Google Local Search: The Anatomy of Google's Search Results Page

If you're new to "Local Search Marketing" then distinguishing the results of Google Local from the standard Google search results may be a little confusing.

To aid understanding, I've knocked up a quick graphic showing the different search results that Google returns for the phrase 'builders nuneaton'.



I know it's not the best graphic in the World but I didn't have a lot of time and it should still (hopefully) get the point across :)

As you can see, the first three results and the right-hand sidebar (in the green boxes) are PPC, or sponsored results. PPC stands for Pay Per Click - businesses pay money each time a searcher clicks one of these links. Getting your business to the top of this list simply requires getting a Google Adwords account and outbidding your competitors.

Below this are the Local Results (in the orange box). This consists of a little map and ten businesses offering the services that are searched for - this is known in the industry as the 'Google ten-pack'. This is the area that Local Search Marketers are aiming to get their business into.

Finally, in the blue box are the standard Google results (otherwise known as organic results). This is the area that generic search engine optimisation tactics work for.

In most cases, the Google 10-pack is above the organic search results, which often results in a lot more traffic.

Get Listed in Microsoft UK's Bing/MSN/Live Business Directory

Microsoft's apathetic attitude to broadcasting their local data sources combined with the reluctance of professional search engine marketers to give away "trade secrets" has made it very difficult for business owners to get listed in the local results of Bing.

Many UK business owners have tried using the option on Bing's website to get a business listing but have subsequently found that it is only available for our American cousins - required fields include state and ZIP code, which of course aren't part of the address format here in the UK.

I recall when I first began to seek out Microsoft's local data sources, it wasn't an easy task. I rang Microsoft, spoke to Microsoft employees (one of which worked in the 'Local' department) and searched the web all to no avail. Eventually, I found the answer - Microsoft gets UK local business listings from a company called Market Location. Here's a link to the form where you can submit your business details.

It takes around four to six weeks from submission before you will start to see your business in Bing's local search results.

>> Getting your business listed in Yahoo! Local UK.

Yahoo! UK Local Business Listing HowTo

Getting listed in Yahoo's Local Business Directory is a 2-step process:

1. Submit your details
2. Confirm your listing

Then it's around a 5 week wait (although this can vary) before you start to appear in local searches.

Submit Your Details
Yahoo! have outsourced the management of their UK Local Business Listings to a company called Infoserve. These are the guys you need to submit your details to. Click here for the submission form, fill it in and wait for a phone call.

Confirm Your Listing
A day or two after submitting your business details, Infoserve will give you a call to "confirm your listing". They'll go through your details with you to make sure everything is correct.

Actually, what they're really doing is trying to sell you sponsored advertising space on the Yahoo website. Be courteous, listen what they have to say then firmly tell them that all you want is the free listing. It's important to hear them out because they are the people that will ultimately get you listed. Some of their operators can be a bit pushy but most will be quite reasonable. For some industries the paid lisings can be a great marketing method but for most the free listing will suffice.

Wait
Now all you have to do is wait a variable amount of time before you appear in the lisings (it all depends on when they are next updated). From my experience, this can be between 2 to 6 weeks.

What is Local Search Marketing?

Over the last couple of years, the big three search engine (namely Google, Yahoo and MSN/Live/Bing) have started to integrate local businesses into their search results.

To see this, do a search in Google, Yahoo and Bing/MSN/Live for "plumbers in coventry" (without the quotes). Near the top of the normal (organic) search results, you'll see a list of businesses that provide plumbing services.

In Google


In Yahoo


In Bing
Local Search Marketing is ensuring that your business is listed on the first page in the local results for each of these search engines and as close to the top as possible.

With more and more people using the Internet to find what they're looking for, making sure that your business can be found easily in search engines can increase sales and profitability.