Local search engines

Local search engines have become more advanced in recent years and although the ability to search for localised business online has been possible for a long time, the functionality of local search is improving, which in turn can offer businesses that may be targeting a local market, a new opportunity to generate more web traffic.

Google originally launched a Local Search service in 2004, as part of Google Maps. This became Google Places, whereby companies could set-up listings for their business location or 'claim' the listing from the basic details Google used from a partnership with Yellow Pages. Recognising the importance of local search (paricularly in the mobile market) Google has now integrated the local search results within the main Google rankings when users are searching for a locally based business.

Using local search optimisation on Google is essentially for any business targeting a specific area and getting good visibility in this way can send a website a high volume of relevant visitor traffic. Optimising for these local search results is becoming more sophisticated as more companies compete for the limited amount of space on the first page of results, plus companies need to ensure that they are complying with Google's business listing guidelines.

Find out more about Google Places optimisation.

Local search is also integrated within the search results of Bing and Yahoo, and the importance of this area will continue to grow as more people access the Internet through their mobile phones.

If you'd like to find out more about local search engines and how they can benefit your business, please contact us for more information or to request a FREE website assessment to see how well your website currently performs.