SEO isn’t just simply about using the web to attract visitors (and hopefully customers too if your landing page SEO is equipped to covert) from the four corners of the earth. Of course clients are clients and profit is profit wherever it comes from. But just because the Internet is a global marketing tool and the opportunity now exists for you to cast your net far and wide, the importance of local business shouldn’t be overlooked. While your gaze is on the horizon don’t overlook the potential business that’s all around you, right under your nose. If you’re not actively flagging up your products and services to your local market you can bet your competitors are. Use local SEO to dominate your local market.
Here’ something that will help.
If you sell locally then new changes to Google SERP – a new turbo charged Google Places and the introduction of Google Hotpot could prove an important weapon in your SEO armory.
Google Places
With Google focusing more and more on local results, any searches deemed as such now receive the Places search treatment. Google simply takes any information stored against your Google Place listing, determines a natural search relevance ranking and places your listing packaged with reviews provided by review sites such as Thompson, Yelp, qtype and the new Google Hotpot. Such is the increased relevance of location that you will often see Place listings now appearing above non-local organic returns. Great for local business and if you’ve ever been frustrated that big business marketing budgets are getting between you and top Google positioning, then this new move will level the paying field.
Google Hotpot
Hotpot integrates local and social in a simple system that not only enabled you to review and rate businesses, but it also allows you to share your reviews with friends. It’s these like-minded recommendations together with numerous new local signals that lie at the heart of Google’s new focus on local in their pursuit of relevance. Though Hotpot may not necessarily influence rankings with reviews stored against your Google Places page and accessible through the universal Google search return, the quality of reviews is bound to have an effect on CTRs. In other words – be reviewed and be reviewed well.
How is your SEO and online marketing set up to take advantage of your local opportunities? How is your business shaping up in Place and through Hotpot? With more than a fifth of all Google searches directed at generating local results, local is an important place to be. Make sure that your SEO experts are thinking local too. Talk to your SEO expert today to find out how you could tap into the local market with a local search SEO campaign.
Don’t take chances with you web presence. Get it right the first time. Use a team that gets results every time. Call us today at 651-315-7594 for more information on how we can help your business grow.
