I recently wrote about 7 Reasons Your Business Should Invest in SEO.I thought I’d write a follow-up article to address specific aspects of search engine optimization.
local
why?
I think the better question is why?
But I digress.
As a small business owner and marketer, you need to let
Google
Unfortunately, local SEO is, and always has been, a somewhat confusing topic. It’s difficult even to know where to start. Specifically for Google’s Pigeon algorithm, according to CEO Chris Rowe: jet digital marketing“Understanding organic search ranking factors becomes even more important in establishing a presence in local search.” You need to ask yourself: What is essential SEO? strategy What about local SEO?
We spoke with Scott Langdon, managing partner of nationally renowned SEO firm HigherVisibility. If you’re not sure how local search works in general, I recommend checking out Josh Steimle’s Forbes post to get an idea.
Image Source: Google Images
Once you know how it works, it’s time to create a strategy. Below are some of the most popular and most important, according to Langdon.
1. Create a local place page.
The first step, of course, is to have a local business page for all three major search engines (which means you have to manage three different lists and dashboards). Learn about Bing here and Bing here.
Yahoo
2. Optimize the page and categorize it properly.
First, optimizing your local page means uploading a ton of high-quality photos (discussed later in this article), detailing your business hours, and listing the services you offer. increase.
Next, correctly classifying your business is one of the most important steps to optimizing local search. Some local search engines allow you to classify your business into 2-5 categories to help you understand what your business is about. According to Moz Local (formerly GetListed.org), search engines “will not show businesses that are uncategorized, or worse, incorrectly categorized for a particular set of keywords.”
3. Accurate business citations.
You must ensure that all information is entered and that your company’s NAP (name, address, phone number) data is consistent across all listings. Your business may already be listed somewhere by someone else, but don’t panic! All you need to do is claim this listing, often also called a citation.
You can claim a quote by first checking if there is another business with the same name in the same location. Some tips:
- Use tools like Yext and Localeze to see where your company’s local listings are online.
- Consider using Google Map Maker to search for the business and phone number to see if there are any duplicate listings.
- Search for various names of businesses. If you’ve already created a list, the information is collected from the web and could be wrong.
We need to verify that you are the owner of the business, either by email, phone, or possibly by traditional mail. Services like Yext and Localeze can also speed up this process by helping create these citations and unifying the accuracy of all local information on the web.
4. Online review.
According to a study published in Search Engine Land, Google sees reviews as a key factor in ranking new carousel designs. But above all, your review is for Google users who saw your company on SERPs. Reviews are a quick and easy way for consumers to decide which links to click. Below is a screenshot of the review as soon as it appears on the SERP.
Luckily, there are various ways to improve your review count. We don’t want to show you fake reviews or give gifts to people who give us reviews (we want them to be natural), but you can put a button on your webpage to make it easier for your visitors. You can get started and encourage visitors to leave. Write a review after you’ve purchased something or visited a particular landing page, or actually talk to people at the store or company about leaving a review.
5. High quality photos.
This point goes back to listing optimization, but is so important that it deserves its own number. When users search for local businesses, they want to see photos. Most local accounts, including Google+ Local, allow you to upload at least 10 photos. Your goal is to upload as many photos as possible. It’s also important to take pictures of both the inside and outside of the actual building and take product pictures. A logo would work, but it’s better to have a real photo of your company’s building as the main photo.
To upload a photo, simply visit your local listing and click the little link that says “Add a Photo”. It’s as easy as that.
6. Optimize your website.
Part of local search is not only the actual website, but also what people say about the site on the web. Not just local lists and pages. Make sure you have contact information and preferably a phone number somewhere on the website. It’s also important to write content specific to your area, including city and region keywords wherever possible. We also encourage you to contact these organizations to establish these connections. The more people you can connect with, such as local forums and organizations, the more likely they are to visit your website and hopefully return a link!
But what about Yelp? Yelp is another hub where you can list your business even if it’s not considered a business. Selection subject Search engine. We highly recommend learning more about Yelp here. Especially if you’re in the restaurant business.
Started Local SEO?
Did you see an increase in clicks or customers?
