You’re wise enough to know you need more than just a website for your small business to be successful. You know you need search engine optimization, but you don’t know much about it.
Well not to worry! You’ve come to the right place!
Today’s post is just for you.
It’s a Local SEO crash course for small businesses.
So rev up those engines and get ready to dump the clutch.
Read on!
Blog Harder
It has been stated time and time again: Content is king.
In the years to come, if you want your business to be successful, you’ll need to deliver not just quality content, but the best content.
So the single most significant thing you can do for your SEO is to create regular, fantastic content. If it indeed is the best, you’ll receive a ton of shares as well as those sweet, sweet, natural backlinks.
Local SEO Crash Course
Google Business Profile isn’t just your friend; Google’s free business listing is now a necessity.
Make sure the name, address, and phone number (NAP) are the same on your website, Google business, and every other directory where you will be placing your business information.
Failure to do so can confuse web crawlers, and you won’t be ranked as high as you should be.
Furthermore, these directories provide backlinks, helping to flesh out a robust profile to help increase your local rankings.
Get Online Reviews
Especially on the local level, often the first interaction potential customers have with your business is through the Google Local 3 Pack and your Google Business Profile page.
Having a decent volume of recent positive reviews will often be the difference-maker in you getting picked over the competition.
At the very least, you should set up a system by which you request reviews from your customers.
It can end up being your most potent lead generating tool in your marketing arsenal!
Get involved in Social Media
While social media doesn’t have such a significant impact on your SEO ranking (maybe 5%), there’s no denying its importance and effectiveness in broadcasting your company’s message! So get active on the social media channels your customer base frequents!
Facebook has taken its marketing game to another level with Facebook Live, and video marketing is expected to start outpacing text.
YouTube is not social media. It’s a search engine for video content. You should use it accordingly.
Your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter efforts should not just promote your site and blog, but also your YouTube channel.
Don’t ignore Pinterest, either. Even if your target audience is predominantly male, men are starting to use this image search engine more and more.
There are plenty of helpful tools available to help your social media manager juggle the content and the shares. Both free and premium. The hard part and the most crucial aspect of social media is to stay engaged.
Always reply to comments. When it comes to reputation management, you need to handle complaints swiftly, professionally, and publicly.
Potential customers and clients want to see what your customer service is like before they spend money with you.
Start Building Backlinks
While this is the most challenging part of any SEO campaign, some of it is entirely doable on your own.
Social bookmarks are a great place to start. So are blog aggregating services and directories.
Contact other local businesses to see if they interested in trading links and talk to your friends and family about mentioning your business site on their personal blogs and professional websites.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to influencers and other experts in your niche to inquire about guest posting.
The Takeaway
What makes SEO overwhelming is how much information gets thrown at you all at once.
With this basic Local SEO crash course, we wanted to keep it simple to give you an idea of how to get started and where.
For more advanced techniques, read some related in-depth content on our blog or contact LocalBizGuru today to find out how we can help with all your Local SEO efforts.
