We are all familiar with the old adage “location, location, location” so it is no mystery that being conveniently situated where current and potential customers are plays a prime role in a business’s ability to maintain and grow its customer base. A sizable component of a business’s success is based upon, you guessed it, it’s locale. Although the original context of this business proverb was firmly planted in the geography of bricks and mortar, today this same truism applies triply (that’s 3x) to the space your business occupies in a search results list!

This is where local search comes to the rescue. Local search shines by delivering customers you may never have otherwise had. According to Wikipedia local search “is the use of specialized Internet search engines that allow users to submit geographically constrained searches against a structured database of local business listings.” That is to say, someone (a potential customer) types something like the following into a search engine…

“pizza delivery grand rapids mi”

A typical local search.

…and, voila! The search presents the results as a list or maybe even a map showing all the nearby pizza deliveries in the area you specified; it’s the new way to “let your fingers to do the walking” and everyone is doing it.  Local search is a highly effective form of pure Internet advertising, poised to eclipse traditional advertising and it’s easy to see why with the proliferation of ubiquitous, always-on internet devices and location enabled search. Best of all, it’s free, easy to setup, and offers powerful tools and features to increase exposure and drive more business.

Results from a local search

Several services offering great features of which every business owner should take advantage include local.yahoo.com and yelp.com. We’ll focus on Google’s Local Business Center (www.google.com/lbc) offering to get your business on the way to harnessing the power of local search.

Google has distilled the essence of its Local Business Center down to three main areas: manage your local listing, engage potential customers and see the results. Here’s a quick overview of some of the features you can look forward to and how to begin cashing in on local search for free!

Offer coupons online.

To start, head over to www.google.com/lbc and sign up. From there, answer the questions and complete the forms as requested to add or claim your business listing. To verify that you are in fact the owner of a business, you can elect to have Google call the listed phone number of your business and then enter a code (nearly instantaneous) or have a postcard sent to the business address (about 10-days); I had to claim the Micro Visions, Inc. listing via post. Once you receive and enter your business verification code you’ll be free to post information within your listing.

A listing page as seen by customers.

LBC analytics

Geo-analytics display where search comes from.

Investing a little time creating a local business listing will help inform your customers and makes your business standout above competitors.