Local Strategies for SEO Success

Local SEO (search engine optimization) has become vital to a business’s success. If your business operates in specific area in the physical world it is important that you do all you can to help potential customers find you in the digital world. Perhaps the most important example of local search rankings is the Google Local Pack. The Google Local Pack uses location information to display the top three local search results. For example, if a user searched “pet shop” it would display the top three pet shops near the location of the user search. The Google Local Pack has been optimized for mobile search and uses different ranking factors than traditional SEO. Significantly, the Google Local Pack results are displayed above the regular Google search results. Unlike traditional SEO, Local SEO services are designed to target particular consumers in a particular location. This usually means small businesses selling a product or service with a physical location. Local businesses that are dependent on local customers or are limited to serving a specific region can often obtain more business from Local SEO than traditional SEO services. A successful Local SEO marketing strategy requires more than just claiming directory listings, and updating address and phone numbers on Google Maps. It requires the analysis and monitoring of data.

LOCAL SEO SERVICES ARE NOT JUST FOR BRICK & MORTAR BUSINESSES

Oftentimes business owners think that only brick and mortar businesses can benefit from implementing local SEO marketing tactics. In fact, even if you operate outside of a single location local SEO tactics can assist in guiding customers to your business.

It is also worth pointing out that if your business operates in multiple areas or has multiple locations, you should use local SEO to enable consumers to find those businesses separately based on the location that suits their needs. Another fact worth noting is that over 50% of searches are now happening on a mobile device. Because of this many utilize location services within their apps and devices. This leads them to relevant businesses where they need them even if they are not searching for a specific location.

Because of this it only makes sense to have your website fine tuned to operate on mobile as well as it does on a browser. This will allow the large market share of those who search on mobile to find your business easily.

CITATION PAGES ARE A KEY ELEMENT OF YOUR LOCAL SEO PLAN

Not everybody is going to simply search for your business and end up there instantly. Many users will reach your pages through external citation pages. Citation pages involve any other site that contains information about your business.

A site can be a citation page even if it does not contain a link to your webpage. Potential customers will often use certain websites (Yelp, Yellowpages, TripAdvisor, Houzz, Servicemagic) to compare and contrast businesses. Here are a few local SEO tips to make sure external citation pages are working for you:

  • Use quality images. The average person is going to have more attraction to a website using high resolution images as opposed to old grainy photos.
  • Provide all the information you can. Many of external sites have a lot of fields for you to fill in and it can seem tedious or daunting, but be sure to fill them all in. People want to know about your business, so give them what they want.
  • Go for the paid version. This can be dependent of your budget, but many citation sites have paid versions for businesses and these can help make your business more visible.
  • Reviews help in more ways than one. Obviously when people come across good reviews they are more likely to give you a shot, but they can also help your local SEO ranking. It’s not hard to get customers to give you reviews. Don’t be afraid to ask when seem satisfied.

These local SEO tips are far from all-encompassing, but when used correctly they will drive you ahead of the competition in search rankings. Find the right local SEO services for you by customizing them to your business. Everything works together in a balanced system so use local SEO strategy as part of a larger marketing strategy.

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