There are many companies and organizations today who offer their services and products globally but there are also many who are not active worldwide and who simply want to increase their visibility for local clients. This is where local search engine optimization (SEO) or local search steps into the limelight.
What is Local Search?
If you are searching for something in a specific area, local search results will provide you with the relevant information. For example, if you are looking for an SEO company in Austin, it’s helpful to see the location of these available companies in Google maps or if you are looking for a hairdresser nearby, Google will provide you with a list of local hairdressers.
It’s important to note, that this local information from Google is triggered either explicitly or implicitly. That is, search results that are location-specific can be triggered intentionally when one adds a location to their search query.
In response, Google will provide you with specific location based results which can be accessed globally. Once you add a location to your search query, Google’s location-based search algorithm is triggered.
On the other hand though, if you are searching for a doctor for example, Google understands that some search queries are location sensitive and even if you do not specify the city, Google will provide you with a list of local doctors in your area. That is, this implicit location search will still give you the information you require without specifying a location in your search terms since Google can automatically detect your location based on your IP address.
The bottom line is no matter what type of business you have, if you rely on local clients for your success, local SEO is a must.
How to Groom Your Site for Local Search
The great thing is that there are a wide variety of local search marketing strategies which can boost local search results such as using Google Plus, Places and Business, Maps, citation building, keyword placement, webpage formatting, use of specific Google software, geographic signals and much more. So let’s explore this a little further.
Relevant Domain Extension
In order for search engines to associate your website with a specific geographic location, you can use a country-specific domain extension. For example, a website with the domain extension .co.za is probably directed at South African traffic and has content specifically for South African visitors.
Don’t worry if you already have a neutral domain extension such as .org or .com because by using Google Webmaster Tools, you can link your website to a specific geographic location. Simply log in to your account and from the Configuration tab, you can select Settings and then choose your preferred geographic target.
Content Is King
Quality content is vital for successful SEO and this means that you need to provide content that offers traffic the most authoritative source of information. Google is determined to provide searchers with the most relevant results and in order to make sure that your site is the answer to Google’s quest, you need to ensure your content enhances domain and brand authority.
Also, don’t forget to add your business address on your website. You can either do this on every page within the text, the page title or in the URL or you can add it to the footer of the website. By optimizing your pages, you can also help search engines to list your site to local users. A PR firm will often mention the location of a company in their online PR in order to optimize the content for local search.
Google+ Local
There are many benefits to using Google Places which is the local listing result of Google and now with the introduction of Google+, this service has been embedded into the company’s identity and social networking service. This authorship tool also associates the content on the web directly with the its original author. Google will display your Google+ listing in their search results and it will provide the business name, phone number, address, images as well as the location on a map. Google+ Local and Maps also features detailed ratings and reviews from Zagat.
Mobile Is A Must
Let’s look at the facts. In 2011, the Google+ iPhone app was the most popular free app in the Apple App store and a survey done in 2013 showed that 30% of smartphone users who were surveyed, use the Google+ app at least once a month whereas over ninety-two percent of US smartphone users had visited a Google app or web site in August 2013. What does this mean? Your website has to be responsive and mobile-friendly and it has to cater for the growing mobile market. Matt Cutts, Google’s Webspam Team Leader, made this quite clear during his address at Pubcon Las Vegas in 2013.
Conclusion
It is clearly evident that there are a wide variety of techniques that you can use to boost the visibility of your website for location-specific search queries. So whether you are a restaurant in Sydney or an internet marketing company in New York, connecting yourself effectively to the locals is vital for your online marketing success.
What is Local Search?
If you are searching for something in a specific area, local search results will provide you with the relevant information. For example, if you are looking for an SEO company in Austin, it’s helpful to see the location of these available companies in Google maps or if you are looking for a hairdresser nearby, Google will provide you with a list of local hairdressers.
It’s important to note, that this local information from Google is triggered either explicitly or implicitly. That is, search results that are location-specific can be triggered intentionally when one adds a location to their search query.
In response, Google will provide you with specific location based results which can be accessed globally. Once you add a location to your search query, Google’s location-based search algorithm is triggered.
On the other hand though, if you are searching for a doctor for example, Google understands that some search queries are location sensitive and even if you do not specify the city, Google will provide you with a list of local doctors in your area. That is, this implicit location search will still give you the information you require without specifying a location in your search terms since Google can automatically detect your location based on your IP address.
The bottom line is no matter what type of business you have, if you rely on local clients for your success, local SEO is a must.
How to Groom Your Site for Local Search
The great thing is that there are a wide variety of local search marketing strategies which can boost local search results such as using Google Plus, Places and Business, Maps, citation building, keyword placement, webpage formatting, use of specific Google software, geographic signals and much more. So let’s explore this a little further.
Relevant Domain Extension
In order for search engines to associate your website with a specific geographic location, you can use a country-specific domain extension. For example, a website with the domain extension .co.za is probably directed at South African traffic and has content specifically for South African visitors.
Don’t worry if you already have a neutral domain extension such as .org or .com because by using Google Webmaster Tools, you can link your website to a specific geographic location. Simply log in to your account and from the Configuration tab, you can select Settings and then choose your preferred geographic target.
Content Is King
Quality content is vital for successful SEO and this means that you need to provide content that offers traffic the most authoritative source of information. Google is determined to provide searchers with the most relevant results and in order to make sure that your site is the answer to Google’s quest, you need to ensure your content enhances domain and brand authority.
Also, don’t forget to add your business address on your website. You can either do this on every page within the text, the page title or in the URL or you can add it to the footer of the website. By optimizing your pages, you can also help search engines to list your site to local users. A PR firm will often mention the location of a company in their online PR in order to optimize the content for local search.
Google+ Local
There are many benefits to using Google Places which is the local listing result of Google and now with the introduction of Google+, this service has been embedded into the company’s identity and social networking service. This authorship tool also associates the content on the web directly with the its original author. Google will display your Google+ listing in their search results and it will provide the business name, phone number, address, images as well as the location on a map. Google+ Local and Maps also features detailed ratings and reviews from Zagat.
Mobile Is A Must
Let’s look at the facts. In 2011, the Google+ iPhone app was the most popular free app in the Apple App store and a survey done in 2013 showed that 30% of smartphone users who were surveyed, use the Google+ app at least once a month whereas over ninety-two percent of US smartphone users had visited a Google app or web site in August 2013. What does this mean? Your website has to be responsive and mobile-friendly and it has to cater for the growing mobile market. Matt Cutts, Google’s Webspam Team Leader, made this quite clear during his address at Pubcon Las Vegas in 2013.
Conclusion
It is clearly evident that there are a wide variety of techniques that you can use to boost the visibility of your website for location-specific search queries. So whether you are a restaurant in Sydney or an internet marketing company in New York, connecting yourself effectively to the locals is vital for your online marketing success.
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