Many factors might play into your search engine rankings. It can be difficult to determine which are important and worthy of your time and attention and which are passing fads that don’t need your immediate concern. One of the things that is becoming more prominent in search engine rankings is local search. So do you need to incorporate local search terms into your SEO strategy or are you just fine without them?

Not long ago, your physical location didn’t seem to matter much unless they were specifically included in the search terms typed into Google. With the advent of local search, however, you may be noticing that local search terms are showing up in SERPs whether you request them or not. So does this affect your SEO strategy? It just might, so you need to do a little research. The problem is local search results may be showing up at the top of the SERPs when someone types in your keywords- whether they are asking for local results or not. Because a computer’s ISP provides the location to the Google spiders (and everyone else’s) geography is a factor and those local business might just show up ahead of yours automatically- and this can cost you customers.

Google Maps, and other search engine mapping software, has become very efficient and accurate. Your business will be mapped according to where your URL is located, regardless of where your service area actually is. This is great news for a brick and mortar business that services local customers, but if you are an online entrepreneur who works globally, local mapping can cause you problems. As an example, let’s consider a web design company located in Topeka, Kansas. You may specialize in trendy, hip, urban designs perfectly suited for clubs in huge cities like L.A. or New York City, but regardless of your keywords, you may not rank at the top of the SERPs in those areas because Google thinks you work in Kansas. In fact, you could have trouble even if you do provide service to local companies. If you are located in the suburbs or even away from the main business area of a major city, your rankings may drop based on your address.

There are a couple of fairly easy fixes that can significantly help you in the local search rankings. One is to make sure your business is categorized carefully and properly. Appropriate categories can jump your listing from # 5 to # 1, so check yours and make sure it is correct. Another thing that will help is making sure your keywords are in the title of your business in the local search listings. While not everyone can just change their business title to make sure your keywords are included, you can make great improvements by using the keywords in your tagline.

Local search is important in SERPs and SEO and these two quick fixes can help your business battle against the automation of Google Maps and local search results.