One of the biggest reasons search engine markets and optimizers have to promote your website’s brand is local search. Once you (or your web solutions expert) has come up with targeted keywords and key phrases, updated your page titles with these specific terms, optimized your page with unique content and everything else; it’s time to focus on building your local search ranks.
Even if your company doesn’t have a physical product it markets on a local level, most search engines have an algorithm for showing results based on previous searches. So if someone lives in Austin, TX and is looking for something your company does; you want to be the first result, right? Unless your product or business is so unique it would show up no matter where the specific key phrase is entered, your best bet is to try and tailor your website for your local audience first.
An example of a local search would be something like, “Berlin hotels” or “Houston car rentals.” One of the first things Google does is pull up local listings. In order to rank as highly as possible, make sure part of your search engine marketing strategy includes the following:
1) List your company’s full address, city, state and country.
2) Claim your Google Place Page, local listing—EVERYTHING!
3) List yourself for free on Yellow Pages (online and in print).
4) Associate pictures and local phone numbers with Google Place Page.
5) List relevant (and optimized) key phrases relating to your product and business in your Google Place Page description.
6) Put a location keyword in Google Place Page business title.
7) List your website wherever possible.
Although we haven’t gone into Yelp or Yahoo’s business listing process, at the very minimum, having your Yellow Pages listing will show results on those search engines as well.
