SEO Tactics for Local Search

Round Sign that says certified SEOSEO is an important component of your online presence – it’s how search engines find you – and hence, how customers find you via search engines they use on their smartphones and iPads and laptops.

If you have a brick-and-mortar location you don’t want to just concentrate on SEO for your online presence – you need to concentrate on helping your local online customers find you so they can actually visit your physical location.

Google Maps – You will also want update your business info from Google Maps. Just go here to  Google Support for step-by-step instructions.

Keywords – Keywords (preferably long-tail keywords) are how people search for you in Google and Yahoo! – so in your marketing and your blog posts and on all of your social channels you want to choose specific keywords that describe your business – keywords that customers recognize and can easily remember. In your About pages on your website or Facebook Page or in your Pinterest or YouTube video descriptions – be consistent. Try searching for your business on Google – figure out which keywords (phrases) actually bring up information about your business and start incorporating those into your online presence as well.

Updated address Information – Now you would think this would be a no-brainer, right?  But sometimes people forget to update changes on their website or social media pages. Just do a quick check to be sure your links are working, your social sharing buttons are all still applicable and your contact information is correct.

Online Directories – Yelp, YP (Yellow Pages), Urban Spoon, etc. Smartphone users are out and about shopping in your area. They are using apps to find a new place for lunch or maybe they heard about your clothing boutique from a friend but forgot the address – so they are using a variety of apps to find you. Get on those lists.

Chamber of Commerce – Your local chamber of commerce is a great place to get your information seen. Find out if they can list you on their website and if they allow local business owners to drop off brochures. Visitors to your area want to experience the local flavor your community is known for – they don’t want to shop at the mall or eat at another chain restaurant. They are looking for what you have to offer – the culture and ambience they came to your city to explore. Make it easy to for them to find you.

Check for Crawlers –
You want search engines to send crawlers to your site. You want them on your pages. So if for any reason you believe that Google isn’t accessing your site (or you want to double check to find out how Google is reading a URL on your site) then use Fetch as Google.

Google My Business –
You need to claim and verify your business on Google. Download the Google My Business App and update your business location right from the dashboard. You can go to Google Support for step-by-step help on using this app.

Here are helpful links to previous posts we have written on SEO that you can use for additional tips on implementing and/or improving your current SEO tactics for Local Search:

Generate Local Business with Pinterest

5 Simple SEO Tips for beginners

6 Ingredients for Baking Up Local SEO That Works

10 Ways to Optimize Your YouTube Channel