Underdogs and innovators are looking beyond traditional, outbound marketing (e.g. mainstream media advertising, trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail) and discovering the ability to influence consumers through inbound marketing (e.g. search engine optimization, pay-per-click, blogging).

One of the most powerful inbound marketing activities is optimizing your Website for local search, also referred to as geographic keyword optimization.

In his May 30 blog, “Winning the Local Search Battle,” Gregg Stewart of Search Engine Watch says that, “. . . consumers are becoming better and smarter searchers, moving from simple one- and two-keyword searches to more specific four- and five-keyword searches.”

Stewart goes on to say that, “. . . the more specific a consumer is in the search query, the higher propensity to purchase. The consumer is shifting from 'what to buy' category searches (e.g. plumbing, drain cleaning) to 'where to buy' phrases (e.g. draining cleaning in Austin, Texas).”

Getting Started with a Keyword Analysis

The foundation of every successful inbound marketing campaign, including those built to drive business through local online search, is a highly targeted keyword analysis.

It’s important that the software used (by you or your Internet marketing firm) to build your keyword database goes far beyond search volume. Keywords should be graded and prioritized based on relevance, search volume, competition and difficulty.

On average PR 20/20 monitors 300 - 500 keywords at all times for each client, but concentrates keyword optimization activities on 25 - 50 favorites that are the most relevant. These keywords are segmented into four categories for tracking and reporting: Brand, Product/Service, Industry/Division and Geographic.

Generate Website Traffic and Increase Leads 

Once your keyword analysis is complete, it's time to start generating qualified traffic and leads. Keywords should be continually evaluated and used for both on-page and off-page optimization, including:

• Website content
• Landing pages
• Meta data (i.e. page titles, tags, descriptions)
• Blog topics
• Product/service naming
• Optimized press releases
• Pay-per-click campaigns
• Social media tagging
• Anchor text
• Content publishing (e.g. by-lined articles, case histories, white papers, ebooks)

Define Your Internet Marketing GamePlan 

Request a complimentary Internet Marketing GamePlan from PR 20/20 to learn more about keyword optimization and how to grow your business online.