Get Found: Local SEO Marketing

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2 Get Found: Local SEO Marketing Table of Contents Introduction... 4 Chapter 1: Searching Online-Buying Locally... 5 Reasons Why People Search Locally... 5 Chapter 2: How Does Local Search Work?... 6 Practical Tips to Have the Most Effective Strategies in Local Search Marketing... 6 How to Use the Local Search... 7 Chapter 3: Getting Listed in Local Search... 8 The Use of Google Plus Local... 8 Utilizing Yahoo Search Engine... 8 Using Bing... 8 Maximizing Other Second-Level Directories... 9 Chapter 4: How to Optimize Your Listings Practical Tips to Maximize and Make the Most Out of Your Local Search Listing Citation Consistency: The Key to Local Search Ranking How Consistent Citations Help Ensuring Correct Business Details Among Citations Steps on How to Perform Local Search Clean-Up The Use of NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number) in Local Listings How the Company Name Helps The Use of Address in Local Listings The Use of the Phone Number Targeting the Right Keywords How Excessive Keyword Density Can Ruin Your Ranking The Use of Right Keywords - A Secret in SEO Conclusion Get Found: Local SEO Marketing 2

3 Disclaimer Although the authors and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this guide, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here. You should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Nothing in this guide is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to inform and entertain the reader. Copyright ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY OPTIN SMART. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Disclaimer 3

4 Introduction In order to have an easier and quicker way of searching, people usually start with local search. This is like finding a restaurant, real estate companies, hospitals, schools, establishments and other landmarks that are based in a particular area. This is widely used because it gives relevant or specific results, and cuts down the time that you will have to spend in browsing the Internet and yellow pages. If you visit any major search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing, all you need to do is to type a particular establishment followed by the street or city that you have in mind. If you are looking for a seafood restaurant in New York, all you need to type is sea food restaurant, NY. By doing this, you will surely get all the relevant searches, instead of the vague and general results that still need to be sorted carefully. On the part of business owners, local search marketing is indeed a great help due to the following reasons: 1. This helps entrepreneurs and company owners introduce their business in the public. When a consumer searches using the relevant keywords, the business details will show on the local directory or listing. 2. Businesses, which follow local search marketing strategies, will definitely appear on the local listings. Moreover, their business details will show on the top or along the first page of search engines. 3. For companies without websites, this is a great way to let your business be known. Any business can still be listed in local search despite having no website, or while the website is in a work-in-progress status. What matters most is the contact details and complete address. 4. A business found in any local search can generate new customers, as well are returning clients. Most people try to search on the Internet first before visiting any business establishments. If you are using a marketing strategy for local search, you will definitely get new leads, increase traffic and generate revenue. If you are serious in doing advertising and marketing campaigns for your business, don t hesitate to try local search marketing. Just like having a website, this is a great way to let your business be known. Introduction 4

5 Chapter 1: Searching Online-Buying Locally Anything that we need can be found online. Food, clothing, personal wellness and even home services are all available on the Internet. Business owners invest much in creating a website because it is a good way to attract new customers, and to encourage returning clients. The online world is vast, and most people know how to make online searches and to use social networking sites. In fact, these behaviors help business owners in such a way that they can be found online using search engines. A person, who is looking for any product or service, will definitely browse online since everything is already found there. When a person wants to buy products online, the first step is to find an appropriate seller. This can be done using the yellow pages or the Internet. However, the Internet is most commonly used since it is easy and convenient to navigate. By typing a few related keywords, you will surely get relevant results with helpful information. Reasons Why People Search Locally 1. When using a local search, the results are more relevant and streamlined. This means that if you type the words sea food restaurant, NY, you will only get all the sea food restaurants found in New York. Unlike with a general search, you may find a lot of restaurants located in other states. In this way, you are required to sort them out, which is an additional task. 2. For products and services, it is practical to find them locally since they are proven to be cheaper. It is cheaper in a way that it doesn t have shipping and handling costs. Normally, local items are for pick up, which can save a lot of money, effort and other resources. 3. If you are buying locally, you have the option to meet the seller personally. If the business establishment is located near your area, it would be best to pay a personal visit. In this way, the seller and the buyer will get to know each other better to create a harmonious working relationship. 4. Locally listed establishments are easier to reach than those located in other states. If you prefer to drop off for a visit, it will only take you a few minutes or hours to get to them. It is also easier to reach their business lines if you are calling from a nearby area. Chapter 1: Searching Online-Buying Locally 5

