Is 2012 The Year For ‘Going Local’!
Is this going to be the year you finally start creating an easier flow of customers via the internet? With 97% of consumers searching online for local businesses, can you really afford not to be where they can find you?
People tend to think of the internet as having a huge global reach, but there is now much more focus on being ‘local’. Mobile phones, and Social Media, have influenced the trend towards ‘local’ information. As a consequence, marketing campaigns are tending towards being more geo-targeted.
Google recognise that people are looking for local products and services. To help meet their needs, Google actually want to boost the profile of local businesses. So they produced Google Maps and Google Places for business – a free service that all businesses need to take advantage of.
Don’t be mistaken into thinking that this is only for high-street shops and businesses. Businesses like photographers, electricians and life coaches who have a local client base can benefit greatly from ‘local search’ marketing campaigns.
The first thing you must do, if you haven’t done so already, is to claim your free business listing in Google Places, before someone else does. You then need to complete your business details as thoroughly and accurately as you can. It helps to add photos and videos related to the business too. Think carefully about the categories and keywords relating to your business, but don’t stuff in keywords for the sake of attracting the search engines – this practice can get you banned by Google!
When Google pick up your listing, it should appear as a red dot on Google Maps. To boost your business up the rankings, tell some of your happy customers how to find you on Google Maps and ask them to add a review for your business.
If you are serious about getting ahead of your competitors and becoming a prominent business in your local area, then you will probably need a bit of help from a friendly SEO expert to help optimise your listing. ‘Local search’ can be a very cost effective way to increase your visibility in Google, so you can grow from a small red dot to a big red marker (like the one in the photo), telling your customers how and where to find you.
BIO
Sara Mallett is an SEO expert who runs a London-based company called Benefacto offering a friendly, approachable SEO service to help businesses with their online marketing using search engine optimisation and Local SEO. For further information, please go to benefacto.com.
