The battle for local searches

With Google replacing Google places with Google + Local pages (Search Engine Land - Google Places Is Over, Company Makes Google+ The Center Of Gravity For Local Search), I thought I could take a bit of time talking about local searches and their importance in today's SEO world. 

What is a local search?

A local search is a search done for a specific set of keywords with a location in the search query (dentist SW19 for example). Historically, this search would have returned websites using these keywords within their content, but Google Places changed all that. By registering (and verifying) their company with Google, local businesses could achieve high rankings in SERPs. Since Google displays local results above "other" natural results (see example below).

Why use SEO & PPC for your business

The SEO vs PPC debate has been going on for many years, but in today's increasingly competitive online environment it has no reason to exist anymore.

A lot of businesses still seem to be confused as to what the benefits are to using different marketing channels, especially when it comes to search marketing. So in order for you to invest your marketing dollars (or pounds, euros...) in the correct areas, here's a quick overview of why you should consider using SEO and PPC (paid search ads) for best results.