LOCAL GEOGRAPHIC TARGETING

Who Should Consider Local Geographic Targeting?

If you are a physically-based business that serves a limited geography from one or more locations, local targeting will definitely be of interest to you. All of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo & MSN/Bing) support geographically-based targeting, which allows your ads to only show to visitors located in a selected radius around your business. This is a huge benefit because it allows you to engage in the very effective directional search engine marketing without having to pay for advertising that will not benefit you.

Why Use Local Targeted Online Advertising?

Because your prospective customers are there! Local advertising started becoming important in the mid-2000’s. Now, with more than half of your local audience looking online for suppliers of products and services, and a demonstrated consistent usage by most age groups, now is the time to make sure you establish your online presence in your local market.

What Are The Types of Local Advertising To Consider?

Some of the most common forms of local advertising include:

• General search engine marketing in Google, Yahoo and Bing. Many individuals use the general search engines for local searches, and in many cases, the search engine is aware of the searcher’s physical location and so presents relevant local results. At other times, searchers will use geo-modifiers to specify their location, thus assisting the search engines to present desired results.
• Local search engines, including Google Maps and Yahoo Local are more frequently used by local searchers, and so present a perfect opportunity for targeted sponsored search. In addition, many of the local search engines allow a free business listing for each location, and should be leveraged as part of a larger business directory listing initiative.
• Local business directories such as CitySearch, Insider Pages, the above mentioned Yahoo and Google products, and more. In addition to these nationally known local directories, many metro areas have favorite portals that should be evaluated as well. LocalDirective assists local businesses to get listed in the right local directories.
• Local Classified Advertising sites such as Craig’s List and Kijiji offer a great opportunities to display products and services to a local market. As with business directories, many of these sites offer free listings, so the investment is the time it takes to identify, post and maintain your listings on these sites.
• Localized Search Engine Optimization (L-SEO) is becoming more prevalent and often forms a critical set of tactics for local businesses to rank high organically in the major search engines.

In the dynamic online environment, there are many more local geographic targeting advertising and marketing opportunities. LocalDirective works with local clients across the US to select the most appropriate tactics to help you achieve your business goals and within your timeframes. Contact us today to learn more!