Did you know that local search is considered one of the least understood and most underutilized Search Engine Marketing strategies in Chicago, even though it is considered one of the most affordable options? Each month, over 16 billion search queries are conducted inside of the United States. One out of every five of these searches is considered a local search. Even more importantly is the face that the majority of consumer purchases are going to made locally and the consumers who are performing the geo-specific searches have made it to the stage where they are ready to purchase a service or product.
If you are not able to fully leverage your Local Search Marketing, then you are leaving a large amount of potential on the table. Some tips that will help you improve your local search results are highlighted here.
Claim Your Local Listings
All businesses, no matter the size, need to claim their local listing through the business centers that are found on local search engines, such as Bing, Yahoo and Google. This will allow you to ensure the information that is displayed to those who are searching for what you have to offer is compelling and accurate.
There is no question that data integrity is a huge challenge for bigger companies with a number of different locations. However, by not claiming your local listings, you are losing potential sales and potentially providing a bad customer experience.
Ensure Your Profile is Organized
There are some businesses that just check to see if the name, phone number and address are right. However, you should be sure that you fully optimize your profile, which will make a huge difference in regards to your overall search visibility. This will mean creating informative descriptions for your business and customized fields.
On Google Places you will be able to create as many as five different categories. You need to select ones that are relevant and that will provide you with maximum search volume. Be sure that your descriptions are keyword rich and that they provide details and maps of your business’s physical location.
Distribute Your Content
While the major search engines are important, you also need to have a business presence on all the other smaller online directories and search engines. This will ensure that your business is able to be found, and that correct information is displayed.
