Local Search Rules for Local Business

If you have a local business, whether it be a brick and mortar or a local service you provide, there is still no better way to get found on the internet than with the local search engines.  Local search has been around for a while now, starting in 2005 when google launched their google maps product.  This turned out to be a free listing for your business that did not compete with similar businesses all of the internet, but rather only those in your local area.  It was easy to get a first page listing when folks did a google search, but even today, with increased competition, local search still remains one of the most effective ways to market your business.

Today there are tons of local search directories and search engines.  As a start, I like to focus on these five:  Google Places, Yahoo Local, Bing Local, Yelp and Yellow Pages.  These are the five big ones, although I am starting to have my doubts about Yellow Pages lately.  In order to take advantage of these listings you must claim your business and then complete some sort of verification method to prove you are the business owner.  Once this is complete, you can populate your listing with all of the essential details from address, phone number and website address to a list of services and pictures.  There is a place to give a general description of your business and you want to make sure you have your main keywords show up here and throughout your listing.  The more complete your listing, and more it is keyword optimized, the more effective it will be.

If you have a website this can help get customers to your site where they can get even more information.  But, if you do not have a website do not despair…  You can get a local listing without one!

One thing to be aware of: Once you get listed on Yellow Pages and Yelp, be prepared for a sales call from a Company Representative wanting to sell you an upgrade package with advertising etc.  This will not be cheap and if you do want to increase your exposure with paid marketing, contact me so I can show you ways to spread your exposure around and get more bang for your buck.

If you want more information on how to get listed on these local search engines contact me at info@openarms.co

If you would like us to take care of getting your business keyword optimized and listed, I a running a special through August where we will list your business on all five of these search engines for $79.99 (normally $99.99), or if we have built a website for you, get listed for $50!