What exactly is local SEO? And why would your business benefit from it? And how do we achieve optimal local search engine optimization?
Local SEO is super important if your business serves a specific geographical area. You want your business to appear prominently in search results, and especially for local location based searches.
Quality local geo-targeted SEO – search engine optimization – can be achieved through various means and methods. Keep reading!
Your Google Business Profile
Create or claim and then optimize your Google Business Profile. Make sure all information about your business is accurate and up to date.
Parameters that are important are: business name, description, opening date, phone number, website URL, social profiles, short name (should be consistent with the rest of your social branding), business location, service area, business hours, service options, and anything else that is relevant for your business.
Add photos of your business and products. Create posts with pictures on a consistent basis – you can give updates, post about promotions, or post about upcoming events.
Add Questions and Answers – no different than FAQs.
Local Geo-Targeted Keywords and Long Tail Keywords or Key Phrases
One always must assume that no one knows your business name and that they do not know your business even exists. When you utilize this perspective, it makes building strong local SEO from the ground up that much easier.
Use keywords and also make smart use of long tail keywords which are actually key phrases. Your content should highlight the location as well as the product or service and make use of these keywords and key phrases (long tail keywords) so that it all reads naturally.
There are many effective ways to put these local geo-targeted keywords out there in your content. Use your heading tags – H1, H2, and H3, make use of them in your title and in your meta description. And make their usage read naturally and normal – very important.
Branding and Brand Identity
Standardize your identity across all venues that you utilize and are listed in including shop local directories, your websites, social media venues. In the long term this embeds itself in people’s memories and strengthens your overall identity and reach.
This includes your business name, your social media handle or username and in the case of your Google business profile your short name. It also includes your logo or mark that you use on social media. Make it consistent (the same) across all venues. Also be sure your address and phone number – if applicable – are consistent across all venues.
Reviews, Ratings, Testimonials
A strong rule of thumb that you should make part of your routine – when you complete a task, service, or sale for a client or customer, ask for a review. Don’t be shy about this. We have a well written script that we use, and that our clients use. This script is sent out in a closing email with the request for a review. Some will leave a review, some will not. I have found personally that more leave the review after receiving the script.
If selling online in a marketplace simply message the customer that their order went out (a great opener) and then use an abbreviated version of the script. It works!
Always respond to reviews. If a great or good review thank them and let them know you look forward to working with them again. If it is a less than stellar review, respond in a professional manner. If you are wrong, make it right. If the review is anything else, be sure to respond professionally at all costs. Take the high road.
Quality Evergreen Content
Content is King and always will be. Create evergreen content that highlights your local audiences through blog posts, guides, articles, and FAQ’s.
Evergreen content written correctly stays out there in the search engines and stays relevant for years to come, benefitting your business in the short term as well as the long term.
Maureen McCullough LLC is headquartered in Hackensack, Bergen County NJ.