Local map ranking is the practice of sending your website traffic to your local search listings instead of the most widely used search engines, like Google and Yahoo. Because local webmasters know that their customers live in the area and are more likely to use search suggestions made by local listings, they can afford to put more effort into optimizing the local web for its own listing in search results pages. The cost of optimizing a local listing for Google, Yahoo, or Bing varies depending on how targeted your site is. To maximize your local search results, you should make sure that your website has been optimized for your local market.
Some local business ranking services offer a full package, including local map ranking. You can get a customized link building service that includes local link building, directory submissions, site analysis, and more. Other SEO companies will only do some of these things, leaving the other steps up to you. Whether you go with a fully customized service or a service that specializes in the optimization of links only, here are some steps that you should take to increase your search engine rankings:
Get the best maps to promote your business. Most local search engines have maps included in their search results. To get your website to show up for popular searches, your site must be included in the map pack of the search results. Some SEOs include your website in the map pack, but don’t send out as many local listings as possible. Some experts believe that having just a few high-quality local businesses listed in Google Maps will get your site noticed more by local consumers searching for businesses in a particular area.
Improve your website’s linking strategies. Getting listed in Google Maps is only part of the link-building strategy that you need to optimize your website for local consumers. To build the right backlinks, your website must be linked to reputable websites. Look for websites with high page rankings and low bounce rates. These are indicators of quality backlinks and high website traffic. You may want to hire an expert SEO consultant for this matter to ensure that your backlinks are all high quality and get your business more visitors.
Take advantage of local directories. Many local directories have high page rankings and provide plenty of opportunities to get your website listed. The most common local directories include Yahoo! Local and Bing Local. There are also regional directories that would be beneficial to local businesses.
Promote your local business through social media. Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, and Digg are just some of the social media networks available for local businesses to get the word out about their products and services. These tools are great for getting feedback on your products and getting your name out there among many local consumers. Also, these sites offer advertising options that include paid placements in which you pay the network for every person who clicks on your business link. This option tends to be the most affordable way to advertise and it is completely organic.
Start bookmarking your local businesses. Bookmarking allows you to build a list of locations for future reference. You can also search for local businesses in a different geographic area by searching for their city name or Zipcode. This makes it easy for consumers to find businesses based on location.
Optimize your site. Search engines love sites that are optimized for keywords. Your local area should have plenty of prime real estate, retail stores, and restaurants that rank highly for a variety of search terms. You will need to optimize your website and local blog to make sure that consumers can easily find you and your offerings. You can do this yourself by using off-site optimization techniques, or you can hire a professional SEO company to do it for you, visit their website. Either way, make sure that your site is as optimized as possible for local searches.