For anybody who has started their business in recent years, they know that seo for local businesses can put them at the lead of the competitor pack. SEO aka search engine optimization is one of the key “success factors” of all websites, it has the ability to make or break your online presence.
Why is SEO for local businesses vital?
There are so many factors that play into how you rank in searches and at times, mystifying as to why you show up in some searches…but that’s for another day!
Search engine optimization is a process designed to ensure that your website ranks as highly as possible in the major search engines.
What are the 7 most popular search engines?
- YouTube
- Amazon
- Microsoft Bing
- Baidu
- Yandex
– source: SearchEngineJournal.com
Yup, that’s right – Facebook, Amazon, and YouTube are considered search engines. Social media and search engines are both trackable (platform insights versus universal analytics). Social platform insights focus more on the analysis of the audience’s intent, while search engines go beyond knowing who your followers are and dig deeper into what they’re thinking.
How does this help your business’ SEO for local businesses?
Well, it’s not just a few secret tweaks you can make to your website to magically propel you to the top. OK, this may happen but it’s never a guarantee.
Natural search engine optimization is of long-term benefit and a well written website will significantly increase the ROI of your website. As a business owner, aka website owner, your primary role in search engine optimization is determining exactly what it is you do, who you do it to and where you do it. Unlike a popular belief, SEO is not about tricking the search engines or keyword stuffing. Stuffing is a dish that you have at Thanksgiving smothered in gravy – yum!
I digress.
What is successful SEO for local businesses?
Successful SEO is all about ensuring that the relevant content is delivered to those who search for it.
The first step in SEO is keyword research, writing rich, relevant content about each of your focussed key phrases.
Have you ever been told by someone that they can set up your SEO and then it’s done?
You have?
Oh, then you may not like this… SEO is an ongoing process. For any online business, it is a long-term strategic decision.
When was the last time that you searched your business online? Go ahead, do an incognito search right now – I can wait.
Did it look something like this?
Creating or claiming your Google My Business listing is quite possibly the most effective way to gain visibility in Google Search local results and to rank higher on Google Maps. These are big deals when reviewing SEO for local businesses.
In order to get access (aka claim your listing) to your Business Profile to make these optimizations, however, you need a Google My Business account associated with that profile. Once you provide all of the requested information in your Google My Business account dashboard, all of that information will be added to your Business Profile, which appears in Google Search local results, the Google Search Knowledge Panel, and Google Maps.
Not sure what to do? Our Team can help you set up and optimize your Google My Business listing!
What is so great about SEO for local businesses?
Local SEO prioritizes appearing on SERPs (search engine results pages) in a specific location. When you have solid foundational SEO on your website, it helps to create a flow of online traffic after the work has been completed say as opposed to a paid traffic campaign. SEO is crucial if you want you site to be picked up by users of the popular search engines (remmeber those) as well as the other major players:
- Microsoft Bing
- Yahoo
- Baidu
- Ask.com
Optimizing your local SEO means more website traffic, leads, and conversions since the strategy is more relevant to your base of local customers. Think of this focused strategy as a way to help you compete more effectively against larger national brands that have unlimited resources to spend.
SEO changes quite rapidly. You never know when Google will introduce new features on its SERPs for local searches, but you can count on these changes coming.
ThinkFlame has been working in the digital realm for 15+ years and loves reviewing the data that SEO audits provide.
Interested in a local SEO audit, get started today!
You absolutely have questions, and we’d like to continue the conversation as well, contact us soon.
Cassandra is the Content & Social Media Strategist at ThinkFlame. There is no challenge too big or too small. She enjoys creating, integrating and managing online communities and working with clients to building up their social footprint.