Today, there are over 10 billion unique searches done each month online in the United States alone. Of those searches,
  • 40% have local intent
  • 5% use city or state name
  • 0.5% use zip codes
Marketers should evaluate the opportunity of local search and determine how it fits into their overall search marketing strategy.  Whether you have a physical location or want to reach a specific local audience, local search presents marketers with tremendous opportunity.  Sure, there are some local search applications that are better than others.  For example, if you are a national satellite TV provider based out of CA, you may want to evaluate the benefit of reaching people searching for "Chicago satellite TV".  And why not other cities where you have the ability to aquire new customers...?   How to get started? To launch your local search marketing plan, here is a quick guide to get you started with three primary targets:
  1. It should be no surprise that Google is the leader in search, with over 70 percent of all searches, so you should focus the bulk of your local search efforts here.  You can submit your business information directly to Google through the Google Local Business Center. Make sure to include your website address and verify the listing is correct.  Also be sure to check that the physical address of your business is correct on the map.  You definitely want to know that you're sending your customers to the right place.
  2. Don't forget to spend some time on Yahoo! Local search as well.  Although, not nearly as big as Google, Yahoo! still drives enough traffic to warrant inclusion in your local search marketing plan.  You may need to submit your business information here for a free listing and can upgrade to an enhanced listing for $9.95 per month.  The enhanced listing  includes a company tagline, business description, two links to pages on your website and up to 10 photos. 
  3. The final player that should be part of your local strategy is Bing, which will show your listing on Bing Maps.   Submit your business information here.
Our search marketing practice group has helped a myriad of clients leverage the benefit of local search.  What are the best applications for local search you've seen or marketed?