Increasing local business online visibility is what local online marketing is all about. Using the local online marketing techniques described within this website and implementing the recommended online marketing strategies will increase your online visibility over time. The benefit to local businesses is that online visibility can be quickly translated to “findability” and the more easily consumers can find you online, the more sales you are likely make. Statistics confirm that every month, online consumers perform well over 3 billion local searches for nearby products and services. As a result the effectiveness of your online marketing strategy can make all the difference in the world when it comes to expanding your pool of potential customers and attracting them to you and your business.
The Power of Search Engines
To fully understand the concept you need to understand the dynamics. Search engines are powerful platforms that index websites and webpages so that when a user conducts a search within that search engine a list of results are returned based on the keywords used in the search. Each search engine organization has its own formula for returning search results to customers. Any search result returned that has not been paid for by an advertiser is referred to as organic. Search returns that have been paid for by advertisers are referred to as sponsored and usually are referenced and at the very top or to the right of organic search results. By increasing local business online visibility you are also increasing the likelihood that you will rank high in the organic listing section on search results pages.
Local Search
Search engines are increasingly returning “local search” results just after sponsored results and before organic results on the front page of results. Local search can be defined as an online search by a user looking for something in a specific geographical area. Local search results are returned by search engines based on not only keywords entered by the user but also the geographic location. Geographic location is translated by search engines using names, addresses and phone numbers. Since search engines already know the geographic location of the person conducting the search they can return geographically specific results using information either previously entered directly into their own database or from an external data provider.
As a result, if you are not actively engaged in ensuring you are using an online marketing strategy that truly improves your local business online visibility, you’re not likely to consistently show up on relevant search results pages.
Some readers also consider reading these pages: Local Online Marketing Techniques Attract New Customers Today, Online Small Business Directory Listings, Frequently Asked Questions, Why Subscribe to a Business Listing Service?