As a small business owner, you are most likely an expert in your field. You know your trade,and have found offline advertising techniques that work for your business.

But is there another way to gain leads, attract new customers and build your reputation to the masses?

Absolutely. By employing online Local Search Marketing Services, you can reach thousands of consumers on the internet.

Review these statistics, and decide if your business needs an online presence:

• There were 5,981,044 searches on Google just in February 2010 (The Nielson Company)
• 70 percent of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses. (Kelsey Group)
• 73% of activity online is in one way or another "related to local content" (Google)
• 97% of Internet users in the U.S. gather shopping information online, and 51% "Shop Online then Purchase Offline" (NPD Group)

If you would like to either create or revitalize your web presence, there are numerous marketing techniques that can be used to accomplish this. The goal of these techniques is to reach page 1, position 1 for your keyword on Google local search. And while these techniques can be applied by anyone, I recommend that a professional that provides local search marketing services be consulted before initiating an online campaign.

A Local SEO Consultant should perform a competitive marketing analysis that defines your competition, their strengths and weaknesses, backlinks, etc.

As a Dentist, would you drill random teeth looking for a cavity? Or do you examine and x ray your patient's teeth to get an overview of the necessary work? A competitive analysis is like an x ray of your online competition.

If, after reviewing the competitive analysis, you wish to proceed on your own, I've listed some techniques that may be employed to gain page one of Google local search.

1. It all begins with an optimized website. This publishing platform should have correct title page optimization, internal links, site maps, keywords, meta data etc. A WordPress self hosted blog is a great choice. Stay away from flash animation sites. A flash site looks cool the first time, but your clients will tire of it quickly. Your domain name should be geographically keyword optimized to compete in your local market, as in Tampa Dentist.com. You can get a vanity domain name ie. BobJonesDDS.com, but you'll rank more easily on the search engines with the former.
2. Utilize local directories. Create or claim your listing on Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp and more. Encourage your clients to add testimonials.
3. Write articles on your blog. This will keep your clients entertained and encourage search engine spiders to visit. Google loves fresh content.
4. Add lead capture to your site. Offer a free report to obtain the name and email addresses of visitors. Follow up and turn them into clients.
5. Video Marketing: Create videos of yourself and client testimonials. Place them on your site and submit to Youtube and other sites. Google owns Youtube and ranks videos well.

This is but a thumbnail sketch of an online marketing campaign for Dentists and many other professionals.There are many more powerful ways to achieve traffic and rankings for your website.

But, if you are like many Dental professionals, you have very little time to implement these strategies, much less test and review your results regularly. The services of an expert in local search optimization will more than pay for themselves long term.