Showing up in Local Search Results

Local search is on the rise, especially since more people are using their smartphones to look for local businesses. Is your business’s website showing up in local results? If not, here are some tips to ensure that Google lists your website in their local results.

1. Your Address
It’s surprising on how many business that don’t have their business’s address on their website. Most businesses do have their address posted, but it’s usually only on their contact page. Your business’s addreess should be on every webpage of your website. A simple place to put it is right in the footer of your website.

2. Page Titles
I don’t know how many websites have the standard “Home Page” as a page title. “Home Page” tells me, your customers, and search engines nothing, not even your business name! Ensure your page titles are descriptive, unique, have keywords and are different for each webpage of your website. A good method is usually list your service, then your business name, and if you can put in your location; just keep your title to 65 characters or less.

3. Meta Tags
Let me start by saying that the Keywords Meta Tag is useless. Well, I guess their is a use, so your competition can see what you are trying to rank for. The main meta tag you want to use is the description meta tag. Use it like you would use your title tag, but now you can be more descriptive. Now you can definetly fit in your services, location, and a call-to-action. Don’t go too over board though, try to keep it between 150 – 160 characters.

4. Use Google
Is your business listed in Google Places, which is now integrated with Google Local which is on Google Plus? Do you have Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools installed on your website? If you answered no to any of these, I highly suggest you get them, after all they are free.

5. Update Your Website
Constantly update your website, add new content, maybe start a blog (internal and external). Think of your business’s website as your business itself. You upkeep your buesiness so it looks appealing to customers; so upkeep your business’s website so it is appealing to search engines.

6. Social Networking
Socail networking has become huge, and it is nearly impossible to avoid. Your customers, your family, your friends, probably even you are on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc… why isn’t your business?

7. Local Directories
Along with search engines people use local directories like Yelp (and many others) to find local businesses. Not only are these simple profiles that get A LOT of exposure, it’s an easy link to your website. To increase your presence more ask your customers to write a review on Yelp, Google Local, etc.

8. Optimized Images
Your website doesn’t need images that are high quality print friendly, those take a long time to load. Use images that are a smaller file size, the faster your website loads the better. Name your images and use ALT tags, search engine spiders/bots “crawl” over these files and they can report back to the search engine what the image is a picture of.

9. More Text, Less Images, Minimal Flash
Search engine spiders/bots read text better than they read images and far better than they read flash files. If you can, completely avoid Flash; Flash takes a long time load and isn’t search engine friendly. If you do have to use Flash, please make sure it’s not for your navigation!

10. Make Sure Your Website Works
This is another thing that is overlooked in many internet marketing and SEO campaigns. When you post a link on a social network or directory, does it link to the right place? How about your internal links, are they all linking correctly? Are your links descriptive?

11. Mobile Website
Most local search is being done on a user’s smartphone now. Take a minute and view your business’s website on your iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windows phone. Is it easy to use, or are users going to “bounce” to another website? If you don’t have a mobile website, your competition probably does.