Small Business Local Search Marketing

SEO Logic works with many large corporations managing their local marketing. Though we do not take small business clients, many of the things we do for our corporate clients will be useful to small businesses. Following are some things you can do yourself to get more exposure in search.

Search Engine Marketing for Local Business

The first thing every small business owner should do is create your free small business listing with each of the major search engines. You can create free small business listings [gallery link="file"]on Google Local, Yahoo! Local, and MSN Local.

Getting Your Small Business Listed on Google Maps

Step 1: Create a free Google account if you don't have one already. If you use Gmail, then you already have a Google account.

To create your free Google account, go to https://www.google.com/accounts/. Click on the link that says "create one for free" or the link that says "Create an account now."

Fill out the information on the form that follows.

Submit the form.

Google will then send you a confirmation email. You will need to click on the link provided in the email.

Once you click on the confirmation link, you will have your own free Google account.

On the confirmation web page, click "click here to continue," and you will see many new things you can do with Google.

Step 2: Create a Google Local listing.

Now that you have your free Google account, create your own free business listing. The listing you're about to create will show up in the Google search results when someone searches for a local business like yours.

First, go to http://www.google.com/local/add. If you just created your Google account, you're already signed in. If not, please sign in.

Now you can click "Add new business" and start to add details about your business.

After you've completed all of the fields on all of the pages, Google will mail you a PIN (personal identification number) that you can use to verify your listing. Then your business will be added to Google Maps/Google Local/Google Places.

Getting Your Business Listed on Yahoo! Local

Step 1: Create a free Yahoo! account. You can actually create your free account while you're adding your business. So, just go to http://listings.local.yahoo.com/account/ and sign up using your email account, fill out the information Yahoo! requires for a Free Basic Listing (all you need most likely), verify your business via phone or postcard, and you're live.

NOTE: There will be lots of pokes and prods from Yahoo! to get you to sign up for paid advertising, from upgrades to your listing to placing paid ads in search results. We recommend that you resist the temptation to pay Yahoo! until you've had a good 3 months to see how the free listing works for you. In many cases, the free listing is all that is necessary.

Getting Your Business Listed on MSN/Bing Local

Go to http://www.bing.com/businessportal/ and click "Get Started Now!" Follow the directions and add your business information, then verify your business and you'll be live. You will receive a postcard from Bing, so it'll take a couple weeks to get your business listed.

References:

Complete Guide to Local SEO and Business Listings Optimization for Small Businesses
HelloGEO
URL: Complete Guide to Local SEO and Business Listings Optimization for Small Businesses