How to Check Your Local SEO
You know about the importance of receiving an annual health checkup. Even your vehicle requires a regularly scheduled visits to the maintenance shop for a healthy tune up. What you might not know is your small business needs a regularly scheduled local SEO tune up.
In other words, you have to answer one question: Can they find me?
The “They” in the question refers to customer prospects that want what you have to offer in terms of products and services, but “They” do not know how to find your small business.
Optimizing your local SEO strategy involves making sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) is consistent throughout every online marketing channel. In addition, you want to make sure your business stands out online by enhancing its prominence in cyberspace.
The Importance of NAP Consistency
Diving into the world of digital marketing requires grasping a few acronyms. One of the acronyms that you need to know about is called NAP. The best local SEO practices are highly dependent on a consistent NAP for several reasons
Critical Ranking Factor
Your NAP information contributes to two of the five most important search result ranking factors: Website page hits and the number of online citations for your business. Citations are online references to your NAP, which Google uses in its algorithm to calculate local search results. If your business NAP is consistent on every page online that lists your business, Google will give you what we called in education extra credit to improve your search engine ranking.
Customers Want Consistency
Imagine you find a restaurant online that matches your culinary criteria. Sounds good, that is, until your drive to the location to find another business operating in the restaurant’s place. We cannot overemphasize the importance of a consistent NAP when it comes to building trust among potential customers. Just the frustration of trying to confirm the accuracy of your NAP can drive customer prospects away.
Trust Sets the Tone for a Pleasurable Customer Journey
Although you have established trust with a rapidly growing customer base, this does not mean you put NAP consistency out of your focus. You have to ensure every online channel that presents your NAP has accurate information to maintain customer trust. For example, a customer prospect found you in an online business directory. However, the same customer prospect dialed a different number listed for your business on a Yelp review board. Unfortunately, the phone number listed on Yelp is incorrect and the customer prospect moved onto another business.
Local SEO and Prominence for Your Business
A consistent NAP gets your business out in front of potential customers. Developing prominence for your business involves implementing several local SEO strategies.
Google My Business
When you think about ways to make local SEO work for your small business, you should really frame the game plan around Google local SEO. This starts by claiming your business on a Google My Business page. By claiming and verifying your Google My Business listing, your business will show up on Google search results page, as well as possibly appear on a powerful Google search result sidebar. Once again, make sure your NAP for Google My Business is complete and up to date.
Positive Reviews Make Your Business Stand Out
Encouraging your customers to leave positive reviews on your Google My Business page does much more than help your business rank higher in Google searches. According to a survey, more than 85% of customers polled consider online reviews to be as persuasive as personal suggestions made by friends and family members. To encourage more reviews online, respond to customer reviews using a professional tone, as well as suggest to customers via emails to post reviews after purchasing one of your products or services. We use MyReviewDashboard to request more reviews from clients.
Upload Content with a Local Twist
No other content marketing strategy for your business will be more effective at attracting new customers than writing articles and blog posts that contain a local element. You can write content featuring local events, activities, and news stories to give your business more prominence in the community. Another effective method for writing with a local twist is to upload videos that spotlight causes and charities that your small business supports.
Use Prominent Local Landmarks
Based out of St, Louis, Imo’s Pizza runs several clever advertising campaigns, but no other campaign has more impact on influencing customer pizza joint choices than the television ad featuring the icon Gateway Arch. Leverage the most prominent landmarks in your community by including the landmarks in email, video, and social media local SEO campaigns. The landmarks can be historic venues and popular cultural attractions, such as a movie theater or a well-known restaurant.
Get Noticed in Online Business Directories
There has never been a better time to focus your local SEO efforts by making sure your business is listed in the prominent online business directories. Here is a short list of the most prominent online business directories where you should list your business:
Yelp
Trip Advisor
MapQuest
Foursquare
Yellow Pages
Not only will listing in the prominent online business directories enhance your digital visibility, the tactic will also boost your local SEO efforts. Just make sure your business NAP is consistent for every online directory where you list your business.
Seek High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks and local SEO go together as well as the chocolate and peanut butter used to make Hershey’s Reese’s Bars. Backlinks from highly respected websites will improve your local SEO. Although you can ask for backlinks, a more subtle and effective way to enhance the credibility of your business is to present quality content that helps consumers solve difficult problems. You can also guest blog on reputable websites and interact with social media influencers that have a strong local presence.
Local SEO is Here to Stay
As you are probably aware, the best SEO practices change about as often as Google changes its mysterious algorithm for calculating search engine results. Although not quite as certain as taxes, local SEO should play an integral role on how businesses get their products and services recognized online for years to come. The key is to establish a consistent NAP across all online platforms and implement tactics that make your business more prominent in cyberspace.