Google Local SEO - How to take control of your domestic market
Posted 05-04-2009 at 06:07 AM by Amanti Code
“Research shows approximately 70%
of households search for a local product
or service on a daily basis”
- Forrester Research Group
of households search for a local product
or service on a daily basis”
- Forrester Research Group
Before we go any further let’s take a quick step back. You may have already noticed local search taking place on your browser. For example if you’re a Google search user, and you’re connected to the internet in Germany, if you type into your address bar Google.com you won’t go to Google.com instead you’ll be redirected to Google.de. This occurs vice versa and to other locations so long as Google has established local search in your region of connection. Wherever you are in the world before connecting to Google, it will automatically detect your IP (Internet Protocol) address and redirect you to its local portal. On the one hand this is a smart way of achieving one of Google’s overarching goals to provide more relevant results by keeping the domestic user within its cultural boundaries, however, on a personal note; from my own experience it can quickly become frustrating. For example during the times I was in Germany I wanted to use google.com’s search portal (in English) but couldn’t because due to the IP address I was being connected through Google.de kept showing up (and my German’s not spectacular).
So beyond my frustrations in Germany (by the way, I love Germany) local search enables local businesses a fighting chance against aggressive internationals trying to penetrate local markets. This means that it is relatively easier for you to rank your web business for high local search engine rankings than it is to rank for global search rankings. Make sense? Remember that as long as your business, whatever it is you’re selling and whether your B2B or B2C, fills your markets needs or wants and does it well – people in your area are willing to do business with you. People want to deal with local businesses. So you just got to get yourself or your business out there so they can see you.
So lets take a dive right in and give you some tips on how you can use your advantage of local search to push out the internationals.
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