Since a sizable chunk of Google’s searches is local, it calls for marketers and businesses to get their gear in order to take advantage of the opportunities to maximize the return on your time and investment.
First of all, in this age of super search engine technologies, it calls for paying attention to what Google offers in regards to listing your business and abilities. Setting up a Goggle Business account and knowing the free Google tools for SEO will give you a first start and solid foundation from which your SEO efforts should spring from. Once your main business’ information is online in such formats, you then tweak your local SEO efforts. The primary reason for this is to not only appear in the top local listings online but to dominate it. Your business may cover more than one top searchable keyword or keyphrase. You need to take advantage of all local information so that your local SEO data is both relevant and easy to access.
People search for goods and services in their local area. Plain and simple. They’ll only search beyond their regular haunts because of a rare or hard to find item or service, or due to prices. You want to take advantage of these searches so that people find your business’ website for every keyword or keyphrase relating to your niche. Anyone in a hundred mile radius looking for goods and services you provide will see your name and website posted at the top of the search engines, not lost deep in the settling dust of all those local shops fighting one another.
Every detail of your business’ information should be error-free and updated. Dig deep here. Let’s look at a scenario where local SEO is used for the primary information but also used for more in depth information you might not know is worthy of promoting.
Let’s say “Fred” has a plumbing service in Somewhere, Ohio. His first call to duty is to make sure his websites have “Fred” and “Plumbing” in the head, main title, body of copy, photos, videos, etc. This is the foundation as you’ll list every bit of data associated with Somewhere, Ohio. You list your address, phone number and put the name Somewhere, Ohio along with the zip code wherever applicable on your site, your blogs, Tweets, and social media posts.
Make Facebook Pages
Do not neglect the power of social media. Make sure you have a Facebook page or two with your business name and location in the title. Post information there featuring each product or service and note that you’re located at your location. Once you’ve got the ball rolling you get your mind focused on detailed information that can be exploited as local data for SEO.
The Details
The little details to be exploited are several. Look for and list local events. Get pics and videos and commentary about them and mention your company and its info on this type of content. Start a contest for locals to send in pics of them having fun at parades and other events. You give them a discount for sending in the most or best content and word will spread. The more data you can connect to your location the better. Reason being is that people in your area are going to Google just about everything related to your locale. That being said, you should have a plethora of local data connected to your services ranging from your basic products and services, parades, historical events, reviews, citations, and any social media communications you should address with some way of peppering such commentary and replies with data relevant to your goods and services.
Local SEO is a valuable tool and technique and one shouldn’t underestimate its value.