The idea of local search or local SEO is pretty simple really – some is looking for something in a particular geographical location. Hairdressers in Newcastle, for example.  You might have noticed that Google has started to integrate maps and places into some of there search results? Yes? Wonderful. It’s not going to get any more complicated than that.

So What Do I Have To Do To Rank For Local Search?

Good question. Glad you asked. Well, like a lot of aspects of SEO, there are a lot of factors that contribute but if you stick with us we’ll teach you the main ones you’ll need for local search.

First of all you are going to want to claim your page on Google Places.  Not sure what that is? Let me google that for you… Now off you trot to the Google Places homepage.  That’s it… it’ll open in a new tab so you can keep flicking back here and I’ll keep you right.  Now the more eagle-eyed of you will have spotted that there’s ‘Add new business’ link. Once you’ve clicked that you’ll be prompted to find your business through the phone number.

If you find your business, you can claim it as being yours, alternatively you can add a new one if they haven’t got on on their already.

The most important information you’ll need to provide is:

• Name of your company (this shouldn’t present too much of a challenge)
• Address of the business (no worries here either, I’d say)
• Phone number (make sure you double check it’s correct)
• Website address (if you haven’t got one of these then I despair, I really do)

When you click ‘next’ you’ll reach another, just as important area. The page which contains the category. And this page is certainly not to be sniffed at. Finding the proper category for your business is pretty straightforward but get it wrong and you can kiss goodbye to decent local search engine optimisation.

The good news is Google will try to help you so go with it, add up to five relevant categories that you want to be found for and that apply to your business and once you’re happy you’ve got your categories right you can fill in the other areas like your hours of business, etc. and submit the whole shebang.  In order to prove that you are indeed the business owner, Google will usually send you out a postcard within a week or so with a code on it. Whack the code into your Google Places account and the page should be live pretty soon after.

It may not be the fastest process in the world but, hell, it’s better than some looney spammer claiming they own your business isn’t it?

Okay, Okay, Google Places is important but is there anything else I can do?

Another good question. This isn’t your first time is it?

You can further improve your local search engine optimisation by making sure that:

• Address and phone number of your business is the same as your Places listing
• Address and phone number are on every page of your site (not just your contact page, you tinker!)
• The city and region are in the title of the landing page of your website (META tags, darling)

Local SEO’s an absolute doddle then?

Well, not quite, there’s plenty more you can do but that is another blog post for another day. And don’t forget, all this is very easy if you’ve got the time and the inclination. But if you haven’t, you simply can’t be bothered or you want to take your Search Engine Optimisation to the next level then get in touch, we’d be happy to come to your rescue.

1. We’ve been out battling web-villains
2. A freeze-ray backfired and froze our hands
3. We’ve been too busy building state-of-the-art websites for our lovely clients

If you chose 3 then you chose right. Otherwise go and stand in the corner.

So here we have a smattering of our latest work ready to be shoved into your ocular receivers:

Trunk Reclaimed

Nothing to do with elephants – Trunk build gorgeous hand-made kitchens and furniture out of reclaimed wood. The site is so good that it puts all other sites on the internet to shame. Really. Just check it out and see.

Enjoy Ru

Working with our design chums at WonderStuffStudio we created a whole website within a single page. Yes, I know it sounds crazy but it works I swear and it has a picture of the most gorgeous burger I think I’ve ever seen.

Pet Buddy

They came to our secret overground lair and fed our sharks but you will probably be more interested in their dog walking and pet sitting services.

Nicola Maxwell Photographic Artist

Using the finest non-digital techniques we made a scribbly-paper website for this photographic artist and arts educator. Looks great, makes her work look great. Top smart.

TRANSMISSION ENDS

They’ve worked with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall to produce the restaurant furniture for the River Cottage HQ as well as a bunch of other famous and not-so-famous folks. But that’s just not enough for some people – Trunk craved more.

Dissatisfied with their old website, they wanted something that reflected their business and their personality. We worked with our design sidekicks WonderStuffStudio to craft a website from digital trees grown in the processor of an old Atari.

This painstaking attention to detail resulted in what is, plainly put, the finest website we have produced to date. Yes, folks, sometimes even superheroes are impressed by their own handiwork and there’s so much in there to like:

• Wooden bits!
• Lovely pictures of their gorgeous furniture and kitchens!
• Pop-uppy bits!
• A shop part to sell stuff in!
• Partially transparent bits!
• Fully content managed!
• The first use of scratch and sniff in a website!

Okay we may have been lying about the scratch and sniff but the rest is true. And since launching Trunk have been in touch to let us know they’ve never had so many enquiries. In return they are constructing a 20 foot high robot for us using wood reclaimed from the Newcastle’s High Level Bridge and together we are going to rampage through the streets like some Wicker Man-style nightmare.

See what a Superhighwaymen website can do for you? In all likelihood our websites won’t just change your business, they’ll change your LIFE!

Force this through your ocular receivers – www.trunkreclaimed.co.uk

You know, Jesmond? It’s in Newcastle.

Newcastle? Oh, never mind…

Working with our design chums at WonderStuffStudio we created a whole website within a single page. Yes, I know it sounds crazy but it works I swear.

• Marvel at the ability to subscribe to their mailing list!
• Goggle at the ability to download their menu in new-fangled PDF form!
• Feel your heart flutter as you find their location using the maps of Google!
• Type breathlessly as you get in touch with them via email!
• Stand awe-struck at the sheer brilliance of the fancy-schmanzy gallery popups we built for them!

And all on on page? How can it be so?

Stop reading this. Go and see their website www.enjoyru.com

Working without a net we created a brand identity, logo, flyers, clothing and all those non-internet items people still seem so keen to cling to. And then we built the finest website a pet sitter slash dog walker has ever seen. Not content with it looking great we also included a calendar so Pet Buddy customers can book their pet sitting needs online. In your face telephony networks!

They even came to our secret overground lair and fed our sharks…
Use them for Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in Newcastle NOW!

Needing a website to showcase both sides of her work, Nicola wanted something with character.  A website with personality. But also a website that was still professional.

Two contradictory ideas? No problem! We took some of Nicola’s hand drawn sketches, fed them into our web-o-matic and out popped this hand-drawn website. Don’t you just love technology?

Feel the thrill of seeing in with your eyeholes! www.nicolamaxwell.com

Yes, folks, we donned our thermal capes and masks and descended upon an icy Newcastle Upon Tyne on Friday night to find the SMACS awards in full swing.  And what a splendid event they had organised!

A band… A disco (or is it called a rave these days…?)… The imbibing of intoxicating liquor… but first the announcement of the winners of the awards.

Full details of the winners are available on the SMACS website.  Sadly we were not lucky enough to win (Adam Maxwell’s Fiction Lounge was shortlisted in the Best Blog category) but we would like to extend our congratulations to everyone who did win, thanks to the organisers of the event and we look forward to going through it all again next year when… who knows, we might have better luck….!?

Superhighwaymen are nominated in the Best Blog category at the SMACS North East Website Awards

That is to say that the site we built for Superhighwaymen founder Adam Maxwell is nominated. Adam Maxwell’s Fiction Lounge.  You should check it out, it’s terribly good.

The award ceremony is on Friday evening and we’ll be there. We’d like to wish out fellow shortisters the very best of luck. Except those in competition with us, you lot had better watch your backs…

We worked closely with them to produce this frankly spectacular e-commerce website (if we do say so ourselves).  Coco Joy Boutique now has a thriving online shop that showcases the excellent quality of their products and reflects their quirky and unique approach to what they do.

Visit the real site. Live and online now! www.cocojoyboutique.com