Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential practice when it comes to generating global traffic to your website, but what if you are looking to capture local traffic?
Say for example, you run a cocktail bar in Manhattan. It is great that your SEO efforts mean you are reaching someone in Australia, but it is very unlikely that they are going to visit your establishment to order an Old Fashioned anytime soon.
What local businesses need to concentrate on is, local SEO in order to engage local traffic and bring in new business to your physical location. Luckily, we are here to show you local SEO tips, including the golden rules of local search engine optimization.
Successful Local SEO Tips for your company
If you want to see what successful local SEO looks like then just head on over to Google and type in “cocktail bar Manhattan NY” – you should see something like this:
And because these three bars have worked hard at local SEO, they are increasing their chances of gaining more customers and increased profits.
Sounds pretty good, right? And do you want to achieve this for your business too? Of course you do, so let’s take a look at how you can.
Establish Your Contact Details
Google usually only promotes website that is trustworthy and deems a real business. One strong indicator to Google is your NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number). The best way to satisfy Google is by setting up a contact page “CORRECTLY” on your website.
This should include the following information:
- Company name
- Physical address
- Contact number
- Hours of operation
However, to really excel with these local SEO tips and show Google that you mean business, you need to go that little bit further by signing up to Google My Business.
By adding your company details into Google My Business, you are establishing your business with Google’s business directory and allowing them to link your website to your business. Just make sure your contact details match EXACTLY what is on your website to prevent any confusion.
Reviews are the present and future of local SEO
If you want to reach the top of the local search results then you need to prove you are worth it. What better way to do this than with amazing five star reviews? Google provides reviews within their search results and can make a real difference in convincing people to visit your business.
Now, you may well provide a 5 star service, but you need to make sure these are published online for everyone (including Google) to see. There are a number of ways this can be achieved such as:
- Include links in mailing lists and on receipts
- Use social media to request reviews from satisfied customers
- Follow up with satisfied customers with easy to use review instructions
If you are able to generate good reviews consistently, then Google is going to want to share this in their local search results.
Link Building is Key
The final piece of advice we are going to give you is to get started on building external links to your business. Around 15 years ago, in the dark ages of SEO, this would have involved a rather “spammy” link campaign across the Internet.
However, Google’s algorithm is too sophisticated to fall for that these days, so you need to develop genuine links, if you want to succeed in local SEO.
Thankfully, there are a large number of established local listing pages which allow you to provide details and links to your business with relative ease. They also allow you to categorize your business e.g. “restaurants/bars” in order to get you in front of the right customers.
Remember, the more established your site appears online then the more likely it is that Google will promote your website. So make sure to take advantage of these local SEO tips and integrate the Golden Rules of local search into your Internet marketing plan!
