Connect with Searchers in Your Area
Local search is the fastest-growing segment in online advertising.
Local search is exploding in popularity and growing in sophistication. The "Big 3" search engines - Google, Yahoo!, and Bing - have enhanced their local capabilities to the point where local listings are now regularly found in organic search results, sometimes even without querying a location-specific keyword phrase. For example, you may enter a search for "gourmet pizza restaurant" without any reference to city, state, or zip code, but Google still serves you results based the location of your search (because it can read your device's IP address).
Most purchases happen within 20 miles of an individual's home, making it critical to be present on local search results pages. Are you doing all you could be doing for local searches?
Some strategies for success
1. Complete and claim major and minor local profiles (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, et al.)
- Ensure correct data
- Optimize with keywords, links and citations
2. Examine onsite pages for a local keyword strategy.
- Include a KML sitemap as an extra set of validation at the domain level for locations
- Implement micro-formats on local pages where applicable
3. Utilize check-ins and local promotions
- Align local promotions with branding themes and loyalty programs
- Increase visibility of local promotions with decals, site badges, QR codes
4. Encourage additional customer reviews to foster awareness
- Wrap existing onsite testimonials in correct "Rich Snippets" programming language
- Optimize profiles on third-party review site
- Build awareness through offline collateral and onsite placements
5. Track key performance indicators against your goals to determine the extent of your local successes.
Read more about local search on our blog.
