The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
October 2009, Volume 8, Issue 10

Local Search: 5 Easy Steps to Drive Offline Traffic

By Kerry Spellman, Search Marketing Strategist, iProspect

Most businesses use the Internet to build awareness for their offerings. However, many miss out on the opportunity to drive traffic to their physical locations because they do not optimize their presence in local search. But today, doing so is critical. Let's take a look at why.

Local search in a nutshell

Should you not be familiar with it, local search allows you to use the search engines to find businesses in a specific area. Think of it as an online phone book. For instance, a user might tap into it to find a florist in their home town, or to find some great Mexican food on a trip half way across the country. Either way, businesses need to ensure that they can be found in these local listings when users are looking for them.

Seeing it in action

For example, recently I was looking for a good physical therapist, and wanted to find one close to my office. The results returned by the search engine included a map pinpointing the physical therapy offices in the area I specified. Directly below the map, I found local user reviews from Yelp.com and CitySearch.com. A quick cross reference of the physical therapists on the map with the user reviews allowed me to choose one that was conveniently located and had numerous positive reviews.

Making it happen

Below are a few steps to help you leverage local search so users can find your business when they're looking for it:

For each location, write a business description using the non-branded keywords that describe your offerings. Think about what someone who is not familiar with your company name might type into the search engines if they are looking for your service of product.

Submit your descriptions along with location details to the search engine local search offerings such as Google Local Business Center, and Yahoo! Local.

Submit your description and location to local directory/review websites such as Yelp.com, Citysearch.com, and Yellowpages.com. While some yellow pages websites charge for premium listings, most allow you to add your location and descriptions at no cost.

Research industry directories where you can submit your business listings. For example, health care locations can submit listings to HeathGrades.com or UCompareHealthcare.com. Conduct searches on your keywords and locations and see which directories are appearing on the first page of the search results. You can also check out where your competition is listed and ensure that you are there too. Some directories charge fees for participation, but many allow free listings.

Encourage your customers and clients to post reviews and ratings of your services. Reviews are often pulled into the local search results within Google Maps and Yahoo Local. When customers are shopping around, they may choose the location that has the most positive reviews.

Whether your business is a retail store, doctor's office, health club, repair shop, or restaurant, participating in local search will help your customers find you when they are looking for you. And if you're not there, you can bet that they'll surely find your competitors.

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The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article: October 2009, Volume 8, Issue 10

Local Search: 5 Easy Steps to Drive Offline Traffic

The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
October 2009, Volume 8, Issue 10