Every business owner needs to understand local SEO. They also need to embrace it because search engine users have evolved over the years. No one searches for just a dentist or lawyer anymore. They want to find a Queen Street dentist or a Richmond Hill car accident lawyer. Recognizing this, search engines started prioritizing websites that are optimized for location-based searches.
Do you want to be found by local customers? If so, here are some local SEO strategies to implement right now.
Focus on Local Directories
One of the easiest things you can do is claim directory listings:
- Google My Business
- Facebook
- YP.ca
- Yelp
- Citysearch
Directories make your business' contact information public to a local audience. This makes it easier for potential customers to contact or visit your business. In addition, directories provide useful
backlinks to help boost your SEO.
Your first step should be to claim your free Google listing. Ultimately, though, make sure your business is listed on every reputable local directory. Contact your BIA or Chamber of Commerce to see what local online listings are available.
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Search engines need your website's help to create individual listings. This is where title tags and meta descriptions factor in as they are customizable elements that are displayed as part of search engine rankings.
Be sure to do the following:
- Keep title tags under 60 characters.
- Keep meta descriptions under 300 characters.
- Include the name of your city where your business is located or the area(s) it services.
- Include location-based internal tags for each web page and blog post.
Create Locally Optimized Landing Pages
If you have multiple locations, create individual landing pages that are locally focused. Follow the rules for creating
effective landing pages. These pages will capture local traffic and need to contain relevant information to engage readers.
To locally optimize each page, feature copy and tags that reflect location. Remember, even though you are creating multiple landing pages, the goal is for each page to have unique content. This means you must avoid duplicate content at all costs.
Let Awkward Media Help with your Local SEO
Local SEO is important to your digital marketing. It could be the reason your dental practice eventually has double the number of patients as the dental practice next door. Awkward Media can help your website be found by local customers.
Contact us to discuss your digital marketing strategy or to craft one specifically designed to drive local traffic to your website.
