Bing V. Google Part II: Local Search Results

Darren Franks - May 20, 2011

A common SEO question seems to be, “How do I optimize for both Bing and Google local search?” The simple answer is that by following certain “Best Practices” for search engine optimization and doing your due diligence with things like effective keyword research and applying proper link building etc, you should get the desired results from both search engines.

There are also some nifty tools out there which let you view search results “side by side”: http://www.bingle.nu. For instance, a search for “car parts” returns these results from both search engines:

Both Bing and Google return many localized results via “Google Places” for Google:

and the Bing Business Portal for Bing:

Google places (formerly Google Local Business Center) is where you can tell Google directly about your business. Bing offers the same service: http://www.bing.com/businessportal/. Of course, for both engines, it is still wise to ensure that you have included localized onsite content like your address and related keywords, included your address and keywords listed in local directories, reviews of your business and maybe localized keyword elements in the domain name.
 
For a business with multiple locations or, for instance, law firms or banks with multiple branches, create separate pages for each on the site and include the address and any pertinent contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses. Obviously, ensure that each store or branch is easily found via navigation and/or an HTML sitemap page.