As their names would imply, local search and global search are two different animals in the jungle of search marketing. Most marketing professionals have a strong enough grasp of global search but the local variety can be a little bit tricky. Success with local search engine optimization (SEO) is far more possible when these five keys are implemented.

Less Emphasis on Anchor Text and Site Authority – Notice that we didn’t say “no emphasis” on anchor text and site authority because these factors are still important in local SEO, just to a far lesser degree. With global search, business can rely almost exclusively on these two elements but local SEO, not so much. There are countless examples out there of local sites that have strong backlinks but still can’t manage good rankings. The key is balance. Scaling back on the anchor text + authority battle for local search could give your site the advantage it needs.

Bundle Your Site Into Local Link Groupings – Local link groupings are essentially internet pages from which businesses in a particular sector or industry derive their incoming links. Some companies have trouble in this department because their competitors have a longevity and positioning advantage that makes it difficult to get links. Studying the backlinks of all of the page one sites on a Google search and identifying the ones that are the same across all of your competitors is the first step in remedying this predicament. The second step is making a concerted effort to get links on those same pages.

Citations, Citations, Citations – The importance of citations cannot be overstated when it comes to local SEO success. Citations are basically the mention of the contact information – name, address, and phone number, or NAP – for a particular business. They carry as much weight as links in the sense that citations, like links, help your business achieve better rankings in local search the same way links can do so in organic or global search.

Request Reviews from Satisfied Customers – Local search sites like Google+ Local, Yelp, and TripAdvisor place a premium on reviews and so do customers who are performing local searches. Having quality, authentic reviews is integral in bringing local searchers to your site, particularly since sites absolutely adore businesses that have a good number of strong reviews. And there is nothing wrong with asking customers to write a quick review for your business if they had a good experience with you – so ask.

Claim Your Local Search Listings – Arguably the most important tools for success in local search is not only having place listings on the major search engines but owning those listings as well. Far too many businesses either don’t own their listings or worse, don’t even know if they have listings to own. The process for claiming your listing is a little different for each of the major search engines but it is also very simple for each of them too. Google Places, Bing Local, and Yahoo all have their own step-by-step processes that will get you owning your search listing in no time so take the two minutes required to get it done and…well, get it done.

The essential key to internet marketing is getting found. Servistree.com will help your company expand its profile and presence on the web, and reach the customers that are ready to purchase your products and services. Contact us today at 866-944-3244 or visit our website at Servistree.com.