For a lot of website owners, SEO or search engine optimization seems like a highly technical and virtually impossible task to handle. After all, it involves a lot of research work, data analysis, basic web development skills, and content marketing strategy. However, even the untrained can learn SEO or at least practice basic strategies such as local SEO. SEO experts in Fort Worth explain that by working on the local rankings of a website, business owners can gain more customer walk-ins and booked appointments. Local SEO can also offer other benefits such as improved market relevance, more established online reputation and increased sales. To boost a website’s local ranking, business owners can do any of the tips enumerated below.
Claiming business listings online
Online listings for businesses can appear all over the Internet. As a result, some have duplicate or erroneous business listings. It’s crucial for businesses to check their listings regularly. Ensuring the accuracy of essential details such as the business name, address, phone number and operating hours can make a lot of difference. Otherwise, customers would end up with the wrong information, which could ultimately result in a lost opportunity.
Taking control of Google My Business listing
Google My Business is an online listing platform that allows businesses to create listings and boost their online presence. One can compare it to a digital phonebook which provides the key contact information that a customer may need. It’s a free tool that any business owner can use. If the listing has already been created, it’s important for a business owner to step up and claim it. This process would require a verification test which could be done through different ways, depending the location.
Once validated, business owners can take advantage of Google My Business Features such as:
- Events posting
- Customer reviews
- Publishing content such as announcements or product features
Keeping things consistent
Besides ensuring the accuracy of online listings, business owners also need to include the contact details on their website. Search engines such as Google, crawl the site and look for information that matches the online listing on popular platforms such as Google Maps or Yelp. If the website is fully optimized for local search, it gets included in the search results page.
Producing content aimed for local audience
Nothing drives more traffic to a website than good quality content. As such, SEO experts in Fort Worth, highly recommend creating content that targets the local market. Search Engine Land suggests using the following types of content for local SEO:
- A landing page written specifically for a city
- A page dedicated for customer FAQs
- Blog content specifically written for a group of locals
Working with other local brands
Collaboration projects or sponsored events are often considered effective in delivering value to businesses. They increase visibility and allow the brand to tap into other markets to expand their reach. Such collaborative work can be done both offline and online. For example, brands can partner with a locally known brand to host an event, write a blog post, or create other types of content.
Encouraging customers to leave reviews
Oftentimes, interested customers check customer reviews before proceeding with a transaction. It helps them assess the brand’s credibility and determine whether its worth it to buy their product or service. As such, businesses must encourage customers to leave a review on their social media pages, GMB listings, or websites. It’s also important for businesses to deliver great value so customer themselves won’t mind sharing about their experience.
Optimizing website meta data for local search
Every web page must have meta data such as the meta title and meta description. Essentially, these pieces of information allow search engines to understand the page’s content and intent. This way, when a customer keys in a query that matches the terms you use in your pages, your page or listing gets included in the results.
Letting SEO experts handle the job
While maintaining listings for a single location may sound easy, managing the online presence of more than three business locations can be extra challenging. With multiple locations in different cities, states and countries, it becomes harder to manage local SEO. In such cases, it’s best to hire SEO experts in Fort Worth. With a dedicated SEO team, businesses can focus on more important aspects. It also minimizes errors and inconsistencies.
Optimizing for local search is definitely a must. As more customers depend on local searches, businesses must adapt and make the necessary adjustment to their online marketing approach.