Expert marketers consider local SEO one of the most effective marketing techniques available today. It allows small businesses with low budgets to stand toe-to-toe with large, established national companies. Most local businesses benefit from a strong SEO strategy. When you plan an effective search optimization strategy, you need to pay attention to a few vital steps, as per the infographic below:
Source: 99MediaLab.com.
The most important of the steps illustrated above are highlighted below:
- Website Design: Your website is the focal point of your local SEO campaign. Undoubtedly, this is the most important ranking factor, so make sure your website brings in organic, local traffic. The design must be attractive and functional.
- Responsiveness: People visit websites through a number of devices of different screen sizes. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to create a website that loads smoothly on all devices and looks good on all screen sizes.
- Content: Content is one of the best ways to draw organic traffic to your website and establish authority. Just make sure the content is of the highest quality.
- Keywords: Include a combination of exact match, board match and long-tail local keywords in your content and website.
- NAP Data: The name, address and phone number of your business should be consistent everywhere on the internet. If there is discrepancy in the information, it can impact the credibility of your company.
- Google Places: People often use maps and the navigate app to find the their location, so you should make sure the map pin is at the correct location.
You should also consider reviews, the overall reputation of your business, and take the necessary steps to establish a good image.
