Taking Advantage of Local Search

Local search got a big boost this month when Google rolled out an international change: showing local results on non-local queries.  So now a search for ‘machine shops’ shows a local 10-pack for machine shops near me in Minneapolis:

Before this update, I would have had to search using “machine shops minneapolis” to get the local results.  Google has long been identifying the IPs of searchers – this was how they determined which language results and data centers to pull up.  They had also been giving mobile searchers local results without implicit local queries typed in.  But now, this feature is available to all searchers all around the world!  (Google might still be ironing out some kinks with it for queries and serving results.)

What does this mean for SMBs?  Well, it’s time to get with it on local search!  Lisa Barone at Outspoken media has also written a small business guide to SEO that includes great tips on being found locally – where your customers are.

Claim Your Listings

The major search engines all have business centers where information, pictures, links, and even photos of small businesses can be posted.  Many of these can be connected to locations on maps that are also searchable though the various map interfaces.  Your listing in a local business center is crucial to your company appearing in search results relevant to your location and industry.  You can’t appear in a local 10-pack if there’s isn’t a local listing for your business.  Also, a listing can be created by someone unaffiliated with a company.  I’ve heard stories about listings being taken that way, and it’s often a trying and time-consuming process to take your listing back.  Get yours before it’s gone!

• Google Local
• Yahoo Local
• MSN/Live Search Local

There are also other sources, paid and non-paid where you can claim or acquire a listing.  Out of these, Best of the Web (BoTW) is by far the most respected online directory.  BoTW Local listings start at $19.95 per month.  This small monthly expense may be worth it, just to have the additional coverage.  You may also consider local Yellow Pages, Local.com, CitySearch, and SuperPages.  Before listing there or in similar local directories, you’ll probably want to dig around to see if their traffic and typical users will fit your market or industry.  And yes, these types of directories are available all around the world: Kompass (Fr), Pages Jaunes (Fr), Suchen (De), Tyloon (world-wide), Aussieweb (Aus), and many, many more.  Be sure to dig up the ones that are most appropriate for your country.

Local Content

You can claim your local listings all you want, but if your website doesn’t have any information useful for your location, you probably won’t see any upticks in conversions or activity.  What should you do?

• Provide your contact information! In your footer should be your address – easily readable by both humans and spiders.  Don’t forget your phone number too!  Put that prominently in the header.  With your address and phone number in footers and headers, your contact information is on every page, and it tells spiders what locations you’re releveant to.
• Tell who you are and where you work! On relevant pages (like an About Us), you can talk more about your long-standing presence in your town or about the types of services you can bring to people in the next county over.  Telling more about you and your connections to the area help to reinforce that you really are a local shop for local people (kudos to The Leage of Gentlemen for providing such a relevant catchphrase).
• Don’t forget your Contact Us page! This page should include all your relevant information (address, phone numbers) along with additional tidbits.  You can include maps, driving directions, hours open, service areas, and more.  This is definitely a page to leverage in local search.
• Work it into your saturations! If you really want to go after the local market, consider using keywords for your site that are geared towards local search.  Do everything you can contentwise to connect your website to your location.

Reviews and User Generated Content

The rise of social media also includes the rise of review sites like Yelp.com.  At these sites, customers (satisfied and otherwise) can rate companies and their services.  Recently, Yelp opened it’s website a bit more, allowing business owners to respond to reviews.  Sites such as these are crawled by the serach engines, and frequently their pages show up in search results.  Reviews and comments left here also count towards the “citations” that search engines look for and often will append to local business listings.  Take advantage of these!  Encourage customers to leave feedback.  And if you recive criticisms or negative reviews, take then with a grain of salt and think of what you need to do to uphold your businesses standards.  Read this guide to responding to local reviews for more information.

Happy Friday.  Hopefully my spring cold of doom is over and I can now return to your regularly scheduled blogging!