Do you want to be the most successful business in your city?
Local SEO can help you get there.
For those of you that have a business with an actual physical location, the term “Local SEO” is very important.
In the website marketing world, there are so many different terms and techniques that are thrown around it can be very difficult to keep up with them all.
In this article, we are going to give you a brief rundown of what actually is Local SEO. From there you will have a better understanding of why this helps your company as well as some steps you can take to start.
Local SEO and its difference from National SEO
For those of you reading this article you probably already know what SEO is, Search Engine Optimization. For a quick summary SEO marketing are techniques used to make your website more visible to people searching for your type of service or product.
While SEO on a national and local level has many similarities, there are some slight differences. In the case of local SEO, you will want to create a local Google profile as well as profiles on other similar platforms so that it shows up on local listings.
Also having lots of positive reviews on your Google Places page is very important for local SEO. When viewers are searching for a web designer in San Diego for example, if your web design company has a lot of positive reviews in that region it is much more likely to show up.
Types of businesses that benefit from local SEO
Any business that has a physical address benefits dramatically from local SEO. If you have a physical address and would like people to actually visit your location local SEO is necessary. Examples of these types of businesses include local restaurants, dentist offices, real estate agents, car dealers, etc.
Does a business location in relation to the city center have an effect on local SEO?
Google uses a type of technology that is known as “centroid bias”. This means that companies that are located near the city center are going to appear first on a local search. To give you an example if you look up web designers in Carlsbad the first hits that will appear will be located closest to the city center. As you scroll down the search listing you will start to see listings of web designers that are located farther from the city center.
Using on-site optimization specific for local SEO
On-site optimization is very similar when developing content for both local SEO and national SEO. However, there are still some web design techniques that go specifically with local SEO.
Your name, address and phone number should be listed on every single page of your website. The best way to make this look natural is to have it located in the footer section of your web page. Also, make sure that the city location of your business, as well as state, is mentioned throughout content in your web pages.
Always keep in mind that web design looks best when the content is visibly natural for the reader.
The most important aspects for boosting local SEO rankings.
There are two very important things to have that will dramatically boost your local SEO rankings. The first is the number of reviews you have on Google places. The second is the concentration of positive reviews that you have.
Having a good business with a good reputation for service is very important for local SEO. It is very easy for a couple of people to let the world know via web reviews if they receive bad service at your location.
Recommendations on how to receive online business reviews.
Keep in mind that people who visit your business may not know that they can give you a review on your website or on some type of media. Have signs around your business informing customers that they can rate your service. Also if you receive customer information such as an email address make sure to reach out and contact them telling them to give you a review. If you don’t get a review you may still get some repeat business, which at the end of the day is exactly what you are looking for.
Make sure that you are not trying to buy reviews from your customers. You want the reviews to be genuine. Although Google can not exactly tell whether or not reviews are fake, they are consistently getting better at sifting through reviews that do not seem genuine. Do not try and cheat the system.
Should you use a local SEO company for your website?
This depends a lot on your budget. You can always try to learn it yourself and spend the hours it takes to do local SEO the right way.
The problem is that you are not an SEO expert. By the time you learn local SEO and do the work who is going to run your business?
Local SEO companies know what must be done to improve your rankings. Although they may be more costly, but you are more likely get the results you are looking for.
Also if you are hiring a web designer to design your website he or she will have general knowledge in the area. They will be able to advise you on how effectively they can perform the task or if you should outsource it elsewhere.
How much should I expect to pay for local SEO marketing?
This has a lot to depend on whom you are using for your local SEO marketing. Some of the more basic providers may charge around $1500 a month. Prices can go up to a several thousand dollars a month as well. It often has a lot to depend on how competitive of an industry you are in as well as how many locations you have. Keep in mind that you typically get what you pay for.
