The Local SEO industry has seen commendable growth as more and more businesses attempt to leverage the potential of local prospects. This interest has driven large search platforms, namely Google, Microsoft, and Apple, to develop programs centered around businesses reaching local customers. These programs are often designed with specific business types in mind and maintain unique requirements/availability depending on the tool.
With these tools being regularly developed and platforms even releasing new tools regularly, it can be tough to make sure you are investing in the right tools for your business. In this article, we break out the tools that we think are most effective for growing your business through Local SEO on platforms like Google, Microsoft, and Apple. For each program, we provide an overview of what type of businesses would be a good fit and the most limiting factors in leveraging these tools.
As you read, keep in mind that what is best for your business is up to you. If our description is not a perfect match but could be beneficial to your business, use the linked support pages to learn more!
Google may be the most widely known and used search engine available now. This has prompted the development of the widest set of ad options on any platform. In addition to generating almost all of Google’s revenue, these ads are an excellent way for businesses to reach consumers with their products.
Here are our top picks from Google’s ad offerings and what you should keep in mind when deciding if each option is a good fit for your business.
Google Business Profiles, GBP, previously Google My Business, is an excellent way to get started advertising your business on Google. This tool allows you to centralize helpful information like phone numbers and hours to help buyers access your products or services more easily. This profile can also include photos, branding materials, and specific attributes that help develop an identity for your business.
Local product inventory, also known as See What's In Store, is a program offered by Google that places emphasis on near-real-time reporting of product inventories at local storefronts. In this program, businesses with a storefront regularly provide Google with an inventory feed that reflects what products are presently in stock. Google then uses this information to create unique product experiences for users looking for specific products near them.
Local inventory ads, LIA, are a specific category of ads served by Google to users searching for the local availability of a specific product. This ad program has a great deal of potential for a business with a storefront and local inventory but lacks a developed online presence. This ad option will serve users your up-to-date inventory and opens up several other features that are designed to drive foot traffic to your storefront.
Vehicle Listings provide a unique advertising space specifically for vehicles of different types. These listings parallel local listings in the sense that businesses provide an inventory feed to Google that allows users to view available products effectively in real-time.
Vehicle listing ads, VLA, are an extension of vehicle listings that allows businesses to create informative ads that market their products in Google searches. These ads aggregate vehicle pictures, location, make, model, price, and mileage to better attract potential customers with a serious interest in making a purchase.
Most of Microsoft’s ad tools presently exist between the Bing search engine and the Microsoft Network, MSN. Many of the tools offered by Google are mirrored by Microsoft in Bing and allow businesses to connect with consumers in a similar way. Taking advantage of these ad spaces is a fairly straightforward chance to expand your lead generation.
Here are the top programs we think do the most for businesses trying to advertise on Bing.
Bing Places is a program aimed at providing users with standardized and correct information about businesses that match their search criteria. For businesses, this is an excellent way to ensure correct information is being listed on Bing and to make sure interested customers have the best possible experience when interacting with your business.
The MSN Autos Marketplace mirrors vehicle listings from Google, consolidating vehicle information from different sources to give users a better vehicle buying experience. This program has a current focus on allowing individuals and businesses to efficiently market their vehicles using this submission form.
Bing Auto Inventory Ads, mirroring Google's Vehicle Listing Ads, are a paid extension of the free listings available in the MSN Autos Marketplace. Businesses investing in these ads will see their vehicle listings in the Sponsored listings carousel at the top of each search. Additionally, ads that attract interest in these listings will follow users through the different Microsoft platforms.
The MSN Premium Dealers Program allows auto dealers working with a small set of third-party providers to have listing priority in related searches. Denoted by a gemstone icon in the top left of the information card, these listings will be served at the top of search results pages below the Sponsored listings.
Apple is the most recent platform to start providing resources for businesses to connect with their users. As recently as January 2023, Apple announced its new program, Apple Business Connect, that takes the place of third-party data providers to connect Apple users with local businesses. Read more about the impact of Apple’s announcement here.
Apple Business Connect, like Google Business Profiles and Bing Places, allows users to view standard and up-to-date information about local businesses. Your business can use this program to reach potential customers that are using Apple’s various services to search for products or services you possibly offer.
Only you and your team will know what is best for your business, but we hope this overview has provided some context for where to start your advertising journey. If you thought this was helpful, consider signing up for our newsletter, where we compile the latest news and platform updates in Local SEO.