6 When searching for any product or service that you need, start with a local search. This is a great way to find anything that will definitely help you save time, money, effort and other resources. Chapter 2: How Does Local Search Work? Local search is designed to provide specific and relevant results for any establishment that you want to find. If you want to get results in a quick and easy way, make use of the local search strategy. Aside from getting quick results, you can also minimize the task of sorting out results according to your preferences. Practical Tips to Have the Most Effective Strategies in Local Search Marketing If you are a business owner, you will definitely aim to appear on top of major search engines. Being visible online is a big help to any business or company since online users can see them right away. Even if you are listed locally, you can still become the most popular in the business category you are in. 1. Make sure you use Google maps. Though there are other search engines available, Google is known to have an effective search technology. 2. If your business is located near the center of a city or state, you have higher chances of being displayed in search engines. Location is a very important factor in order to have good search results. Chapter 2: How Does Local Search Work? 6

7 3. Make sure that your business details are all correct. If you have supplied a telephone number, it should always be working, or updated if necessary. This rule also applies to the business location or address. How to Use the Local Search Local search allows users to use geographically restricted searches, through major search engines, for the purpose of finding local business listings. In simple terms, this is a great way of finding business establishments that can be found within a specific city, state or area. When using a local search, you can expect to receive relevant and specific searches. This is made possible due to the following: 1. If you are looking for a business establishment, you should know the right category. If you don t know the exact business name, you should at least know what kind of business it is. Determine if it s a restaurant, mall, a school and others. 2. If you know the exact business name, include the location on the search. This will make your search more specific and only relevant results will appear. 3. If you are a business owner, you should have your business details listed locally. In this way, it will appear every time the business name and related keywords are used. For a business to become successful, it should be advertised and known by the public. So, how is it done? This can be accomplished by appearing in local business listings. Chapter 2: How Does Local Search Work? 7

8 Chapter 3: Getting Listed in Local Search One way of increasing the popularity of a business and widening the target market, is by getting it listed in local search listings. In fact, this is just one of the many ways of making a business known by the public. When a business is listed locally, it will appear in major search engines provided that proper keywords and location are used for searching. A company that is listed locally includes the company name, address, phone and fax number, website, hours of operation, address, services offered, products and services, whichever is applicable. By making your business appear in local search listings, business owners are guaranteed to get more site traffic and additional customers. In order to have an effective local search listing, it is advised to find a search engine that can give all the services needed by business owners. This is done by finding another company that can do the job, and this is commonly called as outsourcing. In this case, businesses can hire a listing service provider instead of doing the job in-house. In fact, outsourcing is already used by most businesses, and proven to be effective. The Use of Google Plus Local Google is probably the most popular search engine. If you have a Google account, you can easily register with Google Places in order to create a local search listing. Just type in Google + Local and it will direct you to Google Places. To create a local listing, you just need to provide the company details, and other required information. Once you have supplied them all, you can already see your business listed in Google Places. Utilizing Yahoo Search Engine If you want to use Yahoo, you can just type Yahoo! Local. On its web page, you will have the option to choose between Basic Listing and Enhanced Listing. The Basic listing is for free, but only includes the name of the business, address, website, phone number, store hours and the products and services. On the other hand, Enhanced listing is for $9.95/month, but will display more information about the business. Using Bing If you want to use Bing, look for Bing Local service. All you need to do is to register without paying anything. To create a local listing, just click on Add new listing, and you Chapter 3: Getting Listed in Local Search 8

9 will be asked to supply the needed information. From there, you can already get a local listing. Maximizing Other Second-Level Directories Aside from those major search engines, there are also second level directories that you can use. This may include additional directories that are not mentioned above. Some of them are Microsoft Live Local, Local.com, AOL Local Search, AskCity and others. Normally, these directories are for free, but there are still a few that may require payment. There are countless ways on how to have your business listed locally. In fact, you can use all of the available search engines just to get the popularity that you need for the business. Chapter 3: Getting Listed in Local Search 9

