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As a small business owner, you know the importance of showing up in online search results. But did you know there’s an aspect of online search, called local SEO, to help you get found by customers in your neighbourhood?

You definitely want your business to be listed in these kinds of searches.

Think about it. People only search for a specific location when they’re actually there, or planning to be there soon. So if your competitors are showing up in local search … and you’re not … they get the business, not you.

How do you go about getting found in local? What factors do search engines consider? And do you need to hire an expert in local SEO to get found locally?

Following are the essentials on local SEO services, plus three things you can do right now to up your visibility.

How does local SEO work?

Local SEO increases your visibility to a customer located nearby. Typically, it’s when a customer searches on a category combined with a geographic location:

• Restaurants Vancouver
• Contractors Calgary
• Automotive repair Mississauga

When someone conducts a local search on Google, the search engine triggers a 7-pack. Nope, not a bodybuilder with a super-toned torso – a 7-pack is the 7 most relevant results for your particular search.

So when someone searches your area for your business category, you want to show up in the 7-pack. How?

There are 2 parts to a 7-pack. The first is a map with red pins:

And the 2^nd part is the name, link, reviews, address and phone number of the place represented by the red pin:

How can your business take advantage of local SEO?

As you can imagine, that’s the million-dollar question. Local SEO is part of Google’s larger organic search strategy, a tricky business given that they change their algorithms almost daily. Many aspects of SEO require expert advice.

Yet there are three simple things you can do right now – without hiring a local SEO services specialist – to help your small business make it into the 7-pack.

One, tell the search engines where you are! Make sure you register on all 3 major search engines:

• Google
• Bing
• Yahoo!

Two, claim your business on citation sites like 411.ca , YellowPages.ca or Canada411. Make sure you also list on sites relevant to your sector, such as Angie’s List for contractors.

Provide exactly the same information to every search engine and online directory. Inconsistencies negatively impact SEO… and your ability to make it into the 7-pack.

Three, set up a Google Plus page – a place where you can connect with customers and others in your industry.

Grow with local

Increasingly, choices are made only after consulting the Internet. It’s just as true for people on the go as people making decisions at home or in the office. Studies indicate that access to the Net through mobile devices has now surpassed desktop. Making sure you’re visible in local search is one of the surest ways to grow your business.

Take advantage of local SEO by listing your business on 411.ca today. Here’s how

Note: A new Google algorithm update called Pigeon is impacting the 7-pack in US English search results. We’re monitoring the changes in Canada and will update this article when we have more information. In the meantime, read about Pigeon here

Contact:

Jessica Miller – Marketing Coordinator

Twitter/@411_ca | Facebook/411ca

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