Sometimes we get clients that operate on more of a local basis, i.e. real estate developers, retail stores, or local service industries, etc. They all have websites and they all want SEO/SEM services. With businesses like these that are geographically restricted, one of the best things you could do for these folks is a local search marketing campaign. In order to do that we have to identify resources (sites) that we can leverage to spread the word about local business. Here are some places to consider:

Google Local Business Center
(Yahoo! Backlinks: 4,539)

With Google Local Business Center you can easily enter your business information to be found within Google Maps > Find Businesses. Once you list your business, Google will send you a confirmation via text message or regular mail confirming that you are the owner of this new listing. This is probably the first place I would list a client’s local business.

Yelp.com
(Yahoo! Backlinks: 1,731,849)

Yelp is a city guide and business directory that pairs local search capabilities with personal reviews. Users can create an account and write a review of any local business they encounter. Once you’ve created your account, write a review of you client’s business and put them in the Yelp network.

Yelp also has an option for business owners who would like to respond to and engage their reviews. It also offers a nifty little analytics section where you can track the performance of your business profile.

Citysearch.com
(Yahoo! Backlinks: 5,968,406)

Citysearch is another city guide and business directory that has similar features to that of Yelp. You can create a user account and profile, create personal lists of businesses that you like, add business to your saved favorites, and write reviews. Unless your client’s business is already listed in Citysearch you won’t be able write a review on it. In order to get listed, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee which is set by the types of services you sign-up for.

Local.com
(Yahoo! Backlinks: 38,835)

A pretty simple local search engine that specializes in local business listings, people search, jobs, and classifieds. The local search utilizes its own engine but the people search is powered by whitepages.com, the jobs search is powered by Indeed, and the classifieds are powered by Oodle . You can submit a business listing here for free. It displays reviews but these are pulled from other websites that facilitate business reviews.

insiderpages.com
(Yahoo! Backlinks: 5,264,475)

Yet another site similar to Yelp and Citysearch (recently acquired by Citysearch). Create a user account and profile, write reviews, and save favorite locations. You can add a business listing for free. If you’d like to add additional placement upgrades to your business listing you can do that at a minimal cost.

Judy’s Book
(Yahoo! Backlinks: 1,214,656)

Judy’s Book is more about finding local deals but it also has an end user business review aspect to it which allows account and profile creation. You can create business reviews for free.

Other Local Search Sites of Use:

truelocal.com (Yahoo! Backlinks: 8,327)
superpages.com (Yahoo! Backlinks: 1,862,098)
dexknows.com (Yahoo! Backlinks: 135)
localeze.com (Yahoo! Backlinks: 159)
local.yahoo.com (Yahoo! Backlinks: 4,790,187)

• Live: Micro Communities, SMX Social Media NYC
• Gray Hat Search Marketing Trick 001
• A Guide to Link Building: Bookmarking & Social News Sites
• Starting An Internet Media Business? Startup Business School Has It All.
• How to SEO Your Site in Less Than 120 Minutes