Your Small Business and Search Localization

Many small business owners don't have the budget to hire an SEO or time to learn optimization themselves. But that's becoming less of a problem because Google and Bing are helping small companies in a big way.

You might have seen local search results returned when you use the major search engines. Let's say you searched for the newest computer tablet. What you're likely to see in the organic search results is places nearby your locality which sell that particular mobile device.

In the world of search engine optimization, that's called localization, and the reason behind it is both Bing and Google are following a trend--more queries are being performed from mobile devices than ever.

The World of Search

Back in the early days of the internet, or Web 1.0, all a business had to do was saturate their webpages with relevant, targeted keywords. The search engines weren't that sophisticated, so, they relied on those keyphrases to determine what a page was about.

“Make sure you have your business name and your address on your webpage.” --Matt Cutts, Google Chief Webspam Engineer

Over time, that changed, and more code was needed. Things like meta data became a bit more complex and then came Web 2.0. That ushered in what we're now used to seeing. Microblogs and social media. That too, is changing into what's known as the semantic web or Web 3.0.

Now, website localization is important because, as stated, more queries have local intent. What's great is you don't need some fancy type of localization code, you only need to keep your site updated with fresh content.

Utilizing Search Localization

Okay, so Google and Bing have programmed their software to return localized results. But what does that mean for your small business? It means by concentrating on your geographic area, you can essentially optimize your site's content.

You have to hone in on a niche in your industry and make industry-wide changes relevant to your area. In other words, localize to fit what's going on across the country or across the globe.

Another great thing is  that there's plenty of localization companies on the web. Yelp, Superpages, Yahoo Local, Google Places, et cetera are all places you want to list your company.

Then, update your site about once a week with relevant content. Become a local authority and the search engines will do the rest.