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Article 2: Local Pay-Per-Click And SEO
You’re probably familiar with the concepts of pay-per-click (PPC) Internet advertising and search engine optimization (SEO). But did you know that PPC and SEO can both be honed down to the local level?
With PPC, you create brief, compelling sales messages and then bid for position on search engine results pages. You pay only when someone clicks on your message, which then takes them to your Web site.
With SEO, the goal is to optimize selected pages on your Web site for the search terms your target audience is using to find what you’re selling. SEO gets your site into the organic/editorial (not sponsored/paid) rankings on search engine results pages.
“Local search generates matches based on geographical relevance to the searcher,” says Stacy Williams, the founder and managing partner of Prominent Placement, a strategic search marketing firm in Atlanta, Ga. “For small businesses especially, it should play a key component in your overall search marketing program.”
The major search engines (especially Google) provide a wealth of options for how tightly or loosely you want to define your local geographic area, says Williams.
“The easiest thing to do is simply make sure your physical street address is on your home page, or even every page of your site – in text, not as a graphic, on a single line at the bottom of the page.”
With a little research, you can learn more simple steps for optimizing local search engine results and PPCs.
Take a look at ReachLocal.com and LocalLaunch.com, which offer automated PPC and SEO solutions for small businesses. You can also work with professional search engine optimizers, who typically charge $1,000 a month and up with a minimum commitment of up to six months.
Williams notes that local search is rapidly growing in popularity, with more than 25 percent of all searches now local in nature. In addition, 63 percent of local advertisers are actually national businesses with local presences.
“All major search engines have a separate local tab,” Williams explains. “When users click on it and enter their search term and ZIP code, the only displayed results will be nearby businesses. To properly list local searches, the search engines have special processes that involve proof of identity.”
Williams predicts that local search will continue to expand quickly.
“The more people use search engines, the more comfortable they become with taking advantage of time-saving shortcuts – and local search fits that mindset perfectly.
“It’s smart marketing to be seen right away on a local search results page.”
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