Local Search Optimization Brings Business Home
Are you a business that gets most of your clients from your nearby local area?
This would include most restaurants, dentists, chiropractors, hair salons and so on. Making sure that people in your town or area know you are there is vital for you to thrive.
Google knows this and provides a strong local search element, called Local Search Optimization, that highlights nearby businesses from wherever people are searching. Local Search Optimization makes sure that your office or shop appears prominently in these local searches.
Local search success depends on several important factors, designed to communicate to search engines that you are an established, trustworthy local business. Some of these factors are:
Google Map Presence – your business must be correctly listed on Google Maps, which now is managed through your Google my Business portal. If your address is incorrect, search engines will mislocate you or not list you at all, and may be unable to tie your listing to your website. Listings that can’t be matched up to your website are less likely to be highly ranked in search results.
Google+ – your Google+ page ties to your map and is a great platform to communicate positive local reviews from your clientele. You can also manage your Google+page through the Google my Business portal.
Citations – for search engines to take you seriously as an established local business, you should be listed (correctly) in many local directories, called citations, such as Yelp, Yellowpages.com, Citysearch and so on. It is not uncommon for successful businesses to be listed in 50 to 100 or more directories.
Local Reviews – many directories provide the ability for your customers to leave reviews. The most influential reviews for local rankings will be those left on Google+ or on the other search engines. It is important to keep an eye on your online reviews and to respond to any negative reviews.
Website Health – since search results, including most local results, take into account certain factors on your website, your website should be search engine friendly and your address must match the address found in your citations.
Local links – Links to your website from other businesses that may cater to similar clientele as yours are very valuable. Other excellent links are with local business listing sites, Chambers of Commerce, local bloggers, groups you are a member of or charities that you support.
Mobile – If you depend on walk-in traffic, people need to find you on a cell phone or tablet. Your website should be configured for easy use on these devices.
Social Media – also key to a strong local presence. Be sure to set up and post on Facebook and Twitter. Your LinkedIn page is also an excellent source of referrals. Try to connect with local groups and having your local fans spread the word.
Optimizing your local business also requires good basic website optimization, regular monitoring and analysis and a lot of careful planning and strategizing to grow and maintain high local visibility.
Local Search Optimization can be less costly than organic search optimization – a great choice for small businesses
Local Search Optimization Package
We help local businesses set up their local profiles and begin appearing in local results for keywords that are important to them.
We have both One -Time and Ongoing Local Search Optimization Packages, that include:
- Set up of the above items.
- Research, selection and optimization of 10-20 important keyword phrases for local results
- Benchmark reporting – before/after rankings results
- Monthly reporting
- Training on getting reviews and using social media to benefit local results
Contact us for more information on our affordable and effective Local SEO packages, and increase your local visibility today.
