If you are new to the local SEO world, it can seem like a very daunting proposition. The truth is, there is no right way to achieve successful local SEO marketing goals, but there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success. Always keep the primary goal of SEO marketing in the back of your mind: To achieve top search engine rankings and, by extension, increase the traffic to your site. Local SEO, in particular, is designed to drive traffic from local search pages to your site.
Local SEO is a particularly useful tool for business owners because it drives targeted traffic to your website. Say for example you are a dentist in Toronto, Canada. By including local SEO keywords on your site’s content such as dentist, Toronto, and Canada, you’ll see more traffic to your site that is actually looking for a dentist in your area. By simply using the term “dentist” or “dental clinic,” you are much less likely to get targeted traffic.
To ensure your local SEO campaign is as effective as it can be, use this helpful checklist:
1. Optimize your site for these four things: keywords, product, target audience and location.
2. Make your site appeal to your target audience. It’s not enough to drive traffic to your site. You
have to entice them to stay there and click through to purchase your product.
3. Ensure your website gets indexed. Not only on the big search engines such as Google, but also
in local search engines. You’ll get more targeted traffic that way.
4. Use your location in various combinations in your key phrase, such as “tea shop London” and
“tea vendor London, UK” etc.
5. Local directories are great for gaining targeted, local exposure. Make sure your links are
included in as many relevant, local directories as possible.
6. Google Maps is your friend when it comes to local SEO. When you enter the description of your
business, use your target keywords. That will go a long way toward giving your company visibility to a
local audience.
Local SEO can be a very powerful marketing tool, particularly for small businesses. To gain the most targeted, local traffic for your site, use the checklist above. In no time, you should start seeing an increase not only in the number of visitors to your site, but also in the number of click-throughs because you will be attracting the kind of customer who is both interested in a product like yours and in the same geographic area as your business. Never underestimate the power of attracting the right kind of customer to your business. It can make the difference between the success and failure of your business. If you don’t want to do this work yourself, don’t fret. There are local SEO firms that can do it all for you. All you have to do is sit back watch the traffic flood to your site.
