Catching the Local Search Wave

Marjory Meechan - July 14, 2008

As Mike Buczek pointed out in a recent post, the need for websites to be mobile ready is increasingly important. The advent of new mobile phone technology making the mobile web more accessible has big implications for how websites are targeted to position in natural search results. Users of the mobile web are increasing daily and besides using different technology, they are also likely to have different search behavior than those on the regular web. Someone surfing the web from their phone is likely looking not just for a website but a location and this means that the rise of number of users on the mobile web makes good rankings in local search results even more important. Having a local search marketing strategy now could make sure that your site is not left behind. So, what can you do? Well, start by making sure your site is listed in local search listings. Here are four top ways to help boost your local search rankings:

1. Make sure you are listed.

• Look for your listing in the local search sections of Google, Yahoo, MSN and any other top search engines. If it’s not there, submit it.
• Make sure the address and phone number on your site is complete and matches what the local directories like superpages.com and any other sites like www.alexa.com or www.aboutus.org are listing.

2. Match your listing to your site.

• Make sure there is a link to your website in your listings. You don’t need a website to appear in local search but internet visitors will be more likely to visit your site and then visit you if they have easy access to your link.
• Put your full address and phone number on your website in a prominent position — either on the homepage or at the very least, on your contact us page.

3. List your site on local search engines like:

• www.superpages.com, www.yellowpages.com, www.citysearch.com
• MSN Local & Maps
• Yahoo Local & Maps
• Google Local & Maps
• And any other regional or industry-specific directories that your customers might use to find you.

4. Encourage your happy customers to give you a good review. This may or may not get you a better ranking but visitors who see a good review are more likely to click on the link and visit your business.