Worried about your next move in SEO strategy? One of Google’s most recent algorithm updates focused on giving credence and rewards to websites featuring local content. Not only did the company create an algorithm that helped to drive more traffic to long-tail local keyword pages – it also helped locally created sites to increase their overall search rankings for broader search terms.
Now, with the recent trend of pushing local pages, suddenly Google Maps and Google Places are great web tools to utilize for your SEO strategy! Google Places is actually made for local business and provides assistance in creating a quality link that shares local information about the business.
Google Places allows company owners to establish a physical address, owner verification, proper categorization, reviews and directory listings, searchable address matching, and other localized information. Google Places acts as a “digital shop” for your company, and because of their exclusively local approach to SEO, many companies are now locally ranked as #1 in relatively broad keyword searches because of the relevance of the local search query.
Google Maps is a similar tool but focuses more on directions and listings rather than in-depth local information. Still, Google Maps has the capacity to help establish a business and even direct users how to find the location, and what other businesses are nearby. The potential here is massive, and we can clearly see that localized content is making a comeback in a big way.
The best strategy in a post-Panda Internet world is to focus on local content, not only as a means to SEO, but as simple marketing fundamentals. Build your audience from the ground up, from the city up, and expand at a natural pace. It clearly works offline, and this is the way it’s going to start working online throughout the next decade.
