According to Search Engine Optimization expert Gem Webb, Google had added geography to its search algorithms. What does that mean? If you’re searching for a company that makes widgets, Google will try to include companies that are close to your location, even if you don’t include a geographic term in your search.

For small business, particularly “bricks & mortar” businesses with a local customer base, this is very good news. When it comes to getting your website found on Google, you don’t need to beat out the big players to get found. You just need to be better than your local competitors.

But how can you increase your chances of getting found by a local audience even more? There are a few simple steps you can take, to improve your chances.

First, have you noticed when you go to a website, there’s often a description of the site along the very top of your web browser? Those are known as title tags. You can control and change those tags to include keywords you think people looking for your products or services would use. Including local geographic terms is also a good idea. There are also meta tags, which visitors to your site don’t see but search engines do.

If you are using WordPress, you can use a plug-in to add or change these meta tags. I use the Platinum SEO plug-in. Once installed, it’s easy to add or change these tags. If you’re not using WordPress, get your webmaster to edit these tags for you. Or, find the nearest teenager. Odds are you can find one who can whip this off for you in exchange for a gift card for their favorite store.

But there’s another strategy you can use that’s a little more radical than tags, but in the long run will likely be more effective. Try partnering with other local businesses and work together to increase your entire community’s profile. “It’s not just building an online business, it’s building a local economy,” says website marketing expert Ryan Wiseman.

The first part of this basic strategy is simple link exchanges. Contact other local businesses and put each other’s links on your websites. This interconnectedness will help increase all your profiles on the web.

And you don’t need to worry about including “competitors” in these link exchanges. “I don’t see other graphic designers a competitors,” says Jennifer Harris, owner of Keylime Creative. “I see them as sources of information, future employees, future partners.”

This is the radical part of this strategy. Small businesses, particularly in smaller communities, need to stop looking at other businesses as the competition. They need to work together to promote the community as a whole. When businesses do this, everybody wins.

Beyond link exchanges, local businesses need to talk about other local businesses online. When you visit other local businesses and get good service or good value, write about it on your personal blog, Facebook, Twitter. If everyone makes a conscious effort to help promote each other, everybody wins.

Andrea J. Stenberg

What do you think about this idea of banding together with other businesses to help increase everyone’s visibility online? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences.