As more people head to the internet to find information on businesses in their area, local companies need to use SEO and social media to improve their local search results.

Writing the Small is Beautiful column for Search Engine Land, Hanan Lifshitz says small businesses need to do their best to make sure they are part of the first page of results when a consumer searches for a business in their area.

Lifshitz says that making sure a business pops up within the list of the top businesses in their class and area is an accomplishment small businesses should endeavor for.

“Being ‘among’ the 10-pack is often considered a great achievement, not to mention having your website or profile page appear in the first search results page (i.e. along 9 other links),” he writes. “In other words, in every category within a given market, there are usually a handful of winners who enjoy a good deal of online visibility.”

Earlier this year, changes from Google actually helped local businesses in search results without users needing to type in their location. In April, Google made local searches the default setting for results, which expert Mike Blumenthal said would likely be of particular benefit to small businesses.

According to Rich Brooks President of Flyte New Media, a company that specializes in search and social media marketing, “For small businesses looking to increase their online visibility, combining search engine optimization (SEO) with social media marketing can create a powerful mix that will help grow your business.”

Most business owners realize that SEO is a required tool for marketing a company; companies that rank well at the search engines have a competitive advantage to those that don’t. Although social media is newer, its explosive growth shows that it’s ripe with opportunity for those businesses willing to embrace its chaotic nature.

If you coordinate your search and social media campaigns you’ll get more bang for your buck out of both of them. How? Read on.

How SEO Can Improve Your Social Media Campaigns

According to Brooks, “A cornerstone of SEO is keyword analysis. Through this powerful marketing research tool, you’ll uncover what your prospects are actually searching for. Once you discover these phrases you’ll be in a better position to improve your social media campaigns.”

You can use these keywords in your LinkedIn profile, your tweets, and in the titles and descriptions of your YouTube videos and your Flickr photos, just to name a few examples.

Using tools like Google Insights you’ll be able to track trending topics, which provide great fodder for your social media activities and are great for status updates.

How Social Media Can Improve Your Search Engine Visibility

You may have noticed that videos from YouTube and other sites are appearing on the first page of Google’s search results. Those could be your videos.

“If you’ve got a company blog (and shame on you if you don’t), that’s showing up in the search results, too. Your (and your employees’) LinkedIn profiles, your company’s Facebook Fan Page, even your tweets can show up, pushing your competition off the first page in Google. You can also use social media publishing platforms like Hubpages, Squidoo or a wiki to target keyword phrases without jeopardizing your Web site’s current ranking,” says Brooks.

Also, your company blog and social publishing platforms that link to your Web site can pass it link juice, further pushing it up the search engine rankings.

Search engine visibility is quickly becoming an archaic term. “Online visibility” is what entrepreneurs should strive for to build their business on the Web. Whether your visitors come from Google or Digg, Yahoo or StumbleUpon doesn’t matter.

“Online visibility is not just about being listed in many places,” says Lifshitz.  ”What is important is how many consumers see the business when searching online, or put slightly differently, how much traffic the different sites and directories have. However, general traffic figures are not enough. For SMBs, it is important to know which sites and directories are more suited for their prospective customers.”

In Conclusion

Richard Brooks concludes: “Search and social media are essential components of a Web marketing campaign for small business; mix in email marketing, a Web site that converts visitors into customers and analytics to measure your success and you’ve got an unbeatable marketing strategy that will help your business grow and thrive.”

http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/ADMAX.MERCHANT.MEDIA.949-443-0096/2009/7/Local-Search-SEO-versus-Online-Visability-for-Small-Businesses/289288

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