Local SEO is a booming business right now, and that is mainly thanks to three major innovators: Google, Facebook and Apple. Though Apple’s efforts were truly innovative, plenty of other mobile and PDA companies have since risen, bringing us high-tech portable phones and digital multimedia players. All of these entities are making local SEO a big business.
Just look at Google Maps and Google Earth, which can now help consumers, traveling locally within a city or town, find a business of their choosing based on keyword search. They can simply type in a keyword search into their mobile device and be pointed via GPS where to go. Google Places is another avenue to explore, as business owners can now create locally based information (including company info, photos and even videos) that earns high local search rankings.
Facebook is also joining the fray, as they have their own Facebook Places now, which directs users to local companies and brings location-based functionality to the highly popular social network. In addition, smartphones like the iPhone, the Blackberry and Android-compatible phones now have apps that deliver customized text information, including locations and directions of companies.
Whether you have a restaurant, a retail store, a dealership, a practice, or any sort of locally based business, you have much to gain by associating with these local SEO powerhouses. If you find that your local SEO campaign isn’t growing much with regular longtail or niche key wording, then maybe it’s time to join the mobile phone and social network revolution. Your first move is to embrace these web tools and show the community where you are, and what you offer. Don’t give up on content production—just integrate it with the most popular sites of the day.
For more information on local SEO and the importance of social media integrated with SEO, talk to a consultant or an experienced SEO firm.
