Saturday 16 March 2013

Making Local SEO Work for You: The Nitty-Gritty

In today’s competitive market, it somehow seems that having a strong online presence is as important as having an excellent product or service. Being visible on the internet is more important than having commercials splashed all over the tube. Just as the market landscape has undergone a change, so also have the online marketing strategies.

Having a website for your business is no longer considered sufficient. You need to string out streamers and decorate it with fairy lights to grab the attention of the casual viewer who in effect is a potential customer. In internet parlance, what this means is that you have to add a generous amount of SEO techniques that will make your business stand out from the rest.

This article will cover a comprehensive view of Local SEO and look at the aspect of mobile SEO as well, as these two effectively go hand-in-hand. This is primarily because a large number of search volumes come via mobile devices. Let’s look at the nitty-gritty of how to make Local SEO work for you:

Local SEOThis is a very important factor as a large number of people use the Google, Bing and Apple map technologies to look for the best places to shop and dine in. Ensure that your website is adorned with photos, content and reviews from customers in addition to the main keywords.

In addition to optimization, indexing in local search engines as well as on the 3 major players, Google, Bing and Apple is a critical factor. This is very different from ranking. Indexing your site comes before ranking.

You must rank your sites locally. Use specific keywords that are community-targeted in terms of geography.

Keep track of all commonly used local searches about the service or the product that you are offering. Enlist your business on applications like CitySearch, Facebook and Foursquare so that when prospective customers check for products via their mobile phones, your business shows up right there.

There has to be a perfect balance between the product you are selling, the keywords that you use, the target location (geographically) and a good idea about who your prospective customers are.

The design of your website has to complement your product, the culture of the place that your business is located in as well as a general customer profile.

Shortlist all the local website directories that are relevant to your service or product and get your website listed in all of them or at least in the major ones.

Make use of Social Networking Sites. Today, they all offer local SEO and give you maximum media optimization. Building a strong community network helps you build credibility in the market.

Do not omit installing analytics on your site as it helps in making online marketing decisions. This is a key factor with Local SEO. It helps you understand what works for you and what doesn’t. It helps you with re-strategizing.

If you feel that going technical is not your cup of tea, use the services of an SEO expert. Understand the concept behind Local SEO and do not undermine the impact that it will have on your business. Above all, be innovative, think smart. Look at your business from the other side of the fence – put yourself in the customers’ shoes. After all, marketing is a lot about being able to catch the vibe of your target audience and using it to your advantage.

This guest post was written by Stanzil, who is a local SEO expert and a full-time blogger. He loves writing on internet marketing and search engine optimization.


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