Digital marketing terms are always changing and evolving, and as they do, it's necessary to stay informed.
While the local search ecosystem is a relatively well-known term in the digital marketing world, for those who are new to digital marketing or others who don't know the technicalities around digital marketing, it is worth understanding the ecosystem's complexities.
Here's the need-to-know about local search ecosystems and what they mean for your small business.
The Basics
So, you may be asking, "What is a local search ecosystem?"
To put it simply, the local search ecosystem is sometimes considered a "web," as displayed below, of data providers, search engines, publishers, directories and other businesses.
These groups are within this local search ecosystem "web" because they access and exchange local business information like business names, addresses and phone numbers.
All of this information is collected and flows between the groups in order for businesses to properly rank in local search results.
From here, companies like Google can verify if businesses have the information necessary to rank in search results with local intent. But keep in mind, the local search ecosystem is not limited to just Google. For effective local search result rankings, your business information needs to be consistent across the many platforms that make up the ecosystem. Some of these being:
- Bing
- Yahoo!
- Yelp
- Facebook
Search engines like these are the most recognizable part of the ecosystem's "web" but they are provided with information from numerous sources and these sources are fed business information from hundreds of other business directories.
And that's why we reference it as a "web"!
While the local search ecosystem itself is made up of outside sources like search engines and data providers, the result of the ecosystem's functioning affects the online presence of local businesses.
How to keep up with the ecosystem
At this point, you may have a new question, "Now that I know what the ecosystem is, how do I give it what it needs in order to rank higher in local search results?"
Be consistent!
The best way to get ahead in the local search ecosystem is to focus on keeping your business's information consistent across all of the business directories that the ecosystem includes.
With all of these directories feeding information from one provider to the next, a simple mistake in your business's information could be detrimental to your local search ranking and results.
So, keep your information across these search engines, directories and data providers accurate, up-to-date and cohesive. You'll be a local search sensation in no time.
Locally optimize your website
Driving customers to your website is an essential part of your business's success.
You are also focused on bringing customers into your business and improving sales, so your website should be suited to support these needs as well.
To achieve this, your website needs to be optimized for local search. As we touched on, your business information must be correct and as extensive as possible on your website. The inclusion of this information is a huge factor in determining the reliability of your business for search engines.
While achieving this is necessary, there are additional factors you should consider in properly optimizing your website to its full potential. Call-to-actions, mobile optimization and quick updates and turnaround, for example, are essential in constructing a locally optimized website.
So, how can you check all these boxes? Here at RevLocal, we have one source to do it all.
Our microsites are locally optimized websites that are built to meet all the local search needs that the ecosystem is looking for. They work in collaboration with your business's main website while providing a newly optimized outlet for reaching, attracting and ultimately growing your customer base.
Check out this blog for a detailed explanation of what our website services are and how they can benefit your business.
Final thoughts
By better understanding the basics and makeup of the local search ecosystem, your business can begin to tackle the complexities of local search rankings and grow your online presence.
So, never underestimate the power of local search directories and search engines!
Learning about and understanding the influence of different digital marketing terms and functions is a necessity in being a digital marketing sensation! Check out our blogs on the essential buzzwords for 2020 and important digital marketing acronyms.
If you are looking for additional guidance to meet the needs of the local search ecosystem or are interested in learning more about the benefits of our website services, click here to request a demo from one of our marketing experts!
For additional search ranking resources, give these blogs a read: