15 Simple Tips For Improving Local SEO

1. Insert Keywords Across Multiple Listings 

Making your brand visible through a variety of local listings is important to local SEO. Insert your local keywords into unique descriptions across multiple listings, make sure that your photos are current, and always include your business category. Once you compile a list, promote it: Reviews are essential not only to boost rankings but also to encourage viewers to take action.   

2. Get Local Coverage 

The best way to improve your SEO is to appear in major publications since these are indexed high on Google. If you'd like to improve your local SEO, target top local publications for coverage and create and foster relationships with local journalists who will cover your news on an on-going business. Once you get that coverage, you'll notice these links will help improve your local SEO immensely. 

3. Get New, High-Quality Links 

The quantity and quality of links directed to your website have an increasingly impactful effect on its local search engine rankings. Consider giving a presentation to business students at a local university, lead a discussion at regional business organization meetings or publish an article online, and use those opportunities to have the associated organizations link to the company’s website.   

4. Improve Internal Linking Structure 

Most local businesses have poor website architecture, often with important pages only being linked to from the main navigation or footer. Add internal links where relevant from within your pages' content, including blog posts, informational pages and key service pages. We consistently see lifts in rankings (maps and organic) after improving websites' internal linking structure.   

5. Optimize Title Tags With Local Keyword 

To help specific pages rank locally, optimize your title tags with the local keyword. For example, your title tag could be "basement renovations Chicago." This signals to search engines that this page is directly tied to Chicago, and will thus be more likely to show up in searches from your geographic area and explicit searches for the local term. 

6. Claim And Optimize Your Google My Business Profile 

One of the simplest things you can do to improve your local SEO is claiming your Google My Business profile. This is a business listing that shows up for local searches. You need to have a physical location and street address (not a P.O. box) to set up or claim a listing. Optimizing this profile with category, contact information, images and business hours gives a big boost in local search.   

7. Create Local Business Profiles 

Make it easier for searchers to find you by establishing a presence on popular review sites for your industry such as Google+, Yelp and Yellow Pages. Each local profile you create acts like another “platform” for local visitors to land on. It’s an incredible opportunity to improve local SEO Services and demonstrate social proof, which will help drive people back to your website. 

8. Multi-Local Brands Should Build Hyper-Localized Content 

For multi-local brands, focus on developing hyper-local content. Many brands have the same location page content for all locations. Instead, make every location page unique. Don't just find and replace the city name. Do some research. Make it useful, relevant and engaging to each location's neighborhood.   

9. Associate Your Business With An Area 

Start with Google Maps and finish with your website, citations and local listings. Make sure (without being spammy) to make it clear to search engines the area that your business wishes to dominate, and the full extent of your service area. This isn't a simple answer, but it is the one that will work. Simple doesn't get you ranking: quality, comprehensive hard work does.  

10. Be As Authentic As Possible 

It's crucial to be as authentic as possible when listing your business on sites like Google, Bing or Yelp. Fill in and regularly update your business's description and upload photos that are current and high quality. But remember that images that appear photoshopped can hurt your SEO ranking. If anyone reviews your business, positively or negatively, you should respond with constructive feedback.

11. Don't Ignore The Little Details 

It can be easy to overlook small details when posting a blog or uploading a new image, but crossing your T's and dotting your I's can make all the difference. HTML elements such as meta description tags and titles are just as critical as the image or content itself. These are the details included in search results, so it's essential that the verbiage is concise and relevant to the local market.   

12. Offer A Google Virtual Tour 

A new tool for businesses concerned with local SEO is Google Virtual Tour. You can now add a 3-D photo tour of your business to your Google profile, which will show up in searches on Google maps. Search results with photos are not only twice as likely to generate interest but Google gives preferential treatment to any profile that has added this feature through its search algorithms.  

13. Prioritize Reputation Management 

Businesses must be proactive about their online reputation management to optimize local SEO. There are several tool options you can use to track, manage and proactively garner reviews, but the focus should definitely be on reviews on the Google My Business page. Google’s noted that high-quality reviews improve business visibility, clearly indicating the importance of local rankings.   

14. B2B Marketers Need To Address Customer Needs 

Most B2B buyers don't start by searching for your brand, product or service (and if they are, they're already finding you). They use search phrases that are problem- or need-oriented. Brainstorm with your customer-facing colleagues about common questions and information requests. Identify three to five key customer pain points you help solve and organize your navigation and content around those.  

15. Manage Citations Effectively 

After you claim your Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Places and other listings, claim your business with data giants like Infogroup, Acxiom, Neustar Localeze and Factual. Make sure your name, address and phone number are correct. They are the main data providers for a large swath of online business information. If your information is not accurate with them, the incorrect information could trickle out into other citations.