For most businesses, especially brick and mortars local search is important.  Local search should not be underestimated because sometimes it can be the push you need to expose yourself to the local market. Think about how you find local businesses and services.  Have you ever needed to find a car repair shop in your local area?  What was the first thing you did?  Went online and did a search either through a local search engine or online yellow pages.  Did you put much thought into the search results or did you just select (and trust) a provider listed on the first page, like most individuals?

It is time you begin tapping into the gainful local market and excel your business with local exposure and notoriety.  Here are the top 10 ways to improve your local search results:

1. Add your business listing to Google Local
2. Add your business listing to Yahoo Local
3. Add your business listing to MSN (Live) Local
4. Add your business listing to local business directories
5. Add your business listing to local online yellow pages
6. Sign up for Google Adwords and create an ad campaign to target your local area
7. Create a Google Local Business Ad to get top exposure in Google Maps
8. Sign up for Yahoo! Local Sponsored Search and create an ad campaign to target your local area
9. Create an SuperPages.com pay per click account to get top exposure in MSN Maps
10. Give your customers/clients incentives for writing a review for your local listings

The above 10 items will get you the local exposure you deserve.  There are some other things that can be done to get local exposure, such as pay-per-call advertising, local link exchanging, and local link building.  Other things that can be done is traditional marketing, such as local print advertising, local broadcast advertising, and local seminars, expos, and business conferences. 

You will not understand the power of local marketing until you have gone down that road.  If you provide quality, professional, and fairly priced services or products then your local customers/clients can take you worldwide with word of mouth referrals.  Everyone starts somewhere, why not start local?

Do you have other ways to improve local search results?  Please share.

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