Even in the internet age the vast majority of business is still local. If you own a kids' gymnastics center in Houston you are not going to cater to families in Chicago - unless the children in Chicago want to tumble in Houston, in which case they are still searching for a local gymnastics center.
On the World Wide Web it is your local presence that is most important. 97 percent of potential customers search online for local goods and services and search engines like Google often provide a short list of local businesses that are considered most relevant to the search terms being used. If you are on that short list you have a chance at getting their business; if not, you may go completely unnoticed.
So how do you get on that short list? Through local Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Local SEO encompasses all of the steps you can take to improve your local search engine ranking. It is how you literally get "on the map"--the online digital map that lists local businesses.
For beginners a local SEO plan includes:
1. Having a Local Website
Having a website might be obvious, but what is not always so obvious is how to make a website clearly local. For instance:
- Have your address and contact information clearly listed on every page of your site in a searchable text format. Besides making it easier for website visitors to visit your actual business it also makes it easier for search engines to determine where you can be found in the real world.
- If your business is a chain for more than one location, have a specific web page for each location.
- Use the words or phrases that people might use when describing your location such as the name of the neighborhood that locals would refer to.
2. Inform the Search Engines of Your Location
You don't have to wait and hope that a search engine will notice your business and where it is located. Search engines are happy to have you help them out by telling them yourself. For example, the 800-pound gorilla of local search, Google, allows you to set up your business as a "place," so that it shows up on their local maps.
3. Getting Listed in Online Directories
Even if very few people will end up looking at a particular directory, the fact that you are listed in multiple directories will help improve your local search engine ranking. Make sure that your business has the exact same name and address in each listing to leave the computers no doubt that they are all referring to the same place.
4. Encouraging Online Reviews From Customers
Reviews help establish your real-world popularity with the online search engines, moving you closer to the top of the local search results.
Of course, no local SEO efforts will be entirely successful unless you are doing the things offline to meet people's needs and create satisfied customers. By combining your great local business practices with great local SEO practices more people will hear about your company and get to experience what you have to offer.
