If your small business does not have a strong SEO strategy, you are almost certainly missing out on customers. According to a recent survey, the vast majority of consumers search online to find businesses in their area. Local search is becoming increasingly important for small businesses who want to use the Internet to find new customers. The following local SEO tips can help you improve your online marketing strategy.
- Select Local Keywords
Keywords are the words or phrases that consumers type into search engines when they are looking for information online. As a small business, it is important to target select keywords to differentiate yourself from other brands online.
Local keywords are the perfect choice for a small business, even if you are mostly an online presence customers often prefer to purchase products from their own region. By including the town, city or region that you want to target in your keywords, you can attract consumers in that area while avoiding your site being lost in the huge number of results search engines return for more general keywords. For example, try using local keywords like “Bike Shop Orlando” in addition to more general keywords like “Bike Shop” to attract new customers.
- Submit Your Business to Listing Sites
Listing sites help people to browse and explore businesses in their local area. By adding your business to listing services such as Google Places, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and any other sites popular in your region, you can help to boost the visibility of your brand online.
It is very important to ensure that your profile on every listing site contains a working link to your website. Google counts links to your website as evidence of its authenticity, which can result in its algorithm ranking your site more highly. Up-to-date contact information also helps interested consumers in your local area to get in touch with your business, which increases the chance that they will become future customers of your brand.
- Engage With Customers Online
The Internet provides many opportunities to interact with the customers that support your brand. Encouraging them to leave reviews on your social media and listing site profiles can help to make your brand more visible online. Always reply to customers who take the time to review your brand to show that you care about feedback and are prepared to act on it.
