What would happen if you went to your favorite search engine and typed in “plumber”? Chances are that most of the results will be for local plumbers. That’s because people want businesses that can come to their home or business and do the work they need.
What is local SEO? It’s the process of optimizing your business for google, yahoo and bing to get your business listed on the front page of your local area. This means that when someone searches for something related to your industry, they will see you on the first page and hopefully click through to learn more about you or become a customer.
Trying to optimize your website or blog on a national level is going to be a waste of time. You have to narrow your focus down to your local area and hire the best SEO service providers. Here are 7 tips that you should use when you’re working on SEO for small businesses.
Make sure you’re on Google Places
Google Places is an online directory that’s designed to provide nearby customers with information about your business. The pages in this directory are indexed by Google and so they’ll appear in search results if someone searches for your business name or other relevant keywords. You can add your listing manually or let Google Places do it for you with a review from your existing website.
It’s important to recognize that local SEO is comprised of three sub components:
- On-Page Optimization: This includes building local citations and using the right keywords in the right places.
- Link Building: In order to get found by local searchers, you have to have links pointing back to your website.
- Social Media Marketing: If you want your business to be found on social media, you’re going to need social signals.
Find your target market
If you already have a location, find out what your target market is doing and who they are following on social media. Knowing this information will help you narrow down your audience and decide which social media platforms to use. If you don’t already have a location, think about where your target market is most likely to hang out on social media. Are they active on Twitter? How about Facebook? Does your target market frequent Instagram or Pinterest?
Be Consistent and Engaging
It’s important to post regularly to social media. You don’t want to spend too much time on one platform as it might be getting more attention than other ones. You also want to make sure that you are posting engaging content that is relevant to your brand and targeted audience. This will help build trust with your followers and encourage them to return for more content in the future.
Optimize your website for local searches
While it’s still important to optimize your site for the right keywords, you’ll also want to make sure that your site is easy for people in your area to find. Include your address, phone number and business hours in the simplest format possible. Also include Google Maps information and reviews from sites like Yelp!
Know your audience and what they want
Local SEO means targeting your audience in the most effective way possible. It means knowing what they want and giving it to them on a silver platter. If you have any problems with customer service or delivery times, fix them immediately. You don’t want disgruntled customers writing bad reviews on sites like Yelp!
