Web Development

To most people, localizing a Web site means modifying an international site for different languages or business norms in other countries or cultures. Although that is an effective and increasingly common practice as more businesses go global, there is another side to Web localization that can benefit your business. That is optimizing your online presence in the immediate geographic area where you do business.

More and more, consumers are using the Web to find products or services in their local communities, yet if your Web site is not optimized for such searches, you can lose out on valuable traffic. If you’re an independent video rental store, dry cleaner, or jeweler, localizing can give you a marketing boost in competing against nearby franchise operations with huge national advertising budgets. So how do you target a geographic subset of the Internet?

International and Local Appeal

Popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo have built-in geo-targeting features that tailor search results to the areas from which users are logged on. The results you get searching from Ontario, Canada, for example, will differ from what you get in Ontario, California.

“Search engines have gotten smarter and more sophisticated, so they know your IP address and your origin, allowing them to deliver geographically tailored search results or shoot that information faster to the top of sponsored link pages,” says Tony Pietrocola, executive vice president of Bridgeline Software, a Web application developer in Minneapolis.

But to ensure your organization gains a coveted top spot in search rankings, your Web site should be optimized for local searching as well. Experts also say you should consider Web advertising strategies that allow you to target just those regional or local markets where you seek business.

It is possible to have both an international and local presence on the Web, says Lee Odden, CEO of Top Rank Online Marketing, a Spring Park–based firm specializing in search engine optimization. Using the right keywords in the right spots on your Web site, as well as being included in the right online directories, can make it easy for search engines to find your business.