It is estimated that 30 to 40 percent of searches are local in nature. On top of this, search engines are increasingly showing local results for search queries with implicit local intent. If you put this in perspective, there is a huge opportunity for small businesses which are local in nature.

Your local business can thrive online if you can successfully establish a presence in local search.

While you can geo target your desired market, local search optimization takes you a step further. In this edition of our newsletter, we would discuss local search and ways in which small businesses can build and fortify their local presence on the web.

Local searches are search queries that are intended to find information/businesses within a particular geographical location. A good example would be "florist in Seattle". Some searchers even go to the extent of typing street address. Example: "florist on olive way, Seattle"

Local searches are typically performed to look for services that are local in nature. For example florists, electricians, plumbers, bakers and confectioners, restaurants, doctors, taxi services, etc. As more and more people go online to look for such services, local search optimization is gaining precedence.  

Wouldn't it be great, if people come to your online store having already made the decision to buy from you!

Unlike general web searchers who may be looking for pre-purchase information, people looking for local businesses are much closer to a buying decision. In most of the cases, local searchers have already made a buying decision; it is only a matter of who to buy from?

In a nutshell - local searchers are ready to buy, all you need to ensure is that they buy from you. 

The local search sector is quite fragmented in nature because there are numerous authoritative sites that provide local information. People looking for local information can therefore visit a wide array of websites and this makes local search optimization both confusing and overwhelming.

At time, small business owners may face the dilemma of identifying the focus their efforts to get best returns. Only a methodical and rational approach to local search optimization can assist them in getting over this dilemma with ease. Mentioned below are few ways in which you can build and consolidate your local visibility.

1. Claim your business listing on Google, Yahoo, and MSN
   Most searchers looking for local information turn to traditional search engines like Google, Yahoo or MSN. So, the first and obvious choice would be to get your business listed for local searches on these search engines.
   
   All three major search engines have options that would allow you to add your business listing for free. The registration process is fairly simple and you can even add a listing without a website. Once the local listing is created and verified, it will appear for all relevant local searches.
   
   You can create your respective local listing by visiting Google local, Yahoo local, and MSN local.
   
   
2. Get listed in local search engines/directories
   It is imperative to understand that not all web searchers use traditional search engines for local search. Many searchers flock to local search engines to find information pertaining to a particular city. In view of this, it becomes critical to not only feature on traditional search engines but also on local search engines.
   
   A few local search engines/directories that are worthy to be listed on are Local.com, Yelp, Citysearch, Kudzu, Insiderpages, BOTWlocal, CITYSQUARES, touchlocal.com, welovelocal.com, and AllPages. Most of these search engines/directories receive significant amount of searches, and offer both free and paid local business listings.
   
   Merchant Circle offers a slightly different approach to local search. Besides providing a local listing, it gives you various useful online marketing tools like discount coupons, newsletters, landing page, blog, etc. It also allows you to explore traditional search engine advertising options.
   
   
3. Get listed in internet yellow pages
   While print yellow pages may be gathering dust in some dingy corner of your house, their online counterparts are driving the local search industry. Internet yellow pages are expected to command a whopping 35% of the local search market by 2010. The statistic is a clear indication that internet yellow pages will remain an indispensable part of local search industry.
   
   Since internet yellow pages are slated to enjoy high traffic, getting your business listed on them is crucial in fortifying your local search presence. Some of the widely used internet yellow pages are yellowbook, Switchboard, superpages.com, YELLOWPAGES.COM, MagicYellow, and MojoPages. And the story of internet yellow pages doesn’t end here. There are highly specialized yellow pages that can help you target particular interest groups. Some of them are BlackPages.com, National Black Yellow Pages, Jewish Yellow Pages, etc.
   
   
4. Create local citations with third party data providers
   Being visible on traditional and local search engines, directories, and internet yellow pages will give you a leading local presence. However, in-order to consolidate your local search visibility, you would have to create local citations.
   
   Local citations are nothing but the mention of your business name and address on third party websites. All else being equal, a business with more local citations is likely to rank higher on traditional search engines.
   
   You can build local citations via various third party data providers like infoUSA, getlisted.org, OPENLIST, iBegin Source, and localeze.
   

The key thing to remember here is that the number of online websites providing local information is large and ever growing. Also, these steps only cover one facet of the entire local search optimization spectrum.

No doubt that these resources will help you build a formidable local presence, but as businessmen you should constantly look for more ways to build upon your local visibility.

Do let us know if you found this information useful. We would look forward to hear from you.