Creating an SEO strategy for your web site requires more than just choosing what search engines and directories it should appear in. Another consideration is where and how your site should be listed geographically. Geo-targeting is a method of targeting specific traffic for your web site based on the geographical location of your business.
As more and more web users take advantage of the Internet as a purchasing and research tool, those same users are integrating local searches into their behaviors and habits. For example, people in the market to buy a plasma television are likely to spend time on the Internet searching for facts and information about plasma TVs. In the beginning, this information can be generic in nature. It doesn’t matter where it comes from, so long as it answers the customer’s questions.
As they work through the phases of the buying process, eventually users will begin pricing the television, a process that will also take place online. Geography is now becoming more important, but it’s not until the user is actually ready to buy that geography becomes essential. Because many users first research on the Internet and then purchase in a local store (or research and purchase on the Internet and pick up the merchandise in the store), those customers may look online for local stores that offer the brand and price they’re looking for. If your site isn’t listed in some kind of local directory or categorized on at least one level by location, you’ll miss out on those sales.
Broadband-enabled cell phones have also become a major reason to think about optimizing your site for location search. The widespread adoption of the iPhone and iPhone-like devices makes it possible for users to search for information — including actual locations — on the fly. These devices have become so prevalent (there are more than 200 different Internet-enabled devices to choose from in the U.S. alone) that some users are dropping their PC- and laptop-based Internet connections and relying solely on their handheld devices for Internet service. This makes geo-targeting even more important.