Search Engine Optimization
local seo in 2013 for your small business
For any business and brand in today’s world needs an all-compassing long term seo strategies to maintain a persistent revenue stream. If you have a local business and want to target local or specific geolocation, then you’ll need a perfect step-by-step guide to local seo. Basically, local seo is a bunch of techniques that helps one’s business to target a specific local area or zone. However, it is not expensive but it is essential to have a definitive roadmap for localized seo.
Some businesses and individuals don’t need to rank on global searches to attract clients. They only want to come out on high rank on local search when someone looks for services in his local area or street. That’s where local seo comes in. Here is step-by-step guide one can follow to optimize his site locally without getting services from any seo company.
Know your customer –
Knowing your target customer is vital while you are offering services. It is also important to know what people are searching locally which they don’t find. At this point, you need to do a little bit research on what your customers are looking for. Find out the keywords they type on search box. You can use keyword research tool like semrush, keywordspy, wordtracker, and keywordeye. These four are most important and are used by most local seo services professionals and experts. When it comes to local marketing, you’re not only targeting industry specific terms but also geo-specific terms as well.
We give you the sample on how to make your search better. Put “services you offer (such as – plumbing, painting, dog training, etc) + your geo-location”. You will get some keyword ideas for you business at the end of the search page. You can choose only those which have less competition with more searches. With a view to getting on top in local search, you can also take most popular competitors’ website to get keywords ideas.
On-site optimization for local search -
Once you have defined or set your business keywords, the next step is to do some on-site optimizations on your business website for local search. It is time to let search engines know what locations you’re targeting. For this, you need to put geo-location, keywords, and key phrases in the following places on your website.
1. Title and Meta description –
when we talk about search engine ranking factor, Title comes first, and most search engines filter pages from its database with the help of title. So it is a very important area that should be considered when you want to rank higher. Here is example, how to fit keywords naturally in Title tag. The standard length must be 10 to 56 characters.
Target keywords + geo location + your local phone number or brand name
However, major search engine giant Google and Bing has officially told in 2012 that they will not count Meta description as a ranking factor. But Meta description is one of the places from where search engine knows about the page. So put only informative sentence related to page. Don’t put keywords in it because it is ignored by search engines.
2. Putting local address and contact numbers on all pages –
If you put your business address and contact numbers on every web page of your website means you’re sending the signals to search engines that you are the business for that particular area. But you ensure that you put it on text not in image. It is also important not only for desktop but also for mobiles, tablets, iPhone etc. This is a good sign of getting attention from search engines while showing the results. You should do it smartly so that people can click over it.
3. Creating location-specific page-
Another way to optimize your site locally is to create separate location-specific page. You can do it only when you have one website and want to target more than one location. Create a physical page with complete address details like region, city, state, or country and phone numbers.
4. Creating a geo-sitemap and KMP file–
Create a geo-sitemap Use geo-location sitemap generator to generate KMP file and sitemap for your website. Go to webmasters tool and submit both of files and verify them by either using analytics code or add it through webmasters tool.
Create a business profile on Google-plus
Create a business profile and link them on your site. Also verify authorship via webmasters tool and submit your image.
Local Directories –
After finishing on-site local seo, you need to move for local directories. Submit your site in local business directories which have high domain authority or trust citation such as google places, manta, yellow pages, yelp etc.
Claim your business –
Claim your business wherever you find you business on business listing websites. Find out those websites and claim with your proper web address and contact numbers.
Get a review from your customers –
Major search engine give rank higher to those websites who have been positive review from their customers. Try to create a page on your website where customers can write review about your services. The more positive review will be more positive rank in local searches.
Link building for local keywords and make them social –
Now, you need to do link building and then spread your services among people via social networking sites.
For any business and brand in today’s world needs an all-compassing long term seo strategies to maintain a persistent revenue stream. If you have a local business and want to target local or specific geolocation, then you’ll need a perfect step-by-step guide to local seo. Basically, local seo is a bunch of techniques that helps one’s business to target a specific local area or zone. However, it is not expensive but it is essential to have a definitive roadmap for localized seo.
Some businesses and individuals don’t need to rank on global searches to attract clients. They only want to come out on high rank on local search when someone looks for services in his local area or street. That’s where local seo comes in. Here is step-by-step guide one can follow to optimize his site locally without getting services from any seo company.
Know your customer –
Knowing your target customer is vital while you are offering services. It is also important to know what people are searching locally which they don’t find. At this point, you need to do a little bit research on what your customers are looking for. Find out the keywords they type on search box. You can use keyword research tool like semrush, keywordspy, wordtracker, and keywordeye. These four are most important and are used by most local seo services professionals and experts. When it comes to local marketing, you’re not only targeting industry specific terms but also geo-specific terms as well.
We give you the sample on how to make your search better. Put “services you offer (such as – plumbing, painting, dog training, etc) + your geo-location”. You will get some keyword ideas for you business at the end of the search page. You can choose only those which have less competition with more searches. With a view to getting on top in local search, you can also take most popular competitors’ website to get keywords ideas.
On-site optimization for local search -
Once you have defined or set your business keywords, the next step is to do some on-site optimizations on your business website for local search. It is time to let search engines know what locations you’re targeting. For this, you need to put geo-location, keywords, and key phrases in the following places on your website.
1. Title and Meta description –
when we talk about search engine ranking factor, Title comes first, and most search engines filter pages from its database with the help of title. So it is a very important area that should be considered when you want to rank higher. Here is example, how to fit keywords naturally in Title tag. The standard length must be 10 to 56 characters.
Target keywords + geo location + your local phone number or brand name
However, major search engine giant Google and Bing has officially told in 2012 that they will not count Meta description as a ranking factor. But Meta description is one of the places from where search engine knows about the page. So put only informative sentence related to page. Don’t put keywords in it because it is ignored by search engines.
2. Putting local address and contact numbers on all pages –
If you put your business address and contact numbers on every web page of your website means you’re sending the signals to search engines that you are the business for that particular area. But you ensure that you put it on text not in image. It is also important not only for desktop but also for mobiles, tablets, iPhone etc. This is a good sign of getting attention from search engines while showing the results. You should do it smartly so that people can click over it.
3. Creating location-specific page-
Another way to optimize your site locally is to create separate location-specific page. You can do it only when you have one website and want to target more than one location. Create a physical page with complete address details like region, city, state, or country and phone numbers.
4. Creating a geo-sitemap and KMP file–
Create a geo-sitemap Use geo-location sitemap generator to generate KMP file and sitemap for your website. Go to webmasters tool and submit both of files and verify them by either using analytics code or add it through webmasters tool.
Create a business profile on Google-plus
Create a business profile and link them on your site. Also verify authorship via webmasters tool and submit your image.
Local Directories –
After finishing on-site local seo, you need to move for local directories. Submit your site in local business directories which have high domain authority or trust citation such as google places, manta, yellow pages, yelp etc.
Claim your business –
Claim your business wherever you find you business on business listing websites. Find out those websites and claim with your proper web address and contact numbers.
Get a review from your customers –
Major search engine give rank higher to those websites who have been positive review from their customers. Try to create a page on your website where customers can write review about your services. The more positive review will be more positive rank in local searches.
Link building for local keywords and make them social –
Now, you need to do link building and then spread your services among people via social networking sites.