A website is only an effective marketing tool for your local business if customers can easily find it online. When a nearby customer searches for a product or service that you offer, you want them to see your website located at the top of the results. While you can always pay for targeted traffic using AdWords, another strategy is local search engine optimization (SEO).
What Is Local SEO?
Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy that consists of optimizing a business’s website so that it ranks higher in the search results for local searches. All major search engines, including Google and Bing, display customized results based on the user’s geographic location. Using this strategy, you’ll boost your site’s search rankings for these valuable local searches.
Name, Address and Phone Number
One of the most important elements to include on your business’s website for local search is its name, address and phone number (NAP). These geographic identifiers help search engines determine where your business is located, which in turn promotes higher rankings. Rather than including your business’s NAP on a single page, though, you should include it every page of your site, such as the footer or header. Additionally it is vital that this information is consistent and accurate online on any website directory it is listed on, as this is another ranking factor in google’s algorithm.
Google Maps
Another local element to include on your website is Google Maps. Hopefully, your business is already listed on Google’s local business directory, Google My Business, in which case you can embed Google Maps on your website. Once embedded, visitors will see an interactive map on your site with your business’s address listed. And clicking this map will allow them to get turn-by-turn directions to your business.
Geographic Keywords in Page Titles
Don’t forget to include geographic keywords associated with your business’s location in the page titles of your site. If you operate a Miami landscaping business, for instance, include the city name in your title tags. Title tags display in web browsers as well as search listings, but they are also used as a ranking signal.
Encourage Local Visits
Finally, encourage customers to your visit your business’s website. When someone buys a product or service from your business, ask them to visit your site online. Search engines will notice that a large amount of your site’s traffic comes from a specific region. In response, they may increase its search rankings for searches performed from that region.
For a complete SEO audit of your business’s website, contact the digital marketing professionals at eSasson Studios today.
