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whwytriright 30 Ranking for Local Search
ger share of their own local search traffi c, as well as potential Not surprisingly, all of the major search engines cur-
advertising revenue. Such print directory publishers as Yellow rently have a local search application, from Google Maps (for-
Pages (www.yellowpages.com) and Superpages (www.super-merly Google Local; htt p://maps.google.com) and Bing Maps
pages.com) also off er local search portals.(formerly Windows Live Local; www.bing.com/maps), to
Of course, simply listing your company at these or other Yahoo! Local (htt p://local.yahoo.com) and ask.com’s AskCity
sites is only the fi rst step; aft er all, if your competitors are (htt p://city.ask.com). Most of these sites’ homepages require
doing the same thing, you’re still not diff erentiating your busi-visitors to type in at least a zip code, if not a business type or
ness. A number of variables can aff ect how high your business’ name, to get results, though oft en they’ll immediately go to
ranking is, and they go well beyond the old Yellow Pages trick a general landing page for the locality of the computer being
of naming your company “AAA Wholesale Jewelry.” It’s a used for the inquiry. Th ese search engines typically off er
given that the higher the ranking on a local search result, the local businesses the opportunity to upload their business
more likely that your company will be the fi rst contact for a data to their respective local search databases. Additionally,
confused consumer. No one, needless to say, wants to appear traditional local media companies such as television and
on the second, much less the 22nd, search results page.radio broadcasters and newspapers are increasingly adding
local search to their local websites, in order to capture a big-
According to the 2009 edition of Local Search Ranking Factors, an annual report
produced by web design and search engine optimization fi rm David Mihm, Inc.,
some of the most vital components of a successful local search strategy include:
• CLAIM YOUR LISTING. • INTERNET YELLOW PAGES (IYP) CITATIONS.
Whether taking the steps to ensure your company is Just as being listed in the physical Yellow Pages remains
listed, or simply proofreading existing information important for most businesses, so too is being listed on
about your company, this is probably the most impor- their Internet equivalents. Just as a display ad in the actual
tant and relatively eff ortless task. Sites like getlisted.org phone book might help your company stand out, paying
(htt p://getl isted.org), which launched in January 2009 for a listing on an IYP can be rewarding as well.
and co-founded by Mihm, is an intuitive-to-use resource
that can help business owners claim their listings at
• CUSTOMER REVIEWS.
Google Maps, Yahoo! Local, and others.
If anything, this has become an even more important factor
• LOCATION.
in recent years, as the sheer number of competing busi-
nesses on the web continue to look for cheap and (hope-
Naming your company “New York Wholesale Jewelers
fully) unbiased comments from actual customers to sway
Inc.” when you’re physically located in San Francisco, isn’t
potential buyers. Th e number of reviews can have a positive
going to do you much good here. Including your location
eff ect on rankings. Many search engines also allow for
in your local business listing (LBL) title or description is
reviews; the report lists as the fi ve most important of these:
a generally good idea, as in “Wholesale Jewelers of San
Yelp, InsiderPages, Yahoo, CitySearch and Google.
Francisco, Inc.”
• PROPER CATEGORIZATION.
• ADD EXTRA MEDIA.
Once you’ve claimed your listing, you can place your busi-
Including photos or even video with your LBL can help
ness in appropriate, keyword-rich categories. Including
in your rankings, and generally gives visitors the impres-
keywords in the categories improves rankings dramatically,
sion that your company is a legitimate, professional one.
and mentioning your services/products in the title will
In general, any updates to your LBL can help you move
also help avoid confusion. Th is can also be done by list-
up in the rankings.
ing a company named “Panda China,” as, “Panda Chinese
Restaurant,” to make matt ers more clear.
Continued On 34 whwytriright
32 March 2010
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