Come on in!  The Water’s Fine!  Other generic encouraging cliché!  Off I go on another rant.

There are lots of ways to get a piece of the local search pie these days.  And everywhere I look, I see missed opportunities.  Many of you who are missing out seem to be branches of large corporate companies.  I’m not sure if there are policies in place that are keeping local advertisers out of the marketplace so that their corporate offices can place national ads instead.  But guess what – it’s possible to do both.  And you should.

And let’s not forget all the locally owned & operated shops out there.  It’s time to get involved.  We used to not question the importance of having an ad in the newspaper; in the yellow pages.  The internet isn’t new anymore – it’s integrated into our daily lives.  My own mother’s answer to virtually everything is “Google it.”  The question is no longer “should I be advertising online?”  Actually, it’s no longer a question at all.

According to an article posted today on Search Engine Watch, 1 in 5 search queries are local in nature.  And now that the usage of mobile browsers increases by the day, having a local presence on the search engines (both desktop and mobile) as well as on review/social sites is just good sense.  It’s my experience that for those of us that aren’t “involved” in the space (advertisers or agencies), most people aren’t familiar with the distinction between the paid results, the organic results, local listings, etc.  What they do know, is what draws their attention.

This is where being the local advertiser in a sea of national advertisers really gives you an advantage.  For instance, if I do a search for “movers Kansas city,” – this keyword is very competitive – the Search Engine Results Page is full of ads.  Most of them are generic, branded, national ads.  One of them draws my eye because it clearly advertises as being in my area.  It also advertises a nice discount.

The local listings show a few places around me with phone numbers.  Unfortunately it appears as though not many movers in my area are taking advantage of this feature.  Local listings provide easy access to location and phone number, but no outlet for a promotional statement (thus why I always suggest  multiple presence!).

Now, consider I conducted this search on my iPhone.  The thing about the SERPs on an iPhone is that in many cases, the paid ads practically fill the screen before you scroll down.  They dominate the initial visibility.  And if click-to-call is enabled, the ad is expanded and the user can simply call straight from the results.

It all boils down to one very simple idea – the easier you make it for the user to find you, the more business you will generate.

Beyond the Search Engines, you’ll need to establish a presence on the social sites and encourage reviews and testimonials from customers.  I have a client (they have about 15 shops specific to one group of metro areas) that has some of the most loyal customers you’ve ever seen.  Their Facebook wall is full of testimonials of people that have been coming to them for ten years or more.  If you have that kind of client base, use it!

For more tips on local advertising, see this article from Search Engine Watch.  And stop hiding from your customers already!