How to dominate local search results in Google using free-publicity marketing methods (part 1)

October 16, 7:15 PMSF Internet Business ExaminerCraig Eubanks

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Google is the King of Search and the new Yellow Pages

Where I live in San Francisco, I don't know anybody who uses Yellow Pages anymore.

Everyone uses Google to find what they want, and occasionally Yelp (I'll cover why Yelp is a great way to get new business in a future series about on line Word-Of-Mouth marketing)

I'm probably the only person in my circle of friends who keeps the yellow pages around the house.  I keep them because I study the ads.  My friends recycle them the day they show up.

These days, even people over 60 are using Google to find local businesses.  Both my parents use Google all the time, and my mother has discovered the joys of on line shopping delivered right to her door.

Google has become the new Yellow Pages.  Google has the lion's share of all search at 64% with nearest competitor Yahoo at 16.3%.  So the big lesson for your business is this...

If You're Not In Google... You (almost) Don't Exist!

If you don't show up in Google, you are basically invisible to the world. 

And if you don't show up in the Top 10 search results (on the first page), you almost don't exist.

Over 80% of people who search click on a link on the first page of search results. (Note, this includes the pay-per-click ads.)

This numbers should help you realize why it's critical to the future of your business to be in Google's search results, and when possible to get on the first page of results.  But...

SEO Is Not Easy

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is not easy.  And frankly as a business owner, it's not where you should be spending your time. 

SEO is a moving target because Google changes the rules every 6 months or so.  When they do this it can shake up the top listings.  Google does this to make sure you get RELEVANT results when you are doing a search.  They do their best to be the best search engine for the user experience.

One side effect of this is it also makes SEO a full time profession to try and keep up with all the changes.

The Local Business Advantage

But, as a small local business you have a HUGE advantage!  It's easy to get a top listing by a combination of using niche keywords and using geographical references. And there is very little competition.

One of the markets I do consulting in is with professional hypnotists.  One of the questions I get is "why can't I get ranked in Google for Hypnosis?" The short answer is, too generic and too much competition.

In other words... trying to get #1 for hypnosis is damn near impossible for a small low-traffic website.  But, they can get ranked for the combination of problem solved and location.  For example:

Daly City Stop Smoking Program

Would be pretty easy to do.  There probably aren't even 10 stop smoking programs in Daly City.  Google likes relevant content and rewards you for being relevant.  So when someone searches on ways to stop smoking in Daly City... you pop up in the top 10 results.

And because you were smart enough to read this article, you're about to learn an easy way to dominate local search most businesses don't know about, which is easy to do and is what I like to call Low Cost Marketing.

Using Press Releases

In a nutshell, you can learn how to write press releases and send them out using free on line press release services.  The search engines find them quickly and they become permanent links back to your website.

Plus, you can use the press releases to get local STORIES written about your business which also become permanent links back to your site.

It's Easier Than You Think

Using local PR Marketing methods (press releases) to get website traffic, and get website traffic and for lead generation is easier than you think. 

Yet very few businesses bother to use this as a part of their marketing system. The most common reason is the mistaken belief that what you do isn't newsworthy. This is pure nonsense.

News organizations are DESPERATE for new and unique content. The secret is to learn how to write about what you do so it comes across as interesting.

I created a press release template a while back for a teleseminar training I did.  On it I give you the layout and copywriting hints on how to write a press release that gets READ. You can download it using the resource links below.

Grab it now and print it out.  Use it to get some ideas for press releases you'll be sending out.

Coming in part 2:  "5 big benefits of Local PR Marketing"