Think global, act local: expand your business by thinking global but still seeing the local market.

• Author: Lutze, Heather

Many small business owners think that to succeed, they must dominate the world. After all, their product is just as good, for example, for people in Ohio as it is for Nebraskans. But often, the real business is right under their nose--right in their own backyard.

For many small business owners, though, understanding the nuances of how to attract and capture a local search audience and convert them into paying clients is a big challenge. Fortunately, a business can increase its flndability, dominate Web search results, and attract new customers in its own hometown.

How can your business stay competitive in a local market in which competition is fierce and your company offers the same perceived product or service as other companies in the area? To achieve a real competitive edge in a localized market often requires the following two key actions: getting social and getting local.

The following are some key ways to get social, get local, and get a whole lot of business.

Get Social

Social media marketing is an excellent tool in an Internet marketer's toolkit. It gives a great opportunity to demonstrate how the company is different, and it provides a real voice to the company's online presence. Many businesses that do some social media marketing do a good job of helping consumers and clients find their social media platforms off the main website. And, for the most part, they do keep their accounts updated with relevant, high-value information. However, in order to really harness the potential of these platforms, a business needs to make a few changes with a localized spin that will go a long way for search engine marketing.

Tip No. 1: Get everyone--and everything--on the same page.

A blog is the most important social media element a company can create. As such, it needs to be a part of the main website, and it must support the company brand. Just having a blog up somewhere on the World Wide Web doesn't cut it. In fact, you can have the most informational, well-organized blog in the world, but if it isn't an integrated part of your website, it's useless.

Unfortunately, most businesses have a blog that acts like its own website and that is totally separate from the company's main website. As such, the blog often gets more traffic and better Web rankings than the main site. The blog gets all the credit for the business owner's well-thought-out, regular posts, and the website gets none. Ideally, you want the website to get everything. The goal is not...