Local SEO: Gaining You More Customers
Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007 and the resulting rise of the smartphone, the SEO landscape has been continuously evolving. Today local SEO is an invaluable component for nearly any businesses’ SEO strategy and should be a part of yours too.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is used to provide users, who are browsing on a search engine, with results that are relevant to their current geographic location. According to Pew Research Center, 64% of Americans have smartphones today
In order to optimize your conversion of these potential mobile customers follow these five steps:
1. In your title tag on your website make sure to include the name of your business, type of business, and the city and state where it is located. For example, “Web Design Marketing Company Bower Web Solutions Ringwood NJ.”
2. Claim your Google My Business page or create it if Google has not already recognized your business. MAKE SURE to keep your NAP (name, address, phone) in your Google My Business profile consistent with the your NAP information on your website. If you already have a listing in Google for your business then simply update it since Google will penalize your site in the search results for having duplicates. If possible add as many HD photos to your profile as well, in order to engage your potential customers who come across your listing in their search.
3. Use the schema.org markup for richer snippets, which will lead to a better click-through rate for your business’s website. For an introductory to guide to schema.org markup click here!
4. Ask and incentivize your customers to leave reviews for you and your business! After you have done the work to ensure that your customers have had an exceptional experience with you, REAP THE REWARDS! Having strong reviews on sites such as Google Reviews, Yelp, and Yahoo! Local Listings will help propel you ahead of your competitors and will make it the no-brainer choice for potential customers searching for businesses in your area.
5. Having customers interact with you on social media with not only help your local SEO, but it will also help your brand shine brighter than your competitor’s and improve your click-through rate to your website. The hard part is trying to find new ways and ideas to connect to your customers in an original way.
By implementing these five steps, you will be well on your way to optimizing your business search results and in turn growing your customer base.
