Local SEO
As you may have noticed by now, your search engine looks different from how it looked last year. There’s a new section that appears above the usual search results. Have you ever wondered what that is? Let us tell you; it goes by the name of local search marketing.
What is Local Search Marketing
It is a variant of search engine optimization, which is devised to develop and sustain your company’s ubiquity and local online presence. Local keywords make up 20% of online search. An even higher number of searches have a local intention. It implies that 3 billion Google searches contain local keywords each month. After the updated settings by Google, local search results precede the organic website listings in the search result page. This can take a lot of click traffic away from the organic search results. That’s why it’s crucial to adapt your business to implement the Local SM settings. A local SM engagement consists of the following activities:- Claiming, and confirming local listings.
- Handling listings for various locations.
- Optimizing local rankings for raised local traffic.
- Discarding duplicate listings.
- Increasing and managing reviews.
- Submitting the company to further local directories.
- Setting up analytics tracking to correctly trace local activity.
- Improving your local listings.
more from Google Guide
Why is Local SM Important?
Seventy percent of people who are online are browsing for local services and products. With smartphone usage swelling daily, further reinforce the importance of local search is further bolstered. It is a critical phase of SEO services for all local businesses. It works for big B2B companies who might not be too focused on the local scene too. It acts as a crucial customer contact point. The reason is, customers, potential employees, vendors and partners might want to know how to reach their office. An unpleasant experience can leave a bad impression and quickly corrode brand affection. Additionally, defective data is widespread in online directories and local search engines and online directories. This can infuriate the customers, and your business might end up losing valuable potential customers to your rivals. Here is a list of the diverse sorts of local search and the top local search sites you need to submit your listings to.- Search Engines: Google, Yahoo and Bing.
- Audit Sites: UrbanSpoon, Yelp, and Zagat.
- Yellow Page Directories: Superpages, Insider Pages.
- Community Directories: Localeze, CitySearch.
- Professional listings: Acxiom, InfoGroup/InfoUSA.