10 Chapter 4: How to Optimize Your Listings When looking for business establishments listed locally, the idea of browsing the Internet comes first than using the yellow pages. This is considered a more effective way because most business owners have their company listed online, and appear on major search engines for easy search. Aside from having the business listed locally, another goal is to have the highest ranking among search engines such as Bing, Google, and Yahoo since they are the ones being checked more often. Practical Tips to Maximize and Make the Most Out of Your Local Search Listing 1. Make sure that the business is included in primary listing services whether with a fee or for free. One of the major listing service providers is Google Places. By going to Google Places, you can create a free listing by providing some information about the business. Another listing service provider is Yahoo. In this search engine, you will be able to display the details of the business such as address, phone number and website up to five categories. Moreover, free listings are also available at the Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce. 2. It also helps to add keywords, title tag or meta tag to your website. These works by adding a description of your business website on the top of the web browser. In this way, the business will be found easily once the chosen tags are used. 3. Having outdated information is not helpful at all. If any of your business details have changed, exert some efforts in updating it. Keeping everything current is a good way of maximizing your business listing. 4. Collect online reviews. Think of a strategy that will encourage customers to leave any comment regarding the business. In this way, the business can be mentioned as often as possible. That helps a lot in gaining the needed popularity and access to the local listing. 5. If your website is found in the local listing, request online users to mention it, or provide the link to the target market. Through this, you can get more traffic and potential clients will come in. Chapter 4: How to Optimize Your Listings 10

11 Whether you are paying for a local listing, or getting it for free, it is very important to optimize its use. By doing this, you can increase the traffic on your website, get more calls from potential customers, and increase the revenue. Citation Consistency: The Key to Local Search Ranking When a citation is made, the business name together with other details is being mentioned. This is very important since it has a big impact in search engine rankings. If the business can get many citations from reliable sources, there is a bigger chance of getting high rankings in search engines. Some of the good citation sources are Yelp, Yellow Pages, Yahoo! Local, Facebook, CitySearch, Manta and many more. How Consistent Citations Help Just like what Mike Ramsey, a local search expert of Nifty Marketing, mentioned, Citations will always be a major factor and can help or hurt a listing if the data is incorrect across the ecosystem. If your citations have bad information, you have set yourself up for duplicate listings and will ultimately divide your ranking power substantially. Local citations continue to play an important role in any business. With correct company information, it will surely benefit the whole business. In case of wrong information, it should be corrected or updated right away. NAP, or commonly known as Name, Address, and Phone numbers are three important details that should be updated all the time. This can be done by performing regular local maintenance called local search clean up. As a result, it improves the total online visibility of the business. Ensuring Correct Business Details Among Citations There are some ways on how to ensure that your business details are correct and updated. As mentioned earlier, incorrect details can ruin search engine ranking, so you can perform a local search clean up. Steps on How to Perform Local Search Clean-Up 1. Start with Google advanced search operators. In entering a query, you need to enter the important details such as business name, phone number and address. It is also advised to try different combinations on the information to find different Chapter 4: How to Optimize Your Listings 11

12 degrees of inconsistencies. If there is any inconsistency, apply corrections immediately. 2. Another way to do the clean-up is through the specific directories found in Google s search operator. To do this, just type the search engine together with the business name. 3. Getlisted.org is one of the online tools that list down all the citations for a particular business across major search engines. Moreover, this is a free service. 4. Aside from free services, you can also find paid services like WhiteSpark local citation. To find any citation, you can search using a key phrase, business name, location, or phone number. Having consistent citations is considered as a key to local search ranking because it can either help or ruin search engine rankings. If the local listing is always updated and contains accurate information, it can work its way to the top page of major search engines. On the other hand, outdated listings, or those with incorrect business details, can easily pull down the rankings. The Use of NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number) in Local Listings One of the many ways of optimizing a listing is by ensuring that the business details are always updated and correct. Some of the important details that clients look for include the business name, address, and phone number. Even if the business is listed locally, it becomes totally useless if information is not maintained. How the Company Name Helps As compared to other details, most online users recognize the name of the company or business that they are looking for. In case they can t remember the exact business name, the business category is used instead. If you are looking for Yellow Cab and suddenly forgot the name, you can type in taxi service instead. Moreover, to maximize the use of local listings, the exact business name should be listed, together with other details. The Use of Address in Local Listings Normally, when the business name is being searched, the location comes next to it. It is important to know where the business is situated in order to have an accurate and relevant local search. One concrete example is by typing KFC in California. By putting the state or city next to the food establishment, the search results become more Chapter 4: How to Optimize Your Listings 12

