Local Search Optimisation

Did you know that even though your website is visible worldwide, most of your customers are still likely to be from your own local area?

Local search terms are being used by over 60% of online searchers looking for products and services in their local area.

Why would I want to Rank well for Local Search ?

Even if your products or services have a global scope, you find it likely that the majority of your customers tend to come from your local area, be it suburb, city, state or even country. Why is this so? Because people tend to feel more comfortable doing business with someone local.

This applies if you are selling a physical product because there is a perception that shipping will be quicker and/or cheaper, or that support or servicing for the product will be easier if they use a local supplier. For similar reasons when people are looking for a service, they tend to do online searches for local services, by including a suburb, city or town as a keyword in their search query.

Even when people are undertaking online research, or searching for information on a specific topic, they will very often include locality information in their search query, 1) because they know the information is likely to be more relevant and 2) because they want to reduce the number of search results they get, to make it easier for them to find what they are looking for.

Ranking well for Local search queries can also be an important factor for conversion too. Proximity can very often be a deciding factor when people decide to go ahead and make a purchase, whether online, or face to face.

How do I improve my Local Search Performance?

Many of the strategies you would expect to use for general Search Engine Optimisation also apply to Local Search Optimisation. However, there are some additional techniques that are particularly useful for Local Search.

• Put your Address and Telephone Number on Your Site: The best place is probably in the footer of every page. You should create a separate contact or location page. Make sure you mention your products.or services, provide directions and a map, and mention any neighborhoods you serve. Don't leave out postcodes and area codes and make sure your address is not just listed as an image or map, but is also in a text format so search engines can read it.
• Link with Relevant Local Partners: Try to find local businesses that you don't compete with that you can send online and offline referrals to. For example a limousine company could send traffic to a tuxedo rental company. If these relationships make sense offline they make sense online. Try to exchange website links with that company. If you are struggling to find suitable local link partners, Ireckon we could help you by undertaking a Competitor Analysis or as a part of an ongoing Link Building Campaign.
• Get Links from Local or Industry Groups: Are you a member of your local Chamber of Commerce, networking groups or other industry or trade organisations? Most of those places will have a website and membership entitles you to a link. Don't hesitate to ask for them.
• Get a Google Local Search Listing: Google Local Search is a relatively new service offered by Google that uses Maps to list your local business at the top of page 1 of Google for local search queries. It's a great service that lets you beat out your local competition. Ireckon Web Marketing provides a low provides a low cost Google Local Search Listing Registration Service to help you get listed. Read more about our Google Local Search Listing service here.
• Get Links from Local Business Directories: Listing in local directories and advertising on local portals can provide relatively cheap or sometimes free marketing exposure. Most towns or cities have a number of portals or local business directories which provide inexpensive, or free, local link building opportunities (e.g. www.ourbrisbane.com). It may take a bit of research to analyse the value, but if pages are ranking well in relevant search results on Google then they are great places to be listed. Ireckon Web Marketing can provide advice on relevant Local Business Directories as a part of our Link Building Services.
• Get Links from Relevant International Directories: Whilst international paid directories may not on the surface appear to offer much benefit for local search, many do have locality based categories. As well as providing you with one or more external links, they provide a great way to get search engines to find your website. While they can be pricey the cost is quite often justified. The Yahoo directory is the most expensive ($299) but almost always worth the cost. BOTW.org is another one that should be on everyone's list. They have yearly or monthly payment options. Business.com ($199) is another directory not to miss. There are many other directories available, some good, many not so good, so some care must be taking in choosing suitable paid directory partners. IWM can offer guidance as to the most appropriate paid directories for your needs as a part of our Link Building Services.

Ireckon Web Marketing can help you get found by locals. Contact us to discuss your Local Search Optimization requirements today.

You can also read more about our Google Local Search Listing service here. Ireckon you'll notice the difference.