Local SEO Tricks of the Trade

Local SEO and Some Tricks of the Trade

Compared to nationwide SEO, local search engine optimization is accomplished a little differently. The principles and the goals remain the same; that is create and organize your business’ website in such a way that it places high in search engine rankings and is thereby visible to the public. You want your business to go from Lost to Found in the hopes that you will increase your business. That’s it. That’s what small business SEO is all about. However, there are few tips to be offered that can help maximize your local SEO marketing efforts.

  • Know the Locals

Depending on the region where you’re doing business, there can be differences in idioms or figures of speech you should be aware of when selecting the keywords for your site content. For instance locals my use words like The Windy City in place of Chicago or Sin City in place of Las Vegas. Being aware of the idioms and using them in your list of keywords will give your local SEO efforts an advantage.

  • Use Address and Contact Information

Accessible, correct address and contact information is essential. If possible put it on each page of your site. Also, listing a local phone number in text, not an image, is a good idea, even if it’s alongside your toll-free 800 number. This helps identify a location. It’s also advisable to provide directions and/or a map to your location. In addition, verify your information is correct on online local directories such as Yellowpages.cominfoUSA, and CitySearch (Los Angeles example) to name a few.

  • Link Up With Locals

Networking throughout your community is a must for any local business; and in order for your local internet marketing to be truly successful it’s important to have good quality in-bound links to your site from respected organizations and businesses in your community. The Chamber of Commerce is one example of a good networking venue.

  • Get Reviews

Ask your current customers/clients to give you a review on online local directories. These will increase your business’ visibility.

  • Become an Online Socialite

Depending on what type of business you have, consider establishing yourself as an expert in your field by creating your own a blog or using social media marketing tools such as FacebookYelp and Twitter to name only a  few. Also, relevant, newsworthy press releases can be a valuable local internet marketing tool.

  • Post Good Content

The point of creating a good SEO campaign is to get people on your site. If you want them to stay there and eventually make a purchase, the information they read must be interesting. Most people don’t really read all the content on a website, rather they scan it. So keep to brief descriptions. Use bullets, highlights and pictures to draw attention to relevant or important information you want to make sure they don’t miss. Also, make sure your content doesn’t sound contrived or overstuffed with keywords as this can threaten your credibility.

These are just a few tricks of the trade that will help get started on launching your local SEO campaign; however if you follow them, your competitors will think you hired a local SEO expert as they watch your search engine ranking begin to soar.

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