Local SEO has been a regular practice for quite a while. Below are some tips to help you use local searches to build your business.
As a marketer using local SEO, you really have to get into the mindset of someone in your target market who is doing a search engine query. You have to understand how they think to be able to optimize your site for the search engines. The trick is to imagine that you were someone doing a search engine query for a product you are marketing, and consider what words you would most likely search for. Imagine that you are the owner of a store that sells only one kind of item, golf accessories. Search engine users who type in "golf" are doing an extremely broad search and are mostly not going to be looking for what you have. If someone does a search for "golf courses," they are not looking for what you are selling either. However, if they put in "golf accessories," that's where you want to target such keywords. Many small businesses with websites bypass keyword phrases that are not the most popular but that could still generate customers. They are fixated on the top keywords that get most of the traffic, but that thousands of others are also targeting. The more you can think like a prospect, the better you can plan your SEO campaigns. As you test various keywords and come up with more appropriate ones, you will get more traffic and you'll be able to rank well for many different keywords in your niche.
When you're targeting local sites listing services such as Yahoo! Local, Bing Local and Google Places, you should first start off by logging into them and claiming your profile. Each of these sites has a fairly straightforward verification process to claim your profile, and all you have to do is complete some boxes and verify your address and phone number. Many businesses never think to do this, so it's a simple way to give you an advantage in your marketing efforts. People who search are impressed with pictures, and it makes them assume someone is more authentic, so it's a good idea to upload pictures to your profile on these local site listings. It really helps if you post a few good pictures from your site so your prospects get a look at your business. These pictures don't have to be taken professionally, but since they'll be representing your business, you have to see to it that they're decent.
Another way to get ranked well locally is to get backlinks from well established local websites, which the search engines consider important. It can be very beneficial to get a listing with a high status local organization such as the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau or similar groups. Try several searches using the name of your city and/or county/region in addition to "business directory" or a similar keyword, and you'll get a list of such organizations. Then you'll have a useful list of local websites you can try to get a listing with. You can easily locate these sites, so don't neglect to take this step. Local SEO can do more for your business than any other kind of promotions.
As a marketer using local SEO, you really have to get into the mindset of someone in your target market who is doing a search engine query. You have to understand how they think to be able to optimize your site for the search engines. The trick is to imagine that you were someone doing a search engine query for a product you are marketing, and consider what words you would most likely search for. Imagine that you are the owner of a store that sells only one kind of item, golf accessories. Search engine users who type in "golf" are doing an extremely broad search and are mostly not going to be looking for what you have. If someone does a search for "golf courses," they are not looking for what you are selling either. However, if they put in "golf accessories," that's where you want to target such keywords. Many small businesses with websites bypass keyword phrases that are not the most popular but that could still generate customers. They are fixated on the top keywords that get most of the traffic, but that thousands of others are also targeting. The more you can think like a prospect, the better you can plan your SEO campaigns. As you test various keywords and come up with more appropriate ones, you will get more traffic and you'll be able to rank well for many different keywords in your niche.
When you're targeting local sites listing services such as Yahoo! Local, Bing Local and Google Places, you should first start off by logging into them and claiming your profile. Each of these sites has a fairly straightforward verification process to claim your profile, and all you have to do is complete some boxes and verify your address and phone number. Many businesses never think to do this, so it's a simple way to give you an advantage in your marketing efforts. People who search are impressed with pictures, and it makes them assume someone is more authentic, so it's a good idea to upload pictures to your profile on these local site listings. It really helps if you post a few good pictures from your site so your prospects get a look at your business. These pictures don't have to be taken professionally, but since they'll be representing your business, you have to see to it that they're decent.
Another way to get ranked well locally is to get backlinks from well established local websites, which the search engines consider important. It can be very beneficial to get a listing with a high status local organization such as the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau or similar groups. Try several searches using the name of your city and/or county/region in addition to "business directory" or a similar keyword, and you'll get a list of such organizations. Then you'll have a useful list of local websites you can try to get a listing with. You can easily locate these sites, so don't neglect to take this step. Local SEO can do more for your business than any other kind of promotions.
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