Jump-Start Your Business-Think Local!

(NAPSI)-One of the best ways to jump-start any business is to take advantage of local resources. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Don't just advertise in the newspaper your neighbors read, work to get some free publicity by holding events or taking part in community charity events.

2. Join the chamber of commerce in your area. It's a great place to network and get the word out about your business.

3. Get listed in a "Local Search" service online. A study performed by comScore Networks found that local search grew 20 percent this year, 40 percent faster than searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other broader search sites. comScore also reports that 63 percent of the online population (109 million users) is conducting local searches on a monthly basis. About half of all users take their local search to the next level by visiting a merchant they found via such search engines.

Research has found that consumers typically spend about 80 percent of their income within 50 miles of their homes and that about 30 percent of all Internet searches are commercial.

For the search provider, this involves providing efficient search algorithms and solid local Web indexing technologies that can help connect the searching customer to the company. Here's what the small-business owner needs to do:

1) Determine who your customers are and what they want to buy.

2) Determine the key words these customers use when trying to find the product or service your company provides; fill your Web site (if you have one) with these keywords and make them part of your core marketing blueprint.

3) Add fresh content to your Web site regularly, including information on new products or services, as well as new specials.

4) Make it easy for your company to be found by using the marketing tools offered by your search engine provider to improve your online marketing presence, typically at very little or sometimes no cost. Explore all the available options for local search related online advertising to maximize your presence.

5) Do several searches as if you were a customer looking for your products/services to confirm that you're listed and that the information is correct.

For more details, call Local.com at (888) 854-6728 or visit www.local.com.