Local Search

Many local businesses today are overwhelmed by the variety of local marketing choices available. Unlike the old days when a small handful of advertising outlets would cover the majority of your audience, the sheer volume of marketing options has seemingly flattened the reach of each advertising channel.

Business owners see all the different ways that consumers are seeking out, discovering and considering local businesses, and they don’t know where to start.

The job of any local search marketing campaign is the creation of local business listings. A local business listing is an online profile that contains your business name, address, phone number, and other details. There are thousands of websites and directories on which local business owners are allowed to create free business listings. Some you may already have heard about include Google+ Local, Yelp, Bing Places, Internet Yellow Pages, and Yahoo! Local.

The purpose of creating local listings is to make your business visible on the Internet. Each new listing you create increases your chances of being found by customers. At the same time, many of the local business indexes share data with each other. Thus, the more places you are listed and the more visible you are, the more these indexes trust the accuracy of your business data—increasing your chances of ranking well in local searches.

Show up on the web

Your next customer could be a click away. When you get on Google, you make it easier for customers to find information about your business online, including hours, contact information and directions.

Get on the map

Your verified business information can appear in Maps, helping customers find directions to your business. They can also find contact info as well as ratings and reviews of your business.

Stand out

Strong reviews and pictures of your business and products help your business stand out to customers online.

Be found

Customers can find your business on computers, mobile phones and tablets. Whether they’re searching at home, on the go, or switching between devices, your customers will find the same reliable information about your business.

Hopefully this gives you an understanding of the importance of Local Search.