ComScore estimates that local search makes up for about 16% of all searches, and some sources estimate it to be as high as 25%. If you separate out mobile searches, you’d find those numbers to be even higher, as mobile users are interested in finding local businesses to fill immediate needs. So if you’re a business that is targeting local customers, you can’t ignore local search.

Local online directories include the following:

Yahoo Local

Citysearch.com

Yellowpages.com, Insiderpages.com and Superpages.com

Yelp.com

Merchantcircle.com

Local search optimization overlaps SEO (search engine optimization) and SMM (social media marketing), so you’ll find this blog post to mention suggestions for both. If you want to have a local search presence but don’t know what to do, here are a few suggestions to get started.

First step – go find out if you’re there already, and if so, what does your listing look like and what user reviews are present.  You can also go to GetListed.org and see at a glance if you have a presence in four big online directories (see the screen shot to your left). Listening and observing is always the first step when considering any social media marketing.

Next, list yourself in each directory possible, and fully complete your profile. Don’t forget to upload a photo or a logo if they allow it.

Then, consider creating pages on your web site which are optimized for very specific local search terms. For example, if you have a page optimized already for widgets, then create new content pages which are optimized for Ventura widgets, widgets in Ventura California, etc. Remember not to get over ambitious and try to optimize a page for too many key words or phrases (2-3 on a page will do it). Optimization for natural search includes creating a meta title which includes your key phrase, creating a meta description which includes your key phrase, and including your key phrases in the meta key words for the page. Also, use the same key phrase as your title on the page (typically as an H1 tag) and in the body of the page as well.  Don’t forget to use the key phrase when labeling video or putting alt tags on images as well.

A good next step is to solicit your happy customers to write reviews on local search sites about your business. Please, please, don’t write your own reviews… we all know it’s really you.

And last, but not least – track your results!!! If you use Google Analytics, for example, you can easily see where your content is coming from (referring web sites), and what pages on your site are being visited.  Another great key performance indicator is to simply Google the local key word or phrase you optimized your pages for and see where you rank. (There are lots of programs which do this for you, too.)

Please remember that Local Search is long tail marketing. That means its very niche oriented which makes it extremely important to understand who your visitor or buyer is. Don’t focus on yourself, but focus on the different personas who will be finding your site through these channels, and try to appeal to them. That means that you may want to kill the hard sell (it’s not pay-per-click!) and just try giving useful information. One very successful technique for doing well in local search is creating local blogs. If you have a motorcycle shop that is near three cities, for example, consider creating three separate blogs, one for each city. Since local search is about the user, think about how the user might search to find you. Would they look for a motorcycle shop in the next town? Or would they only look in their town?

The wave of local search, I believe, is just gaining momentum. With all the information at your users fingertips today, local search allows them to get more immediate information about your company. Don’t discount the huge number of people who favor local search, but instead, start by making the changes I recommend above, or by seeking help from a social media marketing company.

(One more tip: if you’re a local business and your SMM consultant doesn’t recommend any work in local search, you should ask them why. We find that some social media “experts” don’t fully understand that social media marketing is about a lot more than Facebook and Twitter. Don’t be afraid to make them explain to you what their tactics are, and why. It is your dime.)

http://www.yoursocialsurrogate.com/getting-noticed-in-local-search/

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