If you are a business owner or employee and wondering what local search engine optimization (SEO) is and how it can help grow your customer base, you are not alone.
What is Local SEO?
To explain local SEO, let me give you a quick scenario. You are craving a cupcake, so you hop on Google and search “Cupcakes Near Me” and up pops results with business names and a map.
Followed by website listings with brief descriptions.
These results are called organic or non-paid search engine results and the order in which they are shown is “earned” by the relevancy and credibility that Google feels each listing holds. Local SEO is making a planned effort to focus on activities that will increase a business’s rankings in organic listings (Google, Bing, and others). The higher the ranking listing, the more visibility and potential online interactions leading to new and repeat clients for your business.
If your business has a physical location or a home base from which you service a local area, local search engine optimization is for you.
So How Does My Business Increase My Local SEO Traffic?
First, work to ensure the accuracy of your Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP) and other business information online.
Has your business claimed and thoroughly filled out your Google Business Profile Listing? Example below:
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) listing is so important because it offers you lots of real estate to put details about your business and many other listings pull information from that listing to populate their directories. To learn more about how to set up a GBP Profile, check out this section of Google Support.
- Also, fill out and claim listings on Bing Places, Apple Maps, and Yelp if relevant to your business. Also, consider specialty directories that apply to your industry.
- Ensure that your company information listed on social media and website is consistent with your other listings.
- Consider submitting your business information to major data aggregators such as Data Axle, Foursquare, and Neustar.
If your time is tight, look for an experienced digital marketing agency to handle your online listings for you.
Once you have your online listing under control, begin to regularly add content to your website and social media that provides value for local customers. For example, if you are a car accessory business, you might do a series of articles on one day road trips in your area.
With steady, consistent focus on local search engine optimization, watch the traffic and leads for your business grow.
For more search engine optimization tips, hop over to 5 Myths About Google Business Profiles That Can Harm Your Business.
