How to Make the Most of Your Company’s Local Search

It’s predicted that 30 percent of all viral searches conducted by 2015 will be local searches, an increase of 18 percent compared to 2009.  Because of this obvious trend, it’s critical for you to pay increased attention to the importance of your company’s local search.

Because even the major search engines are just now focusing their attention on local search, you may need the assistance of the professionals at Visual Artistics to help you make the most of your company’s local search as a form of online marketing.  If you are familiar with local search, you may be able to put together a successful local search for your business by adhering to the following guidelines.

Take Advantage of SEO

Take advantage of SEO by using keywords properly throughout your website to improve its overall ranking by search engines.  Use long-tail, location-specific keywords to describe the industry your business competes in and your company’s physical location.  As a marketing company in Singapore, Visual Artistics might use “PPC Singapore,” as one of its long-tail keywords, for instance.

Claim Your Company’s Local Profiles

Claim all of the profiles that identify your business on search engines and directories such as Google Places and the Yellow Pages.  Make sure all of the information you provide, including your company’s name, address, and telephone number, is the same in each profile because search engines respond favorably to consistency.  Also, complete any field available to you, such as your company’s hours of operation, to improve the chance that your business will be included in the results of a person’s local search.

Solicit Feedback from Your Clients

Ask clients who enjoyed the time they spent at your place of business to tell others about their experiences on sites like Google.  People usually believe what others tell them about their experiences with businesses, regardless of whether the information is shared face-to-face or online.  And, search engines will recognize your business as active when clients share the details of their experiences with it.  So, soliciting your clients to provide positive feedback about your business online will help improve your ranking as well as your click-through and conversion rates.

Include Images in Your Local Search

Images such as photos and videos of your business location, clients, and staff will help improve your ranking because search engines respond quite favorably to them.  They will also make your business seem like a desirable place to visit to people who have yet to visit your physical location and will increase your conversation rate as a result.

Monitor Your Company’s Profiles

Monitor your company’s profiles regularly, once per month, for example, to make sure the information included in them is consistent and current.  You can update your profiles, too, by introducing new or seasonal products at the same time you are monitoring them for accuracy.