provide you with enormously helpful back links if they are available.
