Today business owners are
boomed by a variety of marketing channel. They are easily getting confused and don’t
really know what is the best optimizing tools for their marketing strategy.
Obviously, Search engine optimization is always going to deliver good results,
and with more consumers armed with smartphones these days it has become
extremely important that a local business has a strong local search presence. Here
are 10 local SEO tactics to help with your website ranking in local search
results.
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1. Ensure That Your Website is Mobile & Tablet Friendly
If your website is not
responsive then you are already at a major disadvantage in terms of local
search. With so many local searches being performed on mobile and tablet
devices it is crucial that your website offers a pleasant experience to those
that are visiting it from one of these devices.
When someone visits your
website on a mobile device and they have a hard time navigating it what do you
think they will do? They will simply leave and find a site that is optimized
for their device.
The small investment required
to transform your website into a responsive design is well worth it. Mobile
traffic continues to increase and there is no sign of it slowing down.
2. Get Started Blogging
Creating a blog on your
website and updating it on a regular basis is a great way to increase your local
search visibility. Your blog will allow you to create content that targets
local keywords and search terms related to your business.
Blogging provides a great SEO
benefit, but it also gives your website visitors information to read every time
they visit your website. The longer you can keep them on your site, the better
chance you have of converting them into a lead or sale. Make sure to share your
blog content on your social media profiles, further expanding your reach.
Blogging can really boost your local search reach, so make sure to include it
in your marketing effort.
3. Build Your Local Listing Pages
There is nothing tricky about
this step. You will want to claim your local listings on Google+, Yahoo Local,
Bing Local, and other popular business listing directories. After completing
your profile you will have to verify you are indeed the owner of the business
listing, and each one has a different verification method. Some will just
verify your email address and some will send you a pin code in the mail that
you will then have to enter in order to complete the verification.
Aside from the "big
3" there are additional local listings that you should make sure to
include, such as YP.com, Yelp, foursquare, and industry specific business
directories. It is important that you fully complete each profile using
accurate and consistent information across all of your local listings.
4. Make Sure Your Website is Optimized
Your on-page optimization is
very important when it comes to being found in local search. Several businesses
can rank on top if they just have solid on-page optimization, so it is very
important that you take the time to properly optimize all of your on-page
factors before you even begin to think about link building or citation
building.
Rather than list all of the
on-page factors here, you can read my company's definitive
on-page optimization guide. It includes detailed information on how
to properly optimize your website, including an example that you can follow.
5. Encourage Your Customers to Leave Reviews
Having positive reviews online
build trust and credibility, something that future customers actively look for.
It is important that you gather local business reviews the right way, and not
offer incentives or force reviews. Rather than bribing customers, simply
present them with a list of review websites and let them know that you would
love to hear their feedback.
There is no need to over think
this. You will find that most customers will be more than happy to provide
their feedback if they are simply asked. You can create a page on your website
that displays all of the review options or you can send out an email to your
customers asking for feedback.
6. Constantly Test & Optimize
The previous nine tips that we
have just discussed need to be constantly addressed. To dominate your local
market you need to always be one step ahead of the competition. There is always
room for improvement, so don't be afraid to test and make changes. You would be
surprised at how the smallest change can often result in the biggest change
7. User Experience is Key
Fancy graphics, animation, and
outrageous features are not going to help your website perform well in local
search. You need to focus on user experience first, making sure that everyone
who lands on your website can easily navigate and locate your content and
calls-to-action. Top rankings and all of the traffic in the world won't do your
business any good if your visitors leave right away out of frustration.
A clean design and simple
navigation is key. The goal of every website is to create an action. This could
be a physical location visit, a phone call, a contact or form request being
filled out, or a purchase being made directly on the website. Make it as simple
as possible for your visitors to complete your desired actions.
8. Pick Smart Social Media Platforms Based on Your Customers
Social media is a mandatory
part of your local search marketing effort, but it is counter productive to
attempt to be active on every social media platform. You want to identify the
outlets that your target audience is active on.
For example, a craft store would
want to be active on Pinterest, but a local accountant would not benefit by
being active on that social media platform. Once you have identified the proper
social media platforms to be active on you will need to create a publication
schedule. You will want to share your blog posts on social media, but you will
also want to engage with your audience a few times daily.
9. Use Visual Content
Consumers respond much better
to visual content, so use videos, infographics, and images as much as possible
in your website content. This helps your visitors stay on your website longer,
increasing the chance of them turning into a lead or sale.
Compelling content that is
packed with useful images or an infographic also helps your website attract
inbound links from other websites that link to your content. High quality
authority websites aren't going to link to thin content that provides little to
no value. Focus on improving the user experience and you will earn more links,
helping your local SEO effort.
10. Keep NAP Information Consistent
When you are creating business
listings it is important that you are maintaining consistency when it comes to
your NAP (business name, address, and phone number). It should appear on all
directory listings exactly as it appears on your website.
For example, if you spell out
"Street" on your website then do not abbreviate it as "St"
on any of your business citations. Maintaining this consistency will help you
to improve your local SEO greatly. It is also a great idea to audit all of your
business listings and fix any discrepancies. This is a great way to help clean
up your NAP profile and ensure consistency across the board.
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