The Internet Contains Billions of Website
Pages - All Clamoring for Attention
With so many competing websites, it’s unlikely that
yours could stand out among them. Until recently, you faced near-impossible odds. Search
engine results lost the "little guys" in back pages, where no one ever looked.
But Local Search is changing that in a dramatic way. Small
stores and service businesses are gaining additional revenue from being found by locals
who went to the Internet before deciding where to buy (70% of buyers, according to
research by The Kelsey Group).
Google and Yahoo are pushing hard to make their Local
Search results as relevant as possible. (MSN is playing a catch-up game.) They’re
under pressure to work out the bugs, so this rapidly accelerating trend becomes more
reliable.
The public wants to find information about products or
services with the ease and speed they’ve come to expect from search engines. However,
when people are ready to spend their money, they prefer to spend it close to home (where
80% of purchases are made). So the only suppliers they care about are those located
nearby. A Google query for "plumber" that delivers 2.3 million pages does them
no good at all.
Buyers are Driving the Popularity of Local Search
A person conducts a Local Search when they add a geographic
term (like town, region, zip code) to their search engine query. The results (SERPS) only
include businesses within that geographic area. For example, entering "Seattle +
plumber" in Google only delivers a list of plumbing firms in Seattle. Those results
are also displayed on a city map, so it’s easy to spot the most convenient ones.
Unfortunately, not all of the plumbers who ought to be
included appear in the results. Those businesses that are left out miss out. It’s
also a drawback for the searcher, when they can’t find the information they’re
looking for. Unfortunately, too much of what they get isn’t relevant to them. The
quality of results are sure to improve as more businesses climb aboard.
Relevance indicates how well the information a person
expects to find matches what they actually get from their search. There’s still
plenty of room for improvement. Even so, already Local Search queries make up almost 40%
of all search queries.
The Stages of Business Local Search Savvy
You don’t want your enterprise left out of
consideration when customers are making up their minds. Many more buyers rely on online
information than on traditional methods, like newspapers and Yellow Pages anymore. Make
Local Search an integral part of how you connect with customers, old and new.
1. Get listed in appropriate data bases so your business
shows up in search results.
Find out whether your operation is already listed in key
places. http://www.localsearchresources.com/getlisted.html
2. A simple site supports the rest of your marketing
efforts (but you don’t need your own website to start with).
Realize that it’s not for making online sales, but to
assist your being found - by the search engines, as well as customers. Even a small
website builds credibility, and encourages additional traffic to your place of business.
3. Modify your website (if you have one) to rank high with
Local Search.
Learn how at http://www.localsearchresources.com Make your
website useful, so it provides answers that your customers routinely ask about. Tell about
your services, product brands and specifications, hours, payment methods, how to, etc.
4. Optimize your website for keywords and in-depth search
terms.
While a small business may show up in Local Search results,
there’s a marked advantage to being in the front of the list. For example, in search
results showing 30 rug cleaners, those closest to the top/front are more likely to be
chosen.
5. Build your website into your store activities and
business policies.
Make it an extension of how you conduct special promotions,
develop customer loyalty, and announce new products.
Cause a Ripple in Your Community "Pond"
Brick and mortar operations are often delighted to discover
that the Internet is sending a steady stream of new customers, with little effort on their
part. Capitalize on the convenient ways to connect to customers online.
It’s said that there are only three ways to boost
business revenue.
- Increase your number of customers
- Sell more to customers each time they buy
- Sell to them more frequently
Your Internet exposure can help you accomplish all three.
It can also makes you a bigger fish in the pond where you live and conduct business. And
that deserves your serious attention.
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