Local SEO - GEO Targeted Search Engine Optimization

Local Search Engine Optimization Services have emerged heavily within the past 1-3 years as geographic targeting and local search has become a major force in online search. Typically, companies that want to focus their operations in a centralized location (usually within a 50 mile radius) take advantage of Local SEO services. Companies that wish to operate in larger, unrestricted parameters would not benefit from this service as much as small and specialized firms and practices.

Organizations and practices that are best suited for Local SEO services include law firms, attorneys, medical practices, small businesses, family owned local establishments, and restaurants.

Local SEO services act to optimization the website to have dominance in a geographically defined area. This may be a radius around the central hub of operations, or even a specific geographic range where there is an emerging market and potential for success.

Google created "Google Places" to support local search services and help businesses promote themselves in their region. In addition, Google Maps is another valuable resource that promotes the location of a business on an interactive map.

Another element that has continued to emerge and supports the growth of geographic targeted SEO services is the dramatic increase in the amount of smartphones that are carried by the majority of people. This has helped shape and grows Geo-services in that people now have the abilities to search, for example, "Restaurant, Hyde Park, NY" on their smartphone, and be instantly directed to numerous options. The results that populate on the map have been effectively optimized for Local Search.

Local SEO is accomplished through the following methods:

• Configuring the Meta Tag description indicating the Keyword, City, State, Zip, Latitude and Longitude coordinates:
  
  
  <meta name="keyword" content="Restaurant, Pub,Grille">
<meta name="zipcode" content="12538, 12601">
<meta name="city" content="Hyde Park, Poughkeepsie">
<meta name="state" content="New York">
<meta name="ICBM" content= "40.735,-73.6883333">


• Listing the name of the establishment ("restaurant", "auto body") and location in the H1-H6 title tags. This allows the local search crawlers to navigate the website and look for local terms that will relate to searches.


• Inbound and Outbound links to other local websites. This adds emphasis to the location in which the business / website operations and wishes to be found.