Local search is one of the most promising areas when it comes to search engine marketing. Particularly if you have a locally based business, the prospect of optimizing for local search may just be the difference between the success and failure of our business altogether.
Consider the following facts. Local search has grown manifold over the last few years and it is expected that more than 30 per cent for all searches, by 2015, will be regarding locally-based businesses. Moreover, more than 80 per cent of all searches conducted via an internet-enabled device like a smartphone or a tablet PC is for a local business. Worldwide, the number of smartphone users is increasing day by day and this increase is largely facilitated by the fact that access to internet (, and thereby search) is relatively hassle-free with a mobile communication device like a smartphone. These trends, if anything, are an indication of the fact that people are taking to local search more enthusiastically than ever before. Leading internet marketing firm Webmarketing123 reviews this trend as one which will stick around and possibly revolutionize search activity all together.
So what is it about Local search that should appeal to locally-based businesses and persuade them to proactively work towards establishing and maintaining a favourable search presence for local/geo location based queries. It is that local search presence makes a business look ‘pursuable’. Explaining this better, consider you are a florist located in the city of Denver, looking to improve footfalls and sales of your business. Now, if your business comes up on the top spots for a local query ‘florists in Denver’, your business automatically becomes the one to opt for or ‘pursue’. This sentiment goes a long way in encouraging a person to opt for and try your business over others.
To build a strong local search portfolio all you need is a little bit of SEO and consolidation of your business’s web information. SEO calls on incorporating relevant keywords in your website’s content, including long-tail, geo-specific and even language-specific ones, so that a website ranks favourably for such queries. Also, include and promote videos and images about your business so that people can perceive it better. Next step is to make sure all the information about a business across various web-based platforms (local directories, forums and review sites) are consistent with one another. This is so that you do not end up confusing a searcher when he looks a business up. Lastly, be proactive in your efforts. If you stumble upon any negative information about your business take the initiative to correct it. People trust opinions and experiences of others and so it is important that every review about your business (on Yelp or any other similar site) is taken into account and worked upon.
