Local SEO Becoming More Critical Every Day!

The mystery is gone. Local search has emerged as the most important element in small business marketing. Google Places is the fastest and easiest way to get on the first page of Google for your local business. For now, its the most important piece of the Small Business SEO marketing equation.

Google Places is a big deal, but it's only a part of the equation. The natural or organic listings that display and the paid placement or PPC (pay per click) are the other two major elements. PPC can work very well, but you will need to pay to use. There's no permanent listings. Local SEO will give you both organic listings and a boost to your Google Places ranking.

Google Places has become very competitive in some markets and will become more so as time goes on. There are only seven Places listings that display on the first page of results. In many local areas, a lot more than seven are competing to be number one, or at least in the first seven results.

What's the best way to get at the top of both organic listings and Google Places? Two things are necessary. First, for Google Places you will need reviews and local SEO. For local SEO you will need enough pages to compete, captivating content and backlinks to those pages to rise in the rankings.

The quick and easy placement in Google Places will be gone in most markets within a year. Then we will come full circle again to the absolute need for local SEO to drive visitors to your site and business.

So, what's the best approach for small business local SEO right now. First, get your Google Places listing. Second, do whatever you need to do to get customers to give your business positive reviews. Third, start or enhance your local SEO program. Do whatever is necessary to get your business on the first page of ranking for your major keyword phrases. Fourth, every day without exception do something to market your business.

The future is here. Internet marketing is working today and will work in the future. It is a major tool for finding new customers and keeping existing customer coming back. You have a decision to make. Where will be ranked online now and in the future.

I'm not going to candy coat it. You need local SEO for the long term survival of your business. People are getting their news and entertainment more and more online. Internet time is increasing while newspaper, television and magazine audiences decline. It's rare that the future announces itself clearly, but in this case it is. Now is the time to act.