While some are debating whether SEO is dead or alive, let us give you the following example to give you a broader perspective than what’s visible on the mere surface.
Let’s say you’re out roaming the streets – maybe it’s just before your scheduled meeting with a friend or maybe you’re getting ready for an important business lunch. You may be walking down a street in a neighborhood which you barely know. Or you may just as well be visiting another city or even country.
The weather is so hot that you can barely stand the heat, making sweat pour down over your forehead. But instead of getting nervous, you are illuminated by the brilliant idea that you need a big, cold beer. However, since you fail to see any appealing stop-by bars to have a refreshing gulp of good-quality beer, you take out your phone and decide to, guess what – well, google it, of course!
Good beer in Brooklyn, huh? Or maybe craft beer in Sofia, Bulgaria? Wherever you are and whatever you may be searching for – one thing is for sure: Google will show you the nearby gigs which match your search based on the efforts the entrepreneurs have put into optimizing their local SEO.
Below, we are listing a top 10 of the easiest steps you need to apply in order to improve your companies’ ranking in Google Search. You want to make people find out about YOU and YOUR service, instead of giving it all up to your competitors. With a mind to keep those steps as easy as possible, we’ll skip the long walks around the sweet talk and provide you a quick-to-grasp, no-nonsense compilation on that matter.
#1 – Master the Power of High-Quality Links
Gone are the days when entrepreneurs could act like selfish, witty brains, and count solely on the production of engaging content to improve their online presence and optimize local SEO.
Nowadays, it is all about getting more of those succulent backlinks, which will help you tremendously boost your company’s rankings, thanks to the way Google algorithms favor the power of those links. With the mission of receiving new and quality links, the strategy you will build is a very personal one, as it will highly depend on the products and/or services you offer. But remember that where there is a will, there is a way.
#2 – Playing with Keywords and Multiple Listings
As confirmed by Ahmad Kareh from Twistlab Marketing, the more you incorporate local keywords into various listings, and then put the efforts to promote those listings across a diverse range of channels – the better for your local SEO performance. Also, don’t forget to always include your business category.
#3 – You can Never Get Too Many Reviews
The boom of the social media has pointed out to one (probably) immortal truth – people want to interact with other people; this is simply a part of our human nature. But not only do we want to interact with others, we are also looking for the way they interact with products and/or services before we decide to devote time and money into anything which we find interesting and useful for ourselves.
Reviews are a double win-win. On the one hand, they boost ranking (Hooray!), while on the other hand – they do encourage people to take action instead of hmm.. yeah, you know the feeling of analyzing the Cart-abandonment rate.
#4 – Capture the Universal Language of Pictures
Okay, so you have optimized your local keywords by placing them across various channels, you have realized and utilized the power of reviews – so far, so good. But remember that we live in the era of clumped up content which is very much likely to be simply skipped on if you don’t find a way to excite people visually.
A picture says more than a thousand words, and not only that – a current and relevant picture overcomes language barriers, it boosts your rankings, and – it is amazingly shareable.
#5 – Don’t Underestimate Title Tags
A tiny but extremely beneficial step which will help improve your local SEO is to optimize title tags. Essentially, you simply need to include the local keywords in the title tags. Thus, you signalize search engines that your page is closely related to the particular localization, which in return increases the chances of showing up when it comes to searches for the local term.
#6 – Pay Attention to Your Website’s Architecture
Not only external linking, as well as backlinks do to the trick for optimizing your local SEO performance. Internal linking is also a must. You need to apply relevant links not only to the footer and main navigation but also to blog posts pages, key service content pages, as well as informational pages
#7 – Don’t Forget About Your Google My Business Profile
Claiming and then optimizing your Google My Business Profile takes only several minutes. But by adding your street address and physical location in this listing, you will experience a massive boost in local SEO performance. Nevertheless, adding images, business hours, contact information, and categories will further help you show up in local searches.
#8 – Embrace the Little Details
Despite often looking seemingly annoying and/or unnecessary, the tiny details, such as titles and meta descriptions can make a huge difference in your local SEO. Don’t fall into the delusion that it is all about brilliant content and images. Big success is hidden in mastering the little details.
#9 – Make Authenticity Your Credo
Flooded by content, ads, and call-to-action, people nowadays have learned to filter the information by opting for authenticity. Do not disappoint your audience and make sure you upload relevant information people can count on. When it comes to images, this rule applies, too, as pictures which appear to be photoshopped will do more harm than any good to your local SEO.
#10 – Ripe the Gains of 3D Reality
Google Virtual Tour has made it easier than ever to provide another dimension of your services. Your Google Business profile will allow you to add a 3D photo tour of your business. In return, Google algorithms will treat your profile as preferential when it comes to local rankings.
As easy as these steps sound, after all, it is up to you to put these into practice. How many of these top 10 tips have you already explored?
