Local search engine optimization is growing in 2014. If you are a small business and are not currently running a local SEO campaign then you are likely on the verge of falling so far behind your competitors that you may not be able to make it back. Many small businesses would prefer the local more targeted traffic over the more broad nationwide or even worldwide traffic For example if I owned a plumbing business in Phoenix, AZ. I would prefer to rank locally for Plumbing in Phoenix, AZ over ranking for the word plumbing. The site visitors I would get from the local results would like be more relevant and the would be more likely to convert into a sale once they got to my site. Because local SEO is so important to small business owners I am going to give you 4 tips that will help you dominate the local SEO rankings.
- Keyword Research and Onsite Optimization – Selecting the right keywords is critical to any search engine optimization campaign. If you select the wrong keyword then you may be ranking for a keyword that get’s little to no searches each month or you may be driving traffic that has poor conversion rates. Once you know what keywords you are going to try to rank for it is time to make sure that your site is optimized for SEO. If your site is not optimized then you might as well not even attempt to rank because it will be a waste of time and money. If your site is not optimized it may be a great time to get a website redesign as you will be driving more traffic to your website. Remember that you will always want to put your best foot forward.
- Complete Local Pages – If you want to have a chance ranking on the local results then you must complete your business’s local pages. These are pages such as Google Plus, Yahoo Local and Bing Local. Make sure that you don’t just enter the required fields you must take the time and fill in every field in order to be most successful on the local rankings.
- Encourage Online Reviews – Show that your business is relevant and it deserves to be placed highly on the local search rankings. Make sure that you are asking your clients to review your business on your Google Local, Yahoo Local, Bing Local, etc. This will not only let the search engines know that your business is relevant but also users who may be searching for the product and or services that you offer.
- Accurate Citations and Business Directory Listings – Make sure your businesses information is showing properly across that the web. You don’t want the search engines to find that you have 1 address on one site and another address on another. This can be difficult to correct but trust me it will be worth it.
These are 4 ways that you can begin climbing up the local rankings. Ranking highly on the local searches is a great way to get targeted leads to your website so don’t sit back and let your competitors take all of the potential customers that local searches provide.