Without question local search is the flavor of the month. More than likely it will last far beyond a month, however.  Google Places is just one example of the overall local search movement. Maps, addresses, review sites and algorithm changes are all indicators of this trend. Yahoo! and Bing are not merely standing on the sidelines. They, too, are putting their best local foot forward.

Given the amount of attention being paid to local results, it becomes more and more important for businesses to take the necessary steps to ensure not only their inclusion in these results but a strong ranking as well.  The tip of the day: have your address in the footer of your site link to your Places account at Google.

Local search is also impacted by the increase in mobile searches performed every day. Using an app like Google maps to locate a business is becoming so popular that to be absent from the results is almost handing over business to your direct competitors in your geographic location.  We don’t have to tell you how that impacts your business… do we?

Be sure to continue your basic SEO efforts as they will never go out of fashion, however, tweaking them to optimize your local presence in the results can effectively translate into more traffic and hopefully more sales. Don’t forget to track all the changes you make and analyze which changes are working and which are not. Make small tweaks as these are much easier to track.

If you would like further information about how to best optimize your website for local search, don’t hesitate to CONTACT us.