So you’re a new business, and we bet it’s been pretty tough gaining traction in your target market, right?
Especially if you’re facing competition from established brands in your area. You know, ones that have been around for a couple of years! Thankfully, all of this can change with one simple approach.
Yep, that’s right.
Doesn’t matter whether you’re a law firm in San Diego, a restaurant in Miami, or a jewelry store in New York.
Having a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy will certainly level the playing field for you.
Going It the SEO Way
See, the beauty of local SEO is that it’s changed the realm of marketing and advertising as we know it.
No longer do you have to pay for expensive ads in your local listings just to get the word out that your business is up and running.
Or maybe hope to get your first client, who just so happens to be the chairperson of the neighborhood watch; and pray to God they put in a good word for you in the next members’ meeting!
Phew! Thank the heavens you don’t have to worry about all that!
All because of the internet of things. Specifically, the ingenuity of online advertising.
As the backbone of online marketing, SEO is THE MOST vital component when it comes to determining your site ranking on search engines like Google and Bing.
As a matter of fact, check this out….
According to Google Search statistics, Google records a whopping 40,000 searches every second, which then translates to 3.5 billion searches a day, and a mammoth 1.2 trillion annual searches worldwide!
So imagine what a first page or even a second page ranking can do for your business…
You’ll be vacationing on that secluded Greek Isle, listening to Sade’s Sweetest Taboo in no time!
Sounds nice. But let’s snap back to reality for now….
A first-page ranking might feel elusive at first. But with the right research, patience, and dedication, you might find yourself seeing growth in organic traffic in time.
Keeping this in mind, here are 4 major SEO tips for local businesses that, when used correctly, will gradually increase your SEO ranking as well as online presence!
Optimizing your listings on Google
Hmm, optimizing your listings, does this sound remotely familiar? We bet it does because it’s one of the most vital factors for every website representing a business.
One thing you’ve got to understand is that Google automatically ranks your website the second it goes live, so that anyone searching for you will find you effortlessly.
And when they do, optimizing your listings- which is the process of including important information in your web pages regarding your business- is what will make it easier for them to locate you.
In fact, your website must have the following info to optimize your listings on Google:
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The NAME of your business
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The DESCRIPTION of your business. This could be content such as the mission, the vision, the goals, and the objectives of your business.
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The HOURS OF OPERATION. Are you a day, night, or 24/7 business? This can let a potential client know the right time to contact you.
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The LOCATION. Where is your business located? Is it in Syracuse, Washington, or Miami? As Khabib Nurmagomedov would say, “Send me Location.”
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The UPDATES. Have you made any major updates lately? Perhaps moved your main office, gotten a new executive hire, or even added some new products and services to your arsenal?
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The REVIEWS. Honest reviews let your potential clients know that you’re an honest and trustworthy business.
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The MENU. We can’t reiterate how important this is. Nearly every major business has a menu showcasing the different parts of its website that appear on a search. Everything from Products, Services, Contact Us, Blog, and so forth make for easier navigation.
Hold on, but what if I’m a local business planning to go national?
Well, if you’re a local business planning to sprout your wings and soar the National way, then not only do you have to first optimize your local listings, but also invest a lot of time (and money) in OFFPAGE OPTIMZATION.
Hmm, but Good Monster, what is off-page optimization?
Well, let’s break it down for you. Offpage optimization refers to all the tactics applied by your business outside of its website to create multiple high- quality backlinks that will inevitably improve the position of its website’s search ranking.
Everything from backlinks to anchor text, to domain popularity, are facets of off-page optimization.
Many national business prefer to hire a local SEO company to undertake their off-page optimization strategies.
If you’re a national/local e-commerce business, then Social Media Campaigns are the way to go
Ahh, e-commerce; the powerhouse that drives all online businesses. Unless of course, you’re in the Blogosphere, which plays by its own set of rules and regulations.
For you to thrive in the world of e-commerce, you’ve got to have a strong social media presence. We’re talking about the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and just about every other famous social media platform out there.
But how do you get such a massive following?
By having a series of great social media campaigns that ‘hook and sink’ as many social media users as possible.
There are many ways in which you can get started with your social media campaign.
However, most national e-commerce companies prefer to hire the services of professional social media strategists to handle all matters pertaining to social media on their behalf.
Last but not least, for both local and national businesses, hello keywords!
No matter the size of your business, keyword optimization is one of the major components of your SEO strategy.
That’s because factors such as keyword value and keyword density are some of the elements that Google bots use to determine the significance of your web page.
Are your keywords worthy enough to merit a first page ranking for a particular query?
Over the years, keywords have evolved dramatically. So much so that strategies such as keyword stuffing are pretty much dead right now, unless you want to get penalized by Google.
So we did a bit of researching and figured out some nifty ways to increase your keyword value for your website. PSST! Don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret!
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Placing a keyword in the description of your picture- The pictures that you have on your website are more than just objects of aesthetic value.
As a matter of did, you know that Google actually shows the pictures of your website as part of your ranking?
So next time you have a caption or background picture text, make it a habit to include at least one keyword in there!
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Keywords as part of your tags- Whether it’s your title tags or your web page tags, include at least one or two keywords as part of them to improve the value of your keywords.
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And of course, the proverbial keywords in the text- Yes, as part of the Google business spectrum, it’s a given that you’ll have to include some researched keywords in sections of your text. Remember, the higher the value and positioning of your keywords, the better your chances of ranking.
And voila folks! All good things must come to an end. But we do hope that you’ve internalized all we’ve mentioned in terms of building your brand in the realms of SEO.
Do you have any questions about SEO strategies and directives? Feel free to send us a comment or email here at Good Monster!
