Local Search Engine Marketing

Have you started using local search to capture leads and business yet? If not, you should give it very serious consideration. Local search engine marketing is the hottest new trend that has Google and Yahoo scrambling to capture market shares. In fact, a whole new segment of marketers have sprung up to get in on the ground floor.

Granted, this has been coming for the past few years, but it has become a serious target market of late. The big three search engines are adding features and improving their local search capabilities to accommodate this growing trend. Google seems to be leading the pack, with Yahoo close on its heels. MSN is lagging behind by all accounts.

Regardless of who you decide to start with, just start. You’ll need to be able to supply a physical address, so if you work from home you may want to give that part some thought. For optimum results, be sure to include some really good SEO friendly content in your listing and Adwords.

Now, I’ve assumed that everyone reading this is already aware of what local searches are. Just in case you’re not I’ll give you the short and sweet description. When you do an internet search, you type what you’re looking for into your browser window. Pages of results come up for websites from around the globe. Local search works the same, except when a customer uses a local search engine, they are shown listings of businesses from their area only. The information that comes up includes the contact information, reviews, hours of operation, map and directions, and any coupons the company is offering. It keeps people shopping in their communities and provides businesses with an opportunity to capture those leads and sales. Advertising revenue from Adword campaigns is an additional benefit.

Like I said before, this advertising revolution has birthed a new industry of local search engine marketers. Their role is to help businesses capture as much of their local market as humanly possible, manage your ad campaigns and track the results. If you’re adept at such things, you can do it yourself. If you want some professional help, at least in the beginning, I can vouch for Edward Haskins company, Bayview Marketing. I know for a fact that Ed is experienced in this medium and I trust him. I’m sure there are others, but I don’t know them personally, so don’t feel I can comment on their services.

Please think about adding local search engine marketing to your business’ game plan. If people don’t find you in their search results, they’ll find your competitors. Do you really want to hand over customers that way?

This contribution is courtesy of Shirley Anderson.