This is a guest post by Lorna Li, Founder & Editor in Chief of Green Marketing TV.
It is the newest way to draw customers through your door, but is your business ready for geolocation? If you feel overwhelmed by people battling for mayorships or checking in to earn badges, not to worry – we will walk you through the basics of using geolocation on your website or blog and how to prepare your business for the new service!
How does Geolocation Work?
Geolocation software uses global positioning systems (GPS) on smartphones or unique IP addresses on visitors’ computers to identify where a person is located.
While these services are similar to positioning services, the geolocation is focused more on street addresses than on a latitudinal or longitudinal location.
Start Using Geolocation for Your Blog or Business
The best way to integrate geolocation services into your green business website is to start with a solid, SEO-friendly website hosting platform that can seamlessly integrate geolocation.
When you consider all that needs to be done before you can launch your website – completing keyword research, creating branding and messaging, purchasing a domain name and mapping website architecture, it is vital to use a hosting platform that is easy to maintain and update.
Many small business owners choose to use a content management system (CMS), such as WordPress, for a hassle-free website and infinite customization options.
With WordPress, you have access to thousands of free, professional themes, such as such as the WordPress Business Turnkey theme, which incorporates both a website and blog. Small businesses are able to learn just how simple web design can be when they launched a website with the free business turnkey theme.
You can find a theme for almost any business. Check out some curated lists for the best green WordPress themes, best nonprofit themes, and free magazine WordPress themes.
Introducing Geolocation to Your Website
The best part of starting with WordPress website themes is how simple it will be to integrate geolocation into your design. WordPress offers two kinds of geolocation plugins – one that will share your location and one that will update website content so it is localized for each and every visitor.
For the first service – displaying information about your location – the Geolocation plugin automatically determines the physical place from which you are updating the website or writing a blog post and includes that location information on your website.
This service is perfect for eco-friendly travel bloggers or writers who enjoy sharing information about green businesses in their communities. With this plugin, you do not need to know the address of the place you are blogging from – WordPress will figure it out for you!
How it Works
The WP-Geolocation-JS plugin is not based on where you are located, instead, it focuses on where your website visitors are. The plugin will use your visitors’ IP addresses to glean information about where they are located, and then automatically update your web content to create localized information.
For example, a visitor in Naples will see specific references to his city, while a visitor in Nashville will see localized content for her. This plugin takes the guesswork out of writing local content – it will make your website “local†for every visitor!
Geolocation is the latest craze in the social media world and your blog or business should cash in on it immediately. Build your website using WordPress to have access to the latest geolocation software plugins. These plugins allow your visitors know where you are located and instantly localize your web content for every person who finds your site.
Your Thoughts on Geolocation
Geolocation technology is still young and is not used by many people – are you ready to jump on board to be advanced and cutting edge? Share your thoughts on how you think it could help your blog, website, or business.
