There are a lot of predictions for what will be hot in 2011 and local search is always in the top five. Following are some recent article excerpts from Internet and search engine experts.

From Search Engine Watch: Local search results are getting increasingly important, but how do we influence these results? How do you rank number one for a competitive and lucrative term like [hotel saginaw mi]? Link building definitely won’t die off because of local search results. It will become even more important. But how does a link make you a local authority? It doesn’t! Your address does. Your address is the new link!

Link building and address building will become similar activities. In link building, you focus on the additional value a visit to your website brings to their visitors. In address building, visiting your store or office needs to be a logical next step — or the location of your hotel needs an address to determine if it’s near the beach, the airport, or great nightlife.

Currently effective address building can be done by advertising. Opposed to paid links, there isn’t something like a paid address yet. Try to find sponsorship opportunities where you get a permanent listing for a one-time investment.

You can read the entire article at: http://searchenginewatch.com/3641789

From Deluxe For Business: Another worthwhile link-building strategy – especially for small businesses – is directory submissions. Directories essentially act as an internet phone book, enabling users to quickly find the answers to their problems. As a result, search engines value these sites highly, and if an entrepreneur’s site is linked, it will see the benefit. There are a number of local directories that will give small businesses bigger boosts than broader national directories.

“[The volume of traffic generated by local directories will improve] as many of these local directories mature and gain a loyal following of users,” predicts search expert Rebecca Gill. “Even though the volume is low, if someone searches for my service offering, I want to be listed.”

From Web Savvy Marketing: There’s been a lot of talk about local search recently. A lot of SEO experts, including myself, feel local search is still in its infancy stage and as it matures, it will have a major impact on search engine optimization and internet marketing. Many of us feel 2011 is the year in which local search will come of age. Not only come of age, but also become an important part of the internet marketer’s bag of tricks.

Traffic from Local Search Directories – I think of all the benefits, this is actually the smallest one, or at least right now. I believe the actual search volume and inbound traffic is currently low, although I suspect this may very well change in 2011 as many of these local directories mature and gain a loyal following of users. Even though the volume is low, if someone searches for my service offering, I want to be listed.

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