SEO 101 - Where Do I Begin?

If you own a business, you want customers to be able to find you.  Listing your business online has rapidly become the most effective way to connect with customers, and local searchers make up a sizeable percentage of those customers.  Gone are the days when people flipped through the Yellow Pages to find local businesses; today, over two billion local searches are conducted every month on search engines like Bing and Google.

One of the components of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is local search optimization.  This helps people find your local business when doing an online search.  SEO experts understand that tailoring websites for local searches helps to:

•  Rank higher in local search databases like the online Yellow Pages or other business directories
•  Promote your brand and local identity, connecting with customers from your area
•  Keep costs down by taking advantage of online searches rather than expensive Yellow Page or print ads

Recent studies have indicated that between 59% and 79% of all consumers use search engines to find businesses local to them.  The time is now to optimize your web presence so that you can get more business into your door.

A reputable SEO company can help your business make those important local connections, boosting your business revenue and attracting a steady stream of new clients to your establishment.  Optimizing for local searches comprises several steps, and the best SEO experts will:

•  Promote your company’s listing in directories
•  Submit your listings to local databases and directories and prepare them to be indexed by search engines
• Create new listings for your company or modify existing ones for maximum impact
• Tailor your listing to include all the relevant information your potential customers are looking for, including hours of operation, contact information, and products or services on offer

The first step is to identify keywords that searchers are using when looking for a business like yours.  Take a look at your competitors; their websites may offer you suggestions on which keywords are effective and how you can separate yourself from a crowded marketplace.  Adding relevant keywords and terms to your site’s content pays huge dividends in search engine placements, especially when considering local searches.

Second, creating social media profiles on platforms like Google Plus, Facebook, and Twitter can help you make those important connections with locals, encouraging them to share your information with their peers.  Next, optimize your website content with the local keywords and other information like ZIP codes or city names, helping the search engines index your pages correctly for local searches. 

Another way to boost your local search standings is to capture the mobile market with pages optimized to display perfectly both on desktops and smartphones/tablets.  Consumers spend a lot of time doing local searches on mobile devices, so it makes sense to be sure your website can be accessed through these devices.

Finally, reach out to your existing customers – make sure your web presence has a means of leaving feedback, reviews, or user comments.  This user feedback can boost your placement in search engine results. Having customer feedback put into a YouTube video is a great example of how to optimize your website with content: