Slide 1: ==== ==== Use this to get Google rankings http://tinyurl.com/7b5tgjd ==== ====
Local search is the term used to describe a person typing in their location to find a local business or service provider; for example "florist in Camden." If you are a local business there is a huge increase in the number of people using the internet to find their local service provider or product and your business needs to have a presence on the web to make sure they find you. The biggest search engine in the world is Google and it has a large presence in the UK too so you want to work your way towards getting found in Google but also the other major search engines includes Yahoo and Bing (Microsoft). Whether it is van hire or finding a local campsite in a particular part of the country the internet has become one of the easiest ways for people to find the local information they want and they do not have to be at home to find you either. Mobile searches - whether done on a mobile phone or laptop on the train are also becoming popular ways for people to search for a local business. If I am on my way from London to Manchester and want to find a local cab company to take me from the station to my destination I can search while I am on the train and have the car waiting for me when I arrive. So local search is being used by an increasing number of people and local search marketing research in America has predicted it is only going to increase - in fact the search engines are taking it very seriously and are doing more to help local businesses get found online. The great news is you do not have to wait until you have a website or blog to get yourself on the front page of the search engines. The three major search engines all provide an opportunity for you to add your local business listings in their local search centre and include business details such as: Your business address A description of what your business does Your opening hours Photo and video information You want to make sure you get included on Googles local map which will appear automatically once you type in your business address, that way the search engines will bring up your business when someone types in your local area. You are also given an option to add coupons that people can download and use when they visit your business. If providing coupons is an option for your local business it can be worth including them because money off is always a great incentive. If a group of work colleagues decide to go
Slide 2: out for the evening and they search for local restaurants offering a money off coupon for a first visit could make the difference between them going to your restaurant and the one round the corner. What are the advantages of adding your local business? Right now the local results in a search are all brought up on the first page of the search engines and towards the top of that first page too - you get seen before the other organic search results as long as your business is on the map. Who knows whether that changes in the future but for now take advantage of it by ensuring your local business is included whether you have a website or not. A big advantage is the number of potential customers your business will benefit from using the internet because research has shown that when people are looking to buy something they search online for a local business within 20 miles of their location. Plus research carried out by Infoserve showed that over 60% of people who find a local service provider/product go on to buy something from the business they find. If you do have a website then it is an opportunity for you to attract more visitors to your website and once they arrive hopefully you have some great offers to ensure they stick around! Your local business has a unique opportunity to take advantage of free online advertising that will bring potential customers searching for your local business online. Take the first step and complete your profile in the three major search engines and get a clear understanding of what it takes to get found. As a local business owner you may be too busy to do this yourself and you may outsource it to a company who can. Whether you choose to do the work to get yourself found on the internet yourself or not it is essential you are clear on what is happening online and some of the simple things you can do yourself to save you being charged inflated prices by companies who want to take advantage of the fact that you do not know what to do. Getting your local business found online really takes a few simple things that your competition probably is not doing right now so take advantage of it while it is still in the growing stages of development.
Are you a local business? Do you know that right now thousands of local people are online searching for the local business they need. Will they find you? To make sure your local business is being found you need to improve your local search marketing plan - what do you mean you don't have one! Visit http://www.inspirationalguidance.co.uk for information on how to build credibility, improve online visibility and get found by local people searching on the internet for your local company. Whether you are a butcher, baker or candlestick maker people are searching for you. All you need
Slide 3: to know is how to help them find you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Corriette
==== ==== Use this to get Google rankings http://tinyurl.com/7b5tgjd ==== ====
