As you are doing keyword research and developing your search engine optimization plan for your website, it is important to remember that for some websites it can be very very beneficial to include geographical locations (GEO Targeting ) in order to generate a specific visitor’s search parameters.  This is generally refered to as “local search optimization” and it increases the chances that a prospective visitor will more likely become a customer.

Include Your City & State

The best way to increase local search results is to include the name the city and state in which your business or service is located into your on-site SEO.  For instance, if you have a local sushi restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona, thaninclude the keywords “phoenix” and “arizona” in your titles, description and keywords as well as your article/post titles and content.

Local search optimization will greatly cut down on the time your website searcher spends searching for the perfect sushi restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona because it helps Google and other major search engines refer YOU as a specific geo-targeted search result. After all, it does little good for Google to recommend an ideal sushi restaurant if it is located 2,000 miles away!

Localized Search Engine Directories

Implementing your websites “on-site” local search optimization stratigies currectly can help you in many search engines designed for more localized searches; for example, “CitySearch” will allow the customer to pinpoint their search efforts to the area in which they live.  Additionally, there are search engines specifically designed to accesse and return specific geo targeted results such as mobile devices like the Blackberry or iPhone.  These search engines allow the customer to locate your local business in an instant and often provide additional information such as menus, hours of operation, and directions to the restaurant. With this in mind, be sure you include both a physical address of your business as well as a phone number so the customer can contact you immediately with any further questions. 

Local Links

Finally, it also helps a great deal to build links pointing yoursite from press releases, blogs and other referral based sites in your niche using your “localized keywords” (Sushi Restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona) to build a stronger online presents.

In summery, local SEO helps Google, Yahoo, MSN and other major search engines know your site/product/services better and in turn help narrow your site visitors and increase your chances of making those visitors become customers or clients.