To summarize, Local Search occurs when someone uses a local search engine, such as Google Maps, Bing or Yahoo local, to find products or services catering to their geographical area. These are the three major ones, but there are many more local search engines.

Many people don't even realize they are searching locally. See the Google Local search result example at the bottom of this post using the search term "chicago dental implants". The local listings appear next to the map, but above the organic listings.

Local search is becoming more and more important in the world of SEO. Google and Yahoo/Bing have even gained the ability to offer local results even when a local indicator isn't being used for the keyword search term. Therefore, if your business is serving a specific region, this is definitely a topic to learn more about.

How does my business become listed?

If your business is new, then there is a chance that your company will not be listed in the local search engines (LSE). Therefore, each LSE offers a way to submit your site to them. This can be very time-consuming and is best done by a SEO company that offers expertise in local search. There are also specific optimization techniques that can be done to help build the strength of your local listing.

How is my business listed if I didn't add it?

If this is the case, you will want to claim your business listing. There is a very simple verification process involved, but it is a very important step to take because it gives you ownership of your business information on the local search engines.

More often than not, the information they publish is incorrect or doesn't represent your business as you would like. To control your business brand and reputation, you want to have the ability to provide accurate business information.

If you are wondering how your business got listed, LSEs have the ability to pull information off the web. The LSE can attain minimum data from various sources, including telephone company listings.

To learn more about Local Search…

If you are interested in learning even more about local search, please contact Precis. We would love to share more of our knowledge and help get your business on target to be a major player in local search results.

Google Local Search Result Example:

With the opening of a new decade, the world of ecommerce and web marketing has found itself in a phase of maturation and many asking "what's next?" Trial and error has led countless ecommerce companies through various forms of web marketing and relationship management. Search engine optimization, social media marketing and other catch phrases are aggressively sought out by online retailers to make their footprint on the web, and keep that impression as strong as possible. 

The ebb and flow of different methods to successfully market your product or service can be a difficult trail to follow. With so many trends, knee-jerk miracle methods and various opinions, it's important to keep your feet on the ground and take your time.

Social media marketing, SEO practices, link building and other popular methods of online marketing have become such strong forces in how businesses behave online, that top search engines recognize this and work hard to maintain user-friendly, clean and reliable results. Google, for instance, is making larger strides in distinguishing between "black hat" and "white hat" marketing techniques. In other words, spam-base marketing will be significantly penalized or all-out eliminated from search results. While it takes a little more work and research to do things the "right way," here are some tips on staying on the right track:

• Write honest, quality content on your topic. Talk about what you know and share this content not only on your website, but in blogs, forums and other mediums that are trusted by your target audience. 
• Offer secure information or payment options for your customers. 
• Practice effective internal linking on your site. This means having one page linking to another. A good way to smoothly introduce a new topic, it also ensures search engine spiders have some material to work with. They can't read images or fancy navigation panels, so making sure the spiders can see what you're talking about and get to it smoothly will help strengthen your keyword relevancy and boost rankings.
• By all means, do not spam links, keywords or content. Tricking the search engines may work for a moment, but the long-run will be bleak.
• When it comes to links, always think quality vs. quantity. Your rankings, credibility and ultimately, your presence in the search engines in general will greatly benefit from having quality, relevant links on trusted, qualified sites.

When in doubt, use common sense. Think as your visitors would. Is your site a reliable source of information? Are its intentions genuine in attaining their business? Play well with others and the search engines will reward you in the long run. 

Matt Cutts of Google Search is seen here discussing how Google itself is working to make an ever-evolving positive experience for searchers and marketers: