Priming the Local Search Engine

Local search is not a new concept.  As long as people have had a telephone directory near their phone, they have had the ability to do a local search.  It’s been at the finger tips of internet users for years, as well.  Only recently however are businesses, and providers such as Yahoo and Google, recognizing the sheer marketing power behind it.

Local search is defined as any single search directly aimed at locating a product or service within a targeted geographic region.  Often it entails a search made up from a product or service and then a town, city or state.  Some examples might be “daycare atlanta, ga”, “Oil change Detroit” or “birthing class alpena”.  It is made up predominantly of transactions where information is obtained online but the final sale is made offline however local search can include online purchases if the local businesses provide it.

To us – Local Internet Search is your old phonebook… on steroids.  It would take Rocky, Apollo Creed and “The Russian” to knock down.  I’m showing my age here aren’t I?

For many businesses, especially in smaller towns, the entire customer base is derived from their immediate geographical area.  This means local search is vital to the survival of these businesses.  Others cannot sustain themselves on local business alone, and require ‘local search’ queries coming from surround areas.

Local search is offered primarily by the major search engines, but there are numerous upstarts surfacing that are specializing in local search.  Google and Yahoo stand out at the head of the game with additional content provided in the listing responses, and Bing is gaining speed behind them.

If you are a business owner, and you feel you do not need to invest some measure of time looking into local search marketing, you are sorely mistaken.  It can benefit every business, large or small.

There is a growing trend in people parting from the traditional methods of locating business, like using the yellow pages or endlessly searching the internet.  As far back as 2007, Google stated that 73% of activity online was in one way or another “related to local content”.

How Are Your Customers Using Local Search?

• To find a unique product or service in their immediate area.  When people want a product, you can often bet that they will take immediate purchase over waiting for a delivery with shipping costs.

• Product research for something they intend to buy offline, locally i.e. in your store

• To find any available reviews and discussions relating to a local product or business before they make the choice to invest the time and money.  This is most common with hotels, caravan parks, restaurants, etc.  Who wants to go to a park if everyone complains about the dog droppings?  Google and other search engines are allowing users to post reviews to every business listing along with star ratings.  How do you rate?

• To order a service or make a booking that is geographically specific.

• Farcasting to find a service in an area they are not in, but may be in soon.  Such as a customer who is considering a vacation to Malibu, California.  They may take the time before their trip to scout food, amusements and shopping online.  They could base their entire trip and expenses on what they find before setting foot in another city.

• Evaluation of local companies, primarily in the service industry.  There’s a lot of information to be found online regarding plumbers, electricians, accountants, physicians, and salons just to name a few.

Here are a few steps to boost your Local Search presence so you don’t get buried in the muck.  It’s hard enough competing with others locally, the last thing you want is the competitor across town to beat you like a red-headed bully online as well.  Imagine the pleasure of getting the jump on your competition with this type of marketing, and the subsequent confusion on their part, when their customers start transforming into your customers.

• Location Keywords – SEO is important for general listings, but using location keywords on your site and pages will help the search engines find you for local listings.  Incorporate keywords relating to your location and products into your primary content.  It’s also a good idea to incorporate location keywords into your title and meta tags for every page.

• Local Keyword “Linkage” – We know that it’s a popularity contest, and search engines love it when other sites link to our sites.  If you can, try to get anyone linking to you to using your own primary keywords and location phrases.

• Find or Generate Local Links – Like many businesses, you may be relying heavily on local customer traffic.  If this is the case, networking is a fantastic strategy for driving traffic in and around your community.  Not only does it help your business, but customers can find relevant information within a networked community faster.  They will remember your site, and the site of other local businesses.  Try running joint promotions, sponsorship programs, and competitions.  Never pass on the opportunity to get involved with your chamber of commerce.

• Claim Your Local Search Results – Check the primary local search services through Google, Yahoo Local and Live Search.  These, as well as other search services, let you claim your business (or submit it if it isn’t listed).  What is often listed is barebones.  After you claim or submit your business, flesh it out with all the relevant content you can provide.  Note – As tempting as it is… if a local competitor is unclaimed; don’t claim their business as your own then go around changing the listed info.  That’s naughty, and it’s dirty pool.  It’s extremely difficult to get back a listing that was fraudulently claimed by someone else, that’s why it’s extremely important for you to claim your listing.

• Enhance your Listing – Provide as much relevant information as you can.  Always keep in mind that potential customers are looking because they are hungry for information.  Providing poor info is worse than providing none.  Poor info can leave a bad impression of your business, and that’s not something you want to be remembered for.  Provide business information, photos, location details, hours of operation, methods of accepted payment, coverage areas for service and anything else that you feel is necessary and relevant to get their hands to cease typing and to shake hands with you.

More important than any other aspect once you’ve taken the steps above is to manage your online reputation.  The local listings on major search providers include reviews of local businesses and the products or services they offer.

Word of mouth is and has always been a very powerful thing.  It can boost sales tremendously, and has the same power to shut down a business for good.  In the past, this was limited to each person’s circle of influence, or those people immediately around them.  Now, they can share what they have to say with anyone who is interested.

While there isn’t much you can directly do to stop poor reviews online, you can take a proactive position and work to resolve any of the problems that may have turned customers away.

Google, one of the largest search engines used around the world, also provides tracking reports for businesses in local listings.  You can view how many people saw your listing on a day-to-day basis and the search terms they used to find you.  This is incredibly useful information when optimizing the effectiveness of your local search campaign.

The internet we know from 10 years ago has transformed into a superstructure that encompasses the entire world right down to the little bakery on the corner of your small town, where they just added an internet-ready PC for customers.

People are using the internet now more than ever, and its use will only increase as people turn more towards shopping locally and supporting their own communities.  It’s vital that your business, and website, be constructed in a way that is easily found during local searches.  Otherwise, you are passively sacrificing your customers and clients to the competition.

Related posts:

1. Link-Building Strategies for Online Marketing
2. SEO for Newbies
3. SEO for Newbies (part 2)