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:

The world of e-commerce is a nearly exponential array of options for the online shopper. Through search engine optimization, social media presence, word-of-mouth and conventional media, online retailers are able to target their audience from numerous angles. With so many variables and options available, the online shopper can be a hard catch. The highly competitive nature of ecommerce forces sellers to put forth a tremendous amount of effort to capture sales. Even with the most attractive website, competitive prices and user-friendly interface, a conversion can be lost if the user does not feel confident in your organization or product.

Whether your website is new, or you're an established online retailer who is noticing a drop in conversions, the best search engine marketing, branding and viral media may not be enough to turn visits into purchases. Even with massive strides in secure online transactions, a potential customer will always feel a level of uncertainty in the backs of their minds when adding your items to their online shopping cart. By establishing a strong sense of authority over your subject matter and product, a potential customer will be much more at ease knowing they are purchasing from a reputable and trusted source.

How to Establish Authority

Depending on your product or service, there are numerous ways to establish authority and instill trust and confidence in visitors. Here are a few ideas to help:

• Product or service descriptions need to be absolute. Make it very clear what the customer can expect and word these descriptions clearly. Be straight and to the point. If your market is highly competitive, focus on why your product is the best, without slandering your competition.
• Provide facts and resources to back up your claims. For example, if you offer a product that can be used on the consumer's body, provide clinical statistics in plain English so the consumer can trust that the product is safe and proven to yield the results you claim. Using before and after photos, offering clear instructions and photos of the product in use will help back up these claims.  If you are offering a service, explain in detail what the customer can expect, the time line they’re looking at and the relationship they will have with you.
• If your brand or product has been endorsed or mentioned in any mainstream, trusted media, make very clear mention of this! Let familiar names vouch for you.
• Ask for and clearly display customer testimonials. If a visitor can see that others have worked with you and are satisfied, they'll feel more inclined to buy.
• Utilize social media marketing, blogs and articles to speak about your services. You don't need to try to sell the product, but discuss your expertise in your field to reinforce your authority on the topic. Speak about developments in your industry, how you plan on addressing a changing market, etc.
• Of course, provide honest and engaging customer service. Give your visitors a quick turn-around time for any questions they have. Make it worth their time to interact with you. Make return, privacy and satisfaction guarantee policies easily accessible. Clearly indicate secure shopping cart and credit card encryption measures.

Remember, your website is a source of information, just as much as it is a source for purchasing your services or product. The key is to present it not only to attract buyers, but completely encompass your topic to suggest that you are the best source available for customers to bring their questions, curiosity and ultimately, their money.

By presenting your organization as an ultimate authority on your subject and product, customers will feel much more confident in doing business with you. Having all the pieces of the puzzle clearly put together will help answer a customer's questions before they need to be asked. Make your website an experience for the visitor that will not only secure their business, but bring them back to you as their trusted vendor of choice.

Are you thinking about entering the world of Twitter, but don't know where to start? Or, maybe you hear all the hype about how cool it is for online business, but it just doesn't quite make sense to you. Well, here is a short introduction of what it is, why you need it and how to get followers. 

1.  Start by following people you know such as your current clients, past clients, friends and other people that you think would benefit from your services.  This is a great way to get started with followers.   

2.  Follow some of the people that your clients are following or who are following your clients. Choose these folks thoughtfully. Read their bios and some of their tweets. You will quickly get great information about them. 

3.  Actually read the tweets from those that you follow and reply back/comment as appropriate.  When you reply back to one of their posts, the replies show up to the replier's followers!  Thus, if engaging, you could gain more followers. 

• Thank new followers by name if they begin following you.
• Try to be a resource.  Check back a few pages of tweets and see if there are any questions you might be able to answer.
• Don't always try to sell something. Sharing knowledge or help is always welcomed by followers and will help ensure that they read your posts rather than skimming over them assuming they will just be an advertisement.
• Use humor.
• Tweet with some type of regularity. Determine what makes sense for you and stick to it. 

