Mastering Local SEO (Part 3) The Location

Online marketing is a confusing world. Those long hours of research aren’t even enough to get started.

Different authors say different things. Some tend to overthink.

Thanks to local SEO and the idea behind online marketing gets simpler and clearer. Local SEO puts emphasis on location.

Whatever marketing technique you use – either organic, social media or mobile – the primary goal is to direct your site closer to your audience.

How to Market Your Business Online?

Organic Local SEO refers to any techniques that you perform inside your website, which improve your rankings in search engines. Common practices of organic local SEO are:

Website SEO

This refers to your ability to create an internet and search engine friendly website. It generally requires technical knowledge on designing and coding.

Blogging

This refers to your ability to write and create contents. Each page of your website must contain quality visual contents that attract people and search engines.

Link building

Internal link building is the art of connecting pages inside your website. For example, your contact page links to your blog.

Social Media Local SEO refers to any techniques you perform in social media and review channels, which also improve your rankings in search engines. Common practices of social media local SEO include:

• Target your blog post to a specific state and city
• Update your Facebook page daily
• Participate in Q&A websites
• Update your Twitter regularly
• Conduct webinars in Google+
• Create your profile in review sites
• Update your Pinterest regularly
• Build your reputation in Linkedin Forums

Mobile Local SEO makes sure your website and all your social media channels work in smartphones and tablet computers.

WordPress provides premium and professional templates, which loads faster in desktops, laptops and mobile gadgets.

If you’re willing to spend more money, there are other local SEO practices you need to include as part of your campaign. These are:

• Signing-up to lead generation services like Thumbtack
• Offering loyalty cards to your customers who love to shop
• Setting-up a paid advertising program
• Offering daily deals
• Setting-up ads in text messages
• Setting-up ads in social media

Mastering Local SEO (Part 2) Search Result

What is Local Search Result?

                                                 Photo Courtesy of: Search Engine Land

To fully master the science and art of local SEO, you’re required to understand how search engines reveal results.

These results are relevant to each other but heavily different in terms of placement. In fact, there are four types of results when you enter keywords in Google Search.

1. Paid results. These are advertisement results that appear at the top and side of search. People pay Google to get these positions in an aim to attract more clicks.

2. Organic results. These are the first ten results that appear under the paid results. Well-optimized web pages become visible in this area.

3. Local results. These are the organic results that point to your local websites, which are loaded with specific details such as company name, address, contact number and reviews. Sometimes, local results are paid results too.

4. Social results. There are either paid or organic result that points to your social networking channels such as Facebook page, Twitter, Google+ Local and etc.

How to Get Visible Locally?

Your web page improves its local search ranking when you consistently follow the legal practices for organic search and social media.

NOTE: Google Pigeon will love your web page if it contains accurate information about your business.

Perhaps, you’re now asking yourself “What will I do first?” The right answer is “It depends.”

There are millions of web pages online. Each page is unique. Each page functions differently.

Therefore, to get the right amount of visibility, you need to prioritize your efforts. Ask yourself, “Will I focus on organic search, local search, social media or a combination of these three?

To help you with the answer, Leads Ahoy recommends you to use this short and free questionnaire prepared by Moz.

Mastering Local SEO (Part 1) The Basics

What is Local SEO?

      Photo Courtesy of: Pinterest

Local SEO puts emphasis on location data that send essential information in search engines. It directs your pages to a specific country, state, city or town where your customers reside.

What’s the Goal?

People can easily find your page in Google, Yahoo and Bing when it’s optimized for local search.

For example, Adam is a local resident in Fairfield County. One day, he needs waterproofing help. He inputs the keywords “basement waterproofing services in bridgeport fairfield county” in Google Search.

Less than a second after, the search spider gives him a list of pages on basement waterproofing in Connecticut. When Adam clicks a site, he’s expected to find essential details about the company.

These essentials details refer to contact number, complete office address, list of waterproofing services and reviews.

How to Perform Local SEO?

You’re required to follow a number of techniques to optimized your website and social channels for local search. Moz confirms consistent use of your NAP+W (Name, Address, Phone, Website) improves your search engine rankings.

Realistic Expectations: Hiring the Best Reputation Management Firm

Choose Excellent Services

                                                             Photo Courtesy of: Flickr

Your reputation defines your brand. It acts as your wheels traveling through the detours and roadblocks of the business world. Due to inevitable left and right priorities, however; you can no longer monitor your online reputation.

It’s for this reason why you need to consider hiring a management firm like Leads Ahoy. The firm is expected to monitor and enhance your reputation to bring in more traffic, more prospects and more customers.

Before hiring, make sure the firm is listed in Better Business Bureau. It feels safer to select the best five companies if they’re BBB accredited. Accreditation means you can openly uncover their accomplishments.

A firm with inexpensive list of services isn’t always the right choice. The duties and responsibilities of a quality management firm includes but not limited to:

1. Updating your blog and social media. It’s an excellent idea to hire a management firm with advanced knowledge on search engine optimization. Blogging is an on-page optimization. It is a technique performed inside your website. The firm needs to assign a content manager to write, create and promote quality contents for you.

A healthy blog is updated daily. The content doesn’t need to be long as long as it follows the guidelines in search engine optimization.

Social media covers social networking, social bookmarking and social reviews. Your content manager needs to update your social channels daily. Social media immediately attracts attention if contains colorful photos supported by texts.

2. Monitor daily reviews. Choose a firm that can auto-track your business reviews and mentions 24/7. This way, it’s easier to filter the positive from negative reviews. Positive reviews will be posted in your social channels while the negative reviews will be sent back to you.

3. Reporting. The firm needs to submit monthly reports and suggested recommendations on time. For easy glance, the presentation of the report must give you a visual and written summary before the details of their daily activities.