Marketing online has been a challenge for many small businesses for some time. For most of the Internet’s history there just hasn’t been any really good resources to do local marketing. The net is inherently a global entity, and this can be good in ways, but it can be too much as well. Having hundreds of different pages of results pages just doesn’t do much good if you’re looking for some restaurant that’s just around the corner. Many small business owners find this overabundance as an ongoing challenge.
Today local SEO for a small business has become a lot easier because of some new tools that have been created by search engines and other companies. We have new local SEO that is still developing so you need to try to get ahead of the game before your competition catches on. Chances are pretty good that they may already be ahead, so you need to get started.
Here are a few tips for your local SEO:
Cultivate Positive Local Reviews – The best way for you to get glowing reviews is delivering a positive experience for your customers, but there is nothing wrong in giving a nudge to your customers who have had a positive experience when working with you. Once the transaction is completed, then ask your customer or your client if they would mind giving you a positive testimonial. If they aren’t too keen on going to your site to write their review, then let them send it directly so you can add it to your site.
Make It Clear You Are Local – Put your address, city and state, and your phone number either at the top or at the bottom of each page of your site. That way it’s perfectly clear to search engines where your location is. For instance, if you’re selling computer parts in Chelsea, then when people search for ‘computer parts Chelsea’ they are more than likely going to find your site.
Get Local Links – You need to collaborate with various other local businesses to create a mini-network of interlinking. If you have any business friends in your area then ask them to add a link to your website in exchange for linking to them. Visit government websites and directories to locate opportunities for submitting your business listing.
Don’t Depend On Automatic Indexing – Search engines usually detect most sites automatically, but you shouldn’t rely on this when it comes to local business outlets operating online. Be pro-active by submitting your business to local business listings, and to local sections of each major search engine, and on business review pages like Yelp and CitySearch.
