Local SEO – you know you need it, and you know WHY you need it, but do you know how to make it better?
Having a great website and a Google My Business (GMB) listing are a good place to start, but it’s not enough to get your business seen by a wide array of potential customers.
You’ve got to know the inside tips and tricks to make the most of your local SEO, and here are 6 that will take your business to the top.
- Don’t rely on GMB alone. Setting up a GMB listing should be your first step, but don’t stop there! Featuring your business in several online directories is a smart way to expand your brand recognition and boost your SEO. List your business in local and national directories like Yelp and Angi.
- Get to know your NextDoor neighbors. The NextDoor app is an incredibly useful SEO tool. Not only does it help local consumers find your business, it also provides a place for satisfied customers to recommend your services to their neighbors. It’s easy to claim your free business page, and you can even add links to your website or online store.
- Update your information regularly. The most important part of your listing is your NAP information. That’s the name and place info that tells your customers where to reach you. If you change your phone number, or move to a new location, make sure that ALL of your online listings are updated with your new address and phone number. Incorrect contact information can cause your GMB to be red-flagged and dropped from local search results.
- Improve your local keyword strategy. Target local key words. Don’t just include your industry, include your location. Why settle for “lawyer, Atlanta,” when you can be “divorce lawyer, Buckhead”? Optimize your site with your local keywords by including them in your headings, title tags, descriptions, body, and footer.
- Use your content to promote local SEO. The more content you produce, the better chance you have at boosting your SEO. That’s especially important for local SEO. When you create content like blogs or social media posts around local news and events, you can include local keywords, thereby improving your ranking.
- Stay on top of reviews. Nothing sways a potential customer more than reviews- good or bad. Thank customers for positive reviews to show that you value and appreciate them. If an occasional negative review slips into the mix, address it immediately. Not only does it show that you care about meeting your customers’ expectations and providing satisfaction, resolving negative reviews is a point in your favor for Google, and the all-powerful algorithm.
Learning the ins and outs of local SEO takes time, but it’s the most effective way to build your brand and generate new leads in your community.
These 6 steps are just the tip of the iceberg- if you’d like to take an in-depth look at SEO strategy for your business, let’s talk. Book a discovery call at https://resonetrics.com/contact
