If you want your business to gain popularity on the Internet then it is imperative that you educate yourself about local search engine ranking strategies. Your website’s performance in local search can make or break the profitability of your business.

In the following paragraphs we have discussed some effective optimization methods that will help you dominate local search. If you follow these guidelines and stay patient, you will eventually make it to the top of Google’s result pages.

Optimize Your Content

The very first thing that you have to do is conduct thorough keyword research and create high quality content that revolves around the found keywords. You have to remember that local search phrases are slightly different from traditional ones. When people are searching for a local service or product they usually attach the name of their city, town, county or region. So you must incorporate the location of your business in your URL and tags. Doing so will allow Google’s crawlers to decide which location is your website most relevant to.

Create Business Pages

Setting up business pages on platforms like Google+, Yahoo Local Page and Bing can work wonders for your search engine rankings. Before you start creating a business page make sure you have a clear and concise summary of what your business does and at least a few professional photographs of your company. You will need to select the category of your product or service, add the name of your business and specify your address and phone number. All these things should match the information provided on your website. It is also beneficial to use a local phone number.

Get Visible On Other Listings

To gain maximum online exposure you should add your website to as many directories as possible. Just adding to popular sites like Google, Yahoo, Google Places, Yelp, and LinkedIn is not enough. Keep in mind that the number and quality of the business citations may have an effect on your site’s ranking in local search results. You should try to list down all the directories that your competitors are using. Then you can create citations on these sites. This is an excellent way of finding high-quality directories relevant to your niche.

Leverage Reviews

Positive reviews on your business’ social profiles can be very beneficial. Get your clients to leave reviews on your pages and encourage them to mention your product on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This may not have a direct impact on your ranking but more people will click on your site’s link if you have positive reviews.

Capitalize on Mobile Search

Mobile search and local search are inseparable. Mobile technology is advancing at a great pace and you must integrate it into your strategy if you want to maximize your profits. Make it easy for potential customers to find directions, look at reviews and get contact information on the go.

Optimizing your website for local search is crucial if you want your business to prosper. You should create business pages on the above mentioned platforms as well as others you might come across. Also, optimize your website to reflect the location of your business. Then improve your website’s authority with the help of traditional link building and SEO. If you keep at it, you can easily get to the first page of Google!