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pageoneresults - 3:18 pm on Oct 26, 2004 (gmt 0)
As Local Search becomes more and more mainstream, what are you doing to target that highly valuable local traffic? In regards to on-site local search targeting, what strategies do you have in place to capture that searching audience? Successful Example of Targeting Local Search I have a local client who targets three distinct counties. Due to manufacturer territorial issues, he is limited in sales and service of his products to his territories. This makes for an interesting campaign. One of the very first issues we needed to address were all of those visitors finding the client using general search terms and not refining their search to their local area. It's great to have the #1 position for a money term but, only if it brings an ROI. In some instances, it can have a negative impact as the company will now receive requests from consumers that they cannot service. What do you do in a situation like that? One of the ways we've addressed this particular clients woes in not being able to service many of the incoming contact requests, is to clearly state at various intervals on the site that the client only services customers in... This has helped considerably in deterring many of the requests that cannot be fulfilled. It also brings into play a set of targeted regional keyword phrases that are linked within the overall site structure. Those links lead to pages that are designed to target that particular county and/or city. We built those pages specifically to target the local area and help the client in targeting regionally specific searches and/or Geo-Targeting. No, these are not Gateway Pages if that is what you are thinking. ;) We might have the client take their digital camera out to the location and take various photos of the building, the interior, staff at work, etc. We then develop content based on the imagery while targeting the local search market for that area. We'll provide links to get directions with predefined destination addresses so the consumer only needs to enter their starting address. We may also develop additional pages that discuss the staff and each of their responsibilities. This provides local companies with an online "Get to know us better" area. It also adds to the overall local search theme for that particular area. Multiple Locations You may have a client who has 20 locations. That is great! That means 20 more pages of content to work with where you can really focus on Local Search. What about those clients who have 100+ locations? Well, then you most likely get into a dynamic environment and can really drive targeted local traffic. Contact Information The most important element in all of the above is that you have a detailed Contact page for your local audience. That page needs to be linked to from at least all of the primary pages of the site. An ultimate scenario would be to include the link in a footer include or other included content that appears on all pages. They need to know...
I'm sure many of us have a range of local clients who only service local areas. This in itself becomes a challenge as you have to really refine your strategy in regards to local search terms.
Please feel free to add to the above list.