Shopping on the web is so convenient and easy, however there is one major drawback... The shopper cannot hold the product in her hands or read the writing on the box. A major challenge for web retailers is to provide detailed information for each and every product so the shoppers’ questions are answered and the shopper feels secure.

Here’s a list of potential details that might “make or break” a purchase if it is not included.

Intro - Start with a short descriptive paragraph about the product that creates excitement and include important keywords such as the name of the product, the brand, and what it is or what purpose it serves. Repeating the name of the product in the paragraph enforces what it is and scores points with search engines.

Compatibility – Does this product match a set of products or does it fit with certain products? Is it part of a special line of products? More importantly, are there some products that this product does not fit with that might confuse the shopper?

Fabric/Material – This is a biggie! People look for fabric or material to understand the sturdiness, feel and texture. There is a big difference between, for instance, cotton and wool or plastic and metal.

Manufacturer - Sometimes the manufacturer is not included in a product’s title. This could be valuable information especially if the manufacturer is popular or has a trusted name.

 Inclusions – How many pieces are included and what exactly are they?

Batteries – Does it take batteries, and are they included? What kind are they and how many?

Dimensions – Let the shopper get a good feel for the size of the product by including height, length and width.

Weight – Weight is another factor the shopper might wonder about, but it is also a requirement if you have shipping cost functionality.

Age – Is there a recommended age for this product… a minimum and even a maximum perhaps?

Safety – Are there special precautions that deserve mentioning on the web site?

Sometimes, the web retailer employees are adding products to the web that they have never seen. If this is the case, go to the manufacturer to get all of the information possible.  You can’t go wrong with a product description that is too specific!
 

Good web page content is believed to be one of the highest weighted measures in achieving optimal organic rankings.  In order to help you achieve success in this area, here are 8 tips on writing good content for your site.  Keep these in mind as you are deciding what to write in your copy and your search engine optimization efforts will show better returns. 

1.      Tell them why they should buy from you - Clarity of your products or service value is the most important factor in determining whether a customer buys from you or not. Ask yourself the question: “Why should I buy from this site?”

2.      Flaunt what sets you apart - What differentiates you from your competitors? Free shipping, discounts, a 365-day warranty, price protection, privacy, customer service, etc.? If you’ve got it, flaunt it!  Researching your competitors is key to determining these traits.

3.      Write naturally - Write just as you would talk to a friend.  Clearly and concisely state your key message.  Then after the copy (content) is written, add in some relevant keywords.  If you need any assistance with keyword research, please contact us and we would be happy to provide you with some assistance. 

4.      Plug keywords into the right locations – Your website is full of hot spots that search engine spiders check regularly.  Use keywords in headlines, subheads and body copy of your web pages.  But, use those words sparingly.  Keyword “loading” can actually have a negative affect on your ranking.  A good keyword density is between 4 and 6% of the total content.

5.      Keep the spiders coming back - Keep all the copy on your content current.  The more fresh and relevant content they find, the higher the search engine is likely to rank your site.  Make sure to link keywords within your content to other pages about the topic where appropriate to guide both spiders and readers.

6.      Rally the believers - Credibility is a true testament: people don’t buy from websites, people buy from people. Thus, testimonials from devout customers—or even a letter from the CEO/Editor—persuades the unbelieving.

7.      Let them make the choice - “Why should I buy this specific product?” Almost every e-business shop forgets about this, but it’s the question that’s key to Mr. or Ms. Customer’s mind. Prove to him or her why they should buy this over the competitive product by offering reviews, ratings and comparisons.

8.      Write a keyword rich article  - People usually come online for two reasons, to check their email or to look up information.  They want the answer to a question or a solution to a problem – and you can provide that in a short article.  Look for article ideas in the questions that you regularly hear your customers asking or about things you regularly see people doing wrong.  Share tips on how to use the products you sell or talk about industry trends.  Other tips on this subject are:    

 a.        Keep articles shorter than 400 words                                                                 

 b.        Contain a relevant keyword in the first 90 characters                                         

 c.        Contain the keyword in the first and last paragraphs                                         

 d.        Provide a short credibility-building bio at the end of your article.