The Key to success in Local search
Having moved to a new State recently, I have been relying on Local search to find various services. This got me thinking about the impact Local Search has on a client’s business and therefore how important it is when optimizing a site to understand how customers use Local search .
Local search comprises of what is known as Nearcasting and Farcasting. Viewers maybe looking for something nearby ( Nearcasting) e.g. a chinese take-out near their residence, or they may search with local intent but for a location that may not be local (Farcasting) e.g. A Denver, CO resident searching for a hotel in downtown, New York City.
There are an vast number of online businesses targeting viewers searching for something located in a particular area. Hotels, restaurants, legal services, health services, and more can use geo-targeted SEO tactics to out-do competitors and improve their rankings for geo-targeted terms.
Here are some the most important points to keep in mind when optimizing for local search:
-Work on keyword research, ensure that highly searched terms are targeted and
prioritize your optimization based on the relevance of the pages. Ensure that the website has content and pages that are relevant to the search terms.Use synonyms and regional colloquialisms where possible.
-Keep an eye on how competitors’ sites are faring, check on Page rank, site optimization and so on, use SEO tools to check their incoming links.
-Optimize your pages for geo-targeted search. Use targeted search terms and try and be creative while using them in metatags and within the content of the the site.
-Create listings and verify them on Google Maps, Yahoo Local and Microsoft Live Local. Submit the site to Local Directories and online Yellow Pages.
Work on getting Reviews from from users, reviews have a lot of impact in most geo-targeted and local platforms.
-Work on Link-building with other service or product partners that support the client’s business.
-Ensure that the physical address and phone number of the business is incorporated in text format on every page of the site.
In a few words, letting a Viewer know precisely what the Business is about and where to find it will get the site ranked on top for local search.