Local SEO

You’ve probably heard by now that local search engine optimization is important for marketing your small business. That’s partially because Google has replaced the Yellow Pages as a primary source of information on businesses in an area. It’s also because more shoppers than ever are looking for companies to work with on the go (from their phones and tablets), and because local SEO gives small business owners the chance to compete head-to-head with bigger brands.

It’s one thing to understand the importance of optimizing your site for local search, however, and another thing to put that knowledge into action. That’s why today we’re going to share five simple ways you can get your website to the top of Google’s local listings quickly…

#1 Research and Use Geographic Keywords

As with any form of search engine optimization, your first step to getting more website visits should be researching the right keywords and putting them on your website. These could include your city name, your neighborhood, your state or province, or any areas in which you have large numbers of customers.

#2 Put Maps and Photos on Your Website

Don’t just tell customers (and Google’s search spiders) where you are – give them maps and photographs to work with. You could also include ZIP Codes, telephone numbers, and other secondary indicators of your location. These make you easier to find online and in the real world.

#3 Give Buyers Directions to Your Office or Location

Driving directions are important enough to warrant special mention. In particular, you should have directions that come from several different starting points (if needed). You may also want to include options that begin with interstates, airports, or public transportation routes if your customers use them.

#4 Submit Your Contact Info to Local Business Directories

In days past, business owners would promote their websites on local business directories to generate backlinks for search engine optimization purposes. These don’t have much value anymore, but the directory listings themselves still do. That’s because Google can use them as corroborating information when looking at contact details to show on the first page of search results.

#5 Create Profiles on Major Review Websites

There are a couple of reasons to make sure your company is represented on local review sites (like Yelp or CitySearch). The first is that these give you more search visibility. The second and perhaps more important reason is that a lot of customers will read reviews before contacting a local company. So, the more you have people saying good things about your business, the more effective the rest of your local SEO efforts will be.

When it comes down to it, getting started with your local search engine optimization campaigns is easy and affordable.  So, if you could use some help putting these ideas into action, contact us today and let us put our minds to work for you!