Blogs are one of the most useful tools available for any business that has an online presence. One of the benefits (and some say downfalls when it comes to time), is your ability to write something new and fresh every day. The main benefit we see is you can target every possible variation of your main keywords using long tail phrases. This is especially useful for including local data that helps to lift your site in the rankings when it comes to local searches.

I have mentioned local search a few times recently. I want to point out one very important fact when it comes to local search. If you have claimed your business through Google Places then you may find you have started to increase your ranking for long tail keywords. Google displays local search results above fold for any relevant searches. I can’t say this enough, go for the long tail and  target local search factors. Blogs can help significantly in this area.

Our business is based in Toronto so if we were targeting Toronto as search engine optimization professionals, for example, it would make sense to mention this factor frequently in blog posts. This is even more important as there are significant search queries being made for ‘Toronto SEO’, for example.

Beyond textual content there are many examples that I could use, these include:

• Using photos of your storefront(s) in posts and use keywords in image name and ALT tag
• Using photos of products – again with all the right attributes
• Including address details at the end of posts – eg, this item is only available at our store located at …….
• Including the hours you are open – eg, our Toronto store is open Monday-Saturday from 8am-8pm
• Including telephone contact details – eg, contact our Toronto store at 416-555-1212
• Mentioning local events that your business may have sponsored. If not sponsored, make it a local interest story if you attended and can tie it into your niche

The aim of these posts in a blog is to frequently mention the areas that your business services. If you target neighbourhoods within Toronto, for example, or all of the GTA, then mention that wherever possible.

The end result is that your business will be strongly associated with your regions, town or city. Google is now targeting search results to users based on their geographic location. This is where you will have a distinct advantage over all of the big players.