13 specific. Local listings give search results that are specific to the place. In this case, it will list all the KFC stores all over the state of California. The Use of the Phone Number The phone number is seldom used to search; however, it is one of the important details for online users. When finding a certain establishment, the phone number is the first thing that customers look for. Even if there s no website or address listed, the phone number can be used to get such details. Moreover, most customers regard this as the most important contact information. The three types of information are all important components of a local listing. If it s not possible to have all three listed for local search, at least one should be included. Aside from having the complete business details, it is also the responsibility of the business owner to keep them updated all the time. Targeting the Right Keywords Using the right words is one of the secrets of effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Though there are instances that keywords can manipulate search engines, advertisers and business owners still can t go away with them. If only keywords are used the proper way, they can give you amazing results. How Excessive Keyword Density Can Ruin Your Ranking In the past, SEO is all about the use of general keywords, keyword density, and phrases. This has been changed over the years, not to mention the consistent updates on the algorithms of Google Penguin. Currently, keywords still play an important role in SEO, so they are still being used. Due to the personal interests of most business owners, search engines have been manipulated by using keywords. Instead of providing quality content for online users, articles and web contents are being stuffed with keywords that only benefit business owners. In this way, the use of keywords has gained an unfavorable meaning. Chapter 4: How to Optimize Your Listings 13

14 The Use of Right Keywords - A Secret in SEO Despite the fact that the use of keywords has gained negative popularity, advertisers and business owners still find it as an effective way of doing SEO. More than anything, the widely used language in the web is still keywords and phrases. Now, imagine the web not using any words and phrases. Will the search be as easy and convenient as it is today? When online users use the right keywords or phrases, the search becomes easy, quick, convenient, and accurate. If your website is matched with keywords and tags, you will definitely reap the benefits whenever someone types in the right words associated with your business site. Moreover, the use of keywords is still a big advantage since it aids in organizing the contents available on the web. When an online user types in a keyword or phrase, only the related contents appear on the result page. Because of this, the search results become accurate and relevant. Whether you are a business owner, who wants to gain online visibility or an online user, who just wants to find business establishments, the use of proper keywords will definitely help you. Seek an SEO expert who can do the keyword research for you. Long-tail keywords are highly-recommended. Don t over-optimize your content with keywords. It would be better to think of different ways on how to make it more useful and effective. Conclusion Local search marketing entails several duties and responsibilities. If you are business owner, you may only be aware of the regular advertising, but not with local search listings. This is an acceptable thing, and this is where outsourcing comes into the scene. A person, who owns and manages a business, may not know everything about the marketing aspects of the business. If you notice, many businessmen still hire marketing executives or advertisers just to ensure that the business can reach its target market. Since this task should be done only by marketing professionals, hiring another company to do the job is a practical choice. Conclusion 14

15 A company that provides services related to local search listing will definitely provide useful strategies. The reason for this is to make the business appear on top of major search engines. When hiring a local search listing provider, you will get the following benefits: 1. A guarantee to be listed on the first page of different search engines. Whether it is Google, Yahoo or Bing, you will see your business name on top as long as the right keywords are used. 2. Aside from being on top of search engines, outsourcing companies will also help the business sustain the position as long as it is needed. 3. You can take advantage of the proven techniques related to local search listing. After examining all the pros and cons, it is suggested that every business should hire outsourcing companies that can provide related services for local search listing. Business owners can also choose either the free or paid services Get Your Free Business Visibility Report HERE Conclusion 15