Local Search Marketing Definition

Whether you are lawyer, doctor, small business owner, or a large corporation, in a mobile world, local search marketing has become an essential force for connecting with consumers. The power to present a tap-to-call phone number, display GPS route guidance to your place of business, and highlight a healthy list of customer reviews provides the consumer with actionable items that encourage further engagement with your business. However, in most cases, sole practitioners and small business owners do not have the understanding, time, or expertise to create and execute a local search marketing campaign. As is the case with any concept, gaining insight into a local search marketing definition is a reasonable place to initiate the learning process.

“Local search marketing is the optimization process of web pages for geo-specific organic and paid keywords as well as the optimization of profiles on local review sites, search feeds, maps, and geo targeted directories with the intent being to gain top positions on SERP’s for relevant geographic terms.” – Andrew Bart, Founder & EVP of Digital Strategy at Pop Results

Local Search Marketing Means Letting People Know Where You Are

The majority of businesses in the world cater to a specific geographic audience. Restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, accountants, and more primarily serve those within the confines of their immediate community. Local search marketing means creating awareness in the search engines for relevant product and service related searches that are also stipulated for fulfillment within your specific geo-specific service region. Mobile devices allow for user location identification that will subsequently present them with an entirely separate set of search engine results that automatically factor the user’s location.

In other words, a mobile user who opts in to allow the device to use their current location as a search parameter might show a result for the local Italian restaurant around the corner from their current location. On the other hand, the same user on a laptop without the location parameter set may receive a set of results highlighted by global or regional search results that display all the Italian national chain restaurants that are optimized for that search. Step one in any local search marketing campaign is to let the search engines know where you are located by listing your address and the neighborhoods you serve.

Local Search Marketing Profiles Mean Business

Step two in local search marketing strategy is equally as easy to perform and it plays a tremendous role in being found in your local service areas. Sites like Yelp and MerchantCircle allow for the creation of profiles for your business. These profiles often have maps and address features, they offer a link back to your business website, and they use a directory format to create pages that are defined by their geographic area and product or service. For example, if you create a MerchantCircle listing for your local French Restaurant located in Carefree, Arizona, at the very least, you are going to provide:

Business Name
Business Address
Business Telephone Number
Business Website

Then, they might ask you to select several product or service categories including but not limited to:

Business Type: Restaurant
Cuisine Type: French

At this point, you have created a profile that has the opportunity to display not only within the MerchantCircle network listings but also on search engines that spider MerchantCircle listings and find Carefree, Arizona, French, Restaurant. This is a dynamic free marketing capability for any local business. There are numerous local search marketing properties that allow for the creation of these profiles. Make use of them.

Local Search Marketing A Chip Off The Old Block

At the end of the day, local search marketing is the equalizer for intelligent small businesses to succeed on the Internet. Increasingly, consumer decisions are made from mobile phones and devices that can either tap-to-call, receive a pop up proximity promotion, or simply guide a customer to your business location with a map and GPS routing. It all begins with being found and in the fragmented world of local search that means creating profiles on numerous properties. Put in the time and effort along with a strategic localized site optimization and your local business will shine.

Local Search Marketing Definition