As a small or local business, you may find it difficult to compete with big businesses online. Big businesses have larger budgets, allowing them to target the keywords for your industry more effectively. As a result, you might feel that it’s impossible to reach the top of the search listings and get traffic and click-throughs. But there is a way to cut through the noise and compete with big brands – even on a budget!
Local search engine optimization (SEO) can help your business increase visibility on Google. People turn to Google to research brands and their products, read reviews and make a decision. This means that your business needs to be present online, no matter how small it is. Let’s learn more about local SEO and how it can help you boost online visibility.
The Basics on Local SEO
The goal of SEO is to help your website move up in the search rankings so it can be found by more people. Local SEO is more refined. It focuses on using local terms or keywords so that you can get in front of people in your area looking for your product or service.
The best part about local SEO is that you can make it work for your business. You’re not targeting people on a national or global level. Instead, you’re targeting people in a specific area, likely one that you are a part of, too! Local SEO comes in two forms: maps (like Google Maps) and traditional SEO that focuses on local keywords.
How Can You Improve Your Local SEO?
The first thing you’ll need to do is conduct an audit that shows where your business stands right now. Some of the things you’ll need to look at are which keywords your audience is using, the number of local reviews you have, the quality of your backlinks and how well your website is optimized.
Now is also the time to do an audit of your GMB (Google My Business) profile. If you’re going to be driving traffic to these local channels, you want to be sure that they will like what they see. Once the audit is complete, you’ll know where your business stands and what you need to improve.
Here are some of the best tips for improving local SEO:
- Optimize your GMB profile
- Engage on social media and add posts to GMB
- Ensure your NAP (name, address, phone) are consistent
- Improve your internal linking structure
- Add location pages to your website
- Create local content
- Ensure a mobile-friendly website
- Get relevant inbound links
- Participate in local events
Grow Your Small Business with Local SEO
If you’re hoping to attract more customers to your local business, contact WSI Internet Partners today. We can help you create effective strategies that drive local traffic and grow your business. We will start with an SEO audit to see how your business stacks up and then work to create a strategy that meets your goals. Once you get a hang of local SEO, you’ll see that it’s a cost-effective and direct way to increase sales!
