So you want a better ranking in the local scene...
For the average small business owner,
building local SEO presence is one of the most effective tactics in
growing your business in your area. The good news is that it’s also
much easier to build local SEO than it is to try to compete with the
big boys in the industry nationwide. Here are 5 tips to help you get
started:
Check your NAP listing format
on your website and across the web. Your NAP is your name,
address, and phone number. I recommend using a schema generator like
the one found here: http://www.microdatagenerator.com/.
Your goal is to ensure that the same format is listed across the web as this will help search engines place you correctly when people do local searches. Also, by having the exact same format across web listings, it strengthens your authority and validity according to search engine rankings, thereby increasing your chances of being found.
- List yourself on places like Google+, Facebook Pages, and Yelp. These websites carry a lot of weight when it comes to local listings.
Plus, they give you the ability to monitor and respond to reviews. The worst thing a local business owner can do is have negative reviews on major sites without a response.
These extra pages also increase your chance of being found or clicked on. What if both your main website and Google+ page showed up on the first page of organic search results? That would double your chance of being clicked on by a potential customer! The time needed to set these pages up is minimal, so it’s definitely worth doing.
Build your website text with local SEO in mind. You will want to do basic keyword searches using Google’s free Keyword Planner Tool. You can even specify to Google that you just want to search in a particular region or city to better narrow down results.
What would people search for when trying to find your product or service? In addition to including mentions of your city or street address, are there locally specific things you could mention as well? Maybe it’s discussion of local events or places. Maybe it’s something more specific to your area, like if you’re a construction company and you have many old homes with wood shake roofing that needs removal in your area. Building SEO for “shake roofing removal” has a good chance of upping your local rankings as they are not common in most areas these days.
- Create unique pages for different local keyword groupings. Maybe landscaping and lawn care is on one page while tree removal is on another. By creating specific pages for different services, you increase the likelihood of customers finding exactly what they’re looking for when they land on your site. This lowers your bounce rate, which also increases your page ranking.
Creating unique pages also gives you the opportunity to build more specific keywords into your site, which is always a good thing.
- Build links to other local sites. The more links you have from other local sites the stronger your ranking will be in local searches. Do other businesses have blogs? Ask to do guest posts. Are you running any cross-promotions? Ask them to include links on their website and social media postings. Also, don’t forget to include your website address in your own social media profiles and posts! The more links the better.
The Takeaway
While building local SEO is an ongoing
project, building a strong foundation doesn’t take much time and is
definitely worth it in terms of increased awareness, leads, and
sales. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much it can help your
business grow.
If you need local SEO help, get in touch here:
Cloud Inspector Web Design
721 Franklin St
Oshkosh, WI 54901
920-379-3071
If you need local SEO help, get in touch here:
Cloud Inspector Web Design
721 Franklin St
Oshkosh, WI 54901
920-379-3071
