WebBizIdeas » Internet Marketing » Local Search Engine Marketing

 Download Local Search Engine Business Profile Template  (explained in video)

 

 

The Web is huge. And with an estimated 1.5 million pages added to the Internet daily, it’s not getting any easier to attract attention. Local search engine optimization and ‘local listings’ can change all that.

 

While the process looks simple, there’s certainly a right and wrong way to approach local Internet marketing. But, with a few helpful tips, it’s possible to maximize the ROI of a local search engine marketing campaign and make a great mark on the Web.

 

 

On paper, a company/organization field is pretty basic: add the company name to the box and go on to the next one. But, with local Internet marketing, there are keywords and locations to think about. Should the main keywords for the business be included with the name? Should the name of the city or state the business is located in be added here?

 

Because updates, changes initiated by the search engines, and new studies have changed the way even the professionals do things, the answers might not be the same as they were a year ago. For the best results right from the start, be sure to find out prior to securing a local listing.

 

 

One of the most important elements of local search engine marketing is the business’ location, but in local search engine marketing, even this isn’t clear-cut. Should the actual location be used even if the company is located outside of the city it wants to rank for? What if the company normally uses a post office box? Does it matter how far the business is from the city center?

 

Yes, all of these questions matter. In fact, this portion of the business listing will lay the groundwork for the rest of the local search engine optimization strategy, so it is vital to get this part right from the start.

 

 

Local business marketing depends a lot on the categories and description chosen for the listing. After all, companies have to be visible in the categories for the right products and services, not just the company name. This is where keywords really come into play; the ones chosen here will ultimately determine the success of a local search engine marketing campaign.

 

 

Unlike traditional business listings, Google’s Local Business Listings allow companies to add photos, videos and other media to improve its local Internet marketing value and provide the user with additional information. If properly done, this can be taken one step further by adding additional information including store hours, coupons, and more, to attract customers and improve conversion rates.

 

 

Once Google knows about your business, it needs to rank it and place it among other similar businesses in the area. To determine where a particular listing will sit, Google and other search engines look for references and citations for that particular business.

 

However, if the specifics of these citations or references vary, it can be difficult to associate them with the correct business listing, and the company will lose all of the local search engine marketing value the citation may have. Luckily, there are things businesses can do to ensure this doesn’t happen.

 

 

References and citations are always great for local search engine optimization, but not all references are created equal; some have more weight than others, and some act as a database for a number of other sites. Businesses should also add their listings to other data providers and IYP portals, but with so many out there, it’s difficult to know which ones to use. This is where knowledge gained from an experienced professional comes in handy!

 

 

Google doesn’t want to put just any site in its map listings or on the first page of the search results; it wants to fill the first page of listings with authoritative sites. So if a business wants to be in the first position, it needs links from reviews and directories. This takes some work, but when a company follows good local business marketing strategies and gets the right links, its listing will quickly climb to the top

 

How does a company do all this, and get it right? Read our E-book on local search engine marketing, or watch our local search engine optimization video, to learn the tips that will help your company make a local mark on the global web.